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Class  Hn  \°i 

Book  J_B_L 

CopdgMS0  

COPYRIGHT  DEPOSIR 


liPO 


Scanned  from  the  collections  of 
The  Library  of  Congress 


Packard  Campus 
for  Audio  Visual  Conservation 
www.loc.gov/avconservation 


National  Tie-Hps  for  "The  Siren  of  Seville" 


I 
ft 


I 


■ 


qA  real  contribution 
to  the  higher  standards 
of  motion  picture  m 

JiSewKdrl^Evemng  Po: 


LPH  ZUKOR,  JESSE  L.  LASM 

present  a  HERBERT 


BRENON 

PRODUCTION 


»TH 

SIDE  SHOW 
OF  LIFE" 


Kith  ERNEST  TORRENCE 
a»d  ANNA  Q.  N1LSSON 

om  William  J.  Lochci  famous  novel  'The  MoonfebanK»  and  inc.  plan  bu 
Ernest  Denny-Scran      by  Willis  Goldbech  and  Julie  Heme  - 


One  of 
tfaramaunt's 

FAMOUS 
FORTY 


Price  20  cents 


In  This  Issue:  THE  MODERN  THEATRE 


September  6,  1924 


WORLD'S  LARGEST?  MUSIC  HOUSE 


WURU1ZER 

VER  200  YEARS  IN  MUSIC 


What 

will  Balaban  &  Katz 
do? 


What  will  Balaban  &  Katz  do  about  music  in  their  new 
"Uptown"  Theatre?  ;  5 

They  all  wanted  to  know. 

The  new  theatre  at  Lawrence  and  Broadway,  Northside, 
Chicago,  is  to  be  one  of  the  finest  of  the  Balaban  &  Katz  play- 
houses —  another  Chicago  and  Tivoli  —  which  will  seat  6,500, 
and  is  designed  to  be  the  most  beautiful  theatre  in  America. 
For  such  a  theatre  only  the  finest  of  organs,  of  course. 

Balaban  &  Katz  have  won  tjjpir  position  of  leadership 
through  keen  business  judgment  and  foresight.  Their  selec- 
tion of  the  organ  for  their  newest  amusement  palace  was  con- 
fidently looked  to  as  the  right  answer  to  the  question:  "What 
is  the  right  organ  to  buy?" 

Balaban  &  Katz  chose  a  Wurlitzer  Unit  Organ. 

This  will  make  their  fourth  Great  Wurlitzer* 


The  first  was  bought  for  the  Tivoli  Theatre.  The  record 
of  the  Tivoli  Wurlitzer  sold  them  their  Chicago  Wur  ir. 

Results  from  the  Tivoli  and  Chicago  sold  the 

Riviera  Wurlitzer. 

The  individual  Jan^  combined  showing  of  the  three  ir- 
'  Organs  caused  Balaban  &  Katz  to  choose  their  fourth 
mighty  Wurlitzer--  for  the  new  uptown  theatre. 

There's  a  Wurlitzer  branch  house  near  you.  For  recom- 
mendations on  your  music  problem,  visit  or  write  the  nearest 
one. 


*  — 


i  

& 


Notice! 

IN  next  week's  issue  of  Exhibitor's 
^  Trade  Review  dated  Sept.  13th  (out 

n      Sept.  6th)  will  appear  a  sensational 
>v  and  original 

SPECIAL  EXPLOITATION  SECTION 

on  the  first  of  the  super  specials  now 
being  produced  by  GOTHIC  PICTURES,  Inc. 
and  being  distributed  throughout  the 
world  by  F.  B.  0.  This  first  de  luxe 
super  special  is  a  Box-Off  ice  knockout 
entitled 

"VANITY'S  PRICE" 

with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson,  Wyndham  Standing  and  brilliant  cast 
m-WATCH  FOR  THIS  BIG  SPECIAL  SECTION 


FILM  BOOKING  OFFICES 

OF  AMERICA 

723  7th  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City 


Published    weekly    by    Exhibitors    Review    Publishing    Corporation.      Executive,   Editorial   Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City.  Subscription 
$2.00  year.     Entered  as  second-class  matter,  Aug.  25,   1922,  at  postoffice  at  East   Stroudsburg,   Pa.,  under  act  of   March  3,  1879. 


5|  PRODUCERS  IUSTRlBTJLTIKG  CORPORATION 


Jompson 


HARMON  WEIGHT 

BIR.E  CT  O  R- 


iAMSHACKLE 

HOUSE " 


charm  i  nrf 
view  of0 
BETTY 


7^  HE  essential  elements  of  a  real  box  office  success  are  a  real  star,  a  great 
story  and  a  master  director.    Here  is  a  production  that  combines  these  three 
elements  to  a  marked  degree. 

In  selecting  a  vehicle  for  Miss  Compson,  one  of  the  greatest  drawing  cards 
on  the  screen,  prime  consideration  was  given  to  a  story  and  a  role  that  would 
give  this  brilliant  actress  ample  opportunity  to  exploit  her  magnetic  personality 
and  artistry. 

Love  interest,  intrigue,  fast  action  that  leads  to  a  powerful  climax,  with  a 
background  of  mystery  baffling  in  its  complexity,  and  built  up  as  only  the  crafts- 
manship of  a  master  director  can,  combine  to  make  this  a  wonderful  production 
for  Miss  Compson.  And  the  exotic  scenic  investiture  of  the  Everglades  of 
Florida,  add  beauty  and  glamor  to  the  production. 

The  play  is  based  on  the  widely  read  novel  of  the  same  name  by  Hulbert 
Footner,  published  by  George  H.  Doran  Company. 

The  director  is  Harmon  Weight,  who  directed  George  Arliss  in  his  greatest 
screen  successes,  "The  Ruling  Passion"  and  "The  Man  Who  Played  God." 

The  cast  includes  John  Davidson,  who  plays  the  arch  villain  in  support  of 
Rudolph  Valentino  in  "Monsieur  Beaucaire,"  Robert  Lowing,  William  Black, 
Dan  Duffy  and  others  equally  well  known. 

This  production  is  made  by  Tilford  Cinema  Corporation,  which  produced 
"Miami,"  starring  Betty  Compson,  and  "Another  Scandal,"  starring  Lois  Wilson. 


A  love  scene  ^ 
Prom 

'Ramshackle  Hou.se" 


Foreign  Distributor:  Wm.  Vogel  Dist.  Corp. 


WA*ni*  iQ^ynoc        ™,PTT  FIRST.JWN  PICTURES 


September  6,  1924 


Page  3 


FIRST  f 
WEEK  ! 


SECONDS 

WEEK  I 


VARIETY  AUG.  !3th. 


Last  Week — McLean's  Good  Business  at 
California,  $15,200  with  "Never  Say  Die" 


Los  Angeles,  Aug.  12. 

Douglas  McLean  in  "Never  Say 
Die,"  at  the  California  for  two  weeks, 
seems  to  be  following  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Harold  Lloyd  as  far  as  the 
theatregoers  here  are  concerned.  The 
business  at  this"  house^«due  to  an  un- 
usually large  advertising  and  ex- 
ploitation campaign,  got  off  to  a  big 
start  at'tbs  beginning,  and  held'-isp 
throughout  the  initial  week. 


|    Estimates  for  last  week":' 

California— "Never  Say  Die"  (P,  BA 
O.)  (2,000;  25-85)»  Douglas  McLean. 
Scored  ten  strike  and  business  first 
week  most  satisfactory  at  $15,200. 


VARIETY  AUG.  20™. 


GREAT  RACE  IN  L  A.  LAST  WEEK 


Los  Angeles,  Aug.  191 

Estimates  for  Last  Week 
California — ".Never  Say  Die"  {P. 
B.  O.)  (2,003;  25-85.)  Doing  beat 
business  for  second  week  of  any  at*- 
traction  in  this  house  during  pres- 
ent season.  $10,000. 


The  FILM  DAILY  AUG.  I7TH. 


Go  to  it  brother ! 


"Never  Say  Die" — Asso.  Exhibitors 
California,  Los  Angeles 

(Week  Ending  Aug.  9) 

DAILY  NEWS—*  *  *  contains  all  the 
thrills  of  Harold  Lloyd's  comedy,  "Safety 
Last,"  and  a  breezy  romance  that  has 
tremendous  heart  appeal.  *  *  *  is  photo- 
graphically done  to  the  queen's  taste. 

HERALD — Yards  and  yards  of  laughs,  if 
such  a  metaphor  is  permissable,  permeate 
"Never  Say  Die,"  Willie  Collier's  well  known 
stage  play  *  *  * 

RECORD — Here  is  a  consistently  good 
farce,  produced  by  a  consistently  good  far- 
ceur and  his  gang  of  consistently  merry 
men. 

TIMES — To  the  person  who  is  searching 
for  a  racy,  spicy  comedy,  packed  full  of 
human  interest  and  humorous  situations, 
*  *  *  "Never  Say  Die,"  starring  Douglas 
McLean,  will  be  more  than  satisfactory. 


Associated 

Exhibitors 

ARTHUR  S.  tWSe  ,  PR6S. 

PHYSICAL  DISTRIBUTOR* 
PATHE'  EXCHANGE,  INC. 

FOREIGN  REPRESENTATIVE 
SIONEV  GARRETT 


J.  K.  MCDONALD 

presents  his  original  story 

SELF-MADE 
FAILURE 

with  -If 

LLOYD  HAMILTON 

and 

BEN  ALEXANDER 

and  an  all  star  cast  including 
MATT  MOORE,  MARY  CAPvPv, 
PATSY  RUTH < MILLER,,  SAM  DeGRASSE 
CHUCK  REISNER,  VIC  POTEL,  DAN  MASON, 
ALTA  ALLEN,  HARRY  TODD,  CAMEO. 
Directed  by 

WILLIAM  BEAUDINE 

Screen  adaption:  Violet  Clirkje,  Lex  Neal,  John  Grey 
.        Photography.  .  .  .  Ray  June  and  B.McGill 


"A  SELF-MADE 
FAILURE'  is  just 

about  as  enjoyable 

a  picture  as  the 
month  has  produced 
By  all  means  place 
this  on  your 
preferred  list  ^ 

— — — I— nm  ||    i  i pimm  rami  iiimiii  in  *nBBnm 

O MOTION  P1CTVRE 
'  FOR  SEPTEMBER- 


The  Passport  to  the  Land  of 
Big'  Business  is  a  FIRST  NATIONAL 
CONTRACT 


September  6,  1924 


Page  5 

IHSIgHlllliagB^ 

it 
« 

s 


EXHIBITORS 

Oracle  REVIEW 

9fo  Business  %per  of  the  potion  lecture  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 


H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTENTS 

September  6,  7924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Apples  And  Motion  Pictures   8 

Editorial  Page    20 

FEATURES  OF  THE  NEWS 

Paramount  Organizes  Abroad   9 

Will  Hays  Asks  Cooperation  I..  10 

Exhibitors  Protest  Long  Features   ......  .  11 

Mooney  Optimistic  ■.   12 

Canfield  &  Clark  Enter  Field   12 

Loew's  St.  Louis  Opening   15 

Busy  Session  In  Kansas   14 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

The  Iron  Horse   Frontispiece 

Exploitation  On  "Miami"   41 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Big  Little  Features    23 

Exhibitors  Round  Table    25 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures    43 

Equipment  Newsettes    52 

J 

\  \  Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Gefo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.'  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building.  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE,  GRACE  M. 
ADAIR,  1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE.  HOLLYWOOD 


In  X  IT  I  B  I  T  ORS 
^  TR  ADE  RE- 
VIEW, 45  West 
45th  Street,  New  York, 
broadcasting  some  easy- 
chair  reflections  on  a 
variety  of  things  all  con- 
nected with  yon  and 
your  theatre.  Light  up 
and  look  'em  over. 


Don't  let  the  sedative  of  self-satis- 
faction  seep  into  your  soul.  Set  your 
goal  ahead.  When  you  have  passed  one 
mile-stone  of  accomplishment,  fix  your 
eye  and  your  energy  on  the  next  one. 


Greater  incomes  are  derived  from 
greater  services.  The  more  people  you 
serve  the  more  money  you  make.  En- 
large your  acquaintanceship  so  that 
you  may  have  more  friends  to  serve 
with  entertainment. 


Advertising  will  bring  'em  in.  But 
it  is  the  service  you  give  'em  after 
they  enter  the  theatre  that  will  bring 
'em  back.  Right  in  the  lobby  is  a 
good  place  to  begin  building  business. 


All  your  exploitation  and  advertis- 
ing may  be  ruined  by  an  impudent 
ticketseller  or  a  discourteous  usher. 
Lack  of  courtesy  in  the  show  busi- 
ness is  criminal  negligence. 


There  is  nothing  you  can't  accomplish 
if  you  wish  to  do  so  badly  enough.  If 
you  really  want  something,  and  keep  on 
wanting  it,  you  will  figure  ways  and 
means  i'o  satisfy  your  desire-  Truly, 
"where  there' s  a  will  there' s  a  way" 


Concentrate.  Don't  take  in  too 
much  territory  with  your  ambition. 
Do  one  thing  at  a  time.  Devote  all 
your  attention  to  it  until  you  accom- 
plish your  purpose.  Then  go  ahead 
to    the    next  problem. 


//  you  carry  your  arm  in  a  sling  it  will 
become  weak  and  useless.  If  you  rest  your 
brain  in  a  crutch  it  will  soon  be  a  cripple. 
Keep  thinking.  Dope  out  ways  to  give  your 
patrons  more  for  their  money — and  they  will 
give  you  more  of  their  money. 


Don't  think  that  all  the  people  are 
"goofs"  and  you  are  the  only  "smart 
feller."  Don't  try  to  fool  'em.  His- 
tory shows  it  can't  be  done  for  long 
— and  the  final  cost  is  heavy. 


1 


IS 


® 

H 

® 


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a 


151 


SKSMSBSBMIS 


fjjglHSEKIS 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


William  Fox  presented  his  big  surprise  picture  for  the  first  time  to  the  public 
last  Thursday  at  the  Lyric  Theatre,  New  York.  The  picture  is  scheduled  for  an 
extended  run  and  is  not  being  offered  to  motion  picture  theatres.  The  above 
are  Madge  Bellamy  and  George  O'Brien  and  one  of  the  old  engines  used  in 
the  production,  called  by  the  Indians  "The  Iron  Horse." 


©  CI  B624507 


B9 


September  6,  l'>2l 


Page  7 


EXHIBITORS 

Oracle  REVIEW 


9k  Business  Taper  of  the  Motionftcturelndustrf 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


The  Allied  Theatres  of  Massachusetts  and  the  Boston  Managers  Association  have 
reached  an  agreement  with  the  operators  and  there  will  be  no  strike. 

It  is  reported  that  Broadway  will  have  a  new  picture  theatre.    The  location  is  said  to  be  between  46th 
and  47th  Street  on  Broadway  and  it  will  have  a  seating  capacity  of  600. 

Helmer  Jernberg,  of  the  Province  Theatre,  Manitoba,  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Exhibitors  Association. 

Famous  Players  financial  report  for  the  first  six  months  of  1924  show  a  drop  of  $540,264  over  the 
same  period  of  1923.    A  big  increase  is  expected  in  the  last  half  of  the  year. 

June  Mathis,  who  resigned  as  scenario  editor  of   Metro  -  Goldwyn,  has  signed  to  do  scripts  for 
Rudolph  Valentino. 

Texas  M.P.T.O.  is  preparing  to  battle  a  flood  of  legislation  aimed  at  the  exhibitors  of  the  State 
during  the  coming  session. 

Michigan  M.P.T.O.  will  meet  in  Saginaw  October  14-15. 

West  Coast  Theatres,  Inc.,  plan  a  new  $350,000  theatre  in  Los  Angeles. 

Fred  Seegert  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Wisconsin  M.P.T.O. 

Pana,  111.,  will  show  Sunday  pictures  after  a  15  year  battle  against  the  Blue  Laws.    The  mayor 
vetoed  the  ordinance  prohibiting  them. 

An  orchestra  war  is  on  in  San  Francisco  downtown  theatres,  in  which  each  theatre  is  trying  to  outdo 
the  other  in  number  of  musicians. 

It  is  reported  that  20  states  plan  to  put  a  tax  on  theatre  admissions  owing  to  the  failure  of  exhibitors 
to  give  the  patron  the  advantage  of  the  recent  reduction. 

D.  W.  Griffith  will  sail  for  United  States  on  September  6  from  Berlin,  where  he  has  been  making 


S.  R.  Kent,  of  Famous  Players,  denies  the  report  that  Famous,  First  National  and  Metro  exchange 
information  as  regards  to  prices  paid  by  exhibitors  in  Greater  New  York  territory. 

C.  C.  Jones  of  Charlotte,  N.  C,  will  build  a  1,500  seat  theatre  at  a  cost  of  $150,000  exclusively  for 


The  Film  City  Enterprise  Company  has  been  chartered  in  Delaware  listing  a  capital  of  $5,000,000. 

The  new  Arcade  Airdrome,  of  St.  Louis,  has  five  acres  of  free  parking  space  for  the  use  of  its  patrons. 
Steel  sheds  protect  the  automobiles. 


a  picture. 


negroes. 


Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Apples — And  Motion  Pictures 


F 


OLKS  in  the  apple  business  used  c^pt,  perhaps,  that  the  same  public  buys  to  put  on  a  halo  and  say  that  all  this 
to  think  that  it  was  quite  proper  both.  And  has  a  more  or  less  violent  has  been  changed  and  that  the  picture 
to  put  the  big  shiny  apples  on  top     dislike  for  the  fellow  who  tries  to  put     business  is  100  percent  perfect,  today. 


of  the  barrel.  It  seemed  a  pleasant 
way  of  encouraging  the  buyer.  Even 
though  he  might  know  that  down  in 
the  dark  interior,  somewhere  about 
amidships,  so  to  speak,  he  could  find 


things  over  on  it.  It  isn't.  But  there  probably  is  no  in- 
Vvhen  the  motion  picture  business  dustry  in  America  that  feels  more 
was  in  the  growing  pains  stage,  it  had  keenly  its  responsibilities  in  these  mat- 
its  quota  of  people  who  believed  in  ters  or  that  is  seeking  more  earnestly 
selling  pictures.    Just  that.    If  extreme  to  hew  to  the  line  of  decency  and  fair- 


a  good  many  that  were  not  so  shiny,     sensationalism  and  exaggeration  were    ness  in  all  of  its  production  and  adver- 


not  so  big,  he  ought  to  be 
pleased  with  the  scenic  effect 
that  would  greet  him  first 
when  the  barrel  was  un- 
headed., 

Probably  no  one  took  the 
trouble  to  ask  the  buyer 
whether  he  reacted  accord- 
ing to  theory,  though  there 
were  times  when  it  wasn't 
necessary  to  ask  him.  His 
remarks  were  expressive 
and  eloquent.  But  he  was 
bucking  against  a  trade  con- 
dition. He  couldn't  expect 
to  accomplish  anything  more 
than  the  reduction  of  his 
own  temperature. 

So  the  theory  held  good 
until  it  happened  that  some- 
one who  showed  a  shocking 
lack  of  respect  for  tradition 
and  precedent  broke  into 
the  apple  game  out  west  and 
upset  the  whole  cart. 

It  was  out  in  the  Yakima 
valley,  probably,  that  all  the 
trouble    started.  Apples 
raised  in  that  distant  coun- 
try couldn't  get  to  market 
on  the  old  theory.  Buyers 
back    east     wouldn't  pay 
transcontinental  freights  for 
the  privilege    of  exploring 
the  depths  of  a  barrel  con- 
taining the    usual  mixture. 
So    the    misguided  genius 
who  couldn't  see  the  merit 
of  the  old  plan  rushed  in 
and  suggested  that  he  knew 
the  answer.     Apples  ought 
to    be    packed    in  boxes. 
Every  apple  ought  to  be  as 
big  and  shiny  and  perfect  as 
those   it  associated    with  in 
Every   apple   ought   to   be  hand-pol- 
ished.   Apples  ought  to  be  assorted,  by 
color  schemes,  so  as  to  avoid  jarring 
contrasts,  etc.    There  was  much  dis- 
cussion.   Finally  it  was  done. 

All  of  which  resulted  in  New  York 
and  Chicago  and  a  lot  of  other  places 
getting  in  line  to  buy  apples  at  prices 
that  were  outrageous ;  and  then  getting 
in  line  to  buy  more  of  the  same.  Be- 
cause buyers  soon  learned  that  it 
wasn't  a  game  any  more.  That  a  box 
apples  had  become  an  honest,  open- 
faced  sort  of  institution. 

Certainly  there  is  no  connection  be- 
tween apples  and  motion  pictures.  Ex- 


tising  than  the  picture  in- 
dustry. 

The  motion  picture  indus- 
try has  passed  the  stage 
where  it  believes  in  spring 
housecleaning.  The  aim  to- 
day is  to  keep  a  clean  house 
consistently.  To  get  away 
altogether  from  any  need 
for  spasmodic  efforts. 

In  what  is  going  on  with- 
in the  industry  there  is  little 
or  no  element  of  "reform." 
Rather,  it  is  a  matter  of 
progress,  which  is  quite  a 
different  matter.  Motion 
picture  people  are  pursuing 
a  policy  because  it  is  right 
and  because  it  is  good  busi- 
ness. Because  it  will  build 
public  confidence,  on  which 
the  permanence  of  screen 
entertainment  must  depend. 

Outsiders  who  think  they 
see  "easy  money"  will  con- 
tinue to  break  into  the  busi- 
ness, of  course,  and  some  of 
them  will  provide  a  lot  of 
trouble.  Once  they  are  pro- 
ducers or  distributors  or  in 
any  other  way  identified 
with  pictures  their  errors  of 
judgment  will  reflect  on  the 
entire  industry.  Consequent- 
ly it  is  likely  that  whoever 
may  be  charged  with  main- 
taining the  integrity  of 
screenland's  public  relations 
will  have  plenty  to  do  for  a 

Whose  valiant  plea  for  clean  advertising  and  exploitation  has  ]ono-  time  to  come  But  it 
received  the  endorsement  of  the  entire  industry.    He  is  urging    .     ?  ,.,    ,      ,  '  ,      r  .1 

that  everyone  connected  with  the  motion  picture  business  assume    isn  t  11  mucn  OI  tne 

a  fair  share  of  the  responsibility  of  keeping  the  public's  good    task  will  be  hooked  up  with 

will  and  respect.  the  activities  of  the  well-es- 

tablished concerns  now  in 
needed  to  get  the  business,  they  were  the  business.  Decent,  conservative  ex- 
the  ticket.  If  an  appeal  to  the  grosser  ploitation;  delivery  of  the  goods  as  ad- 
side  of  human  nature  was  likely  to 
get  the  business,  appeal  and  then  ap- 
peal some  more. 


WILL  H.  HAYS 


transit. 


IF  there  hadn't  been  some  of  this  ele- 
ment in  the  business  it  would  have 
been  the  most  remarkable  situation  in 
the  world  —  something  superhuman. 
Such  things  exist  in  the  oldest  fields, 
today.  So  there  is  no  use  denying  +«hat 
the  pictures  did  contribute  something 
to  the  apple-barrel  method  of  selling. 
The  picture  people  were  human — noth- 
ing more. 

It  wouldn't  be  a  safe  and  sane  thin? 


vertised ;  avoidance  of  anything  that 
may  tend  to  ruffle  public  sentiment — 
these  are  sound  planks  in  the  industry's 
platform.    They  have  its  endorsement. 

All  of  these  remarks  are  by  way  of 
preliminary  to  the  statement  that  the 
work  of  Will  Hays  is  having  a  lot 
more  effect  than  many  people  realize, 
even  people  within  the  fold  who  ought 
to  know. 

The  Hays  activities  are  being  predi- 
cated on  unanswerable  argument — the 
argument  that  it  is  good  business  to 
pursue  the  methods  of  clean  business. 
On  this  basis  he  is  carrying  conviction 


September  6,  1924 


Page  9 


into  the  most  skeptical  quarters.  By 
way  of  illustration  of  the  results  that 
are  accumulating,  this  editorial,  headed 
"The  King's  Business"  and  published 
in  the  Los  Angeles  Times  of  July  30 
is  illuminating: 

Will  H.  Hays  struck  a  valiant  blow  in 
behalf  of  clean  films  in  his  speech  before 
the  Wampas — an  association  of  motion- 
picture  advertising  men  in  Hollywood. 

Especially  he  deplored  the  screening  of 
six  salacious  novels  last  year.  Mr.  Hays 
could  have  gone  further.  It  is  true  that 
"Three  Weeks"  and  these  other  books 
should  not  have  been  screened.  But  it  is 
also  true  that  they  should  never  have  been 
printed. 

In  the  opinion  of  The  Times  the  motion- 
picture  producers  are  showing  a  commend- 
able idealism  in  their  pledge  to  support  Mr. 
Hays  in  his  campaign  for  clean  pictures. 

The  temptation  is  undoubtedly  strong  to 
reach  for  the  off-color  books  which  have 
pandered  to  the  lowest  instincts  of  book 
buyers  and  which  would  probably  clean  up 
fortunes  on  the  screen.  Especially  is  this 
temptation  strong  at  the  present  time  when 
pictures  are  hoeing  a  hard  row. 

Mr.  Hays  is  virtually  asking  the  movie 
producers  to  elect  a  voluntary  censorship  of 
the  popular  novels  of  the  day;  to  stand  as  a 
guard  between  the  vast  army  of  movie 
"fans"  and  the  smaller  audience  of  readers 
who  have  made  vile  and  indecent  books 
popular. 

Although  expressing  the  belief  that  clean 
plays  pay  better  in  the  end,  Mr.  Hays  has  not 
put  his  appeal  to  the  motion-picture  industry 
on  that  practical  ground  of  personal  profit. 
He  has  pledged  them  to  take  the  decent, 
clean  course  because  it  is  decent  and  clean. 
Because,  as  he  told  the  Wampas,  "it  is  the 
King's  business." 

And  it  is  to  the  undying  credit  of  the  pro- 
ducers' association  and  the  Wampas  that 
void  exists  in  the  place  where  the  similar 
pledge  of  the  book  publishers  should  be 
written. 

The  Times  does  not  believe  in  govern- 
mental censorship — whether  of  books,  plays 
or  pictures.  Experience  has  shown  that  it  is 
not  a  helpful  or  practical  governmental 
function. 

Censorship  should  be  unnecessary  The 
honor  and  dignity  of  the  American  book 
publishers  should  compel  them  to  follow 
the  lead  of  Mr.  Hays  and  the  picture  pro- 
ducers. 

It  should  not  be  necessary  for  Mr.  Hays 
to  exact  from  the  movie  producers  the 
pledge  of  honor  not  to  film  indecent  "best 
sellers."  There  should  be  no  indecent 
"best  sellers"  to  film. 

It  would  seem  that  the  book  publishers 
might  be  made  to  realize  that  they,  too, 
have  a  responsibility  to  "the  King's  busi- 
ness." 

To  those  whose  interest  in  this  busi- 
ness extends  into  the  future,  who  are 
not  merely  interested  in  making  some 
money  and  a  quick  getaway,  there  can 
be  no  better  advice  right  now  than 
this :  Cynicism  is  out  of  place,  because 
it  will  accomplish  nothing.  Get  behind 
the  Hays  campaign  for  clean  pictures 
and  clean  methods  and  help  raise  the 
picture  business  a  notch  higher  in  pub- 
lic esteem.  Even  if  you  are  so  peculiar- 
ly constituted  that  you  don't  enjoy  the 
job,  line  up  anyway,  because  it  is  good 
business. 


Paramount  Organizes  Foreign 
Advisory  Board 


"LP  E'  SIIAl'^R,  director  of  the 
ri  Foreign  Department  of  die  Fam- 
J — '  *  ous  Players-Lasky  Corporation, 
announces  the  formation  of  an  advis- 
ory board  to  assist  him  in  handling  the 
European  distribution  of  Paramount 
pictures  in  a  cable  received  at  the  com- 
pany's home  office  from  Paris.  This 
new  board,  the  first  session  of  which 
was  held  in  Paris  on  Monday,  August 
25,  has  as  its  members,  heads  of  the 
principal  European  Famous  Players- 
Lasky  organizations,  and  sessions  will 
be  held  at  frequent  intervals  in  Paris, 
London  and  other  cities  to  devise 
me  'i  v'-  and  means  of  increasing  Para- 
mount distribution  throughout  the  en- 
tire gui  i  neat. 

John  Cecil  Graham,  managing  di 
rector  of  the  company's  British  organ 
izations  and  one  of  the  best  known  film 
men  in  Europe,  will  act  as  chairman 
and  Ike  Blumenthal,  special  representa- 
tive, who  is  dividing  his  time  between 
the  London,  Paris  and  Berlin  Para- 
mount offices,  is  secretary.  Other  mem- 
bers of  the  advisory  board  who  met 
with  Mr.  Shauer  to  discuss  trade  con- 
ditions were  Adolphe  Osso,  general 
manager  of  the  French  organization; 
P.  N.  Brinch,  general  manager  of  the 
Berlin  organization,  and  lngvald  C. 
Oes,  the  company's  Scandinavian  rep- 
resentative stationed  at  Copenhagen. 
Other  members  will  be  added  to  this 


body  as  new  Paramount  distributing 
units  are  created  in  Europe. 

It  was  decided  at  the  first  gathering 
to  make  the  advisory  board  a  deliber- 
ative body  in  which  the  problems  of  the 
various  Paramount  organizations  will 
be  discussed  and  decisions  be  reached 
by  vote.  All  of  the  decisions 
reached  by  the  European  coun- 
cil will  be  reported  to  Mr.  Shauer  for 
his  guidance  in  the  direction  of  the 
company's  European  interests.  Para- 
mount's  business  in  Europe  has  grown 
so  rapidly  in  the  last  two  years  that  the 
creation  of  an  advisory  board  to  assist 
in  the  handling  of  the  immense  business 
was  found  to  be  necessary  by  Mr. 
Shauer  after  a  survey  of  conditions  in 
the  various  countries  of  Western 
Europe.  It  is  expected  that  important 
additions  will  be  made  to  Paramount's 
long  list  of  European  offices  soon. 

"Our  European  business  is  much 
better  than  ever  before,"  said  Mr. 
Shauer  in  his  cable  announcing  the 
latest  step  towards  increasing  the  effici- 
ency of  Paramount  distribution  abroad. 
"I  have  never  found  more  enthusiasm 
in  our  organizations  that  at  the  present 
time  and  everyone  is  most  optimistic 
as  to  the  growth  of  future  business. 
Our  latest  pictures  are  winning  popular 
approval  everywhere,  and  the  year 
1924-25  undoubtedly  will  break  all  pre- 
vious records  for  European  business." 


A  scene  from  Universal  Jewel  production    "Love    and    Glory"    in   which  Madge 
Bellamy  and  Charles  De  Roche  star.    The  picture  contains  many  thrills. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Will  H.  Hays  Asks  Co-operation  From 
A.  M.  P.  A.  For  Clean  Pictures 


Will  Hays  Says: 

Motion  pictures  command  respect.  We  are  engaged  in  a 
king's  business  and  an  essential  industry  in  this  country. 

The  most  successful  pictures  have  been  clean  pictures. 

The  great  majority  of  pictures  are  clean  but  the  small  min- 
ority create  a  bad  impression  for  the  whole  industry. 

Lithographs  and  publicity  of  pictures  are  usually  much  more 
risque  than  the  pictures  themselves. 

We  owe  an  allegiance  to  the  30,000,000  paying  members. 

Public  approval  of  good  pictures  will  bring  more  good 
pictures. 


WILL  HAYS,  president 
of  the  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors Association  was  the 
chief  speaker  at  the  luncheon 
of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  held  in 
Cafe  Boulevard,  New  York 
City  on  August  28.  The 
occasion  was  the  ninth  anni- 
versary of  the  founding  of 
the  advertising  association. 

Mr.  Hays  started  by  giving 
the  history  of  motion  pic- 
tures from  their  inception  to 
the  present  day  and  compared 
pictures  to  newspapers.  Lie  cited  that 
newspapers  have  been  under  way  for 
600  years  while  pictures '  are  but  20 
years  old,  but  their  relationship  to  the 
public  are  almost  identical. 

Many  Journalists 

From  statistics  gathered  by  the  Hays 
office  it  was  shown  that  67  important 
offices  .in  the  motion  picture  industry 
are  held  by  former  newspaper  men  and 
women  and  that  nearly  every  exploit 
and  publicity  man  is  a  graduate  of  the 
daily  press. 

He  said  newspapers  have  been  care- 
ful to  serve  the  public  and  keep  the 
papers  free  from  obnoxious  matter  and 
serve  the  greatest  number  of  people. 

The  newspaper  code  is  well  known 
and  since  the  picture  industry  is  made 
up  of  a  large  percentage  of  ex-news- 
paper men  and  if  the  same  code  of 
morals  and  ethics  is  applied  to  pic- 
tures as  governed  the  newspapermen 
in  their  old  field  were  applied  to  pic- 
tures there  will  be  a  decided  change  in 
the  attitude  of  many  persons  toward 
the  industry  as  a  whole. 

American  Industry 

Ninety  percent  of  the  pictures  of  the 
world  are  made  in  this  country  accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Hays,  and  he  dwelt  on  the 
enormous  power  weilded  by  this  form 
of  entertainment.  He  suggested  taking 
the  30,000,000  patrons  into  the  confi- 
dence of  the  picture  business  and  giv- 
ing them  the  best. 

He  cited  instances  of  pictures  that 
were  not  sent  on  their  way  in  a  blaze 
of  glory  and  had  nothing  immoral  in 
their  makeup,  yet  they  have  proved  the 
greatest  box  office  winners  that  have 
ever  been  produced.  He  used  this  point 
to  illustrate  that  theatre  patrons  prefer 
clean  pictures  to  those  of  a  risque  na- 
ture and  will  pay  producers  who  will 
make  them. 

He  emphasized  the  fact  that  although 
the  large  percentage  of  pictures  are 
clean  and    wholesome,    there    is  that 


small  minority  that  bring  about  criti- 
cism and  give  the  whole  industry  a 
black  eye,  and  these  few  can  easily  be 
eliminated,  with  great  advantage  to  the 
industry. 

It  is  not  entirely  the  fault  of  the  ex- 
ploitation and  publicity  men  that  pic- 
tures are  publicized  in  a  manner  harm- 
ful to  the  industry.  He  said  it  is  not 
fair  for  a  producer  to  give  a  publicity 
man  a  product  to  exploit  that  is  not 
clean  and  fit  for  everyone  to  see.  He 
stated  that  at  a  recent  meeting  of  his 
organization  the  members  went  on  rec- 
ord to  produce  nothing  but  clean  pic- 
tures. 

He  said  many  books  and  many 
stories  running  in  the  daily  papers, 
while  right  enough  to  be  read  by  the 
public,  should  not  be  made  into  pic- 
tures for  they  take  on  a  different  aspect 
when  visualized. 

Legislative  Harm 

It  has  been  through  unrestricted  pub- 
licity that  so  man)*  bills  have  been  in- 
troduced in  legislatures  throughout 
the  country  detrimental  to  the  picture 
business.  Law  making  bodies  have 
been  fed  up  on  million  dollar  salaries 
and  fabulous  sums  for  producing  pic- 
tures and  the  reaction  has  come  with 
a  result  that  it  is  hard  to  dam  the  flow 
of  legislation. 

He  stated  that  conditions  are  becom- 
ing better  but  it  will  require  the  coop- 
eration of  the  publicity  men  to  bring 
about  a  much  needed  change  in  pic- 
tures. The  speaker  turned  to  Harold 
Lloyd,  who  was  present,  and  declared 
that  he  had  never  made  a  picture  that 
was  not  enjoyed  by  everyone  and  yet 
never  contained  anything  that  was  not 
absolutely  clean  and  wholesome.  This 
remark  was  loudly  applauded. 

He  asked  that  the  publicity  men 
strive  to  improve  conditions  a  little 
each  day.  He  does  not  expect  results 
in  a  day  but  said  "it  is  not  the  length 
of  the  step  that  counts,  but  the  direc- 
tion." 


He  ended  his  talk  by  tell- 
ing the  A.  M.  P.  A.,  mem- 
bers that  it  is  in  their  hands 
whether  or  not  conditions 
would  improve  and  asked 
their  cooperation  in  cleaning 
up  the  industry. 

Arthur  Brisbane 

A  r  t  h  u  r  Brisbane,  well 
known  journalist,  was  called 
upon  and  gave  an  excellent 
talk  on  advertising.  He  stated 
that  pictures,  like  newspapers, 
will  progress  little  by  the  use 
of  salacious  titles  and  stories.  He 
stated  that  although  several  attempts 
have  been  made  to  publish  newspapers 
containing  nothing  but  filth,  have  failed 
dismally  and  the  same  holds  true  of 
pictures. 

He  gave  many  interesting  sidelights 
in  his  career  as  an  editor  and  also  gaye 
some  important  tips  in  the  field  of  ad- 
vertising. His  talk  was  interesting  and 
instructive. 

Elmer  Barsons,  of  Pathe,  gave  the 
history  of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  since  its  or- 
ganization and  cited  the  most  outstand- 
ing accomplishments. 

The  resolution,  adopted  several  weeks 
ago  by  the  W.  A.  M.  P.  A.  calling  for 
the  cooperation  with  the  Hays  office  in 
eliminating  anything  that  might  reflect 
on  the  picture  industry,  was  adopted. 

Harry  Richenbach  was  toastmaster. 

*    *  * 

BRAY  STUDIOS  RUSH 
CARTOON  SERIES 

After  eight  weeks  of  continued  ef- 
fort in  which  the  entire  staff  of  Bray 
Studios  was  engaged,  the  first  Dinky 
Doodle  subject  is  completed.  Dinky 
Doodle  is  a  new  cartoon  character  or- 
iginated at  Bray  Studios  by  Walter 
Lantz,  the  famous  cartoonist. 

The  first  subject  of  the  series  is  en- 
titled, "Dinky  Doodle  and  the  Magic 
Lamp,"  a  cartoonized  burlesque  ver- 
sion of  the  story  of  "Aladdin  and  the 
Wonderful  Lamp."  The  cartoon  char- 
acter Dinky  Doodle  substitutes  for 
Aladdin  and  you  see  Aladdin  portrayed 
by  Dinky  Doodle,  assisted  by  his  dog, 
Weakheart. 

As  in  the  Colonel  Heeza  Liar  series, 
these  subjects  will  not  be  straight  car- 
toons, but  will  be  known  as  "Cartoon 
Combination."  Each  subject  will  em- 
ploy not  only  the  services  of  the  Car- 
toon characters,  but  also  the  service  of 
the  artist,  who  actually  works  with  the 
characters  in  several    of    the  scenes. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  11 


Exhibitors  Protest  Against  Long 
Feature  Productions 


SHORTER  feature  pictures,  aboli- 
tion of  the  block  contract,  com- 
pulsory u  e  of  standard  time  in 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York,  removal  of  censorship  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  vigorous  fight  against 
the  effort  of  the  so-called  music  trust  to 
collect  license  fees  for  the  use  of  popu- 
lar songs,  were  some  of  the  demands 
embodied  in  resolutions  adopted  by  the 
Moving  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  at  their  annual  convention 
closing  in  this  city  tonight. 

The  public  is  tired  of  12-reel  fea- 
tures, in  the  opinion  of  the  exhibitors, 
and  wants  more  variety  in  the  per- 
formances. Six-reel  pictures  that  take 
but  one  and  a  half  hours  to  show  are 
the  best,  they  believe,  so  that  additional 
one-reel  films  may  be  included. 

The  block  contract  was  the  subject 
of  protest.  Exhibitors  cannot  give  their 
patrons  what  they  want  when  30  or  40 
films  must  be  taken  on  contract  by  name 
only.  The  theatre  men  feel  that  they 
are  better  judges  of  what  the  particular 
public  they  serve  desires,  and  believe 
a  great  deal  of  business  is  lost  through 
the  use  of  pictures  unsuited  to  certain 
localities  and  audiences. 

It  is  claimed  that  daylight  saving  in- 
terferes with  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness largely  through  the  unwillingness 
of  patrons  to  sit  in  on  shows  that  must 
hold  later  than  11  o'clock.  Audiences 
grow  restless,  they  claim,  and  an  effort 
is  to  be  made  through  the  legislatures 
to  do  away  with  daylight  saving  entire- 
ly. Music  publishers,  authors  and  com- 
posers, having  won  their  fight  in  the 
United  States  District  Court  to  charge 
a  10-cent  license  fee  for  copyrighted 
music  and  songs,  will  be  able  to  advance 
the  fee  to  $1  per  seat  if  the  decision 
is  upheld,  say  the  theatre  owners,  and 
the  fight  will  be  carried  to  the  higher 
courts. 

A  new  drive  is  recommended  to  have 
school  officials  make  more  use  of  ths 
theatres  on  Saturday  mornings  when 
free  educational  films  are  shown. 

Attack  was  made  at  the  convention  on 
distributors  for  the  creat'on  of  a  non- 
theatrical  bureau  which  brings  religious 
and  fraternal  organizations  which  have 
no  overhead  expenses  into  direct  com- 
petition with  the  movie  houses. 

Resentment  was  expressed  against 
the  running  of  12-reel  pictures,  for 
months  by  producers  before  they  reach 
the  regular  houses.  It  is  claimed  that 
the  cream  of  the  business  is  taken  off 
by  this  method  before  the  theatre  men 
can  get  the  features. 

Elaborate  entertainment  was  provid- 
ed for  the  delegates  by  the  local  com- 
mittee, including  free  admission  to  all 
places  of  amusement ;  a  baseball  game 


between  Exhibitors  and  Exchangemen ; 
beach  party;  theatre  party;  automobile 
trips ;  golf :  yachting  and  a  banquet  at 
the  Ambassador  as  a  concluding  event. 

Among  the  speakers  at  the  banquet 
were  Acting  Mayor  Anthony  M.  Ruffu  ; 
Pageant  Director  Armand  T.  Nicholas ; 
R.  F.  Woodland,  of  the  national  com- 
mittee ;  A.  J.  Lichtman,  president  of  the 
Universal  Film  Corporation ;  William 
Smith,  president  of  the  Famous  Play- 
ers-Lasky  Corporation ;  Joseph  Cun- 
ningham, originator  of  the  "Rufus  Mc- 
Goofus"  cartoon,  and  Edward  J. 
O'Keefe,  exhibitor,  of  this  city. 


OPERATORS  REVISE 
SCALE  OF  DEMANDS 

A  special  meeting  of  Local  306,  of 
the  moving  picture  machine  operators, 
of  New  York  called  for  \h:  purpose  of 
receiving  the  report  of  the  wage  scale 
committee  of  the  union,  w.s  held  at 
210  Fifth  street,  on  August  27  and  was 
attended  by  practically  the  entire  mem- 
bership of  the  local. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  operators' 
wage  scale  committee,  a  resolution  was 
adopted  empowering  them  to  return  to 
the  Theatre  Owners'  Chamber  cf  Com- 
merce with  a  final  revised  scale.  The 
new  proposition  made  by  Local  306  is 
the  negotiation  of  a  contract  covering 
the  next  two  years,  with  a  5  per  cent 
increase,  commencing  September  1,  and 
an  additional  5  per  cent,  beginning 
September  1,  1925. 

Immediately  following  the  meeting 
the  wage  scale  committee  of  Local  306 


visited  the  Theatre  Owners'  Chamber 
of  Commerce. 

They  laid  before  the  chamber  the 
final  demand.  The  double  shift  sys- 
tem, asked  for  by  the  operators,  will 
now  apply  to  theatres  of  1,000  seating 
capacity  or  over,  which  are  running 
ten  consecutive  hours  or  more.  Thea- 
tres of  less  than  1,050  seating  capacity 
do  not  come  under  the  new  shift  regu- 
lations. 

Regardless  of  the  action  taken  by 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  as  a  body, 
it  is  confidently  expected  by  Local  306 
officials  that  a  majority  of  the  man- 
agers will  sign  and  crews  of  operators 
are  now  going  about  the  city  signing 
up  individual  theatre  owners. 

The  operators  are  asking  increase  of 
about  30  per  cent  in  wages  and  a  two- 
shift  working  system.  The  strike,  if 
called,  would  probably  affect  only  the 
smaller  motion  picture  houses,  as  the 
larger  theatres  on  Broadway  have  indi- 
cated their  willingness  to  sign  separate 
agreements,  according  to  union  officials. 


MORE  FOR  JOSE 

Reginald  Ford,  the  Parisian  motion 
picture  producer  for  whom  Edward 
Jose  directed  Pearl  White  in  "Terror" 
which  will  be  released  in  America  in 
September,  under  the  title  of  "Perils 
of  Paris,"  has  commissioned  Mr.  Jose 
during  his  stay  in  New  York  to  ar- 
range all  material  for  the  production  of 
a  number  of  pictures  to  be  made  in 
Paris. 

Mr.  Jose  is  now  busy  reading  stories 
and  selecting  stars.  He  will  make  the 
first  of  these  features  abroad  about  the 
first  of  the  year.  In  the  meantime  Mr. 
Jose  is  negotiating  with  another  com- 
pany for  an  American  pic- 
ture which  he  will  make  before  going 
to  Paris,  the  details  of  which  will 
shortly  be  made  known. 


Ruth  Roland,  between  scenes  cf  her  latest  production  "Out  Where  the  Worst  Begins" 
for  Co-Artists  Productions,  reads  her  favorite  Trade  Journal,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review. 


Page  12 

Mooney  Optimistic 

Sees  Prosperity  in  Big  Crops 
and  Industrial  Improvement 

PAUL  C.  MOONEY,  Vice  President 
of  Producers  Distributing  Corpor- 
ation, who  has  just  returned  from  a 
business  survey  of  the  entire  northern 
half  of  the  United  States,  says  that 
general  conditions  point  to  a  most  pros- 
perous amusement  season. 

Mr.  Mooney  says  that  "industrial 
conditions  everywhere  are  brightening, 
and  in  most  of  the  north-west,  business 
is  now  booming  with  banner  crops  and 
top  prices.  I  found  banks  that  had 
been  closed  in  many  sections  now  open 
and  doing  big  business.  Shops  and  fac- 
tories are  right  in  line  with  the  pros- 
perous agricultural  situations  and 
money  is  beginning  to  be  spent  freely 
for  amusements. 

"The  big  wave  of  north-western 
prosperity  is  naturally  spreading  east- 
ward ?nd  southward  and  the  big  manu- 
facturing sections  of  the  east  are  begin- 
ning to  hum  in  response  to  the  increas- 
ing demand  for  manufactured  goods. 

"This  general  stimulation  of  trade 
will  naturally  have  a  most  salutary  ef- 
fect on  the  box  office,  and  this  gratify- 
ing condition  is  already  in  evidence  in 
the  western  theatres. 

"While  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration anticipated  improved  condi- 
tions in  preparing  the  current  program 
of  pictures,  and  while  we  predicted  a 
banner  season  in  making  our  Fall  an- 
nouncement, the  improvement  in  gener- 
al business  is  even  better  than  we  ex- 
pected at  this  early  date.  Our  bookings 
have  far  exceeded  our  expectations  and 
in  many  territories  our  entire  block  of 
releases  are  booked  solid  on  first  runs. 


Flora  Le  Breton,  English  film  star,  who 
recently  scored  a  success  in  Cranfield 
and    C  1  a  r  k' s    "A    Soul's  Awakening." 


Miss  Dupont,  who  plays  an  important  part 
in  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's  "Free  Love." 

Picture  Stability 

No  Longer  a  Spoiled  Child 
Among  Industries 

HP  HE  motion-picture  industry  is  no 
"  longer  to  be  regarded  as  "the  spoil- 
ed child"  among  American  industries, 
and  from  now  on  will  be  a  "less  spec- 
tacular business  but  a  safer  one,"  ac- 
cording to  the  National  Bank  of  Com- 
merce in  a  review  made  pu' lie  yester- 
day. 

"Producers  have  learned,"  says  the 
bink,  "that  it  is  possible  to  earn  as 
I  irge  a  profit  on  a  good  $100,000  pic- 
ture as  on  one  which  costs  $200,000." 
So-called  "super  pictures,"  it  is  pointed 
out,  have  cost  in  recent  years  from 
$700,000  to  $1,500,000,  although  once  it 
was  possible  to  produce  an  acceptable 
"feature"  picture  for  a  few  thousan  1 
dollars  and  the  average  cost  is  now  be- 
tween $100,000  and  $200,000. 

"Until  1923  the  motion-picture  in- 
dustry was  the  spoiled  child  among 
American  industries,"  says  the  bank, 
"spending  as  lavishly  as  it  pleased  on 
more  and  more  costly  productions.  This 
condition  was  not  permanent." 

The  bank  says  that  "spectacular 
super-productions  of  the  million-dollar 
class  magnify  the  risk  which  the  pro- 
ducer runs,"  and  "they  will  never  be 
the  !-rear1-and-butter  earners  of  the  in- 
dustry. For  a  year  or  longer  the  pro- 
ducer must  lose  interest  on  his  capital 
which  is  tied  up  in  the  pictures  or  pay 
interest  on  loans  before  profits  begin." 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

CRANFIELD  &  CLARKE 
NEW  DISTRIBUTORS 

It  is  of  interest  to  the  trade  at  large 
to  note  that  a  drastic  reorganization  has 
occured  in  the  American  distribution  of 
the  English  Hepworth  Pictures  for 
United  States  and  Canada.  Heretofore, 
the  American  end  of  the  business  for 
Hepworth  Pictures  Corporation  has 
been  supervised  by  the  Hepworth  peo- 
ple themselves  directly  through  their 
own  American  branch  office. 

The  firm  of  Cranfield  &  Clarke,  Inc., 
have  just  closed  a  deal  to  take  over  the 
American  and  Canadian  interests  of  all 
of  the  Hepworth  product  and  will  dis- 
tribute them  through  the  State  Right 
Market. 

W.  F.  Clarke,  of  Cranfield  &  Clarke, 
Inc.,  has  just  returned  from  a  special 
trip  to  England  where  he  had  gone  to 
close  this  deal  and  to  confer  with  Cecil 
M.  Hepworth  in  reference  to  a  new 
policy  for  distribution  and  of  future 
production  plans. 

W.  F.  Clarke  served  with  distinction 
as  a  Colonel  in  the  World  War,  having 
received  many  honors  and  mentions  in 
despatches. 

The  intention  of  Cranfield  &  Clarke, 
Inc.,  is  not  only  to  distribute  the  entire 
Hepworth  product,  but  to  arrange,  also, 
for  the  acquisition  of  several  American 
productions. 

*    *  * 

KING  WITH  BANNER 

Banner  Productions,  Inc.,  announce 
that  Director  Burton  King  is  under  con- 
tract to  produce  a  series  of  pictures,  ex-, 
clusively  for  the  Banner  company,  and 
has  no  connection  or  affiliation  what- 
ever with  any  other  company  or  pro- 
ducing organization. 


Betty  Bronson,  chosen  by  Sir  James  M. 
Barrie  for  the  role  of  "Peter  Pan"  in 
Paramount's     forth  coming  production. 


September  6,  1{>24 


Page  13 


'CAPTAIN  BLOOD"  WILL 
APPEAR  ON  BROADWAY 

Commencing  September  8,  for  a  lim- 
ited engagement,  the  world  premier  of 
Vitagraph's  "Captain  Blood"  will  1>: 
given  at  the  Astor  Theater,  New  York. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  theater  i; 
booked  for  a  spoken  drama  play  com- 
mencing on  September  22  the  picture 
will  only  run  two  weeks  at  this  house, 
unless  other  arrangements  can  be  made 
later. 

The  lobby  and  front  will  be  specially 
decorated  for  the  occasion.  A  com- 
prehensive advertising  campaign  will  be 
conducted,  including  a  full  showing  of 
24  sheet  stands  on  the  billboards,  sub- 
way and  elevated  stations,  Hudson 
tubes,  and  a  good  advance  newspaper 
spread. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Broadway 
run  the  twenty  fours  will  remain  on 
the  billboard  stands  and  arrangements 
may  be  made  to  have  the  dates  replaced 
with  local  dates  for  the  theaters  in  the 
various  neighborhoods  which  run  the 
picture  while  the  paper  is  still  up. 

The  Chicago  premier  at  the  Orpheum 
Theater,  a  Jones,  Linick  and  Schaffer 
house  which  starts  September  13  will 
be  similarly  handled  with  a  special  ex- 
ploitation man. 

The  Astor  will  be  in  charge  of  Frank 
Loomis  during  the  New  York  run.  The 
advertising  and  exploitation  campaign 
will  be  handled  by  the  Vitagraph  home 
office  publicity  department  under  the 
supervision  of  W.  Wallace  Ham. 

*    #  * 

'HENRI'  SLOANE  WITH 
INDEPENDENT  PICTURES 

Henriette  Sloane,  for  several  months 
past  associated  with  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  as  a  member  of  the  editorial 
staff,  has  accepted  the  post  of  Director 
of  Publicity  and  Advertising  with  the 
Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  of  which 
Jesse  Goldburg  is  President. 

The  necessity  for  the  addition  of 
someone  to  handle  this  branch  of  the 
work  exclusively  is  another  indication 
of  the  steady  growth  of  the  organiza- 
tion which  has  been  keeping  time  to  a 
rapidly  increasing  business. 

ifc         Sj:  =fc 

LLOYD  HONOR  GUEST 
AT  RECEPTION 

Stage  and  screen  joined  in  brilliant 
and  delightful  comradery  when  Elmer 
Pearson,  Vice-President  and  General 
Manager  of  Pathe,  and  Mrs.  Pearson 
were  hosts  at  a  dinner  and  reception 
given  in  honor  of  Harold  Lloyd  and 
his  mother,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lloyd. 

The  function,  which  was  held  at  the 
Soundview  Golf  Club,  Great  Neck, 
Long  Island,  proved  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  gatherings  of  theatrical 
and  screen  notables  of  the  present  sea- 
son, including    among  the    guests  of 


honor  in  addition  to  the  Lloyds  such 
luminaries  of  the  amusement  world  as 
Sam  Harris,  Arthur  Hopkins,  Frank 
Craven,  Thomas  Meighan,  John  Wil- 
lard,  Edna  Murphy,  Constance  Bennett, 
Blanche  Mehaffey  and  many  others.  Mr. 
Pearson  and  Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 
of  Associated  Exhibitors,  represented 
die  executive  branch  of  the  film  indus- 
try, while  William  A.  Johnston,  editor 
of  Motion  Picture  News,  and  "Joe" 
Dannenberg,  editor  of  Film  Daily,  were 
on  hand  to  represent  the  trade  press. 

RAYART  SERIES 

W.  Ray  Johnston,  President  of  Ray- 
art  Pictures,  this  week  anmuncd  the 
consummation  of  negotiations  with  Bob 
Horner  Productions  of  Los  Angeles 
and  Hollywood  for  the  production  of  a 


Walter  Wanger,  general  manager  Depart- 
ment of  Production,  for  Famous  Players. 

series  of  six  fast  action  stunt  pictures 
based  on  newspaper  reporter  stories. 
The  first  picture  has  already  been  com- 
pleted and  delivered  to  the  Rayart  of- 
fices under  the  new  contract.  It  is  call- 
ed "Midnight  Secrets"  and  stars  George 
Larkin.  Edward  Small's  offices  repre- 
sented the  Horner  Productions  in  the 
negotiations. 


WARNER  BROTHERS  TO 
BUILD  THEATRE 

Within  the  next  few  months  or  a 
year  there  will  be  a  theatre  on  the 
Warner  Brothers'  lot  solidly  con- 
structed of  steel,  stone,  and  wood  if  the 
plans  announced  a  few  days  ago  \>y 
H.  M'.  Warner,  representing  the  War- 
ner Bros,  at  their  studio  in  Los  An- 
geles, are  carried  to  their  fruition. 

Mr.  Warner  has  released  a  state- 
ment that  his  firm  is  about  to  let  con- 
tracts on  a  building  program  at  their 
present  West  Coast  plant  which  will 
entail  the  expenditure  of  approximately 
■three  quarters  of  a  million  dollars  for 
an  ultra  modern  theatre,  a  tremendous 
outdoor  stage,  and  a  scenic  warehouse, 
all  to  be  located  on  the  Warner  lot  at 
Sunset  Blvd.,  and  Bronson  Street,  Los 
Angeles,  and  all  to  be  operated  in  con- 
junction with  the  present  Warner  Bros, 
studio  property  and  under  the  direct 
and  personal  supervision  of  the  War- 
ner Brothers. 

Those  familiar  with  Los  Angeles 
motion  picture  property  know  that 
Warner  Bros,  own  at  least  two  par- 
ticularly valuable  tracts  in  the  big  West 
Coast  City.  The  "lot"  on  which  they 
have  been  working  for  a  long  time,  on 
Sunset  Blvd.,  between  Bronson  and 
Van  Ness  Streets,  with  a  depth  equiva- 
lent to  a  couple  of  city  blocks,  is  admit- 
tedly one  of  the  most  desirable  loca- 
tions— for  any  kind  of  a  business — in 
Los  Angeles.  Right  in  the  heart  of  a 
section  which  has  grown  up  with  re- 
markable rapidity,  it  is  the  direct  op- 
posite of  what  one  would  expect  of  a 
"motion  picture  lot."  Sunset  Blvd., 
and  Van  Ness  Street  are  busy  arteries 
of  traffic.  Thousands  of  people  live 
within  a  half  mile  of  the  property  and 
important  centers,  like  the  Hotel  Am- 
bassador, are  less  than  ten  minutes 
away  by  trolley. 

sfs        jjc  SfJ 

TURRILL  WITH  ARROW 

The  extensive  program  for  1924-5 
laid  out  by  W.  E.  Shallenberger,  Presi- 
dent of  Arrow  Film  Corporation,  has 
necessarily  brought  such  an  immense 
amount  of  detail  to  his  desk,  that  he 
has  found  it  necessary  to  appoint  an 
assistant — Howard  Turrill. 


Dinner  tendered  to  Louis  B.  Mayer  by  Marco  Heilman,  at  Wilmington,  Calif.  Mr. 
Mayer  is  vice  president  in  charge  of  production  of  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Corp. 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


JESSE  GOLDBURG  RUSHES 
WORK  ON  COAST 

Jesse  Goldburg,  president  of  Indepen- 
dent Pictures  Corp..  left  Sunday  for 
Hollywood,  where  he  will  personally 
supervise  and  direct  work  at  the  Holly- 
wood studios.  In  addition  to  devoting 
his  attention  to  the  filming  of  the  sec- 
ond of  the  Holmes-Desmond  series  and 
the  third  of  the  Franklin  Farnum  pic- 
tures he  will  also  select  a  new  star  to 
play  the  male  leads  in  a  series  of  eight 
westerns  which  will  be  released  through 
one  of  the  leading  distributing  com- 
panies. 

No  indication  of  who  is  under  con- 
sideration for  the  post  has  been  so 
much  as  intimated  as  it  is  understood 
that  the  selection  will  be  made  from  the 
ranks  of  the  most  capable  for  that  type 
of  work. 

"Outwitted,"  the  first  of  the  new 
Helen  Holmes-William  Desmond  series 
which  will  be  released  September  15  has 
already  been  sold  in  several  territories 
and  the  same  success  is  expected  for 
the  second  of  the  series  the  title  of 
which  is  as  yet  undetermined. 

Much  interest  is  being  manifest  in 
the  third  of  the  Franklin  Farnum  series 
which  will  be  ready  for  release  about 
November  15.  The  basis  for  the  in- 
terest is  the  splendid  record  of  the  first 
two  of  the  same  series,  "Gambling  Kid" 
and  "Billy  the  Kid"  which  will  be  re- 
leased September  15.  and  October  15  re- 
spectively. 

Mr.  Goldburg's  trip  is  expected  to 
last  from  six  weeks  to  three  months. 

♦    ^  ^¥ 

A  CORRECTION 

In  a  recent  issue  of  this  paper  it  was 
announced  that  J.  H.  Maclntyre,  Al- 
bany representative  of  Famous  Play- 
ers-Lasky  had  resigned  from  the  Al- 
bany Film  Board  of  Trade.  We  are 
informed  that  Mr.  Maclntyre  is  still 
connected  with  the  organization  and  is 
one  of  the  most  active  members. 


Harry  Rapf,  production  manager,  E.  M.  Saunders,  sales  manager,  Alice  Terry, 
film  star,  James  R.  Grainger,  sales  manager,  and  Irving  Thalberg,  production 

executive  of  Metro's  forces. 

Busv  Session  Planned  For 

J 

Kansas  Convention 


INTEREST,  instead  of  being  section- 
al, will  be  of  a  national  aspect  at 
the  combined  Allied  M.  P.  T.  O. 
Kansas  convention,  to  be  held  at  the 
Hotel  Kansas,  Topeka,  Kas.,  Septem- 
ber 22  and  25  There  is  one  certainty 
as  to  the  activities  at  the  convention. 
There  will  be  a  showdown  on  the  uni- 
form contract  controversy  and  a  defin- 
ite understanding  on  the  future  work- 
ings of  the  arbitration  rulings  handed 
down  by  Will  Hays. 


Irving  Cummings,  rehearsing  Virginia 
Levee's,  "In  Every  Woman's  Life,"  for 


Valli  in  an  emotional  scene  for  M.  G 
First  National.    Art  Jell  is  the  violinist. 


It  was  suggested  Wednesday  by 
President  R.  R.  Biechele,  of  the  M.  P. 
T.  O.,  Kansas,  to  Al.  Steffes,  that  Mr. 
Hays,  or  a  personal  representative,  be 
invited  to  attend  the  convention  and, 
once  and  for  all,  outline  a  definite  pol- 
icy on  the  above  subjects. 

The  tentative  program,  as  arranged 
by  C.  E.  Cook,  business  manager  of  the 
Kansas  bod) ,  is  as  follows  : 

Monday,  September  22 

Morning — Roll  call.  Appointment  of 
committees.  President's  report.  Buffet 
luncheon  at  noon. 

Afternoon — Meeting  of  Allied  State 
Organizations.  Completion  of  the  pro- 
posed merger  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kan- 
sas, the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Western  Missouri 
and  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
into  what  probably  will  be  known  as 
the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Mid-west.  Discussion 
of  dues  of  new  merged  organization. 

Evening — Exhibitors'    frolic  at  Or- 
pheum  theatre,  to  b?  attended  by  repre- 
sentatives of  all  four  organizations. 
Tuesday,  September  23 

Morning — Committee  reports.  Con- 
ference of  Promotion  and  Research 
committee  on  coming  legislative  prob- 
lems.   Buffet  luncheon  at  noon. 

Afternoon — Speakers  from  the  Allied 
and  Kansas  organizations  and  Will 
Hays,  or  a  personal  representative. 

Evening — Banquet  and  dance  on  roof 
garden  of  Hotel  Kansas. 

There  will  be  no  election  of  officers, 
at  this  meeting. 


September  6.  1924 


Pa^b  15 


A.  J.  Nelson,  assistant  general  manager 
of  Vitagraph,   leaving  the    offices    for  a 
trip  to  the  Eastern  Exchanges. 


EXHIBITORS  ARE  GIVEN 
MONTH'S  RESPITE 

Thousands  of  motion  picture  the- 
atre owners  throughout  the  country 
will  benefit  by  a  decision  announced 
by  the  Treasury  Department  at  Wash- 
ington, to  the  effect  that  until  October 
1  the  old  form  of  admission-ticket  to 
the  theatres  may  continue  in  use.  The 
ruling  was  obtained  by  the  Hays  office. 
September  1  was  the  date  on  which  this 
form  of  ticket  was  to  have  been  dis- 
continued. 

The  change  in  the  form  of  admission 
tickets  to  the  motion  picture  theatres 
was  made  necessary  because  of  the 
abolition  of  the  10  percent  admission- 
tax  on  seats  costing  50  cents  or  less. 
While  the  old  form  of  ticket  may  con- 
tinue in  use  temporarily,  the  theatres, 
of  course,  are  not  permitted  to  collect 
the  10  percent  tax,  even  though  the 
face  of  the  ticket  may  call  for  it.  There 
will  be  a  considerable  saving  for  the 
theatre  men,  however,  in  the  decision, 
because  millions  of  the  old  tickets  are 
yet,  unused. 

t-    *  * 

OPERATORS  SATISFIED 

Threatened  differences  between  Ot- 
tawa Local  257  of  the  Projection  Ma- 
chine Operators  Union  and  the  Ottawa 
Theatre  Managers'  Association  were 
solved  at  a  special  conference  between 
representatives  of  the  two  organiza- 
tions which  was  held  August  19.  The 
projectionists  decided  to  accept  a  re- 
newal of  the  old  contract  for  another 
year,  starting  September  1,  the  previous 
wage  scale  and  other  general  conditions 
prevailing  as  before.  The  theatre  man- 
agers were  represented  in  the  negotia- 
tions by  J.  M.  Franklin,  manager  of 
the  Keith  and  Franklin  Theatres,  and 
the  officers  representing  the  Operators' 
local  included  Wm.  Hartnett,  president, 
William  H.  Lane,  business  agent,  and 
Mr.  Andrews. 


'SPEED  SPOOK'  PLEASES 
EXHIBITORS 

When  producer  Burr  put  "The 
Speed  Spook"  with  Johnny  Hines  in 
the  feature  role  on  "cold"  for  a  tryout 
at  the  New  Rialto  Theatre  in  White- 
stone,  N.  Y.,  he  had  no  idea  what  the 
exhibitor  or  audience  reaction  would 
be  on  this  latest  Hines  feature.  A  few 
days  later,  Mr.  Burr  was  in  receipt  of 
a  letter  from  Robert  Lowenberg,  man- 
ager of  the  New  Rialto,  which  read  as 
follows : 

"Your  new  picture  of  Johnny  Hines 
in  'The  Speed  Spook'  which  was  tried 
out  at  my  theatre  last  Saturday  went 
over  with  a  bang.  My  patrons  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  it,  even  to 
this  day,  can't  stop  commenting  on 
what  a  great  picture  it  was.  They  sure 
did  enjoy  it,  and  some  of  my  regular 
patrons  who  missed  seeing  it  heard  so 
much  about  "The  Speed  Spook"  from 
those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to 
see  it  that  I  have  received  any  number 
of  requests  asking  me  to  play  it  over 
again. 


E.  A.  Schiller,  general  representative  of 
Loew,  Inc.,  with  James  R.  Grainger  and 
Peter    the    Great,    Metro's    star  canine. 


Loew's  St.  Louis  Theatre  Opens 
In  Blaze  of  Glory 


By  Special  Correspondent 


CAN  Marcus  Loew  with  the  new 
Loew  State  Theatre  at  Eighth 
Street  and  Washington  Avenue, 
reclaim  down-town  night  life  in  St. 
Louis  ? 

He  is  betting  some  $1,600,000  that 
he  can,  and  tossing  in  an  extra  $600,- 
000  or  so  annually  to  raise  the  ante. 
All  St.  Louis  filmdom  and  the  business 
world  as  well  are  watching  his  experi- 
ment. It  would  be  a  big  thing  for 
down-town  realty  values  if  he  can  put 
this  master  stroke  across. 

In  the  sobering  dawns  that  have,  fol- 
lowed the  masterful  and  most  colorful 
grand  opening  of  the  beautiful  new- 
show  house  a  realization  of  what  this 


John  B.  Rock,  general  manager  of  Vita- 
graph,  and  Edward  Auger,  recently  ap- 
pointed   an    assistant    general  manager. 


master  of  some  300  theatres  is  up 
against  has  come  to  St.  Louis.  There 
will  not  be  a  grand  opening  every  night 
and  the  bevy  of  beautiful  filmettes  and 
male  stars  of  the  screen  and  heroes  and 
heroines  of  the  musical  comedy  and 
vaudeville  world  will  not  be  on  hand  to 
ad  zest  to  the  programme.  .  AVith  St. 
Louis  long  educated  to  the  view  that 
Grand  Boulevard  is  the  center  of  night 
life'  with  Olive  Street  as  the  hub  it  will 
be  doubly  hard  to  make  the  down-town 
come  back  as  it  must  to  put  the  Loew 
State  across  big. 

Marcus  Loew  has  confidence  in  his 
ability  to  come  through  with  this  enter- 
prise despite  all  the  existing  handicaps, 
and  he  so  expressed  himself  on  open- 
ing night.  He  has  done  the  same  thing 
elsewhere  and  he  feels  that  St.  Louis 
will  prove  no  exception  to  the  rule.  In 
his  address  at  the  opening  on  the  night 
of  August  21  he  promised  the  people 
of  St.  Louis  that  he  would  endeavor  to 
give  them  more  than  they  anticipated 
in  the  way  of  entertainment  at  the  new 
house.  For  the  time  being  it  will  be 
a  strictly  high  class  picture  theatre  with 
the  prologue  acts  direct  from  the  lead- 
ing New  York  houses. 

There  is  no  denying  that  the  Loew's 
State  is  a  wonderful  theatre.  It  cost  a 
few  dollars  less  than  $1,600,000  with 
the  store  building  fronting  on  Wash- 
ington Avenue,  and  ranks  among  the 
country's  finest  amusement  palaces. 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


GERMAN  PRODUCTION 
ON  DECLINE 

Motion  pictures  in  Germany  are  en- 
joying runs  of  many  weeks  and  the 
larger  ones  are  being  run  through  suc- 
cessive months,  according  to  a  report 
to  the  Department  of  Commerce  from 
Consul  Rudolf  E.  Schoenfeld,  Berlin. 

Lack  of  good  film  and  not  their  ap- 
peal to  the  fans  is  given  as  the  reason 
for  the  long  runs.  Germany's  produc- 
tion of  films  has  been  waning  steadily 
since  1921.  In  1922,  the  total  output 
was  1,221,280  meters  or  around  35  per 
cent  of  the  1921  production.  In  1923, 
the  production  had  dwindled  to  but 
775,783  meters. 

The  large  producers  suffered  the 
greatest  loss  in  output  during  1923  ow- 
ing to  the  consistent  effort  to  reduce 
films  of  high  quality  with  insufficient 
funds.  The  medium  size  producer, 
firms  with  an  annual  output  of  5,000 
to  10,000  meters,  were  more  successful 
in  maintaining  production.  In  contrast 
with  both  large  and  medium  rize  pro- 
ducers, the  small  producers  increased 
their  output. 

Owing  to  import  restrictions,  the 
market  at  the  present  time  holds  no  al- 
lurement for  American  producers.  It 
is  believed,  however,  that  the  popularity 
of  American  films  in  Germany  will  re- 
act in  our  favor  with  the  improvement 
of  economic  conditions. 


4THE  SILENT  WATCHER' 
FOR  FRANK  LLOYD 

"The  Silent  Watcher"  has  been 
chosen  as  the  permanent  title  for 
Frank   Lloyd's   third  independently 


A   stirrfhg  scene  from   Vitagraph's  newly  completed   filming  of   Sabatini's  novel 
"Captain  Blood."    Exceptional  research  study  and  costume  design  makes  this  story 
of  the  old  pirate  days  teem  with  realism. 


produced  First  National  Picture  and 
successor  to  "The  Sea  Hawk"  and  in 
announcing  the  title  the  noted  pro- 
ducer-director has  emphasized  his 
views  regarding  what  constitutes  a 
big  photoplay. 


"SEA  HAWK'  MOVES 

"The  Sea  Hawk,"  First  National's 
Frank  Lloyd  Special,  will  end  its  four- 
teen weeks'  run  at  the  Astor  Theatre, 
New  York,  at  the  $2  top  scale,  on  Sun- 
day, September  7,  and  the  next  week 
to  be  transferred  to  the  Strand.  On 
September  28,  it  will  open  at  the  Brook- 
lvn  Strand. 


"Crowds  inside  the  theatre  and  out,"  is  the  story  the  Roosevelt  Theatre,  Chicago, 
tells  concerning    Valentino's    return    to    the    screen    in     "Monsieur  Beaucaire. 


ST.  LOUIS  EXHIBITORS 
AVERT  STRIKE 

Strike  of  union  musicians,  motion 
picture  machine  operators  and  stage 
hands  employed  in  the  St.  Louis  the- 
atres have  been  averted  by  the  employ- 
ers agreeing  to  the  wage  demands  of 
the  organizations. 

Wage  increases  of  $5  tc  $10  a  week 
were  granted  to  the  stage  hands,  elec- 
tricians and  property  men.  The  old 
wage  scale  ranged  from  $50  to  $60  a 
week.  Under  the  new  plan  a  flat  rate 
of  $65  per  week  is  to  be  paid. 

Musicians  who  were  being  paid  from 
$35  to  $45  a  week  with  an  additional 
$12  for  matinees  were  given  increases 
of  $25  percent.  In  the  large  first  run 
houses  musicians  are  being  paid  as  high 
as  $150  a  week. 

The  motion  picture  machine  oper- 
ators were  given  raises  of  $10  to  $12.50 
a  week,  men  who  were  getting  $55  be- 
ing raised  to  $67.50  and  those  getting 
$70  to  $80. 

Several  motion  picture  houses  have 
raised  their  admission  prices  to  offset 
the  wage  increases  granted  the  union 

workers. 

CONFLICTING  NAMES 
EMBARRASSING 

Ann  Luther,  ex-film  actress,  has  been 
receiving  considerable  newspaper  pub- 
licity of  late  in  her  suit  against  Jack 
White,  who  is  described  as  a  mining 
man  and  film  magnate. 

The  publicity  has  been  anything  but 
agreeable  to  Jack  White,  producer  of 
comedy  films  for  Educational.  Mr. 
White,  the  producer  is  not  the  Jack 
White  mentioned  in  the  news  stories, 
and  it  has  caused  him  considerable  em- 
barrassment. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  17 


Prologue  scene  for  First  National's  "The  Perfect  Flapper,"  as  presented  by  the 
Mark  Strand  Theatre,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,   depicting  changes  in  feminine  fashions. 


M.  P.  T.  0.   WILL  INVITE 
EUROPEAN  EXHIBITORS 

That  the  affairs  of  Theatre  Owners 
may  be  mutualized  and  international 
co-operation  effected  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic,  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  in  their  midsummer  meeting 
at  the  Sagal-Lou  Farms  in  Branford, 
Conn.,  Monday  and  Tuesday,  August 
25  and  26,  decided  to  invite  fraternal 
delegates  from  the  Cinematograph  As- 
sociation of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
the  Exhibitors'  national  bodies  in 
France  and  other  sections  of  Continen- 
tal Europe  to  their  National  Conven- 
tion in  Milwaukee  next  May. 

This  action  will  not  only  tend  to 
bring  into  closer  union  the  Exhibitors 
of  America  and  Europe  but  will  help 
the  Industry  generally  by  creating  a 
better  feeling  generally  and  aid  in  the 
extension  of  American  films  in  Great 
Britain  and  on  the  Continent.  Dele- 
gates will  also  be  named  at  the  Mil- 
waukee convention  to  attend  the  ses- 
sions of  the  European  Exhibitor  bodies. 
This  matter  was  brought  before  the 
meeting  by  Sydney  S.  Cohen  and 
unanimously  agreed  to. 

The  meeting  was  featured  by  many 
other  matters  of  great  consequence  to 
the  Theatre  Owners.  Chairman  R.  F. 
Woodhull,  of  Dover,  N.  J.,  presided 
and  the  following  National  Officers  and 
additional  directors  were  present : 
President  M.  J.  O'Toole,  Secretary 
George  P.  Aarons  of  Philadelphia ; 
Treasurer  Louis  M.  Sagal  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.;  A.  A.  Elliott  of  Hud- 
son, N.  Y. ;  Sydney  S.  Cohen  of  New 
York  City ;  M.  E.  Comerf ord  of  Scran- 
ton,  Pa.;  J.  W.  Whitehurst  of  Balti- 
more, Md. ;  Joseph  W.  Walsh  of  Hart- 
ford, Conn. ;  Martin  G.  Smith  of  To- 
ledo, O. ;  W.  W.  Watts  of  Springfield, 
111.,  E.  M.  Fay  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
and  Ernest  Horstmann  of  Boston, 
Mass. 


CLASSICS  FOR  U.  B.  O. 

Every  Warner  Bros.  Classic  of  the 
Screen  on  the  1924-25  schedule  will 
play  all  the  theatres  controlled  by  the 
United  Booking  Offices  of  America  in 
the  East  in  which  feature  photoplays 
are  exhibited.  The  engagements,  for 
the  most  part,  will  be  for  a  week,  never 
running  less  than  three  days  and,  where 
the  production  warrants  it,  runnmg  to 
two  weeks  or  even  more.  Houses  cov- 
ered by  this  arrangement  include  the 
Keith  theatres,  the  Proctor  theatres, 
and  the  Moss  theatres  in  the  New  York 
City  territory  and  other  theatres  in  the 
larger  cities  of  New  York  state. 
*    *  * 

CAREY'S  NEXT 

The  fifth  Harry  Carey  feature  in  the 
series  for  release  through  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  will  be  "The 
Man  from  Texas,"  an  adaptation  of 
the  Bret  Hart  story  "Tennessee's 
Pardner." 


SECOND  PREMIERE  FOR 
TEN  COMMANDMENTS' 

Almost  overnight  the  castle  front  put 
on  the  Criterion  Theatre,  New  York, 
for  the  showing  of  'Dorothy  Vernon' 
was  removed  to  make  way  for  an  enor- 
mous canvas  of  the  chariot  race  in 
"The  Ten  Commandments." 

The  latter  picture  took  up  winter 
quarters  in  the  Criterion  following  a 
run  of  almost  nine  months  at  the 
Cohan  Theatre.  At  the  second  open- 
ing the  film  was  viewed  by  a  large  en- 
thusiastic audience. 

It  seems  that  'Glen'  Allvine,  of  Para- 
mount, will  prove  right  in  his  prophecy 
of  a  record-making  Broadway  run. 

The  picture  is  in  the  Criterion  for 
an  indefinite  run  and  judging  from  the 
patronage  it  wTill  be  there  for  sometime. 

*  *  * 

CHALK  MARKS'  COMPLETE 

"Chalk  Marks,"  the  second  Frank 
Woods  feature  for  release  through 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation, 
was  completed  at  the  Peninsula  Stu- 
dios this  week  and  given  an  audience 
tryout  in  The  Balboa,  one  of  San  Fran- 
cisco's suburban  theatres,  that  proved 
most  gratifying  to  the  producer  and 
the  local  representatives  of  the  distribu- 
tors. 

*  *  * 

KEATON  RESTS 

Buster  Keaton  has  finished  the  big- 
gest picture  of  his  career  in  "The 
Navigator,"  directed  by  Donald  Crisp 
from  a  script  by  Jean  Havez,  Joe  Mit- 
chel  and  Clyde  Bruckman.  "The 
Navigator"  is  being  titled  and  edited 
for  Metro-Goldwyn  release.  It  is  a 
Joseph  M.  Schenck  production. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


-p|  RISCILLA  DEAN  held  a  recep- 
tion  at  her  Beverly  Hills  home 
during  the  past  week  for  Harry 
Carey  and  the  company  appearing  with 
h(m  in  "Roaring  Rails,"  his  current 
Hunt  Stromberg  Production  for  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation. 

*  *  * 

Robert  Ellis  has  been  signed  as  lead- 
ing man  for  Priscilla  Dean  in  "A  Cafe 
in  Cairo,"  her  second  Hunt  Stromberg 
production,  which  Chet  Withey  is  di- 
recting. 

jfc        jfc  sfc 

The  second  of  the  series  of  eight 
thrillers  starring  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  has 
been  completed,  and  has  arrived  in 
New  York,  from  Hollywood.  It  car- 
ries the  title  of  "Fast  and  Fearless," 
with  considerable  of  the  action  filmed 
in  Mexico. 

*  *  * 

Louis  Weiss,  vice  president  of  Weiss 
Brothers'  Artclass  Pictures,  is  due  to 
arrive  in  Los  Angeles,  August  30th,  en- 
route  from  Salt  Lake  City.  Mr.  Weiss 
will  then  have  completed  one  half  of 
his  transcontinental  trip  started  ten 
days  ago,  which  he  is  making  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Artclass  product. 

*  % 

Another  Broadway  stage  favorite 
has  deserted  the  stage  for  the  screen 
in  the  person  of  Margaret  Ouimby, 
former  featured  player  in  the  Follies, 
the  Music  Box  Review  and  the  George 
White  "Scandals  "  She  has  been  signed 
up  by  Universal  at  a  salary  said  to  be 
the  highest  ever  paid  to  a  screen  ac- 
tress for  appearing  in  anything  except 
feature  subjects. 

*  =t=  * 

"Barbara  Frietchie,"  the  big  historic 
romance  adapted  from  the  Clyde  Fitch 
plav  was  fully  completed  during  the 
past  week  and  given  a  public  preview 
at  the  Granada  Theatre  in  Hollywood 
where  a  packed  house  gave  it  an  en- 
thusiastic reception. 

%    ^  # 

Robert  De  Lacy  has  been  signed  by 
Hunt  Stromberg  as  film  editor  for  his 
Harry  Carey  Unit  and  he  is  now  en- 
gaged in  cutting  "Roaring  Rails," 
Carey's  new  production. 

For  the  past  six  years  De  Lacy  was 
editor-in-chief  for  Edwin  Carewe,  hav- 
ing cut  every  picture  this  director 
made  during  that  time. 

^5         5jC  5fc 

"Hold  Your  Breath"  the  Al  Christie 
feature  released  through  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation    entered  its 


second  week's  showing  at  the  Orpheum 
Theatre  in  Chicago  with  a  splendid 
line-up  of  newspaper  criticisms  and  a 
great  army  of  personal  boosters  re- 
cruited during  the  first  seven  days 
showings. 

%    %  ^ 

H.  F.  Lefholtz  has  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  Omaha  Branch  of  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation  to  fill 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation 
of  Herman  Stern. 

"Vanity's  Price,"  the  first  Gothic 
Production  to  be  released  by  F.  B.  O., 
is  being  cut  and  edited  under  the  su- 
pervision of  B.  P.  Fineman,  general 


Milton  Sills,  at  the  Los  Angeles  premiere 
of  First  National's  "The  Sea  Hawk"  in 
which    he    acted    the    title  role. 


manager  of  the  F.  B.  O.  studios  in 
Hollywood.  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  is 
starred  in  this  story. 

*  *  * 

Ben  Lyon  left  August  25  for  the 
studios  in  Hollywood  where  be  will 
play  opposite  Colleen  Moore  in  her 
first  stellar  vehicle  for  First  National 
Pictures.  This  is  the  screen  version 
of  Edna  Ferber's  new  novel,  "So  Big," 
which  has  headed  the  list  of  best  sell- 
ers in  the  fiction  for  the  past  four  or 
five  months. 

*  *  * 

Marj^  Carr  has  been  added  to  the  cast 
of  "Hard  Cash,"  the  first  Goebel  & 
Erb  production,  which  Harmon  Weight 
is  directing  for  F.  B.  O.  The  cast  to 
date  includes  Madge  Bellamy,  Ken- 
neth Harlan,  and  Mrs.  Orr.  "Hard 
Cash"  is  a  Saturday  Evening  Post 
story, 

3|C         5^  % 

Arrangements  have  been  made  by 
Roland  West  whereby  Lon  Chaney  will 


play  the  title  role  in  "The  Monster," 
and  be  starred  in  the  photoplay  pro- 
duction of  this  famous  stage  play. 

$z       sjc  >fi 

J.  K.  McDonald  is  selecting  a  cast  of 
internationally  prominent  players  for  his 
next  production  for  First  National  dis- 
tribution which  is  tentatively  called 
"Frivolous  Sal." 

The  three  leading  players  are  Eu- 
gene O'Brien,  Mae  Busch  and  Ben 
Alexander. 

*  *  * 

Irving  Cummings  has  taken  the  last 
scenes  of  "In  Every  Woman's  Life," 
his  first  production  for  M.  C.  Levee 
for  First  National  release  and  is  now 
completing  the  cutting  and  titling  of 
the  picture. 

*  *  * 

C.  B.  C.  announces  that  the  shooting 
of  "Women  First"  of  the  series  of 
Eight  Perfection  Pictures,  has  been 
completed  and  will  soon  arrive  in  the 
East  for  cutting  and  editing. 

After  a  series  of  conferences  with 
Harry  and  Jack  Cohn  and  telegrams 
from  Joe  Brandt  it  is  announced  by 
C.  B.  C.  that  they  will  make  a  film 
version  of  "Who  Cares?"  by  Cosmo 
Hamilton. 

*  *  * 

Additional  information  has  been  re- 
ceived from  Henry  Ginsberg  and  Jacob 
Wilk  in  connection  with  their  Benny 
Leonard  "Flying  Fists"  series  of  Sam 
Hellman  stories.  Although  the  main 
title  of  the  entire  group  of  two  reelers 
is  "Flying  Fists,"  each  individual  sub- 
ject will  have  its  own  name  and  will  be 
known  as  a  Bout. 

*  *  * 

Banner  Productions,  Inc.,  announces 
that  contracts  were  closed  this  week 
with  the  Simmonds-Kann  Enterprises, 
Inc.,  220  West  42nd  Street,  New  York, 
for  the  entire  foreign  distribution 
rights  on  Banner's  second  series  of 
four,  feature  attractions,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Ben  Verschleiser  on  the 
coast. 

*  *  * 

Edward  Connelly,  featured  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  contract  player,  has 
returned  to  Los  Angeles  following  two 
months'  vacation  at  his  home  in  the 
hills  of  New  Hampshire.  This  was 
Mr.  Connelly's  first  vacation  in  fifteen 
years,  and  the  first  time  in  ten  years 
that  the  distinguished  character  vet- 
eran had  been  in  the  East. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  19 


M.  C.  Levee  says  the  whole  fiction 
field  is  due  for  a  dry  cleaning  in  order 
to  weed  out  the  objectionable  stories 
since  picture  producers  are  getting 
away  from  unclean  pictures  and  titles. 

*  &p 

Helene  Chadwick  has  returned  to 
work  following  a  nervous  breakdown, 
due  to  overwork. 

*  *  * 

Warner  Brothers'  "Lovers  Lane," 
directed  by  Phil  Rosen,  has  been  com- 
pleted. 

*  *  * 

James  Cruz  has  started  production 
on  his  new  Paramount  picture,  "The 
Garden  of  Weeds,"  starring  Betty 
Compson. 

*  *  * 

Elmer  Harris  has  started  work  on  his 
second  picture  for  Producers  Distribut- 
ing Corporation.  It  is  "The  Girl  of  the 
Stairs"  and  will  feature  Patsy  Ruth 
Miller. 

y     Ht       $  * 

Peter  the  Great,  the  well  known  dog 
star,  has  finished  his  picture  "The 
Silent  Accuser."  The  picture  was 
directed  by  Chester  Franklin,  for 
Metro. 

5fc         Sfc  Sfc 

Sam  Wood,  prominent  director,  ex- 
pects a  shortage  of  good  screen  stories, 
and  predicts  that  in  the  future,  stories 
will  be  written  directly  for  the  screen. 

*  *  * 

Nine  companies  are  at  work  on  the 
Universal  lot  to  keep  up  with  the  high 
power  schedule. 

*  *  * 

Lewis  Stone  has  been  chosen  to  lead 
in  First  National's  "Fashions  for  Men." 

*  *  * 

Henry  Ginsburg  and  Jacob  Wilk  have 
acquired  the  Benny  Leonard  series  of 
short  pictures  which  will  go  directly  to 
individually  owned  and  managed  ex- 
changes throughout  the  country. 

*  *  * 

Polly  Archer  has  resigned  as  leading 
lady  for  Richard  Barthelmess  in  "Class- 
mates" owing  to  a  severe  illness. 

*  *  * 

Mary  Pickford's  "Dorothy  Vernon  of 
Haddon  Hall"  has  been  chosen  as  one 
of  the  exceptional  photoplays  of  the 
year  by  the  National  Board  of  Review. 

Eugene  Zukor,  of  Famous  Players, 
has  returned  to  New  York  from  a  trip 
throughout  the  middle  west  and  reports 
increased  prosperity. 

*  *  * 

Buster  Keaton's  latest  picture  "The 
Navigator"  is  said  to  be  the  most  .ex- 
pensive comedv  ever  produced.  It  cost 
$500,000. 

*  *  * 

Wallace  MacDonald  has  been  selected 
by   Joseph   Schenck  to   play  opposite 


Norma  Talmadge  in  her  forthcoming 
picture  "The  Lady." 

*  *  * 

Jack  Mulhall  will  play  with  May  Mc- 
Avoy  in  Universal's  "Here's  How." 

*  *  H.- 
Claire McDowell  and  Frank  Currier 

have  sailed  for  Rome  where  they  will 
become  members  of  the  cast  of  "Ben 
Hur." 

*  *  * 

Cullen  Tate  has  been  engaged  to 
direct  "The  Follies  Girl"  for  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation.  Margaret 
Livingston  will  star. 


Earl  Hudson  has  started  two  new 
pictures  at  First  National  studio.  They 
are  "So  Big"  and  "If  I  Marry  Again." 


John  Bowers  has  issued  a  denial  that 
he  will  desert  the  screen  for  the  legiti- 
mate stage.  He  has  had  several  offers 
from  Broadway  managers. 

*  *  * 

The  Harold  Lloyd  Corporation  issued 
a  statement  denying  that  a  new  contract 
has  been  signed  for  the  distribution  of 
Lloyd  pictures. 

*  *  * 

Samuel  Goldwyn  has  left  for  Europe 
where  he  will  negotiate  for  story  ma- 
terial with  some  of  Europe's  leading 
novelists  and  dramatists. 


H.  M.  Walker,  title  writer  for  Hal 
Roach,  is  now  assisting  in  the  titling  of 
Cecil  De  Mille's  "Feet  of  Clay." 

The  first  print  of  Preferred  Pictures 
"The  Breath  of  Scandal"  has  arrived 
in  New  York. 


Romance  Pictures,  Inc.,  has  signed  a 
contract  whereby  it  will  release  a  series 
of  four  Victor  Hugo  Halperin  produc- 
tions through  Vitagraph  during  the  sea- 
son of  1924-5. 

*  *  * 

"Peter  Pan"  will  be  made  in  the 
Paramount  West  Coast  studio,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  made  by  Jesse 
L.  Lasky. 

*  *  * 

Lois  Wilson  and  Ernest  Torrence 
have  started  work  on  "North  of  36" 
for  Paramount. 

*  *  # 

Bridgeport,  Conn.,  newest  theatre,  the- 
Cameo,  was  opened  on  August  16  with 
Universal's  "Wine." 


Edwin  Carewe  is  engaged  in  cutting 
his  latest  First  National  picture,  "Ma- 
donna of  the  Streets,"  featuring  Nazi- 
mova. 

*  *  * 

Every  Warner  Brothers  Classic  of 
the  Screen  on  the  1924-5  schedule  will 
play  in  all  theatres  controlled  by 
H.  B.  O. 

*  *  * 

First  National's  Canadian  exchange 
managers  report  greater  business  this 
summer  than  last  and  even  better  than 
last  winter. 

Doris  Kenyon  has  been  chosen  for 
the  lead  in  "If  I  Marry  Again."  She 
will  be  supported  by  Lloyd  Hughes. 

*  *  * 

Five  Metro-Goldwyn  releases  have 
received  the  unqualified  endorsement  in 
the  current  midsummer  issue  of  "Film 
Progress,"  published  by  the  National 
Committee  for  Better  Films. 


Soldiers  of  Fort  Hancock,  New  York,  using  old  fashioned  Spanish  and  English 
corsair  guns,  loaned  them  by  courtesy  of  Frank  Lloyd,  director  of  First  National's 
"The  Sea  Hawk"  where  the  use    of    the    ancient     crossbows    was  revived. 


Pa^e  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Editorial  Page 


The  Problem  of  Values 

AN  exhibitor  Avho  operates  a  small  neighborhood 
house  in  New  York  City  says  he  will  welcome 
the  threatened  operators'  strike,  because  his 
operators  are  the  only  people  who  are  getting  any 
money  out  of  his  house. 

"You  don't  mean,"  we  asked,  "that  the  opera- 
tors are  taking  out  more  in  wages  than  you  are 
in  profits?" 

"You  got  me  right,"  he  came  back.  "If  I  had 
to  live  on  what  I'm  taking  out  of  that  house,  I 
would  starve  to  death.  There  was  a  time  Avhen 
I  had  two  theatres,  but  I  was  lucky  enough  to  get 
rid  of  one  of  them." 

"If  it's  as  bad  as  that,  why  don't  you  sell  the 
other?" 

He  thought  this  question  over  a  bit  and  then 
said,  with  some  show  of  emotion,  "Because  I'm 
a  damned  fool,  I  guess." 

Asked  the  reason  for  such  a  condition,  he  said 
that  his  customers  are  ardent  readers  of  all  sorts 
of  publications  that  give  publicity  to  motion  pic- 
tures. "All  they  expect  of  me  is  to  show  the 
biggest,  most  widely  advertised  features,  and  if  I 
charge  more  than  15  cents  I  am  a  robber." 

This,  of  course,  is  an  extreme  case.  But  it  is 
unquestionably  true  that  many  exhibitors  are  hold- 
ing on  chiefly  because  they  love  the  business — not 
for  the  profit  they  are  taking  out  of  it. 

One  of  the  big  troubles  of  this  business  is  the 
lack  of  public  understanding  on  the  subject  of 
picture  values.  As  a  subject  for  educational  effort, 
nothing  right  iioav  seems  more  important. 

The  woman  who  pays  the  market  price  for  the 
latest  in  millinery  knows  that  the  goods  unsold  at 
the  end  of  the  season  are  marked  down  heavily, 
but  that  doesn't  deter  her  from  buying  at  the  top 
price.  Every  man  knoAvs  that  by  Avaiting  until 
clothes  and  haberdashery  are  a  little  out  of  style  he 
can  buy  them  for  much  less  than  the  price  of  the 
very  newest  things,  yet  most  men  buy  the  new 
goods  and  pay  the  price.  And  these  things  are  true 
because  the  nublic  has  been  educated  to  an  under- 
standing  of  the  style  and  time  A^alues  of  neAV  mer- 
chandise. 

But  there  is  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  public 
that  still  fails  to  understand  the  similar  Avorkings 
of  values  in  the  motion  picture  field ;  that  believes 
if  a  picture  which  was  once  widely  heralded  can 
be  shown  for  20  cents  that  price  ought  to  prevail 
all  along  the  line ;  that  believes  a  picture  is  a  pic- 
ture, regardless  of  its  age  or  antecedents. 


The  real  fans  know  better,  of  course.  But  the 
problem  of  the  future  is  to  create  a  larger  number 
of  fans — to  awaken  a  larger  public  to  a  full  appre- 
ciation of  values.  Until  this  is  done  every  exhibitor 
is  going  to  find  himself  more  or  less  betAveen  mill- 
stones, Avith  his  customers  expecting  impossibly  Ioav 
prices  and  producers  constantly  increasing  the  cost 
of  the  films  most  in  demand. 

Perhaps  one  way  of  meeting  this  problem  will 
be  found  in  putting  more  stress  on  Ioav  prices  when 
Ioav  prices  are  possible.  That  is  one  Avay  of  edu- 
cating people  to  differentiate  betAveen  normal 
values  and  bargains. 

*  #  * 

Commendable  Enterprise 

IN  its  conduct  of  a  prize  contest  to  develop  a 
better  plan  for  the  distribution  of  motion  pic- 
tures, Motion  Picture  NeAvs  has  accomplished 
something  distinctly  worth  Avhile.  The  problems 
of  distribution  are  many  and  complex.  They  call 
for  the  best  thought  of  the  industry.  Their  solu- 
tion Avill  probably  come  gradually,  but  it  will  be 
hastened  by  such  discussion  as  this  contest  has 
created. 

The  plan  submitted  by  Walter  W.  Irwin  wins 
the  prize  of  $1,000  offered  by  the  News  and  a 
supplemental  award  of  $1,000  offered  by  Carl 
Laemmle.  Its  selection  is  the  result  of  deliberation 
by  a  jury  of  five  men  Avhose  experience,  training 
and  standing  are  above  question. 

Briefly  the  Avinning  plan  pro  Andes  for  concentra- 
tion of  physical  distribution,  in  behalf  of  all  pro- 
ducers or  as  many  as  are  Avilling  to  participate,  in 
the  hands  of  a  corporation  that  would  be  prohibited 
by  its  charter  from  engaging  or  participating  in  the 
production  or  OAvnership  of  pictures  or  their  sale. 
Through  its  exchanges,  to  be  located  in  a  number 
of  agreed  centers,  this  corporation  Avould  undertake 
the  physical  handling  of  films  and  advertising 
matter  on  a  fee  and  percentage  basis.  It  would 
also  undertake  the  inspection  of  prints. 

With  the  prize  winning  plan  is  published  a 
suggestion  for  a  uniform  contract  betAveen  pro- 
ducer and  distributor.  This  contract  is  fairly 
comprehensive  in  its  scope,  but  contains  some 
ambiguities  Avhich  might  as  Avell  be  eliminated  in 
the  interest  of  clarity. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  industry  will  analyze 
carefully  every  suggestion  from  a  reputable  source 
that  may  tend  toward  economy  and  efficiency  in 
handling.  Elimination  of  Avaste  in  this  department 
of  the  business  is  an  urgent  need. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  21 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


THRILLS  GALORE  IN 

'THE  SIREN  OF  SEVILLE' 

Lots  of  Action  in  Photodrama  of 
Spanish  Bull-Fight  Romance 

'THE  SIREN  OF  SEVILLE.'  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation.  Author,  H.  H. 
Van  Loan.  Director,  Hunt  Stromberg. 
Length,  6,724  feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dolores   Priscilla  Dean 

Gallito   ■  ■  ■  Allen  Forrest 

Cavallo   Stuart  Holmes 

Ardita   Claire  Delorez 

Palomino   Bert  Woodruff 

Pedro   Mathew  Betz 

Dolores,  an  Andalusian  peasant  girl,  secures  for 
Gallito,  her  lover,  an  opportunity  to  become  a  bull- 
fighter. Gallito  becomes  a  successful  matador, 
neglects  Dolores  and  falls  a  victim  to  the  charms 
of  Ardita.  Cavallo,  president  of  the  bull-fighting 
association,  forces  his  attentions  on  Dolores  and 
she  becomes  a  sensation  as  a  dancer  in  his  cabaret. 
Cavallo  plans  to  drug  Gallito's  wine  before  a  bull- 
fight so  that  he  will  be  killed.  Dolores  overhears 
the  plot,  and  after  a  thrilling  fight  with  Ardita, 
arrives  at  the  arena  in  time  to  save  Gallito  by 
killing  the  bull  herself. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

PRODUCERS  Distributing  Corporation 
have  certainly  given  showmen  a  box-of- 
fice baby  with  this  action  drama  of  fiery 
women  and  untamed  beasts.  There  is  a 
thrill  to  every  foot  of  film.  And  each  one 
is  different.  There  are  thrills  of  personal 
combat,  thrills  of  the  bull-fight  arena,  and 
the  thrills  of  Spanish  love. 

The  shots  of  the  matadors  in  action  in 
the  Arena  del  Tores  are  alone  sufficient  to 
hold  audience  interest.  And  when  in  addi- 
tion to  these  you  have  burning  love  inter- 
est, and  some  corking  good  battles,  the 
pathos  of  a  deserted  sweetheart,  the  wiles 
of  a  "vamp,"  and  thwarted  villainy,  you  can 
count  on  the  combination  to  pan  out  a  sat- 
isfactory gross. 

Priscilla  Dean  and  Stuart  Holmes  are 
recognized  box-office  drawing  cards,  and 
other  members  of  the  cast  are  not  without 
their  followings.  The  title  is  one  that  will 
attract  attention,  and  the  theme  has  certain 
appeal  that  must  be  considered  an  asset. 
The  names  of  H.  H.  Van  Loan  and  Hunt 
Stromberg  will  also  help  to  sell  tickets  for 
the  attraction. 

Your  patrons  will  leave  the  theatre  sat- 
isfied, and  your  showing  will  derive  the 
benefit  that  accrues  from  that  mysterious 
exploitation  known  as  "word  of  mouth" 
advertising. 

The  bull-fight  scenes  appear  authentic  and 
give  a  wonderfully  good  idea  of  how  the 
sport  is  conducted.  The  skill  of  the  fight- 
ers in  avoiding  the  rushes  of  the  infuriated 
animal  by  a  short  side-step,  or  the  slightest 
of  movements,  is  fascinating. 

The  stirring  battle  between  Allen  Forrest, 
as  Gallito,  and  Stuart  Holmes,  as  the  schem- 
ing Cavallo,  is  sufficiently  stirring.  But 
when  the  girls  go  to  it — that's  a  fight  in- 
deed !  Dolores  sure  packs  a  mean  wallop. 
Ardita  puts  up  a  game  fight,  but  in  the 
end  she  realizes  that  she  has  stepped  out 
of  her  class. 

Apart  from  the  "red  blood"  sequences, 
there  are  some  scenes  in  less  vivid  colors, 
which  are  beautiful  and  effective  in  build- 
ing up  interest  and  sympathy.  The  settings 
and  atmosphere  aid  materially,  and  there  is 
no  fault  to  be  found  with  either  direction 
or  photography. 

The  film  lends  itself  admirably  to  various 
forms  of  exploitation,  and  as  it  is  a  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  picture,  this  week's  National 
Tie-Up  Section  tells  exhibitors  how  to  get 
one  hundred  percent  returns  from  the  show. 


FOX  PRODUCES  A  BOX 

OFFICE  WINNER 

'Man  Who  Came  Back'  Hits  On 
All  Cylinders 

'THE  MAN  WHO  CAME  BACK.'  A  Wil- 
liam Fox  Production.  From  the  story  by 
John  Fleming  Wilson.  Emtnett  Flynn,  di- 
rector.   Length  8293  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Henry  Potter   George  O'Brien 

Marcelle   Dorothy  Maekaill 

Captain  Trevelan   Cyril  Chadwick 

Thomas  Potter   Ralph  Lewis 

Aunt  Isabel   Emily  Fitzroy 

Charles  Reisling   Harvey  Clark 

Sam  Shu  Sin   Edward  Piel 

Gibson   Davis  Kirby 

Captain  Gallon   James  Gordon 

Henry  Potter  is  disowned  by  his  wealthy  father 
because  of  his  many  drunken  escapades.  He  goes 
to  San  Francisco  and  meets  Marcelle,  a  cabaret 
dancer  who  falls  in  love  with  him.  He  continues 
to  drink  and  is  shanghaied  to  China.  He  sinks 
to  beachcombing  and  in  a  "hop"  dive  he  finds  Mar- 
celle who  has  become  a  done  addic*.  Th°v  hn+H 
fight  to  rise  and  finally  marry  and  Henry  becomes 
manager  of  a  pineapple  estate  in  Hawaii.  Marcelle 
feeling  that  he  wishes  to  return  home  but  is  ashamed 
of  her  pretends  to  return  to  the  dope.  He  beats 
her  and  through  it  both  are  redeemed  and  go  back 
home  together. 

By  Len  Morgan 

BRUSH  off  the  S.  O.  R.  sign  and  prepare 
to  hang  it  out  when  you  play  "The  Man 
Who  Came  Back."  It  is  one  hundred  per- 
cent entertainment  and  will  make  friends 
wherever  shown.  It  is  far  removed  from 
the  wishy-washy  sex  stuff  that  has  been 
produced  by  the  bale  lately  and  will  prove 
a  welcome  visitor  in  any  theatre. 

Here  is  a  story  that  is  big  in  every  sense 
of  the  word.  It  holds  the  interest  from  the 
first  flash  to  the  final  fadeout  and  is  filled 
with  tense  drama  and  human  interest  that 
carries  an  appeal  to  every  picture  patron.  It 
is  truly  a  wonderful  production.  It  spells 
money  to  exhibitors  who  book  it. 

"The  Man  Who  Came  Back"  was  among 
the  season's  most  successful  plays  a  few 
years  back  and  in  making  it  into  a  picture, 
Emmett  Flynn,  the  director,  added  lustre  to 
his  crown.  The  picture  surpasses  the  play, 
which  is  saying  a  great  deal. 

The  staging  of  this  picture  is  excellent. 
The  scenes  in  Hawaii  are  fine  and  the  hop 
dens  and  street  scenes  of  China  are  very 
well  done. 

The  most  dramatic  scene  of  the  picture, 
and  one  which  will  grip  any  audience,  is 
that  of  the  veranda  of  the  Hawaiian  ranch 
home,  when  Dorothy  Maekaill  pretends  to 
have  returned  to  her  dope  habit  and  is  given 
an  unmerciful  horsewhipping  by  her  hus- 
band. 

George  O'Brien,  as  Henry  Potter,  leaves 
nothing  to  be  desired  in  his  portrayal  of 
the  rich  man's  son  and  later  as  a  drunken 
beachcomber  who  trades  his  ring  for  gin. 
He  has  a  strong  personality  and  is  admir- 
ably fitted  for  the  part.  His  role  calls  for 
exceptional  dramatic  ability  and  he  proves 
himself  a  clever  actor  and  this  picture  will 
give  him  a  large  following. 

Dorothy  Maekaill,  as  Marcelle,  is  excellent. 
It  is  doubtful  if  she  has  ever  had  a  better 
opportunity  to  appear  at  her  best.  Her 
part  demands  much  but  if  there  was  ever 
any  doubt  as  to  her  emotional  ability,  it  is 
dispelled. 

In  advertising  this  picture  it  would  be 
well  to  mention  that  as  a  stage  play  it  was  a 
great  success.  A  special  performance  for 
the  ministers  of  the  city  should  provide  good 
publicity.  Give  the  picture  the  best  adver- 
tising and  it  will  not  disappoint  the  most 
critical  patron. 


NEGRI  SCORES  IN 

'LILY  OF  THE  DUST' 

Fine  Characterization  Given  by  Noted 

Star  in  Daring  Theme 

'LILY  OF  THE  DUST.'  Paramount  Pho- 
toplay. Adapted  From  Herman  Suder- 
man's  Novel  and  Edward  Sheldon's  Stage 
Play,  'The  Song  of  Songs.'  Director,  Di- 
mitri  Buchowetski.  Length,  6,811  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Lily    Czepanek   Pola  Negri 

Richard  Von  Prell   Ben  Lyon 

Colonel  Von  Mertzbach   Noah  Beery 

Karl  Dehnecke   Raymond  Griffith 

Julia   Jeanette  Daudet 

Walter  Von  Prell   William  J.  Kelly 

Lily  Czepanek,  book  store  employee,  and  Richard 
Von  Prell,  young  German  officer,  fall  in  love,  but 
she  weds  Colonel  Von  Mertzbach,  a  military  auto- 
crat. The  Colonel  finds  Richard  embracing  his 
wife,  wounds  the  latter  in  a  duel  and  turns  Lily 
adritt.  She  becomes  the  mistress  of  Karl  Dehnecke. 
Richard,  who  still  loves  Lily,  returns  to  her  and  is 
wil.mg  to  forget  the  past.  But  Richard's  wealthy 
uncle  intervenes  and  compels  them  to  part.  She 
resumes  her  relations  with  Dehnecke. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 
HP  HIS  combination  of  a  good  booking 
title  and  popular  star  should  draw  the 
crowds  wherever  "Lily  of  the  Dust"  is 
shown.  It  gives  Pola  Negri  amp*e  oppor- 
tunity to  shine  in  tempestuous  passion 
scenes  where  the  emotional  ability  of  the 
Polish  actress  is  demonstrated  to  the  ut- 
most, the  settings  are  elaborate,  and  direc- 
tor Dimetri  Buchowetski  lives  up  to  his 
reputation  as  a  master  of  color  effects  by 
providing  realistic  backgrounds  and  for- 
eign atmosphere  quite  in  keeping  with  the 
narrative. 

It  is,  however,  a  picture  essentially 
suited  to  sophisticated  audiences  only.  The 
big  theatres  should  find  it  a  paying  attrac- 
tion, but  in  houses  catering  chiefly  to  the 
family  trade  there  is  very  reason  for  be- 
lieving that  many  patrons  will  resent  its 
frank  parade  of  immorality. 

For  the  story  merely  deals  with  the 
love  affairs  of  a  woman  of  easy  virtue, 
false  to  her  marriage  vows,  abandoned  by 
her  husband,  becoming  the  mistress  of  an- 
other man,  welcoming  back  her  first  lover; 
and  when  fate  separates  her  from  the  lat- 
ter, turning  for  consolation  to  the  chap 
with  whom  she  lived  after  rtubby  cast  her 
out. 

But  in  a  nutshell,  the  showman's  prob- 
lem is  whether  the  folks  he  wants  to 
please  will  be  entertained  by  the  film's 
undeniable  artistry  or  offended  by  its  sex- 
ual yearnings  and  yieldings. 

The  stage  play  from  which  the  pictyre 
is  adapted  was  a  whole  lot  more  risque 
than  the  silver  sheet  version.  Director 
Buchowetski  toned  the  original  down  con- 
siderably, but  the  theme  remains  one  only 
fit  for  consumption  by  adult  movie-goers, 
and  pretty  broad-minded  adults  at  that. 

There  are  many  big  dramatic  moments, 
such  as  the  discovery  by  Colonel  Mertzbach 
of  his  young  bride  in  Richard  Von  Prell's 
embrace,  the  duel  between  husband  and 
lover,  reconciliation  of  Lily  and  Richard, 
and  the  final  shattering  of  the  girl's  ro- 
mance when  Richard's  uncle  intervenes 
and  prevents  her  marriage  to  his  nephew. 
The  climax  is  sad,  as  it  leaves  Lily  prac- 
tically an  outcast  again. 

Tell  your  patrons  plainly  just  what  the 
story  is  about.  If  they  like  the  theme, 
they  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  pleased  with  its 
dramatic  intensity  and  the  superb  acting 
of  the  star.  Play  up  Poli  Negri  and  Noah 
Beery,  and  mention  Raymond  Griffith  and 
Ben  Lyon,  both  of  whom  have  a  fan-fol- 
lowing. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


WESTERN  FILM  OF 

UNUSUAL  MERIT 

'Last  of  the  Duanes'  a  Sure-Fire  Box 
Office  Thriller 

'THE  LAST  OF  THE  DUANES.'  Fox 
Photoplay.    Author,  Zane  Grey.  Director, 
Lynn  Reynolds.    Length,  6,942  Feet. 
CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Buck  Duane   Tom  Mix 

Jenny   Miran  Nixon 

Cal   Baine   Brindsley  Shaw 

Euchre   Frank  Nelson 

Mother   Lucy  Beaumont 

Jenny's   Father   Harry  Lonsdale 

Forced  into  a  fight  by  Cal  Baine,  Buck  Duane 
kills  him  and  flees.  Compelled  to  do  some  lively 
dodging  by  pursuing  lexas  Rangers,  Buck  aids  a 
dying  cattle  rustler,  rescues  a  girl  from  an  outlaw 
band  and  brings  her  home.  The  sheriff,  secretly  a 
friend  of  the  bandit  gang,  trails  him,  but  Buck 
captures  him  and  his  deputies.  Buck  surrenders  to 
the  Rangers.  He  finds  he  has  won  a  pardon 
tnrough  a  confession  made  by  a  buddy  of  the  dead 
cattle  rustler  he  befriended,  and  weds  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A BULLY  Western,  one  of  the  best  in 
which  Tom  Mix  has  ever  appeared 
and  a  sure  fire  box  office  winner  for  thea- 
tres where  this  kind  of  stirring  melodrama 
is  in  demand.  Incidentally,  when  William 
Fox  produced  "The  Last  of  the  Duanes" ' 
about  five  years  ago,  with  William  Far- 
num  in  the  leading  role,  the  picture  made 
a  great  hit.  But  the  indications  are  that 
the  new  version  will  outdo  the  old  in  point 
of  popularity,  for  in  the  writer's  opinion 
it  not  only  carries  more  decisive  "punch," 
but  registers  far  ahead  of  the  Farnum  ve- 
hicle so  far  as  directorial  technique  and 
photographic  values  go. 

The  story  construction  is  excellent,  sus- 
pense is  never  lacking,  the  situations  dove- 
tail one  into  the  other  with  logical  smooth- 
ness and  human  interest  is  developed  and 
maintained  to  a  surprising  degree  for  this 
type  of  picture.  Tom  Mix  and  his  won- 
der steed  Tony  are  right  in  their  element 
all  through  the  seven  reels,  performing 
some  absolutely  marvelous  feats  of  agility, 
and  there  is  enough  hard  riding,  gun  play, 
hairbreath  escapes  and  realistic  combat 
stuff  on  tap  to  satisfy  the  most  ardent 
admirer  of  "red  blood"  action. 

Although  Buck  Duane  and  his  girl  arc 
the  central  figures  of  the  film,  every  mem-, 
ber  of  the  cast  is  of  considerable  impor- 
tance in  the  weaving  of  the  narrative,  the 
principals  don't  run  away  with  the  picture 
in  the  usual  style  of  the  average  Western- 
er and  its  general  interest  is  much  enhanc- 
ed thereby.  The  locations  are  admirable, 
finer  outdoor  backgrounds  could  not  be 
desired,  the  camera  offering  a  regular  eye- 
feast  of  beautiful  outdoor  scenery,  with 
exquisite  long  shots,  closeups  and  splen- 
didly effective  lighting. 

Buck's  capture  of  the  entire  outlaw  out- 
fit is  a  great  bit  of  deftly  executed  melo- 
drama, the  trick  being  turned  with  such 
neatness  and  swiftness  of  dispatch  that 
you  never  stop  to  question  its  probability, 
but  respond  to  the  thrill,  and  let  it  go  at 
that.  Tcny  and  his  daring  rider  leap 
walls,  scramble  up  stairs,  bound  from  roof 
to  roof  of  the  border  shacks  with  cat-like 
activity,  but  their  biggest  hit  is  achieved 
when  they  do  a  waterfall  jump  during 
which  man  and  horse  seem  headed  for 
sure  destruction. 

Director  Lynn  Reynolds  deserves  a 
whole  lot  of  credit  for  the  masterly  fash- 
ion in  which  he  has  handled  this  feature 
and  his  players  have  backed  him  up  right 
royally.  Tom  Mix  never  worked  with 
more  dash  and  vim  than  when  portraying 
the  gallant  Buck  Duane,  Marian  Nixon  is  a 
fascinating  heroine  and  the  support  worthy 
of  the  principals. 

You  can  go  to  the  limit  on  this  as  an 
original  brand  of  Westerner,  with  action  to 
every  foot,  plenty  of  heart  interest  and  a 
wealth  of  scenic  beauty. 


'EMPTY  HANDS'  AN 

ORDINARY  FEATURE 

Film  Starring  Jack  Holt  Offers  Fine 
Photography,  Weak  Story 

'EMPTY  HANDS.'  Paramount  Photoplay. 
Author,  Arthur]  Stringer.  Director,  Victor 
Fleming.    Length,  7,048  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Grimshaw  ,  Jack  Holt 

Claire  Endicott   Norma  Shearer 

Robert  Endicott   Charles  Clary 

Mrs.  Endicott   Hazel  Keener 

Gypsy   Gertrude  Olrhstead 

Montie   Ramsey  Wallace 

Milt   Bisnett   Ward  Crane 

Indian   Guide   Charles  Stevens 

Spring  Water  Man   Hank  Mann 

Grimshaw,  chief  engineer  of  a  big  mining  cor- 
poration, has  lived  most  of  his  life  in  the  open. 
During  a  visit  to  Robert  Endicott  he  makes  ac- 
quaintance of  the  latter's  daughter,  Claire,  girl  of 
most  pronounced  flapper  type.  Endicott,  disliking 
the  life  Claire  is  leading,  takes  her  with  him  to 
the  Canadian  wilds.  Claire  nearly  drowns  in  the 
rapids,  is  saved  by  Grimshaw  and  the  two  are 
stranded  in  the  heart  of  the  wilderness.  There  for 
months  they  live  like  savages,  fall  in  love,  but  re- 
sist prompting  of  passion.  Rescued,  they  reiurn 
to  civil. zatiou  and  are  finally  wed. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

THE  best  that  can  be  said  about  "Empty 
■*-  Hands '  is  that  it  is  neither  good  nor 
bad  and  belongs  in  the  category  of  pic- 
tures most  fitly  described  as  mildly  inter- 
esting. Photographically  it  measures  well 
up  to  ,the  usual  high  standard  of  the  Para- 
mount studios,  there  are  many  ornate  in- 
teriors shown  in  the  film's  early  stages, 
glowing  with  colorful  "society  atmos- 
phere" and  luxurious  settings,  and  the  lat- 
er shots  of  the  Canadian  wilds  furnish  a 
series  of  outdoor  backgrounds  of  remark- 
able beauty. 

But  the  story,  which  pivots  on  the  time- 
honored  theme  of  a  man  and  a  girl  tem- 
porarily lost  to  civilization,  leading  a 
primitive  existence  in  the  wilderness,  is 
strained,  artificial  and  obvious.  You  get 
quite  a  thrill  from  the  scene  where  Claire 
is  nearly  drowned  in  the  rapids  and  saved 
by  Grimshaw  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life, 
but  thereafter  the  tale  simply  resolves  it- 
self into  an  emotional  preamble  which 
barely  misses  being  absurd,  as  the  gallant 
hero  successfully  fights  off  the  base 
promptings  of  physical  passion  which  as- 
sail him  as  a  result  of  his  love  for  the 
girl. 

Sized  up  from  all  angles  the  feature 
looks  as  though  it  may  get  by  in  the  aver- 
age house  as  a  program  attraction,  but  ex- 
hibitors needn't  expect  it  to  accomplish 
wonders  as  a  box  office  asset.  There's 
nothing  really  coarse  or  offensive  in  the 
scenes  hinting  at  the  possible  seduction  of 
Claire  Endicott  by  the  young  engineer, 
who  until  then  had  little  or  no  use  tor  the 
sex  feminine.  Suggestion  of  course,  but 
delicately  handled,  and  as  no  harm  comes 
to  the  lady  anyway  and  she  weds  the  chap 
in  the  long  run,  the  conventionalities  are 
not  violated. 

Those  who  like  the  "flapper"  and  fast 
set  stuff  will  probably  rejoice  in  the  open- 
ing reel's  flashes  of  action,  where  bathing 
pools  in  the  residences  of  the  idle  rich, 
jazzy  atmosphere  and  unlimited  flirtations 
offer  stimulating  amusement.  No  expense 
has  been  spared  in  filming  this  portion  of 
the  picture  and  director  Victor  Fleming 
appears  to  have  got  the  •worth  of  his 
money,  so  far  as  its  spectacular  appeal  is 
concerned. 

Jack  Holt  plays  the  part  of  Grimshaw 
with  his  customary  vigor,  registers  best 
where  strenuous  action  is  in  demand,  but 
overacts  somewhat  in  the  emotional 
phases.  Norma  Shearer  looks  pretty  and 
is  well  cast  as  the  heroine,  and  the  support 
is  adequate. 

A  tie-up  with  book  stores  on  the  novel 
by  Arthur  Stringer  on  which  the  picture 
is  based  should  be  easily  arranged. 


BRITISH  PICTURE  OFFERS 
GOOD  ENTERTAINMENT 

Flora  Le  Breton    Scores  in 
Interesting  Picture 

'A  SOUL'S  AWAKENING.'  Cran field  & 
Clark,  Inc.,  Production.  Story  by  Frank 
Powell.  Richard  Kilino,  Director.  Length 
6,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Maggie   Flora    Le  Breton 

Sal   Ethel  Oliver 

Ben   David  Hawthorne 

Cynthia   Sylvia  Caine 

Mike  Nolan   Tom  Morris 

Maggie,  the  daughter  of  a  dog  stealing  father, 
Btn,  is  a  flower  maker.  Ben  beats  her  periodically 
but  Sal  usually  intervenes.  Cynthia,  a  wealthy  girl, 
decides  to  pay  Ben  to  treat  Maggie  with  kindness. 
It  is  at  first  an  effort  but  finally  Ben  sees  the  light 
and  comes,  to  love  Maggie  for  herself.  Ben  reforms 
and  marries  Sal. 

By  Len  Morgan 

'T'HIS  is  a  British  picture  but  it  measures 
up  very  favorably  with  the  American 
product  and  is  far  better  than  the  average 
in  entertainment  value.  There  is  good 
acting  (even  though  at  times  a  trifle  over- 
done) and  the  atmosphere  is  excellent. 

The  story  takes  place  in  the  slums  of 
London  and  the  scenes  are  fine.  The  pho- 
tography in  a  few  spots  is  rather  weak  but 
as  a  whole  it  is  good. 

The  story  is  rather  light  and  not  especially 
new,  but  it  is  given  a  few  unusual 
twists  that  give  it  a  slightly  new  angle. 
The  director  had  to  use  care  to  keep  the 
picture  from  becoming  morbid,  but  he  in- 
jected his  comedy  touches  at  the  right 
points  and  as  a  result  produced  a  really 
entertaining  picture  that  should  please  the 
average  audience. 

One  thing  in  favor  of  the  picture  is  the 
lack  of  sex  trash.  It  shows  the  possibility 
of  hitting  upon  a  clean  story  and  putting 
it  over  in  an  interesting  manner.  The 
picture  contains  the  elements  necessary  to 
make  popular  entertainment  and  carries  an 
appeal  to  the  masses. 

It  is  possible  that  some  of  the  cockney 
titles  may  baffle  the  patron  of  the  movies  in 
the  small  towns,  but  anyone  who  has  read 
to  any  extent  will  find  little  difficulty,  and 
perhaps  a  great  deal  of  amusement  from  the 
captions. 

Some  people  are  prejudiced  against  foreign 
made  pictures.  This  was  brought  about  by 
an  influx  of  poor  pictures  years  ago  but  if 
all  British  productions  in  the  future  measure 
up  to  this  picture  they  should  find  favor  in 
this  country. 

The  weight  of  the  picture  rests  on  the 
shoulders  of  Flora  Le  Breton,  who  takes 
the  part  of  Maggie,,  a  child  of  the  slums, 
whose  father  is  a  hard  character  and  beats 
her  daily.  Miss  Le  Breton  has  an  appeal 
that  wins  the  audience.  Her  clever  char- 
acterization of  the  youngster  wins  the 
sympathy  of  the  audience  and  she  retains 
the  hold  thoughout.  She  leaves  no  doubt 
as  to  her  ability  as  a  screen  star  and  it  is 
safe  to  predict  that  she  will  soon  have  a 
large  following  of  fans  in  this  country. 

Ben,  played  by  David  Hawthorne,  is  a 
clever  character.  The  part  is  a  difficult 
one  but  Mr.  Hawthorne  plays  it  in  an  ad- 
mirable manner  and  in  a  way  that  is  con- 
vincing. 

Ethel  Oliver,  as  Sal,  is  also  excellent 
and  takes  advantage  of  every  opportunity 
to  display  her  dramatic  ability. 

There  is  a  certain  fascination  about  the 
London  slums  that  appeals  to  many 
people.  In  this  picture  the  scenes  are 
shot  in  the  poor  district  and  some  wonder- 
ful effects  have  been  obtained. 

You  can  exploit  this  picture  by  haying 
a  man  parade  the  streets,  dressed  in  a 
Cockney  outfit,  with  pearl  buttons  adorn- 
ing his  costume.  You  might  run  your 
advertising  in  a  Cockney  strain..  It  should 
arouse  interest. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  23 


The  <Bic[  Little  Feature 


PATHE  LINES  UP 
AMBITIOUS  PROGRAM 

"Show  the  exhibitor  where  he  is  los- 
ing a  great  deal  of  money  by  failing  to 
exploit  and  properly  publicize  Jiis  short 
subjects,"  is  the  gist  of  the  instructions 
issued  by  Pathe  Exchange,  Inc., 
through  its  general  manager,  Elmer 
Pearson,  to  the  thousands  of  sales  force 
over  the  country. 

Exploit  comedies,  use  cut-outs,  extra 
advertising,  window  displays  and 
everything  that  will  drive  home  to  your 
patrons  that  you  are  running  their 
favorite  short  subjects,  is  the  message 
that  the  Pathe  salesmen  will  drive  home 
to  the  exhibitor,  as  a  result  of  the  cam- 
paign started  by  this  company  among 
their  selling  forces. 

According  to  Mr.  Pearson,  the  ex- 
hibitor is  gradually  coming  to  the  reali- 
zation that  in  many  instances  comedies 
are  really  the  feature  of  the  program 
and  many  are  advertising  them  as  such. 
"In  the  past,"  continues  Mr.  Pearson, 
"it  has  been  the  tendency  of  the  aver- 
age exhibitor  to  give  over  ninety  per 
cent  of  his  advertising  space  and  ap- 
propriation to  the  feature  he  booked, 
regardless  of  that  feature's  merit  and 
drawing-power  at  the  box  office." 

"That  this  condition  is  gradually  be- 
ing eliminated  is  due  to  the  discovery 
by  the  theatre  owner  of  the  fact  that 
stars  of  the  two  reel  comedy  field  have 
become  so  popular  that  they  have  en- 
larged their  endeavors  in  production, 
resulting  in  "turn  away"  business  on  the 
showing  of  their  features. 

"As  an  example  we  have  Harold 
Lloyd  and  many  others." 

"As  stars  of  two  reelers  their  popu- 
larity was  not  fully  realized  by  the  ex- 


Pathe  presents  Irvin  Cobb's  story  "One  Third  Off"  picturing  the  efforts  of  a  devoted 
swain  who  is  trying  to  comply  with  his  sweetheart's  commands  to  reduce  his  weight. 


Scene  from  Pathecomedy  entitled  "High 
Society"  featuring  "Our  Gang"  group  of 
juvenile    comedians    under    Hal  Roach. 


hibitor  until  after  they  had  entered  the 
feature  field." 

With  this  end  in  view  Pathe  has  in- 
stituted a  campaign  among  its  sales 
force  to  drive  home  to  the  exhibitor  the 
actual  exhibition  value  of  comedies  and 
short  subjects  to  his  program,  and  the 
importance  of  advertising  to  his  patrons 
when  they  are  being  shown. 

In  order  to  back  up  the  campaign 
Pathe  has  arranged  the  most  elaborate 
short  subject  program  in  the  history 
of  the  company.  The  entire  comedy 
output  of  the  two  largest  comedy  pro- 
ducers in  the  world,  Hal  Roach  and 
Mack  Sennett,  have  been  contracted  for 
the  coming  season  as  well  as  have  the 
productions  of  many  well  known  inde- 
pendent producers. 

sfe      s|e  ;H 

BADER  HANDLING 
"FIGHTING  FISTS"  SERIES 

Dave  Bader,  who  up  to  a  few  weeks 
ago  was  in  England  exploiteering  for 
Universal,  is  back  in  New  York  where 
he  is  deep  in  the  work  of  handling  the 
Benny  Leonard  pictures,  "Fighting 
Fists,"  for  Ginsberg  and  Wilk. 

Bader,  while  in  England,  provoked 
lots  of  comment  anent  the  American 
methods  of  exploitation  he  was  insti- 
tuting in  London  and  had  every  inten- 
tion of  staying  there  for  a  protracted 
period,  when  he  received  word  of  the 
death  of  his  mother.  The  necessity  of 
straightening  out  domestic  matters  at 
home,  brought  him  back  to  America, 
following  which,  after  a  short  rest  he 
contracted  with  Ginsberg  and  Wilk  for 
the  present  campaign. 


'JONAH  JONES' 

Educational  2  Reels 

Lloyd  Hamilton  can  be  funny  when 
he  pleases — and  often  in  his  mincing 
way  does  the  funniest  things  without 
so  much  as  a  smile.  But  there  is  some- 
thing lacking  in  his  comedy  in  Jonah 
Jones.  There  is  that  savoir  faire — 
with  a  perceptible  self-consciousness. 

His  lines  and  business  are  somewhat 
far  fetched.  His  comedy,  without 
lustre.  Yet  there  is  a  lot  of  action  in 
"Jonah  Jones"  that  will  have  the  fans 
watching  for  what  will  happen  next. 

Jonah  is  a  hired  man,  and  rides  a 
most  rickety  Ford,  in  fact,  it  seems  to 
have  more  heaves  than  the  last  horse 
off  Noah's  Ark.  He  takes  his  boss's 
hired  girl  for  a  spin.  She  loves  him 
though  he  would  have  none  of  her. 

Margaret  Morgan,  the  daughter  of  a 
rich  neighbor  is  returning  from  board- 
ing school  in  a  racer  that  sets  all  the 
motorcycle  police  a  pace. 

In  the  rush  to  serve  her  with  sum- 
monses, the  lady  loses  her  purse.  The 
hired  girl  finds  it,  but  Jonah  promptly 
takes  it  in  charge  with  the  intention  of 
returning  it.  He  makes  several  at- 
tempts to  call  at  her  house — but  is  as 
often  ejected. 

The  action  becomes  fast  and  furious, 
and  after  much  pronounced  fatherly 
displeasure,  and  tattle  tale  information 
of  his  presence  in  the  room  above, 
Jonah  takes  off  with  his  girl. 

Jonah  Jones  is  a  comedy  that  has  ac- 
tion— yet  lacks  that  "something." 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ready  for  the  knockout,  Benny  Leonard,  Lightweight  Champion  of  the  World,  wins  his  first  bout  in  the  first  picture  of 
the  "Flying  Fists"  series  in  which  he  is  starring.  Ginsberg  and  Wilk  are  releasing  the  series,  which  calls  lor  twelve  two- 
reelers.  Showmen  should  capitalize  on  the  tremendous  selling  power  of  the  champ's  name  and  reputation.  Sporting  editors, 
boxing  and  athletic  clubs  make  for  likely  points  of  exploitation  contact  and  publicity  on  the  showing  of  this  series. 


'So  This  Is  Paris' 


Universal 


2  Reels 


The  fourth  of  the  new  Jack  Dempsey 
"Fight  and  Win"  series  of  short  sub- 
jects, gives  the  audience  all  the  fighting 
that  could  possibly  be  crowded  into  two 
reels  without  them  necessarily  being  the 
pictures  of  a  real  boxing  match  in  the 
squared  ring. 

"So  This  Is  Paris,"  has  for  its  cen- 
tral plot  the  meeting  arranged  between 
the  world's  champion  prize  fighter  so- 
journing in  Paris,  and  an  "unknown" 
pugilist. 

His  forthcoming  opponent  appears 
between  matches  as  an  Apache  dancer 
at  a  cafe — and  Jack  mistakes  the  dance 
for  an  attack  on  the  young  lady  partner 
— and  forthwith  starts  in  to  "rescue" 
her. 

The  dancer,  resenting  this,  starts  a 
fight  with  Jack,  and  this  fight  continues 
through  the  hotel  and  down  to  the 
street,  where  they  are  both  arrested. 
At  the  police  jail  they  are  locked  up 
together  in  one  cell — and  there  they 
continue  their  fight. 

The  exhibition  fight  is  scheduled  for 
that  evening.  In  the  ring,  the  two  fight- 
ers discover  each  other's  identity,  and 
give  vent  to  one  of  the  worst  cases  of 
grudge  fighting  ever  seen.  Jack  wins 
the  bout  and  harmony  reigns  again. 

This  series  of  Jack  Dempsey  two 
reelers  will  undoubtedly  have  a  great 
box  office  appeal  due  to  the  wide  pres- 
tige of  the  world's  champion  heavy- 
weight pugilist. 

In  many  cities  local  sporting  circles 
will  do  a  great  deal  to  co-operate  with 
the  exhibitor  in  exploiting  this  series. 
As  a  whole  the  Dempsey  group  are  safe 
booking. 

• '     '    -  *  H= 

All's  Swell  On  the  Ocean 

Universal  2  Reels 

The  fifth  Jack  Dempsey  episode  in 
the  "Fight  and  Win"  series  depicts  the 
return  from  abroad  of  the  champion 
and  his  companions. 


Gloomy  and  weary  of  their  hum- 
drum existence  in  the  capital  of  France, 
and  lonesome  for  the  sights  and  lights 
of  old  New  York,  the  champ  decides 
that  they  will  take  the  next  boat  back 
to  America.  Hastily  packing,  they 
reach  the  dock,  but  only  in  time  to  find 
that  all  the  tickets  for  the  trip  have 
been  sold,  and  1hat  there  is  no  room 
on  the  steamer. 

Noting  that  the  entertainment  man- 
ager is  awaiting  his  five  entertainers 
who  are  late,  Jack  introduces  himself 
and  his  two  friends  as  the  awaited  tal- 
ent. At  the  dock  he  has  added  to  his 
following  an  old  violinist  and  his 
daughter  who,  too,  were  seeking  passage 
though  without  avail. 

The  manager  is  taken  in  by  Jack, 
and  they  sail.  However,  in  the  evening 
they  are  ordered  to  put  on  their  acts — 
and  fail  decisively  though  their  futile 
attempts  at  entertainment  cause  consid- 
erable laughter  among  the  passengers. 

Jack  has  aroused  the  jealousy  of  a 
Frenchman,  who  is  keen  on  a  young 
French  girl,  and  is  challenged  to  a  fight. 

The  Frenchman  fights  a  la  Savatte 
— which  is  the  French  method,  permit- 
ting everything,  biting,  bucking,  kick- 
ing, etc.  Jack  is  unused  to  this  style 
and  in  the  intermission  between  rounds 
dons  hobnailed  brogans.  He  consents 
to  remove  these,  but  insists  that  his  op- 
ponent put  boxing  gloves  on  his  feet. 
Jack  wins  the  bout  though  the  loser  is 
counted  out  leaning  over  the  rail  and 
here  Jack  joins  him  presently. 

Exhibitors  will  readily  see  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  publicity  that  these  pic- 
tures will  give  him.  Numerous 
"stunts"  are  being  prepared  for  the  ex- 
ploitation of  these  pictures,  and  one 
that  has  already  been  put  into  effect  is 
the  "boxing-beauty"  contest  arranged 
in  New  York,  recently. 

Not  alone  have  these  pictures  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  best  known  name  in 
sports  circles,  but  the  pictures  them- 
selves hold  much  to  interest  and  enter- 
tain. 


Bring  Him  In 

Universal  2  Reels 

This  is  the  sixth  of  the  Jack  Demp- 
sey "Fight  and  Win"  series  and  offers 
many  a  laugh  and  thrilling  moment  to 
the  audience. 

Jack  Dempsey  as  Jack  O'Day,  world's 
heavyweight  champion,  has  been  en- 
gaged in  keeping  fit  and  in  good  physi- 
cal trim  the  members  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco police  force.  For  his  good  work 
he  is  appointed  an  honorary  member  of 
the  force  for  twenty-four  hours. 

He  is  invited  to  attend  the  ball  of 
the  policemen  that  night,  and  the  com- 
missioner's daughter  consents  to  allow 
him  to  escort  her  at  the  head  of  the 
grand  march  provided  he  sells  a  hun- 
dred tickets. 

During  the  day  he  meets  with  many 
interesting  experiences  but  none  more 
trying  than  when  he  is  called  upon  by 
the  commissioner  to  "bring  in"  a  notor- 
ious thug. 

This  is  the  culmination  of  a  wager 
between  the  commissioner  and  a  news- 
paper editor  who  has  been  "ragging" 
the  police  force  without  let  up.  The 
editor  promises  if  the  policeman  assign- 
ed brings  in  the  thug  before  ten  o'clock 
that  night  he  will  become  the  force's 
strongest  backer. 

Jack,  selected  to  make  this  capture, 
easily  finds  the  wanted  man  but  lets  him 
get  away  through  his  desire  to  sell  his 
police  ball  tickets.  He  later  learns  that 
his  man  is  a  fighter  and  is  booked  to 
fight  that  night.  He  goes  to  the  club, 
arranges  with  the  thug's  opponent  to 
permit  him  to  take  his  place  and  wins 
the  fight.  He  takes  his  man  to  the  com- 
missioner just  in  time  to  win  the  bet 
and  takes  his  place  in  the  lead  of  the 
grand  march. 

Everywhere  there  will  be  widespread 
interest  in  these  pictures  for  the  cham- 
pion pugilist's  name  is  a  household  word 
the  country  over. 


September  6.  1924 


Page  25 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Good  Business  Helps  Theatres 

"With  a  new  era  in  crop  conditions  loom- 
ing in  Missouri  and  Kansas,  all  eyes  arc 
turned  towards  Kansas  City  this  winter," 
said  Ned  Marin,  assistant  general  manager 
of  exchanges  for  Universal,  in  Kansas  City 
last  week.  "Theatre  going  merely  is  a  habit 
and,  with  bad  times  confronting  them,  many 
people  have  gotten  out  of  that  habit.  Now, 
with  one  of  the  greatest  wheat  crops  in  the 
history  of  Kansas,  the  amusement  business 
in  Kansas  City  this  fall  should  reach  a 
peak."  Air.  Marin  is  making  a  tour  of  vari- 
ous Universal  exchanges. 

*  *  % 

Changes  in  Personnel 

A  number  of  changes  in  the  personnels  of 
Kansas  City  exchanges  have  occurred  within 
the  last  week.  Sid  Haldeman,  formerly 
manager  and  sales  representative  of  Metro 
now  is  a  key  town  representative  of  Selz- 
nick,  while  Fred  Savage,  recently  with 
Standard  Films  exchange  and  formerly  an 
exhibitor  of  Hutchinson,  Kas.,  has  joined  the 
Universal  sales  force.  "Gib"  Jones,  who  for 
many  years  was  associated  with  W.  E. 
Truog,  former  Goldwyn  branch  manager,  is 
back  with  his  old  "boss"  again  as  booker  for 
the  Selznick  exchange,  of  which  Mr.  Truog 
is  branch  manager.  Jule  Hill,  former  Gold- 
wyn manager  at  Kansas  City,  now  is  a  spe- 
cial representative  for  Metro-Goldwyn  in 
St.  Louis.  Miss  Florence  C.  Baum,  formerly 
with  Goldwyn,  is  the  new  cashier  at  the 
Selznick  office. 

Vacation  for  Percy  Jones 

Percy  Jones  of  the  Royal  Theatre  of  Car- 
rollton,  Mo.,  is  on  a  three-week's  fishing 
trip  in  Colorado  "resting  up"  for  the  fall 
season,  while  C.  E.  Corbyn  of  the  A.  H. 
Blank  exchange  departed  "Overland"  for  a 
sojourn  into  Western  Missouri  last  week. 
The  persuasive  talk  has  been  dropped  tem- 
porarily by  George  Hartman,  Vitagraph 
salesman,  who  is  enjoying  his  vacation,  as 
is  Agnes  Kemp  of  the  Educational  office. 

*  *  * 

New  Atlanta  Theatre 

Inman  Park,  a  residential  suburb  of  At- 
lanta, is  to  have  an  ideal  community  theatre. 
It  will  be  located  at  what  is  known  as 
"Little  Five  Points"  a  thriving  community 
center.  The  enterprise  which  is  backed  by 
a  group  of  Atlanta  business  men  will  be 
under  the  management  of  H.  M.  King,  for- 
merly of  Brunswick,  Ga.,  but  more  recently 
of  Savannah.  Mr.  King  is  on  the  ground 
superintending  construction  and  it  is  due  to 
open  during  July.  This  is  the  first  of  a 
string  of  community  houses  planned  by  the 
same  group  of  men  and  its  present  policy 
will  be  second  run  pictures  chosen  with  a 
view  to  pleasing  the  family  group  to  which 
"it  will  cater  almost  exclusively. 

Planes  for  Akers 

This  one  is  a  little  moss  covered,  but  the 
manner  in  which  Gerald  Akers,  the  area-dis- 
trict manager  of  Universal,  who  travels  in 
nothing  except  airplanes,  told  it  in  the  Kan- 
sas City  office  the  other  day  drew  a  loud 
and  long  series  of  guffaws. 

"I  found  the  branch  manager  nervously 
stroking  both  hairs  on  his  head  as  he 
scanned  an  expense  account  of  a  new  sales- 
man," said  Mr.  Akers.  "Seeing  me,  he 
hastily  shoved  the  account,  which  showed 
$24  for  Pullman  berths,  into  my  hands. 
'Look,'  he  cried ;  'and  we  thought  he  was  a 
wide  awake  salesman.' " 


Samuel  Rothafel,  who  directs  the  presen- 
tations of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  New  York. 

Sig  Samuels  Departs 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sig  Samuels,  of  the  Metro- 
politan Theatre,  Atlanta,  sailed  from  New 
York  on  September  14th  for  a  three  months 
stay  in  Germany  and  other  European  coun- 
tries. Mr.  Samuels  and  his  wife  will  arrive 
in  Germany  in  time  to  celebrate  the  eightieth 
birthday  anniversary  of  his  mother  in  Bres- 
lau  and  has  cabled  the  glad  tidings  to  his 
family  over  there  that  he  will  be  with  them 
for  the  first  time  in  thirteen  years  on  this 
birthday  of  their  mother.  Mr.  Samuels  is 
taking  with  him  several  thousand  feet  of  mo- 
tion picture  film  showing  his  new  home  on 
East  Lake  Drive,  Atlanta,  and  all  Atlanta 
members  of  his  family.  Dung  his  absence 
the  entire  responsibility  for  the  conduct  of 
the  Metropolitan  Theatre  will  fall  upon  the 
shoulders  of  Willard  Patterson  who  has  been 
his  chief  side  during  his  entire  motion  picture 
career  in  Atlanta.  They  wi'l  return  in  No- 
vember. 

it   *  * 

Colonel  Sinclair  Dies 

Col.  Clarence  A.  Sinclair,  treasurer  of 
the  General  Film  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, University  City,  Mo.,  died  at  the 
Missouri  Baptist  Sanitarium,  St.  Louis,  on 
Saturday,  August  16,  from  a  complication 
of  diseases.  Two  weeks  previously  Col- 
Sinclair  had  undergone  an  operation  for 
intestinal  trouble,  but  although  he  rallied 
from  the  shock  he  failed  to  recover  his 
health.  He  was  born  in  Savannah,  111., 
on  November  29,  1858,  and  during  the 
Spanish  American  War  served  with  dis- 
tinction as  a  member  of  the  Seventh  U.  S. 
Volunteers.  He  later  was  made  colonel 
of  the  First  Missouri  National  Guard,  hav- 
ing first  joined  that  organization  as  a  pri- 
vate in  1878.  He  was  also  president-treas- 
urer of  the  Sinclair  Paint  Company.  His 
wife  died  about  two  months  ago  and  he 
never  recovered  fully  from  the  shock 
caused  by  her  death.  They  were  very 
much  attached  to  one  another. 

*    *  * 

Enjoying  Trip 

Mrs.  A.  F.  Carsell,  who  operates  the  Jef- 
ferson Theatre,  Jefferson,  Ga.,  and  her  daugh- 
ter, Miss  Violet,  who  operates  the  Colonial 
Theatre,  Commerce,  Ga.,  were  in  Atlanta  the 


past  week,  driving  through  the  country.  They 
are  two  of  Georgia's  many  representative 
woman  exhibitors  and  always  meet  with  a 
warm  welcome  from  the  Atlanta  fraternity. 

#  *  * 

Elect  Jernberg  President 

Helmer  Jernberg,  manager  of  the  Prov- 
ince, a  downtown  theatre  of  Winnipeg,  was 
elected  president  of  the  Manitoba  Moving 
Picture  Exhibitors  Association  in  succes- 
sion to  Walter  P.  Wilson,  former  manager 
of  the  Lyceum  Theatre,  Winnipeg,  at  a 
special  general  meeting  which  was  held 
Thursday,  August  21.  W.  Law,  local  man- 
ager for  Canadian  Universal,  continues  as 
vice-president  of  the  association,  represent- 
ing the  local  exchanges,  and  R.  Kershaw 
remains  as  secretary  of  the  association. 

#  ^  % 

Visitors  at  K.  C. 

Out-of-town  exhibitors  at  Kansas  City  ex- 
changes last  week  included :  Sam  Minnick, 
Marceline,  Mo. ;  John  Summer,  Unionville, 
Mo. ;  C.  W.  Newcomb,  Burlington,  Kas. ; 
E.  L.  Valentine,  Ringo,  Kas. ;  Harry  Faust, 
Cabool,  Mo. ;  T.  W.  Goodson,  Lathrop,  Mo. ; 
C.  W.  Bennett,  Pastime  theatre,  Kinsing- 
ton,  Kas. ;  Ben  Harding,  Strand,  Liberty 
and  Majestic  theatres,  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  Christian,  Excelsior 
Springs,  Mo. ;  Charles  Sears,  Star  theatre, 
Nevada,  Mo. 

%    *  * 

Fined  for  Radio  Delinquency 

When  the  Royal  Canadian  Mounted  Police 
were  serving  notice  on  D.  J.  Fendell  of  the 
Patricia  Theatre,  Thorold,  Ontario,  that  he 
was  operating  a  radio  broadcasting  station 
in  connection  with  his  theatre  without  a 
Canadian  Government  license,  a  feature  was 
being  presented  on  the  screen  of  the  thea- 
tre which  depicted  the  activities  of  the 
Canadian  Mounties  in  fiction  life.  Mr.  Fen- 
dell was  called  upon  subsequently  to  pay 
a  fine  of  $25  and  costs  in  court  because  of 
the  delinquency,  but  the  Mounties  permitted 
him  to  retain  his  costly  equipment,  valued 
at  $2,000,  although  the  Government  regula- 
tions call  for  the  seizure  of  all  unlicensed 
outfits,  either  broadcasting  or  receiving. 

#  *  * 

Motion  Picture  Men  Join 

Alpine  Outing 

Two  Canadian  Government  moving  pic- 
ture men  accompanied  the  Alpine  Club  of 
Canada  in  its  successful  climb  of  Mount 
Robson,  13,068  feet  above  sea  level,  in  the 
Canadian  Rockies,  for  the  19th  annual  out- 
ing of  the  Canadian  Alpinists.  The  Govern- 
ment pair  were  Raymond  S.  Peck,  director 
of  the  Federal  Government  Motion  Picture 
Bureau,  Ottawa,  and  W.  S.  Carter,  chief 
cameraman  of  the  bureau.  Numerous  views 
were  obtained  of  the  camp  and  climb,  as 
well  as  many  pictures  of  Calgary  and  Ed- 
monton, Alberta,  and  this  material  is  to  be 
used  in  forthcoming  releases  of  the  "Seeing 
Canada"  series  of  one-reel  scenic  subjects 
produced  by  the  Government  and  released 
throughout  the  British  Empire  and  in  many 
foreign  countries.  The  views  of  Edmonton 
and  Calgary  are  also  to  be  placed  in  the 
Canadian  Archives  along  with  pictures  of 
other  Canadian  cities  as  photographic  rec- 
ords. 

While  in  Edmonton,  Mr.  Peck  addressed 
the  people  of  Western  Canada  on  the  sub- 
ject of  "The  Future  of  Canada  in  Moving 
Pictures,"  making  use  of  a  high-powered 
radiocasting  station  in  Edmonton  for  the 
purpose.  Mr,  Peck  is  an  officer  of  the 
Rotary  Club  of  Ottawa. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


New  Quarters 

Southern  States  Film  Company  and  En- 
terprise Distributing  Corporation,  two  of 
the  South's  greatest  independent  exchange 
circuits,  last  week  moved  into  their  new 
quarters  in  the  new  Film  Building  built  by 
William  Oldknow  at  87  Walton  Street. 


Wilson  Appointed  Manager 

Walter  P.  Wilson,  former  manager  of  the 
Winnipeg  Lyceum  Theatre,  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  Capitol  Theatre,  a 
large  house  in  Edmonton,  Alberta,  in  suc- 
cession to  J.  Buchanan,  by  H.  M.  Thomas, 
of  Winnipeg,  Western  Division  manager  for 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.  Mr.  Wil- 
son has  been  succeeded  at  the  Lyceum  by 
C.  A.  Meade  who  has  leased  the  house. 
Bert  Crowe,  former  manager  of  the  Metro- 
politan, Winnipeg,  has  also  been  appointed 
manager  of  the  Strand  Theatre  at  Calgary, 
Alberta. 


Cowan  Estate 

The  late  James  W.  Cowan  of  Toronto, 
the  manager  of  the  Grand  Theatre,  Toronto, 
for  years,  left  an  estate  of  $28,189,  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  on  August  19  re- 
garding the  probate  of  the  property  by  the 
Toronto  General  Trusts  Corporation.  No 
will  was  left  and  the  property  is  divided 
equally  between  two  daughters.  Included  in 
the  estate  were  80  shares  of  Trans-Canada 
Theatres,  Limited,  which  are  described  as 
having  no  value.  This  was  the  company 
to  which  Ambrose  J.  Small  sold  his  chain 
of  theatres  in  Ontario  for  $1,750,000  five 
years  ago  just  prior  to  his  sudden  disappear- 
ance. Mr.  Ccwan  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Small  for  many  years.  Small  was  recently 
declared  legally  dead  but  much  of  the  mys- 
tery still  remains. 


C  C  BURR  presents 

JohnnuHines 


SPEED 
SPOOK 


"Endless  exploitation  possibilities." 

— M.  P.  World. 
"Title  and  cast  glitter  with  allurement." 

— -Trade  Review. 
"Will  register  before  any  sort  of  audience." 

— Morning  Telegraph. 

Produced     and     Distributed  by 

EAST    COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.  C.  Burr,  Managing  Director 
135  West  44  St.     N.  Y.,  N.  Y. 


Restrain  Pickets 

A  legal  order  was  made  by  Mr.  Justice 
Wright  at  Osgoode  Hall,  Toronto,  on 
August  21  restraining  Labor  men  from  pick- 
eting the  Red  Mill  Theatre  at  Hamilton, 
Ontario,  and  from  carrying  placards  or 
signs  to  the  effect  that  Union  Labor  had 
been  locked  out  of  the  theatre.  This  fol- 
lows the  recent  decision  of  Justice  Wright 
in  granting  an  injunction  restraining  the 
members  of  the  Hamilton  local  of  the  Pro- 
jection Machine  Operators  Union  from 
picketing  or  interfering  with  the  operation 
of  the  Strand  and  Kenilworth  Theatres  in 
Hamilton,  both  of  which  had  declared  union 
shop  principles  though  paying  wages  that 
were  $2  higher  than  the  union  scale.  All 
three  Hamilton  houses  are  now  protected  by 
the  recent  judgments  of  the  Ontario  civil 
courts. 

Sfc        S)C  ifc 

Calgary  Visitor 

A  prominent  visitor  in  Calgary,  Alberta, 
has  been  John  Zanft  of  New  York,  vice- 
president  of  the  Fox  Film  Corporation,  who 
made  the  trip  to  the  Canadian  West  for  the 
purpose  of  looking  over  various  parks  and 
mountain  locations  with  a  view  to  the  estab- 
lishment in  Alberta  of  a  semi-permanent 
producing  unit  of  the  Fox  company  for  the 
making  of  various  features.  A  Fox  cam- 
eraman shot  a  considerable  number  of 
scenes  in  the  vicinity  of  Banff  which  are 
to  be  examined  in  the  New  York  Fox  office. 
%    #  * 

Edward  Sslig,  Fox  booker  at  Kansas  City, 
has  been  confined  to  his  bed  because  of  ill- 
ness the  last  week.  His  condition  is  said  to 
be  improved. 

*    *  # 

The  old  proverb,  "To  the  untiring  come 
the  rewards,"  is  proving  accurate  enough  in 
the  case  of  Frank  Castle,  Pathe  comedy 
salesman  out  of  Kansas  City.  His  record 
of  late  has  been  the  object  of  praise  from 
the  entire  office  force  and  he  soon  is  to  be 
put  to  work  on  the  first  feature,  "Dynamite 
Smith." 


Round  Table  Briefs 

C.  F.  Senning,  branch  manager  of  the 
Educational  office  at  Kansas  City,  creates  an 
uneasiness  on  the  part  of  rival  exchanges 
when  he  remain?  away  from  his  office  too 
long.  He  has  not  been  seen  at  his  desk 
for  the  last  three  days  and  there  are  whis- 
pers of  a  "scoop." 


C.  W.  Allen,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Vitagraph  exchange  at  Kansas  City,  is  out 
in  the  Kansas  territory  "preaching"  large 
returns  from  the  wheat  crop  and  the  lure 
of  the  screen. 

%    %  ^ 

G.  B.  Howe  of  Kansas  City,  traveling- 
auditor  for  Universal,  spent  four  days  in 
Kansas  City  last  week  checking  up  on  busi- 
ness. He  left  for  Denver,  from  where  he 
will  go  to  St.  Louis  for  several  weeks. 


S.  R.  Kent,  general  manager  of  Famous 
Players-Lasky,  visited  the  Kansas  City  ex- 
change last  week,  remaining  only  a  few 
hours. 

#  *  ^ 

"Please  send  me  a  price  on  your  outdoor 
material,"  wrote  an  exhibitor  to  Eddie 
Westscott  of  the  Universal  branch  at  Kansas 
City  the  other  day. 

Eddie  sent  him  just  that — a  catalogue  of 
a  lumber  company. 

*  *  * 

It  was  a  cloudburst  unusual  at  Herndon, 
Kas.,  last  week,  which  Freddie  Hershorn, 
Western  Kansas  Representative  of  Univer- 
sal, passed  through,  but  after  the  clouds  had 


cleared  away,  Mat  Allecher,  manager  of  the 
Herndon  Opera  House,  had  signed  several 
contracts. 

*    *  * 

C.  E.  Mayberry,  district  manager  of  the 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation,  visited 
the  Kansas  City  Office  last  week  and,  after 
giving  things  the  "once  over,"  departed — 
satisfied. 


Harry  Calvin,  of  the  Alcazar  Theatre, 
Dothan,  Ga.,  is  spending  two  weeks  vacation 
in  Florida. 


George  L.  Denton,  of  the  Sunset  Theatre, 
Fort  Lauderdale,  Fla.,  is  touring  to  Lenoir 
City,  Tenn.,  to  visit  friends. 


Frank  Adams,  of  Waycross.,  Ga.,  plans  to 
open  his  new  theatre  there  on  Labor  Day. 


Frank  Riggins,  of  the  Royal  Theatre, 
Blackshear,  Ga.,  and  Mrs.  Riggins,  are  spend- 
ing the  summer  months  at  Black  Mountain, 
N.  C. 


E.  C.  Behrens,  formerly  operating  the  Em- 
pire Theatre,  Quincy,  Fla.,  will  reopen  on 
September  1st. 

*    *  * 

James  F.  F.  Jackson,  of  the  Tudor  Theatre, 
Atlanta,  is  in  the  North  Carolina  mountains 
on  a  much  needed  rest. 


Byron  Cooper,  who  for  years  was  the  man- 
ager of  the  Grand  Theatre,  Moultrie,  Ga.,  is 
now  operating  the  Palace  Theatre,  Dawson, 
Pa. 


Harry  Somerville,  of  the  Orpheum,  Greens- 
boro, N.  C,  is  spending  a  four  weeks  vaca- 
tion in  New  York  and  Maine,  motoring. 

*    *  * 

Hobson  Johnson,  who  operates  the  Grand 
Theatre  at  Thomasville,  Ga.,  is  sojourning  in 
New  York.  Mr.  Johnson  also  owns  the  lo- 
cal ball  club  in  Thomasville. 


Manning  and  Wink  were  showered  with 
congratulatory  telegrams  upon  the  opening  of 
their  new  theatre,  The  Grand,  at  Cartersville, 

Ga. 

Adolph  Gortatowsky  (sneeze  it),  of  the 
Liberty  Theatre,  Albany,  Ga..  won  his  city's 
golf  championship  recently. 

*    *  * 

U.  K.  Rice,  general  manager  of  the  Pied- 
mont Amusement  Company,  of  Winston, 
Salem,  North  Carolina,  has  resigned  but  has 
not  announced  his  future  plans.  He  is  suc- 
ceeded by  Verne  E.  Johnson,  formerly  of  the 
E.  J.  Spark,  Florida  enterprises. 


Mrs.  Charles  Cinciolla  has  sold  here  Alamo 
Theatre,  Gainsville,  Georgia,  to  L.  A.  Rogers, 
whose  association  in  the  industry  dates  back 
many  years,  and  who  was  associated  with  the 
Vaudette  in  Atlanta  for  a  long  time.  Mrs. 
Cinciolla  is  leaving  the  industry  and  will  go 
to  Palm  Beach,  Florida,  to  stay  indefinitely. 


Monte  Salmon  has  been  named  by  Ford 
Anderson  district  manager  of  Famous  Players 
Lasky's  theatre  department  as  manager  to 
succeed  John  Grove  at  Atlanta's  Lyric  Thea- 
tre. Mr.  Salmon  comes  to  the  Lyric  direct 
from  the  Howard  theatre  where  he  was  as- 
sistant to  Manager  Howard  Price  Kingsmore. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  27 


SHOWMANSHIP 


What  Is  Showmanship? 


Asks  ARTHUR  M.  BRILANT 

Exploitation  Manager,  Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


W V  T  HAT  is  this  thing  we  call  show- 
\^  manship  ?  An  easy  word,  a  pleas- 
ant,  imaginative  sort  of  a  word, 
it  rolls  glibly  off  the  tongue.  You 
hear  it  everywhere  in  every  conversa- 
tion in  which  show  people  engage.  And 
vet — what  does  it  actually  stand  for? 

Showmanship,  in  its  specific  applica- 
tion, is  as  variable  as  the  winds. 
It  is  never  twice  the  same ;  hence  it 
is  always  fascinating,  absorbing. 
But  in  its  basic  sense,  showman- 
ship is  merely  the  exhibitor's  abil- 
ity, either  inherent  or  acquired,  to 
sell  his  show  to  the  public. 

Now,  how  can  that  be  done? 
The  answer  is  easy — exploitation ! 

There  is  a  certain  variety  of  ex- 
hibitor who  centers  his  exploitation 
efforts  on  his  feature-length  pic- 
ture to  the  utter  exclusion  of  the 
rest  of  the  show.  He  figures  tha: 
because  the  picture  is  long  and  be- 
cause it  is  the  highest  priced  sub- 
ject in  his  show  that  it  alone  has 
the  power  to  draw  patrons  to  his 
theatre.  He  maps  out  his  exploi- 
tation accordingly.  He  splurges  to 
the  extent  of  two  or  three  one- 
sheets,  a  couple  of  three-sheets.  He 
puts  a  small  advertisement  in  his 
local  newspaper.  Sometimes  he 
even  sends  out  a  few  circulars  by 
mail.  Then  he  sits  back  and  awaits 
the  deluge.  When  it  fails  to  come 
he  consoles  himself  with  the  ex- 
cuse that  he  has  done  all  that  could 
be  done,  and  if  his  business  flops 
it  is  because  the  show  isn't  there.. 


BUT  is  he  right?  You  know  he 
isn't.  Now  what  does  a  real  show- 
man do?  The  real  showman  considers 
his  show  much  as  the  Ritz-Carlton  chef 
considers  a  dinner.  The  piece  de  resis- 
tance may  be  the  roast,  but  the  chef 
concentrates  quite  as  much  on  the 
soup,  the  entree,  the  salad,  the  dessert. 
None  of  these  components  of  a  meal 
are  neglected.  The  real  showman  con- 
siders his  show  in  the  same  light.  The 
feature  may  have  a  limited  appeal. 
Does  he  stop  his  exploitation  there  ?  He 
does  not.  He  plays  up  the  other  offer- 
ings on  his  program  in  an  endeavor  to 
excite  public  interest. 

Your  live  exhibitor  knows  full  well 
that  there  are  innumerable  picture  go- 
ers who  prefer  the  Pathe  News  reel  to 
almost  anything  else  on  the  program, 


and  who  would  be  satisfied  with  that 
alone  if  the  rest  of  the  bill  failed  to 
please.  He  knows  that  there  are  others 
who  consider  it  money  and  time  well 
spent  to  see  a  Mack  Sennett  or  a  Hal 
Roach  comedy,  even  if  the  remainder 
of  the  show  was  disappointing.  Know- 
ing these  facts,  he  pays  as  much  atten- 


A 


RT  BRILANT  asks  a 


question — and 

His  query 


gives 


the  answer, 
is  pertinent.  His  ar-swer 
should  be  hung  over  the 
desk  of  every  showman. 

You  who  profit  by  his 
advice  won't  have  to  wait 
to  get  your  reward  in 
Heaven.  You'll  get  it 
right  at  the  box-office. 
Try  it  right  now  and  see ! 


tion  to  exploiting  his  short  subjects  as 
he  does  his  feature  length  pictures. 
The  result  is  that  he  gets  business  that 
otherwise  would  not  come  to  him. 


NOW,  that's  showmanship.  There's 
nothing  mysterious  or  magic  about 
it ;  its  just  plain  common  sense  applied. 
And  yet  how  many  exhibitors  lack  it? 

It  seems  to  me  that  if  I  were  an  ex- 
hibitor I  would  have  a  motto  framed 
and  put  right  over  my  desk  where  I 
could  see  it  everyday,  and  this  motto 
would  read  like  this:  "If  it's  worth 
playing  it's  worth  exploiting." 

The  day  of  the  filler-in  as  such  is 
past.  Today,  there  are  too  many  real, 
honest-to-God  short  subjects  that  are 
genuine  features  for  any  exhibitor  to 


clutter  up  his  show  with  just  filler-in. 
Why  play  junk  when  you  can  play  the 
kind  of  short  stuff  that  means  money 
at  the  box-office?  And  if  you  do  play 
the  good  stuff  why  not  exploit  it? 

THAT  the  exploitation  of  short  stuff 
does  pay  big  has  been  proved  many 
times.  The  exhibitors  of  na- 
tional prominence,  those  fellows 
who  have  made  enviable  reputations 
for  themselves,  have  found  by  ex- 
perience that  the  "shorts"  pay.  Only 
recently  "Roxy"  who  put  New 
York's  Capitol  on  the  map  had 
booked  to  play  Pathe's  Grantland 
Rice  Sportlight,  "Our  Defenders." 
Did  he  just  sneak  it  in  quietly 
without  a  word?  He  did  not.  He 
played  it  up  big  in  all  his  advertis- 
ing even  if  it  is  only  a  one  reeler, 
and  then  he  broadcasted  its  merits 
over  the  radio,  besides  doing  other 
exploitation  to  bring  it  to  the  atten- 
tion of  his  clientele. 

Al  Jones  who  runs  Keith's  Vic- 
tory Theatre  in  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  is  another  far-sighted  ex- 
hibitor who  knows  the  value  of  the 
"shorts."    Time   without  number 
he  has  exploited  them  in  his  mar- 
quee lights.  He  had  special  paper 
made  up  and  plastered  the  town 
with  it.    He  has  featured  them  in 
his  advertising  even  over  the  fea- 
ture.   He  has  done  everything  in 
his  power  to  exploit  them  and  he 
has  reaped  his  reward  in  jammed 
houses.    That's  showmanship. 
The  subject  of  showmanship  is 
so   big  that  only  the   surface   of  it 
can  be  scratched  in  an  article  of  this 
length. 

The  fact  remains  indisputable  that 
showmanship,  in  the  final  analysis, 
consists  not  only  of  knowing  what 
your  patrons  want  and  giving  it  to 
them,  but  it  consists  also  in  telling 
them  about  it !  The  wise  exhibitor 
analyzes  his  show,  picks  out  the 
high  spots,  and  plays  them  up  re- 
gardless of  the  length  of  the  picture. 

There  have  been  times  in  the  past 
where  the  short  subjects  have  saved 
many  a  show,  and  there  will  be  many 
more  times.  Let  every  exhibitor  who 
would  be  a  showman  bear  this  slogan 
in  mind:  "If  it's  worth  playing  it's 
worth  exploiting."  That's  showman- 
ship. 


Page  28 


Exploitation  Ideas 

Showmen  Publicity  Schemes  That 
Build  Up  Big  Audiences 


ONE  of  the  cleverest  exploitation 
stunts  yet  put  over  on  First  Na- 
tional's Colleen  Moore  picture, 
"The  Perfect  Flapper,"  was  that  staged 
by  C.  W.  Greenblatt,  manager  of  the 
Rapides  Theatre,  Alexandria,  La.  The 
lobby  of  his  theatre  was  transformed 
into  a  shop  with  more  than  $2,000 
worth  of  merchandise  on  display  in  it. 

The  display  was  in  connection  with 
Alexandria's  "First  Flapper  Contest 
and  Beauty  Festival,"  as  suggested  in 
Exhibitors  Trade  Review  National 
Tie-up  Section.  Prizes  aggregating  $75 
in  value  were  given  away  to  the  "perfect 
flappers"  in  Alexandria  and  nearby 
towns.  The  prizes  consisted  of  two 
thirty-day  passes  to  the  Rapides  Thea- 
tre, a  new  fall  hat,  "Onyx"  hosiery, 
toilet  articles,  etc.  Prizes  were  awarded 
each  night  of  the  showing  and  in  addi- 
tion, the  first  twenty-five  flappers  to  ar- 
rive at  the  theatre  were  admitted  free. 

The  merchants  who  tied  up  on  the 
flapper  contest  sent  samples  of  their 
wares  to  the  theatre  and  these  were  put 
on  display  in  the  lobby  in  show  cases. 
They  also  contributed  the  prizes  of  mer- 
chandise in  return  for  the  advertising 
received. 

A  radio  broadcasting  instrument  was 
set  up  in  the  lobby  and  used  to  broad- 
cast the  daily  program,  with  selections 
from  "The  Perfect  Flapper."  This 
reached  800  homes  and  was  heard  for 
a  distance  of  300  miles.  Prizes  of  tick- 
ets were  awarded  for  the  best  answer 
to  what  are  the  essentials  to  make  a 
flapper  perfect.  The  first  prize  was 
won  by:  "To  be  a  perfect  flapper  you 
must  have  an  ample  supply  of  'Pert' 
rouge,  'Hollywood'  sandals,  string  of 
'Regent'  beads,  a  'Kissproof  lipstick, 
a  Marcelle  bob,  heavy  'Winx'  eyelashes, 
'Frances  Faire'  frocks,  'Djer  Kiss'  com- 
pact case,  and  a  smile  that  won't  wear 
off." 

Heralds  regarding  the  perfect  flapper 
contest  and  application  blanks  for  the 
girls  desiring  to  enter  it  were  distribut- 
ed freely.  Each  night  the  flappers  en- 
tering the  contest  were  called  upon  the 
stage  and  three  judges  picked  the  "per- 
fect" one. 

The  exploitation  campaign  was  one 
of  the  biggest  ever  seen  in  that  section 
of  Louisiana  and  Manager  Greenblatt 
received  many  compliments  on  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  utilized  the  National 
Tie-up  on  "The  Perfect  Flapper." 
♦    ♦  $ 

PLAY  THE  KIDS 

Although  it  had  played  Laredo, 
Texas,  at  the  Royal  Theatre  during 


Lent,  First  National's  Jackie  Coogan 
picture,  "Circus  Days,"  was  brought 
back  to  the  Strand  Theatre  late  in  July 
and  did  a  much  bigger  business  than  on 
its  first  showing. 

Much  of  the  credit  for  this  goes  to 
the  children  who  had  seen  it  on  the 
first  screening.  As  soon  as  the  return 
booking  was  announced  the  children  be- 
gan teasing  their  parents  to  see  the  film. 

The  lobby  display  of  lithographs  kept 
kids  crowding  the  vestibule  for  several 
days  in  advance  of  the  showing.  The 
lithographs  were  used  freely  on  the  bill- 
boards and  the  newspaper  advertising 
was  addressed  mainly  to  the  young  peo- 
ple. Children  outnumbered  the  adults 
at  the  matinees  and  were  of  almost 
equal  proportions  at  evening  screenings. 


POLICE  TIE-UP 

A  dedication  strip  carrying  the  name 
and  photograph  of  the  local  chief  of 
police  in  whatever  town  the  picture  is 
showing  is  one  of  the  accessories  offer- 
ed the  exhibitor  in  Pathe's  latest  serial, 
"Into  the  Net,"  written  by  Richard  E. 
Enright,  Commissioner  of  Police,  New 
York  City. 

As  President  of  the  Police  Chiefs  As- 
sociation of  America,  Enright  has  scat- 
tered broadcast  a  request  for  the  photo- 
graphs of  the  various  members  of  the 
association  to  be  used  in  the  dedication. 
In  instances  where  photos  have  not 
been  sent  into  the  Pathe  Home  Office, 
salesmen  traveling  their  territory  have 
been  instructed  to  pick  up  such  pictures 
in  the  towns  at  the  time  the  contracts 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

are  signed  with  the  exhibitor  for  the 
ten-chapter  thriller. 

The  strip  consists  of  twenty-five  feet 
of  film,  ten  feet  of  which  is  given  over 
to  the  photograph  with  the  other  fifteen 
feet  used  for  titles.  Arrangements  have 
been  made  to  supply  the  films  on  a 
twenty-four  hour  notice. 


ORIGINAL  POSTERS 

Metro-Goldwyn  has  retained  John 
Held,  Jr.,  for  all  art  work  on  posters 
and  other  advertising  for  "Wine  of 
Youth." 

Held  has  gained  fame  with  his 
"smart"  drawings  which  combine  clever 
cartooning  with  a  keen  sense  of  cari- 
cature. He  is  a  leader  of  the  ultra- 
modern school  of  illustrators,  and  his 
work  is  strikingly  original. 

The  advertising  value  of  Held's  name 
to  exhibitors  should  be  considerable. 


BOOSTING  THE  GROSS 

Out  in  Greely,  Colorado,  the  Rex 
Theatre  killed  several  birds  with 
one  stone.  A  Baby  Peggy  Booster  con- 
test sold  out  the  house  for  "The  Darling 
of  New  York"  and  got  the  theatre  a 
good  mailing  list. 

The  kids  of  the  town  were  offered 
prizes  of  cash  and  tickets  for  the  neat- 
est book  lettered  "I  am  a  Baby  Peggy 
Booster.  See  Baby  Peggy  in  'The 
Darling  of  New  York'  at  the  Rex  The- 
atre." Of  course  the  book  was  to  be 
filled  with  names,  addresses  and  tele- 
phone numbers.  The  kids  rustled  up 
a  lot  of  names  among  neighbors  and 
friends.  And  pretty  nearly  all  of  those 
who  had  their  attention  so  forcefully 
directed  to  the  showing  attended. 

Another  good  one  was  a  series  of 
small  personal  ads  written  as  though 
they  were  direct  messages  from  Peggy. 
Each  was  addressed  to  some  prominent 
personage  and  appealed  especially  to 
him. 


Following  out  the  idea  outlined  in  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  National  Tie-Up  Sec- 
tion, Manager  C.  W.  Greenblatt,  Rapides  Theatre,  Alexandria,  Louisiana,  proved  him- 
self a  real  showman  by  turning  his  lobby  into  a  showroom  where  his  merchant 
partners  displayed  the  tie-up  products.  The  lobby  brought  big  business  to  the 
dealers  and  sold  out  the  house  for  First  National's  production  "The  Perfect  Flapper." 


IP 


fi i  1 1  i  i  M 14  t  H I  M  M  i  i  Iffif i  ♦  M  1 1 »  M  H  t  It  U  M  t  t 


Hunt  Strom  berg  and  Charles  R.  Rogers 

Present 

PRISCILLA  DEAN  in 
"THE  SIREN  OF  SEVILLE" 

.Story  by  H.  H.  VAN  LOAN         Photographed  by  SOL  POLITO 
Directed  by  JEROME  STORM  &  HUNT  STROMBERG 
Entire  Production  Under  Personal  Supervision  of 
HUNT  STROMBERG 

"Dedicated  to  the  beautiful  women  of  all  nations 


7 


Here  is  the  production  you  have  been  wait- 
ing for — a  photodramatic  triumph  with  an 
irresistible  box-office  appeal.  Priscilla  Dean 
in  the  greatest  role  of  her  career,  as  a  dash- 
ing senorita  who  became  the  idol  of  Spain 
for  the  sake  of  her  toreador  sweetheart. 


UNPRECEDENTED  EXPLOITATION 


See  Following  Pages 


Foreign  Distributor 
Wm.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


PRODUCERS    DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Constructive  Incentives  for 


nd  Local  Merchants 


How  to  Boost  the  Gross  With 
National  Tie-Up  Windows 


IF  you  are  going  to  make  use  of  the 
National  Tie-Up  windows  to  ex- 
ploit your  show  do  it  right.  There 
is  a  wealth  of  paying  publicity  in  the 
idea.  But  like  everything  else  there  are 
two  ways  to  go  about  putting  it  into 
effect.  One  way  is  right — one  is  wrong. 
This  is  the  right  way. 

First,  book  the  picture.  Then  look 
through  the  list  of  tie-ups  and  see 
which  ones  you  desire  to  use.  You 
should  take  advantage  of  every  one  of 
them. 

Having  decided  which  you  want,  se- 
lect the  best  windows  in  town  and  go 
after  them.  When  you  step  into  the 
shops  to  speak  to  the  dealers,  don't  go 
as  a  suppliant.  You  have  come  to  do 
the  tie-up  merchant  a  favor.  And  he 
should  be  flattered  that  you  have  chosen 
him. 

You  are  going  to  sell  his  goods  for 
him.  And  you  can  do  it — with  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  window  displays.  Tell 
him  so. 

The  problem  of  every  retailer  is  to 
move  merchandise  from  the  shelves  of 
his  shop.  To  accomplish  this  purpose 
he  is  lavishly  expending  his  time,  his 
money  and  his  energy.  If  he  fails' in 
his  objective  he  is  ruined. 

In  securing  his  co-operation  in  fea- 
turing your  current  attraction  and  his 
merchandise  in  a  window  display,  you 
are  doing  him  a  service  which  will 
demonstrate  its  value  in  one  trial.  You 
will  make  sales  for  him  without  mone- 
tary cost,  and  with  a  minimum  outlay 
of  time  and  trouble. 

There  are  no  ifs,  ands  or  buts  to 
your  proposition.  Its  efficacy  is  being 
proven  daily  in  the  thousands  of  win- 
dows throughout  the  country  that  are 
selling  goods  and  theatre  tickets  through 
National  Tie-Up  displays. 

Test  it  out  any  way  he  desires.  Have 
no  fear.  National  Tie-Up  windows 
will  deliver  the  goods.  When  you  have 
sold  the  idea  get  down  to  brass  tacks. 


The  dealer  is  not  a  showman.  You  are. 
It  is  up  to  you  to  tell  him  how  to  show 
his  goods — and  yours. 

SHOW  him  how  to  put  humor  in 
terest  in  his  windows.  Explain  the 
great  drawing  power  of  stills,  display 
material,  window  cards  and  the  various 
other  showmanship  accessories  with 
which  you  are  familiar,  and  of  which 
he  is  ignorant. 

Then  when  you  have  arranged  these 
details,  clip  the  coupons  and  mail  them 
to    Exhibitors    Trade    Review.  If 


$1.00 


IS  what  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will 
pay  for  each  still  of  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  windows. 

This  is  for  a  limited 
time  only.  So  send  in 
your  photographs  and 
receive  for  each  one, 


$1.00 


there  are  no  coupons  write  your  play- 
dates  and  order  tie-ups  by  numbers. 
The  displays  will  be  sent  to  you  by  re- 
turn mail,  and  you  will  be  all  set  to 
profit  by  the  biggest  free  exploitation 
that  has  thus  far  been  evolved. 

In  this  way,  and  in  this  way  only, 
may  you  reap  the  full  benefit  to  be  de- 
rived by  your  theatre  through  the  estab- 
lishment of  branch  lobbies  in  the  win- 
dows of  your  city. 

You  can  increase  your  patronage  a 
hundredfold.  You  can  increase  the 
custom  of  the  dealers  co-operating  with 


you.  You  can  make  your  theatre  a  lo- 
cal institution.  And  you,  yourself,  the 
best  known  personage  in  the  commun- 
ity. 

Stills  from  motion  pictures  will  make 
people  pause  before  windows.  Ordi- 
narily they  may  pass  the  usual  display 
of  soap,  or  perfume  or  any  other  mer- 
chandise. Or  at  most  will  give  it  but 
casual  attention.  But  the  moment  you 
enhance  that  window  with  stills  of 
screen  stars,  scenes  from  productions, 
you  have  transformed  it  into  a  magnet 
which  will  attract  the  gaze  of  eight 
people  out  of  every  ten. 

They  will  remember  your  show,  your 
theatre,  and  the  products  that  arc;  fea- 
tured in  conjunction  with  the  stills.  And 
they  will  see  the  show  and  buy  the 
goods. 

And  for  a  limited  time  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will  pay  exhibitors  one 
dollar  each  for  photographs  of  National 
Tic- Up  window  displays  suitable  for 
publication. 

If  you  haven't  started  to  secure  pub- 
licity for  your  shows  through  National 
Tie-Ups — begin  today.  It  is  too  good 
a  bet  to  overlook.  There  is  real  hard 
cash  to  be  gained  by  giving  a  little  time 
and  attention  to  the  idea. 

r^ON'T  be  satisfied  with  one  or  two 
windows.    Get    all    you  possibly 
can.   For  each  additional  display  means 
more  business  at  your  box-office. 

Every  tie-up  window  secured  in  con- 
nection with  your  attraction  is  a  veri- 
table sign-post  directing  patronage  to 
your  theatre.  And  when  the  finger  of 
publicity  points  the  way,  people  will 
form  a  line  in  your  lobby. 

Every  time  you  miss  a  chance  to  get 
a  National  Tie-Up  window  you  are 
simply  throwing  away  an  opportunity 
io  make  more  friends  for  your  theatre 
and  more  money  for  yourself.  You  are 
giving  the  cold  shoulder  to  Success. 


September  6,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


fage  31 


"The  Siren  of  Seville 

Will  'Vamp'  Them  To  Your  Box-Off  ice 


1 


1HE  SIREN  OF  SEVILLE"  is  a 
drama  of  age-old  Spain,  a  play 


of  primeval  passion  in  which  men 
and  women  are  stripped  of  the  scant 
scarf    of  civilization 
and  shown  in  brave- 
ness   and   beauty  of 
their  natural  emotions. 

We  see  His  Majes- 
ty the  Matador,  gaily 
garbed  in  arena  attire, 
enter  the  bull-ring  to 
the  plaudits  of  the 
populace  and  the 
crash  of  brazen  music, 
only  to  be  carried  out 
a  bleeding  broken  bit 


of  Seville"  who  leaps  into  the  pit  and 
herself  thrusts  the  steel  deep  into  ths 
heart  of  the  blood-eyed  beast. 

The  shots  of  the  bull-fights  are  fas- 


of  flesh,  torn  and 
trampled  by  the  infur- 
iated animal  which  he 
had  failed  to  avoid  by 
the  fraction  of  an 
inch.  And  all  because 
of  a  single  glance 
from  his  sloe-eyed 
sweetheart — not  dart- 
ed in  his  direction. 

BUT  another  bravo 
seizes  sword  and 
scarlet  mantle.  The 
bull  is  slain — and  Se- 
ville has  a  new  hero. 
There  comes  another 
day  when  the  Plaza  del  Toros  sees  him 
step  forth  with  brain  befogged  by  the 
villain's  drug.  Sees  him  tossed  and 
crumpled — and  saved  from  death  by 
the  girl  he  had  deserted — by  that  "Siren 


Still  No.  127  offers  a  tie-up  with  shoes,  hosiery,  Spanish  shawls,  toilet  articles, 
house  furnishings,  flowers  and  men's  evening  wear.  All  of  which  are  in 
evidence  in  "The  Siren  of  Seville,"  Producers  Distributing  Corporation  release. 


cmatmg 


They  are  thrillers  to  the  nth 
degree.  Your  audience  will  leave  finger 
marks  on  the  arms  of  your  chairs  from 
the  intensity  of  its  grip. 

Then  there  is  the  eternal  conflict  of 


two  women  for  one  man.  The  sinuous 
parasite  who  destroys  men — and  the 
virile  womanhood  that  makes  them.  And 
there  is  a  battle  such  as  has  seldom  been 
screened.  It  is  a 
physical  conflict  for  a 
man's  life  waged  be- 
tween the  girl  who 
would  save  him — and 
one  who  would  see 
him  die  rather  than 
relinquish  him  to  an- 
other woman. 

THRILLS?  It  will 
give  'em  cold  chills 
on  hot  nights — and 
send  burning  blood 
racing  through  their 
veins  in  zero  tempera- 
ture ! 

Exploitation  ?  Tie- 
Up  ?  Plenty. 

You  have  chances 
for  unique  ballyhoos, 
different  advertising, 
unusual  exploitation, 
and  window  displays 
that  will  be  more  col- 
orfully alluring  than 
you,    or  your  tie-up 
dealers,  or  the  win- 
dow-shoppers of  the 
town    ever  dreamed 
be  evolved.     In  your  windows- 
feature  the  red   and  gold   of  Spain. 
Dress  dummies  in  the  gaudy  gaiety  of 
the  bull-fighters  and  their  fair  "Sirens." 
(Continued  on  Page  39) 


might 


Pearls  figure  prominently  in  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  thrill-film  "The  Siren  of  Seville."  This  still — No.  59 — is  only  one 
of  a  number  which  will  fit  in  most  appropriately  with  a  window  display  of  pearls  in  jeweler's    windows    or    department  stores. 


Page  32 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


In  still  No.  32  you  are  presented  with  an  opportunity  to  tie-up  on  windows  dis- 
playing lingerie,  pearls,  silver-ware,  toilet  articles,  and  even  with  hair-dressers  and 
beauty  shops  on  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  release  "The  Siren  of  Seville." 


Wonder  Working  Windows 

for 

'The  Siren  of  Seville' 


JUST  as  Gallito,  the  matador,  dedi- 
cates the  bull  he  is  about  to  slay 
"To  all  the  beautiful  women  of  the 
world,"  so  might  Producers  Distribut- 
ing Corporation  dedicate  "The  Siren  of 
Seville." 

There  are  tie-ups  galore  with  femi- 
nine pulchritude,  and  it  is  up  to  you  to 
have  your  tie-up  windows  feature  the 
various  articles  that  are  helpful  in  beau- 
tifying womanhood. 

Get  in  touch  with  the  leading  shop  of 
your  town  handling  such  articles  as  the 
immensely  popular  embroidered  Spanish 
shawls,  the  huge  ornamental  combs, 
lacey  mantillas,  and  heavy  armlets  and 
earrings  affected  by  the  Casti'llian  beau- 
ties. Dress  up  a  real  Spanish  window. 
Combine  your  display  with  stills  such 
as  numbers  36,  93,  96,  53,  94,  95,  90, 
37  and  33,  and  you  will  have  a  window 
that  will  double  business  for  the  arti- 
cles shown,  and  make  your  attraction  a 
subject  of  general  conversation. 

Many  of  the  stills  may  be  used  for  a 
variety  of  different  windows.  Take 
number  nine,  for  instance.  It  is  a  pic- 
ture of  Priscilla  Dean,  "The  Siren  of 
Seville,"  herself.  It  may  be  used  in 
connection  with  displays  of  dentifrices, 
rouge,  powder,  eye-brow  pencils,  mas- 
cara, or  any  other  cosmetics  or  make- 


up materials.  And  in  addition  it  offers 
a  very  logical  tie-up  with  hair-dressers, 
displays  of  jewelry,  shawls,  and  so  on. 

Pearls,  in  particular,  loom  large  in 
the  story.    And  there  are  lots  of  stills 


which  will  help  sell  these  stones  while 
advertising  your  show.  Look  at  num- 
bers 41,  20,  59,  29,  135,  27,  133  and 
134.  Each  depicts  a  different  bit  of 
action  from  the  film.  Each  is  interest- 
ing and  attention-gripping.  And  each 
offers  a  wonderful  opportunity  for  a 
jewelry  store  tie-up. 

You  can  make  them  stop  and  look  at 
stills  such  as  numbers  32,  135,  127,  29, 
133,  134  and  a  host  of  others,  in  a  win- 
dow beautified  with  lingerie,  hosiery 
and  the  various  other  intimate  articles 
of  feminine  apparel.  And  each  of  the 
pictures  showing  "The  Siren  of  Seville" 
in  negligee,  may  also  be  used  in  displays 
of  cosmetics  and  toilet  articles. 

P\  ON'T  overlook  the  pulling  power 
of  snappy  window  cards.  It  is 
not  hard  to  think  up  clever  lines  that 
will  line  up  patrons  in  your  lobby.  As 
an  idea,  you  might  have  a  card  for  the 
lingerie  displays  read  "You  can  see 
more  of  'The  Siren  of  Seville'  at  the 
City  Theatre. 

There  are  pictures  showing  Priscilla 
at  her  consol.  It  is  littered  with  silver 
manicure  articles,  powder  jars,  rouge 
receptacles,  atomizers,  and  the  various 
other  paraphernalia  found  on  a  well 
equipped  dressing  table.  The  tie-up 
with  your  local  Gorham  or  Tiffany  is 
quite  obvious. 

The  "party"  pictures  feature  bever- 
ages, and  the  purveyors  of  soft  drinks 
can  boost  the  turn  over  by  displaying 
the  brands  of  "pop"  they  are  pushing 
together  with  stills  and  appropriate  win- 
dow cards.  In  this  connection  stills 
such  as  number  59  will  give  you  the 
idea. 

Still  number  20  may  be  used  as  a 
tie-up  for  millinery  shops,  jewelers, 
women's  wear,  beautifiers,  or  even  pat- 


Still  No.  66  may  be  used  in  connection  with  window  displays  of  Spanish  shawls, 
jewelry,  millinery,  women's  apparel,  men's  hats,  or  clothes.  It  depicts  one  of  the 
many  thrilling  scenes  from  "The  Siren  of  Seville,"  a  Producers  Dist.  Corp.  picture. 


September  6,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  33 


ent  medicines.  "The  Siren"  is  shown 
mixing  some  preparation  for  her  sick 
father,  and  from  the  smile  on  her  face 
it  is  quite  evident  that  she  has  every 
confidence  that  the  mixture  will  cure 
the  old  man  of  whatever  ails  him. 

Still  number  2  shows  her  administer- 
ing the  medicine,  and  will  also  offer  a 
chance  to  sell  cough  syrup  while  selling 
your  show  through  druggists'  windows. 
And  still  number  7  shows  the  father 
enjoying  some  strength  giving  food, 
probably  Campbell's  soup,  or  perhaps 
Quaker  Oats. 

There  are  several  still  close-ups  of 
Stuart  Holmes  and  Priscilla  which  will 
do  very  nicely  for  "kissproof"  lipsticks. 
One  is  number  30.  Number  136  is  an- 
other. 

"The  Siren  of  Seville,"  and  the  other 
sirens  in  the  production  do  not  go  in 
for  bobbed  hair.  So  you  can  tie-up 
with  hair-dressers  on  the  basis  of  new 
coiffures  for  the  girls  who  still  retain 
their  "crowning  glory." 

THERE  is  a  still,  number  154,  and 
another,  number  153,  showing  "The 
Siren"  peering  between  parted  draper- 
ies. The  expression  in  her  eyes  and 
upon  her  face  is  fearsome  to  behold. 
Feature  this  picture  in  a  stunt.  Offer 
prizes  for  the  best  guess  as  to  what  she 
is  looking  at  to  cause  such  an  expres- 
sion. And  also  have  a  card  advising 
folks  that  they  may  learn  the  answer 
by  visiting  your  theatre. 

Don't  overlook  the  stills  that  create 
the  atmosphere  in  which  "The  Siren  of 
Seville"  abounds.  These  are  pictures 
of  the  crowds  on  the  way  to 
the  arena,  the  bull-fighters  in  action, 
and  so  forth.  They  will  serve  as  teasers 
and  will  surely  arouse  curiosity  as  to 
what  is  going  to  take  place  inside  the 
"Arena  Del  Tores." 

There  is  a  barber-shop  tie-up  with  a 
laugh  in  it.  So  long  as  the  professional 
bull-fighters  of  Spain  practice  their  art 
it  is  compulsory  that  they  wear  little 
pigtails.  The  loss  of  this  hirsute  ap- 
pendage would  carry  with  it  the  loss  of 
dignity — and  maybe  of  a  job.  "The 
Siren"  gets  into  an  argument  with  one 
of  the  matadors,  and  in  still  number 
56  is  shown  in  the  act  of  giving  him  a 
real  boyish  bob  by  amputating  the  pig- 
tail with  a  knife. 

qTUART  HOLMES  is  a  real  "high 
O  hat"  villain,  and  throughout  the  pic- 
ture his  clothes  are  the  last  word  in 
"what  the  well-dressed  man  will  wear." 
Look  over  stills  numbers  67,  30,  136, 
133  and  146  to  get  an  idea  of  the  tie- 
ups  with  haberdashers  and  men's  cloth- 
ing shops. 

Of  course  in  this  bull-fighting  busi- 
ness there  are  as  many  bands  as  in  a 
three  ring  circus.  Everything  is  done 
to  music.    And  there  are  stills  that  will 


Another  tie-up  with  pearls,  hair  ornaments,  scarfs,  wraps, 
jewels,  floor  lamps,  gowns,  cosmetics,  hair-dressers,  and  beauty 
parlors,  is  offered  in  still  No.  84,  from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  "The  Siren  of  Seville,"  starring  Priscilla  Dean. 


tie-up  very  nicely  with  musical  instru- 
ment shops  of  all  sorts.  Number  101  is 
an  example,  and  there  are  others  simil- 
arly suitable. 

The  same  goes  for  uniforms.  The 
Latin  countries  are  strong  on  lots  of 
gold  braid,  and  there  are  stills  that  will 
boost  business  for  the  tailors  in  your 
town  who  make  a  business  of  outfitting 
the  organizations  that  go  in  for  regalia. 

IF  there  is  a  shop  making  a  specialty 
of  costunes  for  masquerades,  by  all 
means  get  in  touch  with  him  and  have 
him  boost  the  idea  of  having  his  cus- 
tomers clad  in  characters  from  the  pic- 
ture. This  will  help  arouse  interest  in 
your  showing. 

If  there  are  any  local  soirees  staged 
about  the  time  of  your  playdates,  get 
in  touch  with  the  leaders  and  suggest 
the  injection  of  some  "Siren  of  Seville" 
atmosphere  into  the  party. 

Stills  like  number  127  will  go  a  long 
way  toward  making  a  hosiery  or  shoe 
display  popular.  Look  over  the  illus- 
tration in  the  section  and  you  will 
agree.  This  particular  still  may  also 
be  used  for  housefurnishing  stores, 
men's  apparel,  florists,  and  toilet  ar- 
ticle displays. 

There  are  some  very  beautiful  shots 
of  "The  Siren"  at  prayer  and  in  differ- 
ent contemplative  attitudes.  They  will 
help  greatly  in  dressing  windows  in  an 
artistic  manner,  and  will  assist  in 
arousing  enthusiasm  in  Priscilla  Dean's 
characterization.  In  this  regard  glance 
at  stills  numbered  16,  142,  140,  141,  27 
and  4. 

It  is  not  often  that  so  fierce  a  battle 
between  women  has  been  filmed.  The 
stills  showing  this  fght  are  well  worth 


playing  up  in  any  of  the  tie-ups  effect- 
ed for  the  picture.  There  is  a  thrill  in 
still  number  80,  and  number  81  also 
shows  some  decided  action. 


SPEAKING  of  combats,  still  number 
146  shows  something  about  to  start 
between  Cavallo,  the  villain,  and  Gallito, 
the  hero.  While  there  are  several  pos- 
sible tie-ups  the  best  use  for  this  pic- 
ture is  merely  as  a  teaser.  It  is  cal- 
culated to  arouse  interest  in  the  film, 
and  should  be  used  in  all  windows. 

Get  atmosphere  and  action  into  every 
one  of  your  tie-up  windows.  The  theme 
of  the  picture  gives  you  every  oppor- 
tunity to  do  so.  The  brilliant  costumes 
of  Spain  will  help.  Your  windows 
should  be  ablaze  with  color. 

Use  the  accessories  of  the  bull-ring. 
The  slender  swords,  the  banderillos, 
sharp  barbs  decorated  with  vari-colored 
ribbons,  the  scarlet  mantles  of  the  mata- 
dors, the  three-cornered  hats — all  of 
these  things  will  attract  attention  to 
your  showing  of  "The  Siren  of  Seville." 

In  the  section  you  will  find  reference 
to  the  nationally  known  products  se- 
cured for  you  by  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review.  Each  of  them  fits  in  admir- 
ab'y  with  the  picture.  "La  Supreme" 
pearls  for  your  jewelry  tie-up  will  help 
business  for  you  and  the  dealer.  Then 
there  are'  "Delicia  Kissproof"  lipsticks, 
"Vanity  Fair"  underwear,  "Criss 
Cross"  Brassieres,  "Djer-Kiss"  powder, 
and  "Cappi"  perfume. 

Each  of  them  will  help  your  showing 
of  "The  Siren  of  Seville,"  and  as  soon 
as  you  know  your  playdates  you  should 
advise  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  so 
that  you  may  receive  display  material 
in  ample  time. 


Destined  to  Delight  Your  Audiences 
and  Swell  Your  Box-Office  Receipts- 

Priscilla  Dean  at  her  dynamic  best  in  a  stupendously  mag- 
nificent production  on  which  neither  money  nor  construc- 
tive brains  have  been  spared  to  achieve  the  very  acme  of 
excellence.  The  story,  an  exotic  romance  of  Sunny  Seville, 
is  by  H.  H.  Van  Loan,  who  wrote  Miss  Dean's  two  previous 
successes,  "The  Virgin  of  Stamboul"  and  "The  Wild  Cat 
of  Paris."  Allan  Forrest,  who  made  a  great  success  as 
Mary  Pickford's  leading  man  in  "Dorothy  Vernon  of  Had- 
don  Hall,"  Stuart  Holmes,  Claire  DeLorez,  Bert  Woodruff 
and  Mathew  Betz  are  included  in  a  brilliant  cast. 

Ready  for  Release — Now  Booking 

Released  by 

$roimcer£  Ili£trtbuttng  Corporation 


FOREIGN  DISTRIBUTOR 
WM.  VOGEL  DISTRIBUTING  CORP. 


UNDER.  THE. 
PERSONAL, 
SUPERVISION 
OF^ 

HUNT  oFo(V 


stroi 


a 
A 


Page  36 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


l5E5E52S2ffl5r5aE5ESH525r,.525r5ffiESH5^^ 


Like  All  Sirens — 

'  The  Siren  of  Seville ' 
Wore  'Vanity  Fair'  Lingerie 

Don't  fail  to  secure  our  win- 
dow display  material  for  the 
most  logical  tie-up  you  can  se- 
cure for  your  showing  of  the 
big  hit,  "The  Siren  of  Seville." 


VANITY  FAIR" 
windows  will 
most  certainly  increase 
business  for  your  pic- 
ture as  well  as  for  our 
dealers.  We  offer  you 
an  opportunity  to  se- 
cure big  free  publicity. 
There  is  no  expense  at- 
tached to  the  offer. 
Simply  let  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  know 
when  you  are  showing 
"The  Siren  of  Seville." 


TN  addition  to  "The 
Siren  of  Seville"  you 
should  write  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  for  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  window 
display  material  when 
you  play  "Miami,"  "Her 
Own  Free  Will,"  or  "The 
Shooting  of  Dan  Mc- 
Grew."  "Vanity  Fair" 
windows  will  help  you 
do  big  business  on  any 
or  all  of  these  National 
TLe-Up  photoplays. 


Write  Your  Play  Dates  to 
Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  Window  For  Women 

"TJISPLAY  material  for  a  window  tving 
up  our  product  with  your  attraction 
"The  Siren  of  Seville"  wi'l  be  promp  ly 
forwarded  upon  receipt  of  informat  on  re- 
garding your  play  dates  by  Exhib  tors 
Trade  Review.  Don't  forget  the  women 
of  America  dicta'e  the  entertainment  pol- 
icy of  the  family  and  control  the  poc'  etbooks. 

T>elicaKisspvoof Lipstick 

Write  your  Play  Dates  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review. 


'XROSS  BONED 

DIAPHRAGM  REDUCING! 

BRASSIERE 


— worn  by  every  siren — and  a  money- 
making  window  display  National  Tie- 
up  for  "The  Siren  of  Seville."  A  pro- 
duct of  peculiar  feminine  appeal,  this 
artistic  window  will  sell  merchandise 
for  our  dealers,  and  will  help  you  to 
hang  out  the  S.  R.  0.  sign  for  your  at- 
We    promise  co-operation. 


traction 


<Y  HERE  is  no 
cost  for  this 
big  National  Tie- 
Up  on  "The  Siren 
of  Seville,"  "Mi- 
ami," "Missing 
daughters"  or  "Her 
Own   Free  Will." 


Write   in  your 
play  dates  to 
Exhibitors 
Trade  Review 


"Y"OU  can't  af- 
ford  to  miss 
this  big  National 
Tie-Up.  It  will 
positively  make 
money  for  you 
and  our  dea'e". 
wherever  d  spla;  e  J. 


September  6,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


INDESTRUCTI 


IV  OTIFY  Exhibitors  Trade 
'  Review  when  you  know 
your  play  dates  for  "The  Siren 
of  Seville"  and  you  will  secure 
the  hearty  co-operation  of  our 
dealer  in  your  town  in  boost- 
ing business  for  both  of  you. 


TN  addition  to  "The  Siren 
of  Seville"  you  may  secure 
this  big  National  Tie-Up  on 
"Miami"  and  "Her  Own  Free 
Will."  There  is  no  cost  to 
you — simply  notify  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  of  your  playdates. 


Page  37 


Windows  Full  of  Pearls 
For  'The  Siren  of  Seville' 


TV7E  offer  you,  free  of  all  cost,  the 
"  most  fascinating  window  display 
that  can  be  dreamed  of  in  connection 
with  your  showing  of  "The  Siren  of 
Seville."  A  window  rich  in  the  lus- 
trous beauty  of  La  Supreme  Pearls! 
Our  dealers  in  your  vicinity  will  ac- 
cord you  full  co-operation  in  every 
way,  and  this  National  Tie-Up  Avill 


T^ON'T  miss  this  great  opportunity. 

Here  is  a  chance  for  a  co-operative 
merchandising  campaign  that  will  be 
of  impressive  mutual  benefit.  La  Su- 
preme windows  will  sell  tickets  for 
your  theatre  and  pearls  for  our  dealers. 
We  are  more  than  willing  to  do  our 
full  share — so  noAv  it  is  up  to  you. 
Notify  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  of 
your  play  dates.  We  will  do  the  rest. 


Page  38 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


IOC 


301 


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Don't  Miss  "Cappi" 


WRITE  Exhibitors  Trade  Re- 
view for  Window  Display 
Material  the  very  hour  you  know 
your  playdates  on  "The  Siren  of 
Seville,"  "Miami"  and  "Her  Own 
Free  Will."  There  is  no  cost,  and 
these  beautiful  windows  will  prove 
their  value  to  you  and  our  dealers 
in  cold  cash.  We  guarantee  the 
heartiest  co-operation  for  all  Nation- 
al Tie-Up  pictures.  Don't  miss  this. 


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Make  Big  Money  With 


These  big  free  National  Tie- 
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will  surely  sell  the  tie-up 
dealers  goods  and  tickets  for 
your  show.  They  are  "La 
Supreme  Pearls,"  "Chex," 
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"Vanity  Fair"  Underwear, 
"C  r  i  s  s-C  r  o  s  s"  Brassieres, 
"Djer-Kiss"  Powder,  "Cappi" 
Perfume.  Write  for  display 
materials  to  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  the  hour  you  know 
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Your  Goods — and  Ours 


WHEN  you  book  "The  Siren  of 
Seville"  and  have  been  advised 
regarding  your  playdates,  write  im- 
mediately to  Exhibitors  Trade  Re- 
view and  tell  them  when  you  will 
show  the  picture.  Clip  the  coupon — 
that  is  all  that  is  necessary.  You  will 
receive  window  material  that  will 
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CLIP  THIS  COUPON 

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45  West  45th  Street, 
New  York  City. 

Please  have  the  Djer-Kiss  Products  forward 
their  special  window  display  material  so  that 
I  can  take  advantage  of  this  National  Tie-Up 
on  "The  Siren  of  Seville."  I  have  listed  be- 
low ray  play  dates  and  the  number  of  displays 
I  can  make  use  of. 

Name   

Theatre  

City   State   

"The  Siren  of  Seville" 

Play    Dates   ,  

No.  of  Display 

Sets  Desired   


September  6,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  39 


things  about  bull-lighting.  Build  up 
popular  interest  in  the  sport. 


Still  No.  101  from  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  "Siren  of  Seville"  is  appro- 
priate for  a  tie-up  with  musical  instrument  shops,  and  shops  where  uniforms  are  sold. 


'THE  SIREN  OF  SEVILLE' 

{Continued  from  Rage  31) 
Fix  up  a  miniature  ring  with  a  toy 
bull,  toy  matadors  and  picadors,  toy 
horses.  It  will  stop  traffic.  Have  a 
bull  led  through  town  by  a  "bull-fighter" 
— both  appropriately  placarded.  There 
is  no  limit  to  the  possibilities. 

You  can  get  a  lot  of  publicity  by  ad- 


vertising a  bull-fight.  This  will  be  a 
teaser,  of  course,  and  will  be  followed 
up  by  your  theatre  ad.  However,  by 
adding  a  bit  of  mystery  you  can  get 
on  the  front  pages  of  the  local  papers. 

Start  a  discussion  in  your  local  paper 
on  bull-fighting — whether  or  not  it  is 
brutal  and  so  on. 

There  are  a  number    of  interesting 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike— in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos,"  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in   the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 


220  West  42nd  Street 


New  York  City 


National  Tie-Up  Windows  Now  Available 


"SIREN  OF  SEVILLE" 

135 — La  Supreme    Pearls   Jewelers 

134 — Delicia    Lipsticks   Drug  Stores 

132- — Vani.y  Fair  Underwear  ..Women's  Wear 
132 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres    ....Women's  Wear 

131 — Djer-Kiss    Powder   Drug  Stores 

130 — Cappi   Perfume   Drug  Stores 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
129 — Kleinerts   Bathing   Caps    ..Women's  Wear 

128 — Hollywood  Hats   Hat  Sho"ps 

127— G.   G.   G.   Clothes   Clothiers 

126 — Thermo  Vests   Sport  Goods 

1'25 — Gropper    Knit    Ties   Haberdashers 

124 — Fownes    Gloves   Men's  Wear 

123 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"NEVER    SAY  DIE" 

122 — Vogue   Clothes  Clothiers 

121 — Society  Club   Hats   Hat  Shoos 

120 — Rit   Druggists 

119 — Wahl  Pens   Dept.  Stores 

"HER  OWN  FREE  WILL" 
118 — Her  Own  Free  Will  Story   ...Book  Shops 

117 — La   Supreme   Pearls   Jewelers 

116 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear   ...Women's  Wear 

115 — Delicia   Lipstick   Beauty  Shops 

114 — Delica-Brow   Beauty  Shops 

113 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"INTO  THE  NET" 

112 — G.  G.  G.  Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

111 — Hollywood    Hats   Hat  Shops 

110 — Gropper  Knit  Ties   Haberdashers 

109 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

108 — Pebeco  Dentrifice   Drug  Stores 

"THE  ARAB" 

107 — Temple  of  Allah  Incense  Drug  Stores 

106 — The  Arab  Song  Music  Stores 

105 — GouraucTs  Oriental  Cream.  ..  .Drug  Stores 

104 — Sanka    Coffee  Grocers 

103 — Ramses  Perfumes  Drug  Stores 

102 — Gulbenkian's  Rugs   House  Furnishers 

"FIRST  NATIONAL"  TIE-UPS 
101 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Book   ...Book  Shops 
100 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Song   .  .  .  Music  Shops 

99 — Boy  of   Mine   Song   Music  Shops 

98 — Ponjola    Book    Book  Shops 

97 — Penrod   Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

96 — Sure-Fit    Caps   Hat  Shops 

95 — Kleanet  Hairnets   Beauty  Shops 

94 — Propper   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 


"CAPTAIN  JANUARY" 

93 — Baby  Peggy  Story  Book   Book  Stores 

92 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners  Children's  Wear 
91 — Baby  Peggy   Stationery    ..Stationery  Stores 

]90 — Westphal's    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

89 — Junior  Coats  and  Suits  ....  Children's  Wear 

88 — Wayne  Knit  Socks   Children's  Wear 

87 — Kummel  Juvenile  Dresses  ..Children's  Wear 

86 — Ba'iy   Peggy  Dolls   Tov  Shops 

85 — Baby  Peggy    Underwear    .  .  Children's  Wear 

84 — Baby   Peggy   Hats   Millinery 

83 — Baby  Peggy  Handkerchiefs  Children's  Wear 
"FAMOUS"  TIE-UPS 

82 — Garcia  Grande  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

81 — Triumph  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

80 — Kleanet   Drug  Stores 

79 — Berklet    Knit   Ties   Haberdashers 

78 — Aubry    Sisters   Beauty  Shop 

77 — Coro   Pearls   Jeweler 

76 — Chex   Drug  Store 

"SHOOTING  OF  DAN  McGREW" 
75 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

74 — Djer-Kiss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

73 — Victor  Record   (No.  55218)    ..Music  Stores 

72 — Richelieu    Pearls   Jewelers 

71 — Amami    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

70 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"SHERLOCK,  JR." 

69 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

68 — Djer-K'ss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

67 — Melto    Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

66 — Gage    Hats   Milliners 

65 — Regent    Pearls   Jewelers 

64 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

63 — Pebeco  Tooth  Paste   Drug  Stores 

"MIAMI" 

62 — Gotham  Gold  Stripe  Women's  Wear 

61 — Rigaud's   Talcum   Drug  Stores 

60 — Vogue  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

59 — Cappi    Perfume   Drug  Store 

58 — Chaprtel-Harms    (Miami)    ....Music  Stores 

57 — Kleinert  Bathing  Caps  Women's  Wear 

56 — Jantzen  Swimming  Suits    . .  Women's  Wear 
"BOY  OF  FLANDERS" 

55 — Jackie  Coogan   Confectioners 

54 — Ingersoll    Watches   Jewelers 

53 — Jackie   Coogan   Chocolates  Confectioners 

S2 — Borden's    Milk   Grocers 

51 — Jackie  Coogan  Hats  . . . .,  ..Hat  Shops 

50 — Grosset  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"THE    SEA  HAWK" 
49 — Tudor   Silverware   Jewelers 


48 — Blue   Bird   Pearls   Jewelers 

47 — Van  Raalte  Apparel   Women's  Wear 

46 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

45 — Conde  Cosmetics   Drug  Stores 

44 — Bonnie  B  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

43 — Old    English    Lavender   Drug  Stores 

42 — Mystikum  Perfume   Drug  Stores 

41 — Jack    Mills    Music   Music  Stores 

40 — Grossett  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"MISSING  DAUGHTERS" 

3B — Gordon   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

38 — Forest  Mills  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

37 — Omar    Pearls   Jewelers 

36 — Pebeco  Tooth   Paste   Drug  Stores 

35 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres   Women  s  Wear 

34 — Gage  Hats   Milliners 

33 — Wonderstoen  Hair  Eraser   Drug  Stores 

"PERFECT  FLAPPER" 

32 — El    Producto   Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

31 — Winx  Lash  Nourishment  ....Drug  Stores 
30 — Wonderstoen   Hair  Eraser    ....Drug  Stores 

2fi — Hygienol   Powder   Puffs   Drug  Stores 

28 — Melto   Reducing    Cream   Drug  Stores 

27 — Vanity    Fair   Frocks   Women's  Wear 

26 — Pert  Rouge   Drug  Stores 

25 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

24 — Djer-Kiss    Products   Drug  Stores 

23 — Regent  Pearls   Women's  Wear 

22 — Frances  Faire  Frocks   Drug  Stores 

"CHECHAHCOS" 

20 — La   Palina    Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

19 — Thermo   Sport   Coats   Men's  Clothing 

18 — Sterno  Canned  Heat   Drug  Stores 

17 — Borden's   Condensed  Milk   Grocers 

16 — Zepherized  Knit  Underwear  Women's  Wear 
15 — Auto   Vacuum   Freezer    .  .  . .  Housefurnishing 
"RECOIL" 

14 — Chinwah    Perfumes   Drug  Stores 

13 — Nemo   Corsets   Womerrs  Wear 

12 — Venida  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

11 — Boncilla  Beauty  Clay   Drug  Stores 

10 — Deltah    Pearls   Jewelers 

9 — Inecto  Hair  Tint   Drug  Stores 

8 — Onyx  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"BEAU  BRUMMEL" 

7 — Sta-shape  Hats   Hat  Shops 

6 — Vivaudou   Drug  Stores 

5 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

4 — Sampson   Dress  Jewelry   Tewelers 

3 — Personality  Clothes   Men's  Clothing 

2 — Fashionknit   Ties   Haberdashers 

1 — Glove  Industries   Women's  Wear 


Name 
Theatre 


Town 
State 


Tie-Up  Numbers 
Play  Dates   


September  6,  1924 


Page  41 


EXPLOITATION  TAKES  MANY  FORMS 

Here  Are  a  Few  Ideas  of  What  Has  Been  Done  to  Advertise  Local  Showings 
of  Prod.  Dist.  Corp's.  'Miami,'  and  How  Exhibitors  Received  Local  Co-operation 


The  retailer  of  bathing  suits  here  took  "Miami"  into  his  win- 
dow scheme,  for  the  picture  had  registered  a  great  hit  and  was 
good  publicity  during  the  presentation  of  Prod.  Dist.  Corp.'s  film. 


In  this  window,  the  druggist  featuring  toilet  preparations 
brought  about  an  innovation  tie-up  by  featuring  photos  and 
posters  of  the   star   of    Prod.   Dist.    Corporation's  "Miami." 


The  theatre  dressed  itself  up  for  the  occasion — the  Grand,  Besse- 
mer, Ala.,  used  posters  and  cutouts  to  trim  up  the  lobby,  and 
sign's  announced  the  presentation  of  Prod.  Dist.  Corp.'s  "Miami." 


Miss  Amy  Joyce  Uhler,  winner  of  the  bathing  beauty  contest, 
posed  in  a  window  while  posters  all  about  her  proclaimed  the 
presentation  of  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  "Miami." 


The  exploitation  used  in  connection  with  Prod.  Dist.  Corp.'s 
"Miami,"  at  the  Grand  Theatre,  Bessemer,  Ala.,  showed  in  the 
shoe-store  window,  bathing  scenes  and  other  stills  from  the  film. 


And  then  the  prologue:  To  properly  give  "Miami"  a"  "send-off," 
they  had  a  jazz  band  of  young  women  apparelled  in 
imitation  of  Betty  Compson  in   Prod.    Dist.    Corp.'s  feature. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  Tried  and  Proved  $2  Show 
Offered  as  One  of  FAMOUS  40 


A  big  New  York  theatrical  organization  wanted 
to  take  "Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland"  over  and 
road-show  it  at  $2  top.  Paramount  put  it  in 
the  Famous  Forty  instead.    With  these  results: 

"Here's  the  most  beautiful  movie  of  them  all." 
— Chicago  American. 

"You'll  say  you  never  saw  anything  like  it  be- 
fore."— IS.  Y.  Telegram-Mail. 

"Beautiful  beyond  words." — /V.  Y.  Herald-Tri- 
bune. 


"A  sure-fire  hit.  You  can  promise  everything 
for  this  one  and  your  patrons  will  agree  with 
you.  The  color  photography  is  very  fine.  Rec- 
ord sumr  jr  crowd." — Cragin  &  Pike,  Majestic 
Theatre,  Las  Vegas,  Nev.  ( Exhibitors  Herald ) . 

"  'Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland'  is  one  of  the 
best  and  should  go  over  in  any  theatre.  You 
can  go  to  the  limit  on  this  one." — H.  J.  Long- 
aker,  Howard  Theatre,  Alexandria,  Minn.  (Ex- 
hibitors Herald). 


.Made  entirely  in  natural  colors/- 

ADOLPH  ZUKOR.  AND  JESSE  L.LASKY  PRESENT 

Zane  Greys 


The  greatest  Zane  Grey  novel  of 
them  all  produced  in  gorgeous 
natural  colors  in  the  famous 
Death  Valley,  California,  and 
the  Painted  Desert,  Arizona — 
that's  what  you've  got  in  "Wan- 
derer." Adapted  by  George  C. 
Hull  and  Victor  Irvin. 


>  Irvin  Willat 


PRODUCTION 


WaNderer 

OFT»E 
WASTED0 


September  6,  1924 


Page  43 


piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinii  iiiiiiiiiiiiiBiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii   mi  mi  nun  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini  mi  i  minium  iniinii  imiimiinininmminninmni  minmini  iiinminmnim  ininminniiii  i  i  i  ininy 

^ried  and  Proved  Pictures 

Pfjininininiiiniiiininiinnininiiniinin^  niiiiiiniiiniiiiiiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiii 


In  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.,  during  the 
run  of  Metro- 
Goldwyn  -  May- 
er's production 
"Pleasure  M  a  d," 
this  display  held 
the  eye.  Profes- 
s  i  o  n  a  1  dancers 
stepped  to  tune  of 
a  phono  graph, 
after  noon  and 
evening. 


To  the  Wise,? the  Same 
Mistakes  Do  Not  Happen  Twice 

Experience  has  taught  many  a  showman  what  not  to  continue  doing. 


WHEN  we  hear  of  the  "come- 
back"' of  some  athletic  star  or  of 
some  actor,  we  understand  that 
though  out  of  the  world's  limelight  for 
a  while,  time  did  not  weaken  his  abil- 
ity, nor  disuse  his  talent. 

In  just  the  same  sense,  the  revival  of 
a  picture  from  out  the  limbo  of  forgot- 
ten things,  brings  to  the  front  again  the 
intrinsic  beauty  and  surviving  interest 
that  the  picture  maintained  throughout 
its  store-vault  existence  and  once  more 
presents  in  its  second  unfolding. 

Often,  it  is  the  knowledge  that  beauty 
and  interest  are  innate  in  a  picture,  that 
furnishes  the  needed  incentive  to  make 
thinking  exhibitors — to  coin  a  phrase — 
"investigative." 

To  be  sure,  exhibitors  never  regret 
booking  the  pictures  that  made  them 
money.  Yet,  if  a  showman  were  to 
make  a  thorough  survey  of  the  films  he 
has  run,  say  covering  a  period  of  a  year 
— would  he  repeat  his  entire  program? 
Or,  would  he  profit  through  his  bitter 
experience  and  refuse  to  buy  again  the 
pictures  which  were  decidedly  mistakes  ? 

And  then,  there  are  the  successful 
films.  The  ones  he  made  money  on, 
built  up  prestige,  and  became  known  to 
hundreds  more  patrons  as  the  dispenser 


of  good  entertainment  to  the  public. 

But,  what  of  these  hundreds  of 
patrons?  Are  they  to  be  lost  to  him 
in  the  shuffle  ? 

Usually,  yes. 

They  come  from  all  over,  to  see  some 
widely  heralded  picture.  They  stay 
for  the  performance  and  as  silently  as 
they  came  drift  back  to  Lord  knows 
where,  and  seemingly  lie  in  wait  for  the 
exhibitor  to  again  spring  on  his  little 
world  another  "world-beater." 

NOW,  here's  the  exhibitor's  little  se- 
cret. If  he  could  but  find  out 
what  brought  them  to  his  theatre,  he 
could  repeat  often  and  again,  and  drag 
them  out  of  their  lairs  consistently 
throughout  the  weeks  and  weeks  that 
make  up  the  year. 

But,  he  doesn't  think  of  it  that  way. 
He  figures  that  only  every  so  often  can 
he  bring  to  his  screen  that  type  of  pic- 
ture that  created  the  sensational  patron- 
age in  his  house.  Mainly,  because  the 
cost  is  too  high.  The  gamble  too  great 
for  him.  "Better  leave  that  for  the  big 
town  theatres,"  he  says,  and  goes  along, 
showing  fair  or  even  mediocre  first  runs 
— continuing  to  make  the  same  mistakes 
that  he  made  the  year  before. 


There  is  a  class  of  exhibitors,  how- 
ever, that,  the  truth  be  known,  really 
stand  up  on  their  hind  legs  and  shout 
for  guidance. 

It  is  to  these  seekers  after  knowledge 
that  we  are  addressing  ourselves  when 
we  advise  them  to  try  a  policy  of  "Tried 
and  Proved"  pictures.  Films,  we  mean, 
that  were  successful  in  some  other  the- 
atre and  would  also  prove  as  good  in  his. 

In  booking  his  pictures,  what  does 
the  showman  look  for?  Briefly,  first, 
box-office  possibilities ;  second,  box  of- 
fice potentialities  ;  third,  box  office  prob- 
abilities. 

A  LL  this  is  apparently  right.  Yet, 
Jt\  it  does  seem  hard  to  have  this  set 
rule — and  still  go  wrong. 

Profits  and  theory  don't  always  go 
together,  for  it  is  hard  indeed  to  pic- 
ture the  quality  of  a  film  from  mere 
hearsay ;  yet  exhibitors  find  it  infinitely 
harder  to  picture  the  box  office  value 
of  a  new  film,  even  after  viewing  the 
actual  showing  of  the  picture. 

What  is  not  hard,  is  for  the  exhibitor 
to  realize  that  a  picture  that  has  been  a 
great  success  in  many  other  theatres  will 
also  be  a  box  office  success  in  his 
theatre. 


Page  44 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


WINDOW  display  tie-ups  are 
about  as  good  a  form  of  exploi- 
tation as  can  be  given  the  motion 
picture.  The  windows  of  the  local 
shops  offer  the  showman  an  advertis- 
ing medium  already  accepted  by  the 
consumer  passing  by,  as  the  place  to 
look  for  those  items  of  daily  need  as 
such  windows  always  show. 

Added  to  this  interest,  the  triangular 
tie-up  of  branded  commodity,  motion 
picture  and  the  theatre  showing  it  lo- 
cally, the  window  takes  on  the  impor- 
tance of  a  news-dispenser  so  far  as  the 
passer-by  is  concerned.  Such  media 
are  good  advertising  places  indeed. 

A  case  in  point  is  recalled  when  in 
San  Francisco  recently  the  picture 
"Butterfly"  was  being  shown,  at  the 
California  theatre. 

A  window  was  loaned  by  the  Owl 
Drug  Company,  a  store  which  is  located 
at  one  of  the  busiest  intersections  of  the 
city.  The  trim  and  display  was  worked 
out  by  the  makers  of  the  Harriet  Hub- 
bard Ayer  Beauty  Preparations,  and  the 
placards  announced  that  "Laura  La 
Plante,  star  in  "Butterfly,"  uses  and  rec- 
ommends" the  trade  marked  cold  cream 
made  by  the  Harriet  Hubbard  Ayer 
Preparations,  Inc.  and  that  the  picture 
was  being  shown  at  the  California  The- 
atre. 

The  attractiveness  of  the  window 
display  and  the  prominence  of  the  loca- 
tion caused  many  people  to  stop  and 
look — the  stills  from  the  picture  play 
held  their  attention  and  the  cards  all 
about  the  window  "sold"  them  on  the 
picture.  The  tie-up  resulted  in  im- 
mense business  for  the  theatre  as  well 
as  for  the  druggist  on  the  cream  so 
highly  recommended. 


Another  Theatre  Lends 
Lobby  For  Display 

Using  for  display  purposes  the  lobby 
of  a  neighboring  theatre  which  had 
been  closed  for  the  summer,  was  a  stunt 
arranged  by  a  wide  awake  showman  in 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

During  his  showing  of  "Those  Who 
Dance,"  Manager  James  E.  Stewart  put 
in  an  attractive  lobby  display  in  his  own 
theatre,  the  "Fifth  Avenue."  This  dis- 
play consisted  of  two  cut-out  dancing 
figures  painted  on  heavy  cardboard.  In 
another  cut-out  the  figure  of  a  dancing 
girl  was  depicted  issuing  from  a  cham- 
pagne glass.  Other  posters  and  display 
effects  were  also  used. 

Then,  not  content  alone  with  the  dis- 


play he  had  fixed  up,  he  secured  the  co- 
operation of  the  management  of  the 
"Princess  Theatre,"  a  Keith  house, 
which  had  been  closed  for  the  summer, 
and  installed  another  display  in  the 
lobby  there. 

The  display  at  the  "Princess"  con- 
sisted of  a  large  shadow  box  made  from 
a  piece  of  plate  glass,  with  a  cut-out 
from  a  three  sheet  poster,  mounted 
back  of  the  glass,  which  had  the  name 
of  the  "Fifth  Ave.  Theatre"  painted 
on  it. 

Both  displays  attracted  wide  atten- 
tion for  their  novelty. 

*    *  * 

Educational  Display  Aids 
Picture  Showing 

It  is  interesting  to  note  how  many 
out  of  the  way  places  an  exhibitor  can 
go  to  for  advertising  stunts  to  feature 
his  picture,  if  he  but  be  awake  to  his 
opportunities. 

In  San  Francisco  recently  a  drug 
store  window  display  was  provided  for 
an  educational  exhibit  of  the  process 
of  wool  manufacture,  and  the  exploita- 
tion in  connection  with  this  display 
gave  the  local  presentation  of  the  pic- 
ture "Butterfly"  quite  a  "send  off." 

The  San  Francisco  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce contributed  all  the  necessary  re- 
search and  exhibits  for  the  wool  end 
of  the  window  display,  while  a  drug 


store  furnished  the  window  and  the 
wool  powder  puffs  which  completely 
filled  it. 

The  star  of  the  picture,  Laura  La 
Plante,  sat  for  several  special  poses 
which  showed  her  using  her  powder 
puff  before  her  mirror.  The  captions 
on  the  stills  all  bore  direct  reference 
to  the  picture  and  the  theatre  showing 
it,  as  well  as  the  slogan :  "Laura  La 
Plante,  star  in  "Butterfly,"  likes  our 
powder  puffs." 

Such  tie-up  is  sure  to  react  to  the 
benefit  of  the  showman  who  has  the 
foresight  to  make  such  arrangements 
—and  the  public's  interest  in  the  pic- 
ture and  the  star  will  too,  enhance  the 
esteem  for  the  druggist  who  provides 
the  setting  for  the  exploitation. 

To    the  Chamber  of  Commerce  a 
great  deal  of  deserved  praise  should  go 
— their  co-operation  making  the  educa- 
tional phase  of  the  exhibit  possible. 
*    *  * 

Prohibition  Staff  and  Publicity 

One  way  of  getting  publicity  for  a 
picture  that  has  any  scenes  showing 
liquor  or  beverages  other  than  soft,  is 
to  tie  up  with  the  Prohibition  depart- 
ment. 

In  a  Southern  city  recently  the  local 
theatre  was  presenting  "Those  Who 
Dance."  There  are  several  sequences 
where  wine  drinking  is  shown,  in  the 
picture. 

The  manager  of  the  theatre  sent  out 
cordial  invitations  to  the  local  staff  of 
the  Prohibition  enforcement  office  to- 
gether with  passes  to  the  first  per- 
formance. Their  appearance  at  the 
show  gave  the  town  much  to  talk  about. 

The  newspapers  took  up  the  story 
and  the  stunt  as  a  whole  netted  a  good 
deal  of  newspaper  as  well  as  verbal  pub- 
licity. Advertising  a  picture  may 
take  many  forms.  In  any 
case  it  requires  study 
and  thought. 


A  side  walk  bally-hoo  that  attracted  the  attention  of  all  the  passers 
recent  showing   of   First    National's   "Flowing   Gold,"   in  Peoria 


by,  during  the 
,    111.,  theatre. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  45 


SCOOP 

First  Photograph  6ver  Published  of 
the  Famous  12  -  Mile  Limit  Cafe ! 


featuring 

CLARA  BOW 
Robert  Agnew 
Forrest  Stanley 
Myrtle  Stedman 
Huntly  Gordon 
Walter  Long 


See  the  whole  business  in 
Universal's  sensational  picture 

WINE 


A  UNIVERSAL 
JEWEL 

Directed  by 
Louis  Gasnier 

Presented  by 

CARL  LAEMMLE 


Page  46  TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 

Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Reco  rds 

Universal  Paramount 


A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE — 3,792 
Bookings.  Child  Love.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  story  has  that  universal-  ap- 
peal that  goes  straight  to  the  hearts  ot  those 
compromising  any  audience.  - 

THE  ACQUITTAL     -  4,390  Bookings. 
Mystery  Play.  Reviewed  Dec  8.  BECAUSE 
of  the  cast  and  the  interesting  story  por- 
trayed so  convincingly  that  the  film  is  a  box- 
office  winner. 

A  LADY  OF  QUALITY — 3,779  Bookings.. 
Love  Story.  Reviewed  Dec.  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  corking  good  love  story  and  boasts 
Milton  Sills  and  Virginia  Valli  in  the  cast. 

DRIFTING-4,229  Bookings.  Action  and 
Adventure.  Reviewed  Oct.  27.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  stirring  melodrama  starring  Priscilla 
Dean  and  having  Wallace  Beery  and  Matt 
Moore  in  the  cast. 

THE  FLIRT— Booked  6977  times.  Love 
and  Society  Picture.  Reviewed  February  9. 
BECAUSE  it  numbers  among  the  most 
popular  pictures  on  the  screen,  and  has  a 
ready  made  audience  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
see  it. 

FOOLISH  WIVES— Over  6,000  Bookings. 
Love  and  Intrigue.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE Erich  Von  Stroheim  produced  the 
picture  and  played  the  lead,  and  the  story 
is  of  universal  interest. 

HUNTING  BIG  GAME— 4,873  Bookings. 
Adventure  in  the  Wilds.  Reviewed  Feb.  9. 
BECAUSE  it  is  a  true  adventure  picture  re- 
plete with  real  thrills  and  takes  audiences 
on  a  personally  conducted  tour. 

THE  LAW  FORBIDS— 1,559  Bookings. 
Domestic  Drama.  Reviewed  (?)  .  BE- 
CAUSE Baby  Peggy  heads  a  powerful  cast, 
and  the  story  has  a  strong  theme  built 
around  the  sanctity  of  the  home. 

MERRY  GO  ROUND-^,916  Bookings. 
Love  and  War.  Reviewed  Jan.  19.  BE- 
CAUSE Mary  Philbin,  Norman  Kerry  and 
the  picture  itself  proved  a  box-office  sensa- 
tion of  1923. 

THE  STORM  DAUGHTER— 1,601  Book- 
ings. Sea  Story.  Reviewed  April  19.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outstanding  box- 
of  the  ocean  deeps  starring  Priscilla  Dean 
and  featuring  Tom  Santschi. 

THUNDERING  DAWN — 4,304  Bookings. 
Melodramatic  Thriller.  Reviewed  Dec.  15. 
BECAUSE  it  stars  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  and  J. 
Warren  Kerrigan  and  shows  the  best  Tidal 
Waves  and  typhoon  scenes  ever  filmed. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR-4,941  Book- 
ings. Baseball  Story.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  great  national  interest  in  the 
natic  .al  games  makes  this  a  sure-fire  attrac- 
tion 

WHITE  TIGER-  -3,839  Bookings.  Crook 
Melodrama.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE 
Priscilla  Dean  stars,  and  the  picture  has 
proven  appealing  to  audiences  all  over  the 
country. 


THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is-an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

Selznick 

THE  ROAD  OF  AMBITION— Rise  of 
Youth.  Reviewed  December  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  fine  moral  story  in  which  Conway 
Tearle  appears  as  a  sympathetic  character 
who  more  than  pleases  his  audiences. 

LOVE  IS  AN  AWFUL  THING— Mar- 
riage Difficulties.  Reviewed  January  19.  BE- 
CAUSE audiences  cry  with  laughter  when 
they  see  it  and  Owen  Moore  appears  at  his 
best  in  it. 

JUST  A  WIFE— Triangle  Drama.  Re- 
viewed December  15.  BECAUSE  it  brings  to 
the  screen  a  sympathetic  and  clean  story  of 
the  love  and  sacrifice  of  a  woman  and  thus 
sounds  the  popular  appeal. 

THE  LAW  OF  COMPENSATION— 
Marriagre  Drama.  Reviewed  December  22. 
BECAUSE  it  has  proved  bv  its  record  that 
it  is  a  story  which  gives  Norma  Talmadge 
a  role  she  is  well  capable  of  handling  and  it 
pleases  big  city  and  small  town  audiences. 

First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Co'leen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA— A  kissless  bride  masciuerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  of  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  woman  who  finds  the  secret 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.:  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that'  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

.  LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is;  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  "neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

illlllllllllillllllllllllllllllllH 

|  Tried  [ 

1  At  The  Box-Office  | 
I         AND  I 

|  Proved | 

I  At  The  Box-Office  \ 

I  "Woman  to  Woman"  j 


|  "Flapper  Wives"  f 


I    "$20  a  Week"  | 


I  "Missing  Daughters"  X 


I    "The  prints  are  in 

|  FINE  CONDITION"  | 

IlllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH 


Straight/mm 
the  Box  Office 


SAM.E.RORK 

presents 


with 


JAMES  KIRKWOOD 

ANNA  Q.  NILSSON 
&TULLY  MARSHALL 

Adapted  from  the  thrilling  Novel 
by  Cynthia  Stoekley  of  a  young 
girl  on  the  South  African  veldt, 
masquerading  as  a  Man. 

Ul  DONALD  CRISP 

PRODUCTION 


PONJOLA.  (7  reels).  Star,  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. 
Despite  strong  local  counter-attractions  this 
show  brought  them  and  the  general  verdict 
pronounced  this  a  very  good  show.  City  of 
110,000.  Admission  10-20.  Al.  C.  Werner, 
Royal  Theatre,  Reading,  Pennsylvania. 

PONJOLA.  (7  reels).  Star,  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. 
A  very  good  picture  that  pleased  fully  nirrety 
per  cent. 

A  very  pleasing  attraction.  Tone  akoy. 
Sunday,  yes.  High  audience  appeal.  All 
classes,  city  of  14,000.  Admission  10-35.  B. 
W.  Collins,  Grand  Theatre  (700  seats),  Jones- 
boro,  Arkansas. 

PONJOLA.  (7  reels).  Star,  Anna  Q. 
Nilsson.  This  pleased  them,  and  is  an  excel- 
lent picture,  sold  at  an  excellent  rental. 
Usual  advertising  brought  good  attendance. 
Draw  health  seekers  and  tourists.  Dave 
Seymour,  Pontiac  Theatre  Beautiful,  Sara- 
nac  Lake,  New  York. 

PONJOLA.  (7  reels).  Star,  Anna  Q 
Nilsson.  Everybody  liked  this  picture,  well 
acted,  and  deserves  good  crowds.  Moral 
tone  good  Draw  white  class  in  town 

of  4,000.  Admission  10-15-20-40.  Orpheum 
Theatre  (400  seats),  Oxford,  North  Carolina. 

Straight  from  the 
Shoulder  Reports' 

Moving  Picture  World 


foreign  Righu  Controlled  _a 
AuocUted  Rm  Nartaul  Pictures 
3fl3  Madison  Avenue,  New  Ibrk 


5TV 

e*  Inc.] 


A  JirAt  national  Picture 


Ponjola,  with  a  special  cast. — A  dandy 
good  picture  and  pleased  as  nearly  100% 
as  any  of  them.  You  make  no  mistake 
in  booking  this  picture.  Seven  reels. — D. 
A.  White,  Cozy  theatre,  Checotah,  Okla. 

Ponjola,  with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. — In  spite 
of  very  strong  outdoor  counter  attractions 
and  very  hot  weather,  this  picture  did  a 
very  nice  business  for  the  time  of  the 
year,  and  my  patrons  praised  it  generously 
One  of  the  pictures  that  makes  an  exhibi- 
tor's life  worth  living.  Seven  reels. — Al. 
C   Werner,  Royal  theatre,  Reading,  Pa. 

Ponjola,  with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. — Used 
teaser  ads  and  slides.  Big  business  two 
days  at  advance  prices.  Picture  pleased. 
Played  with  Semon  comedy.  Seven  reels. — 
J  Johansen,  Lyric  theatre,  Yuma,  Ariz. — 
General  patronage. 

Ponjola,  with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. — Satisfac- 
tory offering.  Well  acted  and  nicely  pro- 
duced. Excellent  work  by  the  principals. — 
Henry  W  Gauding,  Lincoln  theatre,  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa. — Neighborhood  patronage. 

Ponjola,  with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. — A  very 
fine  production.  Follows  the  book  as  well 
as  could  be  done  and  as  a  whole  is  a  really 
fine  piece  of  work.  Our  patrons  were  well 
pleased  and  said  so  in  good  plain  remarks. 
This  one  will  please  both  your  patrons  and 
your  banker.  We  broke  even  with  the 
weather  and  an  epidemic  against  us.  Eight 
reels. — E  L.  Wharton,  Orpheum  theatre. 
Glasgow,  .Mont. — General  patronage. 

Ponjola,  with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. — Very 
line,  on  account  of  popular  story.  Did  not 
raise  admission.  Business  good. — Hobson 
S.  Johnson,  Grand  theatre,  Thomasville,  Ga 
— General  patronage. 


'From 

*'  .< 
What  Picture  Did  for  Me 

Exhibitors  Herald 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 

Here  Will  Be  Found  the  Essential  Details  of  Productions  That  Have  Been 
Reviewed  in  the  Columns  of  This  Journal  in  Preceding  Months, 
Including  Name  of  Director  and  Length  of  Film. 


AUGUST 


Feature 

Against   All  Odds   

Along  Came  Ruth   

Barbara  Frietchie   

Big  Timber   

Behold    This   Woman    .  . 

Being  Respectable   

Born  Rich   

Bread  v  

Broken  Barriers   

Defiance   

Desert  Sheik,  The  ....  . 

Emntv  Hands   

Fighting  Fury   

Flirting  With  Love 

Into  the  Net  

Hit  and  Run   

Janice  Meredith   

Legend  of  Hollywood  . 

Lily  of  the  Dust   

Little  Robinson  Crusoe  . 

Love  &  Glory   

Love   of  Women   

Lure  of  the  Yukon.  The 

Manhandled   

Man  Who  Fights  Alone 
Monsieur  Beaucaire  .  .  . 
Neglected   Women  .... 

Never  Say  Die  

Rarin'  to  Go   

Red   Liiy,  The  _  

Side  Show  ot  Life,  The 

Siren  of  Seville   

Speed  Spook,  The   

Swords  a^^  tV<e  Woman 
Tess  of  D'Urbervilles  . 
Tnat  French  Ladv 
TVe    Heart    Buster    . .  . 

Western  Feuds   

Western    Vengeance  . 

W^o's  Cheating-   

Wise  Virgin.  The  .... 
Wolves  of  the  North  ... 
Yankee  Speed   


Feature 


Star 
Jones 


Distributor  Length 
Fox   4.809 


Buck 

Viola  Dana  ....Metro-Gold. 
Vidor-Lowe  ....  Pro.  Dist. 
Wm.  Desmond  .  Universal 

Lene    Rich   Vitagraph 

Blue-Rich   Warner 

Windsor-Lytell     .  First  Nat'l 

Mae  Bnsch   Metro-Gold. 

K'rkw'd-S'-'earer  .  Metro 
Renee    Adoree  ..Brush 


Reviewed 
.  Aug.  30 


5,000  Aug.  *Z 

. . 689S  

.4.650   Aug.  2 

.6,448   Aug.  16 

.6:800   Aug.  30 


Pro. 


Truart 


Barrie-Shearer 
Holt-Shearer    .  .  . 
Jack  Hoxie  . .  . 
Colleen  Moore 
Murphv-Mulhall 
Hoot  Gibson  .  .  . 
Marion  Davies 
Percv  Marmont 

Pli    Negri   Fam.  Players 


6,500   Aug.  2 

5.717  Aug.  16 

5,550   Aug.  9 

5,644   Aug.  3-0 

Fam.  Players   

Universal    ..4,491  Aug.  23 

First  Nat'l   

Pathe   Serial  Aug.  1 

Universal  ...5,508  ...   .Aug.  30 

Met.-Gold.  12,000  

Pro.  Dist.   ..5875   Aug.  23 


Jackie    Coogan    .  Metro. -Gold 
Bellamy-de    Roche  Universal 
Chadwick- Love  .Selzmck 
Novak-Bradford  T.ee-Brad. 

.  Gloria  Swanson  Paramount 

.Douglas  MacLean  Aug. 

Valentino-Daniels  Paramount 
Tor^ence-Nilison     F.  B.  O. 
William  Farnum  .Paramount 

.Buffalo   Bill,   Jr.  Artclass 

.  Novarro-Bennett 
Senna  OwQn    .  .  . 

,  Priscilla  Dean  . 
Johnny  Hines  .  . 
Flora  Le  Breton 

,  Blanche  Sweet  .  Metro-Gold 

Shirley  Mason   . .  Fox   

Tom   Mix   Fox 


6.216  Aug.  30 

■  -Z.765  Aug.  23 

.  5,500   Aug.  *l 

..5.  J  70  Aug.  23 

.6J998  Aug.  9 

16  Asso.  Ex. .  .  5.891 

.B,100  Aug.  23 

^5.265   Aug.  16 

6,337   Aug.  9 

.  .4.641  Aug.  *2 

Metro-Goia.    6.975   Aug.  16 

Paramount  . .  .  . '  Aug.  23 

Pro.   Dist.  ..6900   

EastCoast   ..6,700   Aug. 

F.  B.  O.     .  .6.000  Aug. 

7,500  Aug 

5,470   Aug. 

4.500   Aug. 


Edmund   C^bb    .  .Arow   4.908  Aug. 

Franklyn    Farnum  Indeo.    Pic.    5.000   Aug. 

Ralnh    K-«Mard    .  .  Tee-Brad.    ..4.700  Aug 

Patsv  Miller   ....  Pro.  D'st.  .  .  5  795   

Serial   Universal   10  Etii   Aug.  30 

K.    McDonald    .  .  Aywon     ....5.000  Aug.  16 


JULY 


Another  Scandal   

Arab.  The   

Babbitt  

Behind  the  Curtains  .... 

Between  Worlds   

Captain  January   

Changing  Husbands  .  .  . 
Code  of  the  Wilderness  . 

Daring  Love  

Dark  Stairways   

Don't   Doubt  Your 

Husband   

Fnemv   Sex,  The   

Fools  in  the  Dark  ...... 

G:rl   in  Limousin-   

Her  Own  Free  Will  .  .  . 
Mauojfton  &  Josephine  . 
Oni>  Law  for  the  Woman 

Perfect  Flapper   

Revelation   

Romance  Ranch   

Sawdust  Trail,  The   

Single  Wives   

Sixth  Commandment  .  .  . 
Stranger  of  the  North  . 
There's  Millions  in  It 

Those  Who  Give   

Tiger  Thompson   

Traffic  in  Hearts   

Unguarded  Women 
Valley  of  Hate,  The   . .  . 

Wine  of  Youth  

Young  Ideas  


Feature 


Star 
Lo's  Wilson    .  . 
Novarro-Terry 
Loi'is-Alden     .  . 
Ricksen-Harron 
Special  Cast    .  . 
Baby  Peggy   . . 
T  eatnce   Tov   .  . 
Bowers-Ca'houn 
Hamme-stfin 


Distributor  Length 

.  .  Pro.  Dist. 
.  .  Metro-Gold. 
,  .  Warner 

.  Universal 
,  .  W=iss  Bros. 
,  .  Principal    .  , 
.  .  Paramount 

.  Vitagraph 


Reviewed 

.5'9O0  

6.710  Tulv  ?S 

5.500   Julv  n 

4.8'0  Tuly  5 

6.400  Tulv 

6.19*  Jul"  1° 

6  7919  Tuly  5 

6  483  Tulv  1" 


Dwyer-Rawlinson  Universal 


.  Truart   5.000  J"'' 


r 


.5,030  July  5 


Viola  Pana   

C^mo. -Marmont 
Miller-Moore 
T  a-ry  S^mon 
Ho1ene  chadwick 
Fvans-Ftibleir     .  .  . 
T-Ta'-ris-Lnrin'is    .  .  . 
Tol'een   Moorg    .  . 

rtana-B'"-   

Ciilbert-W"'^  .  .  .  . 
Gibson- S-dgwick 

Griffith-Sills   

Wm.  Fav»rs^am 
Travers-Dwver    . . 
Catherine  Calvert 

Sweet- Love   

Carey-Clayton 
Fraser-Harris    .  . 

Daniels-Dix   

T.ucas-Yea^slev   .  . 

Boardman-Lyon 

LaPlante-Lyon 


Metro  .... 
Pars  mount 
F  B.  O.  .  . 
First  Nat'l 
Pro.  Dist. 
F    B.   O.  . 
V'tagranh 
Fi-st  Nat'l 
M»tro  .... 

Fox   

Universal 
First  Nat'l 
Awo  Fyhib. 
Selznick 
F.  B.  O. 

I  nee   

Pro.  Di=t.  . 
C.  B.  C.  . 
Paramount 
Russell  Pro. 
Metro-Gold. 
Universal 


5.510. 
7  Sfil  . 

7  ib*. 

5  fiOO  . 
51*75. 


.  Tu'v  5 
•  T"'V  * 
,  Tul"  £6 
.  Ju'y  5 


fi  . 
vsnn . 
7  oho. 
7.7(5"  . 

5,509.' 


.  .  Tu'v  S 

Tp'v  5 

.  .  Tuly  S 
■  Tuly  5 
.Tulv  1" 
.Tulv  26 


c  ->1  '  . 
5.000 ! 
fi  101 
7  5i-> 
5.700 ! 
5.548. 
fiO^l  . 
5.000  . 
6.600. 
4,095. 


.  .  Tuly  S 
.T"1"  ^>fi 
.  T„'y  5 
.Tulv  1" 
Ti.'v  1" 

.  T"l« 
.  T'i'v  S 

.Tulv  »»« 
.Tulv  *6 
.July  56 


JUNE 


Star 


Back  Trail.  The   Tack  Hoxie   

Bedroom  Window,  The..  May  McAvoy  ... 

Broadwav  or  Bust   Gibson   

Code  of  the  Sea.  The  ....Logan   

Dangerous  Crowd   Thompson-K>ener 

Dange-ous  T  ine.  The  .  .  .  Sessue  Havakawa 
Daucrhte-s  of  Pleasure  .  .  Prevost-Blue  .... 
Family  Secret,  The   ....  Baby  Peggy 
Fighting  Sap,  The  .....Thomson-Keener 

For  Sale   Windsor-Men jou 

Gaiety   Girl.   The   Mary  Philbin   . .  . 

Good  Bad  Boy,  The  ....Special   /. 


Distributor 
.  Universal 
Paramount 
.  Universal 

F    B.  O. 
F.   B.  O. 
Princioal  . 
Universal 
F    B.  O. 
First  Nat'l 
Universal 
Principal  . 


Length  Reviewed 

.  4.615  Tune  28 

6.550  Tune  28 

.  .5.272  Tune  &1 

.5.800  Tune  14 

..4.757  Tune  14 

...5  406  Tune  7 

..6.000  Tune  1" 

..5,676  Tune  28 

..5,138  Tune  28 

.7.480  Tuly  5 

..7,419......  June  7 

..5,198  June  7 


Feature 

Guilty  One,  The   

High  Speed  

Hold  Your  Breath   

How  To  Educate  a  Wife 

In  Fast  Company   

Iron  Man,  The   

Lightning  Rider,  The  . . 

Lily  of  the  Valley   

Lone  Chance,  The  

Masked  Dancer,  The   .  .  . 

Miami   

Pal  O'Mine  

Paying  the  Limit   

Reckless   Age,  The 

Sea  Hawk,  The   

Self  Made  Failure,  The 
Spirit  of  the  U.  S.  A.  .  . 

Spitfire,  The   

Tiger  Love   

Turmoil,  The   

Unseen  Hands   

Western  Luck   

White   Moth.  The   


Star 

Agnes  Ayres  .  .  . 

Rawlinson   

Special   

Prevost-Blue  .  .  . 
Talmadge-Harris 

Albertini   

Harry  Carey  .  .  . 
^hrissie  White. .  . 
Gilbert-Brent  .  .  . 

Chadwick   

Betty  Compson  . 

Irene  Rich   

Special   

Reg.  Denny  .  .  . 
Milton  Sills  .  .  . 
Miller-Moore  .  .  . 
Walker-Carr  .  .  . 
Blythe-Dexter 
Taylor-Moreno  . 
Hackathorne  .  .  . 
Wallace  Beery  . 
Chas.  Jones  .  .  . 
LaMarr-Tearle  . 

MAY 


Distributor  Length  Reviewed 

Paramount     5,365   June  21 

Universal    ..4,(927  June  28 

Pro.    Dist.    .6,000  June  7 

Warner   6,800  June  21 

Truart   5,411  June  7 

Uni.-Ser.  15  Epis  June  28 

Pro.  Dist  June  28 

Hepworth    ..5,580  June  28 

Fox   4,385  June  El 

Principal    ...4,987  June  14 

Pro.  Dist.   ..5,989  June  14 

C.   B.   C.    ..6,000  June  14 

Gerson   5,000  June  7 

Universal     ..6,954  June  7 

First  Natl.  12,045  June  14 

First  Nat.'l  7,345  June  28 

F.   B.  O.    ..8,312  June  14 

Asso.  Ex.   ..6,109  June  14 

Paramount     5,325  June  28 

Jewel   6,741  June  21 

Asso.  Ex.   .  v5,392  June  7 

Fox   5,020  June  28 

First   Nat.'l   6,571  June  28 


Feature 

Beloved  Vagabond,  The.. 

Bluff   

Borrowed  Husbands  .  .  . 
Broadway  After   Dark.  .  . 

Chechahcos,  The   

Circus  Cowboy.  The   .  .  . 

Come  on  Cowboys   

Confident  Man,  The... 
Crosses  Trails   .  .  • 

Cytherea   

Dangerous,  The   

Dangerous  Trails   

Darin<r  Youth   

Dorothy  Vernon   

Fighting  American,  The. 

Fire  Patrol,  The   

Fortieth  Door,  The   

Forty  Horse  Hawkins.. 
Girl  of  the  Limberlost  . . 

Goldfish,  The   

Hutch  of  the  U.  S.  A.  . 

Kentucky  Days   

Lawless  Men   

Listen  Lester   

Lone  Wolf.  The   

Marriage  Cheat,  The  . .  . 

Men   

Mile-A-Minute  Morgan 

Missing  Daughters   

Mile.  Midnight  

Monraarte   

Night  Hawk,  The  

No  Mother  to  Guide  Her 

Recoil   

R-iected  Woman   

Riders  Up   

Ridgeway  of  Montana  . . 

Sherlock.  Tr  

Signal  Tower.  The   

Son  of  Sahara,  A  ... 

Triumph   

Trouble  Shooter,  The  .  .  . 
TT,i*atTied   Youth  ....... 

Wanderer  of  Wasteland.. 
Wandering  Husbands   . . 

Wbat  ShaM  I  Do  

What  3  Men  Wanted  .  . 
When  a  Girl  Loves 
Why  Men  Leave  Home . 
Woman  on  the  Jury,  The 


Star 

C.    Blackwell    .  .  . 

Ayers   

Flo.  Vidor   

Nilsson-Menjou  .  . 
Eva  Gordon 
Chas.  Tones 

Dick  Hatton   

Thomas  Meighan. 
Franklyn  Farnum 
Rubens-Stone 
I  aura  LePlante.. 

Irene  Rich   

Daniels-Kerry  . .  . 
Mary  Pickford   . . 

O'Malley   

Special   

Hoot   Gibson    .  .  . 

Const.  Talmadge . 
Chas.  Hutchison. 
Dustin  Farnum  .  . 

Neal  Hart   

Fazenda-Myers    .  . 

Holt-Dalton   

L.  Joy  

Pola  Negri   

Mattv  Mattison  . 

E.  Novak   

Mae    Murray    .  .  . 

Pola  Negri  

Harry  Carev 

Tom  M:x   

Blvthe-Hami'ton 
Rub<"ns-Nagel    . .  . 

C.  Hal-;   

T.  Hoxi»   

Bustc-  Keaton   .  . 

Special  :  

Windsor-T.ytell  .  . 
Leatn'ce  Joy 

T..  Hughes   

Holt   

Kirkwood-T  ee   .  .  . 

r>  Mackaill   

Miss  DuPont 

A  vers  

Charlwick-Stone 
Special   


Distributor 
F.  B.  O.  . 
Paramount 
Vitagraph  . 
Warners 
Asso.  Ex  . 

Fox  

Ar. -Wilson 
Paramount 
Independent 
First  Natl. 
Universal 
Ambassador 
Principal    .  . 
United  Art 
Universal  . 
Chadwick  . 

Pathe   

Universal 
F.   B.   O.  . 
First  Natl. 
Steiner 

Fox   

Steiner 
Principal    .  . 
Asso.  Ex.  . 
Paramount 
Paramount 
Aywon 
Selznick  . . . 

Metro   

Paramount 
Pro.  Dist. 

Fox   

F.   B.  O.  . 
CtoM  -Cos.  . 
Gold. -Cos.  . 
Universal 
Universal 
Metro-Gold 
Super- Tewel 
First  Natl. 
Paramount 

Fox   

Paramount 
Pro.  Dist. 
Pro.  Dist. 
Independent 
Asso.  Ex.  . 
First  NaM. 
First  Natl. 


Length  Reviewed 

.6,217  May  3 

.5, 442  May  10 

.6,900   May  10 

.7,200  May  3 

.7,600  May  17 

.4.000  May  17 

.4,700  May  ?i 

.7.215  May  3 

4,900  May  10 

.6.500  May  3 

.  4,91s  May  ?1 

5,750  Mav  10 

.5,300   May  17 

.19.500  May  17 

.5,351  May  31 

.6,600   May  31 

.  Serial  May  17 

.5.419  May  3 

.5.94?  May  31 

.7,145  Mav  3 

.4.890   May  31 

.4.508   May  17 

.4,816  May  17 

.6,000   May  10 

.5,460  May  24 

.6.795  May  2" 

.6.487   May  17 

.4.1900  Mav  10 

.6.676  Mav  "' 

.6.778   Mav  l7 

.6.715  May  3 

 Mav 

.6.650  Mav  24 

.4.558  May  ?4 

.6.800   May  10 

.7.760  May  10 

.4,904   Mav  " 

.4.841  May  24 

4  065   Mav 

6.714  May  '1 

.7.60'  Mav  10 

.8.225  Ma«  10 

5.70?  Mav  1' 

.7  000   .  .May  31 

.6.300   Mav  17 

.6  000   Mav  31 

5.000   Mav  ,J 

.5,876   May  17 

.8.002  Mav  5 

.7.408   May  24 


Coming  Productions 


Features 


Star 


Distributor 


A  Cafe  in  Cairo   Priscilla   Dean    Prod.  Dist  

A   Desperate    Adventure   Frank'vn   Farnum   ....  Independent 

Adorable   Scofflaw,   The   F0w-Harlan   Preferred   

A   Drama  of  the  Night   Cruze   

After  a  Million   Kenneth  McDonald  ...Sunset  Prod  ... 

Age  of   Innocence,  The   Warner  Bros.  .. 

Alaskan.   The   Thomas  Meighan   Paramount 

Alibi.  The   Special   Cast   Vitagraph  ..... 

An  Old  Man's  Darling   T  aura  La  Plante   Pathe    

Another    Man's   Wife   Kirkwood-Lee   Prod.  Dist  

A  Prince  of  India   A.  K    Mozundar   Excelsior   ; 

Argentine   love   Daniels-Cortez  , . .  4, 

A   Sainted  Devil   Valentino   .'  .' 

A  Woman  Under  Oath  Florence  Reid   Independent  . 


September  6,  1924 


Page  49 


Current  Production  Chart 


Coming  Productions 

(Continued) 


Features  Star  Distributor 

Barbara   Frietchie   Lumas   

Back  of  the  Beyond   Grand-Asher   

Baffled   Franklyn  Farnum  ....  Independent   Pic. . 

Bag  and  Baggage   Special  Cast   Selznick   

Bandolero   Special  Cast    Goldwyn-Cos.  ... 

Baree,   Son  of  Kazan   Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

Beast,  The   Special  Cast   Fox   

Beggars  on  Horseback   Blue-Prevost   Warner  Bros.  ... 

Beloved  Brute,   The   de   la    Motte   Vitagraph    . .'  

Ben  Hur   Special  Cast   

Black   Lightning   Lumas   

Blackmail   Special  Cast   Universal   

Boden's  Boy   Special  Cast   Hepworth  Dist. 

Boomerang,  The   Special  Cast   Preferred  Pic.  .  . . 

Border  Legion,  The   Moreno   

Border  Intrigue   Franklyn  Farnum   Indep.  Pic  

Breath  of  Scandal,  The   Special   Cast   Schulberg  Prod. 

Bridge  of  Sighs,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . .  . 

Broadway  Butterfly,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Buddies   Marion  Davies   Cosmo   

Butterfly   Virginia  Valli   Universal   

Captain   Blood   Kerrigan-Paige   Vitagraph   

Chalk  Marks   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist  

Circe   Mae  Murray   Metro   

Circus    Rider,   The   Charles  Jones   Fox   

Claim  No.  1   Special   Cast   Universal   

Clean   Heart   Marmont-de  la   Motte  Vitagraph   

Colorau  John  Gilbert   Fox   

Corsican  Brothers   Dustin   Farnum   Independent   

Covered  Trail,  The   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset  Prod  

Courage  Franklyn  Farnum   ....  Indep.  Pi;t  

Cyclone  Rider.  The   Fox   

Damaged  Souls   Fox   

Dancers,  The   Fox   '.  

Dangerous   Money   Daniels   

Dante's  Inferno   Soecial  Cast   Fox   

Dark  Swan.  The   Cody-Prevost   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Daughters  of  the  Night  Fox   

Darwin  Was   Right   Fox   

Deadwood   Coach.   The   Fox   

Dear  Pretender,  The   John  Roche   Warner  Bros. 

Desert  Outlaw,  The   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Dick    Turpin   Tom    Mix   Fox  

Dollar   Down   Ruth  Roland   

Dollar  Mark,  The  Mildred   Harris-Fraser    F.  B.  O  

Double  Dealing   Charles  Jones   Fox   

Driftwood   Elaine  Hammerstein  . .  Truart   

Druscil'a  With  a  Million   Soecial  Cast   F    B.  O  

Eleventh  Virein,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.   . .  . 

Empty   Hands   Holt-Norma-Shearer   

Everyman's   Wife   Fox   

Every  Woman's  Secret    Lumas   

Eve's  Lover   Special  Cast   Wa-ner  Bros.   .  .  • 

Extra  Man,  The   Universal   

Face  to  Face   Viola  Dana   Metro   

Faint  Perfume   Soecial  cast   Preferred   

Fast    Set.    The   Compson-Menjou  .... 

Female,    The   Comnson   

Feet  of  Clay   C.    B.  DeMille   

Fighting  Ty'ers.   The   Special  Cast   Paramount  

Find  Your  Man   Rin   Tin   Tin   Warner  Bros.   .  . 

F'ne  and  Dandy   ...Tom  Mix   Fox   

Vires  of  Fate   Truart   (S.   R.)  . 

First  Vio'in    The   Grand-Asher  .... 

Flames  of  Desire   Fox   

Flames  of  Romance   Soecial  Cast  

Flattery   Sn»cial  Cas*   O.  B.  C  

Follies  Girl,  The   Margaret   Livingston     Prod.  Dist.  ..... 

Fool.  The  Sn»cial   Cast   Fox   

Forbidden  Paradise   Negri   

Forbidden    Lover,   The   Special  Cast   R»l7nick   

Furnace  of  Life.  The    "   Grand-Asher  .... 

Garden  of  Luxury,   The   Compson   

Gerald  Cranston's  Lady   Fox   ,  , 

Getting  Her  Man   S"ecia'   Cast   Fox   

Girl  on  the  Stairs   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist.  —  .  . 

Gold  Heels   Fox   

Gold   Rush,  The   Charlie   Chaplin   TTn!t»d  Arris*. 

Good  Men  and  Bad   S"ec:al  Cast   F.  W.  Kra»mer 

Great  D  'amond  Mystery,  The  .  .  .  Shi-lev  Mason   Fox   

Greater  Than   Marriage   Telleeen-Daw   Vitagraph   

Greed   S"ec;a1  Cast  Gold.-fno 

Haunted  Hours   Olive  Hammerstein  . .  .  F-ed  Welhl  Prod. 

Hearts  of  Oak   F«x   

"Heart  Trouble"   Constance  Taimadge  ..First  Nat.'I  <,.... 

Her  Code  of  Honor  ............  Florence  Reid     

Her  Game   Florence  Reid    Tndepend«nt  .... 

Her  Love  Storv   Swanson   Tndenenrl-nt  .... 

House  of  Youth   Jacoueline   Logan    ....  Prod.  Di-t  

How  Baxter  Butted  In   Lou:s-Fazenda   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Human  Mill.  The   Soecial   Cast   Metro   

Hunted  Woman.   The   '  Fox   , 

Hunting  Wild  An-'ma's  in  H'w'd   Fox  

Husbands  of  Edith,  The  Reffi-aM  Dennv   TTniy*r«>1   , 

I  Am  The  Man   Parr"""ir»-Owen   ru *> -V  ... 

In  H'w'd  with  Potash  and  Perl.  Bernard-Carr   ":rs(t  National 

In  Love  With  Love  .  .  .  .  j  Fox   

Tn  the  Shadow  of  the  Moon   . .  .  .  r>n-n'h»   ^haonell    .  .  .  .  T  -- J'~ --1 

Inner  Sisht,  The   f'>bv»^-T  »•>   Pro  -Di=*  

■  nnocence   ....Anna  O    N'lsson   f.    B.  C.   

Tnnocent  .5ner!nl   Cast   TTnVersal   

Tt's  a  Boy   '  Snp-.'al   Cast   W»D.>r  pnd  No^th 

T"stice   Raffles   fl — ->ld    Am°s   H"nworth   i 

King's   Jackal.   The   F.Hmund    Lowe    Fox   i 

Last  of  the  Duanes   Tom  Mix   Fox   

Last  Man  on  Earth,  The   Fox   

Lend  Me  Your  Husband  ....... .Doris    Kenyon   Grand-Asher  .... 

5  Let's  Go  F.  B.  o  


Features  Star  Distributor 

Lighthouse  by  the  Sea,  The  Rin  Tin  Tin   Warner  Bros.  . 

Lily  of  the  Dust  Negri   

Lone  Fighter,  The   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset   Prod.  .. 

Lost   Special  Cast   F.    B.  O  

Lost  Lady,  A   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . 

Love  Pirate.  The   Carmel    Myers   Fox  

Love  Throne,  The   Edmund    Lowe   Grand-Asher    . .  , 

Love  Trap,  The   Special   Cast   F.    B.  O.   

Lover  of   Camille   Blue-Prevost   Warner  Bros.  . 

Lover's  Lane   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.   . , 

Loyalties   Special  Cast   Fox   

Madame  Satan   Theda  Bara   

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  ....  Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

Man  from  Texas,  The   Harry  Carey   Prod.  Dist  

Man  Without  a  Conscience  The.   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . 

Manhattan   Dix   

Mansion  of  Aching  Hearts   Special  Cast   Preferred  Pic. 

Mark  of  Cain   John  Gilbert   Fox   

Mary  Anne   Pathe   

Mary  the  Third   Eleanor  Boardman  ....Goldwyn-Cos 

Meddling  Women   Lionel   Barrymore   ...  Chadwick   

Mirage,  The   Florence  Vidor   Prod.  Dist. 

Missourian,   The  Reginald    Denny   Universal   

Mist  in  the  Valley   Alma  Taylor  .'.  Hepworth   

My  Ladies'  Lips   Preferred   

My  Man   Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

My  Wife  and  I   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . 

Narrow  Street,  The   M.   Prevost-W.   Lewis   Warner  Bros.  . 

Neptune's   Romance   Fox   

NiVht  Can.  The   Special  Cast   Universal   

Night  Ship.  The   Lumas   

No  More  Women   M.   Moore-Bellamv   .  .  .  Allied  P.  &  D. 

North  of  36   ,  Holt,  Torrence,   WilsonParamount  .... 

Off  the   Highway   Jacqueline   Logan    ....  Prod.  Dist.   , 

Offenders,  The   Marjorie  Wilson   Independent 

Oh,  Doctor   Special  Cast   Universal  .... 

Oh.   You  Tony!   Tom    Mix   Fox   

On  the  Shelf   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist.   

One  Night  in  Rome   Laurette  Taylor   Metro   

Open  All  Nisht   Dana-Goudal-Menjou   

Ooen  Places   John  Lowell   John  Lowell  .. 

Other  Men's  Daughters   Soecial    Cast   Grand-Asher    . . 

Outline  of   History   J    R.  Bray  . .  . 

Painted  Flapper   KM-kwood-Garon   Chadwick   

Painted   Lady,   The   O'Brien-MacKaill  ....Fox   

Peter  Pan   Dan'e's-Cortez   

Phantom  of  the  Opera,  The   . .  .  Soec:al  Cast   Universal  .... 

Plugger.  The   Special  Cast   Fox  

Pony    Exnress   Special  Cast   Universal   

Prairie  Wife.  The   Special  Cast   Gold.-Cos  

Price  of  Pleasure.  The   So-c;al  Cast   Universal  .... 

Rainbow  Trail.  The   Torn  Mix   Fox   

Ramshackle  House   Bettv  Comnson   Prod.  Dist.  ... 

F~ck'ess   Romance  Soecial  Cast   . ....  ..." .  Prod.  Di-t.   . . . 

Recomnense  Mon'e  Blue-Irene  Rich   Wa-ner  Bros.  . 

Fdat'vitv   ...  Alma  R'bens    Goldwyn-Cosi..„ 

Riders  of  the  Pumle  Sage  Tom   Mix   Fox   

Pose   of  th»»   Ghetto    ...........  Marie   P-=vost   Warn"-  Bros.  . 

Roarm?   Rails   Harry   Carey   Prod.  Dist.   . .  . 

S^-e  Wolves  Fox   

Sheriff  of  Tombstone   Frer)  Thompson   Monopram  Pic. 

Sinners  in  Heaven   Danie's-Dix   Paramount  .... 

Rkvline  of  Spruce.   The  Social   Cast   TTniversal   

S'ow  as   T  i^htnins    w»nn«"t''  McDonald     .  .  Snn-ot  "rod.   .  . 

<5oft    Shoes   Harry  Carey    Prod.  Dist.   .  . . 

Soiith-rn  l.ov   'Pot...  T?!,,.n«,   

Rre^nin"  Liv»ly   P.Vna-d"  Ta'rn'dn-p   ...  Trna-t   

^oVn    fT=qr*s   Hp-he-*  '  Rawlinson    .  .  .  Universal   

Storv  Wi*hovt  a   M»rae   A  ™-es-Mnr»no  

Strange  Woman,  The   Sh;rley  Mason   Fox   

Strathmore  Fox   

''"oerstHion   Tie   ':i    Motte-Bowers    .  <~Yent:ve  P-od. 

Winner  T=k»    A!'   Fn^k   Tones   Fox   ,. 

Tanvnw  of  The  Shrew   B-be   ^ani-ls    P-inc'-a'  Pic 

Tarnish   Mav    McAvoy   First  National 

Tarzan  and  the  Golden   Lion    .  .  .  r'mo  T  incoln   Grand-Asher  .. 

Teeth   Tom    Mix   Fox   

Tenth  Woman.  The   Special   Cast    Warner  Rr0s.  . 

THs   Woman   Irene.  Rirh-Tohn  Roche  Wa-ner  Bros.  . 

Thorns  of   Passion   .George  0'Brjen   Fox   

Three  Women   Lew  Codv-Mary  Carr    Warner  Bros.  . 

Throwback    The   Pat    O'Malley   Universal   

Tongues  of  Flame   Meighan   

Treasure    Canyon   ,  B.  Warner   Sunset  P-od 

Tree  in  the  Garden   Soec'al  Cast   Go!dwyn-C"smo 

Trifle's.  The   Special  Cast   P-eferred    Pic.  '. 

Troubl»s  of  a  Bride   Fox   

Trouoing  w-'th  Ellen   He'en  Chadwick   Prod.  Di*t.   .  .  . 

Truth  About  Women   Hope  Hampton   Banner  Prod.  . 

Ultimate  Good,  The   Fia;ne  Hammerstein  ..Truart   

Unmarried  Wives   Mildred   Harris   Lumas   

Virtuous   Crooks   H.  Rawlinson   Universal  .... 

Virtuous   Laws   Special  Cast   

Visions   United  P.  &  D. 

Wages  of   Virtue   Swanson   

Wanted  by  the  Law   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset   Prod.  -. 

Warrens  of  Virginia   Fox   

Way  of  All  Flesh   Grand-Asher  . 

Way  of  a  Man   Special  Cast   Pathe   

Weavers,  The   -  Goldwyn-Cosm o 

Week   End   Husbands   A.  Rubens-M.  Love  ..Equity   

Welcome  Stranger   1  Florence  Vidor   Pro.-Dist  

Westbound   J-  B.  Warner   Sunset  Prod. 

When  Johnny  Comes  Marching  . 

Home   Special  Cast   Universal   

When  a  Woman  Reaches  Forty   Preferred   

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Wise  Son.  The   Snecial   Cast  TTniversal   

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Women   and   Gold   Lumas   

Women  Who  Give   Frank   Keenan   Metro   

World  Struggle  for  Oil.  The   .  .  .  Vidor- Lowe   Selznick   

Worldly   Goods   Ayres   

Yoke.  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . 

You  Can't  Fool  a  Woman   Lumas   

You  Can't  Live  on  Love   Reginald   Denny   Universal   


Page  50 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Birmingham  Proud  of  New 
Temple  Theatre 


BIRMINGHAM'S  newest  and  most 
up  to  date  moving  picture  theatre 
is  the  Temple,  opened  recently  in 
the  auditorium  of  the  Zamora  Masonic 
Temple  under  lease  and  undei  the  man- 
agement of  Joe  Steed  and  R.  G.  Allen, 
who  have  been  in  the  exhibiting  busi- 
ness for  some  years  in  Birmingham. 
They  have  been  managing  the  Wood- 
lawn  theatre  and  other  suburban  houses 
but  this  is  the  first  down  town  theatre 
carrying  first  run  pictures  that  they 
have  opened. 

The  Temple  is  everything  that  is  up 


tains  and  iron  fret  Work  gratings  which 
conceal  the  admirable  ventilation  ar- 
rangements. 

The  auditorium  is  constructed  with  a 
wide  passageway  of  platform  through 
the  middle,  which  opens  on  the  doors 
on  the  first  floor,  making  it  possible  for 
them  to  be  seated  in  front  without  walk- 
ing from  the  doors  in  the  back,  or  if 
they  prefer  back  seats  they  nry  be  seat- 
ed from  the  second  floor  doors  or  climb 
the  stairs  facing  the  audience  from  tha 
first  floor  doors. 

The  third  floor  entrance  leads  to  a 


spacious  balcony  which  may  be  used  for 
overflow  crowds  and  is  well  placed  so 
that  the  picture  can  be  seen  from  seats 
there  as  well  as  from  the  tenth  or 
twelfth  row.  The  crystal  chandeliers 
are  for  decorations  and  the  few  min- 
utes between  shows.  The  main  lighting 
effects,  used  all  the  time,  are  indirect. 

THE  stage  is  very  large,  having  been 
built  and  equipped  for  theatrical  per- 
formances as  well  as  moving  picture 
shows.  The  advantage  of  this  large 
stage  is  great,  according  to  Mr.  Allen, 
who  states  that  it  enables  the  Temple 
to  put  on  added  features  that  other 
theatres  in  the  city  could  not  handle. 

For  instance  in  the  bathing  revue 
there  was  a  huge  glass  swimming  tank 
for  the  fancy  diving  which  was  discern- 
able  from  every  seat  in  the  house  and 
gave  a  full  view  of  the  diving  stunts 
shown  by  the  professionals. 

This  theatre  follows  a  plan  slightly 
different  from  those  of  the  other  mov- 
ing picture  theatres  in  this  city.  There 
are  no  morning  performances  and  all  of 
the  other  theatres  feature  them.  The 
Temple  show  begins  at  2  o'clock,  there 
is  an  elaborate  program  which  is  re- 
peated three  times  between  2  p.  m..  and 
1 1  p.  M.  Other  Birmingham  theatres 
start  at  10  in  the  morning  and  go 
straight  through  until  11  at  night. 


to  the  minute,  carrying  a  forty  piece  orches- 
tra and  usually  some  vaudeville  or  dancing 
feature  in  addition  to  the  program  of  feature, 
comedy  and  news  reel.  One  of  their  most 
recent  features  was  the  bathing  revue  when 
the  management  of  Cascade  Plunge  swimming 
pool,  four  department  stores  and  the  Temple 
cooperated  to  put  on  an  exhibiton  of  cos- 
tumes, feature  diving  and  dancing. 

THE  theatre  is  well  adapted  in  every  way 
for  the  showing  of  pictures,  having  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  nearly  a  thousand  people  and 
an  arrangement  that  is  ideal  for  the  proper 
exhibition  of  pictures.    With  the  exception  of 
■  a  small  group  placed  on  each  side  of  the  stage,, 
which  were  built  for  the  rare  occasions  when 
Zamora  Temple  has  a  big  gathering,  every 
\  seat  in  the  house  is  well  placed  for  viewing 
';  the  screen. 

The  decorations  of  the  theatre  are  in  the 
i  Italian  Renaissance  period  with  paneled  walls 
in  cream  and  stone,  balconies  with  velvet-  cur- 


September  6,  1924 


Page  51 


Building  to  Fit 

Unique  Theatre  Rises  On  Irregular  Lot 


THE  irregular  lot  has  given  heart- 
ache to  many  an  architect,  but  in 
some  cases  it  seems  to  motivate 
an  extraordinary  success. 

For  instance,  here  is  a  theater  that  is 
unique,  fascinating,  and  wholly  beauti- 
ful, and  at  the  same  time  serves,  to  an 
unusual  degree,  the  purpose  of  the 
building.  It  is  located  in  Pinehurt,  N.  C, 
and  the  owner  was  afflicted  with 
a  piece  of  property  that  could 
easily  have  been  converted  into 
an  eyesore.  The  contour  of  the 
lot  may  be  seen  from  the  floor 
plan  below. 

Aymar  Embury  II,  the  archi- 
tect, did  not  bewail  his  fate. 
Instead  he  adapted  these  heter- 
ogeneous lines  into  a  building 
of  high  decorative  value  with 
exceptional  advantages  as  a  pic- 
ture theater. 

An  auditorium  was  designed 
in  the  form  of  an  irregular 
hexagon  following  the  general 
lines  of  the  lot.  At  its  narrow 
end  was  placed  the  stage,  and 
at  its  wide  end  was  located  the 
balcony. 

Outside  the  auditorium  are 
four  stores  built  in  the  manner 
of  lean-tos.  The  entrance  and 
stage  of  the  theater,  together 
with  the  stores,  form  a  fringe 
around  five  sides  of  the  build- 


ing. The  structure  is  of  brick  with  the 
entrance  wall  laid  in  diapier  pattern. 
The  main  portion  is  two  stories  high, 
while  the  stores  are  one  story,  with  the 
walls  plastered  over  brick.  The  roofs 
are  of  Spanish  tile  and  a  tile  hood  over 
the  entrance  is  an  ornamental  feature. 

A  classic  portico  at  the  entrance  is 
surmounted    by    Corinthian  columns 


leads  into  a  tile  lobby.  Several  exits 
are  provided  in  the  auditorium  and  the 
aides  are  so  arranged  that  it  can  be 
ed  with  ease. 

The  auditorium  is  lighted  by  windows 
placed  above  the  stores  outside.  A  brick 
cornice  gives  the  concluding  decorative 
touch  to  the  building. 

From  that  treatment  it  is  ap- 
parent how  even  the  most  irreg- 
ular lot  can  be  turned " to  ac- 
count. 


A  YMAR  EMBURY  II,  the 
-i*-  architect,  has  utilized  every 
inch  of  space  available  and  at 
the  same  time  has  not  lost  the 
sense  of  proportion  or  beauty 
that  must  be  prominent  in  the- 
atres since  the  aesthetic  senses 
of  patrons  has  much  to  do  with 
success  in  pictures. 

There  are  no  doubt  many  ex- 
hibtors  would  nave  beesi  stump- 
ed with  such  an  unusual  plot  to 
work  with,  but  it  shows  what 
can  be  done  without  proper 
treatment. 

American  architects  are  so 
far  advanced  in  theatre  con- 
struction they  seem  to  be  able 
to  utilize  every  inch  of  space 
and  lose  nothing  in  the  way  of 
beauty  or  utility.  They  seem 
to  thrive  on  difficult  problems. 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Equipment  Newsettes 


SUGGESTION  BOX 

Give  your  patrons  an  opportunity  to 
air  their  grievances.  Place  a  small  box 
in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre  and  allow 
the  patrons  tofwrite  suggestions  and  de- 
posit them  in  the  box.  Encourage  this 
and  you  will  get  a  pretty  good  lineup 
of  what  your  patrons  demand  of  you 
and  it  will  bring  closer  relationship  that 
will  prove  an  asset  to  the  theatre. 

The  box  need  not  be  elaborate.  A 
small  box  about  a  foot  square  will  an- 
swer the  purpose.  Cut  a  slot  in  the  lid 
and  hang  the  box.,  in  some  conspicuous 
place  so  it  can  be  seen. 

Place  a  small  sign  on  the  box  asking 
patrons  to  offer  suggestions  that  will  in 
any  way  aid  in  improving  the  service  of 
the  theatre. 

»*    *  * 

CEMENT  PAINT 

Now  is  the  proper  time  to  give  your 
cement  floors  a  coat  of  cement  paint.  It 
will  save  the  floors  and  will  eliminate 
the  fine  dust  that  arises  from  cement 
after  many  feet  have  passed  over  the 
surface. 

The  paint  is  of  a  special  chemical 
mixture  that  penetrates  the  cement  and 
forms  a  protective  covering  that  wears 
like  iron.  It  is  in  common  use  in  most 
theatres  and  has  proven  itself  a  useful 
addition  to  the  workshop  list  of  neces- 
sities. 

The  paint  can  be  applied  by  a  novice 
in  a  short  time.  It  dries  rapidly  and 
leaves  a  beautiful  finish.    Try  it. 

*    *  * 

FIRE  EXTINGUISHERS 

Don't  economize  on  fire  extinguish- 
ers. They  should  be  placed  about  the 
theatre  at  regular  intervals  and  should 
be  in  sight  so  they  can  be  found  when 
needed  in  a  hurry. 

There  are  many  extinguishers  on  the 
market  that  are  cheap  and  yet  good 
looking  and  effective.  There  is  the  small 
brass  hand  pump  type  that  is  one  of 
the  most  common  in  use.  It  smothers 
a  fire  with  gas  and  does  so  quickly.  The 
liquid  evaporates  and  does  not  harm 
drapes  or  other  delicate  fabrics. 

For  the  projection  booth  there  should 
be  a  Foamite  extinguisher.  This  instru- 
ment throws  out  a  stream  of  foam  that 
covers  the  fire  and  smothers  it  instantly. 
It  will  work  wonders  when  films  take 
fire. 

.    .        *    *  * 

WASTE  BASKETS 

Waste  baskets  should  be  placed  in 
convenient  places  about  the  theatre, 
especially  in  the  rest  rooms  and  lobby. 
If  you  wish  -  to  have  your  patrons  help 


keep  the  theatre  orderly  you  must  give 
some  help. 

Place  the  baskets  where  they  cannot 
escape  attention  and  you  will  find  that 
they  will  be  used.  The  baskets  should 
be  attractive  looking  and  large  enough 
to  be  of  some  use. 

The  baskets  should  be  of  some  fire- 
proof material  and  should  be  emptied 
at  regular  intervals. 

There  is  a  large  steel  basket,  with 
cover,  on  the  market,  that  is  used  for 
burning  waste  paper  out  of  doors,  with- 
out the  danger  of  burning  paper  flying 
about.  One  of  these  baskets  will  prove 
a  good  addition  to  your  theatre  equip- 
ment. 

TORK  CLOCK 

The  Tork  Company,  8  West  40th  St., 
New  York,  has  on  the  market  a  simple, 
inexpensive  timeswitch  sold  under  the 
trade  name  of  Tork  Clock.  It  is  ideal 
for  use  in  theater  lobby  displays,  elec- 
tric signs,  and  other  places  where  auto- 
matic control  of  the  lights  is  the  sim- 
plest and  most  economical  method  of 
management.  Special  features  are  a  de- 
mountable clock  unit,  which  is  standard 
for  all  Tork  Clocks. 

The  advantage  of  this  is,  that  in  case 
the  clock  movement  needs  overhauling 
a  "spare"  can  be  obtained  from  the 
dealer  and  the  old  one  mailed  in  for 
repair.  This  insures  no  interruption  to 
service. 

The  lights  can  be  turned  on  or  off 
by  hand  if  desired  and  this  does  not 
interfere  with  the  regular  schedule  of 
operations  of  the  clock. 


*    *  * 

ADVERTISING  NOVELTY 

There  is  a  novelty  advertising  stunt 
that  can  be  used  to  good  advantage  by 
exhibitors.  The  novelty  in  question  is 
a  large  book  with  a  mechanism  that 
turns  the  pages  at  regular  intervals  of 
perhaps  half  a  minute. 

The  book  contains  about  25  pages  and 
can  be  used- to  carry  the:  programs  or 
other  announcements  or  may  be  used  to 


display  still  pictures  from  coming  pro- 
ductions. 

The  book  is  placed  in  a  glass  case, 
and  installed  in  a  corner  of  the  lobby, 
cannot  fail  to  attract  attention.  It  is  a 
good  looking  outfit  and  will  grace  any 
theatre. 

Its  cost  is  small  but  its  work  is  big. 
*    *  * 


Projection  Hints 

 By  WESLEY  TROUT  

Keep  Sprockets  Clean 

IT  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
the  sprockets  of  the  projector  be 
kept  perfectly  clean  at  all  times.  This 
is  very  important  for  all  the  sprockets 
on  your  mechanism,  but  very  particular- 
ly for  the  intermittent  sprocket,  because 
any  dirt  accumulating  on  the  face  of  the 
intermittent  sprocket  will  cause  un- 
steadiness of  the  picture  projected  on 
the  screen.  The  best  method  that  I  know 
of  for  cleaning  sprockets  is  as  follows : 
secure  a  rather  stiff  bristle  toothbrush, 
and  either  a  wide-mouthed  bottle  or  a 
small  tin  can  with  a  cover.  If  you  hap- 
pen to  use  a  bottle  it  is  a  good  idea  to 
drill  a  hole  through  its  cork  and  shove 
the  handle  of  the  toothbrush  through, 
so  that  when  you  place  the  cork  in  the 
bottle  the  brush  will  all  most  reach  the 
bottom  of  the  bottle. 

Now  partly  fill  the  bottle,  or  can,  with 
a  little  kerosene,  and  then  once  a  day 
examine  the  sprockets  very  closely,  and 
if  you  find  the  least  bit  of  gum  or  dirt 
on  the  face  of  same,  then  scrub  it  off 
with  the  toothbrush  which  you  have 
dipped  in  the  kerosene. 

Examine  Sprockets 

The  projectionist  that  wants  to  se- 
cure the  very  best  in  projection  will  ex- 
amine his  sprockets  carefully  at  least 
once  a  day,  making  certain  that  they  are 
perfectly  clean.  Dirt  on  the  intermit- 
tent sprocket  will  cause  your  picture  to 
jump  on  the  screen,  while  dirt  on  the 
lower  sprocket  may  cause  you  to  lose 
the  upper  or  lower  loop  by  the  film 
running  off  the  sprocket. 

Friction  Take-Up 

Where  the  old  style  friction  take-up 
is  used  it  is  of  utmost  importance  that 
the  take-up  tension  be  set  just  barely 
tight  enough  to  take  up  the  entire  reel 
when  same  is  full.  Any  more  tension 
than  this  is  not  only  bad,  but  it  is  very 
bad  particularly  if  the  old  style  ll/2  in. 
reel  hub  may  be  used  by  the  projection- 
ist. ■    ";;  . vr:  z-y^ctn ' 


September  6,  1924 


Page  53 


About  Theatres- 
New  and  Old 


Oxnard,  Cal. — Negotiations  are  un- 
der way  with  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce by  J.  Roy  Williams,  owner  of 
the  Southland,  for  the  granting  of  land 
and  public  co-operation  to  support  a 
community  theater. 


Washington — A  report  has  it  that  a 
300  seat  balcony  is  to  be  added  to  the 
Chevy  Chase. 


Davenport,  la. — Julius  Geertz  has 
purchased  the  Olympic  from  John  F. 
Knuth. 


W infield,  Mo. — E.  H.  Crenshaw  has 
taken  over  the  Princess  and  changed 
its  name  to  the  Star. 

$  ••«   *       #  if  "''  » 

Bowling  Green,  Mo. — The  Majestic 
is  now  operating  but  two  nights  a  week 
for  the  rest  of  the  summer. 

*  *     *  ..  <>-';■ 

Steelton,  Pa. — The  Standard  has 
been  shut  down  by  Manager  Sellers  for 
two  months. 

Schuylkill  Haven,  Pa. — Manager 
Zimmerman  has  closed  his  Palace  for 

July  and  August. 

*  *  * 

Lubbock,  Tex. — A  new  house  will  be 

erected  soon  by  J.  D.  Lindsey. 

*  *  * 

Tampa,  Fla. — Plans  for  a  large 
stucco  building  to  contain  a  picture 
house  in  addition  to  bath  houses,  danc- 


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311  W.  50  ST.  NEW  YORK  CITY 


ing  hall,  are  being  drawn  for  the  West- 
ern Estates. 

M  uncie,  111. — Leonard  Sowars,  man- 
ager of  the  Strand,  has  installed  a  $12,- 
000  pipe  organ. 


HELIOS  REFLECTOR  LAMP 

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Approved  by  Underwriters  Laboratories 


OUR 

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DISTRIBUTORS 

The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 
The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 
U.  S.  Theatre  Supply  Co.  . 
Williams,  Brown  &  Earle 
Movie    Supply  Co. 
Theatre  Equipment  Supply  Co. 
Simplex  Theatre  Supply  Co. 
V.  C.  Haefele  &  Co 


WARREN  PRODUCTS  CO. 
261  CANAL  ST.  NEW  YORK 


WE  HAVE  $50,000 

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No.  2,140  Rolled  Top  Basket, 
IS  x  22  inches,  filled  with 
Roses,  Asparagus  Ferns,  etc., 
with  bow,  complete  $2.50,  per 
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Write  today  for  our  FALL 
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FRANK  NETSCHERT,  INC. 

61  Barclay  Street  New  York,  N.  Y. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 

WILL  BRING  t 

NEW  BUSINESS 

", 

Follow  the  Equipment Sec- 
tion  and   Classified  Oppor- 
tunities in 

Exhibitor  Trade  Review 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Tip- 


SUN-RAY 

FRANCE 


LENS 

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Made  by  a  new  process 
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About  Theatres- 
New  and  Old 


I 


30  Reade  St 
=000 


Belmond,  la. — A  new  house  is  being 

constructed  by  Mrs.  Ella  Cleveland. 

*  *  * 

Cortland,  N.  Y.— The  Old  Riverside 
Park  Pavilion  has  been  converted  to  a 
picture  house,  the  Liberty.  Milton 
Totman  is  manager. 

Plattsburg,  N.  Y. — As  soon  as  the 
old  Masonic  building  is  demolished, 
work  will  start  on  a  new  1,500  seat 
house,  to  cost  $150,000. 

*  *  * 

Detroit — A  new  downtown  theater, 
seating  500,  will  be  opened  by  the 
Woodward  Theater  Co.  It  will  be 
known  as  the  Republic. 

*  *  # 

Dawson,  Ga.— Bryan  Cooper  has 
leased  the  Palace  from  Robert  Woo- 
ten. 

*  *  * 

Salem,  Mass. — L.  L.  Connors  has 
added  the  Star  to  his  string. 

*  *  * 

Paris,  111. — L.  Jarodsky  has  pur- 
chased the  Majestic. 

*  *  * 

Cuba,  Mo. — The  High  School  thea- 
ter has  closed  until  September. 

*  *  * 

Chester,  Pa. — The  Washington  has 

closed  to  permit  alterations. 

*  *  * 

New  Madrid,  Mo.— John  Bilar,  of 

the  Dixie,  will  remodel  his  house. 

*  *  * 

Merrill,  Wis.— The  Grand  O.  H.  is 
being  dismantled  to  make  way  for  office 
buildings. 

*   *  * 

Kelso,  Wash. — Arrangements  for 
construction  of   a  new   theater  have 

been  made  by  J.  Brooks. 

*  *  * 

Alden,  Minn. — July  1  marked  the 
date  of  the  opening  of  William  Em- 
mons' new  house. 


BEAUTIFY  YOUR  THEATRE 

by  using  our  DECORATIVE  ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS,  PLANTS, 
VINES  AND  TREES,  all  of  which  are  illustrated  in  our  FALL 
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STANLEY  FRAME  CO. 

727  7th  Ave.,  New  York  City 
Manufacturers  of 

Theatre  Lobby  Display  Frames 


Wall  Cases 
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choppers) 

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Let  us  know  your  requirements  or  let  us  tell  you. 
Sketches  and  prices  on  request. 


September  6,  1924 


Page  55 


ARE  YOU 

WITHIN  THE  LAW 

IN  THE  RUNNING  OF  YOUR  THEATRE? 

In  your  contracts  with  your  actors  and 
other  employees? 

Or  in  the  hundred  and  one  other  things 
you  do  every  day  in  conjunction  with 
the  running  of  your  business? 

All  these  and  other  questions  are 
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book  on  theatre  law 

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The  Law  of 
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Landlicht — Camera — Projector 

Amateurs  are  preferring  nowadays  more  and  more  CINEMA  CAMERAS, 
as  films  only  are  suitable  for  COLLECTING  PURPOSES,  thus  per- 
mitting to  bring  back  to  recollection  even  after  years  THE  PLAYS  OF 
GROWING-UP-CHILDREN,  SPORT-EVENTS,  TRAVELLING  SOU- 
VENIRS, etc.,  etc.,  on  the  occasion  of  FAMILY  AND  FRIENDS 
GATHERINGS.  Of  the  greatest  value  in  this  connection  is  THE  COM- 
BINATION OF  a  Cinema-Taking-Apparatus  with  a  Projecting  Device, 
WHICH  OUR  "CAMERA-PROJECTOR-'  embodies.  The  apparatus  is 
constructed  for  normal  size  films  and  fitted  with  an  objective  of  great 
luminosity   (f  :  2,0). — 

For  full  particulars  and  illustrated  prospectus  please  apply  to: 

Landlicht — A.  G.  Berlin  S.  W.  68. 

Zimmerstrasse  72-74. 


This  is  the  famous 
lobby  of  the  new 
$2,000,000  Wisconsin 
Theatre  at  Milwau- 
kee. Before  entering 
this  lobby  you  must 
pass  the  twin  ticket 
booths,  each  equipped 
with  a  Brandt  Auto- 
matic Cashier. 


Selling  Your  Theatre 
to  the  Public 


This  splendid  theatre,  seating  3500  patrons,  is  evi- 
dence that  something  besides  the  picture  play 
attracts  the  public  to  a  show — Beauty,  comfort,  con- 
venient service  all  play  their  part.  This  show  house, 
of  which  the  Saxe  Amusement  Company  and  Mil- 
waukee are  so  proud,  is  but  one  of  the  thousands, 
large  and  small  throughout  the  country,  using  Brandt 
Automatic  Cashiers. 


Five  Questions  You  Should  Answer 

1.  Are  you  using  pennies  or  are  your  admissions 
scaled  at  some  even  amount  while  attempting  to 
simplify  cashiering? 

2.  Are  you  willing  to  complete  any  coin  transaction 
in  one  operation  or  do  your  cashiers  make  end- 
less calculations  and  fumble  around  picking  coins 
out  of  a  drawer? 

3.  Are  your  cashiers  able  to  work  at  top  speed  dur- 
ing a  rush  or  do  you  find  them  tired  and 
fatigued? 

4.  Are  your  patrons  receiving  their  change  with 
accuracy  and  dispatch  or  do  you  sometimes  find 
delays  and  mistakes? 

5.  Are  you  willing  to  investigate  the  Brandt  Auto- 
matic Cashier  and  learn  how  it  is  serving  hun- 
dreds of  Theatres? 


The  Coupon  is  for 
your  convenience 


DAYS 
FREE 

TRIAL/ 


Co 


r*»tt  ?e 


Page  56 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Classified  Opportunities 


Regular  Display  Rates  are  charged 
on  all    Classified    Display  Ad-lets. 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  sales 

Send  for  KICKS  catalog  giving 
cnunf-n  and  prices  on  classified  names 
of  your  best  prospective  customers— 
National,  Steto,  Loca^-Individuala, 
Professions,  Business  Firms. 

CSQC/  Guaranteed  C 
7  7  '0  by  refund  of  J  peach 

3 


tLouis 


676N 
jthStl 


5© 


PerDa 


and  upward 


\ 


is  one  reason  for  the  rapidly 
growing  popularity  of  the 
Hotel  Martinique. 

Another  is  the  consistent 
economy  of  the  entire  estab- 
lishment. Here  you  may  enjoy 
a  Club  Breakfast  at  45c,  con- 
sisting of  Fruit  or  Cereal,  Bacon 
and  Lgg,  and  Rolls  and  Coffee 

—  Special  Luncheon  and  Din- 
ners of  superior  quality  are  also 
served  at  the  most  moderate 
possible  prices. 

No  location  can  be  possibly 
more  convenient  than  that  of 
the  Martinique.  One  block 
from  the  Pennsylvania  Station 
(via  enclosed  subway) — Nine 
blocks  from  Grand  Central  — 
one  block  from  the  greatest 
and  best  Shops  of  the  City — 
half  11  dozen  blocks  from  the 
Opera  and  the  leading  Theatres 

—  and  directly  connected  with 

Vthe  Subway  to  any  part  of  the 
City  you  wish  to  reach. 

j*  tttST  without  c«w  / 

*  Hotel  ^ 

Martinique 

cAf filiated  with  Jiolel  MUlpiri 

Broadway~32-/033^Sts. 

NEW  YORK 

A  E.S'mgleton.cManageti 


RECEIVER'S  SALE 

A  public  sale  will  be  held  on  FRIDAY, 
SEPTEMBER  5,  1924,  at  11  A.  M., 
(daylight  saving  time),  32  MAIN 
STREET,  FREEHOLD,  N.  J.,  of  all 
the  theatrical  effects  of  the  defunct  Or- 
pheum  Amusement  Co.  Theatrical 
property  of  every  nature,  such  as  is 
customarily  used  in  motion  picture  and 
legitimate  theatres  included  in  the  sale. 
Everything  sold  to  highest  bidder. 
Terms— Cash.  MARVIN  A.  SPAULD- 
ING,  Receiver,  Broad  Street  Bank 
Bldg.,  Trenton,  N.  J. 


Local  Films 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Arc;  New  York 


* 


Added  Attractions 


I  BOOK  "MAKING  MOVIES" 

♦  On  and  Off  Stage  Exhibition  That  Will  Make  . 

*  YOUR  THEATRE  A  BEE-HIVE  Z 

«!•  A  movie  picture  made  right  on  your  stage  in 

•i*  front  of  your  audience,   produced  with  local  A 

4p  players  and  scenes  one  week,  and  shown  next.  ,§. 

•i»  For  details  write  Box   1053,  Trade   Review.  * 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


54T-S5T.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $325 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $692 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


For  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

GENERAL  THEATRE  SUPPLIES— Greatly  Re- 
duced  prices  on  Supplies  &  Equipment.  Film  Ce- 
ment, oz.  bottle  22c — Pint  bottle  $1.22 — Cinephor 
Parabolic  Condensers,  complete  set  $16. — Automa- 
tic Curtain  machines  prices  on  application.  Trouco 
Arc  Lamp  Lubricant,  per  a  large  can  45c —  Aisle- 
lites,  Argus,  each  $2.78 — Peerless  Arc  Controls, 
each,  new,  $82.50 — Trouco  Admission  Signs  with 
ten  price  tags  complete,  each  $3. — Round  Belting 
1-4  inch  per  a  ft.  12  l-2c:  Flat  Powers  Drive  belts, 
each  70c — Simplex  flat  belts  70c  each — Belt  Coupl- 
ings, round,  screw  type  each  2Jc — Steel  Wire  belt 
hooks,  dozen  4c — Coin  Changers,  new,  each  $71.85 
— Best  Carbon  Savers,  Extra  Heavy  for  3-4  and 
5-8"  each  89c — Silvertip  adapters,  each  53c — E*it 
Sign  Boxes  complete  $1.50 — Fort  Wayne  Compen- 
arcs  for  110-volts  $80;  Mazda  Transformers,  GE, 
each  $60. — Ticket  Holders,  single  $1  ;  double  $1.23. 
— Best  Heavy  Brass  Lugs  for  any  size  wire  73c — ■ 
Radio  Mat  Slides,  box  50,  each  $1.38 — Reel  End 
Alarms  $2.88 — Da-Lite  Screens,  Automatic  Ticket 
Machines,  Screen  coating.  WE  PAY  PARCEL 
POST  AND  EXPRESS  ON  ALL  THE  ABOVE 
SUPPLIES  TO  ANY  THEATRE  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES.— W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  Box  No.  499,  ENID.  OKLAHOMA. 
(Branch).  • 

LENSES,  CONDENSERS  &  SHUTTERS— Sun- 
Ray  Condensers,  any  focus,  Piano  each  $1.02 — 
Menicus  or  Bi  Convex,  any  focus,  each  $1.45.  Cine- 
phor Projection  Lenses,  any  focus,  Quarter  size 
$28.75  ;  Half  size  $53.25.  The  New  Double  Disc  Shut- 
ter catalogue  and  free  trial  catalogue  and  prices  sent 
free  on  request.  Powers,  Simplex  Intermittent 
sprockets,  each  $3.95 ;  Edison  &  Motiograph  $4.22 
each.  Takeup  and  Feed  sprockets,  each  $2.78. 
CASH  MUST  BE  SENT  WITH  ALL  ORDERS. 
Sent  Postage  Prepaid.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA.  "The  Reliable 
Theatre  Supply  House." 


Slides  &  Announcement 


RadiO-; 


■\w-Mat 

PATENTED 


WHITE,  AMBER 


At  your  Deal<JT. 


is  the  Stationery  of  the  Screen 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT  •  TWENTY-  EICHT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

ROLL  (rcoupond)  FOLDED 


T(5—  TICKETS 


352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE         \y  ■     ■  ■  *  ■ 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  ^"-*^  best  eor  the  lease  money       quickest  dll'ivery       correctness  guaranteed 


The  two  words — 

"EASTMAN" 

and 

"KODAK 

— in  black  letters  in  the  film  margin, 
identify  the  release  print  on  Eastman 
Positive  Film,  the  film  that  carries 
quality  from  studio  to  screen. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Oh  what  a  Romeo  1 
And  oh  baby,  what  a 
Juliet! 


Mack  Sennett 


presents 


Ben  Turpin 


in 


"ROMEO  AND  JULIET 

A  Two  Reel  Comedy 

1st  Release,  3rd  Series,  Ben  Turpin 

A  cross-eyed  hero  in  love;  a  heart-sick  swain  singing 
his  swan  song  to  his  lady  love,  while  the  chandeliers 
shake ;  a  dizzy  vamp  catching  his  heart  on  the  re-bound 
and  making  him  lie  down  and  roll  over. 

The  gent  with  the  inverted  eyes  sure  knocks  'em  cold 
in  this  one.  Turpin  is  Turpin,  and  there  are  no  come- 
dies like  the  Turpin  comedies. 

If  you  look  you'll  book. 

Pafhecomecfr 


TRADE 


se  20 -cents  September  13,  1924 


NEW  EQUIPMENT  IS  HALF  THE  BATTLE 

AUR  Modern  Theatre  Section  will  keep 
you  posted  on  the  very  best  practice 
in  theatre  equipment  and  sources  for 
filling  your  needs. 

It  is  the  Blue  Book  of  the  Equipment 
Trade  giving  information  on  any  phase, 
appearing  in  the  first  issue  of  every 
month.    If  you  are  seeking  information 
regarding  ANY  EQUIPMENT  write  us 
and  we  will  give  you  full  details. 

Use  it  more  and  appreciate  its  true  value. 

Modern  Theatre  Section 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 

1 

.' 

t 

*  ....... 

7                            '  :;: 

Published    weekly    by    Exhibitors    Review    Publishing    Corporation.      Exe  cutive,   Editorial  Offices  45  West  45tb  St.,  New  York  Citq.  Subscription 
$2.00  year.     Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  25,   1922,  at     postoffice  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  under  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


CLfinoiinced 

t—Rin-Tin- Tin  in  "Find 

Your  Man" 
2—« 'The  Lover  of  Camilte" 

{"Deburau") 
B— "The  Age  of  Innocence" 

4—  "Recompense"  (Sequel 
to  "Simon  Catted  Peter") 

5—  "The  Dark  Swan" 

6—  « The  Eleventh  Virgin" 

7—  ~"A  Lost  Lady" 

8—  "Eve's  Lover" 
9^"Thi$  Woman" 


A  Second 


u 


Tte  Nargow  Street' 
WThe  Dear  Pretender" 
12—ffin-Tin-Tmin"The 
Lighthouse  by  the  Sea" 
Ernst  Lubitsch' s 

"Three  Women" 

14—  "How  Baxter  Butted  In" 

15—  "My  Wife  andf 

16 —  "Broadway  Butter  My" 

17—  "The  Bridge  of  Sighs" 

7*  ■-■  •  -  —  ■  ■- 

IB 


LUBtTSCH 

PRODUCTION 


Following  the  recent  completion  of  "Three  Women/' 
Ernst  Lubitsch  Immediately  began  his  quest  for  a  second  big 
story  with  which  to  complete  his  repertory  of  Warner 
"Classics"  for  the  1924-25  season  to  be  known  as  ERNST 
LUBITSCH  INDIVIDUAL  PRODUCTIONS, 

Having  first  set  a  new  standard  in  directorial  dexterity 
with -"The  Marriage  Circle,"  followed  now  by  the  equally 
magnificent  production  of  "Three  Women,"  Lubitsch,  master 
director  that  he  is,  was  confronted  with  the  necessity  of  find-' 
ing  a  subject  possessing  not  merely  the  possibilities  of  good 
entertainment,  but  the  essentials  of  a  super  production.  Ernst 
Lubitsch  would  no  more  undertake  the  mediocre  in  Motion 
pictures  than  Paderewsky  would  essay  a  price  of  ragtime  on 
the  piano. 

Thus  actuated  in  his  quest  for  a  suitable  subject,  Lubitsch 
carefully  considered  several  big  stories,  one  of  which  he  chose 
for  his  second  picture.  That  choice  made,  this  marvel  of 
dramatic  construction  how  is  at  work  on  a  production  which 
is  certain  to  again  Inscribe  his  name  in  the  Motion  Picture 
Hail  of  Fame. 

Save  TWENTY  dates  for  the  new  Warner  TWENTY. 


Page  2 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SOL   LESSER  presence 


Harold  Bell  Wridhf 

FINE  ADVENTURE  ROMAN^^^^MHl^^ 


MINE  WITH  . 
THE  IRON  DCOR 

PUBLISHED  BY  D.APPLETOIM  &>CO.  . — •  2COQOOO  COPIFS  fcfH  n 


Directed  by  SAM.  WOOD 

WITH 

PAT  dMALIXY,  DOROTHY  MACKAILL,  ROBERT  W. 
FRAZER,  MARY  CARR,  CHARLES  MURRAY,  BERT 
WOODRUFF,  CREIGHTON  HALE,  MITCHELL  LEWIS 
AND  RAYMOND  HATTON. 


MARY  CARR 

(MOTHER  BURTON) 


MITCHELL-  LEWIS 

(SONOR*.  JACK) 


RAYM ON  D    HATTO N 

 (th^  lizard) 


(M  dads' y^^^^Jjjg!^^ 

CHARLES  MURRAY  AND 
BERT  WOODRUFF 


September  13,  1924 


Page  3 


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Page  4 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


V 


IN  YOUR  LOBBY 


©FRtLp-£jSEMANN  %ADIO *CORP:> 
'       "*     HEW    YORK  ■  , 


THE  FREED-EISEMANN  R-5  BROADCAST  RADIO  RECEIVER 

The  Radio  Receiving  Set  That 
is  being  used  by 


"ROXIE"  ROTHAFEL 


in  his  studio 
at  the 


CAPITOL  THEATRE 


New  York  City 


HE  Freed-Eisemann  N  R-5  Broadcast  Radio  Receiver  is  just  what 
J-  you  need  to  knock  all  competition  into  a  cocked  hat.    It  insures  capa- 
city houses  because  it    positively    packs    your    lobby.    AND  THEY 
WON'T  MIND  WAITING  IN  LINE  FOR  THE  NEXT   SHOW!  !  ! 

The  musical  treats,  sporting  events,  election  returns  and  news  events 
become  your  greatest  ballyhoo  by  the  simple  turning  of  a  knob — any 
station  in  any  city  you  want. 

It  costs  nothing  to  investigate  by  signing  the  attached  coupon. 


a 


RADIO  CORPORATION 


Sperry  Building 
Manhattan  Bridge  Plaza, 


Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


COUPON 

FREED-EISEMANN  RADIO 
CORPORATION, 

Sperry  Building, 
Manhattan  Bridge  Plaza, 
Brooklyn,   N.  Y. 

Gentlemen : 

Please  send    me    without  obligation 

your   free  booklet   describing  your  full 

line  of  sets,  especially  the  N.  R.  5 
Broadcast   Radio  Receiver. 

Name   .......  j . . ...  . 

Theatre      . ...  . . .'   .  . . 

Street   

City   State   


JACKIE 

COOGAN 


A  National  Institution 


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WoOLWORTH  TOWER 


LITTLE 
ROBINSON 


Crusoe 


Fame!  Sometimes  it's  built  of  rock  and 
mortar.  Sometimes  it's  woven  of  human 
substance,  tears,  laughter,  sunshine, 
shadows.  Jackie  Coogan  has  become 
enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  all  audiences. 
He  is  as  truly  a  National  Institution  as 
The  Mint,  The  Statue  of  Liberty,  The 
Wool  worth  Tower.  Jackie's  newest  pic- 
ture is  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  en- 
tertainment ever  offered  to  exhibitors. 


By  Willard  Mack 


Produced 

Under  the  personal 
supervision  of 

JACK 
COOGAN,  sr. 


Page  6 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

Invested  this  way  will 
plug  up  leaks  in  your 
business  that  you  may 
have  never  suspected 
were  there.  Spend  a 
little  and  save  a  lot, 


Insurance 
Against 
Leaks 
That 
Eat  Up 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

That's  the  price.  It's 
not  what  you  gross, 
it's  what  is  left  after 
you  pay  out.  Know 
where  you  stand. 


Profits 

Clip  the  coupon  and  check  up  on  your  coin  with — 

A  Real  Ledger  System  for  Showmen 


CLIP 

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A  FEW  sample  sheets 
from  the  showman- 
ship ledger  that  keeps 
track  of  every  deal  you 
make  and  inventories 
everything  you  possess. 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


pmpson 

(AMSHACKLE 


HOUSE 


99 


71  HE  essential  elements  of  a  real  box  office  success  are  a  real  star,  a  great 
story  and  a  master  director.      Here  is  a  production  that  combines  these 
three  elements  to  a  marked  degree. 

In  selecting  a  vehicle  for  Miss  Compson,  one  of  the  greatest  drawing  cards 
on  the  screen,  prime  consideration  was  given  to  a  story  and  a  role  that  would 
give  this  brilliant  actress  ample  opportunity  to  exploit  her  magnetic  personality 
and  artistry. 

Love  interest,  intrigue,  fast  action  that  leads  to  a  powerful  climax,  with  a 
background  of  mystery  baffling  in  its  complexity,  and  built  up  as  only  the  crafts- 
manship of  a  master  director  can,  combine  to  make  this  a  wonderful  production 
for  Miss  Compson.  And  the  exotic  scenic  investiture  of  the  Everglades  of 
Florida,  add  beauty  and  glamor  to  the  production. 

The  play  is  based  on  the  widely  read  novel  of  the  same  name  by  Hulbert 
Footner,  published  by  George  H.  Doran  Company. 

The  director  is  Harmon  Weight,  who  directed  George  Arliss  in  his  greatest 
screen  successes,  "The  Ruling  Passion"  and  "The  Man  Who  Played  God." 

The  cast  includes  John  Davidson,  who  plays  the  arch  villain  in  support  of 
Rudolph  Valentino  in  "Monsieur  Beaucaire,"  Robert  Lowing,  William  Black, 
Dan  Duffy  and  others  equally  well  known. 


This  production  is  made  by  Til  ford  Cinema  Corporation,  which  produced 
"Miami,"  starring  Betty  Compson,  and  "Another  Scandal,"  starring  Lois  Wilson. 


Foreign  Distributor:  Wm.  Vogel  Dist.  Corp. 


or 


SEASON  1924-1925  THIRTY  FIRST-RUN  PICTURES 


SCORES  BIG  AT 
WARFIELD" 

said  SAN  FRANCISCO  NEWS- 

'--pure  entertainment  from  beginning 
to  end"  —  said  The  Bulletin 


— audience  accepted  it  with  every  indication 
of  enjoyment"—  said  Call  and  Post 

%  audience  enjoyed  it  hugely,  and  many  exclama- 
tions of  praise  were  overheard- said  Daily  Herald 

—highly  interesting"—  said  Examiner 

-As  California  {foes-  so  will  £o  the 

country  when  they  see 


and  this  is  only  one  of  the  many  big  hits  that 
io  with  that  FIRST  NATIONAL  Contract 


i. 


September  13,  1924 


©C1B624679  e^ 


Page  9 


EXHIBITORS 

trade  RE VI EW 

We  Business  Taper  of  the  Motion  Before  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTENTS 

A 

September  13,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Associated  Ad  Clubs  Cooperate  . . :   12 

Editorial  Pages   24 

FEATURES  OF  THE  NEWS 

Pathe  Review  Announces  Changes    15 

Chadwick  Closes  Territory   l   16 

Universal  Winners   17 

Record  Month   17 

Illinois  Hit  By  Depression    18; 

Principal  Is  Busy   19 

Production  Highlights   22 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 
The  Lover  Of  Camille   Frontispiece 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Big  Little  Features    30 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures   ,   47 

Exhibitors  Round  Table    51 

Equipment  Notes  ,   55 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
G&.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President: 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building.  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE.  GRACE  M. 
ADAIR,  1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE.  HOLLYWOOD 


HAT'S  INTAEAU) 


STATION  E.  T.  R., 
45  W.  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting some  pithy 
paragraphs  for  your 
leisurely  perusal.  Some 
one  of  them  may  con- 
tain an  *videa  that  will 
repay  you  for  the  time 
spent  reading  the  col- 
umn. 


Will  Hays  says  it  is  not  so  much  the 
length  of  the  step  that  counts  but  the 
direction  in  which  it  is  taken.  So  watch 
your  step.  Be  sure  every  move  you 
make  takes  you  a  little  nearer  to  your 
ultimate  goal. 


By  a  turn  of  the  wheel  of  Fate  you 
may  lose  much,  but  if  you  retain  your* 
courage  the  next  spin  may  put  you 
back  on  top  of  the  heap.  No  man  is 
ever  beaten  until  he  quits  trying. 


Courtesy  is  the  first  essential  to 
success.  It  is  the  cheapest  advertis- 
ing in  the  world,  and  it  pays  best. 
You  can  clip  coupons  from  courtesy. 


Decision  brings  accomplishment.  Its 
lack  means  death  to  all  progress.  Re- 
view your  problem  from  all  angles,  de- 
cide what  to  do,  and  stick  to  your  de- 


Determination  is  not  stubbornness.  A 
mule  is  stubborn,  but  a  determined  man 
possesses  strength  of  mind,  steadfast- 
ness of  purpose,  energetic  manliness 
and  moral  courage. 


If  you  expect  occasional  disappoint- 
ments you  will  not  be  disappointed 
when  they  come.  And  if  you  do 
business  on  the  idea  of  giving  the 
world  a  fair  return  for  what  you  take 
from  it,  again  you  will  not  be  dis- 
appointed. 


Don't  darken  your  day  dreams.  They  are 
the  pinnacles  of  dazzling  light  that  illuminate 
your  hdipes.  And  you  can  make  them  all 
come  true. 


For  the  most  learned  men  education 
never  ends.  They  discover  new  truths 
each  day  in  unexpected  places.  You 
can  learn  something  from  everybody. 
And  each  bit  of  knowledge  laid  away 
in  your  mental  storehouse  will  some 
day  stand  you  in  good  stead. 


I 
1 
1 

I 
K 
K. 

I 

I 
g 

a 


S3 
1 


1 


StglHSHS 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Monte  Blue  and 
Marie  Prevost  head  the 
brilliant  cast,  supported 
by  W  illar  d  Louis, 
Pierre  Gendron,  Wini- 
fred Bryson,  and  Rose 
Dion?. 


The  screen  play  gives  a  vivid  version  of 
Sacha  Guitry's  romantic  drama.  The  story 
is  beautifully  told  of   the   love   of  Jean 
G  a  s  p  a  r  d  Debureau, 
France's   greatest  pan- 
tomine  actor,  for  Marie 
Duplessis,  the  "Lady  of 
the  Camelias."  The  title 
role    requires  excep- 
tional   histronic  art — 
and  Monte  Blue  plays 
the  part  with  both  un- 
derstanding   and  rare 
ability. 


To  Harry  Beaumont's  exceptional 
artistry  is  due  the  successful  direction 
of  the  picture. 


"The  Lover  of  Camille" 

In  Warner  Bros.  Adaptation  of  Belasco's  Stage  Success,  Monte  Blue 
Gives  a  Finely  Shaded  Performance 


September  13,  1924  SEP  "8 


Page  11 


EXHIBITORS 

CTrade  REVIEW 

%e  Business  Thper  of the  Motionftcture  Industry 

NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 

Shawnee,  Oklahoma,  has  won  a  fight  for  Sunday  pictures.  King-fisher,  Oklahoma, 
lost  Sunday  pictures,  which  was  decided  by  a  special  election. 

Exhibitors  in  Minneapolis  are  having  trouble  with  the  stage  hand  union,  whose  members  demand  one 
day  off  each  week.  The  exhibitors  claim  it  is  impossible  to  meet  this  demand. 

The  North  Carolina  M.  P.  T.  O.  will  hold  its  mid-Winter  meeting  in  Charlotte  on  December  9-10. 

W.  A.  Steffes,  head  of  the  Allied  group  of  motion  picture  theatre  owners,  announces  that  he  will  not 
consider  an  extention  of  office,  but  will  retire  at  the  meeting  to  be  held  in  Kansas  City  on 
September  22. 

'i 

Nicholas  M.  Schenck  denies  the  report  that  the  entire  Metropolitan  Loew  Circuit  had  increased 
admission  prices.    A  few  scattered  houses  have  increased  five  cents. 

The  Chelsea  theatre,  Boston,  suffered  a  $20,000  loss  in  a  fire  that  occurred  September  3.  A  fire 
started  in  the  booth  and  caused  a  loss  of  $5,000  and  after  the  firemen  left  the  scene  the 
blaze  started  again. 

Niagara  Falls  exhibitors  have  reached  an  agreement  with  theatre  musicians. 

At  a  special  election  held  in  Superior,  Mich.,  the  voters  defeated  the  Sunday  opening  by  113  votes. 

The  Shea  corporation,  of  Buffalo,  will  erect  a  new  theatre  in  that  city.  The  structure  will  cost 
$1,000,000  and  will  have  a  seating  capacity  of  4,000. 

Over  3,000  persons  were  present  at  the  ball  which  closed  the  Greater  Movie  Season  celebration  in 
Los  Angeles  last  week.    Milton  Sills  was  official  greeter. 

A  group  of  Hollywood  producers  are  dickering  with  the  Curtiss  Aeroplane  and  Motor  Co.,  for 
its  huge  hangers  in  Garden  City.    The  hangers  would  be  converted  into  studios. 

R.  Tcherrasy,  Point  Richmond,  Cal.,  exhibitor,  has  been  named  Commissioner  of  Parks  and  Play- 
grounds of  that  city. 

Equipment  dealers  in  Kansas  City,  Oklahoma  City  and  Dallas  are  forming  an  inter-state  organization 
for  ultimate  affiliation  with  the  M.  P.  Equipment  Dealers  of  America. 

Kansas  City  exhibitors  and  operators  have  reached  an  agreement  regarding  the  wages  scale  and  hours 
for  the  next  year. 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Associated  Advertising  Clubs  Co-operating 
With  Hays  to  Discourage  Frauds 


THAT  Will  Hays,  president  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Dis- 
tributors of  America,  Inc.,  is  de- 
termined to  weed  out  the  fraudulent 
workers  in  the  motion  picture  industry, 
is  shown  in  a  report  issued  by  Lou  E. 
Holland,  president  of  the  Associated 
Advertising  Clubs  of  the  World,  in 
which  he  gives  an  outline  of  the  work 
accomplished  by  his  organization  in  co- 
operation with  the  Hays  office. 

The  National  Vigilance  Committee  is 
a  branch  of  the  National  Advertising 
Clubs  of  the  World  and  it  has  devoted 
its  time  and  energy  to  investigating 
shady  stock  schemes  and  exposing 
fakers. 

The  following  report  is  from 
the  National  Vigilance  Commit- 
tee, which  is  affiliated  with  Mr- 
Holland's  organization : 

The  rapid  development  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  to  its 
present  status  as  one  of  the  larg- 
est in  our  national  life  is  worthy 
of  consideration  by  all  business 
men.  Its  relation  to  the  civic 
activities  of  practically  every  vil- 
lage, town  and  city  is  very  close. 
The  popularity  which  it  has 
achieved  through  its  ability  to  en- 
tertain and  instruct  the  great 
masses  is  outstanding.  All 
classes  of  citizens  are  interested 
in  motion  pictures,  because  their 
appeal  is  universal. 

In  its  commercial  and  financial 
phases,  the  industry  has  been  rec- 
ognized as  a  business  which  has 
come  to  stay.  Its  history  has  many 
analogies  with  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  our  older  industries  which  in 
their  turn  were  improperly  exploited  by 
promoters.  Today,  the  motion  picture 
business,  when  properly  and  efficiently 
conducted  by  experienced  management, 
is  a  safe  and  sane  investment  receiving 
the  support  of  banking  and  other  finan- 
cial institutions. 

TRADING  upon  its  inherent  quali- 
ties and  wide  appeal,  imposters  are 
attempting  to  defraud  the  public 
through  misleading  references  to  the 
success  which  has  accompanied  the 
growth  of  the  industry.  Quite  unwit- 
tingly, the  valued  endorsement  of  va- 
rious Chambers  of  Commerce  through- 
out the  country  has  been  given  to  the 
promoters  of  certain  motion  picture 
enterprises  which  not  only  do  not  de- 
serve such  support,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
should  be  most  heartily  condemned. 

From  time  to  time,  notice  reaches  us 
of  cases  where  the  local  Chamber  of 


Commerce  instead  of  -protecting  its 
community  has  been  placed  in  a  position 
of  embarrassment  upon  the  subsequent 
discovery  that  the  motion  picture  pro- 
motion so  enthusiastically  endorsed  was, 
in  fact,  a  "South  Sea  Bubble." 

There  is  nothing  particularly  new  or 
startling  in  the  statement  that  many 
citizens  have  been  victimized  by  un- 
scrupulous promoters,  but  you  should 
know  of  this  new  and  unwilling  consort 
of  the  promoter — motion  pictures.  This 
great  industry  is  now  receiving  the  un- 
flattering attentions  of  promoters,  pre- 
viously bestowed  upon  the  automobile, 
oil  and  other  older  industries. 

With  the  acceptance  by  Will  H.  Hays 


A COMBINED  effort  is  being  made  by  Will  Hays 
and  the  Advertising  Clubs  of  the  World,  through 
the  National  Vigilance  Committee,  to  stamp  out  frauds 
in  the  picture  industry.  In  the  accompanying  article 
it  is  well  pointed  out  how  susceptible  are  many  sound 
business  men  when  a  promoter  talks  in  glowing  terms 
of  money  to  be  made  and  the  possible  appearance  of 
the  business  man's  daughter  as  a  screen  star. 
The  promoter  has  many  angles  of  approach  and 
usually    unloads    on    an    unsuspecting  community. 

With  the  present  drive  under  way  it  is  quite  likely 
the  shady  salesman  will  be  put  out  of  business  in  this 
field  and  the  industry  will  be  held  in  higher  esteem  by 
the  country  at  large. 

When  the  wildcat  promoters  have  been  smoked  out, 
it  will  give  an  opportunity  for  legitimate  picture  ven- 
tures to  expand  and  proceed  with  the  great  work  of 
producing  pictures. 


of  the  high  executive  position  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.,  the 
public  very  generally  began  to  "clear" 
through  his  office  its  complaints  and 
criticisms  with  regard  to  sharp  prac- 
tices being  employed  by  certain  stock 
promoters,  acting  schools  and  scenario 
schools.  In  order  that  the  best  attention 
and  the  most  expert  handling  of  such 
complaints  might  be  obtained,  Mr.  Hays 
sought  and  obtained  the  services  of  the 
National  Vigilance  Committee  of  the 
Associated  Advertising  Clubs  of  the 
World,  and  the  Better  Business  Bureaus 
in  the  leading  cities  of  the  country, 
which  are  affiliated  with  the  National 
Vigilance  Committee. 

DURING  a  recent  conference  with 
Mr.  Hays,  he  outlined  the  situa- 
tion to  me  as  follows: 

"The  members  of  our  Association," 
said  Mr.  Hays,  "in  common  with  re- 
sponsible leaders  in  the  older  industries, 
are  jealous  of  the  good  name  of  the 


motion  picture  business.  This  Asso- 
ciation's chief  function  is  to  maintain 
the  highest  possible  moral  and  artistic 
standards  in  the  production  of  motion 
pictures.  Coupled  with  our  intention  to 
keep  our  own  house  in  order  is  our  de- 
termination to  bring  to  the  attention  of 
those  primarily  concerned,  such  activi- 
ties which  indicate  a  lack  of  considera- 
tion of  the  best  interests  of  the  public. 

"In  our  wish  to  be  helpful  to  the 
public,  we  naturally  turn  to  those  recog- 
nized agencies  whose  major  activity  is 
that  of  preserving  the  integrity  of  all 
industrial  and  commercial  pursuits  by 
preaching  the  doctrine  of  'Truth  in  Ad- 
vertising.' 

"We  will  pass  on  to  the  Na- 
tional Vigilance  Committee  and 
the  various  Better  Business  Bu- 
reaus those  complaints  which 
come  to  us  for  such  action  as 
they  may  deem  advisable  to  pro- 
tect the  public  along  the  same  . 
lines  that  they  have  successfully 
employed  in  the  many  other  in- 
dustries which  have  suffered 
from  the  activities  of  the  incon- 
siderable minority  which  always 
attach  themselves  like  leeches  to 
every  legitimate  enterprise. 

"The  industry  is  receiving,  in 
increasing  measure,  substantial 
support  from  the  press  in  warn- 
ing the  public  about  frauds,  and 
the  co-operation  of  the  various 
Chambers  of  Commerce  is  desir- 
able and  necessary." 

The  work  of  the  fraudulent 
movie  promoter  is  virtually  standardiz- 
ed in  obtaining  the  support  of  the 
Chambers  of  Commerce.  He  enters  a 
city  and  visits  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens who  has  a  more  or  less  attractive- 
looking  daughter.  He  tells  the  citizen 
that  his  company  is  going  to  make  this 
particular  community  its  home.  The 
climate  is  ideal  and  the  scenery  is  won- 
derful. Local  talent  will  be  used  ex- 
clusively, says  the  promoter. 

WHEN  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
meets  at  its  next  regular  lunch- 
eon, it  is  the  prominent  business  man 
and  member  in  good  standing  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  who  gets  up  and 
proposes  that  the  citizens  back  the  new 
motion  picture  enterprise  which,  he 
says,  "will  bring  untold  wealth,  adver- 
tising, publicity  and  prestige  to  our  fair 
city." 

The  promoter  is  the  guest  of  honor 
and  he  remains  silent  while  the  leading 
local  orators  promote  each  other  on  his 
idea. 


■ 


September  13,  1924 


Page  13 


OTHER  leading  business  men  of  the 
community  have  more  or  less  tal- 
ented sons  and  daughters,  and  even 
wives,  and  it  is  no  great  task  for  the 
fraudulent  movie  promoter  to  unload 
his  worthless  stock  on  an  unsuspecting 
community.  Conditions  are  more  fa- 
vorable to  a  movie  promoter  than  to 
any  other  type  of  fraudulent  stock  sales- 
man. Movie  fans,  especially  women, 
feel  that  they  are  an  integral  part  of  the 
motion  picture  industry.  They  go  fre- 
quently to  see  their  favorite  screen  ac- 
tor or  actress  and  in  this  manner,  to 
their  own  way  of  thinking,  they  become 
a  part  of  the  industry  itself. 

Therefore,  the  fraudulent  promoter 
finds  it  an  easy  task  to  unload  stock  in 
a  company  that  never  intends  to  market 
its  product  and  could  not  market  it 
were  it  capable  of  filming  a  story.  The 
oil  promoter  does  not  have  the  psychol- 
ogy of  a  beautiful  daughter  in  his  favor. 
The  staid  business  man  can  see  no  ro- 
mance in  placing  a  beautiful  daughter 
on  an  oil  derrick,  but  he  does  fall,  and 
falls  hard,  for  the  prospect  of  seeing 
his  daughter  on  the  silver  screen. 

The  three  leading  branches  in  which 
the  majority  of  fraudulent  promotions 
and  advertising  is  being  perpetrated  in 
the  motion  picture  industry  include 
stock  promotions,  scenario  schools  and 
acting  schools. 

In  regard  to  fraudulent  promotions  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  a  producer  who  is 
seeking  funds  to  finance  the  production 
of  a  picture  or  pictures,  cannot  offer  a 
safe  investment  unless  he  can  show  a 
"releasing  contract"  for  his  picture 
when  completed.  Unless  proper  ar- 
rangements for  distribution  of  the  pic- 
ture after  its  completion  have  been 
made,  there  is  small  possibility  of  an  in- 
vestor getting  back  the  cost  of  the  pro- 
duction, to  say  nothing  of  the  prospect 
of  obtaining  a  profit. 

SCENARIO  schools  predicate  the 
selling  of  their  service  on  the 
theory  that  individuals  can  be  taught  to 
write  scenarios  which  will  be  accepted 
by  producers  of  motion  pictures.  For 
this  service  they  charge  from  $25  to 
$150.  Scenario  writing  is  not  depen- 
dent upon  instructions  for  success,  but 
upon  ideas,  intelligence  and  imagina- 
tion. A  scenario  can  be  written  on  r 
cuff.  The  development  of  this  scenario 
by  the  motion  picture  producer  may  be 
a  very  complicated  process,  as  is  the 
case.  There  have  been  isolated  cases 
where  students  of  such  schools  have  had 
their  scenarios  actually  produced,  but 
this  outcome  has  been  brought  about  by 
intense,  study  on  the  part  of  the  student 
and  not  by  the  payment  of  money  to 
the  scenario  school. 

Certain  agencies  which  hold  out  pros- 
pective employment  in  motion  pictures 
to  the  general  public,  state  that  such 
employment  may  be  obtained  by  taking 


the  acting  course  which  they  offer  at  a 
price.  The  producers  have  undertaken 
to  state  that  none  of  these  agencies  has 
any  influence  in  the  matter  of  obtain- 
ing positions  for  their  "students." 

There  is  a  distinct  surplus  of  appli- 
cants for  minor  roles  in  pictures  and 
the  only  way  in  which  employment  can 
be  obtained  is  by  registering  with  the 
casting  director  at  the  various  studios. 
Careful  investigation  by  the  producers 
has  disclosed  the  fact  that  these  schools 
do  not  serve  any  useful  purpose. 

In  handling  these  situations,  it  is  im- 
portant that  local  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce and  similar  citizen-organizations 
co-operate  with  us  and,  further,  keep  in 
close  contact  with  the  newspapers  in 
their  communities.  Newspapers  can  be 
of  great  service  in  confining  their  coi- 
ums  to  the  publication  of  items  and  ad- 
vertisements concerning  propositions 
which  have  stood  the  test  of  investiga- 
tion. 

National  Vigilance  Committee. 


GOTHAM  SALES 

Samuel  Sax,  president  and  general 
manager  of  Lumas  Film  Corporation, 
distributors  of  Gotham  productions,  an- 
nounces the  following  sales  closed  last 
week :  The  entire  series  of  six  Special 
Gotham  Productions  consisting  of  "Un- 
married Wives,"  with  Mildred  Harris 
as  the  star ;  "Black  Lightning,"  "Wom- 
en and  Gold,"  "The  Night  Slfip,"  "You 
Can't  Fool  a  Woman"  and  "Every 
Woman's  Secret,"  to  the  Federated 
Film  Exchange  of  Boston,  Mass.,  for 
New  England. 


'BORDER  RIDER'  FOR 
ESSANAR  FILMS 

Sierra  Pictures  has  closed  a  contract 
with  the  Essanar  Film  Company  to  re- 
lease their  series  of  western  pictures 
starring  Al  Richmond,  directed  by 
Frederick  Reel,  Jr. 

The  first  picture  to  be  released  is 
"The  Border  Rider"  with  Eorraine 
Eason  supporting  Al  Richmond. 


Claire  Windsor,  leading  woman  in  Metro-Goldwyn  productions,  whom  Ernest 
Linnenkamp,  celebrated  European  artist  has  chosen  as  one  of  America's  most 

beautiful  fifteen. 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Author's  League  Names  Judges 
For  Zukor  $10,000  Prize 


T,  HE  Authors'  League  of  America, 
which  was  designated  by  Adolph 
Zukor,  president  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation,  to  select  the 
judges  who  will  name  the  winner  of  the 
$10,000  prize  offered  by  him  "to  the  au- 
thor whose  story  or  play  makes  the  best 
picture,"  has  announced  the  personnel 
of  that  board.    The  members  are : 

Ellis  Parker  Butler,  president  of  the 
Authors'  League  of  America,  Inc. 

Frederick  Roy  Martin,  general  man- 
ager of  the  Associated  Press. 

Edward  Childs  Carpenter,  president 
of  the  American  Dramatists'  Society. 

Charles  Dana  Gibson,  famous  Amer- 
ican artist. 

Elmer  Rice,  playwright  and  scenario 
writer. 

Mary  Roberts  Rinehart,  novelist. 

Allan  Dwan,  motion  picture  director. 

Robert  E.  Sherwood,  motion  picture 
reviewer. 

George  Barr  Baker,  who  was  chair- 
man of  the  International  Congress  of 
Motion  Picture  Arts  held  last  summer. 

This  offer  by  Mr.  Zukor  of  a  $10,000 
annual  prize  was  announced  at  the  first 
International  Congress,  which  was  held 
at  the  Waldorf  Astoria  Hotel  in  New 
York  in  June  of  last  year.    The  offer 


Adolph  Zukor,  head  of  Famous-Players- 
Lasky  Corp.,  who  offered  the  $10,000 
prize    for    the    best    filmable  story. 


was  made  through  the  Authors'  League, 
under  the  auspices  of  which  the  Con- 
gress was  held,  and  the  prize  will  be 
awarded  "to  the  author,  either  Amer- 
ican or  foreign,  whose  story  or  play 
makes  the  best  picture  to  be  produced 
upon  the  screen  and  puLlicly  exhibited 


In  Famous  Players-Lasky  production  of  "Feet  of  Clay"  Rod  La  Rocque  is  given  an 
opportunity  to  express    his   real    ability.    The    supporting   players    are  "all-star." 


in  a  theatre  during  the  year  beginning 
September  1,  1923." 

In  requesting  the  Authors'  League  to 
select  the  judges,  Mr.  Zukor  suggested 
that  the  board  include  the  president  of 
the  Authors'  League,  a  newspaper  edi- 
tor, a  novelist,  a  dramatist  and  a  mo- 
tion picture  producer. 

The  first  year  ended  August  1,  1924. 
To  give  the  jury  time  to  judge  the  pic- 
tures and  select  the  winner,  it  is  an- 
nounced by  the  Authors'  League  that 
the  award  will  be  made  during  the 
Christmas  holidays. 

Following  are  the  rules  formulated 
by  the  Authors'  League  of  America  for 
the  guidance  of  the  judges : 

First :  The  term  "author"  shall  ap- 
ply to  the  person  or  persons  so  desig- 
nated in  the  main  title  of  the  positive 
print  of  the  motion  picture  production. 

Second  :  The  author  must  have  been 
alive  when  the  filming  of  the  story  was 
begun. 

Third :  The  production  must  have 
been  made  by  an  American  company. 

Fourth  :  The  committee  of  award  in 
judging  exhibited  films  will  consider  as 
its  standard  the  effectiveness  of  the  pic- 
tures as  public  entertainment. 

An  indication  of  the  interest  which 
has  been  aroused  by  this  contest  is  given 
by  the  flood  of  letters  already  received. 
Thousands  have  been  sent  in  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  and  scores  of  pic- 
tures have  been  nominated. 

*    #  ■  # 

MONTREAL  MUSICIANS 
WILL  STRIKE 

The  exhibitors  of  Montreal,  Quebec, 
and  the  members  of  Musicians  Protec- 
tive Association,  Local  406,  are  in  dif- 
ficulties over  a  disagreement  with  re- 
gard to  wages  and  other  conditions  for 
the  ensuing  year,  the  musicians  having 
flatly  turned  down  the  offer  of  the 
managers  for  the  renewal  of  the  past 
year's  agreement,  with  some  slight 
changes  and  calling  a  strike  of  all  or- 
chestras in  the  city. 

A  final  meeting  of  the  Montreal  The- 
atre Managers  Association  with  the 
musicians  was  held  August  28  but  the 
two  sides  failed  to  reach  a  settlement, 
although  the  managers  offered  a  small 
increase  to  those  employed  in  theatres 
which  do  not  operate  regularly 
throughout  the  52  weeks  of  the  year. 
The  musicians,  it  was  announced,  had 
demanded  general  increases  of  from  25 
to  30  percent  more  and  these  were  not 
considered  by  the  managers.  Spokes- 
man for  the  managers  was  B.  M.  Gar- 
field, secretary  of  the  Montreal  Theatre 
Managers  Association. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Projection  Ma- 
chine Operators  of  Montreal  came  to 
terms  on  the  basis  of  last  year's  agree- 
ment, with  advances  in  pay  being  ar- 
ranged for  operators  who  are  employed 
in  small  theatres. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  15 


Pathe  Review  Announces 
Change  In  Policy 


STARTING  with  the  release  on  Oc- 
tober 5  of  issue  No.  40  Pathe  Re- 
view will  inaugurate  a  policy  of 
unusual  interest  to  every  exhibitor  and 
theatre  manager  of  the  country.  During 
the  five  years  of  its  existence  Pathe  Re- 
view has  established  a  reputation  as  a 
composite  reel  of  diversified  entertain- 
ment admirably  suited  to  "rounding 
out"  the  theatre  program. 

The  producers  of  Pathe  Review  have 
consistently  pursued  the  policy  of  mak- 
ing the  reel  a  medium  of  entertainment 
in  which  variety  was  the  principal  in- 
gredient. Every  element  in  the  average 
audience  has  been  kept  in  mind  and  the 
appeal  so  diversified  that  no  portion  of 
an  audience  would  be  unsatisfied.  Hu- 
man-interest subjects,  science,  inven- 
tion, industry,  the  home,  the  field  of 
sport  and  adventures — all  have  been 
amply  provided  for  in  the  Pathe  Re- 
view and  in  so  interesting  and  enter- 
taining a  way  as  to  win  for  this  reel 
the  name  of  "the  Leading  Screen  Maga- 
zine." 

While  retaining  this  quality  of  va- 
riety, Pathe  Review,  under  the  newly 
adopted  policy,  will  take  on  an  individ- 
uality and  feature  quality  in  each  of  its 
issues  heretofore  missing.  This  is  to  be 
accomplished  by  incorporating  in  suc- 
cessive issues  of  Pathe  Review  feature 
subjects.  These  feature  subjects  aggre- 
gating in  most  instances  two  and  three 
thousand  feet  will  be  so  divided  as  to 
admit  of  insertion  as  serial  instalments 
in  successive  numbers  of  the  Review. 
Thus  a  wide  range  of  highly  interesting 
feature  subjects  will  be  covered  com- 
pletely and  comprehensively  instead  of 


being  dismissed  with  a  brief  presenta- 
tion of  a  few  hundred  feet.  Accom- 
panying each  instalment  of  the  feature 
series  will  be  two  or  three  other  sub- 
jects as  heretofore.  The  new  policy 
retains  in  composite  form  all  the  diver- 
sity of  interest  marking  the  Pathe  Re- 
view formerly  but  lays  special  stress  in 
both  quality  and  length  on  one  of  the 
subjects  presented  in  each  issue. 

The  program  of  releases  has  been  ar- 
ranged so  ■  as  to  provide  the  exhibitor 
with  a  different  feature  series  each  week 
over  a  period  of  a  month.  Under  this 
arrangement  the  first  instalments  of 
four  different  feature  series  will  be 
made  available  during  the  month  of  Oc- 
tober. The  second  chapters  of  each  of 
the  same  four  feature  series  will  be  re- 
leased during  November,  this  plan  of 
release  being  continued  until  each  of  the 
initial  feature  series  is  completed,  when 
new  features  will  be  entered  on  the  pro- 
gram. It  is  planned  in  this  way  to  give 
the  exhibitor  a  variety  of  feature  sub- 
jects to  select  from  in  the  course  of  a 
single  month's  time,  with  succeeding 
numbers  of  each  feature  series  coming 
frequently  enough  on  the  release  pro- 
gram to  sustain  interest. 

LOEW  OUT  OF  OTTAWA 
AMUSEMENT  FIELD 

During  the  night  of  September  1, 
Loew's  Ottawa  Theatre  at  Ottawa,  On- 
tario, became  Keith's  Theatre,  this 
marking  the  change  in  the  control  of 
the  big  Canadian  house  with  Joseph  M. 
Franklin,  of  Ottawa,  as  the  new  direct- 
ing head. 


The  first  film  production  to  be  pre- 
sented under  Keith  auspices  was  the 
Universal  special,  "The  Rose  of  Paris," 
with  Mary  Philbin,  this  having  been  se- 
lected by  Manager  Franklin  for  the  oc- 
casion. Incidentally,  the  price  scale  for 
the  Keith  Theatre  has  been  raised  10 
cents,  the  new  night  price  being  6*0 
cents.  The  programme  includes  a  film 
feature,  news  weekly,  comedy  and  six 
acts  of  vaudeville,  three  shows  being 
presented  daily. 

The  acquiring  of  the  Ottawa  house 
marked  the  first  big  expansion  of  the 
Keith  chain  of  theatres  in  Canada  under 
the  auspices  of  the  new  B.  F.  Keith 
Company  of  Canada,  Limited,  with 
headquarters  in  Montreal.  Clark  Brown 
of  Keith's  New  York  headquarters  at- 
tended the  opening  on  Labor  Day. 

*  *  * 

MISS  LA  MOTTE  SIGNS 
WITH  VITAGRAPH 

Margurite  de  la  Motte,  who  proved 
her  charm  and  ability  in  "Behold  This 
Woman"  and  who  has  just  finished  her 
work  as  the  feminine  lead  in  "The 
Clean  Heart"  has  been  engaged  as  the 
star  of  Vitagraph's  December  release, 
"The  Beloved  Brute." 

The  wide  diversity  of  the  roles  por- 
trayed in  each  of  these  three  entirely 
dissimilar  stories  proves  the  versatility 
and  ability  of  this  charming  young 
woman.  In  "Behold  This  Woman"  her 
role  is  that  of  a  modern  snappy  little 
flapper.  As  Essie  Bickers  in  the 
Hutchinson  story,  "The  Clean  Heart," 
she  is  a  sweet,  credulous,  innocent 
country  lass  who  falls  in  love  with 
Wriford,  the  editor  turned  teacher  and 
who  sacrifices  herself  for  love  of  him. 

*  *  * 

BARTHELMESS  PICTURES 
FOR  FIRST  NATIONAL 

First  National  last  week  signed  a  new 
contract  with  Richard  Barthelmess,  fol- 
lowing the  renewal  of  his  contract  with 
Inspiration  Pictures  for  a  term  of  years, 
by  which  it  obtains  for  distribution  ad- 
ditional Barthelmess  pictures. 

First  National's  former  arrangement 
with  the  actor  called  for  the  delivery  of 
three  pictures.  Under  the  terms  of  the 
new  contract  additional  future  pictures 
which  he  makes  for  Inspiration  will  be 
handled  by  First  National. 

Barthelmess  is  now  working  on 
"Classmates,"  William  DeMille's  stage 
play  which  was  a  tremendous  hit. 

*  *  * 

BROWNELL  RETURNS 

John  Brownell,  Eastern  scenario 
chief  of  F.  B.  O.,  has  returned  to  his 
desk  after  a  two  months  sojourn  at  the 
Coast,  where  he  conferred  with  B.  F. 
Fineman,  F.  B.  O.  production  manager, 
and  Edward  Montaigne,  Western  scen- 
ario chief,  regarding  F.  B.  O.'s  output 
for  the  fall  and  winter  season. 


During  the  "Better  Movie  Season"  parade  in  Los  Angeles,  Associated  Exhibitors 
"Never  Say  Die"  outfit  took  pictures  along  the  line  of  march  and  showed  them  later 
in  connection  with  the  local  presentation  of  Douglas  MacLean's  great  comedy. 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Dick  Hatton  and  Marilyn  Mills  are  seen  in  one  of  the  tense  moments  of  "H.orse 
Sense,"  with  the  trained  horses  Beverly  and  Star,  in  one  of  Arrow's  great  westerns. 

Warner  To  Complete  1924-5 
Schedule  By  February 


CHADWICK  ANNOUNCES 
CLOSING  OF  TERRITORY 

Coincident  with  the  return  to  the 
home  office  of  I.  E.  Chadwick,  Presi- 
dent of  Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation 
this  week,  announcement  is  made  by 
that  organization  that  it  has  placed  its 
product  through  Independent  Ex- 
changes for  the  entire  territory  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada, — one  of  the 
most  remarkable  records  of  an  indepen- 
dent producing  and  distributing  organ- 
ization in  years. 

Mr.  Chadwick  has  been  away  for  five 
weeks  during  which  time  he  visited 
many  important  territories  besides 
spending  some  time  on  the  coast  active- 
ly supervising  production  of  his  various 
units  and  upon  the  occasion  of  his  re- 
turn to  the  New  York  office,  announced 
that  his  company  had  closed  for  the 
distribution  of  the  Chadwick  Nine  in 
the  entire  territory. 

Contracts  were  closed  during  Mr. 
Chadwick's  trip  with  Oscar  Oldknow 
of  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  for  the  entire  southern  territory 
consisting  of  eleven  southern  states. 
The  Southern  States  Film  Co.  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best  known  indepen- 
dent organizations  in  the  south  and  be- 
sides their  home  office  in  Atlanta,  main- 
tain exchanges  in  Dallas,  Texas  and 
New  Orleans,  La. ;  Liberty  Films  Inc., 
1514  Davenport  St.,  Omaha,  Nebraska, 
secured  the  Chadwick  Nine  for  Iowa 
and  Nebraska,  while  Columbia  Pictures 
Corporation,  3317  Olive  St.,  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  acquired  the  rights  to  Chadwick 
pictures  in  Southern  Illinois  and  Eas- 
tern Missouri ;  the  Western  Film  Ex- 
change of  2014  Third  Ave.,  Seattle, 
Washington,  secured  the  Chadwick 
Product  for  Washington,  Oregon, 
Northern  Idaho  and  Montana,  while 
Independent  Films  Co.,  117  West  17th 
St.,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  closed  for  West- 
ern Missouri  and  Kansas. 


Alma  Rubens  and  Frank  Mayo,  in  a  scene 
from    Associated    Exhibitors  production 
"The  Lawful  Cheater." 


OF  especial  interest  to  the  trade  for 
the  past  ninety  days  have  been  the 
unusual  activities  on  the  Warner 
Brothers  lot  in  Hollywood.  With  three 
and  sometimes  four  companies  working 
at  the  same  time  each  week  recently  has 
brought  the  announcement  that  another 
production  has  been  finished.  And  still 
the  work  goes  merrily  on. 

Not  a  little  of  the  "high  speed"  has 
been  expended  on  the  completion  of  trie 
last  four  or  five  pictures  on  the  1923-24 
schedule,  including  "How  to  Educate  a 
Wife,"  "Being  Respectable,"  "Corner- 
ed," "Lover's  Lane,"  and  "The  Tenth 
Woman."  But  even  more  important  is 
the  -  progress  which  has  been  made  on 
the  productions  scheduled  for  1924-25. 

H.  M.  Warner,  who  is  personally  in 
charge  of  production  at  the  Coast,  is 
responsible  for  the  statement  that  by 
February  all  of  the  twenty  productions 
planned  for  1924-25  will  have  been  com- 
pleted and  prints  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  various  distributors  throughout  the 
country.  "Our  big  push— as  big  as  is 
possible  without  sacrificing  our  high 
standards  of  excellence  in  production," 
he  says,  "is  in  accordance  with  a  deter- 
mined pFn  we  have  made  which  will  be 
of  great  benefit  to  our  distributors  and 
the  .exhibitors  they  serve  in  the  future. 
About  the  first  of  the  year  I  expect  to 
be  in  New  York  in  conference  with  my 
associates  in  the  business  with  the  1924- 
25  stuff  pretty  well  behind  me  and  a 
mind  clear  for  the  consideration  of  what 
we  will  do  in  1925-26.    When  I  leave 


New  York  after  that  visit  it  is  our  in- 
tention to  have  these  newer  plans  defin- 
itely formulated  and  immediately  upon 
the  completion  of  our  1924-25  pictures 
in  February  we  will  get  under  way  with 
1925-26  productions.  This  will  mean 
that  a  half  a  dozen  or  more  pictures  for 
'25-26  will  probably  be  ready  for  ex- 
hibition before  we  even  make  any  gen- 
eral announcement  of  what  we  are  do- 
ing. 

It  has  been  the  life-dream  of  every 

producing  and  distributing  company  to 

get  well  ahead  on  production.  Warner 

Brothers  have  formulated  a  definite  and 

precise  plan  which  will  put  this  prize  in 

their  grasp — and  their  unusual  activities 

recently  would  seem    to  indicate  that 

they  are  going  to  make  the  grade. 
*    *  * 

ROBBERS  GET  CASH 
AND  JEWELS 

Three  robbers  escaped  with  $1000  in 
cash  and  a  diamond  valued  at  $900  fol- 
lowing a  daring  hold-up  of  the  Tivoli 
Theatre,  6340  Delmar  boulevard,  Uni- 
versity City,  Mo.,  on  Monday,  Au- 
gust 25. 

A  short  time  after  the  robbery  Detec- 
tive Lieutenant  William  Murphy  of  St. 
Louis  and  his  squad  arrested  Percy 
Fitzgerald,  30  years,  4011  Delmar 
boulevard,  St.  Louis,  who  later  was 
identified  as  the  driver  of  the  car  in 
which  the  robbers  made  their  getaway. 
When  arrested  Fitzgerald  had  451  in 
$20,  $10  and  $1  bills. 


September  13,  1924 

Universal  Winners 

Leaders  in  Sales  Competition 
To  See  Dempsey  Fight 

About  three  months  ago  Carl  Laem- 
mle,  president  of  Universal  announced 
that  the  Universal  salesman  in  each  di- 
vision who  did  the  best  work  during  the 
following  three  months  would  get  a  trip 
to  New  York  rnd  a  ring-side  seat  at 
the  Dempsey-Firpo  or  Dempsey- Wills 
prize  fight. 

The  three  month's  time  limit  was  up 
recently  and  the  winning  men  have 
been  selected.    Here  they  are : 

Division  No.  1 — S.  Liggett,  of  the 
New  York  Exchange. 

Division  No.  2 — V.  Bended,  of  the 
Albany  Exchange. 

Division  No.  3 — S.  Wittman,  of  the 
Philadelphia  Exchange. 

Division  No.  4 — D.  C.  Stearns,  of  the 
Cleveland  Exchange. 

Division.  No.  5 — R.  Winnig,  of  the 
Milwaukee  Exchange. 

Division  No.  6--L.  Goldhammer,  of 
the  St.  Louis  Exchange. 


Bebe  Daniels  and  Richard  Dix  are  seen 
in  a  scene  from  Famous  Players- Lasky 
Corp.'s  production,  "Sinners  in  Heaven." 

Division  No.  7 — Cic  Maurin,  of  the 
New  Orleans  Exchange. 

Division  No.  8 — H.  C.  Simpson,  of 
the  Jacksonville  Exchange. 

Division  No.  9 — R.  Cadman,  of  the 
Los  Angeles  Exchange. 

Division  No.  10 — H.  N.  Hooper,  of 
the  Montreal  Exchange. 

The  offer  of  a  trip  to  New  York  and 
to  the  prize  fight  was  also  extended 
to  the  th-ee  men  who  could  roll  up  the 
biggest  percentage  on  the  Jack  Demp 
sey  "Fight  and  Win"  series  and  on 
Universal  serials.  Here  are  the  win- 
ners of  this  competition  : 

First — H.  N.  Hooper  of  the  Montreal 
Exchange. 

Second — L.  T.  Britton  of  the  New 
Haven  Exchange. 

Third — W.  F.  LaSance  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Exchange. 

In  addition  to  the  fight  trip,  Hooper 


Colleen  Moore,  star  in  First  National  pro- 
ductions, soon  to  appear  in  "Sundown" 
snapped     in     an     embarassing  position. 

will  get  a  bonus  of  $100  and  a  gold 
watch  inscribed  by  Mr.  Lae.nmle.  Brit- 
ton will  get  a  similar  watch  and  La- 
Sance will  get  a  bonus  of  $50. 

PARAMOUNT  OPENS  NEW 
OFFICE  IN  HOLLAND 

The  opening  of  a  new  Paramount 
exchange  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  on 
September  1,  is  announced  by  Josep'i 
H.  Seidelman,  assistant  manager  of  the 
foreign  department  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation. 

M.  Pezzaro,  formerly  connected  with 
the  Paramount  exchange  at  Brussels, 
will  be  manager  of  the  new  office,  which 
will  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Adolphe  Osso  of  Paris,  general  man- 
ager of  the  company's  French  organi- 
zation. 

^  5|s 

RAYART'S  FIRST 

Rayart  Pictures  Corporation  this 
week  announces  the  completion  of  the 
first  of  a  series  of  special  productions 
for  distribution  on  the  Independent 
market,  the  first  release  being  "The 
Street  of  Tears,"  a  six-reel  production 
directed  by  Travers  Vale  with  a  sup- 
porting cast  including  Tom  Santschi, 
Marguerite  Clayton,  Barbara  Tennant, 
Gordon  Griffith  and  George  MacQuar- 
rie. 

This. is  the  first  of  four  productions 
to  be  distributed  every  three  months 
through  the  Rayart  offices. 


Page  17 

Record  Month 

August  Bookings  for  First 
National  Bring  Optimism 

First  National  officials  are  anticipat- 
;ng  one  of  the  most  prosperous  years 
in  the  history  of  the  film  industry.  They 
base  their  optimism  upon  the  volume 
of  bookings  which  have  been  pouring 
into  its  office  during  late  July  and  all 
of  August,  the  greatest,  for  the  time 
of  the  year,  in  the  company's  history. 

"Exhibitors  recognize  the  high  qual- 
ity of  recent  First  National  pictures," 
said  E.  A.  Eschmann,  General  Mana- 
ger of  Production,  in  commenting  on 
the  volume  of  summer  bookings,  "and 
all  of  them  are  holding  time  for  our 
product.  Our  offices  are  swamped  by 
the  bookings  pouring  in.  The  volume 
of  business  is  considerably  in  excess  of 
that  at  this  time  of  year  for  any  other 
season  in  the  history  of  First  National. 

"Sizing  up  the  situation  as  it  is  de- 
veloping in  the  booking  situation  in  our 
own  offices,  the  coming  season  is  going 
to  be  a  highly  prosperous  one — the  most 
prosperous  of  any.  Our  list  of  Specials, 
such  as  'The  Sea  Hawk,'  'Secrets'  and 
'Abraham  Lincoln,'  have  been  exten- 
sively booked,  and  new  contracts  are 
coming  in  at  a  rapid  rate. 

"Bookings  on  the  rest  of  our  product, 
designated  ,by;  us  as  Pace  Makers,  be- 
cause of  our  confidence  that  their  qual- 
ity will  set  the  pace  for  the  industry 
for  the  comings  year,  are  also  greatly 
in  excess  of  previous  summers,  and  in- 
creasing in  volume  daily. 

*    *  * 

TAX  STILL  ON 

At  the  'general  election  held  in  South 
Carolina,  no  action  was  taken  to  re- 
move the  10  percent  tax  imposed  by 
the  State.  The  exhibitors  are  now  lin- 
ing up  for  a  battle  at  the  first  general- 
assembly  to  have  the  measure  repealed 
and  many  legislators  are  with  the  ex- 
hibitors in  the  movement. 


Dagmar  Godowsky  and  Edwin  Carewe,  in 
Asso.  Exhibitor's  "The  Price  of  a  Party." 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 
HIT  BY  DEPRESSION 

Financial  ruin  is  faced  by  many  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  owners  in  Southern 
Illinois.  Many  houses  have  already 
closed  down — about  one-third  of  the 
260  houses  in  the  coal  fields  adjacent  to 
St.  Louis  are  dark — others  are  playing 
but  part  time,  one,  two  or  three  nights 
a  week. 

For  weeks  and  months  the  large 
mines  of  that  territory  have  been  closed 
completely  or  working  but  part  time. 
Thousands  of  miners  have  left  the  dis- 
trict to  work  in  other  fields  or  in  dif- 
ferent lines  of  work. 

The  miners  who  have  remained 
haven't  seen  any  real  money  since  early 
last  spring.  They  have  been  living  on 
credit  at  the  corner  store  and  by  rais- 
ing vegetables  and  chickens  for  their 
table  use,  and  have  no  surplus  cash  to 
visit  picture  shows. 

Banks  of  that  section  have  extended 
all  the  credit  possible  to  merchants  who 
are  loaded  down  with  I.  O.  U.'s  of  the 
idle  miners.  Picture  houses  built  to 
seat  20C0  and  more  persons  play  to  50 
or  100  per  night.  Not  enough  to  pay 
the  help  without  considering  invest- 
ment, etc. 

Will  Hays  or  someone  is  needed  to 
solve  the  problems  of  the  exhibitors  of 
the  territory.  The  general  depression 
in  the  coal  fields  has  naturally  had  its 
effect  on  the  business  of  the  various 
exchanges  in  St.  Louis.  You  can't  cut 
off  one  hundred  theatres  from  a  terri- 
tory without  feeling  the  effects. 

*    *  * 

F.  B.  O.  OPENS  OFFICES 
ON  CONTINENT 

Fdna  Williams,  foreign  sales  man- 
ager of  F.  B.  O.,  was  sent  abroad  by 
the  organization  early  in  May  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  survey  of  condi- 
tions affecting  the  industry  in  the  va- 
rious foreign  countries.  After  a  short 
stay  in  London,  she  proceeded  to  the 
Continent,  where,   after  an  extensive 


Elinor  Glynn  takes  more  than  a  passing 
interest  in  the  filming  of  the  Metro  pro- 
duction of  her  successful  novel  "His  Hour." 


study  of  foreign  film  conditions,  she 
realized  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  open- 
ing permanent  offices  in  the  more  im- 
portant film  centers. 

She  made  Paris  her  headquarters, 
and  is  at  present  arranging  for  opening 
an  office  in  that  city,  which  will  take 
care  of  F.  B.  O.  sales  in  Southern  and 
Eastern  Europe,  as  well  as  in  Asia 
Minor.  After  the  completion  of  her 
work  in  France,  Miss  Williams  plans 
to  go  to  Berlin,  where  another  office 
will  be  opened  to  take  care  of  the  entire 
Central  European  territory,  including 
Russia,  which  is  beginning  to  open  up 
at  this  point. 

*    *  * 

SEPTEMBER  RELEASES 
FOR  PROD.  DIST.  CORP. 

Four  widely  different  subjects  will 
be  released  this  month  by  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation.  Two  of  these 
will  be  Regal  Pictures  productions  from 
the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studio.  One  is  a 
Tilford  Cinema  Corporation  subject 
produced  at  Miami,  Florida,  and  one 
is  a  Frank  Woods  production  from  the 
Peninsula  studios  in  San  Francisco. 

First  on  the  list  of  September  re- 
leases is  "Ramshackle  House"  starring 
Betty  Compson. 

"Barbara  Frietchie,"  starring  Flor- 
ence Vidor  and  Emund  Lowe  is  the 
second  September  release.  This  is  a 
lavish  picturization  of  Clyde  Fitch's 
famous  stage  success  produced  by  Regal 
Pictures,  Inc. 

"Chalk  Marks,"  the  picturization  of 
Frank  Woods'  life-long  study  of  hu- 
manity is  scheduled  for  release  on  Sep- 
tember 14. 


The  first  of  the  Jacqueline  Logan 
features,  "The  House  of  Youth,"  will 
be  released  on  September  28. 

*    *  * 

'SPEED  SPOOK'  CLOSES 
MORE  TERRITORY 

The  latest  sale  on  "The  Speed 
Spook,"  Johnny  Hines'  latest  feature  is 
to  Ludwig  Film  Exchanges,  Film  Build- 
ing, Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  for  the 
Wisconsin  territory,  according  to  C.  C. 
Burr.  This  sale  was  consummated  by 
Sales  Manager  W.  Wilkerson,  who  is 
making  a  trip  around  the  country  in 
behalf  of  "The  Speed  Spook"  and  the 
two  other  Johnny  Hines  features,  "The 
Early  Bird"  and  "The  Crackerjack." 
This  sale  brings  the  total  territory  sold 
close  to  the  high-water  mark,  and  it  is 
C.  C.  Burr's  opinion  that  within  the 
next  two  weeks  all  of  the  remaining  ter- 
ritories will  be  closed. 


Director  Harry  Beaumont  r'hearses  a 
scene  for  Warner  Bros.'  "Babbitt,"  and 
Raymond  McKee  receives  special  orders. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  19 


Principal  Is  Busy 

Sol  Lesser  On  Coast  Speeding 
Production  of  Features 

SOL  LESSER,  president  of  Prin- 
cipal Pictures  Corporation,  is 
looking  for  stories  with  big  dramatic 
power,  a  strong,  sweet  love  interest  and 
comedy  devoid  of  any  suggestion  of 
vulgarity.  He  made  this  known  before 
the  opening  of  the  semi-annual  meet- 
ing of  Principal  Pictures  Corporation 
at  the  Principal  studios,  7250  Santa 
Monica  boulevard,  this  week.  His  ideas 
are  backed  up  by  his  brother,  Irving 
M.  Lesser,  vice  president  of  Principal, 
and  M.  J.  Rosenberg,  secretary  of  the 
organization. 

Irving  Lesser  went  to  the  Coast 
especially  to  attend  the  semi-annual 
meeting,  at  which  Principal's  pro- 
gramme for  the  next  six  months  will 
be  mapped  out. 

"Our  programme  for  the  1924-25 
season  has  shown  that  we  were  right  in 
our  judgment  of  that  season,"  said  Sol 
Lesser.  "Principal's  'When  A  Man's 
A  Man,'  released  by  First  National, 
has  been  one  of  the  big  successes  of 
the  year.  Then  came  Baby  Peggy  in 
'Captain  January,'  which  is  doing  a 
more  than  satisfactory  business  every- 
where. Besides  these  we  have  a  group 
of  pictures  known  as  Principal's  Big 
Six,  which  have  scored  heavily  every- 
where. These  productions  are  'Listen 
Lester,'  from  John  Cort's  famous  stage 
success ;  'Daring  Youth,'  starring  Bebe 
Daniels;  Daughters  of  Pleasure,'  star- 
ring Marie  Prevost  and  Monte  Blue  ; 
'The  Good  Bad  Boy,'  'The  Masked 
Dancer,'  with  Helene  Chadwick  and 
Lowell  Sherman  and  'Girls  Men  For- 
get/ with  Patsy  Ruth  Miller,  Johnny 
Walker  and  an  exceptional  cast. 

"Principal's    next  great  production 


Larry  Semon  does  some  excellent  clown- 
ing in  his  first  feature  length  comedy, 
"The  Girl  in  the  Limousine"  for  Firs.  Nat  1. 


will  be  Harold  Bell  Wright's  'The 
Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,'  one  of  the 
world's  best  sellers.  That  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  Wright's  'The  Re-Creation 
of  Bryan  Kent." 

*    *  *■ 

'PRICE  OF  A  PARTY' 
FOR  SEPTEMBER 

■  Associated  Exhibitors  announces  this 
week  that  the  third  week  in  September 
has  been  set  for  the  release  of  the 
Howard  Estabrook  production  "The 
Price  Of  A  Party." 

The  story  is  from  the  pen  of  Wil- 
liam McHarg  and  appeared  in  the  Cos- 
mopolitan Magazine.  At  the  time  of 
its  publication  it  was  heralded  as  one 
of  the  !  est  fiction  stories  of  the  year. 
In  keeping  with  the  class  of  the  story 
Director  Charles  Giblyn  surrounded 
himself  with  a  cast  of  names  that 
sounds  like  "Who's  Who  In  Filmdon." 


Eastman  Week 

Second  Anniversary  of  Magnifi- 
cent Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Theatre 

HP  HE  Eastman  Theatre,  Rochester, 
-■-  N.  Y.,  is  celebrating  its  second  an- 
niversary this  week  with  the  presenta- 
tion of  "The  Covered  Wagon,"  shown 
first  run  at  regular  motion  picture 
prices. 

Since  the  doors  of  the  Eastman  were 
opened  two  years  ago  nearly  4,000,000 
people  have  attended  its  performances, 
which  include  six  days  each  week  of 
motion  pictures  and  one  day  of  con- 
cert. The  Eastman  Theatre  orchestra 
of  68  musicians  has  given  a  great  stim- 
ulus to  musical  interest  in  the  city  and 
is  rapidly  building  up  a  big  public  for 
the  symphony  concerts  which  are  given 
in  the  fall,  winter  and  spring.  The 
theatre  orchestra  is  the  nucleus  of  the 
Rochester  Philharmonic  Orchestra, 
which  gives  these  concerts  and  which 
made  such  a  fine  impression  when  it 
was  heard  at  Carnegie  Hall  last  April. 

An  interesting  demonstration  of  pub- 
lic taste  in  pictures,  at  least  in  Roch- 
ester, is  furnished  by  the  report  of  the 
ten  best-drawing  pictures,  only  one  of 
which,  "Black  Oxen,"  could  be  char- 
acterized as  a  sex  picture. 

The  ten  most  popular  pictures,  in 
their  order  follow :  Harold  Lloyd  in 
"Why  Worry" ;  Jackie  Coogan  in  "The 
Boy  of  Flanders"  ;  "The  Hunchback  of 
Notre  Dame";  "The  Eternal  City"; 
Harold  Lloyd  in  "Girl  Shy";  Lillian 
Gish  in  "The  White  Sister;"  Corrinne 
Griffith  in  "Black  Oxen" ;  Norma  Tal- 
madge  in  "The  Song  of  Love"  ;  Ramon 
Novarro  in  "Scaramouche"  with  Mary 
Pickford  in  "Rosita"  and  Gloria  Swan- 
son  in  "Bluebeard's  Eighth  Wife" 
dividing  honors  for  the  tenth  position. 


I 


Harold  Bell  Wright's  fine  romance  of  adventure,  "The 
Mine  With  the  Iron  Door"  has  been  filmed  by  Prin- 
cipal Pictures.  Dorothy  Mackaill  plays  the  heroine  role. 


Sam  Woods  has  taken  such  infinite  pains  with  his  production 
of  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,"  that  we  must  concede  his 
true  genius.    Pat  O'Malley  and  Dorothy  Mackaill  are  starred. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


On  the  lot  at  Universal  City,  Carl  Laemmle,  Fred  Nixon-Nirdlinger  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  Mrs.  Mastbaum,  mother  of  Jules  Mastbaum,  of  the  Stanley  Circuit. 


Pag  20 

FAMOUS  TITLES  UNDER 

SELZNICK  BANNER 

THE  Selznick  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion announced  that  for  the  season 
of  1924-1925,  it  would  have  on  its  list 
at  least  twenty-six  feature  releases, 
and  indications  pointed  to  an  even  lar- 
ger number. 

These  features,  it  was  stated,  are  to 
be  released  in  the  order  of  their  com- 
pletion, following  the  policy  of  the  or- 
ganization that  no  production,  however 
pretentious  or  elaborate  it  is,  shall  be 
held  back  from  regular  release  through 
the  regular  film  channels,  but  shall  be 
offered  at  once  to  the  exhibitor. 

Among  the  releases  listed  are :  "The 
Passionate  Adventure,"  starring  Alice 
Joyce,  supported  by  Marjorie  Daw  and 
Clive  Brook,  a  finished  print  of  which 
has  just  arrived  from  England,  where 
it  was  made  under  personal  super- 
vision of  Myron  Selznick.  It  is  a 
Gainsborough  Picture,  directed  by 
Graham  Cutts. 

"The  Greatest  Love  of  All,"  also  in- 
cluded in  the  Selznick  releases,  is  a 
starring  vehicle  for  George  Beban,  who 
does  some  extraordinary  sympathetic 
acting  in  it. 

"The  Bowery  Bishop,"  a  Rellimeo 
Production,  stars  Henry  B.  Walthall, 
supported  by  Edith  Roberts,  in  a  vivid 


W.  F.  Clarke,  of  Cranfield  and  Clarke, 
who  have  just  taken  over  distribution 
of    Hepwcrth's    productions   in  America. 

melodrama,  made  under  the  super- 
vision of  Grace  Sanderson  Michie. 

"Passions  of  the  North,"  which  has 
just  been  acquired  for  Selznick  release, 
is  an  out-of-the-ordinary  picture  in 
more  respects  than  one.  It  was  ac- 
tually filmed  under  conditions  of  ex- 
treme hardship  and  danger,  on  the 
bleak  Tibetan  plateau,  within  a  short 
distance  of  Mt.  Everest,  highest  peak 
in  the  world,  where  a  party  of  explor- 
ers recently  lost  their  lives.  It  is  a 
drama  of  elemental  emotions,  with 
thrilling  snow  and  storm  scenes,  and 


rare  shots  of  wolf  packs  on  the  hunt 
and  wild  horses  of  the  region. 

Captain  Hank  Butler's  vivid  picturi- 
zation  of  "The  World  Struggle  for 
Oil"  is  also  listed  for  release  shortly. 
This  picture,  which  was  shown  in  a 
pre-release  engagement  at  the  Cameo 
Theatre,  was  given  lavish  praise  by  the 
daily  newspaper  critics  as  real  drama 
and  romance,  far  outdistancing  the  fic- 
tionized  efforts  of  many  scenarists. 

"The  Passionate  Adventure,"  which 
has  just  been  seen  by  Selznick  official 
in  its  completed  form,  is  said  to  come 
up  fully  to  all  expectations  as  to  stcry. 
acting  and  direction.  Alice  Joyce,  in 
her  return  to  the  screen  after  a  long 
absence,  again  proves,  it  is  said,  her 
command  of  emotional  power  and 
great  versatility,  in  the  role  of  Drusilla 
St.  Clair. 

*    *  * 

C.  &  C.  WILL  RELEASE 
TWO  IN  SEPTEMBER 

Adhering  to  their  new  policy  of  dis- 
tribution to  release  two  productions 
every  month,  Cranfield  &  Clarke  an- 
nounce that  two  for  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember are  now  ready  for  release.  The 
first  one  is  "Strangling  Threads,"  star- 
ring Alma  Taylor,  the  accomplished 
English  actress.  "Strangling  Threads" 
was  adapted  from  the  famous  stage 
play  "The  Cobweb"  by  Leon  M.  Lion 
and  Naunton  Davies  and  directed  by 
Cecil  M.  Hepworth. 

The  second  production  is  "A  Soul's 
Awakening,"  starring  Flora  Le  Breton, 
who  has  made  such  rapid  strides  to 
fame  recently  in  the  leading  role  op- 
posite Lionel  Barrymore  in  "I  Am  The 
Man."  Cranfield  &  Clarke  will  continue 
to  release  two  features  every  month. 
One  picture  on  the  first  of  each  month 
and  the  second  one  on  the  fifteenth  of 
the  month. 


HAYLAND  TAYLOR  JOINS 
FIRST  NATIONAL 

Hayland  H.  Taylor  has  been  engaged 
by  First  National  Pictures  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  exploitation  division  of  ex- 
perienced theatrical  showman  which 
Allan  S.  Glenn,  in  charge  of  the  ex- 
ploitation department,  has  been  recruit- 
ing. His  first  assignment  is  handling 
the  engagement  of  "The  Sea  Hawk"  at 
the  Aldine  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  which 
Opened  on  August  20. 

Mr.  Taylor  has  a  very  enviable  repu- 
tation as  an  agent.  It  was  he  who 
handled  "The  Miracle  Man"  engage- 
ment in  New  York  years  ago.  Previous 
to  that  he  was  with  "Intolerance"  and 
other  big  film  productions. 


R.  T.  Cranfield,  who  with  W.  F.  Clarke,  is 
now     distributing      Hepworth  pictures. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  21 


TERRITORY  SELLING 
FAST  FOR  BANNER 


BERT  PERKINS  LEAVES 
METRO-GOLD  WYN 

Bert  B.  Perkins,  who  has  been  in 
charge  of  exploitation  for  Metro-Gold- 
wyn and  previously  acted  in  the  same 
capacity  for  Metro,  has  resigned  so 
that  he  may  have  an  opportunity  to  per- 
fect plans  he  has  had  in  mind  for  some 
time  past. 

Perkins  first  came  to  the  attention  of 
the  motion  picture  industry  because  of 
his  excellent  work  in  exploiting  the 
Harry  Crandall  theatres  in  Washington. 
In  this  work  he  built  up  a  large  fol- 
lowing for  the  houses  operated  by  Mr. 
Crandall  and  this  led  to  his  being  en- 
gaged by  Metro  as  director  of  exploita- 
tion to  handle  Mid-West  exploitation 
with  headquarters  in  Chicago. 

Because  of  the  highly  efficient  man- 
ner in  which  he  handled  the  work  ,  in 
the  Mid- West,  Perkins  was  brought  to 
New  York  by  the  Metro  officials  and 
promoted  to  the  position  of  manager 
of  exploitation. 

Bert  B.  Perkins  has  been  with  Metro 
and  Metro-Goldwyn  for  over  three 
years  and  his  resignation  was  keenly  re- 
gretted by  the  executives  and  every  one 
with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 

CONSOLIDATED  TAKES 
STANDARD  PLANT 

Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc., 
of  New  York  has  closed  for  the  Stan- 
dard Laboratories,  Inc. 

Improvements  to  the  extent  of  $250,- 
000  will  be  made.  Leonard  Abrams 
will  be  brought  on  from  New  York  to 
take  charge.  He  will  be  assisted  by  a 
staff  composed  of  G.  W.  Yates,  E.  G. 
Patterson  and  Claude  Baldbridge. 

Ludwig  Erb  will  be  director  and 
chief  technical  advisor.  When  im- 
provements are  completed,  the  plant 
.  will  have  a  capacity  of  10,000,000  feet 
monthly.  Herbert  Yates  closed  the 
deal  for  Consolidated. 

^    ^  ^ 

VITAGRAPH  STARTS 
ANOTHER  FEATURE 

On  August  21  the  cameras  started 
to  click  on  "The  Beloved  Brute"  which 
is  scheduled  on  Vitagraph's  release, 
chart  for  mid  December. 

The  story,  by  Kenneth  Perkins,  has 
a  Western  setting.  In  theme  it  deals 
with  the  two  sons  of  a  sturdy  old  trav- 
elling minister.  The  elder  son  develops 
into  a  good-for-nothing,  quarrelsome 
brute.  The  younger  is  all  the  father 
could  wish  him  to  be.  Separated  in 
childhood,  they  have  not  seen  each 
other  since  arriving  at  manhood's  es- 
tate. 

They  both  fall  in  love  with  the  same 
girl  and  Charles  "the  brute"  stages  a 
wrestling  match  with  his  brother 
David.   The  latter  is  victorious,  though 


Bert  B.  Perkins,  who  has  just  resigned  as 
manager  of  exploitation  for  Metro-Goldwyn. 

he  does  not  know  the  real  identity  of 
his  vanquished  foe.  David  is  later  ac- 
cused of  murder  and  about  to  be  strung 
up  when  Charles  "confesses."  This 
proves  to  be  only  a  ruse  and  at  the  trial 
the  real  criminal  is  exposed.  This  self 
sacrifice  on  the  part  of  "the  brute"  and 
the  faith  of  the  girl  in  him  work  for  his 
regeneration.  The  story  is  differently 
handled  from  the  usual  type  of  Ari- 
zona-western picture. 


Marked  improvement  in  conditions 
in  the  independent  field  was  noted  by 
Samuel  J.  Briskin  of  Banner  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  who  returned  early  this 
week  from  a  short  sales  trip  through 
New  England  and  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Briskin's  trip  which  was  very 
successful,  was  made  on  behalf  of  Ban- 
ner's second  feature  series,  to  be  pro- 
duced on  the  Pacific  Coast  by  Ben 
Verschleiser  and  he  was  especially  en- 
thusiastic over  the  reception  accorded 
"Empty  Hearts,"  the  initial  offering  of 
this  series. 

"I  was  distinctly  impressed,"  said 
Mr.  Briskin,  "by  the  fact  that  every 
exchange  man  I  talked  to  was  in  most 
optimistic  mood  in  decided  contrast  to 
a  month  or  six  weeks  ago.  Practically 
all  were  looking  forward  to  a  fall  sea- 
son of  unusual  activity  and  were  mak- 
ing their  plans  accordingly. 

Sales  were  reported  by  Mr.  Briskin 
of  the  second  Banner  series  in  the  fol- 
lowing territories :  New  York  State 
and  Northern  New  Jersey  to  Depend- 
able Exchange,  Inc.,  729  Seventh  Ave- 
nue, New  York ;  New  England  to  Fed- 
erated Film  Exchange,  Inc.,  of  New 
England,  46  Piedmont  Street,  Boston, 
Mass. ;  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Southern  New  Jersey  to  De  Luxe  Film 
Company,  1318  Vine  Street,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. ;  Washington,  D.  C,  to  De 
Luxe  Film  Company  of  Washington, 
D.  C. 


Gladys  Brockwell,  in  a  scene  from  C.  B.  C.'s  "The  Foolish  Virgin."    Her  return 
to  the  screen  is  welcomed  by  many  fans. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


J'    K.  M'DONALD  is  selecting  a  cast  of 
•  screen  celebrities  for  his  next  produc- 
tion with  young    Ben  Alexander  for 
First  National  release.    "Frivolous  Sal"  is 
the  title  of  the  picture  and  Victor  Schertz- 
inger  has  been  engaged  to  direct  it. 

*  *  * 

Max  Berman,  with  Universal  for  the 
past  three  years  and  a  half,  is  selling 
Warner  Bros,  product  in  the  New  Eng- 
land territory.  He  has  just  been  appoint- 
ed Franklin  Film  Co.  representative  in 
New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  working 
out  of  the  Franklin  home  office  in  Boston 
from  which  all  Warner  Bros,  product  is 
sold  for  New  England. 

-:f :  ':...*'  * 

Scheduled  to  go  into  production  in 
about  a  month,  "The  Merry  Widow"  is  at 
present  in  the  stage  of  adaptation  under 
the  joint  hands  of  Erich  von  Stroheim, 
who  will  produce  the  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  film  version  starring  Mae  Murray 
and  Benjamin  Glazer,  an  outstanding  fig- 
ure in  theatrical  circles  due  to  his  suc- 
cessful adaptation  of  many  continental 
plays. 

*  *  * 

Joseph  M.  Schenck  has  notified  the 
First  National  offices  that  he  has  selected 
"The  Only  Woman"  as  the  title  under 
which  Norma  Talmadge's  latest  photoplay 
will  be  released  to  the  public.  This  is 
the  original  screen  story  written  by  C. 
Gardner  Sullivan  and  at  first  called 
"Fight"  and  later  "Conflicting  Passions" 
and  "Sacrifice." 

*  *  * 

Irene  Howley,  well  known  in  films  sev- 
eral years  ago,  and  who  has  been  absent 
from  the  silver  sheet  due  to  illness,  will 
return  to  the  screen  in  "Sandra."  She  will 
be  seen  in  a  prominent  role  in  support  of 
Barbara  La  Marr  in  this  production  which 
is  being  made  under  the  direction  of  Ar- 
thur H.  Sawyer,  for  release  through  First 
National. 

*  *  * 

With  its  headquarters  at  1606^  High- 
land Avenue,  Hollywood,  a  new  company 
has  been  formed  for  the  distribution  of 
short  subjects  which  are  all  to  be  of  de- 
cided feature  value.  The  company  is 
known  as  Screen  Art  Distributors. 

*  *  * 

James  Cruze  has  begun  production  of 
his  next  Paramount  film  "The  Garden  of 
Weeds,"  with  Betty  Compson  in  the  fea- 
tured role.  Walter  Woods  and  Anthony 
Coldewey  adapted  the  screen  play  from 
the  successful  stage  play  by  Leon  Gor- 
don and  Doris  Marquette. 

*  *  ^ 

William  Desmond,  star  of  many  Uni- 
versal western  features  and  several  popu- 
lar Universal  serials,  has  just  been  signed 
for  eight  more  features,  it  is  announced 
at  the  Universal  home  office.  This  means 
that  Desmond  will  be  with  Universal  for 
another  year  at  least. 


From  present  indications  it  appears  that 
a  new  vogue  in  feminine  leading  roles  is 
shortly  to  have  its  introduction  with  sev- 
eral forthcoming  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
pictures. 

*    *  * 

For  the  first  time  in  their  screen  careers 
both  Alice  Terry  and  Eleanor  Boardman 


Papini,  whose  book  "The  Life  of  Christ" 
is  now  being  produced  by  First  National. 

are  playing  "mother  roles,"  Miss  Terry  in 
Reginald  Barker's  production  of  "The 
Great  Divide"  and  Miss  Boardman  in  Ho- 
bart  Henley's  "So  This  Is  Marriace  " 

*  *  * 

C.  C.  Burr  announces  that  in  all  prob- 
ability the  title  for  the  next  Johnny  Hines 
feature  will  be  "The  Early  Bird"  instead 
of  "Grade  A  Certified"  as  heretofore  an- 
nounced. It  was  felt  that  the  latter  title 
would  make  a  great  deal  of  confusion,  and 
since  "The  Early  Bird"  adequately  de- 
scribes the  idea  of  the  contemplated  story 
it  is  practically  definite  that  the  picture 
will  be  released  with  "The  Early  Bird"  as 
its  title. 

*  *  * 

After  a  trip  resembling  a  civic  carnival, 
Corinne  Griffith  is  back  at  the  United 
Studios  from  a  week's  location  stay  around 
the  Sacramento  River,  where  she  and  her 
company  filmed  scenes  for  her  next  First 
National  release,  "Wilderness." 

*  *  # 

Norma  Talmadge  finished  "Sacrifice," 
her  new  Joseph  M.  Schenck-First  Nation- 
al production  last  week,  and  has  already 
started  work  under  the  direction  of  Frank 
Borzage  on  "The  Lady,"  -which  Frances 
Marion  has  just  written  for  the  screen. 


Three  members  of  the  Austrian  nobility, 
Princess  Theis  Valdemar,  Baron  William 
von  Brincken  and  Countess  Marianna  Lolo 
DeVeich  are  among  the  titled  personages 
who  appear  in  "One  Night  in  Rome,"  the 
J.  Hartley  Manners  play  directed  by 
Clarence  Badger  for  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er. Laurette  Taylor  is  starred  in  this  pro- 
duction. 

*  *  * 

Irving  Cummings  has  been  selected  by 
Earl  Hudson  as  the  man  to  wield  the 
megaphone  on  First  National's  film  version 
of  Eugene  Wright's  novel  "Pendora  la 
Croix."  The  picture  will  be  released  un- 
der a  different  title. 

*  *  * 

Europe  continues  to  invade  the  movie 
ranks  steadily  and  victoriously.  Paulette 
Du  Val,  a  striking  French  beauty  famous 
on  the  Continent  as  a  dancer;  Mario  Car- 
illo,  born  in  Naples,  Italy;  Gibson  Gow- 
land,  native  of  England;  Etta  Lee,  of 
China — these  players  all  figure  prominent- 
ly in  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  productions 
now  in  the  making.  Mention  must  also 
be  made  of  Peter  the  Great,  the  police  dog 
brought  from  Germany  by  Harry  Rapf  to 
play  the  title  role  in  "The  Silent  Accuser." 

*  *  * 

Reginald  Barker  has  reported  favorably 
on  the  practice  of  using  music  as  inspira- 
tional aid  to  the  actors  after  experiment- 
ing with  it  during  the  filming  of  "The 
Great  Divide,"  which  Barker  is  making  for 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  from  the  famous 
Arizona  romance  by  William  Vaughn 
Moody.  Paul  Biese  and  his  orchestra 
furnished  the  melodic  rapture. 

*  *  * 

A  staff  of  Warner  Brothers  engineers 
and  technical  men  left  yesterday  for  the 
picturesque  beach  where  they  will  start 
construction  of  a  real  lighthouse  on  Table 
Rock  and  a  fishing  village  in  Fisherman's 
Cove  to  he  used  in  the  filming  of  Owen 
Davis'  "The  Lighthouse  By  The  Sea" 
which  was  adapted  for  the  screen  by 
Darryl  Francis  Zanuck. 

*  *  * 

The  new  becomes  the  old  very  swiftly 
in  motion  pictures  for  William  de  MiTIe 
and  Clara  Beranger.  With  the  "Fast  Set" 
completed  and  the  negative  on  its  way 
to  the  laboratory  for  the  printing  of  the 
hundreds  of  films  which  will  be  supplied 
to  theatres  throughout  the  country,  the 
noted  Paramount  producer  and  his  scenar- 
ist, are  now  beginning  upon  the  next  one 
— "Locked  Doors." 

*  *  * 

For  the  first  time  since  she  made  her 
advent  to  the  screen  several  years  ago, 
Marguerite  de  la  Motte  will  portray  the 
part  of  a  professional  dancer  in  Vitagraph's 
"The  Beloved  Brute,"  to  be  directed  by 
J.  Stuart  Blackton. 

Miss  de  la  Motte,  prior  to  becoming  a 
film  actress,  was  a  danseuse  of  consider- 
able prominence  on  the  Pacific  coast,  hav- 
ing studied  under  Pavlowa  and  other  great 
artists. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  23 


The  first  print  of  "The  Breath  of  Scan- 
dal," B.  P.  Schulberg's  new  Preferred  Pic- 
ture, was  received  this  week  at  the  New 
York  office  of  B.  P.  Schulberg  Produc- 
tions, Inc.  Eastern  officials  of  the  com- 
pany are  enthusiastic  over  the  first  screen- 
ing of  the  picture  which  they  believe  has 
all  the  elements  of  a  great  box-office  at- 
traction. 

*    *  * 

First  National  has  the  largest  number 
of  pictures  in  the  cutting  rooms  at  one 
time  since  it  has  been  at  the  United 
Studios.  Seven  pictures  are  now  being 
cut  and  titled.  Photography  has  been 
completed  on  most  of  them,  and  will  be 
finished  on  the  others  within  a  few  days. 


With  the  completion  of  a  cast  of  ex- 
ceptional players,  Ernst  Pascal's  most 
popular  novel  "The  Dark  Swan"  is  rapidly 
being  prepared  at  the  Warner  Bros.  West 
Coast  studios. 

*  *  * 

"If  I  Marry  Again,"  the  picture  in  which 
First  National  Productions,  Inc.,  will  fea- 
ture its  new  long-term  player,  Doris  Ken- 
yon,  is  going  to  have  a  cast  that  will  rival 
any  yet  selected  by  that  producing  com- 
pany. Lloyd  Hughes  plays  opposite  Miss 
Kenyon.  Hobart  Bosworth  has  a  power- 
ful role  as  the  elder  Jordan.  Frank  Mayo 
is  seen  as  a  business  associate  of  Jordan's, 
and  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  as  his  wife. 

*  *  * 

Frank  Campeau,  popular  delineator  of 
"heavy"  roles,  has  been  added  to  Edward 
Sedgwick's  Universal  cast  making  "Let 
'Er  Buck,"  the  western  thrill  picture, 
which  Hoot  Gibson  is  to  star  in  at  the 
Pendleton  Rodeo,  noted  annual  roundup  at 
Pendleton,  Oregon. 

*  *  * 

October  first  will  see  the  release  of  "The 
Passionate  Adventure,"  the  picturization  of 
Frank  Stayton's  celebrated  novel  of  the 
same  name  starring  Alice  Joyce  with 
Marjorie  Daw  and  Clive  Brook  which  My- 
ron Selznick  produced  in  England,  ac- 
cording to  an  announcement  from  the 
Selznick  offices  this  week. 


The  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.  series  of  eight 
western  thrillers  has  been  purchased  for 
the  territory  embracing  the  District  of 
Columbia,  Maryland,  Delaware  and  Vir- 
ginia, by  the  Federal  Film  Service  of 
Washington,  D.  C. 

*    *  * 

Seventy-five  members  of  the  American 
Society  of  Cinematographers  headed  by 
President  Gaetano  Gaudio  and  members 
of  the  executive  committee  attended  the 
August  12  showing  of  Frank  Lloyd's  "The 
Sea  Hawk"  at  the  Criterion  theatre,  Los 
Angeles,  to  pay  tribute  to  the  work  of 
Norbert  F.  Brodin,  A.  S.  C,  who  filmed 
the  big  spectacle. 


Advise  comes  from  the  West  Coast 
Studios  of  the  Independent  Pictures  Cor- 
poration that  Hobert  Edeson  has  been 
cast  in  support  of  William  Desmond  and 
Helen  Holmes  in  the  second  of  the  series 
of  eight  society  stunt  melodramas  being 
produced  by  the  Independent  Pictures 
Corporation  at  their  Hollywood  studios. 


Helene  Chadwick's  latest  tribute  paid  by 
an  admiring  "fan"  comes  in  the  form  of  a 
musical  number  from  a  New  York  com- 
poser, who  has  dedicated  to  the  movie 
star,  a  new  song  entitled  "My  Helene's 
Eyes." 

*  *  * 

Wallace  Beery,  noted  screen  "heavy" 
thought  that  he  was  hired  to  be  the  vil- 
lain in  "The  Lost  World"  but  he  is  ready 
to  admit  now  that  he  is  but  a  piker  in 
villainy  compared  to  the  real  "heavy"  of 
this  picture. 

Wallace  says  that  he  has  learned  more 
about  villaining  since  working  on  this 
First  National-Watterson  R.  Rothacker 
picture  than  has  ever  been  taught  in  all 
the  dramatic  schools  in  the  world — includ- 
ing the  Scandanavian. 

Definite  booking  dates  on  the  Ernst 
Lubitsch  production,  "Three  Women," 
second  of  this  well  known  director's  pic- 
tures for  Warner  Bros,  and  the  first  of  his 
series  for  1924-25,  are  being  announced. 
The  production  is  scheduled  for  presenta- 
tion at  both  the  Modern  and  Beacon  the- 
atres, Boston,  for  an  indefinite  run  begin- 
ning October  4th. 

*  *  * 

Edward  M.  James,  attorney  and  secre- 
tary of  the  Grand-Asher  Distributing 
Corp.,  resigned  his  post  with  this  organi- 
zation it  was  announced  at  the  Grand- 
Asher  headquarters  this  week. 

Following  a  much-needed  rest  Mr. 
James  intends  to  resume  his  private  law 
practice  and  for  this  purpose  has  opened 
up  temporary  headquarters  at  1650  Broad- 
way. 

*  *  * 

Work  is  actually  under  way,  or  is  about 
ready  to  start,  on  nine  new  pictures  to  be 
distributed  by  First  National  Pictures. 
Four  of  these  will  be  First  National's  own 
productions,  the  other  three  from  indepen- 
dent producers  distributed  by  First  Na- 
tional. 


C  C  BURR  presents 


Johnny  Hines 

m  %e$P£EDSPOOK 


Coleen  Moore,  First  National  star,  and 
her  newest  pet — a  rare  specimen  of  guinea 
pig,  presented  to  her  by  the  children 
patrons    of   a   large    Australian  theatre. 


"Endless  exploitation  possibilities." 

— M.  P.  World. 
"Title  and  cast  glitter  with  allurement." 

— Trade  Review. 
"Will  register  before  any  sort  of  audience." 

— Morning  Telegraph. 

Produced    and     Distributed  by 

EAST    COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.  C.  Burr,  Managing  Director 
133  West  44  St.,  New  York  City 

Sol  Lesser,  President  of  Principal  Pic- 
tures Corporation,  is  being  besieged  with 
telegrams  and  letters  from  all  over  the 
United  States  congratulating  him  on  the 
manner  in  which  Harold  Bell  Wright's 
"The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,"  one  of 
the  world's  best  sellers,  is  being  produced. 


"If  it  is  desired  to  achieve  success  at  the 
camera,  keep  experimenting,"  is  the  advice 
of  Arthur  L.  Todd,  cameraman  for  M.  C. 
Levee  Productions.  "Never  miss  an  op- 
portunity to  try  out  something  new  in 
lighting  or  camera  work.  That  is  the  se- 
cret for  the  motion  picture  cameraman 
who  would  be  successful  today." 

*    *  * 

Announcement  comes  from  the  Eastern 
offices  of  the  Independent  Pictures  Cor- 
poration that  they  have  already  started 
production  on  the  second  series  of  Wes- 
terns "that  are  different"  starring  Frank- 
lin Farnum.  The  first  series  were  released 
about  five  months  ago  and  the  first  pro- 
duction of  the  second  series  will  follow 
immediately  upon  the  release  of  the  last 
of  the  first  series. 

Bobby  North,  president  of  the  Apollo 
Trading  Corporation,  engaged  in  the 
handling  of  super  productions  in  foreign 
territories,  screened  the  first  of  the  series 
of  the  eight  society  stunt  melodramas  be-  ' 
ing  produced  by  the  Independent  Pictures 
Corporation  starring  William  Desmond 
and  Helen  Holmes,  and  he  immediately 
drew  a  contract  with  Jesse  J.  Goldburg, 
president  of  the  Independent  'Pictures 
Corporation,  whereby  the  Apollo  Trading 
Corporation  acquired  the  exclusive  for- 
eign rights  to  the  entire  series. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


a      Editorial  n 

Getting  the  Money  vs.  Making  a  Profit 


A GOOD  many  years  ago,  back  in  the  days  when  Wall 
Street  had  not  been  purified  and  manipulation  of  rail- 
road stocks  was  one  of  its  pastimes,  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Vanderbilt  family  uttered  a  four-word  sen- 
tence that  made  history — -"The  Public  Be  Damned!" 

A  short  time  ago,  a  railroad  man  of  considerably  less  dis- 
tinction, but  of  a  more  statistical  turn  of  mind,  stated  that 
Commodore  Vanderbilt's  famous  remark  had  cost  the  rail- 
roads of  the  United  States  more  than  a  billion  dollars  in 
cash.  That  cost,  he  found,  had  come  about  in  the  form  of 
restriction,  regulation  and  semi-confiscation  directly  trace- 
able to  an  ugly  turn  of  the  public  temper,  to  the  natural  re- 
bound. Congressional  action,  the  creation  of  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Commission  with  its  regulatory  powers,  the 
springing  up  of  railroad  commissions  in  most  of  the  states — 
innumerable  costly  things  grew  out  of  the  Vanderbilt  re- 
mark, or  at  least  out  of  the  spirit  that  prompted  the  remark. 
And  the  railroads  have  been  paying  through  their  nose. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  packing  business,  men  like  P. 
D.  Armour  and  G.  F.  Swift  were  a  little  more  diplomatic 
than  the  pioneers  in  railroad  finance,  but  made  no  great  ef- 
fort to  cater  to  public  opinion.  They  were  deeply  engrossed 
in  their  own  affairs  and  in  building  a  network  of  organiza- 
tion and  service  without  which  the  American  people  would 
had  a  hard  time  to  avoid  starvation.  They  were  rather 
hard  men.  If  they  hadn't  been  they  probably  would  have 
gone  into  the  discard  as  incapable  of  the  great  strokes  of 
enterprise  which  were  essential  to  keep  the  packing  indus- 
try in  pace  with  the  country's  growth.  They  said  little,  but 
kept  the  public  totally  in  the  dark  as  far  as  their  business 
activities  were  concerned. 

What  the  packing  industry  has  suffered  in  regulation  and 
taxation  because  of  the  fact  that  its  pioneers  did  not  ap- 
preciate the  hazards  of  running  counter  to  public  opinion 
is  problematical.  No  statistician  has  undertaken  to  figure  it 
out,  but  any  statistician  who  tackles  the  job  will  have  to 
deal  in  millions  by  the  wholesale.  Life  in  the  packing 
business  has  truly  been  "just  one  damned  thing  after 
another,"  and  the  end  is  not  in  sight — all  the  result  of  an- 
tagonizing the  public  or — what  is  equally  sinful  from  the 
standpoint  of  sound  business — of  ignoring  the  public  and 
allowing  it  to  be  misled  by  political  demagogues. 

Going  back  to  the  railroads  for  another  case,  take  the 
Long  Island  fight.  It  happens  that  the  Pennsylvania  sys- 
tem owns  the  Long  Island  railroad  which  operates  a  tre- 
mendous suburban  passenger  business  out  of  New  York 
City,  and  that  the  Long  Island  has  no  competition.  There 
has  been  no  competitive  influence  to  compel  considerate 
treatment  of  the  public.  Bull-whacker  methods  by  employ- 
ees in  their  dealings  with  the  public  have  been  rather  com- 
mon. Many  things  have  been  and  as  many  more  have  gone 
undone  in  disregard  of  public  opinion.  And  then  one  day 
recently  the  Long  Island  railroad  filed  an  application  for  an 
increase  in  passenger  fares — an  increase  that  may  be  quite 
just.  But  over  night  there  springs  into  the  field  an  organi- 
zation to  fight  anything  the  Long  Island  wants — the  Asso- 
ciation of  Long  Island  Commuters,  with"  many  thousands 


of  members — 85,000  according  to  a  recent  report.  It  has 
plenty  of  money,  for  every  one  of  its  members  has  con- 
tributed a  dollar  and  the  resulting  fund  is  large  enough  to 
make  possible  the  hiring  of  star  attorneys  and  all  the  ac- 
cessories for  a  real  scrap.  The  first  move  this  association 
makes  is  to  file  an  application  with  the  Public  Service  Com- 
mission of  New  York  for  a  general  reduction  in  rates.  The 
outcome,  of  course,  can  not  be  written  now,  but  the  Long 
Island  management  is  finding  out  something  about  the  mean- 
ing of  outraged  public  opinion. 

And  so,  endlessly,  might  be  recited  cases  showing  the 
practical  penalties  that  have  been  assessed  against  big  busi- 
ness when  it  gets  careless  in  its  attitude  toward  the  public. 
The  public  refuses  to  be  damned.  The  public  wreaks  sum- 
mary vengeance  when  it  believes  that  its  rights  or  interests 
are  being  deliberately  flouted. 

In  the  motion  picture  business  this  situation  is  coming 
to  a  crisis.  Not  the  sort  of  crisis  that  justifies  any  shout- 
ing or  preaching  or  reform  agitation.  It's  not  a  matter  of 
reform.  It  is  a  matter  of  establishing  a  sound  policy  for 
future  guidance. 

The  whole  matter  should  be  considered  solely  from 
the  standpoint  of  business.  Sentiment  has  no  place  in  the 
subject.  Motion  pictures  are  made  for  profit  and  the  policy 
of  the  industry  should  be  shaped  to  protect  that  profit 

permanently. 

But  there  is  a  very  large  difference  between  ''getting  the 
money"  and  making  a  profit.  Many  a  man  gets  the  money 
and  loses  all  the  profit.  It  is  to  avoid  just  this  mistake  that 
the  motion  picture  industry  should  concentrate  its  thought 
and  effort  today. 

THERE  has  been  a  lot  of  talk,  pro  and  con,  about  "clean" 
pictures.  Unfortunately,  much  of  it  has  been  of  kinder- 
garten character.  Some  of  the  folks  who  have  had  the 
most  to  say  have  given  evidence  of  mental  myopia  and  as- 
tigmatism that  disqualify  them  altogether. 

In  the  first  consideration  of  the  subject,  it  should  be  set 
down  as  fundamental  that  realism  and  filth  are  not  neces- 
sarily the  same  thing.  A  writer  of  fiction  may  deal  with 
the  lowest  dregs  of  humanity,  without  engaging  in  smut. 
A  Tolstoi  or  a  Dostoevski  or  a  Dickens  may  picture  life 
from  the  throne  to  the  gutter  withut  becoming  nasty.  It 
is  merely  a  matter  of  treatment.  And  any  director  whose 
mind  is  filled  with  the  fallacy  that  smut  pays  can  take  a 
book  filled  with  sound  realism  and  make  of  it  an  outrageous 
moral  debauch.  But  the  fault  is  not  with  the  realist ;  it  is 
with  the  devotee  of  smut. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  screen  has  limita- 
tions more  confining  than  those  that  properly  apply  to  the 
printed  page.  It  is  not  safe  to  carry  realism  too  far,  to 
project  it  in  such  manner  as  to  emphasize  too  strongly  the 
crudities  and  seaminess  of  life.  The  screen  must  suffer,  for 
the  present,  some  handicap  in  the  handling  of  these  things. 
In  time  it  will  work  them  out  and  the  problem  will  be 
solved,  because  public  prudishness  will  go  on  declining  as 


September  13,  1924 


Page  25 


it  has  declined  in  the  last  twenty  years  and  anything  that  is 
true  and  that  is  presented  in  a  spirit  of  truth  will  be  deemed 
fitting  and  proper. 

Every  student  of  good  literature,  in  any;  language,  knows 
that  most  of  the  writers  whose  work  has  endured  have 
written  for  a  purpose.  They  have  been  propagandists. 
They  have  had  their  pet  anathemas  and  they  have  flung  de- 
nunciation at  these.  They  have  been  crusaders  and  some- 
times they  have  actually  charged  the  course  of  human 
events.  But  they  haven't  hung  out  any  half-washed  linen 
and  invited  their  people  to  come  see  the  dirt.  When  they 
have  used  any  dirt  it  has  been  in  the  making  of  a  necessary 
and  legitimate  portrayal.  They  have  emphasized  it  no  more 
than  the  other  pigments  they  employed. 

In  other  words,  the  picture  which  is  inoffensive  may 
readily  become  highly  offensive,  reeking,  nauseous,  when  it 
is  exploited  as  a  showing  of  moral  filth. 

But  why  should  anyone  take  a  decent  picture  and  attempt 
to  make  it  seem  offensive? 

Generally  it  isn't  done.  But  once  a  year,  perhaps,  some- 
one does  it  on  the  theory  that  such  exploitation  will  get 
the  money.  And  because  of  some  unexplainable  quirk  of 
human  nature,  it  is  apt  to  work. 

But,  again,  getting  the  money  doesn't  mean  making  a 
profit.  Except,  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  someone  who  is 
ready  to  say  Good-bye  to  the  picture  business  and  who  is 
willing  to  part  with  reputation,  good  will  and  the  whole 
works  for  the  sake  of  some  quick  cash. 

f  T  ought  to  be  equivalent  to  announcing  retirement  from 
A  the  business  for  any  producer  of  pictures  to  engage  in 
such  tactics.  The  time  will  come  when,  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence of  the  growth  of  the  industry's  morale  producers, 
players,  exhibitors,  anyone  indulging  in  offensive  methods 
will  pay  the  penalty  of  ostracism. 

There  is  another  angle  of  this  thing  which  deserves  serious 
thought.  It  is  the  buck-passing  which  proves  so  useful  when 
an  alibi  is  needed.  "I  cannot  control  what  the  exhibitor 
does,"  says  the  producer.  "I  am  not  responsible  for  what  I 
find  in  the  press  books,"  says  the  exhibitor.  Both  are 
righf  and  yet  both  are  wrong.  No  exhibitor  will  be  apt  to 
go  far  wrong  in  exploitation  if  he  understands  definitely 
that  certain  things  are  under  the  ban.  No  distributor  will 
be  likely  to  put  things  in  the  press  book,  once  he  knows 
they  will  arouse  the  resentment  of  decent  exhibitors.  So 
the  alibis  built  on  this  foundation  are  too  transparent  to 
be  useful.    They  don't  mean  anything. 

When  the  Hays  resolution  was  placed  before  the  pub- 
licity organizations,  it  received  unanimous  endorsement.  Be- 
cause the  publicity  men  know,  better  than  anyone  else  in 
the  field,  the  foibles  of  popular  taste  and  the  reactions  of 
public  opinion.  It  is  their  business  to  know  these  things. 
They  know  all  of  the  underlying  hazards  of  salacious  ad- 
vertising and  publicity.  They  know  the  kick-back  that 
comes  from  exploitation  of  bad  morals.  They  know  that 
the  public  will  crowd  the  box  office  to  see  a  picture  which 
has  been  given  an  off-color  slant  and  that  the  next  day  the 
same  public  will  join  loudly  in  condemnation  of  that  same 
picture  and  the  people  who  made  it  and  showed  it.  They 
know  that  such  tactics,  if  generally  adopted,  would  run  mo- 
tion pictures  out  of  business  or  put  them  under  the  control 
of  a  professional  reform  element  which,  in  line  with  the  in- 
alienable attitude  of  those  who  assume  the  duty  of  making 
the  world  over,  can  be  counted  on  to  make  plenty  of 
trouble. 

Knowing  these  things,  the  advertising  and  publicity  men 
of  the  industry  have  no  inclinations  that  need  curbing.  They 
are  committed  to  clean  methods.  When  they  adopt  any 
others,  the  blame  must  rest  on  those  higher  up. 

It  is  altogether  likely  that  the  money-getting  proclivities 
of  an  occasional  individual  may  have  to  be  dealt  with  harsh- 


ly when  they  break  out  in  ways  that  threaten  the  welfare 
of  the  industry.  No  one  in  the  making  or  selling  of  pic- 
tures has  any  business  to  make  money  by  any  process  which 
reflects  adversely  on  the  industry.  Anyone  who  insists  on 
doing  it  should  be  deemed  an  outlander  and  treated  accord- 
ingly. 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review  believes  the  time  has  come 
for  plain  speaking  on  this  subject.  It  believes  that  there  is 
little  occasion  for  apology  in  the  present  trend  of  produc- 
tion and  publicity,  but  that  there  is  much  to  be  gained  by 
complete  crystallization  of  the  industry's  attitude  in  favor 
of  decent  methods. 

Business  Is  Good 

According  to  an  announcement  by  Joseph  M.  Schenck,  re- 
elected president  of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers'  Asso- 
ciation at  Eos  Angeles  last  week,  the  programs  of  the  west- 
ern studios  provide  for  a  total  of  680  pictures  in  1925,  to 
cost  $72,000,000.  In  addition  to  this  investment,  it  is  esti- 
mated that  $65,000,000  more  will  be  spent  on  building  pro- 
jects necessary  for  the  coming  year's  expansion  of  produc- 
ing activity. 

These  figures,  whatever  else  they  may  mean,  afford  a  fair 
indication  of  the  trend  of  the  industry  and  suggest  the  tre- 
mendous responsibility  it  is  carrying.  And,  too,  they  spell 
confidence  in  the  immediate  future  of  screen  entertainment. 

A  wealthy  and  public  spirited  woman  who  has  had  much 
to  do  with  the  development  of  a  small  town  in  New  York 
State  died  recently.  Her  friends,  embracing  most  of  the 
local  population,  planned  a  memorial  service.  The  problem 
was  put  up  to  an  exhibitor.  "You  are  welcome  to  use  my 
house,  but  you  can't  pay  anything  for  it,"  was  his  reply. 

A  New  York  City  school  teacher  saw  a  picture  that  im- 
pressed her  deeply.  She  was  anxious  to  have  fifty  children 
see  it,  but  because  her  school  is  located  in  a  neighborhood 
that  is  noted  for  everything  but  its  prosperity,  she  couldn't 
bring  herself  to  ask  the  boys  and  girls  to  pay  their  ad- 
missions. Someone  told  the  exhibitor.  And  the  next  day 
she  had  an  invitation  to  bring  the  class. 

In  Minneapolis  an  exhibitor  is  taking  entertainment  each 
week  to  the  inmates  of  a  sanitarium  located  several  miles 
from  the  city,  putting  on  a  complete  program  for  people 
whose  only  claim  to  such  consideration  is  that  they  are 
helpless. 

These  are  not  exceptional  examples  of  what  motion  pic- 
ture men  are  doing.  They  are  just  three  typical  cases  of 
many  noted  in  a  week,  done  quietly  and  unobtrusively. 
What  better  comment  could  there  be  on  the  character  of  the 
folks  who  represent  this  industry  in  its  contact  with  the 
public? 

A  Balanced  Picture 

If  it  is  true  that  a  title  ought  to  be  as  good  as  its  pic- 
ture, "The  Iron  Horse"  deserves  censure.  Its  title  may  spell 
romance  to  the  few,  but  it  will  fail  utterly  to  convey  to  the 
many  an  appreciation  of  the  character  and  merit  of  this 
William  Fox  presentation. 

The  outstanding  characteristic  of  "The  Iron  Horse"  is 
its  skillful  blending  of  practically  all  the  attributes  which 
make,  or  at  least  ought  to  make,  great  pictures.  Eoads  of 
films  shine  in  spots,  but  this  one  distinguishes  itself  by  pro- 
viding genuine  entertainment  throughout,  with  an  unusual 
absence  of  hokum.  It  tells  a  rational  iitory  with  a  sound 
historical  background.  It  portrays  normal  human  emotions 
in  a  normal  way.  It  contains  nothing  that  the  average 
spectator  would  have  out.  It  maintains  tense  interest,  to  the 
end. 

If  it  does  not  prove  an  unusual  success  the  public  taste 
is  in  need  of  repair. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


SHIP  LOAD  OF  LAUGHS 

IN  THE  NAVIGATOR' 

Keaton  Sails  Solemnly   on  Crest  of 
Comedy-Wave  in  Marine 
Mirth-Maker 

'THE  NAVIGATOR.'  A  Metro-Goldwyn 
picture.  Author,  Jean  C.  Haves.  Direc- 
tors, Buster  Keaton  and  Donald  Crisp. 
Length,  6  reels. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Buster   ...Buster  Keaton 

Betsy   Kathrine  McGuire 

Conspirators,   Gangsters,   Cannibals,  etc. 

The  long  arm  of  circumstance  sets  Betsy  and  her 
rejected  suitor  Buster  aboard  the  otherwise  deserted 
"Navigator"  which  is  set  adrift  by  a  band  of 
revolutionists.  After  many  trials,  tribulations  and 
adventures  ranging  from  making  coffee  with  sea 
water  to  battles  with  storms,  cannibals,  octopi, 
sword-fish,  and  so  on  they  are  finally  rescued  by  a 
submarine  which  rises  under  them  just  as  they  sink 
beneath   the  waves  for  the  third  time. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

rTHE  NAVIGATOR"  steers  a  straight  box- 
■*■  office  course.  As  all  the  world  loves  a 
laugh  your  patrons  must  be  exceptions  to  the 
rule  if  they  do  not  flock  to  see  Buster  Kea- 
ton as  the  "sap"  of  his  family  tree.  And 
everyone  that  enters  the  theatre  will  leave 
it  with  a  broad  grin  which  will  make  the 
best  sort  of  ad  for  the  show.  It  will  please 
them  all. 

Buster  certainly  clinches  his  title  as  cham- 
pion of  his  class — and  he  is  in  a  class  by 
himself.  From  the  first  shots  of  him  enter- 
ing his  bath  forgetful  of  the  formality  of  re- 
moving his  dressing  gown,  and  taking  his 
motorcar  to  be  driven  across  the  street,  until 
the  end  of  the  picture  where  he  makes  the 
rescuing  submarine  loop  the  loop  in  his  sur- 
prise at  his  sweetheart's  kiss,  he  will  win 
favorable  audience  reaction. 

There  is  literally  a  laugh  in  every  foot  of 
film.  Not  one  situation  is  devoid  of  mirthful 
action,  and  throughout  all  neither  Buster  nor 
Betsy  crack  a  smile. 

The  title  of  the  picture  is  good  for  "differ- 
ent" exploitation,  and  the  name  of  Buster 
Keaton  is  sufficient  to  draw  more  than  usual 
patronage_  to  your  lobby.  Once  inside  you 
have  nothing  more  to  worry  about.  You  can 
promise  a  limitless  line  of  laughter,  and 
Buster  will  deliver  the  goods. 

Aside  from  the  comedy  there  is  a  real  thrill 
in  seeing  Buster  as  a  deep  sea  diver  explor- 
ing marine  depths  with  an  octopus  and  some 
swordfish  as  playmates.  The  cannibals  cer- 
tainly look  the  part,  and  when  they  sever  the 
air  pipes  through  which  the  diver  receives 
his  life  sustaining  draughts  of  oxygen,  one 
cannot  help  thinking  of  the  desperate  death 
faced  by  real  divers. 

Kathrine  McGuire  does  her  work  in  great 
shape,  and  reaps  the  comedienne's  reward — 
laughter.  There  are  others  in  the  cast  who 
are  all  adequate,  but  they  appear  for  only 
brief  periods  and  are  purely  incidental. 
Buster  and  Betsy  bear  the  picture  on  their 
shoulders — and  carry  it  lightly  and  humor- 
ously. 

All  the  potential  patronage  of  your  theatre 
may  be  interested  in  this  one..  It  should  be 
advertised  as  an  outstanding  example  of  what 
may  be  offered  in  the  way  of  an  evening's 
entertainment  absolutely  devoid  of  the  slight- 
est suggestion  of  anything  salacious  or  ob- 
jectionable. It  is  good  clean  fun  from  flash 
to  fadeout.    A  whole  boat  load  of  laughs. 


'THE  IRON  HORSE' 

A  GREAT  SPECTACLE 

Historical   and    Entertaining  Values 
Combined  in  Box  Office  Winner 

'THE  IRON  HORSE.'  Fox  Photoplay.  Au- 
thors, Charles  Kenyan  and  John  Russell. 
Director,  John  Ford.    Length,  11,335  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Davy  Brandon   (Aged  Ten)   Winston  Miller 

Miriam  Marsh  (Aged  Eight)    ....  Peggy  Cartwright 

Miriam   Marsh   Madge  Bellamy 

Davy  Brandon  George  O'Brien 

Dave  Brandon,   Sr  James  Gordon 

Thomas   Marsh   Will  Walling 

Deroux  Fred  Kohler 

Peter   Jesson   Cyril  Chadwick 

Ruby   Gladys  Hulette 

Corporal  Casey   J.  Farrell  MacDonald 

The  linking  of  East  and  West  by  the  building  of 
the  transcontinental  railroad  and  race  between  Cen- 
tral Pacific  and  Union  Pacific  to  put  their  tracks 
across  desert  and  mountain  in  order  to  win  bonuses 
and  land  grants  offered  by  Congress  in  1865  forms 
the  film's,  chief  theme.  Davy  Brandon's  father  is 
murdered  by  Indians  under  leadership  of  a  white 
renegade.  In  later  years  Davy  is  helping  to  build 
the  railroad.  He  meets  again  his  childhood  sweet- 
heart, Miriam  Marsh,  whose  father  is  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  undertaking.  After  a  medley  of  ro- 
mantic adventures  he  gets  the  best  of  the  villain 
who  slew  his  father  and  wins  Miriam. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A GREAT  spectacular  prduction  and  one 
that  gives  every  indication  of  proving  a 
box  office  winner  in  every  section  of  the 
country.  "The  Iron  Horse"  proudly  takes 
rank  with  such  elaborate  historical  pictures 
as  "The  Birth  Of  A  Nation,"  "America," 
"Abraham  Lincoln"  and  "The  Covered 
Wagon." 

It  is  distinctly  a  credit  to  the  Fox  organ- 
ization, beautifully  photographed,  crammed 
with  vivid  action  and  trenchant  thrills,  re- 
lieved by  a  gentle  touch  of  romance  as  ex- 
emplified in  the  love  story  of  hero  Davy 
Brandon  and  his  dainty  childhood  sweet- 
heart, Miriam  Marsh.  Skillfully  woven  into 
the  narrative  are  striking  incidents  in  the 
lives  of  such  national  figures  as  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Buffalo  Bill,  Wild  BilllHickok,  Gen- 
eral Dodge,  and  others  whose  names  are 
familiar  to  young  and  old  from  coast  to 
coast. 

Considered  as  a  historical  document  and 
educative  force  the  importance  of  this  fea- 
ture can  hardly  be  overestimated,  dealing 
as  it  does  with  the  most  dramatic  period  in 
the  upbuilding  and  welding  together  of  the 
good  old  U.  S.  The  wonder  is  that  so  many 
hard  facts  could  be  assembled  together  and 
never  lose  the  power  to  fascinate  and  en- 
tertain the  spectators. 

Nothing  more  gripping  can  be  imagined 
than  that  grim,  foot  by  foot  race  between 
the  rival  railroads,  with  their  recklessly 
courageous  workmen,  who  alternately  drove 
spikes  and  fought  bands  of  marauding  sav- 
ages, bathed  in  blood  and  sweat,  jesting  with 
death  and  ever  "carrying  on"  until  the  final 
goal  was  attained. 

Director  Jack  Ford  has  accomplished  a 
marvelous  bit  of  work  which  places  his  name 
on  an  equality  with  the  most  distinguished 
of  his  contemporaries  in  the  screen  art. 

The  romantic  side  of  the  story  is  well  de- 
veloped, melodrama  is  nicely  balanced  by 
timely  comedy  and  too  much  praise  cannot 
be  awarded  the  excellent  acting  of  the  cast. 

You  can  go  the  limit  in  exploiting  this  as 
one  of  the  season's  most  remarkable  pro- 
ductions, rich  in  thrills,  romance  and  his- 
torical value  and  artistically,  a  real  gem.  It's 
a  great  picture  for  the  juveniles  as  well  as 
adults,  and  tie-ups  with  schools  and  educa- 
tional organizations  can  easily  be  arranged. 


ITALIAN  PICTURE  LACKS 
STORY  FOUNDATION 

Elaborate  Sets  and  Mob  Scenes 

Well  Done 

'MESSALINA .'  _  Film  Booking  Offices. 
Story  by  Enrico  Guaszoni.  Directed  by 
Enrico  Guaszoni.    Length  8,473  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Messalina   Rina  Liguoro 

Princess  Mirit   Giovanna  Terribili 

Ela   Lucia  Zamissi 

Ennio   Gino  Talamo 

Apolonius   Gildo  Bocci 

Marcus   Alfredo  De  Felice 

Tigris   Adolf o  Trouche 

Claudius   Augusto  Mastripietri 

Ennio,  a  Persian  slave  owned  by  Apolonius,  falls 
in  love  with  a  Greek  slave  of  his  master.  Messalina, 
the  empress  and  Princess  Mirit  are  in  love  with 
Ennio  who  spurns  them.  Each  plans  revenge.  The 
empress  conspires  to  have  him  killed  in  a  chariot 
race  while  the  Princess  attempts  to  kill  his  sweet- 
heart by  turning  lions  loose  on  her.  Ennio  escapes 
in  the  race  and  rescues  his  sweetheart  from  the 
princess.     The  empress  commits  suicide. 

By  Len  Morgan 

•  rp  HIS  Italian  picture  is  said  to  have  taken 
J-  two  years  to  produce  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,- 
000,  but  it  is  certain  the  money  was  spent  on 
the  sets  and  not  on  the  cast.  Aside  trom  the 
wonderful  sets  and  well  conducted  mob 
scenes,  there  is  nothing  of  interest  to  the 
average  theatre  patron. 

The  story  is  hard  to  follow  and  the  con- 
tinuity leaves  much  to  be  desired.  The  story 
centers  about  three  women  who  wish  to  win 
the  love  of  a  Persian  slave  and  the  schemes 
they  cook  up  to  win  the  lover  will  not  appeal 
to  movie  fans  in  this  country.  There  is  not 
enough  depth  to  the  story  to  hold  the  inter- 
est and  after  trying  to  figure  it  all  out  one 
gives  up  in  despair  and  spends  his  time  ad- 
miring the  sets. 

Corpulent  vampires  may  be  quite  the  thing 
in  Italy  but  in  this  land  of  slender  damsels 
the  Italian  stars  will  not  go  over  so  *  big. 
The  empress  and  princess  each  greatly  overdo 
their  acting  and  neither  has  any  appeal. 

There  are  many  favorable  things  to  be  said 
of  the  picture.  Many  of  the  sets  are  beauti- 
ful and  it  is  too  bad  a  better  story  could  not 
have  been  woven  about  them. 

The  Roman  street  scenes  and  the  Circus 
Maximus,  where  the  chariot  races  were  held, 
can  hardly  be  surpassed  for  beauty  and  de- 
tail. They  almost  take  one  back  to  the  days 
of  ancient  Rome. 

The  chariot  race  is  a  thriller  and  is  the 
highlight  of  the  picture.  Four  chariots  dash 
madly  around  the  arena  and  end  in  a  spill 
in  which  horses  and  men  are  tangled. 

The  gladiatorial  contests  are  also  very  in- 
teresting. The  powerful  contestants  battle 
for  life  while  the  great  crowd  turns  "thumbs 
up"  or  "thumbs  down"  which  might  spell 
death  or  life  to  the  combatants. 

There  is  nothing  about  this  picture  that 
will  cause  any  great  mental  strain  on  the 
part  of  the  audience,  but  it  has  exceptional 
entertaining  value  which  is  an  essential  point 
to  the  exhibitor. 

Miss  Moore  does  some  clever  acting 
throughout  the  picture.  She  appears  first 
as  a  temperamental  theatrical  star  and  goes 
into  a  fit  of  frenzy  at  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion. Later  she  is  a  demure  little  girl  who 
tries  to  win  the  heart  of  Conway  Tearle  and 
in  all  her  scenes  she  does  exceedingly  well. 

In  advertising  this  picture  it  would  be  well 
to  stress  the  wonderful  mob  rcenes,  in  which 
10,000  supers  take  part.  Emphasize  the  char- 
iot races  and  huge  set...  The  names  of  the 
cast  will  not  have  any  value.  It  would  be 
well  to  advertise  the  picture  in  foreign  lan- 
guage papers  in  vicinities  where  there  is  a 
large  foreign  population. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  27 


SHOULD  PROVE  GOOD 

BOX-OFFICE  ASSET 

'A  Wise  Son  Excellent  Attraction  for 
the  Family  Circle 

'A  WISE  SON.'  Max  Graf  Photoplay.  Au- 
thor, Charles  Sherman.  Director,  Phil 
Rosen.   Length,  6,759  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Helen  Maynard   Estelle  Taylor 

Timothy   Marshall   Payne   Alec   B.  Francis 

Hal  Whitney   Brvant  Washburn 

Elizabeth  Whitney   Eugenie  Besserer 

Mrs.   Whitney's   Maid   Ethel  Wales 

Mrs.    Haggerty   Kate  Price 

M  iss   Haggerty  Lenore  Casenova 

Horace    Maynard   Phillips  Smallev 

Bill   Frankie  Darro 

Butler   Sidney  Bracey 

Hal  Whitney,  young-  and  wealthy,  while  going 
home  from  a  gay  party,  runs  across  an  ex-college 
professor  who  has  become  an  alcoholic  derelict 
and  adopts  him  as  his  father.  Hal's  sweetheart  is 
a  guest  on  his  yacht  and  when  he  introduces  the 
former  tramp  to  those  assembled,  the  girl  becomes 
indignant  and  leaves.  Despite  this  Hal  sticks  by 
his  new  parent,  whose  philosophic  outlook  on  life 
works  a  wonderful  change  in  the  youth.  The  girl 
repents  her  hasty  action,  begs  the  professor's  par- 
don and  is  reconciled  to  Hal.  The  latter's  mother 
weds  the  professor. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 
A  N  unusual  picture  which  gets  out  of 
the  beaten  track  and  affords  very- 
pleasing  entertainment!  We  believe  that 
"A  Wise  Son"  will  be  well  received  and 
score  favorably  at  the  box  office  wherever 
it  is  shown  because  of  its  cleverly  devel- 
oped sympathetic  lure,  its  freedom  from 
cant  or  false  sentimentality  and  the  fact 
that  is  impresses  one  as  a  bit  of  real  life 
translated  to  the  screen. 

The  story  is  a  simple  one  and  much  of 
its  dramatic  strength  is  found  in  its 
straightforward  simplicity,  there  is  no 
striving  for  spectacular  effect  or  glamorous 
sexual  appeal,  yet  its  clean  sentiment  and 
compellingly  human  atmosphere  are  quali- 
ties warranted  to  sway  the  sensibilities  of 
young  and  old  alike.  It  ranks  as  a  feature 
especially  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the 
family  circle,  but  sufficiently  virile  and 
imbued  with  powerful  heart  interest  to 
grip  and  hold  the  attention  of  all  classes 
of  film  patrons. 

There  are  many  fine  dramatic  situations 
in  evidence  and  not  one  that  oversteps 
the  bounds  of  possibility.  The  scene 
where  Hal  Whitney  adopts  the  broken- 
down  old  chap  -is  his  father  and  that  in 
which  he  introduces  him  to  the  guests 
aboard  the  yacht  are  remarkably  effective 
in  that  they  are  strikingly  realistic  and  at 
the  same  time  convincing.  For  that  mat- 
ter, the  whole  narrative  is  strong  from 
the  conviction  angle,  thanks  to  Phil  Ros- 
en's skillful  direction  and  the  splendid 
work  of  the  players.  Also,  there  is  an 
abundance  of  crisp,  bright  humor  which 
serves  to  balance  the  sentimental  influence 
neatly,  in  fact  the  comedy  relief  con- 
tributes in  no  small  degree  to  the  pic- 
ture's success. 

There  is  no  fault  to  be  found  with  the 
camera  technique,  the  lighting  is  excellent, 
exteriors  and  interiors  are  beautifully 
filmed,  the  settings  appropriate  and  close- 
ups  of  the  principals,  clear,  distinct  and 
extremely  well  posed. 

That  sterling  veteran  actor,  Alec  B. 
Francis,  must  be  given  credit  for  annexing 
the  chief  dramatic  honors.  His  portrayal 
of  the  old  derelict,  Professor  Timothy 
Marshall  Payne,  is  a  great  bit  of  charac- 
ter work,  as  clean-cut  as  a  cameo  and 
wonderfully  appealing. 

You  can  advertise  this  as  a  picture  offer- 
ing a  healthy  moral  lesson,  without  in  the 
least  stepping  over  the  preaching  border. 
Its  romantic  sides  can  be  stressed  without 
fear  of  disappointing  your  patrons,  for 
the  heart  interest  never  misses  fire.  Play 
up  Alec  B.  Francis,  Estelle  Taylor,  Bryant 
Washburn  and  Eugenie  Besserer,  all 
names  with  a  sure  fan  following,  and  go 
after  the  family  trade. 


COLLEEN  MOORE  FINE 

IN  NEW  ROLE 

Noted  Flapper  Can  Emote  to  Good 
Advantage 

'FLIRTING  WITH  LOVE.'   First  National 
Production.    Adapted  from  LeRoy  Scotfs 
novel  "Counterfeit."    Director,  lohn  Francis 
Dillon.    Length  6,960  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Gilda  Lamont   Colleen  Moore 

Wade  Cameron   Conway  Tearle 

Estelle  Van  Arden   Winifred  Bryson 

Mrs.  Cameron  Frances  Raymond 

Dickie  Harrison   John  Patrick 

Franklyn  Stone   Alan  Roscoe 

John  Williams   William  Gould 

Gilda  Lamont,  a  stage  star,  is  enraged  at  Wade 
Cameron,  who  as  chairman  of  the  Better  Plays  So- 
ciety, causes  her  show,  "The  Lost  Kimona,"  to  be 
stopped.  She  pretends  she  is  suffering  from  amnesia 
and  enters  his  home.  She  plans  to  make  him  ridicu- 
lous in  the  eyes  of  the  friends.  She  falls  in  love 
with  him  and  at  the  last  minute  relents. 

By  Len  Morgan 

pOLLEEN  MOORE  steps  down  from  the 
flapper  stage  and  shows  that  she  is  a 
real  actress  of  ability  in  "Flirting  With 
Love."  In  her  former  pictures  she  has  had 
little  opportunity  to  show  any  real  emotion, 
and  it  was  an  agreeable  surprise  to  find  that' 
she  can  shed  tears  with  the  best  of 
them. 

In  this  picture  there  is  never  any  doubt  as 
to  how  the  story  will  end  but  there  are  many 
deft  touches  that  keep  the  suspense  up  and 
add  interest.  It  has  the  necessary  ingredients 
for  a  successful  box  office  attraction  and  the 
exhibitor  will  make  no  mistake  in  book- 
ing it. 

To  Colleen  Moore  falls  the  job  of  support- 
ing the  brunt  but  she  proves  herself  capable 
and  even  though  she  is  in  a  great  number 
of  scenes,  one  does  not  mind  for  her  work 
is  refreshing  and  will  please  her  many  ad- 
mirers and  no  doubt  make  many  new  Colleen 
fans. 

Conway  Tearle,  as  Wade  Cameron,  author- 
ity on  psychology,  and  a  member  of  the  Bet- 
ter Plays  Society,  is  a  serious  minded  indi- 
vidual, who  is  a  decided  contrast  to  Colleen 
with  her  effervescent  manner.  With  these 
two  stars  in  the  same  cast  nothing  could  re- 
sult but  a  clever  and  unusual  production. 

We  must  admit  that  when  it  comes  to 
handling  mob  scenes,  this  director  knows  his 
business.  The  scenes  where  large  numbers 
were  assembled,  (and  they  were  numerous) 
are  handled  wonderfully  well. 

The  photography  is  much  better  than  is 
usual  i  nforeign  made  pictures.  The  camera- 
men made  their  shots  to  the  best  advantage 
and  this  greatly  helped  the  picture. 

John  Francis  Dillon,  who  directed  the  pic- 
ture, kept  the  box  office  angle  in  mind  all 
the  time  and  added  many  touches  that  put 
the  picture  over  with  a  bang.  There  were 
many  opportunities  to  overdo  the  acting  in 
certain  scenes,  but  he  always  kept  within 
bounds  of  reason  and  has  produced  a  picture 
that  contains  humor,  suspense  and  human 
interest. 

The  picture  takes  the  audience  back  stage 
in  a  New  York  theatre  and  shows  how  things 
are  conducted.  It  will  prove  interesting  to 
patrons  everywhere. 

There  are  no  mechanical  thrills  in  the  pic- 
ture. The  whole  production  depends  entire- 
ly upon  the  acting  of  the  well  balanced  cast 
and  clever  directing.  The  picture  moves  with 
wonderful  smoothness  and  the  photography 
gladdens  the  eye. 

Play  up  the  names  of  Colleen  Moore  and 
Conway  Tearle  in  the  advertising  and  there 
should  be  little  difficulty  in  crowding  the  the- 
atre to  capacity. 


'AMERICAN  MANNERS' 

ACROBATIC  THRILLER 

Richard  Talmadge  Performs  Amazing 
Stunts  in  a  Lively  Melodrama 

'AMERICAN  MANNERS.'  F.  B.  O.  Photo- 
play. Author,  Frank  Howard  Clark.  Di- 
rector, James  W.  Home,  Length,  5,200 
feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Roy   Thomas   Richard  Talmadge 

Dan  Thomas   Marc  Fenton 

Clyde  Harvey   Lee  Shumway 

Bud   George  Warde 

Mike  Barclay   Pat  Harmon 

Jonas  Winthrop   William  Turner 

Conway   Arthur  Melette 

Gloria    Winthrop   Helen  Lynch 

After  studying  in  Paris  Roy  Thomas  comes  back 
home  and  makes  his  parents  believe  that  he  has  be- 
come something  of  a  giddy  fool.  His  indignant 
father  insists  on  Roy  taking  a  job  under  him  oh 
the  docks.  There  he  gets  up  against  a  smuggling 
gang  the  secret  head  of  which  is  Clyde  Harvey, 
employed  as  the  elder  Thomas'  manager.  Roy  sets 
himself  to  uncover  the  inside  graft  of  the  gang  and 
expose  Harvey.  The  latter  is  in  love  with  Gloria 
Winthrop,  but  Roy  ultimately  defeats  the  plans  of 
the  crooks  and  wins  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

FOR  those  who  like  melodramatic  thrills 
and  action  geared  up  to  the  highest  speed 
notch,  "American  Manners"  will  undoubtedly 
prove  as  lively  an  hour's  amusement  as  could 
be  wished  for.  It's  one  of  those  harum- 
scarum  plots  that  cannot  be  taken  seriously, 
but  there  isn't  a  dull  moment  in  the  entire 
film  and  considered  as  an  attraction  for  the 
hot  weather  period  when  one  wants  to  be 
entertainment  without  having  to  think  too 
hard,  it  ought  to  go  over  great  in  the  aver- 
age house. 

Certainly  Richard  Talmadge,  who  has 
gained  widespread  renown  as  an  acrobatic 
stunt  performer  of  unusual  merit,  never 
demonstrated  his  extraordinary  agility  and 
dare-devil  courage  to  greater  advantage  than 
he  does  in  this  feature.  The  manner  in 
which  he  leaps,  gyrates,  swings  m  mid-air, 
bowls  over  opponents  and  risks  his  neck  in 
a  variety  of  dizzy  evolutions  must  be  seen 
to  be  appreciated.  No  mere  word  descrip- 
tion can  do  justice  to  the  giddy  gymnastics 
of  this  remarkable  athlete,  who  seems  to  be 
constructed  of  rubber  and  whalebone,  rather 
than  ordinary  flesh  and  blood. 

Also,  it  must  be  conceded  that  Mr.  Tal- 
madge has  been  given  a  far  better  and  more 
coherent  story  to  illustrate  than  in  any  of 
his  previous  screen  successes.  His  marvel- 
ous antics  are  of  course  the  film's  greatest 
drawing  asset,  but  the  tale  of  how  the  hero 
detects  the  schemes  of  the  smuggler  crooks 
is  well  worked  out,  the  continuity  is  smooth 
and  the  romantic  angle  nicely  stressed. 

A  sailing  vessel  provides  most  of  the  back- 
ground for  the  narrative  and  hero  Roy 
Thomas  dashes  about  decks  and  rigging  with 
the  untamed  velocity  of  a  wildcat,  engages 
in  some  vividly  realistic  scraps  and  covers 
himself  with  glory  from  start  to  finish. 

Suspense  is  craftily  developed  and  main- 
tained, as  in  the  sequences  where  Roy  is  en- 
deavoring to  obtain  evidence  as  to  the  in- 
side plotting  of  the  gang  and  the  smuggling 
activities  which  may  send  his  papa  to  jail. 
There  is  some  excellent  comedy  in  evidence, 
most  of  which  is  supplied  by  Arthur  Mel- 
ette in  the  role  of  a  dumb  secret  service 
man. 

The  star  is  well  supported,  Helen  Lynch 
winning  plenty  of  sympathy  as  heroine 
Gloria  Winthrop  Miss  Lynch  looks  attrac- 
tive and  is  very  effective  in  the  emotional 
situations  which  fall  to  her  share. 

There  are  many  fine  exterior  shots,  with 
excellent  lighting  distinguishing  the  entire 
production,  and  many  well  posed  closeups  of 
the  principals. 

You  can  praise  this  as  a  snappy  melo- 
drama, showing  Richard  Talmadge  at  his 
best.  The  latter  has  won  quite  a  large  fan- 
following  as  a  stunt  performer  and  you  are 
justified  in  classing  "American  Manners"  as 
his  most  remarkable  acrobatic  offering. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


NUMEROUS  THRILLS 

IN  AUTO  ROMANCE 

'Racing  for  Life'  Should  Draw  Well 
in  Average  House 

'RiC,IN£,  F0R  LIFR'  C-  B-  C.  Film 
Sales  Photoplays'.  Author,  Wilfred  Lucas 
Director,  Henry  A.  McRae.  Length  5  000 
Feet. 


CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 


?acakCeG^ton  Eva  Novak 

Carl    nrT  William  Fairbanks 

Haudfo?dant.:. Philo  McCollough 

xh .   rt'   ■  Wilfred  Lucas 

The  Chjmp™   Mph   De  Pain. 

&  ST*  Fra^l 

Hud  ords   Partner   ^    Y  Whitson 

*   Harley  Moore 

Jack  Grant  is  in  love  with  Grace  Danton,  daugh- 

fZ  nannt^aUt°  Te"?te-  His  brother  Car^  working 
for  Danton,  embezzles  money  Danton  agrees  not 
to  prosecute  on  cond.t.on  that  Jack  takes  the  place 
of  his  star  dnyei  wno  has  cancelled  hi,,  contract, 
in  an  international  race.  On  the  eve  of  the  big 
event    Jack   is   kidnapped    by    the   opposition.  Hi 

ET3w«.  rtS7'  nSCape5  and  reaches  thf  tra"  ^  time 
Grace  car  t&  victor}.     He  also  wins 

By  Georce  T.  Pardy. 

THI,S  Picture  compares  favorably  with 
other  features  in  which  the  big  thrills 
are  put  across  through  the  medium  of  an  au- 
tomobile race  The  plot  follows  a  familiar 
formula,  but  there  are  many  exciting  situa- 
tions the  usual  leaven  of  romance,  fast  action 
all  the  way  and  a  satisfactory,  if  conventional 
climax.  Properly  exploited,  "Racing  For 
Lite  ought  to  draw  well  in  the  average  house 
and  yield  good  box  office  returns 

At  the  start  of  things  the  hero  is  shown 
as  a  racing  enthusiast  with  scant  regard  for 
the  safety  of  his  neck,  so  long  as  he  sees  a 
chance  of  smashing  speed  records  ahead  But 
entering  a  county  contest,  he  is  compelled  to 
wreck  his  car  in  order  to  avoid  killing  a  little 
chap  who  strays  on  to  the  track,  and  is  con- 
siderably bunged  up  as  a  result  of  his  self- 
sacrifice.  This  leads  his  anxious  mother  to 
make  his  promise  that  he  will  give  un  the 
racing  game.  y 

But  in  order  to  save  his  brother  Carl 
from  prison,  the  latter  having  embezzled 
money  from  the  Danton  automobile  firm  he 
agrees  to  take  the  place  of  Danton's  driver 
in  an  international  event,  the  latter  having 
cancelled  his  contract.  Brother  Carl,  who  is 
a  black  sheep  of  dingiest  hue,  is  at  the  bottom 
of  all  the  trouble,  and  goes  still  further  by 
having  Jack  kidnapped. 

Jack  is  in  love  with  Danton's  daughter  and 
spurred  to  desperation  by  this  outward  com^ 
bmation  of  disaster,  he  fights  free  of  the  kid- 
nappers, hustles  to  the  track,  and  gets  there 
in  time  to  drive  to  victory.  His  scrap  with 
Carl  s  thugs  is  a  mst  vitrolic  affair,  but  the 
real  punch  comes  in  the  race  scene,  with  the 
world-famous  Ralph  De  Palma  as  one  of  his 
competitors  This  is  an  honest-to-goodness 
furious  speed  whirl,  which  is  sure  to  win  ap- 
plause wherever  it  is  shown.  True,  the  whole 
story  is  a  bit  obvious,  but  its  melodramatic 
vigor  compensates  largely  for  this  shortcom- 
ing, and  Henry  McRae  deserves  credit  for 
having  directed  ,t  with  skill  and  good  judg- 

William  Fairbanks  fits  nicely  into  the  role 
of  the  impetuous  Jack  Grant,  which  he  plays 
with  pleasing  dash  and  gallantry,  Eva  No- 
vak as  Grace  Danton,  looks  like  a  girl  well 
worth  taking  big  risks  for,  Philo  McCol 
lough  scores  as  the  bad  brother  and  adequate 
supper   is  given  the  principals  by  other  mem 

rJl  J  udl  s.eIected  cast.  The  photog- 
raphy throughout  is  excellent 

Play  up  the  thrill  of  the  big  race  scene  in 
your  exploitation.     In  connection  with  this 

5S>  "^v  °e  lPa,,ma'S  trance  afa 
competitor.  You  should  be  able  to  interest 
some  auto  concerns  in  the  picture  and  arrange 
tieups  accordingly.  Besides  the  star,  Eva  No- 
yak  rs  worfii  advertising,  as  she  has  a  strong 
tan  following  in  various  sections. 


'CYCLONE  RIDER' 

A  THRILL  TRIUMPH 

Old  Lincoln  Carter  Melodrama  Trans- 
lated Into  Wildly  Exciting  Film 

'THE  CYCLONE  RIDER.'  Fox  Photoplay. 
Author,  Lincoln  J.  Carter.  Director  Buck- 
ingham, Length,  6,700  Feet. 

CAST    AND  SYNOPSIS 

Richard    Armstrong   Reed  Howes 

Doris  Steele   Alma  Bennett 

Reynard   Trask   William  Bailey 

Mrs.    Armstrong   Margaret    Mc  Wade 

Robert   Steele   Frank  Beal 

Weeping   Wanda   Evelyn  Brent 

Eddie   Eugene  Pallatte 

Silent   Dan   Ben  Decley 

Romus   Charles  Conklin 

Romulus   Bud  Jamison 

Taxi  Driver   Ben  Hendricks,  Jr. 

Richard  Armstrong  invents  a  carburetor  which 
promises  to  make  any  car  using  it  practically  in- 
vincible in  a  race.  He  works  on  a  skyscraper 
building  for  Richard  Steele,  mee's  and  falls  in  love 
with  the  latter's  daughter,  Doris.  Steele  favors 
the  suit  of  Reynard  Trask,  a  power  in  the  under- 
world, who  poses  as  a  broker.  In  response  to 
Richard's  request  for  his  daughter's  hand,  Steele 
tells  him  that  if  he  can  raise  $5,000  cash  in  thirty 
days,  he  will  listen  to  him.  Richard  loses  the  race, 
but  wins    the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

'T'  HIS  old-time  Lincoln  J.  'Carter  melo- 
drama  shows  up  as  a  bully  attraction  for 
the  neighborhood  and  smaller  houses.  It  is 
packed  full  of  excitement  from  start  to 
finish,  the  action  sweeps  along  like  a  tidal 
wave,  you  don't  stop  to  argue  whether  this 
or  that  incident  is  convincing  or  absurd,  the 
film's  lure  lies  in  its  gingery  snap  and  punch 
and  few  folks  who  watch  the  seven  reels 
unfold  are  likely  to  argue  about  its  proba- 
bilities. For  the  most  part,  the  fans  will  liter- 
ally "eat  it  up." 

At  the  beginning  a  grand  thrill  is  pro- 
vided when  the  hero,  hanging  precariously  to 
a  steel  beam  in  midair,  rescues  a  chap  who 
is  about  to  fall  from  the  ledge  of  a  sky- 
scraper. But  that's  only  one  of  the  hair- 
raising  episodes  that  combine  to  make  "The 
Cyclone  Rider"  a  real  melodramatic  gem. 

Take  the  auto  racing  stuff!  There  are 
stunts  pulled  off  that  will  send  chills  down 
the  spine  of  the  most  hardened  cynic.  The 
road  race  in  particular  is  a  classic  of  its 
kind.  Then  the  scraps  on  the  skyscraper 
and  in  the  death  shadows  of  the  tunnels, 
the  mad  leap  of  the  auto  from  the  pier 
clean  on  to  a  ferry  boat,  covering  all  of 
fourteen  feet — why  we  have  seen  serials  that 
didn't  come  within  touch  of  this  feature  for 
sheer  dare-devil  force  and  virile  appeal. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  whole  thing  has 
a  serial  suggestion  about  it,  but  the  plot  is 
coherent,  well  knit  together  and  preserves 
unbroken  continuity. 

Maybe  the  highbrows  will  sneer  at  the 
highly-spiced  fare  of  "The  Cyclone  Rider," 
but  we  are  willing  to  wager  that  it  will  get 
the  money  and  win  enthusiastic  applause 
from  ninety  per  cent  of  those  who  patronize 
the  silent  drama.  There's  always  a  ready 
market  for  pictures  of  this  sort  when  well 
directed  and  acted.  The  Lincoln  Carter 
type  of  melodrama  never  failed  to  win  the 
approval  of  the  masses  as  a  form  of  stage 
entertainment,  and  bids  fair  to  score  a  like 
success  on  the  screen. 

Richard  Armstrong  heads  the  cast  and 
proves  himself  to  be  an  honest  acrobat  of 
extraordinary  agility,  as  well  as  an  emotion- 
al actor  of  no  slight  ability.  You  don't  often 
run  across  a  combination  of  this  kind,  but 
Mr.  Armstrong  fills  the  bill  in  both  respects. 
Alma  Bennett  reigns  as  a  pretty  and  very 
fascinating  heroine,  William  Bailey  wins 
scowls  and  hatred  in  the  character  of  that 
designing  ruffian  Reynard  Trask  and  the 
support  is  capital. 

Exploit  this  as  a  fast-moving  melodrama 
with  action  and  thrills  in  every  foot.  Play 
up  Reed  Howes  and  Alma  Bennett,  and  ar- 
range tie-ups  with  automobile  concerns. 


SHOOTS  DIRECT 

AUDIENCE  APPEAL 

'Breath  of  Scandal'  Combines  Jazzy 
Lure  with  Sympathetic  Drag 

'THE  BREATH  OF  SCANDAL.'  B.  P. 
Schulberg  Productions  Photoplay.  Author, 
Edwin  Barmer.  Director,  Louis  Gasnier. 
Length,  6,500  Feet. 

CAST    AND  SYNOPSIS 

Sybil   Russell  Betty  Blythe 

Marjory   Hale   Patsy    Ruth  Miller 

Bill   Wallace  Jack  Mulhall 

Helen   Hale   Myrtle  Stedman 

Charles  Hale  Lou  Tellegen 

Gregg  Mowbray   Forrest  Stanley 

Sybil's   Husband   ....Frank  Leigh 

Clara   Simmons   Phyllis  Haver 

Atherton  Bruce   Charles  Carey 

Charles  Hale  is  shot  and  wounded  by  the  hus- 
band of  Sybil  Russell  while  visiting  the  latter. 
Hale's  daughter,  Marjorie,  shocked  by  the  incident, 
leaves  her  home  and  engages  in  settlement  work 
in  the  slums.  There  Sybil  becomes  the  center  of 
an  intrigue  started  by  Sybil's  husband  with  the 
intention  of  involving  her  in  a  scandal.  But  finally 
Hale  abandons  his  mistress  and  daughter  and  father 
are  reunited,  while  Sybil  is  united  to  the  man  she 
loves. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

'"P  HERE'S  just  sufficient  flapper  and  jazz 
stuff  in  this  picture  to  give  it  a  thoroughly 
modern  tone  without  offending  the  patrons 
who  don't  believe  in  stressing  the  rapid 
liquor  flow  and  fast  society  theme.  The 
director  seems  to  have  struck  a  hayyp  bal- 
ance in  filming  this  yarn  of  love  and  do- 
mestic troubles  in  high  life,  with  the  result 
that  it  registers  as  mighty  good  entertain- 
ment for  all  theatres. 

We  are  shown  a  well-to-do  man  of  middle 
age  whose  wife  has  become  so  absorbed  in 
social  and  civic  activities  that  she  drifts 
away  from  the  domestic  atmosphere.  Nat- 
urally, he  seeks  consolation  elsewhere  and 
finds  it  in  the  person  of  a  fascinating  married 
woman  whose  affection  for  her  spouse  has 
chilled  to  the  zero  degree.  The  aggrieved 
spouse  take  a  shot  at  the  disturber  of  his 
peace,  wounds  him,  and  the  daughter  of  the 
injured  man  is  faced  by  the  problem  of  try- 
ing to  keep  up  mother  in  blissful  ignorance 
of  father's  love  affair. 

This  leads  up  to  some  serious  complica- 
tions, the  most  telling  of  which  is  the  scene' 
where  Marjory  Hale,  who  has  left  her  lux- 
urious home  and  temporarily  cast  in  her 
lot  with  the  slum  dwellers,  is  caught  in  a 
raid  staged  by  the  district  attorney  to  whom 
she  is  engaged.  Her  finance  turns  out  to  be 
rather  a  cad,  but  Marjorie  ultimately  finds 
happiness  with  a  young  lawyer  who  sticks  to 
her  through  thick  and  thin,  the  mother  never 
learns  the  truth  of  the  matter  and  every- 
thing comes  out  all  right  at  the  finish. 

Such  a  theme  could  easily  have  been 
stressed  to  a  point  where  it  would  have  of- 
fended the  moralists,  but  director  Louis 
Gasnier,  without  spoiling  his  plot  by  milk- 
and-water  effusions,  has  maintained  its  dra- 
matic interest,  built  up  the  situations  in  a 
perfectly  logical  fashion  and  worked  the 
whole  into ,  a  plausible  and  pleasing  finish. 

Patsy  Ruth  Miller  carries  off  the  chief 
dramatic  honors  by  her  sincere  and  appeal- 
ing portrayal  of  Marjorie  Hale.  But  the  cast 
is  rich  in  talent.  Betty  Blythe,  as  the  decora- 
tive and  vampish  Sybil  Russell  scores  a  dis- 
tinct hit,  Jack  Mulhall  contributes  an  excel- 
lent character  sketch  in  the  party  of  Bill 
Wallace ;  Myrtle  Stedman,  as  Helen  Hale, 
and  Lou  Tellegen,  as  Charles  Hale  win 
universal  favor  and  the  support  is  good. 

The  camera  work  throughout  is  of  first- 
class  quality.  The  settings  are  handsome, 
deep  sets  are  employed  with  striking  effect 
in  the  interior  shots  and  there  are  many 
artisic  exteriors  in  evidence. 

Play  this  up  as  a  modern  society  drama, 
with  plenty  of  "kick,"  but  telling  a  perfectly 
straight  story,  strong  in  human  sympathy 
and  sympathetic  lure.  Betty  Blythe,  Patsy 
Ruth  Miller,  Jack  Mulhall,  Myrtle  Stedman 
and  Lou  Tellegen  are  all  worth  advertising. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  29 


REGISTERS  STRONG 

EMOTIONAL  APPEAL 

'Butterfly,"  Heart  Drama  Suitable  for 

Theatres  of  All  Classes 

'BUTTERFLY.'  Universal  Jewel  Photoplay. 
Author,  Kathleen  N orris.  Director  Clar- 
ence Brown.  Length,  7,472  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dora  Collier   Lama  La  Plante 

Hilary  Collier   Ruth  Clifford 

Craig    Spaulding   Kenneth  Harlan 

Konrad   Kronski   Noiman  Kerry 

Von  Mandescheid   ,  .  .  Cesare  Gravina 

Violet  Van  De  Wort   Margaret  Livingston 

Cecil   Atherton   Freeman  Wood 

Cy  Dwyer   T.   Roy  Barnes 

Hilary  Collier  keeps  a  promise  to  a  dying  mother 
to  cherish  her  little  sister  Dora,  works  to  develop 
the  latter's  musical  talent  and  even  give,  up  Craig 
Spaulding,  for  whom  she  has  affection,  so  that  he 
can  marry  the  younger  girl.  Dora  becomes  socially 
popular,  decides  that  she  no  longer  cares  for  her 
husband  and  endeavors  to  ensnare  Konrad  Kronski, 
a  musician  who  loves  Hilary.  The  elder  sister  then 
revolts.  Dora's  husband  learns  of  his  wife's  in- 
fatuation. A  visit  to  Konrad's  apartment  by  the 
two  girls  brings  the  climax,  but  disaster  is  averted, 
Dora  and  her  husband  reconciled  and  Hilary  faces 
a   happy   future   with  Konrad. 

By  Glorge  T.  Pardy 
A  N  exceptionally  good  audience  picture! 
-^*As  an  emotional  drama  of  sterling- 
strength  and  wide  appeal  "Butterfly"  ranks 
high  and  should  prove  an  excellent  box 
office  asset  for  theatres  of  all  classes.  Also, 
the  plot  possesses  the  merit  of  originality, 
never  wanders  into  obvious  trails  and 
maintains  its  suppense  right  up  to  an  un- 
expected and  thoroughly  satisfactory  cli- 
max. 

The  keynote  of  the  picture  is  that  of 
self  sacrifice,  the  devotion  of  Hilary  Col- 
lier to  her  younger  sister  leading  the  for- 
mer to  efface  herself  in  every  way  in  or- 
der that  Dora  may  be  happy.  At  one  stage 
Hilary  even  suppresses  her  liking  for  Craig 
Spaulding  because  the  spoiled  darling 
wants  him.  Dora  weds  Craig,  achieves 
social  aspirations  and  has  a  giddy,  jazzy, 
generally  festive  time  of  it,  but  when  she 
wearies  of  her  husband  and  demands  that 
sister  Hilary  should  surrender  a  musician 
named  Kronski,  whom  she  loves,  to  Dora's 
embraces,  "the  worm  turns"  and  a  revolt 
takes  place. 

This  scene  where  Hilary  refuses  reso- 
lutely to  yield  to  Dora's  modest  request 
is  undoubtedly  the  strongest  in  the  pic- 
ture, and  the  finish,  with  both  girls  visit- 
ing Kronski's  apartment,  trailed  by  the 
younger's  spouse,  is  as  trenchantly  effec- 
tive as  it  is  surprising.  After  all  the 
cross-fire  of  near  tragedy,  tangled  loves 
and  emotional  stress,  not  the  least  aston- 
ishing thing  about  the  film  is  that  it  ends 
happily,  with  all  parties  satisfied. 

Director  Clarence  Brown  has  managed 
to  obtain  some  pleasing  contrasts  in  at- 
mosphere and  appeal.  The  totally  opposite 
characters  of  the  two  sisters  are  brought 
out  in  bold  relief,  there  are  some  good 
comedy  touches  to  relieve  the  serious 
trend  of  the  tale,  the  jazz  party  stuff  is 
handled  with  brilliant  effect  and  excellent 
continuity  is  maintained.  The  photography 
is  superb  and  faultless  lighting  dis- 
tinguishes the  entire  productiou. 

Laura  La  Plante  is  very  natural  and  pi- 
quant in  the  not  altogether  agreeable  role 
of  the  pretty  but  selfish  Dora.  Ruth  Clif- 
ford shares  dramatic  honors  with  the  star 
by  her  sincere  and  artistic  portrayal  of 
Hilary;  Norman  Kerry  shines  in  the  diffi- 
cult part  of  the  eccentric  musician  Kron- 
ski, and  Kenneth  Harlan  gives  a  capable 
performance  as  Craig  Spaulding.  The 
support  is  smooth  and  well  balanced,  T. 
Roy  Barnes  deserving  particular  mention 
for  his  clever  comedy  work. 

You  can  bill  this  as  an  unusually  appeal- 
ing heart  drama  with  self  sacrifice  as  its 
theme,  dwell  on  the  rivalry  of  the  two 
sisters  in  a  love  affair  and  feature  Laura 
La  Plante,  Ruth  Clifford  and  Norman 
Kerry. 


BATTLING  ORIOLES' 

SPLENDID  COMEDY 

Tryons  First  Feature-length  Comedy 
Enhanced  by  Baseball 
Background 

'THE  BATTLING  ORIOLES.'  Hal  Roach 
Photoplay  Released  by  Pathe.  Directed  by 
Ted  Wilde  and  Fred  Guiol.    Length  5600 

Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Tommy  Roosevelt  Tucker  Glenn  Tryon 

Hope   Stanton  Blanche  Mehaffey 

"Cappy"  Wolfe  John  T.  Prince 

Sid  Stanton  Noah  Young 

"Jimmy  the  Mouse"  Sam  Lufkin 

Tommy  Tucker  is  a  barber  in  a  small  town.  His 
fath  er  in  the  old  days  was  a  base  ball  player  on 
the  team  of  the  Battling  Orioles  who  were  known 
for  their  fistic  encounters  on  the  diamond.  Tom  is 
recognized  by  the  president  of  the  Orioles  as  the 
son  of  their  long  lost  teammate,  and  is  invited  to 
town  where  the  president  grants  Tommy  the  freedom 
of  the  clubhouse.  The  present  day  organization  com- 
prises the  old  team,  but  the  members  have  grown 
old,  wealthy  and  crabbed.  On  his  arrival  Tommy 
rouses  things  up  so  that  he  is  ousted  from  the  club 
but  later  upon  the  return  of  the  president  the  club- 
members  are  told  just  who  Tommy  is ;  they  repent 
their  hasty  action  and  seek  for  him,  finding  him 
just  in  time  to  rescue  him  and  his  sweetheart  from 
a  den  of  thugs  and  roughnecks. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

l^XCELLENTLY  staged  and  almost  per- 
feet  from  a  comedy  angle,  the  story  has 
the  quality  to  hold  the  attention,  and  at  times, 
the  breath  of  the  audience.  The  picture  should 
prove  highly  entertaining  to  almost  any  type 
of  audience  with  neither  class  distinctions 
nor  age  limits.  In  fact,  the  older  generation 
will  be  intensely  intererted  to  see  how  the  old 
"Orioles"  laid  cane  and  pills  aside  to  aid  the 
son  of  their  former  club  fellow. 

The  really  fine  acting  of  the  players  makes 
the  whole  thing  a  rather  wholesome  affair, 
and  the  background  of  baseball  lends  a  human 
interest  appeal  that  furnishes  a  tie  up  likely 
to  meet  with  spontaneous  audience  appre- 
ciation. 

Glenn  Tryon  is  just  about  being  accepted 
by  the  public  as  a  likely  aspirant  for  feature 
comedy  roles,  and  the  drawing  power  of 
Glenn  as  a  magnet  is  possibly  going  to  be  on 
the  curiosity  side  rather  than  that  of  experi- 
ence-contact based  upon  his  former  successes. 
He  has  a  pleasing  personality  and  despite  his 
youth,  does  "his  stuff"  in  good  old  trouper 
fashion.  Patrons  like  him,  and  the  welcome 
accorded  his  name  is  growing  stronger. 

The  direction  leaves  little  to  be  desired,  as 
for  instance  the  way  the  small  town  life  is 
depicted.  You  really  can  picture  the  town 
and  the  barber  shop  and  everything.  The 
kids  of  "Our  Gang"  comedies  have  a  minute 
or  two— and  get  a  hearty  recognition.  The 
club  in  the  city  is  well  appointed  and  in  keep- 
ing with  the  best  traditions.  The  cast 
throughout  is  well  chosen,  Blanche  Mehaffey 
as  Tommy's  sweetheart  having  all  too  little 
to  do. 

There  is  a  scene  in  this  comedy  that  will 
long  be  remembered  by  this  reviewer.  There 
is  a  fight — a  rough  and  tumble  affair.  Though 
slapstick  comedies  come  and  go,  and  fights 
follow  one  another  in  the  long  procession  of 
comedy  fights  there  will  be  few  to  compare 
with  this  one.  Tommy  seeks  out  his  sweet- 
heart in  a  dive  run  by  thugs.  They  oppose 
his  search — and  at  the  right  moment  the  old 
men  who  comprise  the  former  "Orioles" 
arrive.  They  pitch  in  and  help  Tommy  by 
holding  the  roughnecks  at  bay  while  Tommy 
goes  upstairs. 

To  see  the  fight  that  these  old  codgers  put 
up — to  realize  to  what  ends  they  can  go  in 
ingenuity,  is  to  see  the  last  word  in  clever 
showmanship.  Here's  the  big  scene  of  course 
—but  its  a  bigger  scene  than  in  any  contem- 
porary comedy  of  its  class. 

Exhibitors  can  book  this  feature  comedy 
without  provisions,  without  hesitancy,  because 
there  is  an  appeal  here  that  is  general,  that  is 
worth  every  exploitation  effort. 


BOOTLEG  TRAFFIC 

SEVERELY  SLAMMED 

>W/ine'  Showing  Bootlegging  Enter- 
prise and  Rum-Running  Activities 

'WINE'  Universal  Jewel  Photoplay,  Author, 
William  Machlarg.  Director,  Louis  Gas- 
nier.  Length,  6,220  Feet 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Angela  Warriner   Clara  Bow 

Carl   Graham   Forrest  Stanley 

John  Warriner   Huntley  Gordon 

Mrs.  Warriner   Mrytle  Stedman 

Harry  Van  Alstyne   Robert  Agnew 

Benedict   Walter  Long 

Mrs.   Corwin   Grace  Carlisle 

Amoti  Arthur  Thalasso 

The   Duke   Leo  White 

Revenue  Officer1   Walter  Shumway 

John  Warriner,  threatened  with  bankruptcy,  is 
persuaded  by  his  wife  to  join  one  Benedict  in  a 
bootlegging  enterprise,  just  as  his  daughter  is  about 
to  make  her  social  debut.  Carl  Graham,  a  square 
chap,  loves  the  daughter,  but  she  falls  for  the  atten- 
tions of  Van  Alstyne,  member  of  a  fast  set.  She  is 
trapped  with  Van  Alstyne  in  a  raid  made  by  Federal 
officers  on  a  cafe  and  rescued  by  Carl.  Warriner 
goes  to  jail,  his  wife  loses  her  sight  as  a  result  of 
drinking  bad  liquor,  but  he  is  finally  released,  his 
wife  regains  her  eyesight  and  h's  daughter  marries 
Carl  Graham. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

THIS  picture  starts  out  by  frankly  stat- 
ing in  a  foreword  that  it  is  propaganda 
in  favor  of  exterminating  the  bootlegger 
and  those  who  aid  in  the  dispensing  of 
illicit  liquor.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  it 
registers  rather  as  plain  melodrama,  the 
plot  of  which  pivots  on  rum-running  and 
the  consequences  thereof,  with  jazz  and 
flapper  trimmings,  the  sort  of  thing  which 
has  served  as  screen  material  quite  fre- 
quently of  late. 

Viewed  from  any  angle  "Wine"  cannot 
be  classed  as  a  film  of  extraordinary  merit. 
It  belongs  in  the  program  list,  and  should 
do  pretty  fair  business  in  the  average 
house,  before  an  average  audience.  But 
on  the  whole  it  doesn't  measure  up  to  the 
high-water  mark  of  the  usual  Jewel  pro- 
ductions. 

Three  members  of  the  Warriner  family 
suffer  as  a  result  of  their  connection  with 
the  purchase  and  absorbing  of  "hootch"  in 
defiance  of  the  Volstead  decree.  Papa 
Warriner  gets  in  bad  through  partnership 
with  a  bootlegger,  mother  goes  tempor- 
arily blind  through  overindulgence  in  the 
forbidden  stuff,  daughter  "flaps"  into  an 
ugly  mess  of  liquor  and  jazz  complica- 
tions, and  there  is  the  customary  round  of 
gay  parties  and  convivial  excess  with 
which  movie  fans  are  quite  familiar. 

There  are  many  exciting  situations, 
among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  road- 
house  raid  and  heroine's  narrow  escape 
from  officers  of  the  law,  with  her  faithful 
lover  coming  to  the  rescue.  Shots  of  a 
floating  cafe  in  the  shape  of  a  vessel  an- 
chored safely  outside  the  twelve-mile  limit 
and  catering  to  thirsty  Gothamites  are 
very  interesting,  all  the  more  so  because 
a  New  York  morning  newspaper  recently 
printed  an  article  dealing  with  the  activi- 
ties of  a  steamer  engaged  in  such  traffic 
just  off  Fire  Island. 

The  moral  lesson  the  producers  hint  at 
in  the  foreword  loses  its  edge  somewhat 
when  the  climax  presents  the  mother  as 
recovering  from  her  whiskey  blindness, 
daughter  happy  with  her  fiance  and  father 
pulling  loose  from  the  clutches  of  the  law. 
There  is  an  abundance  of  fine  photogra- 
phy, exteriors  and  interiors  are  skillfully 
filmed  and  excellent  lighting  prevails. 

Clara  Bow  is  effective  as  the  flapper 
heroine,  Forrest  Stanley  not  so  convincing 
as  the  honest  hero;  Huntley  Gordon  fur- 
nishes a  capital  character  sketch  of  John 
Warriner  and  the  support  is  adequate. 

You  can  exploit  this  as  an  up-to-date 
melodrama  with  a  modern  theme.  Play 
up  the  bootlegging  angle  and  flapper  stuff 
The  names  of  Clara  Bow,  Forrest  Stanley, 
Huntley  Gordon  and  Myrtle  Stedman  are 
worth  featuring. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Bic^  Little  Feature 


PATHE  PLANS  DRIVE 
ON  'CHRONICLES' 

September  has  been  selected  as  the 
month  for  the  opening  of  Pathe's  gen- 
eral sales  drive  on  "Chronicles  of 
America,"  and  it  is  expected  that  the 
net  results  will  equal  the  recent  Pathe 
Storey  Pennant  Race. 

By  Fall  there  will  be  thirteen  two- 
reel  "Chronicles"  subjects  on  the  mar- 
ket of  the  thirty-three  that  are  to  be 
produced. 

*  *  * 

'East  of  the  Water  Plug' 

Pathe  2  reels 

Ralph  Graves  is  featured  in  the  funniest 
two  reeler  that  we  have  seen  for  a  long 
time.  Mack  Sennett  has  taken  a  juvenile 
dramatic  star  and  turned  him  into  what  we 
think  one  of  the  best  slap-stick  comedians 
on  the  screen  to-day.  Sennett  has  said 
he  considers  Graves  a  "find." 

The  film  is  a  burlesque  based  on  the 
title  of  the  feature-length  drama  "West  of 
the  Water  Tower."  The  story  concerns 
a  clerk  in  a  village  store  who  has  been 
bitten  by  the  dramatic  bug,  and  with 
others  in  the  small  town  has  developed 
a  dramatic  society  that  is  a  sort  of  Little 
Theatre  movement  all  its  own. 

The  situations  of  the  playlet  they  give 
are  as  funny  as  can  be.  The  scenes  and  the 
costumes  are  screams,  and  the  usual  mis- 
haps of  amateur  dramatics  take  place  with 
unlooked  for  regularity  and  pathetic  re- 
sults. 

Here  is  humor — and  more. 

The  adults  will  to  a  man  enjoy  it.  The 
children  will  laugh  heartily  at  the  fun. 
The  adolescent  juveniles  will  see  them- 
selves as  others  see  them,  and  should  par- 
ticipate thoroughly  in  the  fun  and  the 
gags. 

"East  of  the  Water  Plug"  is  not  alone 
safe  booking,  it  is  a  privilege  that  some 
audiences  will  enjoy  when  given  the  op- 
portunity of  viewing  it.  Present  it  by  all 
means. 

#  *  * 


Alexander  Hamilton 


Pathe 


3  reels 

"Washington  and  his  colleagues,"  of 
the  Chronicles  of  America  series,  contin- 
ues with  a  presentation  of  Alexander 
Hamilton's  life  describing  more  particu- 
larly his  work  for  his  country. 

Pathe  is  indeed  doing  some  excellent 
work  in  bringing  to  the  screen  these  inti- 
mate stories  of  some  of  the  great  histor- 
ical high  lights  in  the  development  of 
America. 

This  film  deals  with  the  young  man 
Hamilton.  At  this  time  he  was  perhaps 
one  of  the  leading  national  figures;  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  funds  for  governmental 
purposes,  and  their  collection  too,  he  was 
a  most  valuable  aid  to  our  first  adminis- 
tration. 


'SHORTS' 

A  S  one  firm  producing  shorts  calls 
•E \  them,  they  are  indeed  "the  spice 
of  the  program."  Give  them  con- 
sideration— and  they  will  in  turn  in- 
crease your  business.  Further — ad- 
vertise them,  for  some  times  they 
will  bring  in  business  that  the 
feature  alone  won't. 

Your  patrons  want  an  entertaining 
and  varied  program  when  they  visit 
your  theatre  —  therefore,  careful  se- 
lection of  the  short  items  will  mean 
satisfaction — or  otherwise. 

Watch  the  columns  of  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  for  suggestions,  and 
read  our  criticisms  of  short  subjects 
as  released,  each  week. 


He  held  the  post  of  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  under  George  Washington,  and 
as  a  member  of  this  immortal  cabinet,  his 
name  goes  down  to  posterity  with  great 
honor. 

Allan  Connor  plays  the  role  of  Hamil- 
ton giving  a  finely  delicate  rendition. 
George  Nash,  as  Washington,  gives  color 
to  the  characterization. 

The  other  players  include  Mabel  Tal- 
iaferro, Bradley  Barker,  Lyndall  Olmstead 
and  J.  E.  Poole.  The  company  is  well 
selected  and  all  give  excellent  portrayals 
of  their  rolqs. 

The  historical  chapter  depicted  presents 
in  a  telling  way  the  story  of  Hamilton's 


acceptance  of  the  portfolio  as  Treasury 
head,  and  later,  when  money  was  required 
for  Federal  expenses,  his  imposition  of  the 
tax  on  whiskey  and  distilled  spirits.  This 
tax  was  later  met  with  opposition  on  the 
part  of  some  rebel  spirits  culminating  in 
what  was  known  as  the  "Whiskey  Rebel- 
lion." 

Hamilton  personally  put  this  down, 
rather  through  reasoning  than  force  of 
arms. 

On  the  whole  such  pictures  give  us  all 
an  excellent  insight  into  the  struggles  of 
the  early  Fathers  of  the  Nation.  We  of 
the  twentieth  century  do  well  to  know 
these  struggles  and  to  appreciate  what  has 
been  accomplished  for  this  wonderful 
country  of  ours. 

Audiences  will  like  this  entire  series.  For 
one  thing,  they  are  true  to  fact  and  his- 
tory. They  are  representative  of  Ameri- 
can tastes  and  manners. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  writer  they  fill  a 
large  present  day  requirement  in  the  gen- 
eral education  of  the  public  at  large,  and, 
as  they  fit  into  nearly  any  program,  should 
be  booked  with  the  assurance  of  pleasing 
the  greatest  possible  number.  Here  is  en- 
tertainment, supreme. 

In  certain  communities,  where  the  for- 
eign population  is  large  exhibitors  will 
find  their  patrons  will  crave  these  pictures, 
not  alone  for  their  entertainment  value, 
but  also  for  the  educational  qualities  as 
well. 

We  believe  that  the  exhibitors  will  find 
these  "Chronicles  of  America"  worthy  of 
any  test. 


In  Pathe's  comedy.  "Three  Foolish  Weeks,"  Ben  Turpin  is  given  some  almost  im- 
possible situations  and  handles  them  as  adroitly    as    any    dramatic    star  might. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  31 


Three  Foolish  Weeks 

Pathe  2  reels 

In  this  production  by  Mack  Sennett, 
you  will  find  Ben  Turpin  at  his  funniest. 

Not  alone  is  he  funny  when  you  get  a 
straight  on  view  of  him — but  even  from 
the  back,  sides,  and  sub-surface  view,  he 
is  a  scream. 

Not  content  to  leave  "Three  Weeks" 
alone  to  the  serious  drama,  Mack  Sennett 
has  burlesqued  the  feature-story  so  that 
it  has  no  semblance  of  its  original  self. 
But,  this  doesn't  matter. 

There  are  laughs  aplenty  in  "Three 
Foolish  Weeks,"  and  that  is  what  counts 
in  comedy. 

As  the  Baron  Sergius  he  rescues  the 
Queen  of  Anchovia  in  a  run-away  acci- 
dent, and  takes  her  to  the  Witch's  Inn — 
the  only  place  of  refuge.  Here  many 
funny  situations  arise  which  call  forth 
laughter  even  from  hard-boiled  critics  of 
the  screen. 

Turpin  has  the  advantage  of  the  best 
comedy  direction  available,  and  is  sup- 
ported by  an  ideal  cast  of  excellent  play- 
ers. 

The  exhibitor  may  book  this  comedy 
feeling  certain  that  there  will  be  a  laugh 
extending  down  Main  Street  to  where  it 
crosses  the  Boulevard. 

Advertising  such  a  funny  comedy  needs 
no  guide.  "Ben  Turpin  is  here  to-day" 
will  practically  fill  the  house.  The  S.  R.  O. 
sign  needs  burnishing  up  when  you  run 
"Three  Foolish  Weeks."  The  title  will 
alone  draw  all  the  young  ladies  in  town — 
thinking  that  perhaps  Elinor  Glyn  has 
written  a  comedy. 

One-Third  Off 

Pathe  2  Reels 

Pathe  in  this  film  leads  the  way  in  prov- 
ing the  correctness  of  the  theory,  that  the 
story  is  the  thing — even  in  a  comedy. 

In  this  instance  the  story  is  by  Irvin 
Cobb.  That  should  tell  it  all — but,  added 
to  that,  Grantland  Rice  has  collaborated 
in  the  writing,  and  no  doubt  in  the  pro- 
duction. 

The  theme  of  a  fat  man  trying  to  get 
thin,  thereby  gaining  the  favor  of  his 
sweetheart,  is  well  told.  The  story  is  real 
because  it  might  happen  to  any  of  us.  It 
must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the 
"realest"  thing  about  it  all  is  that  today 
is  an  era  of  diets — and  many  a  husband  is 
on  a  diet  unconsciously,  mainly  because 
his  wife  has  determined  to  reduce. 

This  bit  of  human  interest  alone  assures 
the  success  of  "One  Third  Off." 

The  comedy  depicts  the  various  pro- 
cesses that  the  stout  swain  goes  through 
to  win  his  sweetheart.  He  goes  to  a 
health  farm,  where  by  such  courses  as  star- 
vation and  exercise  of  the  perspiration  in- 
ducing sort,  he  is  well-nigh  exhausted. 

He  adds  weight  instead  of  reducing  it 
and  his  lady  love  wants  none  of  him — and 
the  poor  fellow  is  sure  dejected. 

While  trudging  along  the  road  he  sees 
an  auto  accident  and  runs  to  aid  the  in- 
jured man. 

The  ambulance  doctor  decides  upon  a 
"hypo,"  but  by  mistake  pricks  the  arm  of 
the  fat  man  instead  of  that  of  the  injured 
motorist. 

This  starts  the  fun.  The  needle  having 
given  h:m  nerve  such  as  he  never  before 
possessed,  he  straightway  goes  to  find  his 
rival  and  finish  him    off;    he    rushes  his 


In  Pathe's  "The  Luck  of  the  Foolish" 
Harry  Langdon  is  indeed  both  lucky  and 
foolish.  As  the  night  watchman,  he 
proves    himself    a    great    screen  comic. 

sweetheart  right  off  her  feet  to  the  nearest 
minister.    And  all  ends  happily. 

If  folks  go  to  see  a  comedy  to  laugh 
— they'll  like  this  one,  because  there  are 
plenty  of  laughs  and  the  antics  in  the 
health  farm  will  give  many  a  person  food 
for  thought. 

Exploitation  need  but  feature  Irvin 
Cobb,  as  author  of  the  picture,  for  he  is 
indeed  in  the  front  ranks  of  America's 
humorists. 

•  .  *      *      *       ■  t  'te  ; 

High  Society 

Pathe  2  reels 

Whenever  we  see  one  of  Hal  Roach's 
"Our  Gang"  comedies,  we  repeat  to  our- 
selves again  and  again — "Here's  the  best 
troupe  of  untrained  stars  the  screen  ever 
saw." 

And  each  succeeding  comedy  only  in- 
creases our  interest  to  see  others  turned 
out  by  the  "gang." 

We  suppose  that  theatre  patrons  gener- 
ally are  the  same  way. 

That  they  enjoy  the  funny  antics  of  the 
crowd  of  kid-actors  is  indeed  evidenced 
by  their  continued  popularity,  and  the  in- 
creased bookings  as  reported,  which  these 
comedies  enjoy. 

In  "High  Society,"  director  Robert  Mc- 
Gowan  has  taken  for  his  story  a  bit  of 
pathos  and  a  lot  of  smiles  and  cleverly 
wound  them  together. 

Mickey,  the  little  freckle  faced  kid,  who 
has  been  left  an  orphan  is  being  brought 
up  by  his  old  Irish  uncle,  who  though 
poor,  has  a  big  heart. 

By  legal  measures,  the  rich  aunt  of 
Mickey  secures  court  authority  to  adopt 


him,  and  sends  her  summons  through  a 
court  officer.  The  scene  where  the  kid 
parts  from  his  uncle  is  sad  indeed,  and  in 
good  contrast  to  the  rest  of  the  fun-pro- 
voking sequences. 

Arrived  at  the  house  of  his  rich  rela- 
tives, Mickey  proceeds  at  once  to  fight 
with  his  wealthy  cousin,  a  "Lord  Fauntle- 
roy"  type  of  youngster — and  between  the 
two  the  house  is  partly  shattered. 

However,  the  uncle  calls  on  Mickey  for 
a  visit — and  brings  with  him  all  the  rest 
of  the  "gang."  Then  commences  a  most 
thorough  job  of  house-wrecking,  and  the 
aunt  returns  home  just  in  time  to  see  the 
complete  wreck. 

And,  Mickey  is  made  happy  by  being 
permitted  to  continue  life  with  the  poor 
but  honest  uncle. 

The  exhibitor  can  well  book  this  comedy 
— in  fact  this  entire  series,  for  they  all 
have  that  precious  factor  in  comedy: 
Humor! 

"Our  Gang"  comedies  need  little  exploi- 
tation for  they  are  popular  everywhere — 
children,  grown-ups,  and  all  sorts  and 
kinds  of  people  like  them  and  see  them 
whenever  shown. 

*    *  * 

Rough  and  Ready 

Educational  2  reels 

The  usual  recipe  of  slap  stick  comedy  is 
followed  in  "Rough  and  Ready." 

Take  a  live  comedian,  build  a  lot  of 
funny  gags,  mix  well  and  shake  before 
using — a  sure  cure  for  the  blues. 

In  this  instance  the  live  comedian  is 
Lige  Conley,  who  goes  about  his  business 
creating  fun  whenever  and  wherever  pos- 
sible. 

Lige  gets  a  job  in  an  auto  school,  and 
gives  demonstrations  to  prospective  pupils. 
His  attempt  to  put  up  a  one-man  top  in 
the  rain — with  real  rain  in  the  form  of 
showers  especially  provided  indoors  by 
means  of  shower  baths — is  funnier  than 
the  usual  joke  about  a  Ford. 

In  another  demonstration  he  shows  his 
young  lady  pupil  how  to  take  a  care  off 
the  jack.  It  just  happens  however  that 
his  exhibition  takes  place  when  a  green 
driver  is  being  shown  what  to  do  while 
driving,  and  the  rear  wheels  of  his  car 
have  been  especially  jacked  up  for  the 
moment. 

After  wrecking  everything  in  sight,  Lige 
winds  up  as  a  taxi  driver.  He  is  engaged 
to  drive  an  attractive  young  lady  and  her 
guardian,  and  overhears  some  of  their  con- 
versation. 

The  picture  proceeds  to  show  how  the 
young  lady  is  forced  to  do  things  against 
her  will  by  the  guardian,  and  how 
Lige  attempts  to  be  a  hero. 

While  in  the  heat  of  being  badly  beaten 
up  he  awakes  to  find  he  had  been  dream- 
ing most  of  the  story. 

Now  the  sum  total  of  the  value  of  such 
a  film  is  about  a  hundred  laughs — which 
taken  end  to  end  will  traverse  round  the 
town.  Lige  Conley  is  quite  a  comedian  and 
nearly  any  situation  provided  for  him  is 
improved  by  his  rendition. 

With  the  type  of  picture  of  the  sort  of 
"Rough  and  Ready"  exhibitors  are  safe  in 
booking  them  for  their  laugh  creative  value 
alone. 

Further,  in  the  case  of  where  a  comedian 
as  well  known  as  Lige  Conley  is  fea- 
tured, exploitation  should  take  the  form  of 
advertising  the  star,  for  there  will  always 
be  found  a  large  following  who  enjoy  his 
particular  type  of  comedy. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Showmanship— From  a  Different  Angle 


THE  mad  scramble  for  1924-1925 
playdates  has  already  begun  and 
Mr.  Exhibitor,  entrenched  in  his 
fortress,  is  being  besieged  on  all  sides 
with  the  product  of  at  least  twenty  dif- 
ferent companies.  The  "Whosis"  Com- 
pany with  its  lineup  of  70  specials,  the 
"Whatsis"  Corporation  with  its  40  sup- 
ers, the    Company, 

with  its  58  gems,  the  

Distributors  with  its  60  de  luxers, 

the   :   Producers  with 

38  knockouts  and  so  on  ad  infinitum 
down  to  the  little  independent  pro- 
ducer with  his  one  super  special 
-are  all  "stepping  on  the  gas"  to  get 
Mr.  Exhibitor  to  play  his  product 
Since  Mr.  Exhibitor  is  the  pivot 
around  which  this  highly  complex 
industry  revolves,  the  slogan  in 
each  of  the  releasing  organizations 
—big  or  small — is  "Make  him  sign 
for  our  product." 

With  803  pictures  scheduled  for 
release  in  1924-1925  it  stands  to 
reason  that  even  if  Mr.  Exhibitor 
were  to  play  two  different  pictures 
each  day,  he  could  not  play  every 
one  of  the  features  made  for  the 
current  season.  The  block-booking 
system  is  staring  Mr.  Exhibitor  in 
the  face. 

He  wants  to  play  "The  Mystery 
of  the  Cotton  Plantation,"  but  he 
must  take  39  others  with  it ;  he  has 
his    eyes  on  those  great  money- 
makers "Sobbing  Sue"  and  "Uke- 
lele  Ike"  but  he  has  to  take  68  oth- 
ers with  them ;  his  patrons  want  to 
know  when  he  is  going  to  play  "The 
Valley  of  Tears"  and  he  finds  that  19 
others  must  be  contracted  for  in  order 
to  get  it. 

WHAT  is  Mr.  Exhibitor  to  do ?  Mr. 
Releaser  determines  to  solve  that 
situation  for  him  and  what  happens? 
Right  at  this  point  SHOWMANSHIP 
steps  into  the  breach  and  lo  behold ! 

Reams  of  attractive  advertising  and 
publicity  material  are  conceived  and 
each  company's  product  becomes  em- 
bellished by  a  flow  of  rhetorical  and 
oratorical  matter  which  conclusively 
proves  that  the  lightweight  80  or  the 
14  karat  60  is  the  exhibitor's  best  bet 
for  a  successful  season. 

The  national  releasing  organizations 
with  their  high-powered  selling  organ- 


By  DAVID   E.  WESHNER 

Publicity  Director,  C.  C.  Burr 

izations  coupled  with  their  standard 
product  and  the  highly  effective  aids 
they  can  offer  Mr.  Exhibitor  finally 
convince  him  to  buy  the  major  portion 
of  their  product,  and  within  a  com- 
paratively short  time  Mr.  Exhibitor's 
program  is  pretty  nearly  closed. 

All  is  well  and  good  for  Mr.  National 


DAVE  WESHNER 
says  a  w  o  r  d  on 
Showmanship  —  from 
the  distributor's  view- 
point. He  indicates  how 
the  picture  is  exploited 
to  the  exhibitor.  And  the 
campaign  he  mentions 
might  well  be  a  pattern 
for  showmen  to  follow  in 
putting  pictures  over  to 
the  public.  Showman- 
ship will  bring  patrons 
to  the  theatre  just  as  it 
brings  exhibitors  to  the 
exchanges. 


Releaser — but  what  about  the  consis- 
tent state-right  producer  who  makes 
six  or  a  dozen  pictures  a  year?  Where 
does  he  come  in  and  what  does  he  do 
to  get  his  playdates  ?  Showmanship 
again ! 


TAKE  the  case  of  C.  C.  Burr  and 
his  present  sales  drive  on  Johnny 
Hines'  three  features,  the  first  of  which 
"The  Speed  Spook"  has  just  been  com- 
pleted. Realizing  the  situation  so  far 
as  the  market  is  concerned,  Mr.  Burr's 
advertising  and  publicity  department 
set  to  work  long  before  actual  produc- 
tion was  started  to  "educate"  exhibi- 
tors and  exchangemen  to  the  fact  that 
Johnny  Hines  was  to  make  a  series  of 
three  features  on  a  bigger  and  more 
pretentious  scale  than  anything  he  had 


previously  attempted.  With  this  idea 
in  mind  the  wheels  began  to  turn.  The 
big  idea  behind  this  campaign  was  to 
so  impress  exhibitors  and  independent 
exchangemen  with  the  Johnny  Hines 
product  that  regardless  of  all  other 
contracts  made  with  national  releasing 
organizations,  first  run  playdates  would 
be  saved  for  C.  C.  Burr's  output. 

Then  began  a  cleverly  devised 
campaign.  First  a  set  of  six  at- 
tractive cards  mailed  and  bearing 
exhibitor  comments  comparing  the 
work  of  Johnny  Hines  and  another 
national  known  box-office  star  were 
sent  to  every  person  of  importance 
in  the  industry. 

Following  this  series,  a  race- 
track betting  formula  cautioning  ex- 
hibitors to  play  Johnny  Hines' 
"Speed  Spook"  up,  was  sent  broad- 
cast throughout  the  country.  This 
in  turn  was  followed  by  a  folding 
broadside  which  contained  highly 
laudatory  exhibitor  and  exchange 
comments  on  Johnny  Hines'  five 
previous  features  and  advising  ex- 
hibitors that  "The  Speed  Spook" 
would  probably  outrank  each  of  his 
previous  successes.  Another  nov- 
elty mailing  piece  followed  with  the 
caption,  "Where  There's  Smoke 
There's  Fire."  This  also  contain- 
ed exhibitor  reports  on  Hines'  pre- 
vious productions  in  which  Johnny's 
work  was  compared  favorably  with 
some  of  the  other  big  comic  satel- 
lites. 


NEXT  in  order  was  a  pocket  road- 
map  which  was  effectively  tied 
up  with  "The  Speed  Spook."  By  this 
time  the  production  was  completed. 
"The  Speed  Spook"  was  then  given  a 
preview  at  the  Astor  Hotel,  where  it 
received  an  enthusiastic  welcome. 

The  trade-paper  reports,  which  ac- 
claimed this  as  Hines'  greatest  produc- 
tion, were  gathered  together  and  an- 
other broadside  was  issued  with  the  re- 
views prominently  played  up. 

The  result  was  heartening,  for  within 
a  comparatively  short  time  over  65  per- 
cent of  all  territories  were  sold  to  the 
independent  market.  Not  only  that,  but 
exhibitors  of  first,  second  and  third  run 
theatres  throughout  the  country  re- 
sponded to  the  campaign  almost  imme- 
diately with  requests  for  the  series. 


Here's  Your 
Big  Special 


EXPLOITATION 
SECTION 

GOTHIC  PICTURES' 

GORGEOUS   SUPER-  SPECIAL 


With  a 
Distinguished 
Cast 


DISTRIBUTED  BY 
FILM  BOOKING  OFFICES  of  AMERICA,  INC. 

723  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York  City,  N.  Y. — Exchanges  Everywhere 
Sales  Office,  United  Kingdom,  R.  C.  Pictures  Corp., 
26-27  D'Arblay  Street,  Wardour  St.,  London,  W.  I.,  Eng. 


Constructive  Incentives  for 


nd  Local  Merchants 


Not 


Something  for  Nothing 


But 


A  Chance  to  Trade  Showmanship  Enthusiasm  for  Box-Office  Gold 


IN  submitting  to  dealers  your  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  plan  for  a  co-opera- 
tive merchandising  campaign  you 
are  presenting  the  strongest  single  sales 
promotion  idea  yet  made  available  to 
retail  merchants. 

You  are  offering  them  the  possibility 
of  obtaining  free  of  charge  all  the 
benefit  that  must  acrue  from  connec- 
tion with  the  world's  most  popular  and 
appealing  industry — motion  pictures. 

The  world  over,  names  and  faces  of 
celluloid  entertainers  are  better  known 
and  better  loved  than  those  of  presi- 
dents or  potentates.  People  will  stop 
on  Broadway,  New  York,  or  Broad- 
way, Babbittville,  to  glimpse  the  fea- 
tures of  film  favorites  in  window  dis- 


plays, and  the  same  folks  wouldn't 
pause  on  their  way  back  from  lunch  to 
see  oil  portraits  of  every  King  in 
Christendom. 

People  are  more  interested  in  Harold 
Lloyd  than  in  Lloyd-George,  in  Queen 
Mary  of  Hollywood,  than  in  Queen 
Mary,  of  England,  in  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  than  in  Ramsey  MacDonald.  And 
you  are  offering  your  tie-up  partners  a 
chance  to  form  a  close  association  be- 
tween their  windows  and  these  person- 
alities who  have  won  the  hearts  of  the 
populace — the  dealers'  patrons. 

NATIONAL  TIE-UP    window  dis- 
plays will  sell  goods  as  surely  as 
pedestrians  have  eyes  to  see  through 


In  this  still— No.  42— you  have  tie-ups  for  all  sorts  of  cosmetics,  beautifiers,  toilet 
articles,  negligees,  tea-wagons  and  a  variety  of  house-furnishings.  The  picture  was 
specially  posed  by  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  in  "Vanity's   Price,"     1  1 


an   F.    B.    O.  release. 


Here  is  a  tie-up  for  musical  instrument 
shops  that  will  help  sell  the  dealer's  goods 
and  tickets  for  F.  B.  O.'s  "Vanity's  Price." 
This  is  still  No.  190   of   Stuart  Holmes. 


plate  glass.  And  these  same  windows 
will  sell  tickets  for  your  attraction  in 
greater  number  than  any  "stunt"  ex- 
ploitation ever  evolved. 

Go  into  this  proposition  whole-heart- 
edly, enthusiastically,  and  see  to  it  that 
the  dealer  does  likewise.  Enthusiasm 
will  move  mountains.  And  that  is  all 
you  need  in  this  campaign  —  enthu- 
siasm. :  There  is  no  cost  for  the  tie-ups, 
no  charge  for  the  display  material.  You 
get  the  windows  free.  And  both  you 
and  the  dealer  will  profit  beyond  your 
expectations  if  you  will  contribute  that 
one  element  which  you  alone  may  sup- 
ply. Enthusiasm. 

PUT  the  thing  to  the  acid  test.  Have 
your  dealer  "clock"  his  window 
some  Saturday  afternoon  when  he  has 
merely  the  usual  display.  The  follow- 
ing Saturday  dress  a  window  with  the 
same  product  plus  your  National  Tie- 
Up  display  material,  stills,  window 
cards,  and  so  on.  And  don't  be  afraid 
of  the  result.  Your  display  will  win. 
There  will  be  more  persons  pause  to 
look — and  more  persons  enter  to  buy 
goods — by  a  big  percentage.  And  those 
who  pause  and  buy,  will  also  visit  your 
theatre  to  satisfy  the  entertainment 
urge  which  your  display  has  created. 


Page  35 


Still  No.  36  offers  possibilities  of  a  beautifier  tie-up  on  F.  B.  O.'s  "Vanity's  Price." 


'Vanity's  Price' — A  Showmanship  Picture 

F.  B.  O.  Release  Has  Title  That  Teems  With  Exploitation  Possibilities 
and  Specially  Posed  Stills  for  Window  Displays 


THE  story  of  "Vanity's  Price"  is 
that  of  a  famous  actress  who  at- 
tains middle  age  and  suffers  the 
loss  of  her  youthful  beauty.  She  de- 
termines to  undergo  the  famous  pro- 
cess of  rejuvenation  and  journeys  to 
Vienna  to  consult  an  eminent  specialist. 
The  experiment  is  successful  and  she 
returns  home  a  triumph  of  youthful 
beauty.  But  she  pays  "Vanity's  Price" 
in  a  number  of  ways,  all  of  which  help 
to  make  an  absorbing  photodrama  of 
life. 

The  scientists  tell  us  that  there  is 
some  foundation  of  fact  in  the  theory 
of  rejuvenation.  Just  how  much  is 
problematical.  However,  what  we  are 
interested  in  is  securing  free  publicity 
for  your  attraction.  And  one  way  to 
get  into  the  papers  would  be  to  have 
that  reporter  friend  of  yours  interview 
the  best  physicians  and  surgeons  in 
your  town  on  the  subject. 

As  the  price  of  vanity  is  often  high, 
a  series  of  articles  showing  the  folly  of 
great  sacrifice  because  of  vanity  would 
prove  to  be  popular  reading,  and  would 
help  the  box-office  materially. 

ANNA  Q  NILSSON  takes  the  part 
of  the  actress.  She  is  admittedly 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  women  of 
filmland.  So  in  connection  with  your 
showing  why  would  it  not  be  a  good 
idea  to  stage  a  beauty  contest.  Not  for 
the  flappers  but  for  the  mothers  of  your 
city.  Get  the  newspaper  to  run  the  pic- 
tures of  the  entrants  and  let  each  sub- 
mit a  few  paragraphs  giving  her  opin- 
ion on  the  girls  of  to-day  or  some 
similar  topic  of  popular  interest. 


Then  you  can  easily  convince  the 
editors  to  run  a  series  of  short  sketches 
giving  the  pet  vanities  of  the  promi- 
nent men  and  women  in  the  vicinity. 


These  will  attract  attention  and  help 
publicize  the  picture. 

THE  split-a-page  ad  idea  on  "Van- 
ity's Price"  is  too  good  to  miss.  So 
good,  in  fact,  that  it  is  worth  at  least 
two  double  page  spreads,  and  mer- 
chants who  aren't  willing  to  break  in 
big  should  not  be  let  in  at  all. 

There  are  all  sorts  of  possibilities 
for  newspaper  articles  that  will  aid 
your  showing.  The  opinions  of  the 
residents  gathered  by  an  "inquiring  re- 
porter" as  to  whether  or  not  all  people 
are  vain — whether  or  not  they  are  all 
willing  to  pay  "Vanity's  Price" — 
whether  men  or  women  are  in  reality 
most  vain. 

TEASER  ads  asking  "What  is  Van- 
ity's Price,"  and  similar  curiosity 
provoking  queries  will  pave  the  way 
for  a  big  opening.  Contests  offering 
prizes  of  tickets  for  the  largest  num- 
ber of  famous  quotations  regarding 
vanity  will  receive  response.  Another 
would  be  the  greatest  number  of  words 
that  may  be  evolved  from  the  letters 
used  in  spelling  "Vanity's  Price."  And 
an  essay  contest  on  the  disastrous  ef- 
fects of  vanity  upon  historical  charac- 
ters would  also  prove  interesting — and 
help  accomplish  the  main  purpose  of 
selling  tickets  to  the  show. 

You  might  run  a  special  matinee  for 
the  club  women  of  the  city,  and  have 
the  presidents  of  the  important  groups 
give  their  personal  opinions  of  the  pic- 
This  still — No.  16 — may  be  us«d  for  lin-     ture,  and  as  to  whether  or  no  Vanna 
gerie  and  hosiery  displays,  as  well  as  for     Du  Maurier,  could  in  anyway  be  justi- 
cosmetics,  hair-dressers  and  toilet  articles.     fied   in  paying  "Vanity's  Price." 


Paee 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Keview 


"Vanity's  Price"  Brings  Big 
Free  Tie-Up  Window  Displays 


AS  "Vanity's  Price"  centers  about 
the  life-drama  of  a  beautiful 
woman,  Vanna  Du  Maurier,  the 
National  Tie-Ups  presented  in  this 
week's  issue  have  to  do  essentially  with 
articles  of  interest  to  the  nation's  fem- 
ininity. 

But  as  men,  as  well  as  the  women 
themselves,  are  generally  concerned 
with  the  beauty  of  the  fair  sex,  you 
may  draw  universal '  attention  to  your 
showing  of  this  absorbing  photoplay 
with  artistic,  gaze-gathering  window 
displays  of  products  indicated  in  the 
section. 

There  are,  of  course,  some  purely 
masculine  tie-ups  which  will  enable 
you  to  secure  branch  lobbies  in  the 
windows  of  men's  furnishing  shops, 
clothiers,  cigar  stores,  hatters  and 
other  dealers  catering  to  the  stern  sex. 


For  instance,  still  No.  160  features 
cigarettes — whatever  brand  your  tie-up 
dealer  desires  to  push.  This  still  may 
also  be  used  effectively  in  windows  dis- 
playing pearls,  gowns,  men's  dinner 
clothes,  and  a  variety  of  other  products. 
The  same  applies  to  No.  77  and  a  num- 
ber of  others. 

You  are  particularly  fortunate  in  be- 
ing able  to  secure  some  specially  posed 
pictures  of  Miss  Nilsson,  and  other 
members  of  the  cast,  that  were  made 
specially  for  your  benefit  in  taking  ad- 
vantage of  tie-up  possibilities. 

YOU  can  arrange  the  finest  cosmetic 
windows  the  town  has  ever  seen. 
Ones  that  will  make  you  a  life-long 
friend  of  the  druggists  and  beauty- 
shops  with  which  you  co-operate.  You 
can  guarantee  yourself  that  the  dis- 


There  are  tie-ups  galore  in  F.  B.  O.'s  "Vanity's  Price."  Still  No.  87  may  be  used 
in  window  displays  of  hair-ornaments,  jewels,  gowns,  perfume,  cosmetics  or  any 
type  of  beautifier  or  toilet  article.    Tie-up  windows  will  surely  bring  new  patronage. 


plays  will  sell   tickets   for  "Vanity's 
Price." 

To  be  brief — Still  No.  IS  shows 
Anna  Q.  declining  face  powder  ten- 
dered by  her  maid.  The  reason  is,  of 
course,  that  she  uses  only  one  brand — 
the  one  with  which  you  are  tying-up. 
Still  No.  37  shows  her  applying  it — 
quite  contentedly.  This  picture  is  also 
applicable  to  house-furnishing  and  dec- 
orating tie-ups,  lounging  robes,  and  so 
on. 

Still  No.  48  will  prove  conclusively 
to  all  window  shoppers  that  Miss  Nils- 
son  is  very  partial  to  a  certain  skin 
cream.  And  where  is  the  girl  who  will 
not  strive  to  attain  some  degree  of  the 
blonde  star's  beauty  by  investing  in  a 
jar? 

Lipsticks — "kissproof,"  or  whatever 
kind  your  friend  desires  to  sell — will 
be  in  great  demand  by  the  girls  who 
vision  still  No.  42.  The  picture  of  the 
story's  heroine  applying  the  cosmetic 
to  her  own  lips  will  do  the  trick.  This 
still  also  shows  a  luxurious  interior 
which  will  help  you  with  house  furnish- 
ers. 

No.  171  shows  Miss  Nilsson  as  the 
perfect  hostess.  She  is  entertaining 
several  friends  who  are  quite  obviously 
enjoying  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  postum, 
or  whatever  beverage  your  grocer  and 
tea-shop  friends  wish  to  display.  No. 
172  will  also  help  in  this  regard,  as 
well  as  being  useful  for  displays  of 
silver-ware,  china,  glass-ware,  pearls  or 
sport  clothes. 

GIVE  the  confectioners  a  chance,  too. 
No.  6  shows  Stuart  Holmes  prof- 
fering some  sweets  to  Cissy  Fitzgerald. 
And  they  are  being  declined  because 
they  are  not  the  kind  your  candy  store 
friend  sells.  No.  7  features  a  big  box 
of  chocolates.  These  two  and  others  to- 
gether with  an  attractive  display  of  the 
candy  man's  wares  and  a  clever  window 
card  will  help  business  for  all  con- 
cerned. 

Do  not  overlook  the  fact  that  the 
theme  of  the  play  has  to  do  with  the 
subject  of  rejuvenation.  Still  No.  50 
shows  the  world-worn  actress  consult- 
ing a  mirror.  She  is  not  pleased  with 
the  unpleasant  truth  it  tells  her.  But 
you,  and  your  beauty-shop  and  drug- 
gist tie-up  partners,  may  tell  the  world 
that  the  use  of  tie-up  cosmetics  plus  a 
trip  to  your  theatre,  would  make  Me- 
thuseleh  look  and  feel  like  a  two  year 
old. 

INF  still  No.  36,  the  actress,  again  beau- 
tiful, is  showing  Teddy  the  won- 
derful effects  of  some  preparation 
which  she  has  used  to  make  her  eyes 
yet  more  alluring.  A  window  card 
will  get  the  girls  to  try  some  of  the  eye- 
lash fixer — and  also  bring  them  into 
Flowers  appear  prominently  in  many 
your  lobby. 


Pa^e  37 


Still  No.  43  is  a  wonderful  specially  posed  tie-up  with  beauty  cream,  powder,  or  any 
of  the  various  toilet  accessories.  It  will  also  serve  well  in  hair-dressers'  windows, 
or  with  a  gown  display  in  connection  with  F.  B.  O.'s  production,  "Vanity's  Price." 


stills  and  offer  you  a  chance  to  let  your 
local  florist  convince  folks  to  "say  it 
with  flowers" — and  to  see  "Vanity's 
Price."  So  you  won't  waste  time — ask 
to  see  Nos.  126  and  153  in  this  regard. 

THERE  are  enough  shots  of  beauti- 
ful gowns  to  procure  every  mo- 
diste's window  in  town.  There  are  far 
too  many  to  detail — but  take  a  look  at 
Nos.  124,  162,  31,  77  and  18. 

The  same  thing  goes  for  a  pearl  win- 
dow— such  beautiful  stills  as  No.  124 
being  especially  desirable.  There  is  a 
Chinese  girl  who  features  in  the  picture 
and  there  are  stills  of  her  literally  clad 
in  pearls.  Nos.  115  and  180  may  prove 
useful  for  jewel  displays. 

For  a  perfume  tie-up  you  will  find 
plenty  of  appropriate  pictures.  To 
mention  just  a  few — Nos.  162,  158,  88, 
153,  161.  These  are  so  posed  that  they 
may  also  be  used  for  cosmetics. 

Still  No.  170  features  a  veritable  host 
of  beautifying  contrivances.  Every- 
thing from  manicure  instruments  to 
hair-dryers  and  massage  machines  ap- 
pear. The  picture  is  a  bit  of  a  bur- 
lesque— but  a  window  card  warning 
against  the  perils  of  home  treatments 
will  help  business  for  the  shops — and 
the  laugh  will  send  folks  to  the  show. 

There  is  a  corking  good  shoe  store 
tie-up  in  still  No.  25.  And  if  by  any 
chance  you  have  in  town  some  outfit 
dispensing  ear-phones  or  some  other 
medicine  or  invention  to  help  the  deaf, 
there  are  a  number  of  stills  showing  one 


of  the  characters  wearing  a  contrivance 
that  helps  the  hearing.  Nos.  47,  25,  18 
and  others  will  give  you  the  idea. 

No.  184  is  one  of  several  stills  you 
may  use  in  connection  with  a  musical 
instrument  tie-up,  and  there  are  lots  of 
beautiful  pictures  which  will  help  the 
"atmosphere"  of  your  windows. 

The  National  Tie-Ups  on  "Vanity's 
Price"  have  been  carefully  selected  and 
you  should  write  for  display  materials 
on  every  one  of  them  as  soon  as  your 
playdates  are  known. 

BLUEBIRD"  pearls,  "Vanity  Fair" 
underwear,  "Pebeco"  dentifrice, 
"Djer  Kiss"  powder,  "Cappi"  perfume, 
"Amami"  shampoo,  "Fashionette"  hair- 
nets, "Chex,"  the  delicate  deodorant 
soap,  and  "Lashbrow,"  will  all  do  their 
share  to  give  you  a  record  gross  on 
"Vanity's  Price,"  and  the  tie-up  you 
give  the  dealers  with  the  picture  and 
your  play-house  is  warranted  to  in- 
crease their  bank  deposits. 

In  addition  to  the  actual  tie-ups  with 
this  picture  do  not  overlook  what  may 
well  be  termed  "thematic"  tie-ups.  In 
other  words,  the  tie-ups  that  may  be 
effected  through  the  theme  and  title  of 
the  photoplay. 

"Vanity's  Price"  may  be  exploited 
in  connection  with  almost  any  article 
it  is  possible  to  name.  A  dime  may  be 
"Vanity's  Price,"  if  the  particular  van- 
ity referred  to  happens  to  be  that  of 
neatly  polished  shoes.  So  far  as  pride 
of  personal   appearance   is  concerned 


any  article  of  wear  may  be  associated 
with  the  title  of  the  picture. 

And  taking  a  step  further,  the  same 
idea  may  be  applied  to  motor-cars, 
homes,  insurance,  savings  bank  tie-ups, 
building  loan  drives,  or  any  other 
proposition  that  may  be  connected 
with  the  idea  of  pride  of  possession. 

The  story  is  built  around  the  idea  of 
rejuvenation  which  has  been  so  greatly 
discussed  in  the  papers,  and  in  scien- 
tific circles.  This  thought  lends  itself 
to  tie-ups  with  any  sort  of  enterprise 
that  gives  old  things  new  life.  For  in- 
stance, furniture  polish,  dry  cleaning 
establishments,  house  painters,  garages, 
shoe  repairers,  rug  and  carpet  cleaning 
shops,  or  any  other  business  which  de- 
rives its  income  from  altering — repair- 
ing— "rejuvenating"  half-worn  articles 
which  might  otherwise  be  discarded  in 
favor  of  new  ones. 

THERE  are  no  end  of  opportunities 
for  catchy  window  cards  featuring 
"Vanity's  Price"  as  the  cost  of  whatever 
product  your  dealer  friend  may  wish 
to  display.  If  you  will  give  the  tie-up 
possibilities  your  attention  for  a  brief 
time  you  will  find  many  ways  in  which 
you  may  increase  patronage  for  your 
showing  by  co-operating  with  the  local 
merchants. 

Every  window  in  town  should  do  its 
share  toward  pointing  the  way  to  your 
box-office,  and  your  picture  in  turn  will 
help  sell  goods  for  the  merchants  whom 
you  choose  to  work  with  in  the  exploita- 
tion of  "Vanity's  Price." 


Here  is  a  tie-up  with  pearls  that  will  as- 
suredly boost  business  for  the  jeweler  with 
whom  you  tie-up,  and  will  also  increase 
patronage  for  your  theatre  during  the 
showing  of  F.  B.  O.'s  "Vanity's  Price." 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Get  This  Real 


Display  Material 


When  You  Show 


"Vanity's  Price 


95 


A  combination  of  fine  toilet  soap  and  deodorant, 
"Chex"  is  a  big  seller  with  leading  drug  stores. 


VOU  may  recure  "Chex"  display  material 
for  National  Tie-Up  Windows  on  any 
of  the  following  pictures :  "Vanity's  Price" 
"Miami,"  "Her  Own  Free  Will,"  "To 
The  Ladies,"  "Men,"  "Triumph,"  "Big 
Brother,"  "The  Bedroom  Window."  And 
a  disp'ay  of  this  product  tied-up  with  cur 
attractive  window-dressing  materials  and 
stills  from  any  of  the  above  photoplays  will 
enable  you  to  .make  red  letter  days  of  your 
playdates.    Clip  the  coupon  and  cash  in. 


"YTOU  can  "clean-up"  with  a  window  com- 
-  bining  "Chex"  display  material  tied-up 
with  stills  from  your  attractions.  There  is 
absolutely  no  cost,  and  our  representatives 
will  be  only  too  happy  to  co-operate  with 
you  in  every  way  for  mutual  business-boost- 
ing. Clip  the  coupon  when  you  know  your 
playdates  and  mail  it  to  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review.  Display  material  will  be  forward- 
ed at  once;  you  and  our  agents  will  profit. 


EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW, 
45  West  45th  St., 
New  York  City. 


CLIP  THIS  COUPON 


display  sets 


Name    Theatre 


City    State  

'Vanity's  Price'  No.  of  Window 

Play  Dates   Sets  Desired  . . . 


THE  PIONEER  PRODUCTS  CO. 

Dayton,  Ohio 


September  13,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  39 


Georgeous  Displays 
For  "Vanity's  Price" 

UDLUEBIRD"   PEARLS   offer  you  a  real  happiness  tie-up   for  your 
showing  of  "Vanity's  Price,"  the  F.  B.  O.  film.    Our  new  eight  color, 
shadow-box,  window  display  material  has  proven  its  tremendous  drawing 
power  for  passing  audiences..    It  is  yours  for  the  asking — without  cost. 

F\ON'T  miss  a  really  great  National  Tie-Up  with'  "Bluebird"  Pearls 
when  you  book  this  picture.    As  soon  as  you  know  your  playdates  for 
"Vanity's  Price"  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  for  "Bluebird"  Pearl  dis- 
play material,  and  secure  the  co-operation  of  our  dealers. 

The  Henshel  Company,  Inc. 

New  York  City 


'THERE  was  never  a  more  logical 
•*■  National  Tie-Up  than  this  between 
"Bluebird"  Pearls  and  "Vanity's 
Price."  Clip  the  Coupon  and  you  will 
receive  cooperation  that  will  make  it  a 
big  business  booster  for  your  showing. 


CLIP  THIS  COUPON 


EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW, 
45  West  45th  Street,  New  York  City. 


Name  

Theatre   

Town  and  State 


"D  LEASE  have  The  Henshel  Company,  Inc.,  forward  their 

special  window  display  material  so  that  I  may  take  full  I 

advantage  of  the  National  Tie-Up  on  "Bluebird"  Pearls  for  | 

"Vanity's  Price."  I  have  listed  below  the  playdates  on  the  .  "Vanity's  Price"  Playdates  . 
picture  and  indicated  the  number  of  display  sets  I  can  use 

in  connection  with  this  co-operative  merchandising  campaign.  |  No.  of  Display  Sets  Desired 


SAM' 


T7  ANITY  FAIR" 
"products  and 
"Vanity  s  Price"  picture 
— a  National  Tie-Up 
that  will  lure  patronage 
to  your  theatre  and  to 
our  dealers'  shops.  You 
may  secure  perfect  win- 
dow display  material 
for  this  showing  free 
of  charge.  It  is  only 
necessary  for  you  to 
advise  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  as  to  your  dates. 


Write  For  Display  Material 

the  minute  you  know  your  playdates  on  "Vanity's 
Price."  You  can  also  get  big  free  windows  with 
"Vanity  Fair"  underwear  and  hosiery  on  "The  Siren 
of  Seville,"  "Her  Own  Free  Will"  and  "The  Shoot- 
ing of  Dan  McGrew." 

<Vcmitycfair 

HOSIERY 


+ — 


T~)  J  E  R  - 
^  KISS 
window  d  i  s  - 
play  material 
will  assure 
c  r  o  w  d  e  d 
houses  £_o  r 
your  showing 
of  "Vanity's 
Price1"  and 
crowded  stores 
for  sellers  of 
our  products. 


T)  J  E  R  - 
L)  KISS 
displays  also 
available  o  n 
"Siren  of  Se- 
ville," "Shoot- 
ing of  Dan 
McGrew," 
"Sherlo  c  k, 
Jr.,''  and 
"The  Perfect 
Flapper. " 
Write  E.  T. 
R.  today  sure. 


Tell  E.  T.  R.  your  "Vanity's  Price"  playdates 
Get  the  Fascinating  Djer-Kiss  window  display  material 


CAMTAG  and  Hilder  Brothers,  New 
°  York  manufacturers  of  FASHION- 
ETTE  HAIR  NETS,  offer  you  attention- 
gripping  windows  free  of  charge  for  your 
showing  of  "Vanity's  Price."  Our  window 
display  material  is  second  to  none,  and  it 
has  proven  its  ability  to  create  business  for 
your  theatre  and  our  dealers. 

WRITE  PLAYDATES  TO 
EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 


Write  it  down  on  your  cuff: 
the  biggest  money  makers. 

any  other  season — From  F.  B.  O. 


with  a  distinguished  cast  including 


Lucille  Rickson— Arthur  Rankin -Dot  Farley 

Backed  by  a  huge 

EXPLOITATION 


Ask  your  F.  B.  O.  Salesman  or 


"VANITY'S  PRICE"  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  de  luxe  super  specials  from  GOTHIC 
PICTURES,  Inc.,  to  be  distributed  throughout  the  world  by  FILM  BOOKING  OFFICES 
Of  America,  Inc. 

No  more  powerful  story,  no  richer  sets,  no  more  gorgeous  artistry  in  ANY  big 
super  special  than  in  this  Box  Office  sensation  "VANITY'S  PRICE."  Every  first  run 
theatre  in  the  world  stands  to  clean  up  with  this  one. 


I  gentlemen  —  Here's  one  of 
for  exhibitors  this  season  or 

1  who  have  given  you  many  winners 


Stuart  Holmes— Cissy  Fitzgerald  and  others 

campaign  of  National 

EXTRAORDINAR  Y 


Branch  Manager  for  complete  details 

It  has  the  magic  lure  for  women  in  that  it  is  a  story  of  physical  rejuvenation. . . 
(how  to  be  young  again) ...  It  has  everything,  the  tensest  c(alibre  of  melodrama, 
gorgeous  clothes,  more  gorgeous  appointments  plus  exploitation,  publicity,  advertising 
and  box  office  values  than  a  dozen  features  put  together.  Take  our  real  tip — contract 
for  it  NOW!!!  from  your  nearest  F.  B.  0.  Exchange. 


Page  42 


Brush  Up  Business  by  Building 
On  This  Big  Advertising 

THE  PEBECO  STORY  is  told  in  big  adver- 
tisements in  The  Saturday  Evening  Post, 
Literary  Digest,  Delineator,  Designer,  Ladies' 
Home  Journal,  Good  Housekeeping,  and  American 
Magazine.  Reap  the  cumulative  benefit  of  this 
national  advertising  campaign  by  clipping  and 
mailing  the  coupon  as  soon  as  you  know  your  play 
dates. 

PEBECO  Is  Manufactured  in  U.  S.  A.  Only  By 

LEHN  &  FINK 

INC. 

New  York 


A  WINDOW  display  of  this 
popular,  nationally  known 
arid  recommended  dentifrice  coup- 
led with  stills  from  your  theatre's 
attraction  will  reap  for  you  the 
benefits  of  coast  to  coast  adver- 
tising in  the  very  best  mediums. 
PEBECO  sales  are  jumping  due 
to  the  public's  realization  that  it 
is  the  one  dentifrice  that  works 
after  you  brush  your  teeth.  It 
stimulates  the  mouth  glands  so 
that  they  pour  forth  a  protective 
cleansing  flow  of  saliva  long  after. 


CLIP  THIS  COUPON 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 
45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City. 

Please  have  the  Lehn  &  Fink  Company 
forward  their  special  window  display  materfaJ 
on  Pebeco  Tooth  Paste  so  that  I  can  take 
advantage  of  this  national  tie-up  on  the  F.  B. 
O.  picture  "Vanity's  Price,"  I  have  liste3 
herewith  my  playdates  and  the  number  of  dis- 
plays I  can  use  in  my  exploitation  campaign. 


Name 


Theatre   

City   

Street   

"Into  the  Net"  Playdates 
No.  of  Window  Sets  Desired 


--=-  g 

■a 

QET  window  dis- 
p  1  a  y  materials 
on  "Delical"  products 
when  you  play  "Van- 
ity's Price,"  "Siren 
of  Seville,"  "Her 
Own  Free  Will,"  and 
•The  Perfect  Flapper.'" 
We    will  co-operate. 


aillllllllllllllllllllllllllllH 


WRITE  FOR  DISPLAYS 

LET  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  know  your 
playdates  as  soon  as  you 
book  "Vanity's  Price."  We 
will  immediately  forward 
our  window-trim  material 
and  know  that  it  will 
demonstrate  its  business- 
building  worth  for  your 
attraction  and  our  dealers. 
Count  upon  our  one  hun- 
dred   percent  co-operation. 

^Delica'^Brow 

The  ORIGINAL  Liquid  Dressing 


i  We  Promise- 


"D  IG  BUSINESS  for  both  theatres 
and  dealers  who  co-operate  in 
merchandising  "AM  AM  I"  shampoo  in 
connection  with  F.  B.  O.'s  "Vanity's 
Price."  Write  your  playdates  to  Ex- 
hibitors Trade  Review,  and  receive 
window  display  material  by  return  mail. 


Also  available  on 
"The  Shooting  of 
Dan  McGrew" 


Don't  Forget  "Cappi 


r  HERAMY,  Inc. 

have  a  c  c  o  m  - 
plished  wonders  for 
showmen  on  Na- 
tional Tie-Ups  on 
"Miami"  and  other 
pictures.  "Cappi" 
cleansing  cream  will 
eclipse  all  records 
for  sales  and  atten- 
dance with  its  dis- 
plays for  "Vanity's 
Price.."  Write  your 
playdates  to  Exhib- 
itors Trade  Review. 

WRITE  TODAY 
FOR  DISPLAYS 


-  3&»si  J! 


September  13,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  43 


TRY  TO  GO  TO 

CLEVELAND,  0. 

)  ou  Will  Learn  About  Selling  Your 
Show  Through  W/indow  Displays 

AT  the  Hotel  Statler,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  from  September  29  to 
October  1,  will  be  held  the  first 
annual  convention  of  the  Window 
Display  Advertising-  Association.  It 
will  be  the  greatest  meeting  ever 
held  on  the  subject  of  selling  goods 
by  advertising  under  glass. 

Any  showmen  who  can  possibly 
get  to  Cleveland  will  be  well  repaid 
by  what  they  will  learn  in  connection 
with  window  display  exploitation. 
Display  specialists  will  address  the 
delegates  and  guests,  and  there  will 
be  practical  demonstrations  of  win- 
dow trim  that  will  prove  of  greatest 
value.  There  will  be  contests  on 
dressing  windows  to  sell  the  most 
goods. 

Among  other  discussions  will  be 
such  subjects  as :  "Nature  and  Hu- 
man Nature  in  Window  Displays," 
"The    Small    City    Dealer's  View- 


point," ''Proper  Window  Illumina- 
tion," "Merchandising  Through  Win- 
dows," "Use  of  Emotional  Appeal  in 
Advertising,"  and  similar  matters 
equally  interesting. 

If  you  can  make  it,  write  at  once 
to  Window  Display  Advertising 
Association,  1209  Sycamore  Street, 
or  P.  O.  Box  29,  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
for  additional  information.  And  if 
you  find  it  an  utter  impossibility  to 
attend,  you  will  do  wisely  to  ask  the 
Association  for  copies  of  the  ad- 
dresses and  any  other  literature  they 
may  be  kind  enough  to  furnish. 

THE  science  of  selling  motion  pic- 
ture entertainment  through  many 
windows  is  exploitation  so  produc- 
tive that  you  cannot  afford  to  over- 
look or  neglect  its  careful  study. 

Wonderful  strides  are  being  made  in 
the  art  of  putting  pulling  appeal  in  un- 
der-glass advertising,  and  the  Cleveland 
convention  will  place  you  in  full  pos- 
session of  just  what  progress  has  been 
made  in  this  regard. 

If  you  can't  make  it  yourself,  at  any 
rate  be  sure  to  tell  your  dealer  friends. 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

'THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos."  so 
strongly  suggests  ths  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  oould  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co,,  Inc. 

220  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


National  Tie-Up  Windows  Now  Available 


"VANITY'S  PRICE" 
144 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...Women's  Wear 

143 — Djer-Kiss   Powder   Druggists 

142 — Fashionette    Hairnets   Druggists 

141 — Pebeco    Toothpaste   Druggists 

140 — Cappi   Perfume   Druggists 

139 — Amami  Shampoo   Druggists 

138 — Delicia    Lashbrow   Druggists 

1 3  7 — Chex   Druggists 

136— Bluebird    Pearls    ....Jewelers 

"SIREN  OF  SEVILLE" 

135 — La  Supreme    Pearls   Jewelers 

134 — Delicia    Lipsticks   Drug  Stores 

133 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ..Women's  Wear 
132 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres    .  .  .  .Women's  Wear 

131 — Djer-Kiss    Powder   Drug  Stores 

130 — Cappi   Perfume   Drug  Stores 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
129 — Kleinerts   Bathing   Caps   ..Women's  Wear 

128 — Hollywood  Hats   Hat  Sho^is 

127— G.   G.   G.   Clothes   Clothiers 

126 — Thermo  Vests   Sr>ort  Goods 

125 — Gropper    Knit    Ties   Haberdashers 

124— Fownes    Gloves   Men's  Wear 

123 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"NEVER    SAY  DIE" 

122 — Vogue   Clothes   Clothiers 

121 — Society  Club  Hats   Hat  ShoDS 

120 — Rit   Druggists 

119 — Wahl  Pens   Dept.  Stores 

"HER  OWN  FREE  WILL" 
118 — Her  Own  Free  Will  Story   ...Book  Shops 

117— La   Supreme   Pearls   Jewelers 

116 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...Women's  Wear 

115 — Delicia   Lipstick   Beauty  Shops 

114 — Delica-Brow   Beauty  Shops 

113 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"INTO  THE  NET" 

112 — G.  G.  G.  Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

111 — Hollywood    Hats   Hat  Shop? 

110 — Gropper  Knit  Ties   Haberdashers 

109 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

108 — Pebeco  Dentrifice   Drug  Stores 

"THE  ARAB" 

107 — Temple  of  Allah  Incense  Drug  Stores 

106 — The  Arab  Song  Music  Stores 

105 — Gouraud*s   Oriental   Cream. ...  Drug  Stores 

104 — Sanka    Coffee  Grocers 

103 — Ramses  Perfumes  Drug  Stores 

102 — Gulbenkian's   Rugs   House  Furnishers 

"FIRST  NATIONAL"  TIE-UPS 

101 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Book  ...Book  Shops 
100 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Song   ...Music  Shops 


99 — Boy   of   Mine   Song   Music  Shops 

98 — Ponjola    Book    Book  Shops 

|97 — Penrod    Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

96 — Sure-Fit    Caps   Hat  Shops 

95 — Kleanet  Hairnets   Beauty  Shops 

94 — Propper   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"CAPTAIN  JANUARY" 

93 — Baby  Peggy  Story  Book   Book  Stores 

92 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners  Children's  Wear 
91 — Baby  Peggy   Stationery   ..Stationery  Stores 

90 — Westphal's    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

89 — Junior  Coats  and  Suits  ....  Children's  Wear 

88 — Wayne  Knit  Socks   Children's  Wear 

87 — Kummel  Juvenile  Dresses  ..Children's  Wear 

86 — Baty   Peggy  Dolls   Toy  Shops 

85 — Baby  Peggy   Underwear    .  .  Children's  Wear 

84-r-Baby   Peggy   Hats   Millinery 

83 — Baby  Peggy  Handkerchiefs  Children's  Wear 
"FAMOUS"  TIE-UPS 

82 — Garcia  Grande  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

81 — Triumph  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

80 — Kleanet   Drug  Stores 

7:9 — Berklet    Knit   Ties   Haberdashers 

78 — Aubry    Sisters   Beauty  Shop 

77 — Coro   Pearls   Jeweler 

76 — Chex   Drug  Store 

"SHOOTING  OF  DAN  McGREW" 
75 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

74 — Djer-Kiss   Compacts   Drug  Stores 

73 — Victor  Record   (No.  55218)    ..Music  Stores 

72 — Richelieu    Pearls   Jewelers 

71 — Amami    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

70 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"SHERLOCK,  JR." 

69 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

68 — Dier-K:ss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

67 — Melto   Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

66 — Gage    Hats   Milliners 

65 — Regent    Pearls   Jewelers 

64 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  S'ores 

63 — Pebeco  Tooth  Paste   Drug  Stores 

"MIAMI" 

62 — Gotham   Gold   Stripe  Women's  Wear 

61 — Rigaud's   Talcum   Drug  Scores 

60 — Vogue  Hair  Nets   D'ug  Stores 

59 — Cappi    Perfume   Drug  Store 

58 — C^an^el-Harms    (Miami)     ....Music  Stores 

57 — Kleinert  Bathine  Caps   Women's  Wear 

56 — Jantzen    Sw'mming    S"its    ..Women's  Wear 
"ROY  OF  FLANDERS" 

55 — Tackie  Coopan   Confectioners 

54 — Inge'-so1!    Watches    ...  Tpw~'e-« 

53 — Tack:e    Concan    Chocolates  Confe<-Honers 

5*7 — Rn-H»n's     Mi'lV   (twv— 

51 — Tackie  Ciocsn   Hats   Hat  S>*ios 

50 — Gros<yt   &   Dunlap   Book  Dealers 


"THE    SEA  HAWK" 

49 — Tudor    Silverware   Jewelers 

48— Blue   Bird   Pearls   Jewelers 

47_Van  Raalte  Apparel   Women  s  Wear 

46 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

45 — Conde  Cosmetics   Drug  Stores 

44_Bonnie  B  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

43 — Old    English    Lavender   Drug  Stores 

42 — Mystikum  Perfume   Drug  Stores 

41 — Jack    Mills    Music   Music  Stores 

40— Grossett  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"MTSSING  DAUGHTERS" 

3B_Gordon   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

38 — Forest  Mills  Underwear   Women's  Wear 

37— Omar    Pearls   Jewelers 

36 — Pebeco   Tooth   Paste   Drug  Stores 

35 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres   Women's  Wear 

34_Gage  Hats   Milliners 

33 — Wonderstoen  Hair  Eraser   Drug  Stores 

"PERFECT  FLAPPER" 

32 — El    Producto   Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

31 — Winx  Lash  Nourishment  ....Drug  Stores 
30 — Wonderstoen   Hair  Eraser    ....Drug  S-tores 

29 — Hygienol   Powder   Puffs   Drug  Stores 

28 — Melto   Reducing    Cream   Drug  Stores 

27 — Vanity    Fair   Frocks   Women's  Wear 

26 — Pert  Rouge   Drug  Stores 

25— Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

24 — Djer-Kiss   Products   Drug  Stores 

23 — Regent  Pearls   Women's  Wear 

22 — Frances  Faire  Frocks   Drug  Stores 

"CHECHAHCOS" 

20 — La   Palina    Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

19 — Thermo   Sport   Coats   Men's  Clothing 

18— Sterno  Canned  Heat   Drug  Stores 

17 — Borden's   Condensed  Milk   Grocers 

16 — -Zepherized  Knit  Underwear  Women's  Wear 
15 — Auto   Vacuum   Freezer    .  . .  .  Housefurnishing 

"RECOIL" 

14 — Chinwah    Perfumes   Drug  Stores 

13 — Nemo   Corsets   Women's  Wear 

12 — Venida  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

11 — Boncilla   Beauty  Clay   Drug  Stores 

10 — Deltah    Pearls   Jewelers 

9 — Inecto  Hair  Tint   Drug  Stores 

8 — Onyx  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"BEAU  BRUMMEL" 

7 — Sta-shape  Hats   Hat  Shops 

6 — Vivaudou   Drug  Stores 

5 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

4 — Sampson   Dress   Jewelry   Jewelers 

3 — Personality  Clothes   Men's  Clothing 

2 — Fashionknit  Ties   Haberdashers 

1 — Glove  Industries   Women's  Wear 


Name 
Theatre 


Town 
State 


Tie-Up  Numbers 
Play  Dates  .... 


For  goodness  sake 
don't  miss  seeing  the 
remarkable  Press  Book  on 


this  first  de  luxe  Gothic  Production 


Even  if  yon  think  this  picture  is  too  big  for  your  house,  don't  fail  to  see  the  remarkable  adver- 
tising campaign  book  issued  by  F.  B.  O.  on  "VANITY'S  PRICE." 

Besides  the  National  tie-ups  described,  advertised,  and  illustrated  in  this  special  exploitation  sec- 
tion— ask  for  a  copy  of  F.  B.  O.'s  press  book  and  see  what  it  contains. 

The  whole  country  is  "nuts"  over  the  subject  picturized  in  this  whale  of  a  story — at  least  all  the 
women,  young  girls  and  flappers  are — and  they  are  the  ones  who  fill  your  house. 

Ask  the  F.  B.  O.  salesman  who  calls  on  you  to  bring  or  send  you  a  copy  of  the  campaign  book  or 
write  to  the  F.  B.  O.  branch  that  serves  you ....  Tear  out  this  special  exploitation  section,  or  better  still, 
put  this  issue  away  in  your  desk  for  safe  keeping  so  you'll  have  all  the  big  tie-ups  and  exploitation  when 
you  do  play  the  picture.  Here's  a  winner  if  there  ever  was  one. 

Film  Booking  Offices 

of  America,  Inc. 

723  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City,  N.  Y. 

Sales  Office,  United  Kingdom,  R-C  Pictures 
26-27  D'Arblay  St.,  Wardour  St.,  London,  W.  I.,  England 


Exploitation  Ideas 


Showmen  Publicity  Schemes  That 
Build  Up  Big  Audiences 


M. 


H.  NEWMAN,  manager  of 
the  "Columbia"  theatre  in  Se- 
attle, Washington,  writes  in  to 
tell  of  an  idea  he  uses  to  help  sell  "The 
Signal  Tower"  to  the  Seattle  public. 
Here's  what  he  has  to  say. 

"Just  before  the  rise  of  the  main 
curtain,  the  drummer  gives  the  effect 
of  a  departing  train  on  his 
drum  and  as  the  sound  of  the 
train  fades  away,  the  curtain 
rises  disclosing  a  drop  curtain 
with  a  railroad  yard,  signal 
tower  and  a  semaphore. 

The  light  on  the  semaphore 
changes  from  red  to  green 
and  from  one  side  of  the 
stage  a  man  dressed  in  over- 
alls and  carrying  a  switch 
lantern  and  engages  in  con- 
versation with  a  man  in  the 
signal  tower. 

"Another  man,  similarly  at- 
tired and  equipped,  enters 
from  the  other  side  and  the 
three  get  together  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  stage  and  sing.  This 
trio  has  stopped  the  show  at 

each  performance." 
*    *  * 

SOUVENIR  BOOKLET 

A  16-page  booklet  called 
"A  Little  Chat  With  Mae 
Murray,"  published  by  the 
Kingston  Trust  Company  of 
Kingston,  New  York,  testifies 
to  the  importance  of  motion 
pictures  in  daily  commerce  of 
the  present  time. 

The  booklet,  in  reality  a 
biography  of  Miss  Murray's 
life  and  screen  career,  was 
published  by  the  Kingston  or- 
ganization independently  of 
any  tie-up,  and  on  their  own 
initiative.  It  is  given  away 
as  a  souvenir  of  the  company. 

Particularly  notable  is  that 
the  booklet  is  in  no  way  pro- 
paganda of  any  sort,  as  it 
contains  not  a  single  reference 
to  financial  matters  or  banking.  The 
story  holds  a  moral  for  exploiteers,  for 
it  proves  that  there  are  progressive  busi-1 
ness  concerns  throughout  the  country 
who  would  be  interested  to  co-operate 
with  motion  picture  men  on  a  similar 
stunt. 


FOLLOWING  THROUGH 

The  very  successful  engagement  of 
Norma  Talmadge  in  "Secrets,"  released 
by  First  National,  at  the  Lyric  Theatre, 
Bridgeport,  Conn.,  was  materially  aided 
by  a  thorough  exploitation  campaign. 

In  addition  to  an  unusually  large 
newspaper  showing  in  notices  and  spe- 
cial stories,  the  Bridgeport  Star  was 


tied  up  on  a  contest  on  the  subject, 
"Should  a  Husband  Keep  Secrets  from 
His  Wife."  Prizes  of  free  tickets  were 
offered  for  the  best  answers.  The  con- 
test ran  for  a  week  and  brought  out  a 
great  number  of  replies.  It  occupied 
more  than  half  a  column  of  space  daily. 
The  Star  said  the  contest  was  the  most 


An  attention  gripping  display  of  books  in  connection  with  a 
showing  of  United  Artists  "Dorothy  Vernon  of  Haddon  Hall." 
This  window  was  directly  responsible  for  a  greatly  augmented 
sale  of  motion  picture  theatre  tickets  as  well  as  of  the  novel. 


drawn  by  four  horses,  with  a  woman 
rider  dressed  in  the  mid-victorian  cos- 
tume of  the  hoop  skirt,  and  wearing  a 
white  wig.  The  ballyhoo  was  used  for 
the  first  days  of  the  showing  and  at- 
tracted much  attention.  Banners  ap- 
peared on  each  horse  advertising  the 
screening. 

The  ushers  were  costumed  in  hoop- 
skirts.  The  lobby  and  the  canopy  were 
tastefully  decorated  with  cutouts  and  oil 
paintings.  A  huge  banner  was  stretched 
across  the  main  thoroughfare  near  the 
theatre. 

Cutouts  of  the  head  of  Miss  Tal- 
madge from  the  24-sheet  were  placed 
in  good  locations  throughout 
Bridgeport  and  made  a  very 
striking  display.  Three  of 
these  were  used  on  the  mar- 
quee and  in  the  lobby,  seven 
others  being  posted  in  various 
spots  about  town. 

*    *  * 

CIVIC  TIE-UP 

The  management  of  the 
Rex  Theatre,  Eugene,  Ore., 
seized  upon  the  water  restric- 
tions and  the  appeals  of  the 
Eugene  Water  Board  to  citi- 
zens to  divide  themselves  into 
two  groups,  those  living  in 
even  numbered  houses  to  use 
water  for  sprinkling  purposes 
on  even  dates,  odd  numbered 
houses  to  use  it  on  odd  dates. 

The  newspaper  advertise- 
ments for  "The  Perfect  Flap- 
per" were  headed :  "Don't 
sprinkle  tonight!  Save  the 
water  and  see  Colleen  Moore 
in  'The  Perfect  Flapper.'  " 

Heralds  along  similar  lines 
were  used :  "Don't  sprinkle 
tonight !  Because  of  the 
present  shortage  of  water  the 
board  has  requested  sprinkl- 
ing of  lawns  to  be  confined  to 
every  other  day.  Help  to  re- 
move the  danger  in  case  of 
fire  and — have  time  to  go  to 
the  Rex  and  refresh  yourself 
while  watching  'The  Perfect 
Flapper.'  "  A  press  book  ad 
cut  was  reproduced  on  the 
herald. 


successful  it  had  ever  conducted  with 
an  outside  stunt. 

A  very  successful  stunt  was  worked 
through  the  telephone  company  by 
means  of  which  3000  out  of  5000  tele- 
phone mouthpieces  advertising  the  pic- 
ture were  placed  on  telephone  instru- 
ments throughout  the  city,  the  remain- 
ing 2000  being  used  as  throwaways. 

Window  tie-ups  were  made  with  two 
music  stores,  one  featuring  the  song, 
"Memory  Lane,"  the  other  "Secrets." 
A  phonograph  was  borrowed  from  one 
of  the  stores  and  set  up  in  the  lobby  of 
the  Lyric  where  it  ground  out  the 
strains  of  "Memory  Lane"  continu- 
ously. 

A  dignified  and  effective  street  bally- 
hoo consisted  of  a  victoria  carriage, 


BOBBING  BABIES 

Walter  Batchellor,  manager  of  the 
"Randolph"  theatre  in  Chicago,  reports 
a  new  Baby  Peggy  stunt  which  he  put 
over  for  the  premier  in  that  theatre  of 
"The  Family  Secret,"  Universal  Jewel 
featuring  the  diminutive  star. 

A  Baby  Peggy  Barber  Shop  was 
opened  in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre  be- 
tween the  hours  of  2  and  4  p.  m.  each 
day,  where  one  Baby  Peggy  hair  bob 
was  given  free  to  children  with  each 
ticket  of  admission  to  the  theatre. 

The  barber  chair,  mirror,  wall  rack, 
electric  curler,  hair  tonics,  creams  and 
all  other  barber  shop  articles  were 
furnished  free  by  a  Chicago  Barber 
Supply  Company  because  of  the  ad. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Another  FAMOUS 


TY  Hit! 


The  sumptuous  settings  of  a  "Male  and  Female"  and  the 
hilarious  comedy  of  a  "Manhandled"  —  that's  "Changing 
Husbands."  No  wonder  it's  doing  so  remarkably  well!  Noth- 
ing but  glowing  reports  about  this  one  from  coast  to  coast. 
Read  'em  on  the  right: 


PRESENTED  BY 
ADOLPH 
JESSE  L.  LAS  KY 


SUPERVISED  BY 

CECIL  B. 

De  mille 


William  Croucher 

(Crescent  Theatre, 
Newark,  N.  Y.\) 

"Excellent  entertain- 
ment. Acting  very 
tine.  A  box  office 
picture."  (Exhibitors 
Herald  report) 


Kansas  City  Post: 

"I  laughed  my  fool 
head  off.  The  titles 
are  funny  too." 

Los  Angeles 
Times: 

"Six  reels,  a  hundred 
laughs,  and  about 
nineteen  gasps.  Lea- 
trice  Joy  is  marvel- 
ous." 


New  York  Times: 

"There  is  so  much 
packed  into  this  pic- 
ture that  one  leaves 
with  the  feeling  of 
witnessing  a  comedy 
and  a  circus  all  in  one 
afternoon." 


Motion  Picture 
News: 

"Light  comedy  that 
swings  along  in 
sparkling  fashion." 

Ren  L.  Morris 

(Temple  Theatre, 
Bellaire  O. : ) 

"One  of  the  most  de- 
light  f  ul  comedy 
dramas  we  have  had. 
Picture  will  please 
lots  more  than  many 
you  pay  three  times 
as  much  for.  Pure 
entertainment  from 
start  to  finish.  Leaves 
everyone  h  a  p  p  y." 
(Exhibitors  Herald 
report) 

N.  Y.  Daily  News: 

"You  really  ought  to 
like  'Changing  Hus- 
bands.' Good  enter- 
tainment. All  very 
amusing." 


September  13,  1924 


Page  47 


gUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIM 

|   ^ried  and  Proved  Pictures  \ 

pmiui  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiu^   iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiii 

They  Liked  the  Show! 

/wst  a  Picture  of  What  the  Writer  Saw  When 
He  Happened  Into  a  Small  Town  Theatre 


THE  other  day,  the  writer  dropped 
into  a  neighborhood  theatre,  in  a 
suburban  town  close  by  a  leading 
metropolis.  The  theatre  and  its  patron- 
age so  closely  approximate  the  condi- 
tions prevailing  on  Main  Street,  Your 
City,  that  this  story  just  had  to  be 
written. 

The  admission  price  was  low — IS 
cents,  if  I  remember  correctly,  and  I 
noticed  especially  that  the  population 
was  more  or  less  cosmopolitan.  Diver- 
sity ruled,  and  the  foreign  element, 
while  present,  only  served  to  lend  color 
to  the  throng. 

Children  occupied  the  most  part  of 
the  first  ten  rows  and  howled  aloud 
their  approval  of  the  antics  of  the 
comedians  in  the  two  reel  comedy.  The 
rest  of  the  audience  as  I  noticed  com- 
prised some  staid  and  solid  individuals, 
but  mostly  the  run  of  men  and  women 
of  a  fairly  good  strata  of  community 
life. 

Quite  a  number  of  college  girls  and 
schoolmaids  were  present,  for  there  is 
a  large  school  nearby — flappers  I  guess 
is  the  modern  term  for  them ;  and 
young  men,  seeking  just  a  couple  of 
hours  of  good  entertainment. 

The  news  pictorial  shown  wasn't  so 
old,  nor  yet  so  young,  for  that  matter, 
but  it  served  to  please. 

Then  the  feature  arrived. 

1KNOW  I  ought  not  to  specify  its 
title  for  fear  of  being  accused  of 
boosting  one  company's  picture  over  the 
others.  But,  as  this  is  a  story  of  what 
happened,  I  must  put  in  all  the  facts. 

The  feature,  then,  was  "Merry  Go 
Round." 

It  was  met  with  that  tense  silence 
that  seemed  to  shriek  to  the  very  corn- 
ers of  the  ceiling.  You  may  remember 
the  opening  well,  its  very  dramatic 
force  was  immediately  caught  by  the 
audience. 

Any  way,  impressed  upon  my  pass- 
ing train  of  thought  was  the  idea  that 
this  was  not  the  atmosphere  perhaps 
that  an  "old"  picture  would  be  receiv- 
ed in. 

Usually,  some  people  having  seen  a 
picture  whisper  to  their  neighbors  some 
brief  comment  or  even  glimpses  of  the 
story.    But  here,  quiet  reigned.  Not 


By  JERRY  GOULD 

even  the  restlessness  often  occasioned 
by  familiar  pictures. 

Evidently  the  picture  was  new  to  this 
audience — even  though  the  writer  re- 
members seeing  it  once  before  back  in 
the  early  part  of  '23. 

And,  as  the  story  unwound  in  its 
telling  on  the  screen,  the  writer  was 
constrained  to  look  about  him,  to  note 
its  acceptance. 

Now,  this  picture  has  a  story,  and 
also  its  moments  of  pathos. 

HOW  surprised  was  I  at  the  numer- 
ous handkerchiefs  visible.  Even, 
blatantly  present  in  the  hands  of  the 
giddy  fun-seeking  flappers  that  had 
been  heretofore  always  connected  in 
my  mind  with  joy  and  mirth  rather 
than  feeling,  and  understanding  oc- 
casioning tears. 

And  the  men.  Here  too  I  saw  keen 
sympathy  and  even  signs  of  personal 
regret  at  the  heroines'  unhappiness. 

These  people  were  intensely  inter- 
ested. Even  the  children  remained  re- 
spectfully awed  by  the  romance  and 
pathos.    The  circus  scenes  seemed  to 


allow  them  a  brief  respite  and  freedom 
— but  generally  they  fell  back  into  their 
attitude  of  quiet  contemplation  of  the 
story  on  the  screen. 

NORMAN  KERRY  was  holding  the 
audience  in  his  grasp.  The  little 
heroine,  Mary  Philbin,  were  she  pres- 
ent, would  have  found  herself  the  ob- 
ject of  pity.  The  villain  was  all  but 
hissed. 

And  all  of  this,  mind  you,  in  the 
semi-dark  quiet  of  a  muffled  theatre. 
The  droning  tick-tick  of  the  projection 
machine  and  the  vibrating  low  hum  of 
the  organ,  alone  breaking  the  silence. 

These  people  actually  cared !  They 
followed  the  incidents  and  sequences 
with  obvious  interest.  They  were  en- 
joying every  minute  of  the  picture. 

WHEN  it  was  over,  I  left  with  the 
crowd.  I  listened  to  their  com- 
ments. They  all  admitted  that  they 
liked  it.  That  the  story  had  a  real  ap- 
peal. I  thought  no  greater  apprecia- 
tion than  this  could  any  showman  want. 
And,  all  this  to  a  picture  more  than  a 
year  old. 

(Continued  on  page  55) 


A  scene  from  Universal's  "Merry  Go  Round,"  starring  Norman  Kerry  and  Mary 
Philbin.    The  sets  closely  followed  the  Continental  locale  of  the  story,  as  may  be  seen- 


BIG 
LITTLE 
FEATURES 


STANDARD 


FEATURETTES 


BIG 
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FEATURES 


STAND  FOR 


TRIED  and  PROVED 
INSURANCE 

RIED  and  PROVED  the  first  time  when  they  were 
issued  in  feature  lengths  and  played  to  sensational 
business.  TRIED  and  PROVED  again,  now,  when 
released  as  two  thousand  foot  features,  cut  and  edited 
to  two  reels  of  fast,  dramatic  action.  That  means 
TRIED  and  PROVED  Twice,  which  is  the  most  reliable 
box-office  insurance  in  which  you  can  possibly  invest. 

featuring  such  stars  as 

RUDOLPH  VALENTINO 

CONSTANCE  TALMADGE 

A  ,     t  CONWAY  TEARLE 

and  others  of 

equal  magnitude  EUGENE  O'BRIEN 


|IG  LITTLE  FEATURE  INSURANCE  is  just  as  important  as 
the  selection  of  the  main  attraction  itself.  Showmanship 
means  the  perfect  presentation  of  the  entire  program.  And 
alert  showmen  know  that  STANDARD  FEATURETTES  mean 
Tried  and  Proved  Stars  in  Tried  and  Proved  Stories  directed  by 
Tried  and  Proved  Directors.    Which  places  their  box-office  value 
miles  ahead  of  all  other  short  features. 


SIX  ALREADY  COMPLETED 
ASK  ANY  SELZNICK  OFFICE 


STANDARD 
CINEMA 

CORPORATION 

.  ■ 

Releasing  Thru 

September  13,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


PaSe  49 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Appropriate  'Side  Show' 
Exploitation 

IN    Los    Angeles,    the  Alhambra 
Theatre    advertised  Paramount's 
"The  Side  Show  of  Life"  strictly 
from  the  circus  angle. 

Their  daily  newspaper  advertising 
looked  like  the  midweek  display  of 
a  circus,  but  it  was  the  policy  that 
they  decided  upon  and  they  were 
thorough  in  following  it  out. 

Probably  the  best  unit  in  the  Al- 
hambra's  campaign  was  the  circus 
dodger  printed  in  red  ink  on  bright 
yellow  new  stock.  It  was  headed  at 
the  top  of  the  sheet  that  measured 
about  eighteen  inches  long:  "Circus 
Is  in  Town,"  and  carried  the  stars' 
names  in  bold  block  letters.  "A  3 
ring  drama  of  the  circus,  and  stage 
society"  was  the  billing  line.  Circus 
stock  cuts  of  clowns  and  animals 
completed  the  effect. 

*    *  * 

Issue  Miniature  Newspaper 

When  "The  Shooting  of  Dan  Mc- 
grew"  played  the  Grand  Theatre, 
Columbus,  Georgia,  they  staged  an 
unusually  effective  campaign. 

Nearly  any  wide  awake  showman 
would  be  able  to  follow  out  the  idea 
in  the  same  way. 

Several  thousand  copies  of  a  minia- 
ture newspaper  called  "The  Grand 
News"  were  hawked  about  the  streets 
by  newsboys,  yelling,  "Extra,  Extra, 


all  about  the  Shooting  of  Dan 
McGrew." 

The  newspaper  itself  was  made  up 
of  a  two  column  scare  head  across 
the  front  page  reading:  "The  Shoot- 
ing of  Dan  McGrew  Told  in  Detail." 
And  story,  every  word  of  it,  in  fact 
all  the  material  used,  was  taken  from 
the  producers  Press  Sheet  issued  on 
this  picture. 

The  stunt  of  course  created  a  great 
deal  of  talk  and  brought  much  extra 
business  to  the  Grand  Theatre  box 
office. 

i-e  % 

Good  Dodger  For 

'Changing  Husbands' 

One  of  the  stock  stunts  devised 
for  "Changing  Husbands"  by  Les 
Whelan,  Paramount  Exploiteer  for 
the  Philadelphia  territory  is  a  small 
throw-away  card  about  6x4  which 
shows  a  cartoon  of  a  dejected  look- 
ing prisoner  peeking  oukbehind  the 
bars  with  the  copy  :  "ThiPis  the  only 
person  in  the  city  who  will  not  see 
'Changing  Husbands.'  " 
*   *  * 

Window  On  Main  Street  Good 
Tie-Up  Display 

A  large  window  display  on  the 
main  street  of  Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
in  conjunction  with  Pond's  Cold 
Cream  and  a  lobby  display  cutout 
made  from  the  24  sheet  were  exploi- 
tation methods  employed  to  feature 
"Thy  Name  Is  Woman."  The  cutout 


At  the  Lyric  Theatre,  Bridgeport,  Conn., 
attractive  lobby  displays  were  fashioned 
out  of  cutouts  from  24  sheet  posters,  to  ex- 
ploit First    National's   picture,  "Secrets." 

featured  Barbara  La  Marr  and  Ra- 
mon Novarro  as  "the  screen's  most 
Perfect  Lovers,"  and  had  four  flood 
lights  spotted  on  it. 

^    *  ^ 

First  Page  Display 
for  'Thy  Name  Is  Woman' 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  Chattanooga  newspaperdom,  a 
motion  picture  exploitation  stunt 
was  carried  on  the  first  page  of  the 
news. 

The  showman  in  this  instance  ar- 
ranged a  tie-up  with  the  newspapers, 
whereby  free  tickets  to  see  "Thy 
Name  Is  Woman"  at  the  Tivoli 
Theatre  were  distributed.  The 
"Chattanooga  News"  carried  a  box 
on  the  first  page  for  several  days, 
featuring  the  announcement. 


Producers  Dist.  Corp.'s  feature  picture  "Miami"  receives  In  "Miami"  this  lobby  display  brought  the  ocean  to  the  shore, 
everywhere  splendid  tie-up  co-operation.  Here's  a  window  The  showman  used  the  poster  with  telling  effect,  with  the 
in  a  Southern  city,  which  has  a  24  sheet  poster  for  background.       fetching  picture  of  Betty  Compson,  Prod.  Dist.  Corp.'s  star. 


Page  50 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Universal 

A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— 3,792 
Bookings.  Child  Love.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  story  has  that  universal  ap- 
peal that  goes  straight  to  the  hearts  ot  those 
compromising  any  audience. 

THE  ACQUITTAL  —  4,390  Bookings. 
Mystery  Play.  Reviewed  Dec.  8.  BECAUSE 
of  the  cast  and  the  interesting  story  por- 
trayed so  convincingly  that  the  film  is  a  box- 
office  winner. 

A  LADY  OF  QUALITY— 3,779  Bookings. 
Love  Story.  Reviewed  Dec.  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  corking  good  love  story  and  boasts 
Milton  Sills  and  Virginia  Valli  in  the  cast. 

DRIFTING — 4,229  Bookings.  Action  and 
Adventure.  Reviewed  Oct.  27.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  stirring  melodrama  starring  Priscilla 
Dean  and  having  Wallace  Beery  and  Matt 
Moore  in  the  cast. 

THE  FLIRT— Booked  6977  times.  Love 
and  Society  Picture.  Reviewed  February  9. 
BECAUSE  it  numbers  among  the  most 
popular  pictures  on  the  screen,  and  has  a 
ready  made  audience  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
see  it. 

FOOLISH  WIVES— Over  6,000  Bookings. 
Love  and  Intrigue.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE Erich  Von  Stroheim  produced  the 
picture  and  played  the  lead,  and  the  story 
is  of  universal  interest. 

HUNTING  BIG  GAME-4,873  Bookings. 
Adventure  in  the  Wilds.  Reviewed  Feb.  9. 
BECAUSE  it  is  a  true  adventure  picture  re- 
plete with  real  thrills  and  takes  audiences 
on  a  personally  conducted  tour. 

THE  LAW  FORBIDS— 1,559  Bookings. 
Domestic  Drama.  Reviewed  (?)  -  BE- 
CAUSE Baby  Peggy  heads  a  powerful  cast, 
and  the  story  has  a  strong  theme  built 
around  the  sanctity  of  the  home. 

MERRY  GO  ROUND^l,916  Bookings. 
Love  and  War.  Reviewed  Jan.  19.  BE- 
CAUSE Mary  Philbin,  Norman  Kerry  and 
the  picture  itself  proved  a  box-office  sensa- 
tion of  1923. 

THE  STORM  DAUGHTER— 1,601  Book- 
ings. Sea  Story.  Reviewed  April  19.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outstanding  box- 
of  the  ocean  deeps  starring  Priscilla  Dean 
and  featuring  Tom  Santschi. 

THUNDERING  DAWN^-,304  Bookings. 
Melodramatic  Thriller.  Reviewed  Dec.  15. 
BECAUSE  it  stars  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  and  J. 
Warren  Kerrigan  and  shows  the  best  Tidal 
Waves  and  typhoon  scenes  ever  filmed. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR-4,941  Book- 
ings. Baseball  Story.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  great  national  interest  in  the 
natical  games  makes  this  a  sure-fire  attrac- 
tio-  . 

WHITE  TIGER-  -3,839  Bookings.  Crook 
Melodrama.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE 
Priscilla  Dean  stars,  and  the  picture  has 
proven  appealing  to  audiences  all  over  the 
country. 


Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

Selznick 

THE  ROAD  OF  AMBITION— Rise  of 
Youth.  Reviewed  December  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  fine  moral  story  in  which  Conway 
Tearle  appears  as  a  sympathetic  character 
who  more  than  pleases  his  audiences. 

LOVE  IS  AN  AWFUL  THING— Mar- 
riage Difficulties.  Reviewed  January  19.  BE- 
CAUSE audiences  cry  with  laughter  when 
they  see  it  and  Owen  Moore  appears  at  his 
best  in  it. 

JUST  A  WIFE— Triangle  Drama.  Re- 
viewed December  15.  BECAUSE  it  brings  to 
the  screen  a  sympathetic  and  clean  story  of 
the  love  and  sacrifice  of  a  woman  and  thus 
sounds  the  popular  appeal. 

THE  LAW  OF  COMPENSATION— 
Marriage  Drama.  Reviewed  December  22. 
BECAUSE  it  has  proved  by  its  record  that 
it  is  a  story  which  gives  Norma  Talmadge 
a  role  she  is  well  capable  of  handling  and  it 
pleases  big  city  and  small  town  audiences. 

A  MAN'S  HOME— Story  of  New  Riches. 
Reviewed  December  29.  BECAUSE  it  snugly 
fits  the  public  taste  for  average  pictures  and 
has  proven  its  entertainment  value  by  its  rec- 
ord at  the  box  office. 

THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH— 
Romance.  Reviewed  February  16.  BE- 
CAUSE it  brings  one  of  Charles  Dickens 
most  delightful  stories  to  the  screen  in  a 
presentation  so  charming  and  interesting  that 
it  has  found  a  place  for  itself  with  everyone. 

REPORTED  MISSING— Comedy  Melo- 
drama. Reviewed  January  12.  BECAUSE 
comedy  melodramas  can  always  attract  audi- 
ences and  this  is  a  particularly  good  one  star- 
ring Owen  Moore. 


ONE  WEEK  OF  LOVE— Flapper  Ro- 
mance. Reviewed  December  22.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  delightful  light  comedy  with  fast  ac- 
tion, plenty  of  thrills  and  two  very  popular 
stars  who  inject  the  story  with  humane- 
ness and  fire. 

A  LADY'S  NAME— Love  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed March  15.  BECAUSE  this  delightful 
comedy  besides  its  own  inherent  merit  has 
big  exploitation  possibilities,  which  exhibitors 
have  used  extensively  and  found  real  money 
makers. 

First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA — A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  ^f  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  woman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body., BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  bf  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 

age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT— One  of  the  biggest 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNING 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22. 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  51 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


McKelvey  Loses 

Efforts  of  members  of  the  Motion  Picture 
Exhibitors  League  of  St.  Louis  led  by  Presi- 
dent Joseph  Mogler  to  nominate  Director  of 
Public  Safety  James  N.  McKelvey  for  sher- 
iff on  the  Republican  ticket  proved  fruitless 
for  AfcKelvey  was  defeated  by  City  Marshall 
Anton  Schuler  at  the  primary  election  Au- 
gust 5,  by  about  3,500  votes. 

McKelvey  was  also  supported  by  twenty- 
six  of  the  twenty-eight  Republican  City 
Committeemen,  Mayor  Kiel,  City  Comp- 
troller, Louis  Nolte  and  many  other  promi- 
nent office  holders.  But  lost  the  independent 
votes  in  South  and  North  St.  Louis. 

*  *  * 

Exhibitor  Robbed 

Robbers  who  broke  into  the  home  of  Ed- 
ward L.  Butler  6315  Washington  Avenue, 
University  City,  Mo.,  manager  of  the  Em- 
press Theatre,  St.  Louis,  on  Sunday  night, 
August  3,  carried  off  a  safe  containing  jew- 
elry valued  at  $2500.  Butler  has  offered  a 
reward  for  the  return  of  the  jewelry,  which 
included  a  finger  watch  said  to  be  the  only 
one  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  was  given 
to  him  by  his  mother  on  her  deathbed.  It 
was  made  by  a  Swiss  watchmaker  who  went 
blind  after  completing  his  work.  It  is  about 
the  size  of  a  dime  and  one-quarter  of  an 
inch  thick. 

*  *  * 
Morning  Shows 

Two  Topeka,  Kas.,  theatres  set  a  precedent 
last  week  by  giving  Saturday  morning  shows. 
At  the  Orpheum  Theatre,  a  double  bill  of 
"The  King  of  Wild  Horses"  and  Doug- 
las MacLean's  "Yankee  Consul"  drew  good 
crowds,  while  at  the  Cozy  Theatre  Jackie 
Coogan's  "A  Boy  of  Flanders,"  boosted  by 
the  star's  personal  appearance,  played  to  a 
crowded  house. 

*  *  * 

Small  Towns  Important 

"Though  the  average  playgoers  fail  to 
realize  it,  the  small  town  theatres  bear  the 
important  part  of  the  film  industry,"  Eugene 
Zukor,  assistant  to  his  father  Adolph  Zukor, 
president  of  Famous  Players-Lasky,  said  last 
week  while  on  a  visit  in  Kansas  City.  "Pros- 
perity in  the  Kansas  City  territory,  by  virtue 
of  a  great  wheat  crop,  will  re-establish  the 
theatre  going  habit  in  communities  where 
the  only  amusement  is  the  movies.  The 
greatest  decrease  in  movie  attendance  has 
been  in  the  county  districts." 

*  *  * 

Topeka  Cuts  Prices 

Following  suit  of  other  first  run  theatres 
in  the  territory,  two  Topeka,  Kas.,  first  run 
houses  have  reduced  admission  prices.  The 
Orpheum  Theatre  10  cents,  charging  20  cents 
for  matinees  and  30  cents  at  night.  Children 
will  be  admitted  for  10  cents  at  all  times, 
according  to  G.  L.  Hooper,  manager.  The 
Cozy  Theatre,  under  the  management  of 
Lawrence  Brueninger,  has  reduced  prices  to 
25  cents  at  night  and  15  cents  for  matinees. 
The  only  motion  picture  houses  in  the  city 
where  no  reduction  has  been  made  is  the 
Isis  Theatre  operated  by  the  National  The- 
atres Co.,  which  also  controls  the  Orpheum, 
where  reductions  were  made,  which  is  main- 
taining a  policy  of  week  runs  on  feature  pic- 
tures. The  Isis  prices  are  40  cents  at  night 
and  25  cents  for  matinees. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Expanding  Chain 

Henry  B.  Varner,  the  North  Carolina  mag- 
nate announces  that  he  will  build  a  new  the- 
atre in  Concord,  North  Carolina  to  add  to 


his  rapidly  developing  chain  of  Carolina 
houses.  Plans  for  the  building  which  will 
be  located  on  Union  Street  are  now  being 
submitted  to  the  insurance  department  at 
Raleigh  and  actual  work  will  start  as  soon 
as  they  are  approved  so  that  the  house  will 
be  ready  for  opening  by  January  1,  1925. 

The  new  theatre  will  give  Mr.  Varner  six 
houses  in  North  Carolina.  In  Lexington 
where  he  will  continue  to  maintain  executive 
offices,  he  has  two  houses — the  Lexington 
and  Young's ;  in  Salisbury  the  Strand ;  in 


Eugene  Zukor — son  of  Adolph  Zukor,  head 
of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corp.,  who 
spoke  recently  on   small    town  theatres. 

Thomasville,  the  Palace ;  in  Badin,  the  Badin 
Theatre. 

The  Concord  house  will  be  of  brick,  and 
will  have  a  seating  capacity  of  600  or  more 
with  balcony.  The  stage  will  be  large  and 
thoroughly  equipped. 


Goodales  Injured 

Both  Capt.  Frank  W.  Goodale,  manager 
of  Loew's  Ottawa  Theatre  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Goodale,  were  injured  in  an  automobile 
wreck  on  the  Prescott  Highway,  within  20 
miles  of  Ottawa  recently  after  they  had 
driven  from  New  York  City.  The  car 
flopped  into  the  ditch  with  resultant  injuries 
to  Capt.  Goodale's  arm  and  shoulder  and 
bruises  to  the  head  and  body  of  Mrs.  Good- 
ale. 

The  Captain  remarked  that  it  was  singu- 
lar that  he  should  have  had  this  mishap 
after  having  served  for  over  5,000  hours  in 
the  air  before  and  during  the  war  as  a  bal- 
loonist and  aviator  with  the  Lmited  States 
Army. 

*    *  * 

New  Auburn  Theatre 

A.  A.  Spitz  of  the  Park  Theatre  Company, 
Inc.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  announces  the  open- 
ing of  the  New  Park  Theatre  in  Auburn,  R. 
1.,  on  November  12.  The  theatre  which  does 
riot  contain  a  balcony,  is  to  be  equipped  with 
about  1,000  Haywood-Wakefield  opera  chairs 
with  slip  seats. 


Seattle's  Latest 

John  Danz'  Class  A  Theatre  in  Seattle's 
down-town  district,  will  become  the  Capitol 
when  it  emerges  from  the  chrysalis  of  its  re- 
construction. Some  time  ago  Mr.  Danz 
purchased  the  other  half  of  the  building,  and 
will  throw  the  entire  space  into  his  enlarged 
house.  The  Class  A  will  continue  to  operate 
until  the  wall  has  to  be  removed,  throwing 
the  house  into  one.  Complete  new  decora- 
tions and  furnishings,  seating,  etc.,  etc.,  will 
be  used  at  a  cost  approximating  $100,000.  A 
first  run  feature  policy  will  go  into  effect 
with  the  opening  of  the  new  house,  and 
twenty-five  cent  admission  charged. 

A  big  Kimball  organ,  the  first  of  its  type 
to  be  installed  in  down-town  Seattle,  will  be 
a  feature  of  the  new  house.  It  will  be  the 
third  largest  organ  in  a  down-town  motion 
picture  theatre.  Art  Hile,  who  has  had  con- 
siderable experience  in  the  management  of 
houses  in  various  parts  of  the  Pacific  North- 
west, will  be  house  manager.  An  October 
first  opening  is  planned. 


Publicity  Stunt 

Do  you  know  "How  to  Educate  A  Wife?" 
Seattle  men  and  women  were  given  a  chance 
to  air  their  theories  on  this  subject  through 
a  local  tie-up  between  the  Star  and  the  Coli- 
seum Theatre.  The  best  opinions  were  re- 
paid with  a  number  of  merchandise  orders 
contributed  by  local  merchants.  Good  re- 
sults were  obtained. 

%  % 

New  Theatre  For  Butte 

W.  W.  Wisner  of  Butte,  Mont,  was  in 
Seattle  for  a  few  days  last  week.  Mr.  Wis- 
ner is  manager  of  the  new  Temple  Theatre, 
which  is  practically  completed  and  will  have 
its  formal  opening  shortly.  He  renewed 
acquaintance  with  a  number  of  old  timers, 
for  his  theatrical  experience  dates  back  eigh- 
teen years.  This  is  his  first  venture  in  the 
movies.  The  new  Temple  Theatre  is  a 
beautiful  structure,  substantially  built,  and 
plans  call  for  a  handsome  decorative  and' 
furnishing  scheme. 

^    ^  ^ 

Super  Adds  Another 

Hector  Pasmezoglu  owner  of  the  Congress, 
Criterion  and  Delmar  Theatres  has  also  pur- 
chased the  Yale  Theatre,  3700  Minnesota 
Avenue,  St.  Louis,  which  has  a  seating  ca- 
pacity of  600.  The  purchase  was  made  in 
the  name  of  the  Super  Theatre  Corporation, 
holding  company  for  Pasmezoglu's  interest. 
Pasmezoglu  has  also  purchased  the  Plaza 
Theatre  building  on  Etzel  Avenue. 


Orpheum  Reopens 

The  Orpheum  Theatre,  Winnipeg,  Manito- 
ba, has  re-opened  under  the  management  of 
Earl  Wadge  with  a  combination  policy  run- 
ning to  a  programme  of  a  feature  picture, 
Pathe  News  Weekly,  Topics  of  the  Day, 
Aesop's  Fables,  and  vaudeville,  shows  run- 
ning continuously  from  1  to  11  P.  M.  from 
23  cents  to  68  cents  admission  scale.  A 
brand  new  feature  of  the  theatre  is  a  large 
pipe  organ.  Isadore  Lav.itt  has  been  ap- 
pointed director  of  the  orchestra. 

*    *  * 

Rushing  Work 

Work  is  being  pushed  on  the  Coffeyville, 
Kansas  Memorial  Auditorium,  and  it  is  ex- 
pected that  the  building  will  open  on  Sep- 
tember 1.  It  was  previously  announced  that 
it  would  open  on  November  11.    The  build- 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ing  is  municipally  owned,  and  was  built  with 
the  cooperation  of  all  patriotic  organizations 
in  the  city  and  their  auxiliaries,  and  the  Fed- 
eration of  Womens'  clubs.  Its  cost  is 
$100,000. 

The  building  is  equipped  with  2,200  Hey- 
wood- Wakefield  opera  chairs.  About  1,600 
of  these  are  to  be  fastened  to  strippers,  to 
facilitate  removing  the  chairs  from  the  main 
floor  for  dancing.  The  other  600  are  fixed 
permanently  in  the  balcony.  The  aisle  seats 
will  bear  the  initials  "C.  M.  A."  in  gold 
finished  letters. 

"U"  Renews  Lease 

Universal  pictures  corporation,  operating 
the  Olympic  Theatre,  Buffalo,  has  renewed 
their  lease  of  the  house  for  a  period  of 
two  years.  This  announcement  comes  on 
the  heels  of  the  purchase  of  the  theatre  site, 
by  the  Buffalo  Trust  Company.  The  present 
lease  held  bv  Universal  was  an  agreement 
with  the  Monument  Theatre  corporation 
when  the  house  was  first  secured,  containing 
an  option  for  a  renewal  of  the  present  lease, 
which  is  due  to  expire  November  1.  This 
option  when  presented  to  the  Monument 
Theatre  corporation  by  Universal  Pictures 
was  accepted.  Manager  Edwin  O.  Weinberg 
of  the  Olympic  says  that  a  policy  of  highest 
grade  motion  picture  presentation  will  be 
pursued.  The  photoplay  house  will  be  im- 
mediately overhauled  and  redecorated  and  a 
large   orchestra  installed. 

*  *  * 

Montreal  Censor 

Martin  Singher,  a  newspaperman  of  Mon- 
treal has  been  appointed  to  the  Montreal  Po- 
lice Board  to  have  charge  of  the  inspection 
and  censoring  of  all  moving  picture  posters. 
This  appointment  follows  the  order  of  the 
Montreal  City  Council  for  a  more  rigid  ex- 
amination of  theatrical  posters. 

*  *  * 

Legal  Mixup 

Miss  Florence  Ketchum,  a  public  school 
teacher,  has  been  operating  the  Plaza  for 
several  years,  but  several  months  ago  got 
into  a  controversy  with  the  owner  of  the 
building  concerning  a  renewal  of  her  lease. 
Much  litigation  has  resulted.  What  effect 
the  purchase  of  the  building  by  Pasmezoglu 
will  have  remains  to  be  seen. 

Miss  Ketchum  also  had  the  Aubert  and  the 
Chippewa  Theatres,  the  former  on  Easton 
Avenue  near  Aubert  and  the  latter  on  Broad- 
way near  Chippewa,  but  has  given  up  both 
houses.  On  Saturday,  August  24,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  E.  J.  Minnig,  owners  of  the  Aubert 
Theatre  building  took  over  the  management 
of  the  theatre.  The  Chippewa  is  dark  at 
present. 

*  *  * 

Round  Table  Briefs 

Jim  Carney,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Olympic  Theatre,  Buffalo,  has  resigned  to 
accept  a  position  at  the  Broadway  Strand 
in  Detroit,  according  to  an  announcement  by 
E.  O.  Weinberg,  manager  of  the  Olympic. 

*  *  * 

The  Hi-Art  Theatre  in  Lockport  re-opened 
for  the  season  this  week  with  a  benefit  per- 
formance for  the  Lockport  Hospital  Aid 
Association. 

*  ♦ 

A.  N.  Wolff  has  been  named  manager  of 
the  Grand  Theatre  in  Rochester.  The  Schine 
Theatrical  corporation  of  Gloversville  has 
taken  a  ten  year  lease  of  the  house  which 
has  been  operated  for  years  by  T.  G. 
Thompson. 

*  *  * 

George  Paul  is  operating  the  Iris  Theatre 
at  Preston,  Idaho,  and  reports  very  pleasing 
business. 

*  *  * 

Many  out  of  town  exhibitors  came  into 
Seattle  for  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  Washington 
luncheon  at  the  Hotel  Gowman.  These  affairs 


continue  to  bring  the  boys  in,  and  are  pro- 
viding a  definite  purpose  for  getting  together 
to  unrayel  problems  that  confront  the  ex- 
hibitors. 

L.  Warner  of  the  Warner  Drug  Co., 
Hoxie,  Ark.,  has  purchased  the  Triangle 
Theatre,  Hoxie,  from  G.'  T.  Lewis.  Pictures 
will  be  the  policy. 

The  Rialto  Theatre,  Moberly,  Mo.,  has 
been  closed  for  the  season.  H.  M.  Forth, 
owner,  contemplates  several  very  important 
improvements  for  the  Rialto  during  the  off 
season. 

*  *  *" 

E.  H.  Budock  has  acquired  the  Palace 
Theate  at  Blackwell,  Okla.,  from  A.  B. 
Woodringer. 

*  *  * 

The  Majestic  Theatre,  Perry,  111.,  has  been 
remodelled  and  completely  repainted,  and 
many  novel  features  have  been  added  to 
make  the  Majestic  a  strictly  up-to-date  mo- 
tion picture  theatre.  Paul  Durbin  is  the 
manager. 

A.  J.  Jinks  has  opened  his  new  Crystal 
Theatre  at  Ligonier,  Ind.  It  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  most  complete  and  beautiful  the- 
atres in  this  part  of  the  State.  Big  feature 
pictures  will  be  the  policy  of  the  manage- 
ment. 

*  *  * 

Jess  Fiedler,  former  assistant  manager  and 
treasurer  of  the  Orpheum  Theatre,  Wichita, 
Kan.,  has  been  appointed  manager  to  suc- 
ceed Walter  Crosbie. 

Noah  Bloomer  of  Belleville,  111.,  is  work- 
ing on  plans  for  his  new  theatre  which  he 
is  erecting  here.  Mr.  Bloomer  is  now  oper- 
ating an  airdome  in  this  city  at  the  present 
time. 

*  *  * 

A  new  motion  picture  theatre  is  being 
erected  at  Longmont,  Colo.,  by  Harry  Good- 
stein.  Will  be  modern  in  every  respect. 
Two  Powers  projectors  and  a  motor  gener- 
ator set  is  now  being  installed.  Pictures  will 
be  presented  as  the  present  policy. 

James  Alifer,  manager  of  the  American 
Theatre,  Enid,  Okla.,  reports  that  business 
is  very  good  with  pictures  as  the  present 
policy.  Stock  and  pictures  will  be  the  policy 
for  the  winter  season. 

*  *  * 

Prices  are  to  be  raised  week  ends  at  the 
Dream,  Port  Angeles,  Wash.,  according  to 
report.  Admissions  have  been  ten  cents,  but 
are  to  be  a  quarter  on  Saturday,  Sunday  and 
Monday,  during  which  time  special  features 
will  be  offered.  Charles  George  is  manager. 
Manager  Huot  of  F.  B.  O.  announces  that 
the  bulk  of  his  product  has  been  placed. 


W.  P.  Cuff  of  the  Strand  Theatre,  Chilli- 
cothe,  Mo.,  has  completed  construction  of  his 
new  hotel,  which  adjoins  the  theatre,  equip- 
ping each  room  with  a  radio  headset  for  the 
entertainment  of  his  guests.  It  helps  busi- 
ness at  the  theatre,  as  well  as  the  hotel,  he 
says. 

*  *  * 

Buddy  Paul  of  Mexico,  Mo.,  plans  to  re- 
open his  Grand  Theatre  on  Labor  Day  with 
feature  pictures  and  tab  musical  sets. 

*  *  * 

The  Rialto  Theatre,  Moberly,  Mo.,  is  be- 
ing dismantled. 

sf:     $  $ 

The  Gem  Theatre,  Bowling  Green,  Mo., 
will  be  reopened  on  Labor  Day. 

W.  W.  Armstrong,  is  building  a  house  at 
24th  Avenue  and  East  Lynn  Street,  Seattle. 
It  is  planned  to  seat  580  people.  Construc- 
tion will  begin  shortly.  George  Purvis  of 
Seattle  is  architect. 

*  *  * 

Manager  C.  W.  McKee,  has  a  purple  car 
out  as  a  ballyhoo  for  "The  Deep  Purple" 
which  is  doing  a  big  business  at  the  Seattle 
Million  Dollar  Heilig  this  week. 

D.  Constanti  opened  his  Liberty  Theatre, 
Puyallup  on  August  19.  Invitations  were 
issued  to  all  of  Film  Row,  and  a  good  crowd 
went  down  for  the  ceremony.  This  makes 
Constanti's  second  house  within  six  months. 
The  Liberty,  Sumner,  built  by  him,  was 
opened  in  the  Spring. 

*  *  * 

Close  on  the  heels  of  the  Puyallup  open- 
ing came  the  opening  of  S.  R.  Stalcup's 
Community  Theatre  at  56th  and  M.  Streets, 
Tacoma.  This  is  a  cosy  little  suburban 
house.    It  opened  on  the  20. 

*  *  * 

The  Garrick  Theatre,  Winnipeg,  built  and 
owned  by  many  Winnipeg  stockholders,  is 
being  continued  without  interruption  in  spite 
of  the  calling  of  a  meeting  of  creditors  re- 
cently, the  theatre  being  under  the  direction 
of  Manager  Fisher. 

*  *  * 

Tacoma  established  a  record  by  holding 
"The  Covered  Wagon" for  two  weeks  at  the 
Colonial.  Manager  H.  T.  Moors  arranged 
a  very  effective  lobby  with  cutout  wagons, 
unusual  lighting  effects,  etc.,  and  did  a  record 
business.    Tacoma  is  a  orfe  week  town. 

*  *  * 

Ray  Grombacher,  owner  of  the  Liberty 
Theatre,  Spokane,  Wash.,  spent  four  days  in 
Seattle  last  week,  attending  the  trustees' 
meeting  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  and  taking  in 
the  Warner  banquet.  Mr.  Grombacher  was 
the  guest  of  manager  Fred  Sliter  of  First 
National. 


September  13,  1924 


Page  53 


k>  IE 

Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 


Here  Will  Be 
Reviewed 


Found  the  Essential  Details  of  Productions  That  Have 
in  the  Columns  of  This  Journal  in  Preceding  Months, 
Including  Name  of  Director  and  Length  of  Film. 


Been 


SEPTEMBER 


Feature 

A  Soul's  Awakening   .  .  .  Flora 

Empty  Hands   Jack 

Last  of  the  Duanes,  The  Tom 

Lily  of  the  Dust   Pola 

Man  Who   Came  Back,   Geo.  O'tsnen 


Star  Distributor  Length  Reviewed 

Le  Breton  Cran.-Clark    6,000   Sept.  6 

Hoit   Fam.  Play. 

Mix   Wm.  Fox  . 

Negri   Fam.  Play. 


Siren  of   Seville   Priscilla  Dean 


.Fox   8,293. 

.  Pro.   Dist.    .  .  6724  . 


7,048   Sept. 

.6,942   Sept. 

6,811  Sept. 


.  Sept. 
.Sept. 


AUGUST 


Feature 

Against  All  Odds   Buck 


5,000  Aug. 

.  .  68195  

..4,650   Aug.  2 

.6,448   Aug.  16 

.  .6;8UU  Aug.  30 

6,500  Aug.  '2 

Aug.  16 
.  .Aug.  9 

Truart      ....5,641   nus.  3u 

Fam.  Players   

Universal    ..4,491  Aug.  23 

First  Nat'l   

Pathe   Serial  Aug.  !2 

Universal  ...5,508  ...   .Aug.  30 

Met.-Gold.  12,000   

Pro.  Dist.   ..5875   Aug.  23 


Star  Distributor  Length  Reviewed 

Jones   Fox   4.809   Aug.  30 

Along  Came  Ruth   Viola    Liana   Metro-Gold. 

Barbara  Frietchie   Vidor-Lowe   Pro.  Dist. 

Big  Timber   Wm.  Desmond  . .  Universal 

Benold   This   Woman    ..Irene    Rich   Vitagraph 

Being   Respectable   Blue-Rich   Warner  . 

Born   Rich   Windsor-Lytell     .  First   Nat  1 

Bread   Mae  Busch   Metro-Gold. 

Broken   Barriers   Kirkw'd-Shearer   .Metro    ••   ••5.7 17 

Defiance   Renee    Adoree    .  .Brush    Pro.  5,550 

Desert  Sheik,  The   isarrie-Sneaier 

Empty  Hands   Holt-Shearer    .  . 

Fighting  Fury   Jack  Hoxie  . . . 

Flirting  With  Love   Colleen  Moore 

Into  the  Net   Murphy-Mulhall 

Hit  and  Run   Hoot  Gibson  .  . 

Janice   Meredith   Marion  Davies 

Legend  of  Hollywood   .  .  Percy  Marmont 

Lily  of  the  Dust   Pola  Negri   Fam.  Players 

Little  Robinson  Crusoe  .Jackie    Coogan    .  Metro-Gold.  6,216  Aug. 

Love  &  Glory   Bellamy-de    Koche  Universal    .  .7,/65  Aug.  23 

Love   of   Women   Chadwick-Love     .Selzn.ck     ...5,500   Aug. 

Lure  of  the  Yukon.  The  Novak-Bradford  Lee-Brad. 

Manhandled   Gloria  Swanson  Paramount 

Man  Who  Fights  Alone.  William  Farnum  .Paramount 
Monsieur  Beaucaire    ••■   Valentino-Daniels  Paramount 

Neglected  Women    Torrence-Nilison     F.  B.  O. 

Never  Say  Die   Douglas  MacLeanAsso.  Ex. 

Sarin'  to  Go   Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.  Artclass 

Red   Liiy,  The   Novarro-Bennett 

Side  Snow  ot  Life,  The  Senna  Owen  . .  . 

Siren  of  Seville   Priscilla   Dean  . 

Speed  Spook,  The   Johnny  Hines  .. 

Swords  and  the  Woman  Flora  Le  Breton 
Tess  of  D'Urbervilles  . .  Blanche  Sweet  . 

Tnat  French  Lady  Snirley  Mason   ..Fox   6,4/u  Aug. 

The    Heart    Buster    ....Tom   M.x   box   4,500   Aug. 

Western  Feuds   Edmund   Cobb    ..Arrow   4,908   Aug. 

Western    Vengeance         Franklyn    Farnum  I ndep.    Pic.    5,000  Aug. 

Who's   Cheating   Ralph    Kellard    ..Lee-Brad     ..4  700   Aug. 

Wise  Virgin,  The   Patsy  Miller   ....Pro.  Dist       5  795   

Wolves  of  the  North  . .  .  Serial   Universal  10  Epi   Aug. 

Yankee    Speed   K.    McDonald    . .  Aywon     ....5.000  Aug. 


.5,170  Aug.  23 

.6„'998  Aug.  9 

6,00/  Aug.  9 

23 
16 
16 
<2 
16 
23 


.19,100  Au| 

^5,265   Aug. 

.    j, 891   Aug. 

.  .4,641  Aug. 

Metro-GoPa.    6,975   Aug. 

Paramount   Aug. 


Pro.  Dist. 
.  EastCoast  . 

F.  B.  O. 

Metro-Gold. 
.  Fox   


6900 

.6,700   Aug.  30 

.6,000  Aug.  5 

7,500  Aug.  9 

30 
2 
2 
30 
>2 

30 
16 


JULY 


Feature  Star 

Another    Scandal   Lois  Wilson   .  .  . 

Arab,   The   Novarro-Terry  . 

Babbitt   Louis-Alden     .  .  . 

Behind  the  Curtains   Ricksen-Harron 

Between  Worlds   Special  Cast    . .  . 

Caotain  January   Baby  Peggy  ... 

Changing  Husbands  . .  .  Leatnce  Joy  . .  . 
Code  of  the  Wilderness  .  Bowers-Calhoun 

Daring   Love   Hammerstein     . . 

Dark  Stairways   Dwyer-Rawlinson 

Don't  Doubt  Your 


Distributor    Length  Reviewed 

.  Pro.  Dist.   .  .5900   

.Metro-Gold.    6,710  July 

.Warner     ...5,500  July 

.Universal    ..4,820  July 

.Weiss  Bros.  6,400  July 

.Principal    ...6,194  July 

.Paramount    .6,79)9  July 

.Vitagraph    ..6,483  July 

.Truart   5,000  July 

Universal    ..5,030  July 


Husband""^   Viola  Dana   Metro   5,510  July 

S.v'The   Comp.-Marmont    .Paramount    .7.861  July 


Enemy  Sex.   

Pooh  in  the  Dark  Miller-Moore 

Girl  in   Limousine   Larry  Semon  ... 

Her  Own  Free  Will  .  .  .  Helene  Chadwick 
Napoleon  &  Josephine  .  Evans-Dibley  ... 
One  Law  for  the  WomanHarris-Landis  .  .  . 
Perfect  Flapper   Colleen  Moore 


F.  B.  O. 
First  Nat'l 
Pro.  Dist. 
F.  B.  O.  . 
Vitagraph 
First  Nat'l 


Revelation   2^a-B,"e.  £?etr0 


Fox   4.741. 

Universal 
.  First  Nat'l 
Asso.  Exhib. 
.  Selznick 
F.  B.  O. 


7,702  July 

5,600   July 

.5875   

6.591  July 

5.800  July 

7,000  July 

7,762   July 


•  July 


.5,509  July 


Romance   Ranch   GiVbert-Faire 

Sawdust  Trail,  The   . .  . .  Gibson-Sedgwick 

Single  Wives   Gnffith-Sills  ... 

Sixth  Commandment  .  .  .  Wm.  Faversham 
Stranger  of  the  North  .Travers-Dwyer  . 
There's  Millions  in  It  .  .  Catherine  Calvert 

TVinc  Who  Give   Sweet-Love   Ince   I.A\£ 

T^r"  Thompson  .......  Carey-Clayton     .  .  Pro   Dist.  . .  5,700 

Traffic  in  Hearts   Fraser-Harris    .  ..C.   B.   U  . 

Unguarded  Women   Damels-Dix   Paramount 

Valley  of  Hate,  The   . .  .  Lucas-Yearsley   ..  Russell  Pro. 

Wine  of  Youth   Boardman-Lyon  .Metro-Gold. 

Young  Ideas   LaPlante-Lyon    .  .  Universal  . 

JUNE 

Feature  Star  Distributor  Length  Reviewed 

Back  Trail   The   Jack  Hoxie   Universal    ..4,615  June  28 

Bedroom  Window,  The.. May  McAvoy  ...Paramount     6,550  June  28 


5,214  July  5 

.5,000  Julv  "26 

.6,100  July  5 

..July  V 
..July  r 

5,548  Julv  ^6 

6,051  July  5 

5,000  July  56 

6,600  July  ^6 

4,095  Julv  56 


Feature 

Broadway  or  Bust   

Code  of  the  Sea,  The  . .  . 

Dangerous  Crowd   

Dangerous  Line,  The  . .  . 
Daughters  of  Pleasure  .  • 

Family  Secret,  The   

Fighting  Sap,  The   

For  Sale   

Gaiety   Girl,   The  ■  ;  

Good  Bad  Boy,  The  

Guilty  One,  The    

High  Speed   

Hold  Your  Breath  

How  To  Educate  a  Wife 

In   Fast  Company   

Iron  Man,  The   

Lightning  Rider,  The  . . 

Lily  .  of   the  Valley   

Lone  Chance,  The  ...... 

Masked  Dancer,  The  . . . 

Miami  

Pal  O'Mine   

Paying  the  Limit   

Reckless  .  Age,  The 

Sea  Hawk,  The   

Self  Made  Failure,  The 
Spirit  of  the  U.  S.  A. 

Spitfire,  The   

Tiger  Love   

Turmoil,  The   

Unseen  Hands   

Western  Luck   

White   Moth.  The   


Star 

Gibson   

Logan   

Thompson-Keener 
Sessue  Hayakawa 
Prevost-Blue   . . . 

Baby  Peggy   

Thomson-Keener 
Windsor-Menjou 
Mary  Philbin  . . 

Special   

Agnes  Ayres 

Rawlinson   

Special   

Prevost-Blue  . .  . 
Talmadge-Harris 

Albertini   

Harry  Carey  . . . 

Jhrissie  White  

Gilbert-Brent  . .  . 

Chadwick   

Betty  Compson  . 

Irene  Rich   

Special   

Reg.  Denny  . . . 
Milton  Sills  . .  . 
Miller-Moore  . . . 
Walker- Carr  . . . 
Blythe-Dexter 
Taylor-Moreno 
Hackathorne  . .  . 
Wallace  Beery  . 
Chas.  Jones  . . . 
LaMarr-Tearle 


■■1  s'sssjaw 

Distributor  Length  Reviewed 

Universal    ..5,272  June  'Kl 

Paramount    .5,800  June  14 

F.   B.  O.   ..4,757  June  1.4 

F.  B.   O.   ..5,406  June  7 

Principal    ...6,000  June  14 

Universal    ..5,676  June  28 

F.  B.  O.    ..5,138  June  28 

First  Nat'l   .7,480  July  5 

Universal    ..7,419  June  7 

Principal   ...5,198  June  7 

Paramount     5,365  June  21 

Universal    ..4J927  June  i.8 

Pro.    Dist.    .6,000  June  7 

Warner   6,800  June  21 

Truart   5,411  June  7 

Uni.-Ser.  15  Epis  June  28 

Pro.  Dist  June  28 

Hepworth    ..5,580  June  28 

Fox   4,385  June  21 

Principal    ...4,987  June  14 

Pro.  Dist.  ..5,989  June  14 

C.  B.   C.    ..6,000  June  14 

Gerson   5,000  June  ;:  7 

Universal     .  .6,954  June  '  "7 

First  Natl.  12,045  June  14 

First  Nat.'l  7,345  June  28 

F.  B.  O.    ..8,312  June  14 

Asso.  Ex.   ..6,109  June  14 

Paramount     5,325  Jun;  28 

Jewel   6,741  June  21 

.Asso.  Ex.   .  v5,392  June  7 

Fox   5,020  Jun;  28 

First   Nat.'l  6,571  June  28 


MAY 


Feature 
Beloved  Vagabond,  The.. 

Bluff   

Borrowed  Husbands  .... 
Broadway  After  Dark... 

Chechahcos,  The   

Circus  Cowboy.  The   .  .  . 

Come  on  Cowboys   

Confidence  Man,  The... 
Crosses  Trails   . .  . 

Cytherea   

Dangerous,  The   

Dangerous  Trails   

Darin*?  Youth   

Dorothy  Vernon   

Fighting  American,  The. 

Fire  Patrol,  The  . .'  

Fortieth  Door,  The   

Forty  Horse  Hawkins.. 
Girl  of  the  Limberlost  . . 

Goldfish,  The   

Hutch  of  the  U.  S.  A.  . 

Kentucky  Days   

Lawless  Men   

Listen  Lester   

Lone  Wolf.  The   

Marriage  Cheat,  The  .  .  . 

Men  

Mile-A-Minute  Morgan  . 

Missing  Daughters   

Mile.  Midnight  

Monmarte   

Night  Hawk,  The   

No  Mother  to  Guide  Her 

"ecoil   

R-iected  Woman  ....... 

Riders  Up   

R'dgeway  of  Montana  .  . 

Sherlock.  Tr.   

S'gnal  Tower,  The   

Son  of  Sahara,  A  ... 


Star  Distributor 
C.    Blackwell    . . .  F.  B.  O.  . 

Ayers   Paramount 

Flo.  Vidor   Vitagraph  . 

Nilsson-Menjou  ..Warners  .. 
Eva  Gordon   ....  Asso.  Ex.  . 

Chas.    Jones    ....  Fox   

Dick  Hatton   Ar.-Wilson 

Thomas  Meighan .  Paramount 
Franklyn  Farnum  Independent 
Rubens-Stone    . .  .  First  Natl. 
Laura   LePlante ..  Universal 

Irene  Rich   Ambassador 

Daniels-Kerry  ...Principal  .. 
Mary  Pickford   .  .  United  Art 

O'Malley   Universal  . 

Special   Chadwick  . 

 Pathe   

Hoot    Gibson    .  .  .  Universal  . 

 F.  B.  O.  , 

Const.  Talmadge .  First  Natl. 
Chas.    Hutchison.  Steiner  .... 

Dustin  Farnum  .'.Fox   

Neal  Hart   Steiner 

Fazenda-Myers    . .  Principal  . 

Holt-Dalton   Asso.  Ex.  , 

L.  Joy   Paramount 

Pola   Negri   Paramount 

Mattv  Mattison   .  Aywon 

E.   Novak   Selznick  .  . 

Mae    Murray    .  .  .  Metro  .... 

Pola  Negri   .Paramount 

Harry  Carey  ....  Pro.  Dist. 

 Fox   

Tom    M:x   F.  B.  O. 

Blythe-Hami'ton  Oo'd  -Cos. 
Rubens-Nagel    .  .  .  Gold. -Cos. 

C.  Hal*   Universal 

T.   Hoxie   Universal 

Buster  Keaton  .  .  Metro-Gold 
Special   Super-Jewel 


Length  Reviewed 

.6,217  May  3 

.5,442  May  10 

.6,900   May  10 

.7,200  May  3 

.7,600.  May  17 

.4,000  May  17 

.4,700  May  31 

.7,215  May  3 

4,900  May  10 

.6,500  May  3 

.4,9W  May  31 

5,750  Mav  10 

.  .5,300   Mav  17 

.19,500  May  17 

.  .5,351  May  31 

.  .6,600   May  31 

.  Serial  May  17 

..5.419  May  3 

..5,94?  May  31 

.7,145  Mav  3 

.  .4.890   May  31 

.  .4.508   Mav  17 

.  .4.816  .Mav  17 

.  .  6.000   May  10 

.  .5.460  Mav  24 

6.70«  Me,  ">:• 

.6  487'  Mav  17 

.  .  4.190^  Mav  10 

.  .6.67P  Mav  " 

.  .6.778.  Mav  17 

.6.715  May  3 

  Mav  \n 

.  .6.6*0  May  24 

.  .4.S58  Mav  24 

.  .6.800   .  .Mav  10 

.  .7.760  Mav  10 

.  .4,904   Mav  17 

.  .4.843   May  24 

4  065  . . ... .  .Mav  17 

6,714  May  31 


Coming  Productions 


Features 


Star 


Distributor 


A  Cafe  in  Cairo   Priscilla   Dean   Prod.  Dist.   .  . 

A   Desperate    Adventure   Franklyn  Farnum   ....Independent  . 

Adorable   Scofflaw,   The   Bow-Harlan   Preferred  ... 

A   Drama  of  the  Night   Cruze   

After  a  Million   Kenneth  McDonald  ...Sunset  Prod 

Age  of   Innocence,   The   Warner  Bros. 

Alaskan.  The   Thomas  Meighan   Paramount 

Alibi,  The   Special   Cast   Vitagraph  .., 

An  Old  Man's  Darling   Laura  La  Plante   Pathe   

Another    Man's   Wife   Kirkwood-Lee   Prod.  Dist.  . 

A  Prince  of  India   A.  K.  Mozundar   Excelsior 

Argentine   Love   Daniels- Cortez   

A   Sainted  Devil   Valentino   

A  Woman  Under  Oath   Florence  Reid   Independent 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Current  Production  Chart 


Coming  Productions 


(Continued ) 


Features  Star  Distributor 

Barbara  Frietchie   Lumas   

Back  of  the  Beyond   Grand-Asher   

Baffled   Franklyn  Farnum  ....Independent  Pic. 

Bag  and  Baggage   Special  Cast   Selznick   

Bandolero   Special  Cast    Goldwyn-Cos.  ... 

Baree,  Son  of  Kazan   Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

Beast,  The  Special  Cast   Fox   

Beggars  on  Horseback   Blue-Prevost   Warner  Bros.  ... 

Beloved  Brute,  The   de   la    Motte   Vitagraph   

Ben  Hur   Special  Cast   

Black  Lightning   Lumas   

Blackmail   Special  Cast   Universal  ....... 

Boden's  Boy   Special  Cast   Hepworth  Dist. 

Boomerang,  The   Special  Cast   Preferred  Pic.  .  .  . 

Border  Legion,  The   Moreno   

Border  Intrigue   Franklyn  Farnum   ....  Indep.  Pic  

Breath  of  Scandal.  The   Special  Cast   Schulberg  Prod. 

Bridge  of  Sighs,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  .  .  . 

Broadway  Butterfly,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.   . . 

Buddies  Marion  Davies   Cosmo   

Butterfly   Virginia  Valli   Universal   

Captain   Blood   Kerrigan-Paige   Vitagraph   

Chalk  Marks   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist  

Circe  Mae  Murray   Metro   

Circus    Rider,   The   Charles  Jones   Fox   

Claim  No.  1   Special   Cast   Universal   

Clean  Heart   Marmont-de  la   Motte  Vitagraph   

Colorau   John  Gilbert   Fox   

C»rsican  Brothers   Dustin  Farnum   Independent  .... 

Covered  Trail,  The   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset  Prod  

Courage   Franklyn  Farnum  ....Indep.  Pitt  

Cyclone  Rider,  The   Fox   

Damaged  Souls    Fox   

Dancers.  The  Fox   ;.  

Dangerous   Money   Daniels  

Dante's  Inferno   Special  Cast   Fox   

Dark  Swan.  The   Cody-Prevost   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Daughters  of  the  Night   >  ■  Fox   

Darwin  Was  Right   Fox   

Deadwood  Coach.  The   Fox   

Dear  Pretender.  The   John  Roche   Warner  Bros. 

Desert  Outlaw,  The   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Dick    Turpin   Tom    Mix   Fox   

Dollar  Down   Ruth  Roland   

Dollar  Mark,  The   Mildred  Harris-Fraser  F.  B.  O  

Double  Dealing   Charles  Jones   Fox   

Driftwood   Elaine  Hammerstein  ..Truart   

Druscilla  With  a  Million   Soecial  Cast   F.  B.  O  

Eleventh   Virgin,  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.   .  . 

Empty  Hands   ■  Holt-Norma-Shearer   

Everyman's  Wife  Fox   

Every  Woman's  Secret    „  l  umas   

Eve's  Lover   -...Special   Cast   Warner  Bros.  .. 

Extra  Man.  The  Universal   

Face  to  Face  viola  Dana   Metro   

Faint  Perfume  ■.  Special  cast  .  Preferred   

Fast    Set,    The   Compson-Menjou   

Female,    The   £om£so"  ;;.„• 

Feet  of  Clay   C.    B.  DeMille  

Fighting  Tylers.   The   Special  Cast   Paramount  

Find  Your  Man     Rin  Tin  Tin   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Fine  and  Dandy   Tom  Mix   Fox  ........... 

Fires  of  Fate   JTuaT}  R  )  ' 

First  Violin.  The   Grand-Asher   

Flames  of  Desire   •  •  ■  •.  Fox   

Flames  of  Romance    .,  Special  Cast  

Flattery  Special   Cast   C.  R.  C  

Follies  Giri.  The   Margaret   Livingston    .  Prod.  Dist  

Fool.  The   Special  Cast   Fox   

Forbidden  Paradise   Negri   •  •  

Forbidden  Lover,  The   Special  Cast   Selznick   

Furnace  of  Life.  The   Grand-Asher   

Garden  of  Luxury.  The   Compson   

Gerald  Cranston's  Lady  Fox   

Getting  Her  Man  Special  Cast   Fox   

Girl  on  the  Stairs   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist  

Gold  Heels  Fox   

Gold  Rush.  The   •  •••  Charlie   Chaplin   United  Artists 

Good  Men  and  Bad   Soecial  Cast   F.  W.  Kraemer  . 

Great  Diamond  Mystery.  The  .  .  .  Shirley  Mason   Fox   

Greater  Than   Marriage  Tellegen-Daw   Vitagraph   

Greed   Special  Cast   . .  .   Gold.-Cos 

Haunted  Hours  Olive  Hammerstein   ...Fred  Welhl  Prod. 

Hearts  of  Oak   Fox  

"Heart  Trouble"   Constance  Talmadge  ..First  Nat.' 1  <«.... 

Her  Code  of  Honor   Florence  Reid   

Her  Game   Florence  Reid   Independent  .... 

Her  Love  Story   Swanson   Independent  .... 

House  of  Youth   Jacqueline  Logan   ....  Prod.  Dist  

How  Baxter  Butted  In   Louis-Fazenda   Warner  Bros.   .  .  . 

Human  Mill  The   Special  Cast   Metro   

Hunted  Woman.   The   Fox   

Hunting  Wild  Anima's  in  H'w'd   Fox   

Husbands  of  Edith,  The   Reginald  Denny   Universal   

I  Am  The  Man   Barrymore-Owen   Chadwick   

In  H'w'd  with  Potash  and  Perl.  Bernard-Carr   First  National    .  . 

In  Love  With  Love   i  Fox   

In  the  Shadow  of  the  Moon   ...Dorothy  Chappell   ' -e-P--«"o-d 

Inner  Sight.  The   Kirkwood-Lee   Pro.-Dist  

Innocence    Anna  Q    Nilsson   C.  B.  C  

Innocent   Soecial  Cast   Universal   

It's  a  Boy   Soecial  Cast   Weber  and  North 

Justice  Raffles   Gerald   Ames   Hepworth   

King's  Jackal,  The   Edmund   Lowe   Fox   

Last  of  the  Duanes   Tom  Mix   Fox   

Last  Man  on  Earth,  The   .  ,  Fox  .  .  .   

Law  and  the  Lady,  The   AH   Star  Aywon  Film  Corp. 

Lend  Me  Your  Husband   Doris   Kenyon   Grand-Asher   

Let's  Go  FB  O.   

Lighthouse  by  the  Sea,  The  Rin  Tin  Tin   Warner  Bros.  . .  . 


Distributor 


Features  Star 

Lily  of  the  Dust  Negri   

Lone  Fighter,  The   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset   Prod.    . . 

Lost   Special  Cast   F.   B.  Q.   

Lost  Lady,  A   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . . 

Love  Pirate.  The   Carmel  Myers   Fox  

Love  Throne,  The   Edmund    Lowe   Grand-Asher    .  .  . 

Love  Trap.  The  Special  Cast   F.   B.  Q.   

Lover  of  Camille   Blue-Prevost   Warner  Bros.  .  . 

Lover's  Lane   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . . 

Loyalties   Special  Cast   Fox   

Madame  Satan   Theda  Bara   

Magnificent  Ambersons,  The  ....Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

Man  from  Texas,  The   Harry  Carey   Prod.  Dist  

Man  Without  a  Conscience  The..  Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  .. 

Manhattan   Dix   

Mansion  of  Aching  Hearts   Special  Cast   Preferred  Pic.  .. 

Mark  of  Cain   John  Gilbert   Fox   

Mary  Anne   Pathe   

Mary  the  Third   Eleanor  Boardman  ....Goldwyn-Cos 

Meddling  Women   Lionel  Barrymore   . .  .  Chadwick   

Mirage,  The   Florence   Vidor   Prod.  Dist  

Missourian,  The   Reginald   Denny   Universal   

Mist  in  the  Valley  ......  Alma  Taylor   Hepworth   

My  Ladies'  Lips  Preferred   

My  Man   Special  Cast   Vitagraph   

My  Wife  and  I   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . . 

Narrow  Street,  The   M.   Prevost-W.   Lewis  Warner  Bros.  . . 

Neptune's   Romance   Fox   

Night  Caa.  The   Special  Cast   Universal   

Night  Ship.  The   Lumas   

No  More  Women   M.   Moore-Bellamy   ...Allied  P.  &  D.  . 

North  of  36   .  Holt,  Torrence,  WilsonParamount   

Off  the  Highway   Jacqueline  Logan   ....  Prod.  Dist  

Offenders,  The   Marjorie  Wilson   Independent  ... 

Oh,  Doctor   Special  Cast   Universal   

Oh,   You  Tony!   Tom    Mix   Fox   

On  the  Shelf   Special  Cast   Prod.  Dist  

One  Night  in  Rome   Laurette  Taylor   Metro   

Open  All  Niaht   Dana-Goudal-Menjou   

Open  Places   John  Lowell   John  Lowell  ... 

Other  Men's  Daughters   Special    Cast   Grand-Asher  ... 

Outline  of   History   J.  R.  Bray 

Painted  Flapper   Kirkwood-Garon   Chadwick   

Painted   Lady.   The   O'Brien-MacKaill   Fox  

Pearl  of  Love   All    Star   Lee-Bradford 

Peter  Pan   Daniels-Cortez   

Phantom  of  the  Opera,  The   . . .  Special  Cast   Universal   

Plugger.  The   Special  Cast   Fox   

Pony    Exnress   Soecial  Cast   Universal   

Prairie  Wife.  The   Special  Cast   Gold.-Cos  

Price  of  Pleasure.  The   Special  Cast   Universal   

Rainbow  Trail.  The   Tom  Mix   Fox   

Ramshackle  House   Betty  Compson   Prod.  Dist  

Reckless   Romance   Special  Cast    Prod.  Dist  

Re<-omnense   Monte  Blue-Irene  Rich  Warner  Bros. 

Relativity   Alma  Rubens    Goldwyn-Cos,..., 

Riders  of  the  Purple  Sage   Tom    Mix   Fox   .1., 

Rose   of  the   Ghetto   Marie   Prevost    Warner  Bros.  . . 

Roaring   Rails   Harry   Carey   Prod.  Dist  

R^e  Wolves   Fox   .  . 

Sheriff  of  Tombstone   Fred  Thompson   Monogram  Pic. 

Sinners  in  Heaven   Daniels-Dix   Paramount  ..... 

Skyline  of  Spruce.  The   .Special  Cast   Universal   

Rvw  -<!  T  iahtninz   Kenneth  McDonald    ..Sunset  Drod. 

Soft   Shoes   Harry  Carey    Prod.  Dist.  . .' ." 

Southern  Love   Betty  Blyt-he   

Ste->ninp  Lively   Richard  Ta'madge  .  .  .  Truart  

Stolen    H»arts   Hebe"   Rawlinson    .  .  .  Universal    ....  . 

Story  Without  a   Name   Ayres-Moreno   

Stranee  Woman,  The   Shirley  Mason   Fox   

Strathmore   Fox   

Superstition   De  la   Motte-Bowers    .  Creative  Prod 

Winner  Tak»  All   Buck  Tones   Fox    . 

Taming  of  The  Shrew   Bebe   Daniels   Principal  Pic 

Tarnish   Mav    McAvoy   First  National 

Tarzan  and  the  Golden   Lion   ...Elmo  Lincoln   Grand-Asher 

Teeth   Tom   Mix   Fox   

Tenth  Woman,  The   Specia'  Cast   Warner  Bros."." 

The    Monster   Lon    Chaney   West.   Prod  ... 

This   Woman   Irene,  Rich-John  Roche  Warner  Bros. 

Thorns  of  Passion   George  O'Brien   Fox   

Three  Women   Lew  Cody-Mary  Carr    Warner  Bros. 

Throwback.   The   O'Malley   Universal   '. 

Tongues   of  Flame   Meighan   

Treasure    Canyon   ,  (.  B.  Warner   Sunset  Prod. 

Tree  in  the  Garden   Special  Cast   Goldwyn-Cosmo 

Triflers.  The   Special  Cast   P-eferred    Pic  '. 

Troubles  of  a  Bride   Fox   

Trouping  with  Ellen   Helen  Chadwick   Prod.  Dist  

Truth  About   Women   Hope  Hampton   Banner  Prod.  . 

Ultimate  Good.  The   K'aine  Hammerstein  ..Truart  

Unmarried  Wives   Mildred   Harris   Lumas   

Virtuous   Crooks   H.  Rawlinson   Universal   

Virtuous   Laws   Special  Cast   

Visions   United  P.  &  D. 

Wages  of   Virtue   Swanson   

Wanted  by  the  Law   J.  B.  Warner   Sunset   Prod.    . . 

Warrens  of  Virginia   Fox   

Way  of  All  Flesh   Grand-Asher    .  . 

Way  of  a  Man   Special  Cast   Pathe   

Weavers,  The   Goldwyn-Cosmo 

Week   End   Husbands   A.  Rubens-M.  Love  ..Kquity   

Welcome  Stranger   Florence  Vidor   Pro.-Dist  

Westbound   J-  B.  Warner   Sunset   Prod.    . . 

When  Johnny  Comes  Marching  . 

Home   Special  Cast   Universal   

When  a  Woman  Reaches  Forty    Preferred   

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Wise  Son,  The   Soecial   Cast   Universal   

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   Fox   

Women  and  Gold   Lumas   

Women  Who  Give   Frank   Keenan   Metro   

World  Struggle  for  Oil.  The   .  .  .  Vidor- Lowe   Selznick   

Worldlv   Goods   Ayres   

Yoke.  The   Special  Cast   Warner  Bros.  . . 

You  Can't  Fool  a  Woman  Lumas   

You  Can't  Live  on  Love   Reginald   Denny   Universal   


September  13,  1924 


Page  55 


Equipment  Notes 


GILT  PAINT 

Just  because  hot  days  are  still  with 
us,  don't  forget  that  cold  weather  will 
soon  be  here  and  the  radiators  will  be- 
come prominent  members  of  equipment. 
After  a  summer  of  gathering  dust  they 
likely  present  an  appearance  that  is 
anything  but  beautiful. 

A  can  of  gilt  paint  is  one  of  the  best 
little  brighteners  imaginable.  Get  the 
paint  can  and  a  brush  and  after  clean- 
ing all  dust  off  the  radiators  apply  a 
coat  of  gilt  and  watch  the  startling  re- 
sults. 

There  are  also  steam  pipes  that  need 
repainting.  They  can  be  made  to  add 
greatly  to  the  appearance  of  your  the- 
atre and  will  have  a  good  effect  on  your 
patrons.  Get  busy  and  save  yourself 
a  heap  of  hustling  when  the  cold  spell 
arrives. 

*   *  * 

UNIFORMS 

In  most  of  the  small  theatres  it  is 
unusual  for  the  ushers  and  doorman 
to  wear  uniforms  but  exhibitors  are 
gradually  coming  around  to  the  point 
where  they  can  see  the  advantage  of 
a  distinctive  uniform. 

In  the  first  place  it  makes  it  possible 
for  the  patron  to  be  able  to  find  an  at- 
tendant at  a  glance.  Second  it  gives 
the  wearer  a  feeling  of  pride.  It  makes 
them  stand  erect  instead  of  slouching 
and  has  the  same  psychological  effect 
as  does  the  uniform  to  a  soldier. 

Uniforms  cost  little.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary to  equip  your  employees  with  ex- 
pensive livery.  The  local  tailor  can 
make  a  uniform  for  your  doorman  at 
a  very  reasonable  cost  and  the  dress- 
maker can  make  simple  dresses  for  the 
ushers. 

You  will  be  surprised  how  this  ad- 
dition will  add  to  the  prestige  of  your 
theatre. 

DOOR  CLOSERS 

Has  your  theatre  a  reputation  for  its 
numerous  draughts  or  is  it  a  cozy  place 
when  the  North  winds  start  to  howl  ? 
For  a  nominal  cost  you  can  install  au- 
tomatic closing  devices  that  will  close 
the  doors. 

Many  people  are  thoughtless  and 
have  a  mania  for  leaving  doors  ajar, 
much  to  the  discomfort  of  others.  And 
one  thing  that  will  keep  patrons  from 
your  theatre  is  a  chill  breeze  blowing 
along  the  floor  or  across  the  shoulders 
of  the  audience.  It  will  spoil  the  pic- 
ture and  keep  patrons  away. 

Beat  the  North  wind  to  it  by  install- 
ing the  devices  now  and  have  them 
ready  for  the  ushering  in  of  the  cold 
season. 


EMERGENCY  COUCH 

In  every  theatre  there  comes  a  time 
when  a  patron  will  become  faint  or 
seriously  ill  during  a  show  and  it  will 
be  necessary  to  remove  them  to  their 
homes.  While  waiting  for  a  doctor 
there  should  be  an  emergency  couch 
where  the  patient  can  lie  until  removed 
from  the  theatre. 

The  ladies  rest  room  is  the  proper 
place  for  this  piece  of  furniture  and 
can  act  as  a  settee.  You  will  be  amply 
repaid  if  this  piece  of  furniture  acts 
only  once  in  a  sickness  or  accident 
emergency,  you  will  be  fully  repaid  for 
the  cost  and  trouble  of  installing  it. 
*   *  * 

CHECK  ROOM 

As  a  convenience  to  patrons  and  a 
source  of  revenue  to  yourself,  a  check- 
room offers  a  means.  There  is  a  place 
in  every  theatre  that  can  be  converted 
into  a  check-room  without  taking  up 
much  valuable  space.  In  small  the- 
atres several  rows  of  hooks  are  all  that 
are  necessary  and  an  attendant  to  look- 
after  the  apparel. 

It  will  soon  be  overcoat  season  and 
overcoats  are  bulky  objects  to  keep  on 
one's  lap  during  a  perfomance.  Also 
there  is  a  rainy  period  ahead  and  a 
dripping  umbrella  is  not  the  nicest  thing 
to  park  beside  the  seat. 

It  is  possible  to  obtain  a  set  of  brass 
checks  cheaply  or  cards  can  be  num- 
bered to  answer  the  purpose.  The  idea 
is  worth  a  trial  and  the  check-room 
will  no  doubt  be  patronized. 

About  Theatres — 
New  and  Old 


Belle  Plain,  Kan. — This  city  is  to 
have  a  house  of  its  own,  fans  hereto- 
fore having  had  to  visit  adjacent  towns. 
Wheeler  Bros,  have  leased  the  Opera 
House. 

*  *  * 

Plainfield,  N.  J. — Walter  Reade  is  to 
erect  a  new  theater  on  the  site  formerly 
occupied  by  the  old  Proctor.  It  will 
seat  3,000  and  cost  approximately  $600,- 
000. 

*  *  * 

Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y. — Early  in  the 
spring  of  1925,  is  the  time  set  for  the 
opening  of  the  new  theater  being  built 
at  Roosevelt  Square  and  North  7th  Ave- 
nue. 

*  *  * 

Devils  Lake,  N.  D. — The  new  theater 
now  being  erected  by  E.  W.  Gilbertson 
is  fast  nearing  completion  and  is  ex- 
pected to  be  ready  September  1. 


Coshocton,  O. — A  new  feature  at 
Coshocton  Lake  Park  will  be  open  air 
shows.  Seats  to  accommodate  1,000 
have  been  installed. 

Hammondsport,  N.  Y. — Construction 
on  a  new  theater  to  seat  between  700 
and  800  is  about  to  begin  heredwjthe 
Babcock  Mfg.  Co. 

Woodhaven,  L.  I. — Loew's  new  mo- 
tion picture  theater,  at  96th  Street  and 
Jamaica  Ave.,  is  to  be  known  as  Loew's 
Willard. 

*  *  * 

Lancaster,  S.  C. — The  new  picture 
house  being  erected  by  B.  C.  Hough  is 
nearing  completion.    It  will  seat  2,500. 

*  *  * 

Oxnard,  Cal. — Mark  M.  Hansen  has 
purchased  a  new  theater  in  San  Pedro. 

*  *  * 

Midlothian,  Tex.— Ernest  and  Willie 
Rockett  have  opened  their  new  Crystal, 
with  the  former  as  manager. 

Putnam,  Tex. — W.  H.  Mayhew  has 
opened  an  airdome.  It  is  reported  that 
he  will  build  a  regular  theater  this  win- 
ter on  a  lot  adjoining  the  airdome. 

*  *  * 

Van  Nuys,  Cal. — The  new  Strand  is 
rapidly  being  pushed  to  completion.  B. 
R.  Shacklett  is  behind  the  venture.  N. 
Scheinberg,  of  Los  Angeles,  will  man- 
age. 

*  *  * 

Portland,  Ore. — Tourelotte  &  Hum- 
mell  will  erect  a  new  picture  and  vaude- 
ville house  at  Myrtle  Point,  to  cost  $30,- 
000  and  seat  700. 

*  *  * 

They  Liked  the  Show! 

(Continued  from  page  47) 

Technically  talking — just  between 
ourselves  as  it  were — as  this  was  an 
"old"  picture  the  audience  shouldn't 
have  liked  it — shouldn't  in  fact  even 
have  come  to  see  it.  And  the  showman, 
why  he  never  should  have  booked  it. 
Why,  man,  it's  more  than  a  year  old  ! 

True. 

But  what  of  it? 

THE  play's  the  thing.  The  story, 
the  players,  the  settings  all  weave 
a  web  of  interest  around  the  audience. 
Certainly,  it  is  a  finely  spun  thread. 
Likely  to  be  severed  at  the  least  jostle. 
Yet,  firm  and  strong  as  steel  cable  if 
it  can  hold  the  interest  as  long  as  the 
picture  lasts. 

This  showing  of  the  old  film,  "Merry 
Go  Round"  was  to  us  a  perfect  example 
of  the  "Tried  and  Proved"  policy  idea. 
The  audience  was  entertained.  The' 
showman  was  right.  The  box  office 
bulged  with  receipts.    Perfect  example.- 


Page  56 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 


■By  WESLEY  TROUT. 


Replacing  a  Sprocket 

Remember  that  the  intermittent 
sprockets  are  always  pinned  on  the  star 
wheel  shaft  with  small  taper  pins,  the 
small  end  of  the  sprocket  taper  pin 
which  should  be  marked  with  a  center 
punch.  If  the  sprocket  does  not  hap- 
pen to  be  thus  marked,  and  you  can- 
notf  tell  which  is  the  small  end  of  the 
sprocket  with  the  naked  eye,  you  can 
very,  easily  tell  by  using  a  condenser 
lens  for  a  magnifying  glass.  Usually 
the  sprockets  for  the  intermittent  move- 
ment are  now  marked. 

Don't  ever  hammer  on  the  small 
end  of  a  taper  pin  with  a  steel  hammer. 
You  should  either  use  a  punch,  or  if 
the  end  of  the  pin  may  happen  to  pro- 
trude appreciably,  then  lay  a  piece  of 
copper  on  the  end  of  the  pin  and  start 
it  by  tapping  on  the  copper. 

The  projectionist  should  always 
make  sure  in  the  replacing  the  sprocket 
that  you  get  the  big  end  of  the  hole  in 
the  shaft  of  the  star  wheel  with  large 
hole  in  the  sprocket.  Remember  to  not 
drive  the  pins  in  too  tightly.  Just  set 
them  up  snug.  The  taper  of  the  pins 
that  go  in  the  sprocket  is  very  slight, 
hence  it  is  a  very  powerful  wedge. 

New  Lubricating  System 

A  new  lubricating  system  has  been 
incorporated  which  helps  greatly  to  pre- 
vent and  minimize  the  binding  of  the 
star  wheel  against  the  cam  and  will  in- 
sure oil  reaching  every  part  of  the 
mechanism  through  a  force  feed  sys- 
tem. Also  all  the  oiling  is  from  one 
point  only,  thus  doing  away  with  the 
oil  tubes  on  the  offside  of  the  machine 
as  heretofore.  The  oiling  system  is  so 
arranged  that  the  oil  is  fed  through  all 
the  bearings  continuously  when  the 
mechanism  is  in  all  framing  positions. 

As  a  guide  to  determining  whether 
the  proper  amount  of  oil  is  in  the  case, 
glass  windows  readily  permit  the  pro- 
jectionist to  read  the  proper  high  of  the 
oil  level,  in  this  way  eliminating  any 
reason  for  permitting  your  oil  supply 
from  becoming  too  low.  The  rather  in- 
genious oil  pump  which  is  contained 
on  one  end  of  the  star  wheel,  thrusts 
oil  away  from  the  sprocket  which,  ac- 
tion, it  is  claimed,  eliminates  the  chance 
of   oil   reaching   the  film. 


Classified  Opportunities 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 

WILL  BRING 

NEW  BUSINESS 

Follow  the  Equipment 
Section  and  Classified 
Opportunities  in 

Exhibitors 
Trade  Review 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Are.;  Nev  York 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "oS"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $32? 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


Regular  Display  Rates  are  charged 
on  all    Classified    Display  Ad-lets. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 

MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


F or  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York.   N.  Y. 

GENERAL  THEATRE  SUPPLIES— Greatly  Re- 
duced  prices  on  Supplies  &  Equipment.  Film  Ce- 
ment, oz.  bottle  22c — Pint  bottle  $1.22 — Cinephor 
Parabolic  Condensers,  complete  set  $16. — Automa- 
tic Curtain  machines  prices  on  application.  Trouco 
Arc  Lamp  Lubricant,  per  a  large  can  45c —  Aisle- 
lites,  Argus,  each  $2.78 — Peerless  Arc  Controls, 
each,  new,  $82.50 — -Trouco  Admission  Signs  with 
ten  price  tags  complete,  each  $3. — Round  Belting 
1-4  inch  po-  a  ft.  12  l-2c:  Fl?t  Powers  Drive  belts, 
f*ch  70c — Simplex  flat  belts  70c  each — Belt  Coupl- 
ings, round,  screw  type  each  20c — Steel  Wire  belt 
hooks,  dozen  4c — Coin  Changers,  new,  each  $71.85 
— Best  Carbon  Savers,  Extra  Heavy  for  3-4  and 
5-8"  each  89c — Silvertip  adapters,  each  53c — Exit 
Sign  Boxes  complete  $1.50 — Fort  Wayne  Compen- 
arcs  for  110- volts  $80;  Mazda  Transformers,  GE, 
each  $60. — Ticket  Holders,  single  $1;  double  $1.23. 
— Best  Heavy  Brass  Lugs  for  any  size  wire  73c — 
Radio  Mat  Slides,  box  50,  each  $1.38 — Reel  End 
Alarms  $2.88 — Da-Lite  Screens.  Automatic  Ticket 
Machines.  Screen  coating.  WE  PAY  PARCEL 
POST  AND  EXPRESS  ON  ALL  THE  ABOVE 
SUPPLIES  TO  ANY  THEATRE  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES.— W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  Box  No.  499,  ENID.  OKLAHOMA. 
(Branch).  

LENSES,  CONDENSERS  &  SHUTTERS— Sun- 
Ray  Condensers,  any  focus,  Piano  each  $1.02 — 
Menicus  or  Bi  Convex,  any  focus,  each  $1.45.  Cine- 
phor Projection  Lenses,  any  focus,  Quarter  size 
$28.75  ;  Half  size  $53.25.  The  New  Double  Disc  Shut- 
ter catalogue  and  free  trial  catalogue  and  prices  sent 
free  on  request.  Powers,  Simplex  Intermittent 
sprockets,  each  $3.95 ;  Edison  &  Motiograph  $4.22 
each.  Takeup  and  Feed  sprockets,  each  $2.78. 
CASH  MUST  BE  SENT  WITH  ALL  ORDERS 
Sent  Postage  Prepaid.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA.  "The  Reliable 
Theatre   Supply  House."  

I    HAVE    PLOTS    FOR    PHOTOPLAYS   in  the 

rough  worth  while  having.  I  would  like  to  get  in 
touch  with  some  one,  who  can  assist  me  in  turn- 
ing them  over  successfully.  What  have  you  to 
offer?    A.  C.  R.,  Box  864  West  Palm  Beach,  Fla. 


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The  two  words 


"EASTMAN" 


— in  black  letters  in  the  film  margin, 
identify  the  release  print  on  Eastman 
Positive  Film,  the  film  that  carries 
quality  from  studio  to  screen. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


AMack  Sennett  Star  Corned 

Two  Reels 

East  of  the  Water  Plu 

with  Ralph  Graves 

1st  Release,  1st  Series,  Mack  Sennett  Star  Comedies 

The  small  town  Romeo  wants  to  play  Romeo  in 
amateur  theatricals. 

And  what  a  scream! 

This  comedy  establishes  Ralph  Graves  as  a  real 
comedian  and  one  who  will  be  heard  from.  When 
he,  the  small  town  grocery  clerk,  struts  across  the 
stage  in  tights,  all  ye  who  have  tears  to  shed  pre- 
pare to  shed  them  now. 

Made  the  Mack  Sennett  way  with  one  of  those 
great  all  round  Sennett  casts. 

Just  see  it;  that's  all.- 


Pafhecomecjy 

 t§j  


National  Tie-Ups  for  "What  Shall  I  Do?" 


EXHIBITORS 

CTrade  REVIEW 

9Ae  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  ftcture  Industry 


AOOLPH  ZUKOR,  JESSE  L.  LASKY  P»£se«T 


CECIL  B.  DeMILLES 

PRODUCTIO  N 


nclth 

Rocq  ue,  Vera  Reynold  s, 
rdo  Correz,  Julia  Faye, 
odore  Kosloff  Robert  Edeson 
and  Victor  Varconi- 

Udipted  by  Beulah  Marie  Dix 
and  Bertram  Millhauser 
From  Margaretta  Tuttlels  nowl 

Qaramount  (picture 


ice  20  cents 


In  This  Issue:  SPECIAL  SHOWMANSHIP  FEATURES 


September  20,  1924 


Hope -Jones  JUNIOR 


F.O.B.  FACTORY 


LENIENT  TERMS 


HILE  theatres  of  moderate  size  are 
clamoring  for  increased  patronage  amid 
keen  competition  in  their  respective  localities, 
along  comes  this  amazing  offer  on  the  Wurlitzer 
Hope-Jones  Junior  Unit  Organ.  Those  exhibitors  with 
keen  foresight  who  take  advantage  of  this  offer  will  immedi- 
ately lift  their  theatre  from  the  commonplace  and  place  it 
amongst  the  forerunners  of  the  industry.  Performance 
counts.  Give  it  to  your  patrons  and  watch  your  attendance 
grow.  Not  only  the  price,  but  the  new  Wurlitzer  Selling 
Plan  now  enables  every  exhibitor,  regardless  of  the  size 
of  his  house,  to  offer  his  patrons  the  highest  type  of  perform- 
ance— good  pictures  properly  interpreted  by  the  inimitable 
music  of  the  Wurlitzer  Unit  Organ.  Act  today.  Be  first 
in  your  community  to  take  advantage  of  this  great  offer. 


0 


The  new  Wurlitzer  Selling  Plan  was 
recently  devised  to  enable  even  the 
smallest  exhibitor  to  reap  the  rich  re- 
wards certain  to  follow  the  installation 
of  a  Wurlitzer  Unit  Organ.  You  want 
the  crowds.  The  coupon  below  will 
bring  complete  details  on  how  to  get 
them. 


CLIP  and  MAIL 
COUPON  TODAY 


Ok  RUDOLPH  WURLITZER  & 

Executive  Offices 

CINCINNATI 

121  East  Fourth  Street 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

11Q    C     \A/»U„„U  A..- 


The  Rudolph  Wurlitzer  Co., 
121  East  4th  Street, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Send  full  details -.oi *>" 

gs^s^ plan- 

Theatre   

Seating  Capacity   

 \ 

Name   

.  State.  

City   


SAN  FRANCISCO 


VV/Z77 


Betty  Blythe         Lou  Telle^en       Patsy  Ruth  Miller 
Fewest  Stanley     Jack,  Mulhall        Phyllis  Havei' 
M^i'tle  Stedman     Fran!?.  Le^h        Charles  Clary 


IIAK 


Remember  what  Marion  Davies  did 
at  the  box-office  in  "When  Knighthood 
Was  In  Flower"  and  "Little  Old  New 
York?"  It  will  pay  you  to  investi- 
gate what  MARION  DAVIES  in 
"YOLANDA"  is  doing  at  the  leading 
theatres  throughout  the  country! 


Directed  by 

ROBERT  G.  VIGNOL 


SI 


ION  DAVIE  S 


OLANDA 

the  clean-up  sensation 
of  the  new  season  I 

CALIFORNIA  Theatre   .  Los  Angeles, 

Now  in  its  Second  Week  of  capacity  business* 
Booked  by  entire  West  Coast  Theatre  Circuit  on 
the  strength  of  phenomenal  California  showing* 

ADAMS  Theatre  Detroit; 

Now  playing  to  packed  houses  for  extended  run* 

Opens  soon  for  indefinite  engagements  at 

Roosevelt  Theatre,  Chicago,  and  Strand  Theatre, 
Seattle,  following  sensational  runs  at  T  &  D  Theatre, 
Oakland,  and  Warfield  Theatre,  San  Francisco*  Opens 
Sunday  at  CAPITOL  THEATRE,  NEW  YORK* 

mopolitan  fivSsss?.  <^^Mu,<yn 

Adapted  by  Luther  Reed  from  Charles  Major's  NoveL  Settings  by  Joseph  Urban 


BANNER 

PRODUCTIONS 


PRESENT 


BRADLEY 
BARKER 


KENNETH 
HARLAN 


WITHOUT  A 


DIRECTED  BY  BURTON  KINO 


BANNER  PRODUCTIONS  Inc. 
1540  Broadway  New  York 


Foreign  Distributor:  Inter-Ocean  Corp.,  218  West  42nd  St.,  New  York  City. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  7 


Fall  and  Winter  Line -Up  of  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  is  Proving  the 
Sensation  of  the  Season — 

A  Few  of  the  Reasons  Why 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 

California  Theatre 


CHICAGO,  ILL. 

Orpheum  Theatre 


ATLANTIC  CITY,  N.  J. 

Bijou  Theatre 


PITTSBURGH,  PA. 

New  Schenley  Theatre 


"Priscilla  Dean's  first  Hunt  Stromberg  production  'THE  SIREN  OF 
SEVILLE'  opened  here  Saturday  to  smashing  record  breaking  business. 
Sunday  even  greater  in  proportion,  and  a  hold  out  matinee  Monday. 
Consider  this  the  best  thing  Miss  Dean  ever  did,  and  a  production 
worthy  of  playing  any  theatre  in  this  country." 

Herbert  L.  Rothchild  Entertainments 
California  Theatre,  Nat.  Holt,  Mgr. 

"'HOLD  YOUR  BREATH'  great  thrill  comedy.  A  solid  knockout 
with  Orpheum  patrons.  First  three  days'  business  equals  previous 
house  records,  and  looks  good  for  extended  run." 

( now  in  third  week )  Aaron  J.  Jones 

"Opened  with  'ANOTHER  SCANDAL'  Saturday.  Picture  one  of  the 
best  box-office  attractions  played  at  Bijou  this  season.  Usually  change 
twice  a  week,  but  am  holding  'ANOTHER  SCANDAL'  entire  week  to 
increasing  business.'' 

P.  Mortimer  Lewis,  Jr. 

"We  are  unanimous  in  our  opinion  that  "WELCOME  STRANGER' 
will  prove  one  of  the  outstanding  big  successes  of  the  season.  This  is 
the  first  one  of  your  seventeen  that  we  play,  having  booked  them  all, 
and  if  this  is  a  sample,  we  are  more  than  satisfied." 

Hunt  B.  Miller,  President 
l\ew  Schenley  Theatre  Corp. 


The  greatest  line-up  of  independent  product  on  the  market 

"Welcome  Stranger,"  "Barbara  Frietchie,"  "The  Legend  of  Hollywood,"  "The  Siren  of 
Seville,"  "The  Wise  Virgin,"  "Another  Man's  Wife,"  "Chalk  Marks,"  "Ramshackle 
House,"  "The  House  of  Youth,"  "Trouping  With  Ellen,"  "Reckless  Romance,"  "The 
Girl  on  the  Stairs,"  "The  Follies  Girl,"  "A  Cafe  in  Cairo,"  "The  Mirage,"  "On  the 
Shelf,"  "Off  the  Highway." 

NOW  BOOKING 

Released  by 

PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 

Foreign  Distributor:  Wm.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


SEASON  1924-25  THIRTY  FIRSTRUIS  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieu 


'age  (> 


Proof! 


'A 


.  V.  ****   - 


THE 


B®KMAN 


MONTHLY  SCORE 


,^^5^^*^^  Dow 

■  TJib  p„  I  '"Won 

The  Cathedra] 
One  of  oUr3 


J^es  Oliver  J,  er 

z°na  Gale 
Hugh  Walpou 
Wiu°  Cath, 


ir:4 


PAT  O'MALLEY 

(HUSH  EDWARDS) 


DOROTHY  MACKAILL 

(  M  ARTA,  ) 


CREIGHTON  HALE 

(.SAINT  JIMMY) 


ROBERT  W.FRAZER 

(  N  ATACHEE.) 


September  20.  1924 


Page  9 


SOL   LESSER  presents 


Harold  BcD  WrisM's 


FINE  ADVENTURE  ROMANCE 


SAM  WOOD 
PRODUCTION 


THE  IRON  DCOR 

PUBLISHED  BY  D.  APPLETONt  6>dO.  i — »'  2DOQOOO  COPIES  SOI  D 


greeted  by  SAM  WOOD 


WITH 


PAT  dMALLEY,  DOROTHY  MACKAILL,  ROBERT  W. 
FRAZER,  MARY  CARR,  CHARLES  MURRAY,  BERT 
WOODRUFF,  CREIGHTON  HALE,  MITCHELL  LEWIS 
AND  RAYMOND  HATTON . 

•A  0\lnclp>ai  \PlctuAe4  Jxtcuii-eA  3\oolux>twm 


MARY  CARR 

(MOTHER  BURTON) 


MITCHELL  LEWIS 

(SONORA  JACK) 


RAYM ON  D    H ATTO N 

 (th;  lizard) 


CHARLES  MURRAY  AND 
BERT  WOODRUFF 


_  THE 

MINT  WITH 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Are  You  Making  the  Money 

You  Ought  to  Make  ♦ 

If  you  are  you're  a  lucky  showman.    Yes,  indeed! 

If  you  are  not  it's  a  matter  of  ideas.  Harness  more  brain 
power  and  hitch  it  to  your  house. 

This  issue  of  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  contains  the  ideas. 
You  can  convert  them  into  CASH. 

Next  week  there  will  he  more.  And  the  week  after. 
Every  week,  in  fact,  throughout  the  year.  Fifty-two 
altogether. 

You  buy  them  for  $2.  It's  about  the  biggest  buy  in  the 
business,  because  you  can  make  a  two-dollar  subscription 
earn  a  hundred  times  its  cost. 

It's  merely  a  matter  of  applying  to  your  own  business  the 
ideas  provided  in  every  issue. 

If  you  are  not  getting  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  regularly, 
better  do  something  about  it  right  now!  That  means  use 
the  coupon,  of  course. 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 

45  WEST  45TH  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW,  I 

45  West  Forty-Fifth  Street,  I 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

Yes.    I  can  use  ideas.    Put  me  on  the  subscription  list  and  send  your  bill 

for  $2.    Then  come  on  with  the  stuff  and  show  me  how  to  make  more  money.  | 

Make  it  snappy.  . 

Name   | 

Address   I 


Can  any  circumstances,  however  bitter,  justify 
a  woman  in  selling  her  soul? 


Moralists  would  say  "NO!" 

Consider  the  case  of  this  woman  in  "The 
Chechahcos."  Husband  dead,  baby  lost,  her 
only  shelter  the  snowdrifts,  her  only  covering 
the  clothes  on  her  back;  penniless,  hungry. 
Should  she  die,  with  honor,  or  live,  at  a  price? 

That's  the  question  that  comes  early  in  the 


picture,  to  be  followed  by  a  series  of  situations 
that  fairly  burn  they  are  so  dramatic. 

Surprising,  grim  scenery;  stark  drama  that 
shakes  you  out  of  yourself  ;  that's  this  picture 
the  first  to  come  out  of  Alaska,  the  first  to  be 
taken  in  Alaska. 

No  wonder  that  theatres  like  the  California 
in  Los  Angeles,  in  hot  weather,  have  been 
beating  records  made  in  cold  weather! 


Associated  Exhibitors 


PHYSICAL  0/8TP.I  B  UTOK 
PAT  HE   EXCHANGE  ■  ,hc. 


ARTHUR   S.  KAN  E  •  president 


FORE  I  ON  KEPR£S£MfA-r/V£' 
S/DNEY  GARRETT 


Kenma  Corporation  presents 


Three  Miles  Out" 


with 


Madge 


ENNEDY 


By  John  Emerson  and  Anita  Loos 


Standing  room  business  one  of 
hottest  weeks  of  the  year! 

"We  did  a  standing  room  business  on  Three 
Miles  Out  with  Madge  Kennedy  at  the  New 
Theatre  one  of  hottest  weeks  of  year.  Ex- 
hibitors who  play  this  picture  have  wonder- 
ful possibilities  for  tie-ups  with  news- 
papers, etc."  Thomas  D.  Sorerio,  General 
Manager,  Baltimore,  Md. 

And  in  Washington  they  said; 

"Thrilling  incidents,  refreshing  humor  in 
'Three  Miles  Out'  at  Tivoli."  Washington 
Star. 

'With  a  stream  of  the  public's  chuckles  bubbl- 
ing in  their  wake,  co-authors  have,  in  'Three 
Miles  Out,'  steamed  into  a  rousing  sea  of 
melodramatic  blood  and  thunder."  Washing- 
ton Times. 


An  Irvin  Willat  Production 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 


Physical  Distributor 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 

Encore 
picture^ 


Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


iber  20,  1924  Page  13 

5Z5S5ZS2SHS25H52S25255525252S2525E532SSSE5ffi^ 


Announcing 

The  Triumphant  Return  to  the  Screen 

of 

RHUBARB  VASELINO 


in 

"Monsieur  Don't  Care" 

with 

STAN  LAUREL 

— yes,  'tis  he! 

as  Vaselino — It's  a  Stan  Laurel  comedy 
produced  by  Joe  Rock  for 

STANDARD  CINEMA  CORPORATION 

and  released  through 

SELZNICK  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


FIRST  NATIONAL  PICTURES  Inc. 

presentation 

FLIRTINGm/LOVE 


Colle en  Moore  m  ConwayTearle 

Adapted  from  LeRoy  Scott's  g'reat  novel  "COUNTERFEIT" 

Directed  by  JOHN  FRANCIS  DILLON 


Photographed  by  T.  D.  M^CORD 
Art  Director-MILTON  MENASCO 
Film  Editor- LeROY  STONE 
Scenario  by  JOSEPH  POLAND 
Editorial  Direction-MARION  FAIRFAX 
,— Produced  under  the  supervision  of 
EARL  HUDSON 


The  shortest  route 
to  big  business  is  a 

FIRST  NATIONAL  CONTRACT  ! 


SEP  151924 

September  20,  1924 


Page  15 


EXHIBITORS 

CTmde  REVIEW 

Qhe  Business  fhper  of  the  Motion  Before  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 

CONTENTS 

September  20,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

America's  Youncest  Showman    18 

"Captain  Blood"  At  The  Astor    19 

Editorial  '.  "38 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Mich.  M.  P.  T.  O.  Prepares  For  Convention    20 

Calamity  Howlers  Out  Of  Step    21 

Warner  Bros.  Announce  $10,000,000  Building  Program'  22 

Harry  Warner  Enroute  To  New  York    23 

Heavy  Production  For  Independents    24 

Preferred  Pictures'  Lineup   30 

German  Company  Opens  New  York  Office   32 

Sidney  Kent  Promoted    33 

New  Memphis  Musicians'  Scale   33 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

"Captain  Blood"   Frontispiece 

First  National  Branch  Managers    26-27 

"Wanderer  Of  The  Wasteland"    39 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Exhibitors  Round  Table    36 

Box  Office  Reviews    40 

Big  Little  Features    44 

Showmanship    46 

National  Tie-Up  Section   57 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures    71 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE.  GRACE  M. 
ADAIR,  1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE.  HOLLYWOOD 


yMS  IN  THE- All} 


I 
I 

i 
1 


STATION  E.  T.  R., 
45  W.  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting brief  bits  of 
business  truths  some  of 
which  are  meant  for 
you,  no  matter  in  what 
capacity  you  are  con- 
nected with  the  motion 
picture  industry. 


It  is  possible  for  some  men  to  fool 
themselves  all  of  the  time — but  even 
they  can  fool  their  employees  but  part 
of  the  time.  To  build  success  you  must 
earn  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
those  who  work  for  you  and  with  you. 


A  permanent  job  is  one  not  wcrth 
having.  The  best  kind  is  one  where 
the  chap  under  you  is  pushing  hard  for 
your  job — so  hard  that  he  gets  it — and 
forces  you  to  the  one  higher  up. 


If  you  have  no  enthusiasm  for  your 
work  you  are  in  the  wrong  field. 
Unless  you  enjoy  your  occupation 
you  will  never  gain  pre-eminence. 
So  if  you're  not  anxious  to  get  on  the 
job — look  for  a  new  one. 


Enthusiasm  isn't  the  fireworks  of 
hysteria.  It  is  love  of  labor,  and  a 
steadfast  determination  to  do  your 
hest — and  to  make    that  best  better. 


Ethics  is  business  Christianity.  A 
man  who  respects  the  ethical  code  of 
his  profession  will  never  go  far  wrong. 


An  alibi  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 

world   to    think   up    and    the  most 

difficult  to  make  folks  believe.  You 
may  excuse  yourself,  but  others  won't 
excuse  you. 


This  thing  of  getting  experience  at  "the 
school  of  hard  knocks"  is  the  bunk.  Let  the 
dodo  get  the  hard  knocks.  You  profit  by  his 
experience.  If  mankind  had  continued  to 
make  the  same  errors  generation  after  gen- 
eration zve'd  still  be  hairy  apes. 


Extravagance  is  not  confined  to  the 
foolish  expenditures  of  money.  A  man 
may  be  foolish  enough  to  squander  his 
health,  his  honor,  his  life,  or  his  hopes 
of  happiness. 


[Si 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Warren  Kerrigan,  as  "Captain 
Blood"  the  Beau  Brummell 
buccaneer  makes  one  of  film- 
dom's  most  romantic  figures. 
As  a  lover,  he  will  thrill  the 
girls;  as  a  fighter,  he  tvill  thrill 
the  men ;  and  just  as  a  pirate 
bold,  he  tvill  thrill  the  children. 


6 Captain  Blood' 


The  spectacular  Vitagraph  success  that  con- 
tains every  elemen  t  of  appeal  to  the  nation  s 
picture  patrons.  Heart  interest  vies  with  the 
thrill  of  battle  for  pre-eminence,  and  dra- 
matic pathos  is  skillfully  blended  with  a  spice 
of  subtle  comedy. 


Jean  Paige,  as  "Arabella  Bis- 
hop,"  gentle  lady  who  captures 
and  holds  the  heart  of  Blood, 
will  also  captivate  the  affections 
of  audiences  that  view  Vita- 
graph's  interest-gripping  pro- 
duction. Her  beauty  and  his- 
trionic talent  help  the  picture. 


©C1B625164 


EXHIBITORS 

Vmde  REVIEW 

%t  Business  fyper  of the  Motionftchmlndustrp 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


Admission  taxes  collected  in  July  totalled  $6,226,088,  an  increase  of  $1,086,582  as 
compared  with  July  1923. 

The  Lord's  Day  Alliance,  led  by  Rev.  Frederick  Johnson,  will  make  a  fight  to  close  picture  shows 
in  New  Jersey  on  Sundays. 

William  Nelson  Brewer,  president  of  the  Otis  Lithograph  Company,  of  Cleveland,  died  on  Septem- 
ber 6,  after  a  lingering  illness.    No  successor  has  been  chosen. 

Famous  Players  Canadian  Corporation  will  build  a  million  dollar  theatre  in  Ottawa. 

A  message  from  Paris  states  that  Carl  Laemmle  has  made  a  verbal  offer  to  Max  Linder,  famous 
comedian,  for  a  series  of  pictures. 

The  Golden  State  Theatre  Corporation  has  been  chartered  in  California  with  a  capital  of  $1,600,000. 
Headquarters  of  the  organization  are  in  San  Francisco. 

Julius  and  Abe  Stern,  of  Century  Comedies,  have  left  Paris  for  New  York. 

Bessie  Love,  Eileen  Percy,  Adolph  Menou  and  Ricardo  Cortez  are  enroute  from  Los  Angeles  to 
New  York  to  appear  in  productions  being  made  in  the  East. 

Henri  Diamant  Berger,  the  French  producer,  and  Mrs.  Berger,  arrived  in  New  York  September  5 
for  a  brief  visit. 

After  working  a  fake  advertising  scheme  throughout  Kansas  and  cleaning  up  on  merchants  through 
a  supposed  theatre  program,  two  sharks  were  caught  and  will  spend  the  winter  in  jail. 

William  Erk  and  his  son,  R.  V.  Erk,  of  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  have  sold  their  holdings,  including  the  Opera 
House  and  Temple  theatre  of  that  place. 

Louis  B.  Mayer,  Metro  vice  president,  is  enroute  to  New  York  from  Los  Angeles,  on  his  way  to 
Europe  where  he  will  study  conditions. 

"Greater  Movie  Week"   has   been  launched   in  Atlanta.     Mayor  Sims  thoroughly  endorses  the 
celebration. 

Radio  Pictures  Corporation  has  been  chartered  in  Delaware  capitalized  at  $1,000,000. 

Herbert  Yates,  vice  president  of  Consolidated  Film  Industries,  announces  the  closing  of  approxi- 
mately $6,000,000  worth  of  laboratory  and  producing  contracts. 


Pag 


18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


America's  Youngest  Exhibitor 


THE  child  is  father  to  the  man," 
is  a  phrase  recurrent  on  the  lips 
of  thinking  people  ever  since  lov- 
ing papas  have  hem'd  and  haw'd  around 
such  questions  as  "Pa,  what  makes  a 
pig's  tail  curl?",  "What  is  the  name  of 
the  man  in  the  moon?",  "How  high  up 
is  the  sky?",  and  so  on. 

This  is  no  attempt  to  spar  for  a  lead 
into  a  discussion  of  child  psychology. 
It  is  simply  an  introduction  to  a  case 
which  reveals  that  in  the  movie  indus- 
try we  have,  in  a  manner  of  speaking, 
a  child  who  is  father  to  the  modern 
showman. 

Enter  here  Ike  Kaminkovitz,  aged  fif- 
teen ;  vocation,  high  school  student  and 
manager  of  the  Star  Theatre,  Sylvania, 
Georgia,  a  town  which  boasts  in  no 
modest  way  of  its  2,000  inhabitants. 

Ike  goes  to  school  four  days  a  week 
and  runs  his  theatre  three  days  a  week, 
allowing  neither  occupation  to  conflict 
with  the  other  nor  ever  conscripting 
the  time  necessary  for  the  one,  from 
the  other.  That  is  to  say,  though  show- 
manship occupies  the  major  portion  of 
young  Kaminkovitz'  interests,  he  hasn't 
allowed  it  to  take  him  away  from  a 
proper  devotion  to  books,  arithmetic, 
language,  and  so  on.  He  realizes  per- 
fectly how  essential  are  these  as  a  back- 
ground for  tackling  the  bigger  things  of 
the  future,  and  like  the  true  showman 
that  he  is,  Ike  makes  the  investment  in 
his  studies  pay  the  highest  kind  of  divi- 
dends. 

Entire  Boss  Of  The  Works 

Before  going  any  further  let  it  be 
known,  without  reservation  or  qualifi- 
cation, that  Ike  is  a  real  bona  fide  boss 
and  manager  so  far  as  his  relation  to 
the  Star  theatre  is  concerned.  His  is 
not  an  arrangement  in  which  a  doting 
father,  with  money  enough  to  satisfy  a 
youth's  whim,  is  the  actual  government 
behind  the  scenes.  Kaminkovitz  senior, 
well-known  business  man  and  merchant 
of  Sylvania,  was  at  one  time  personally 
active  in  the  running  of  the  Star,  and 
young  "Kammy" — as  the  boys  call  him 
— was  for  a  while  under  the  parental 
wing  learning  the  details  of  house  man- 
agement. It  wasn't  long  before  Ike 
showed  a  pronounced  penchant  for 
dressing  up  lobbies  in  tasteful,  arrest- 
ing style ;  for  selecting  appealing  mu- 
sical programs  and  for  keeping  perfect 
order  in  the  audience  (the  lad  is  physi- 
cally developed  far  in  advance  of  his 
years).  Kaminkovitz  Sr.,  had  other 
business  interests  which  called  to  him 
more  insistently  than  his  picture  house, 
so  when  in  his  estimation  his  son  had 


reached  a  point  where  he  had  the  run- 
ning of  the  house  practically  at  his 
finger  tips,  he  was  glad  to  turn  the  place 
over  to  the  young  fellow. 

THE  older  Kaminkovitz  had  judged 
Ike  as  impersonally  as  only  a  busi- 
ness man  can  judge  even  his  own,  and 
found  him  ready  to  assume  the  whole 
burden  of  management,  even  to  the 
buying  of  pictures.  To  Ike  the  so- 
called  burden  soon  became  a  plaything 


This  youngster  is  Ike  Kaminkovitz,  thea- 
tre manager  and  showman,  of  Sylvania,  Ga. 

of  love  and  inspiration.  The  first  thing 
he  capitalized  was  the  quality  of  mind 
which  his  studies  at  high  school  en- 
dowed him  with.  He  read  the  film 
trade  papers  and  studied  these  with  the 
same  diligence  that  marked  his  atten- 
tion to  history,  composition,  geogra- 
phy and  the  like  at  school. 


Getting  the  Facts 

The  articles  on  showmanship  made 
an  indelible  impression  on  his  mind.  In- 
spirational stories  of  exhibitors  who 
started  in  the  business  with  more  guts 
than  money,  and  who  by  dint  of  hard 
work,  initiative  and  force  had  attained 
positions  of  affluence  and  respect,  were 
digested  by  him  with  a  glowing  gusto. 

At  an  age  when  most  boys  were  burn- 
ing incense  on  the  shrine  of  Horatio 
Alger,  "Kammy"  sustained  himself  on 
a  more  practical  diet  of  facts.  Facts 
on  program  making,  facts  on  picture 


buying,  projection,  exploitation,  house 
management,  and  so  on.  He  familiar- 
ized himself  even  with  facts  on  studio 
production,  on  the  players,  and  direc- 
tors, so  as  to  have  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  the  complete  genesis  of  the 
picture  business. 

Ike  not  only  gathered  facts  as  he 
read,  but  with  the  uncanny  astuteness 
that  has  long  been  known  as  a  heritage 
of  his  race,  he  culled  ideas  and  sug- 
gestions and  quickly  set  himself  to  turn 
them  to  profitable  account.  One  of  the 
first  things  to  take  fertile  root  in  his 
mind  was  the  value  of  Tried  and  Prov- 
ed pictures.  He  saw  their  economic 
appeal ;  he  recognized  their  strong  sell- 
ing promise.  Tried  and  Proved  pic- 
tures was  instituted  as  one  of  the  poli- 
cies of  the  new  management  of  the 
house. 

The  Exploiting  Urge 

With  the  institution  of  Tried  and 
Proved  films  as  a  regular  house  policy, 
Ike  commenced  to  spread  his  wings  on 
exploitation.  This  is  where  he  proved 
that  the  child  is  father  to  the  showman 
and  that  Sylvania  with  its  modest  popu- 
lation of  2,000  is  no  less  impressionable 
to  the  modern  methods  of  merchandis- 
ing movies,  than  Boston  with  its  cul- 
tured thousands,  Chicago  with,  its  busy, 
hurrying  hordes,  or  any  other  place 
with  types  peculiar  to  itself.  Witness, 
therefore,  one  bright,  sunny  day,  house- 
wives leaving  their  kitchen  utensils  in 
the  sink  as  they  rush  to  the  front-room 
window ;  laborers  pausing  in  the  act  of 
swinging  shovel  or  pick  as  they  look  up 
with  startled  eyes ;  and  storekeepers 
running  to  the  entrances  of  their  shops, 
as  an  automobile  drives  up  the  village 
street,  three-sheets  plastered  all  over  it 
and  pennants  flapping  in  the  wind,  while 
boys  dressed  up  like  budding,  sheiks  yell 
the  attractions  of  a  desert  romance 
through  vibrating  megaphones,  mean- 
while scattering  circulars  where  they 
would  do  the  most  good. 

DID  the  folks  line  up  at  the  box-office 
of  the  Star  that  evening  and  did  by- 
standers and  passersby  who  noted  the 
realistic  Arab  tent  rigged  up  in  the 
lobby,  turn  their  noses  toward  the  en- 
trance to  see  what  it  was  all  about  ?  You 
can  just  bet  a  dollar  against  a  last  year's 
grasshopper  they  did !  And  they  did  to 
such  good  purpose  that  Ike  sold  out  his 
show  three  times  that  evening. 

With  the  highly  imaginative  attri- 
butes of  youth,  "Kammy"  took  more 
willingly  to  the  sort  of  ballyhoo  that 
suggested  the  character  of  his  pictures 


September  20,  1(>24 

than  to  other  forms  of  exploitation. 
Invariably  he  dressed  up  his  ballyhoo- 
ers  to  represent  types  depicted  in  the 
plots,  the  appearance  of  which  on  the 
streets  or  in  his  lobby  never  failed  to 
cause  more  or  less  of  a  sensation. 

Such  words  as  "buying  urge,"  "pull- 
ing power,"  and  "sales  stimuli,"  were 
literally  not  a  part  of  his  talking  vo- 
cabulary, but  schemes  and  thoughts 
provocative  of  results  corresponding 
exactly  in  effect  to  the  terms  in  ques- 
tion, were  being  evolved  as  effectively 
as  though  the  youth  had  assimilated 
"salesmanship  plus"  with  his  A,  B,  Cs. 

Youth  Is  Expert  Showman 

These  above  stunts  were  only  the 
forerunners  to  others  that  followed  and 
which  have  since  established  Ike  as  the 
Barnum  of  his  county.  Folks,  both  pa- 
trons and  business  neighbors,  have  a 
real  fondness  for  Ike,  not  only  because 
he  serves  them  excellent  motion  picture 
entertainment,  but  because  his  Satur- 
day night  ballyhoos  have  become  an  in- 
stitution in  Sylvania  that  livens  up  the 
town  and  draws  forth  the  people  living 
in  the  meager  little  shacks  on  the  out- 
lying hills.  As  a  result,  business  has 
picked  up  all  along  the  way. 

Asked  what  his  plans  are  for  the  fu- 
ture, Ike  answers:  "For  the  present 
I  intend  continuing  my  present  program 
of  keeping  up  with  my  studies  at  high 
school  and  running  the  Star.  I  feel_  as 
though  my  future  will  be  in  the  movies. 
Perhaps  not  permanently  at  the  Star, 
but  as  I  get  older  and  acquire  more 
experience  and  cash  I  shall  be  looking 
for  a  bigger  field  to  conquer. 

Seeks  Greater  Fields 

"A  first-run  house  in  a  larger  city 
ought  to  be  my  ultimate  goal,  I  suppose, 
but  to  be  frank  I'm  pretty  well  satisfied 
and  happy  in  a  small  community  of  this 
kind.  I'm  a  neighbor  to  all  the  folks. 
I  know  their  wants  and  I  get  a  . lot  of 
pleasure  tending  to  their  wants  satisfac- 
torily. I  like  to  experiment  with  the 
exploitation  stunts  I  read  about1  in  the 
trade  journals,  and  I  get  lots  of  fun 
out  of  tinkering  with  stunts  of  my  own. 

Young  Leader  in  Industry 

"Whether  it's  show  day  or  not  I'm 
always  thinking  of  my  patrons — how  I 
might  surprise  them,  how  I  can  play 
on  their  imagination  and  please  them ; 
what  kinds  of  films  there  are  on  the 
market  that  have  made  a  hit  somewhere 
else  that  will  also  give  my  own  crowd 
a  good  time." 

Which  goes  to  prove  that  if  this  en- 
terprising, youthful  go-getter  isn't,  in  a 
manner  of  speaking,  father  to  the  mod- 
ern showman,  then  he  is  a  whole  family 
all  by  himself. 


Pa^e  19 


Captain  Blood'  Opens 
at  Astor  Theatre 


A HARD-BOILED  audience  of 
writers  and  picture  people  were 
warmed  up  to  the  "Bravo!" 
point  when  "Captain  Blood"  had  its 
premiere  at  the  Astor  Theatre,  New 
York,  last  Monday  night. 

Murmered  approval  during  the  open- 
ing scenes  gave  way  to  mighty  appre- 
ciation during  the  battle  scenes  and  the 
spectacular  destruction  of  the  enemy 
fleet.  Settings,  story,  presentation  and 
acting  were  all  that  could  be  desired. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  a  fact  that 
may  prove  of  some  future  significance. 
Although  the  picture  at  the  Astor 
changed — the  author  remained.  Rafael 
Sabatini  wrote  both  "The  Sea  Hawk" 
and  "Captain  Blood."  So  it  would  ap- 
pear that,  after  all,  the  story  is  the 
thing. 

Both  author  and  producer  are  for- 
tunate in  having  apparently  enjoyed 
mutual  co-operation.  The  picture  ad- 
heres faithfully  to  the  novel  in  all  ma- 
jor details.  The  reconstruction  of  the 
West  Indies'  port  where  much  of  the 
action  takes  place  was  accomplished 
only  after  most  painstaking  research. 
Sabatini  provided  charts  and  maps  that 
made  accuracy  possible,  and  the  result 
is  that  we  see  the  Barbadoes  of  the 
seventeenth  century. 

An  English  shipwright  assisted  in  the 
construction  of  the  pirate  galleons,  pro- 
ducing ancient  prints  which  were  fol- 
lowed in  all  details.  Every  costume 
from  the  plumed  velvet   of   the  buc- 


David  Smith,  Vitagraph  Director,  who  di- 
rected "Captain  Blood,"  by  Rafael  Saba- 
tini, which  opened  at  the  Astor  Theatre, 
New    York    City,    on    September  8th. 


caneer  Beau  Brummel  to  the  piratical 
tawdry  of  the  lowliest  slave  helped 
build  atmosphere. 

The  picture  is  spectacular.  And  yet 
it  is  not  a  spectacle  in  the  sense  of  a 
hippodrome  or  three-ring  circus.  The 
hearts  interest  gets  an  even  break,  and 
is  seldom  entirely  lost  in  the  blaze  of 
buccaneer  cannon  or  the  clash  of  pirate 
steel. 

The  comedy  element  is  well  defined, 
and  no  opportunity  is  lost  to  present 
the  droll  humor  of  the  Irish  pirate- 
physician-slave,  Captain  Blood,  when 
he  finds  himself  in  the  ascendant.  And 
the  sight  of  the  crew,  so  recently  re- 
leased from  serfdom,  clad  in  the  pur- 
loined purple  of  aristocracy,  is  suffi- 
cient to  win  the  laughter  of  the  most 
cynical. 

The  desperate  courage  of  the  sea- 
rovers  with  a  world  of  wealth  to  gain 
and  only  their  lives  to  lose,  is  indeed 
epic.  The  scenes  in  which  they  aban- 
don their  sinking  craft  to  board  the 
enemy  is  classic.  And  there  has  sel- 
dom been  filmed  a  more  effective  bit 
than  that  depicting  the  intensity  of 
these  bloody  bandits  watching  the 
plunge  of  their  beloved  galleon  to  a 
watery  grave. 

Some  recent  pictures  of  the  super- 
spectacle  class  have  been  all  but  de- 
void of  love  interest,  and  while  the 
sophisticates  may  welcome  the  omis- 
sion, American  audiences  thrive  on  ro- 
mance. "Captain  Blood"  does  not  fea- 
ture Mars  to  the  exclusion  of  Venus. 

And  Venus  in  the  person  of  Jean 
Paige  is  indeed  most  personable.  Her 
blond  beauty  blends  well  with  the  pic- 
ture, and  in  the  romantic  costumes  of 
the  period  she  is  a  figure  to  win  and 
hold  the  heart  of  any  gallant. 

Presumably  because  of  the  length  of 
the  film  as  shown  Monday  night,  there 
was  no  prelude.  However,  because  of 
the  interest  in  the  feature  the  omission 
passed  unnoticed.  When  the  exhibitors 
get  "Captain  Blood"  it  will  have  been 
cut  from  some  ten  thousand  feet  to 
about  eight  thousand. 

James  C.  Bradford,  who  personally 
conducted  the  orchestra,  is  responsible 
for  the  musical  presentation.  The  syn- 
chronization of  melody  with  film  action 
was  one  of  the  outstanding  beauties  of 
the  premiere.  And  as  Thematic  Music 
Cue  Sheets  are  to  be  supplied  as  an  ac- 
cessory, every  exhibitor  may  reap  the 
benefit  of  the  musical  presentation  that 
caused  so  much  favorable  comment  at 
the  Broadway  opening. 

"Captain  Blood"  is  a  fine  example  of 
what  may  be  done  in  producing  pic- 
tures with  a  box-office  angle,  which  at 
the  same  time  strive  and  succeed  in 
making  forward  strides  toward  produc- 
tion perfection. 


Page  20 

Michigan  M.  P.  T.  0.  Arranges 
For  Annual  Convention 


DESPITE  the  fact  that  for  the 
coming  year  a  greater  and  more 
varied  program  of  activities  are 
planned,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Ways  and 
Means  Committee  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Theatre  Owners  of  Michigan  held 
September  3  and  4,  is  was  decided  to 
cut  the  dues  of  the  Organization  fifty 
percent. 

All  the  convention  hurrah  will  be 
eliminated  at  the  coming  convention  of 
the  organization  to  be  held  at  Saginaw, 
October  14  and  15.  There  will  be  no 
subscriptions  of  money  made  under  the 
pressure  of  organization  enthusiasm. 
There  will  be  no  urging  theatre  owners 
to  "give  till  it  hurts." 

The  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
found  the  Organization  in  such  excel- 
lent financial  condition  that  this  step 
was  to  partially  realize  the  ultimate 
goal  of  the  Organization,  the'  time  when 
memberships  to  the  Organization  can  be 
secured  for  $1. 

In  the  new  schedule  for  dues, 
extraordinary  consideration  is  given  the 
smaller  theatres.  The  schedule  which 
will  be  adopted  is  as  follows: 

Theatres  seating  250  and  under  $10 
a  year. 

Theatres  seating  up  to  500,  $25  a 
year. 

Theatres  seating  from  500  to  1000, 
$50  a  year. 

Theatres  seating  from  1000  to  1500, 
$75  a  year. 


Theatres  seating  over  1500,  $100  a 
year. 

For  the  past  four  years  the  dues 
have  been  based  at  ten  cents  a  seat. 
However,  now  with  the  Organization 
future  assured  the  Board  felt  that  the 
work  of  organization  in  Michigan 
should  be  carried  on  at  the  minimum 
cost  to  the  Theatre  Owner,  hence  the 
adoption  of  the  above  schedule. 

The  Ways  and  Means  Committee 
found  that  the  Organization  will  clo  ;e 
the  year  with  well  over  $20,000  as  a 
cash  balance  in  the  treasury.  Because 
of  this  and  because  of  the  fact  that  a 
large  number  of  Theatre  Owners  have 
for  some  time  been  advocating  the 
building  of  an  exhibitors  building,  they 
are  recommending  to  the  organization 
the  election  of  a  Board  of  Trustees  to 
be  made  up  of  the  four  past  and  act- 
ing presidents  of  the  Organization,  to 
have  complete  supervision  over  the  sur- 
plus revenue  of  the  Association  over 
and  above  the  yearly  budget,  which 
was  also  fixed  by  the  Association. 

That  the  convention  this  year  will  be 
the  largest  ever  held  in  the  state  is  in- 
dicated by  the  varied  program  the  Com- 
mittee and  General  Manager  H.  M. 
Richey  are  working  out.  In  response 
to  an  invitation  that  he  attend  the  con- 
vention, the  Association  has  received 
assurance  from  Will  H.  Hays,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Motion  Picture  Producers 
and  Distribution  of  America,  that  he  is 
planning  on  being  present  at  the  ban- 
quet on  October  14.  Mr.  Hays  will  un- 
doubtedly be  accompanied  by  Charles 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

C.  Pettijohn,  General  Counsel,  and  W. 
R.  Wilkinson,  Assistant  General  Coun- 
sel, and  a  former  Michigan  man. 

The  past  year  has  been  a  wonderful 
year  for  the  Michigan  Organization.  Its 
membership  now  embraces  468  the- 
atres who  are  paid  members  to  the  Or- 
ganization, out  of  a  possible  member- 
ship in  the  entire  state  of  about  550. 
Many  new  members  have  been  added 
and  more  have  signified  their  intentions 
of  becoming  members. 

The  Association  as  a  souvenir  of  the 
Convention  is  now  busy  planning  and 
will  present  to  each  Theatre  Owner 
who  attends  the  Convention  a  Booking 
Book,  in  a  flexible  leather  folder,  loose 
leaved,  which  in  addition  to  containing 
a  booking  book,  place  for  paper  orders, 
etc.,  will  contain  valuable  information 
such  as  rules  of  Arbitration,  Copy  of 
the  Standard  Contract,  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  exchanges,  vaudeville  agen- 
cies, high  spots  of  the  present  con- 
tracts, a  place  where  exhibitors  can 
make  a  record  of  pictures  under  con- 
tract, etc.  From  time  to  time  informa- 
tion of  value  will  be  sent  to  the  exhib- 
itor to  keep  in  his  book. 

Eaeh  book  will  have  the  exhibitor's 
name  on  in  gold.  The  books  will  be 
given  to  each  Theatre  Owner  absolute- 
ly free  as  a  part  of  the  service  of  the 
Association. 

The  following  Committees  have  been 
appointed : 

Budget  Committee — James  C.  Ritter, 
Chairman,  Blair  McElroy,  H.  T.  Hall, 
Fred  DeLodder,  A.  J.  Kleist. 

Constitution  and  By  Laws — W.  S. 
McLaren,  Chairman,  J.  E.  Niebes,  E. 
S.  Brewer,  Vernon  Locey. 

Ways  and  Means  Committee — Blair 
McElroy  Chairman,  W.  S.  Butterfield, 
Ed.    Kirchner,    Claude    Cady,  Glenn 

Cross. 

Associat"on  Activities — Charles  Car- 
lisle, Chairman,  Sam  Ackerman,  G.  L. 
Wilier,  P.  C.  Schram. 

*    *  * 

C.  &  C.  SELLS  MORE 
TERRITORY 

The  balance  of  the  territory  for 
Cranfield  &  Clarke's  Big  Twelve  are 
rapidly  being  closed.  Ed.  M.  Hope- 
craft,  general  sales  manager  for  Cran- 
field &  Clarke,  now  on  an  "extensive 
sales  trip  through  the  Middle  West,  has 
just  closed  a  deal  with  R.  G.  Hill  En- 
terprises, Inc.,  with  headquarters  at 
1010  Forbes  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
for  three  of  their  exchanges  to  dis- 
tribute in  their  respective  territories 
Cranfield  &  Clarke';  entire  product  for 
the  season  of  1924-25,  which  consists  of 
twelve  productions.  The  territories  in- 
cluded in  this  deal  are  Western  Penn- 
sylvania and  West  Virginia,  State  of 
Michigan  excepting  the  northern  pen- 
insula, and  Ohio  and  Kentucky. 


Eva  Novak  and  William  Fairbanks  in  a  scene  from  C.  B.  C.'s  "A  Fight  for  Honor." 


September  20,  1924 


Page  21 


Independent  Calamity  Howlers 
Out  of  Step,  Says  Briskin 


IT'S  time  for  the  independent  oper- 
ator to  stop  crying  'wolf  and  to 
get  down  to  business.  Good  pic- 
tures and  not  yells  for  help  against  an 
imaginary  harbinger  of  bad  times  is 
what  the  independent  needs  today  to 
solve  most  of  his  problems.  Crying 
and  whining  about  the  outlook  doesn't 
help  a  bit  and  only  invites  the  'wolf 
to  come  and  make  a  meal  of  the 
howler." 

This  is  his  parting  advice  to  his  fel- 
low independents  of  Samuel  J.  Bris- 
kin, with  George  H.  Davis  the  direct- 
ing head  of  -Banner  Productions,  Inc., 
one  of  the  most  progressive  young 
State  Right  distributing  organizations 
in  the  industry,  on  the  eve  of  his  de- 
parture for  a  sales  trip  which  will  take 
in  all  the  principal  exchange  centers  of 
the  country. 

"Personally,  I  am  so  fed  up  with  the 
chorus  of  'glooms'  we  have  been  hav- 
ing about  the  future  of  the  State  Right 
market,"  said  Mr.  Briskin,  "that  I  feel 
somebody  ought  to  call  a  halt  to  this 
clamor  about  'hard  times',  present  and 
coming,  and  offer  a  few  constructive 
suggestions. 

"Of  course,  it  isn't  easy  going  for 
anyone  in  the  independent  field  just 
now — but  then  it  never  has  been,  and 
as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  don't  want 
it  to  become  so.  On  the  other  hand 
the  big  national  organizations  are  not 
having  it  any  easier  than  the  rest  of  us, 
if  that  is  any  comfort,  as  the  most 
casual  survey  of  conditions  will  show. 

Conditions  Acute 
"Right  now  competitive  conditions 
are  acute  and  they  are  probably  going 
to  become  more  so,  judging  by  the  vol- 
ume of  product  announced  by  all  the 
companies  for  the  coming  year.  But 
crying  about  it  isn't  going  to  help  any 
and  it  is  only  what  must  be  expected  in 
any  line  of  business,  especially  an  in- 
dustry that  is  growing  as  rapidly  as 
ours. 

"Necessarily,  it  is  a  question  of  the 
survival  of  the  fittest  and  it  is  that 
very  thing,  to  my  mind,  that  makes  the 
business  worth  while.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  in  many  territories  today,  the  in- 
dependent is  getting  a  better  'break'  in 
bookings  than  the  big  national  organ- 
izations. If  you  doubt  it  ask  some  of 
their  exchange  managers,  if  you  know 
them  well  enough  to  get  the  facts. 

"The  problems  of  the  independent 
are  no  different  than  the  problems  of 
the  other  producing-distributing  organ- 
izations in  the  industry  or  at  least  no 
more  perplexing.  Good  pictures — in- 
telligently advertised  and  exploited — is 
the  answer  for  most  of  them. 

"I  maintain  that  with  good  pictures, 


the  independent  can  get  first  runs  in 
most  territories  and  that  the  circuits — 
the  alleged  bugbear  of  the  State  Right 
operator — are  every  one  of  them  ready 
to  give  bookings  to  the  exchange  that 
has  the  right  product. 

Can  Produce  Cheaply 

"I  contend — and  we  have  to  date 
demonstrated  it  in  the  Banner  organ- 
ization— that  the  average  independent 
can  produce  more  cheaply  than  the  big 
organization  with  its  tremendous  over- 
head can  possibly  make  a  production  of 
similar  quality.  Consequently,  we  can 
compete  with  them  effectually,  in  spite 
of  their  high-powered  sales  forces,  and 
can  make  money,  where  they  would 
suffer  heavy  loss. 

"To  prove  what  I  say,  you  have  only 
to  examine  and  contrast  the  record  of 
business  done,  with  the  published  state- 
ments of  some  of  the  loudest  calamity 
howlers  in  the  independent  field. 

"One  of  them,  who  has  been  pre- 
dicting the  direct  future  for  everybody 
in  the  State  Right  branch  of  the  indus- 
try, at  the  very  time  when  his  published 
utterances  were  gloomiest,  secured  a 
first  run  for  one  of  his  productions  at 
a  house  in  New  York  City,  that  had 
never  previously  played  a  State  Right 
picture.  And  he  got  the  booking  be- 
cause the  picture  is  a  real  box  office  at- 
traction. If  it  was  otherwise,  why 
should  he  reasonably  expect  to  get  a 
first  run  booking? 

"Another  operator,  who  has  been 
complaining  that  the  circuit!",  were 
crushing  the  independent  and  slowly 
starving  him  to  death,  a  short  time 
previously  advertised  a  long  list  of  cir- 


Carl  Laemmle,  Pres.  of  Universal  Pictures 
Corporation,'  with  Andre  Herriot,  of 
France,    discussing    the    film  situation. 


cuits  by  name,  who  had  booked  his  pic- 
tures to  show  what  a  wonderful  line 
of  product  he  had  to  offer. 

"I  only  mention  these  things  because 
I  feel  that  all  this  crepe-hanging  talk 
is  absolutely  harmful  and  that,  at  bot- 
tom, there  is  no  reason  or  excuse  for  it. 

"Selling  pictures  in  the  strenuous 
competitive  conditions  that  exist,  and 
which,  in  my  poor  opinion,  are  always 
going  to  exist  in  this  business,  is  never 
going  to  be  child's  play — even  with 
good  pictures.  But  the  concern  that 
has  the  good  pictures  is  going  to  win 
out,  no  matter  whether  it  is  an  inde- 
pendent or  a  national  distributing  or- 
ganization." 

*  *  * 

UNIVERSAL  EUROPEAN 
MANAGERS  HERE 

Henry  Henigson,  European  super- 
visor for  Universal  and  A.  B.  Blofson, 
Universal  Manager  for  Latin  Europe, 
have  just  made  a  flying  trip  to  New 
York  for  a  conference  with  N.  L.  Man- 
heim,  Universal  Export  Manager.  They 
were  called  to  the  U.  S.  to  discuss  sales 
and  also  to  review  the  completed  pic- 
tures on  the  fall  program. 

Henigson  was  enthusiastic  over  the 
progress  Universal  is  making  across  the 
Atlantic.  Today,  he  stated,  Universal 
is  leading  all  other  companies  in  busi- 
ness abroad.  Carl  Laemmle's  pictures 
are  well  liked  and  most  in  demand. 

Blofson  has  recently  been  promoted 
by  Carl  Laemmle  to  the  managership 
of  Latin  Europe.  For  the  past  two 
years  he  has  been  manager  of  the  Paris 
office  where  he  made  a  splendid  record. 
He,  too,  is  very  optimistic  over  next 
season's  prospects. 

*  *  * 

SOUTH  AMERICAN 
EXHIBITOR  SAILS 

Henrique  Blunt,  American  represen- 
tative of  Companhia  Brazil  Cinemato- 
grapica,  is  returning  from  Brazil  on 
September  20.  He  will  be  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Serrador,  president  of  the  com- 
pany, who  will  purchase  programs  for 
his  list  of  theatres. 

The  company  is  building  five  large 
theatres  in  Rio  de  Janerio  and  two  in 
Sau  Paulo  with  seating  capacities  of 
1,300  to  2,500  seats. 

*  *  * 

J.  D.  ON  COAST 

J.  D.  Williams  left  a  few  days  ago 
for  Hollywood  to  join  George  Ullman, 
Valentino's  personal  business  manager, 
to  complete  arrangements  for  the  pro- 
duction of  the  star's  first  Ritz  Picture 
which  is  to  be  made  on  the  coast. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Warner  Bros.  Announce  $10,000,000 
Theatre-Building  Program 


WARNER  BROS,  pictures  are  go- 
ing to  have  outlets  in  the  key 
cities,  regardless  of  the  dissenting 
views  of  some  of  the  other  distributing 
organizations.  And  wherever  it  is 
found  necessary  the  Warner  program 
provides  for  the  building  of  the  neces- 
sary theatres. 

In  substantially  these  words  Sam 
Warner  summarized  the  ambitious  pro- 
gram of  his  firm  at  a  luncheon  given 
by  Warner  Bros,  at  the  Astor,  New 
York,  Monday  of  this  week.  Fifteen 
first-run  houses  are  contemplated,  with 
a  probable  expenditure  of  $10,000,000. 
One  of  the  houses  will  go  into  New 
York  City. 

The  luncheon,  at  which  representa- 
tives of  the  film  press  were  guests, 
brought  out  the  story  of  the  recent 
Warner  cross-country  expedition,  in  the 
course  of  which  Sam  Warner,  general 
sales  manager,  and  Mrs.  Pearl  Keating, 
met  and  talked  with  4,500  exhibitors  in 
an  endeavor  to  get  the  closest  possible 
slant  on  what  is  what  in  pictures. 

Sam  Warner  said  that  the  outcome 
of  this  investigation  was  somewhat  con- 
fusing, due  to  the  fact  that  a  lot  of  ex- 
hibitors have  found  the  public's  ideas 
and  their  own  in  complete  disagree- 
ment, with  the  result  that  pictures 
rated  as  great  by  the  trade  have  flopped 


and  pictures  sent  out  with  considerable 
fear  and  trembling  have  gone  over  big. 

In  a  cleverly  done  tabloid  history  of 
the  film  business,  Mr.  Warner  related 
numerous  pithy  details,  including  the 


Sam  Warner  of  Warner  Bros. 


firm's  experience  with  "My  Four  Years 
In  Germany,"  which  cost  $55,000  and 
grossed  $800,000,  and  "School  Days," 
which  on  a  cost  of  $45,000  did  a  gross 
of  over  $70,000.  He  told  something, 
also  of  the  firm's  experience  in  pion- 
eering, during  the  days  when  financial 
uncertainty  was  the  outstanding  feature 
of  the  business,  and  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  future  progress  of  the 
Warner  business  will  be  inseparately 
linked  with  the  welfare  of  exhibitors 
throughout  the  country. 

"One  or  two  more  consolidations," 
Mr.  Warner  declared,  "will  see  the  end 
of  the  business  as  far  as  independent 
production  is  concerned.  And  then,  the 
logical  move  will  be  to  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  theatres.  The  big  companies 
think  there  are  too  many  theatres  now. 
They  argue  that  the  public  can  be  taken 
care  of  with  less  houses.  This,  of 
course,  means  the  end  of  a  lot  of  ex- 
hibitors. It  is  a  fact  that  we  are  keep- 
ing the  market  open.  If  we  were  to 
go  out  of  business  the  rest  of  the  in- 
dependents would  have  to  step  out  with 
us." 

Mrs.  Keating  discussed  the  difficulty 
of  securing  public  acceptance  for  really 
good  pictures  and  urged  the  active  co- 
operation of  the  press  in  educating  to  a 
higher  standard  of  appreciation. 


Left  to  Right: — H.  M.  Warner,  Jack  Warner  and  A.  W.  Warner,  all  composing  the  firm  of  Warner  Bros. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  23 


Left  to  Right: — Sam  E.  Morris,  General  Sales  Mgr.;  Mrs.  Pearl  Keating,  Scenario 
Editor;  W.  L.  Parker,  Advertising  Mgr.;  Lon  Young,  Director  Adv.  and  Publicity. 

H.  M.  Warner  to  Complete  Plans 


H M.WARNER,  of  Warner  Bros., 
left  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  Monday 
•  Sept.  8,  on  a  tour  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  eastward  to  New  York  for 
the  purpose  of  selecting  sites  on  which 
to  build  a  string  of  first  class  theatres 
in  which  Warner  Bros,  in  key  cities 
product  will  be  given  first  run  presen- 
tations. Not  only  the  important  key 
cities  but  also  New  York  is  on  the  War- 
er  Bros,  construction  list.  Arrangements 
to  finance  the  undertaking  to  the  ex- 
tent of  ten  millions  of  dollars  outside 
New  York  and  another  million  dollars 
in  the  eastern  metropolis  have  already 
been  formulated. 

When  Mr.  Warner  arrives  at  the 
Warner  home  office  at  1600  Broadway- 
way  he  will  hold  final  conference  with 
Motley  Flint,  the  company's  financial 
adviser,  and  will  be  joined  by  F.  M. 
Murphy  and  Lewis  Gieb,  respectively 
electrical  engineer  and  technical  direc- 
tor of  the  Warner  organization  who 
will  go  over  with  architects  and  build- 
ers the  mammoth  construction  plan. 

Independent  exhibitors  and  indepen- 
dent producers  for  some  time  have  been 
genuinely  alarmed  at  the  progress  which 
the  big  interlocked  producing  combina- 
tion have  been  making  in  gobbling  up 
theatres  throughout  the  country.  The 
exhibitor  who  has  been  anxious  to  con- 
dust  his  business  just  as  he  saw  fit  play- 
ing those  attractions  which  he  thought 
best  suited  to  his  audiences  regardless 
of  who  made  them  is  very  rapidly  be- 
ing driven  to  the  wall  because  of  the 
sales  methods  of  the  producing  and 
distributing  companies  who  have  at 
their  command  opposition  theatres  in 
almost  every  section  of  the  country  to 
use  as  a  club  in  enforcing  their  regula- 
tions and  demands,  no  matter  how 
severe  they  may  be.  The  independent 
producer  has  suffered — and  is  suffering 
they  say, — because  of  the  exhibitor's 
inability  to  consider  the  independent 
product  purely  on  its  own  merits  and 


without  thought  of  what  may  happen 
to  his  investment  if  he  shows  a  dis- 
position to  do  business  according  to  the 
best  dictates  of  his  own  business  judg- 
ment. 

Before  leaving  Los  Angeles  on  his 
present  extraordinary  trip,  H.  M.  War- 
ner issued  a  statement  in  which  he 
said : 

"First-runs  for  independent  product 
have  been  becoming  more  and  more  dif- 
ficult to  secure.  Practically  impossible 
in  the  larger  cities  for  a  long  time,  they 
are  becoming  almost  as  impossible  in 
the  smaller  communities  as  the  theatre- 
operating  plan  of  the  interlocked  pro- 
ducers is  being  extended- 

"It  has  never  been  our  wish — or  a 
part  of  our  plan — to  engage  in  the  ex- 
hibition end  of  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness. Today  we  would  be  perfectly 
satisfied  to  go  on  producing  photoplays 
only  if  the  exhibiting  trade  at  large 
were  in  a  position  to  give  us  what  we 
consider  a  half-way  run  for  our  money. 
We  have  been  making  a  line  of  photo- 
plays which  are  worthy  of  exhibition 
in  the  best  theatres  in  the  country — 
and  we  think  any  of  them  are  a  lot 
better,  and  more  to  the  public's  taste, 
than  many  others  which  are  being  given 
preferred  bookings. 

"Our  determination  to  build  theatres 
wherever  we  find  it  necessary  in  order 
to  get  this  'half-way  run  for  our  money' 
is  one  that  has  been  forced  upon  us  by 
the  same  'trust'  practices  which  are  har- 
rassing  independent  exhibitors  through- 
out the  country  to  death.  For  this  rea- 
son we  feel  that  we  are  in  no  sense 
deviating  from  our  original  policy 
which  was  to  support  the  weaker  mem- 
bers of  the  industry  at  large.  We  are 
taking  off  our  coats  to  do  battle — but 
in  no  sense  can  the  exhibitors  as  a 
class  be  considered  our  adversaries. 

"We're  going  to  fight  the  combina- 
tions which  we  are  satisfied  are  out  to 


ruin  the  industry  for  every  one  but 
themselves.  And  in  many  instances  our 
operations  in  the  exhibiting  end  of  the 
business  will  bring  to  the  independent 
exhibitor  the  strength  he  needs  to  stave, 
off  destruction — and  bring  it  just  when 
he  is  beginning  to  fell  the  need  of  it 
most." 

Recent  activities  in  Warner  Bros,  af- 
fairs have  been  calculated  to  make  the 
trade  accept  their  announcements  at 
their  face  value.  There  has  been  a 
hum  of  activity  on  the  Warner  lot  in 
Los  Angeles  for  the  past  few  months 
which  has  not  been  equalled  elsewhere 
in  the  industry.  It  has  taken  plenty  of 
money  to  keep  four,  five  and  six  com- 
panies working  on  expensive  produc- 
tions constantly  and  at  the  same  time — 
and  the  money  has  been  forthcoming 
with  the  result  that  the  Warner  produc- 
tions, twenty  in  number,  for  the  season 
1924-25  are  well  along  toward  comple- 
tion with  attractive  contracts  for  their 
exhibition  already  signed. 

On  numerous  occasions,  both  in  Los 
Angeles  and  in  New  York,  there  have 
been  some  particularly  frank  state- 
ments made  by  men  of  importance  in 
the  fiancial  aims  of  the  industry 
which  could  be  interpreted  to  mean  that 
Warner  Bros,  were  in  the  field  to  do 
things— and  that  they  had  the  financial 
strength  to  finish  whatever  they  started. 


C.  B.  C.  CHANGES 

Heath  Cobb  announces  that  Leslie  G. 
Schaumann  has  joined  the  ranks  of  the 
C.  B.  C.  Film  sales  corp.,  in  the  capac- 
ity of  Publicity  Director.  This  is  Mr. 
Schaumann's  first  venture  in  the  motion 
picture  field.  He  is  better  known  in 
the  advertising  field.  Mr.  Schaumann 
succeeds  Sam  Malchek  who  has  re- 
turned to  his  former  pastures  in  news- 
paper work  and  is  now  with  the  New 
ark  Star. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Heavy  Production  Scheduled 
For  Independent  Companies 


AFTER  all  the  agitation  for  an 
open  market  the  exhibitor  will 
quite  naturally  gather  himself 
together  and  want  to  know  what  the 
independent  producer  has  which 
would  justify  his  plea  for  exhibitor 
support.  In  anticipation  of  this  ques- 
tion C.  B.  C.  has  collected  some  very 
interesting  information  in  reference 
to  the  actual  investment  of  the  inde- 
pendent producers  in  the  pictures 
made  for  the  season  of  1924-1925. 

The  reported  number  of  independ- 
ent pictures  to  be  released  during 
the  coming  season  is  over  200.  This 
represents  a  total  cash  outlay  of  ten 
to  fifteen  million  dollars.  In  this 
group  of  200  pictures  as  listed  there 
are  100  special  attractions.  These 
are  produced  at  an  average  cost  of 
$100,000  per  picture.  The  balance  of 
production  consists  of  the  program 
pictures  under  various  headings  such 
as  Westerns,  society  dramas,  com- 
edies, serials  and  general  short  sub- 
jects. 

As  an  instance,  one  company,  the 
C.  B.  C,  will  produce  sixteen  pic- 
tures. The  Battling  Fool,  Racing  for 
Life,  Fight  for  Honor,  Women  First, 
The  Beautiful  Sinner,  Tainted 
Money,  Fearless  Lover,  Fatal  Kiss, 
The  Foolish  Virgin,  The  Price  She 
Paid,  The  Midnight  Express,  One 
Glorious  Night,  Who  Cares,  A  Fool 
and  His  Money,  After  Business 
Hours,  Fighting  the  Flames. 

These  sixteen  pictures  will  cost 
$986,652.70.  This  includes  money 
expended  for  the  purchase  of  the  film 
rights  to  novels,  the  writing  of  con- 
tinuities, stars'  salaries  and  all  the 
technical  department  and  studio  oper- 
ation charges,  also  administrative 
offices  in  New  York. 

An  analysis  of  the  figures  submit- 
ted shows  that  in  all  the  amounts 
mentioned  there  is  excluded  any  item 
which  does  not  have  a  direct  result 
.on  the  screen.  Every  expenditure  is 
made  with  the  sole  object  of  giving 
the  exhibitor  the  best  possible  pro- 
duction with  the  big  stars  and  stories 
and  at  the  same  time-keep- -t-he-neees- 
sary  rentals  down  as  low  as  possible, 
in  consideration  always  of  the  type 
and  size  of  the  picture  produced. 

As  incontrovertible  evidence  of  the 
faithful  performance  of  the  inde- 
pendent producer  it  has  been  esti- 
mated that  by  the  15th  of  September 
of  this  year  more  than  35  percent  of 
the  total  production  schedule  will 
have  been  completed  and  stories  and 
casts  assigned  to  another  30  percent. 


This  is  all  beside  the  preliminary 
work  and  expenditures  which  must 
be  made  before  the  camera  has 
turned  once  or  the  company  left  for 
location.  The  balance  of  the  pictures 
to  be  made  are  almost  all  in  continu- 
ity form.  Stories  have  been  bought 
and  definite  financing  arranged  for, 
leaving  no  possible  chance  for  inde- 
pendents who  have  promised  a  series 
of  pictures  for  the  season  of  1924-25 
to  fall  down  on  the  delivery  promise 
which  they  have  advertised. 


S.  C.  EXHIBITORS  FIGHT 
FOR  TAX  REDUCTION 

South  Carolina  exhibitors,  still  la- 
boring under  the  burden  of  a  ten  per- 
cent admission  tax,  put  on  by  their 
State  revenue  department,  are  conduct- 
ing a  strong  campaign  of  education  in 
advance  of  their  forthcoming  statewide 
election,  to  select  men  for  the  Legisla- 
ture who  will  oppose  the  present  bill 
and  aid  in  securing  its  repeal.  After 
months  of  bearing  the  double  burden  of 
a  State  and  Federal  tax,  totalling  twen- 
ty percent,  theatre  owners  in  this  state 
are  still  collecting  the  state  tax,  having 
twice  failed  to  have  the  nuisance  abated 
at  the  hands  of  their  lawmakers.  Now, 
with  a  new  election  on,  they  hope  to 
elect  men  to  the  General  Assembly  who 
will  be  favorably  impressed  with  their 
just  pleas  for  relief. 


FRANK  CONKLIN  TO 
DISTRIBUTE 

As  announced  earlier  in  the  week  the 
merger  of  the  Standard  Film  Lab- 
oratories with  the  Consolidated  Film 
Industries  has  changed  the  plans  of  the 
Standard  in  the  East  so  that  F.  G. 
"Conk"  Conklin  will  take  over  the  of- 
fices at  250  West  57th  Street,  New 
York  City,  but  he  will  not  continue  with 
the  Standard  Laboratories.  He  will 
give  his  entire  attention  to  the  distribu- 
tion of  independent  pictures  such  as 
"The  Chechahcos,"  "Missing  Daugh- 
ters," "Unseen  Hands,"  "The  Chase," 
etc. 

Mr.  Conklin  is  Receiver  for  Pre- 
ferred Pictures  under  an  order  of  ap- 
pointment by  Judge  Hand  of  June  9, 
1924. 

*    *  * 

STERNS  OF  CENTURY  EN- 
ROUTE  TO  NEW  YORK 

Julius  and  Abe  Stern,  president  and 
vice-president  of  Century  Comedies, 
have  left  Carlsbad,  where  they  have 
been  spending  their  vacation,  and  are 
on  their  way  back  to  New  York. 

Julius  Stern  left  Carlsbad  a  few 
weeks  ago  and  stopped  in  Paris  to  look 
over  the  comedy  field  for  new  material 
for  his  productions.  He  was  joined 
there  by  his  brother  and  after  a  few 
days  in  the  French  capital  they  left  for 
home. 

On  their  arrival  in  New  York  it  is 
expected  they  will  have  a  few  impor- 
tant announcements  to  make  regarding 
their  short  subject  product  for  next 
year.  It  is  understood  that  Julius  Stern 
has  purchased  several  stories  and  is  ne- 
gotiating with  one  of  the  members  of 
the  Follies  Bergere  to  come  to  this 
country  as  a  star  in  Century  Comedies. 


Sid  Grauman,  showman  extraordinary,  with  Mayor  Cryer  and  his  wife,  Alice 
Terry,  and  George  Walsh  at  the  opening  of  Grauman's  Hollywood  Egyptian 
Theatre,  with  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad"  United  Artists'  picture  with  Doug  Fairbanks. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  25 


Buffalo  Zone  Organization 
Meeting  a  Success 


THE  organization  meeting  of  the 
Buffalo  zone  of  the  motion  pic- 
ure  theatre  owners  of  New  York 
State,  September  9  in  the  Hotel  Statler, 
was  the  largest  gathering  of  exhibitors 
ever  held  in  western  New  York. 

The  promise  of  William  A.  Calihan, 
prominent  Rochester  exhibitor  to 
recommend  that  exhibitors  of  that  city 
join  up  with  the  state  organization 
brought  the  entire  assemblage  to  its 
feet  in  rousing  cheers.  Mr.  Calihan's 
promise  came  after  the  meeting  had 
tinanimously  voted  to  hold  open  a  place 
for  Rochester  on  the  board  of  directors. 
Exhibitors  in  Buffalo  and  surrounding 
territory  have  been  working  for  five 
years  to  try  and  get  Rochester  into  the 
state  organization,  that  aim  may  be  in 
view. 

J.  H.  Michael,  was  elected  chairman 
of  the  Buffalo  zone,  Arthur  L.  Skinner, 
secretary  and  Vincent  R.  McFaul, 
treasurer.   Bill  Dillon  of  Ithaca  has  re- 


signed from  the  board  of  directors,  so 
it  was  necessary  to  name  three  more 


Doris  Kenyon,  who  has  recently  been  en- 
gaged by  First  National,  for  featured  roles. 


men.  Two  of  them  are :  Mike  Woods 
of  Jamestown,  N.  Y.  and  Sidney  C. 
Allen,  of  Medina,  N.  Y.  the  third  place 
is  being  held  open  in  the  hope  that 
Rochester  will  come  in. 

J.  H.  Michael  acted  as  chairman  of 
the  meeting.  Congressman  S.  Wallace 
Dempsey,  was  introduced  and  compli- 
mented the  exhibitors  on  the  splendid 
educational  work  they  are  doing  and 
promised  them  every  aid  in  their  work. 
Michael  Walsh  of  Yonkers,  president 
of  the  state  organization  was  present. 
He  thanked  the  exhibitors  for  their  dis- 
play of  enthusiasm  and  intention  to  co- 
operate in  putting  the  state  organiza- 
tion over  100  percent.  The  board  of 
directors  are  going  to  get  to  work  to 
formulate  an  equitable  dues  plan  for 
the  Buffalo  zone.  One  which  will  not 
work  a  hardship  on  the  smaller  houses 
in  the  towns.  It  is  probable  that  a  flat 
rate  instead  of  five  cents  a  seat  may  be 
worked  out  in  some  cases. 

Following  the  meeting  everyone  pres- 
ent not  a  member  of  the  state  organiza- 
tion, signified  his  intention  of  signing 
up  and  secretary  Skinner  was  kept  busy 
taking  down  the  names  of  new  mem- 
bers. The  meeting  was  preceded  by  a 
luncheon. 


October  Set  As  Eschmann  Month 


In  First  National  s  Sales  Drive 


FIRST  National  Pictures  has  des- 
ignated the  month  of  October  as 
Eschmann  month  and  will  conduct 
a  sales  contest  with  prizes  of  more 
than  $8,000  in  cash  to  the  three 
branches  having  the  highest  standing. 
The  prize-money  will  be  divided  among 
the  three  District  Managers  whose  Di- 
visions rank  highest,  the  managers  of 
the  three  leading  Branches  and  every 
member  of  their  personnel. 

Eschmann  month  is  a  result  of  the 
sales  achievements  of  E.  A.  Eschmann, 
General  Manager  of  Distribution  for 
First  National  Pictures,  during  his  first 
year  in  that  capacity.  The  plan  orig- 
inated among  his  assistants  in  the  Dis- 
tribution Department  as  a  compliment 
to  him  and  to  show  their  appreciation 
of  his  conduct  of  the  department  and 
the  greatly  increased  sales  which  have 
marked  his  year's  regime.  His  con- 
tract with  First  National  was  recently 
renewed. 


The  following  "Proclamation  to  the 
First  National  Field  Organization"  has 
been  issued  by  Mr.  Eschmann's  as- 
sistants in  the  Distribution  Depart- 
ment : 

"Whereas,  the  personality  and  execu- 
tive ability  of  one  man  have  dominated 
the  distribution  activities  of  this  great 
organization  of  ours  since  July  1923, 
and 

"Whereas,  we  of  the  Department  of 
Distribution  are  desirous  of  showing 
our  appreciation  of  the  accomplish- 
ment ; 

"Therefore,  we  decree  a  campaign 
for  increased  sales  and  billings  to  cul- 
minate during  the  month  of  October. 
"The  man  is  E.  A.  Eschmann. 
"October  will  be  designated  as  Esch- 
mann month. 

(Signed)    W.  J.  Morgan 
S.  W.  Hatch 
A.  W.  Smith,  Jr. 
Chas.  M.  Steele/' 


In  order  that  the  greatest  sales  mo- 
mentum may  be  developed  in  Esch- 
mann month — October — the  Sales  Con- 
test will  start  on  September  14th  and 
will  continue  for  eight  consecutive 
weeks,  ending  on  Saturday,  November 
8th.  Sales  efforts  will  be  greatly  stim- 
ulated through  the  fact  that  every  em- 
ployee in  the  field  has  a  chance  to  share 
in  the -prize  money,  as  the  prizes  will 
be  awarded  on  a  percentage  basis  in- 
stead of  on  a  money  basis. 

For  the  purpose  of  the  contest,  the 
quotas  assigned  to  the  various  Branch 
Offices  for  the  last  quarter  of  1924  will 
be  used.  Branches  will  be  credited 
with  sales  as  follows :  60  percent.,  sales 
or  contracted  business,  including  both 
open  market  contracts  and  franchise 
datings;  40  percent.,  billings— that  is, 
{Continued  on  page  28) 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


First  National's  Sales  Organization 


1 —  B.  D.  Murphy,  Toronto  Exchange 

2 —  E.  C.  Rhoden,  Kansas  City  Exchange. 

3 —  C.  R.   Beachan,  Atlanta  Exchange 

4 —  A.  J.  Herman,  Albany  Exchange 

5 —  R.  C.   Seery,   Midwest  District  Manager 

6 —  C.  E.  Bond,  Chicago  Exchange 

7 —  Harry  Weiss,  St.   Louis  Exchange 


8 —  Thomas  B.   Spry,   Boston  Exchange 

9 —  E.  H.  Haines,  Cincinnati  Exchange 

10 —  Floyd  Brown,   Indianapolis  Exchange 

11 —  E.  A.  Eschmann,  Manager  Sales  Dept. 

12 —  M.  H.  Keleher,  New  Haven  Exchange 

13 —  W.  E.  Knotts,  Los  Angeles  Exchange 

14 —  H.  A.  Bandy,  Central  District  Manager 


15 —  Frank  L.  Vaugn,   Winnipeg  Exchange 

16 —  W.  J.   Heenan,   Philadelphia  Exchange 

17 —  R   S.   Wehrle,   Pittsburgh  Exchange 

18 —  A.  Gorman,   Montreal  Exchange 

19 —  H.   H.  Buxbaum,   Eastern  District  M'g'r. 

20 —  Leslie  Wilkes,  Dallas  Exchange 

21 —  Frank  J.  A.  McCarthy,  Buffalo  Exchange 


September  20,  1924 


Page  27 


Inaugurate  Great  Drive  in  October 


22 —  J-  H.  Ashby,  Denver  Exchange 

23 —  N.  H.  Moray,  Cleveland,  O.,  Exchange 

24 —  Paul  E.  Krieger,  Louisville  Exchange 

25 —  Sam  Coffland,  Vancouver  Exchange 

26 —  E.  J.  Tilton,  Des  Moines  Exchange 

27 —  Anthony  Ryan,   Oklahoma  City  Exchange 

28 —  L.  L.  Hall,  Salt  Lake  City  Exchange 


29 —  Robert  Smeltzer,  Washington  Exchange 

30 —  L.   O.   Lukan,   Minneapolis  Exchange 

31 —  C.  W.   Koerner,   Portland  Exchange 

32 —  Floyd  Brown,  Indianapolis  Exchange 

33 —  Harry  T.   Rolan,   Sub-Western  Dist.  M'g'r. 

34 —  F.   G.   Sliter,  Seattle  Exchange 

35 —  F.  P.  Brywn,  Charlotte  Exchange 

36 —  L.  J.  McCarthy,   Omaha  Exchange 


37 —  William  J.  Melody,  St.  John  Exchange 

38 —  H.  J.  Fitzgerald,  Milwaukee  Exchangei 

39 —  Chas.    Muehlman,    San  Francisco  Exchange 

40 —  F.  E.  North,  Detroit  Exchange 

41 —  Joseph    Skirboll,    Western   Dist.  Manager 

42 —  W.  E.  Gallaway,  Southern  Dist.  Manager 

43 —  Lucas  Connor,  New  Orleans  Exchange 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieiv 


October  Set  as  Eschmann  Month  in 
First  National's  Sales  Drive 

(Continued  from  page  25) 

pictures  actually  played  and  paid  for 
during  the  eight  weeks  of  the  contest. 

Sales,  or  contracted  business,  to  be 
eligible  in  the  contest,  must  bear  a  date 
between  September  14th  and  November 
8th,  inclusive,  and  must  carry  playdates 
maturing  on  or  before  January  31, 
1925. 

The  winning  Branches  will  be  deter- 
mined by  comparing  the  sales  and  bill- 
ings of  each  Branch  during  the  eight 
weeks  of  the  contest  with  their  sales 
and  billing  quotas.  The  Branch  hav- 
ing the  highest  standing  will  be  ranked 
first,  the  one  with  second  highest  stand- 
ing second,  and  so  on. 

The  Districts  will  be  ranked  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Branches— the 
composite  figures  of  the  Branches 
within  each  District  being  used  to  de- 
termine the  percentage  standing  of  the 
District. 

•  Fixed  cash  prizes  will  be  awarded  to 
the  Managers  of  the  three  winning 
Divisions  and  Districts,  to  the  assistant 
manager,  each  salesman,  head  booker, 
head  cashier  and  bookkeeper  of  each 
Branch.  The  largest  prizes,  naturally, 
will  go  to  the  winners  of  the  first  prize. 
To  all  other  employees  in  the  Branch 
ranking  first  will  be  awarded  a  sum 
equal  to  a  full  week's  salary;  to  other 
employees  in  the  second  Branch,  a  sum 
equal  to  75  per  cent,  of  a  week's  salary 
and  to  other  employees  in  the  Branch 
standing  third,  half  of  a  week's  salary. 
In  case  of  ties,  duplicate  payments  will 
be  made. 


Henry  Ginsberg,  who  makes  his  debut  into 
the  independent  producing  field,  with 
Benny    Leonard's    two    reel  features. 


FLORIDA  BOOMING 

Conditions  in  Florida  are  flourishing, 
even  throughout  the  usually  dully  Sum- 
mer season,  according  to  reports 
brought  to  Atlanta  by  J.  H.  Buettner. 
Due  to  good  crops,  and  the  many  im- 
provements going  on  in  preparation  for 
the  coming  Winter  tourist  season,  busi- 
ness has  been  better  in  Florida  than 
ever  before  during  the  passing  summer. 


Rudolph  Valentino,  soon  to  appear  in  Famous  Players- Lasky's  coming  production, 
"A  Sainted  Devil,"  .enacts  a  love  scene  with  Helen  D'Algy  in  his  inimitable  way. 


MUSIC  TAX  BATTLE 
RESUMED  IN  K.  C. 

Another  attack  was  launched  by  three 
music  companies  in  the  music  tax 
battle  against  exhibitors  in  Kansas  City, 
Wednesday.  Damages  totaling  $750 
are  sought  in  suits  filed  against  three 
exhibitors,  the  amounts  being  $250 
each.  The  exhibitors  are  L.  J.  Lenart, 
Roanoke  Theatre ;  J.  W.  Watson,  Ben- 
ton Theatre,  and  Jack  Roth,  Strand 
Theatre.  The  music  companies  are  Leo 
Feist,  Charles  K.  Harris  and  Jerome  H. 
Remick  and  Company,  the  suits  being 
filed  in  the  Federal  Court. 

"These  music  companies  are  not  fool- 
ing anybody,"  said  T.  M.  Eisner,  presi- 
dent of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas  City. 
"If  they  plan  to  frighten  a  few  timid 
exhibitors,  their  plan  may  work,  but  if 
they  expect  to  frighten  more  than  about 
10  percent  of  exhibitors  in  Kansas  City, 
they  have  undertaken  a  hopeless  task. 

"I  presume  this  is  a  follow  up  to  the 
decision  rendered  in  the  Federal  Court 
here  this  spring  in  suits  against  several 
Kansas  City  exhibitors.  As  unfavorable 
decisions  to  exhibitors  previously  had 
been  made  in  other  District  Federal 
Courts,  we  were  not  expecting  the  court 
here  to  establish  a  precedent.  We  ap- 
pealed the  cases  and  intend  to  take  the 
matter  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  unless  the  decision  in  the 
circuit  court  of  appeals  is  favorable  to 
us." 

Judge  VanValkenburgh,  who  ren- 
dered the  decision  several  months  ago, 
has  been  away  from  the  city  since  the 
application  for  appeal  was  filed  by  Sam- 
uel S.  Handy,  attorney  for  the  exhib- 
itors, and  the  appeal  bond  consequently 
has  not  yet  been  granted.  However, 
as  Judge  VanValkenburgh  returned 
this  week,  quick  action  is  anticipated. 


KANSAS  CITY  SCHOOLS 
HAVE  PICTURE  COURSE 

Motion  picture  courses,  termed  "de- 
partment of  visual  education,"  have 
been  established  in  Kansas  City  public 
schools.  These  departments  supple- 
ment the  textbook  teaching  of  ge- 
ography, history,  science  and  Latin  to 
a  great  measure. 

"If  there  is  one  course  in  the  public 
schools  which  comes  near  to  being  a 
universal  favorite,  it  probably  is  that 
offered  by  the  department  of  visual  in- 
struction," says  the  Kansas  City,  in 
commenting  on  the  new  courses. 

♦    ♦  * 

NEW  ARRIVAL 

Mrs.  John  G.  Gilbert  (Leatrice  Joy) 
gave  birth  to  an  eight-pound  daughter 
on  September  7  in  the  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital,  Hollywood.  Mother  and  baby 
are  doing  nicely. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  29 


Samuel  J.  Briskin,  who  with  George  H. 
Davis,  are  the  directors  of  Banner  Prod. 

ADLER  TO  REMAIN 
WITH  'BANDOLERO' 

In  anticipation  of  an  extensive  ex- 
ploitation campaign  that  will  embrace 
the  principal  theatres  in  leading  cities 
of  the  country,  Tom  Terris  Productions 
have  retained  the  services  of  Bert  Ad- 
ler  in  behalf  of  "The  Bandolero,"  an 
early  Metro-Goldwyn  release.  A  dis- 
tinctive campaign  is  being  worked  out, 
based  on  the  "different"  locale  of  the 
story — Spain  and  Cuba.  This  is  the 
second  Metro-Goldwyn  production  this 
year  having  the  special  services  of  Ad- 
ler,  who  acted  as  special  representative 
in  the  Spring  for  J.  Ernest  William- 
son's "Uninvited  Guest,"  a  Metro  pic- 
ture. 


PUBLIC  APPEARANCES 
FOR  MARY  KORNMAN 

The  kids  of  Oakland,  or  at  any  rate 
those  that  are  regular  patrons  of  the 
American  Theatre  there,  are  keen  spon- 
sors for  "Our  Gang"  comedies  since 
they  feel  that  they  have  a  personal  in- 
terest in  them  through  meeting  the 
Queen  of  Hal  Roach's  rascals.  The 
meeting  took  place  recently  when  little 
Mary  Kornman  made  a  personal  ap- 
pearance at  the  theatre  as  a  guest  of 
the  Oakland  California  Tribune. 

Miss  Kornman  is  the  second  member 
of  "Our  Gang"  to  make  a  personal  ap- 
pearance during  the  vacation  period. 
Joe  Cobb,  the  chap  who  is  fast  falling 
away  to  a  ton,  recently  appeared  at  a 
Seattle  theatre  while  visiting  relatives 
there.  Mary  is  the  daughter  of  Gene 
Kornman,  still  photographer  for  Harold 
Lloyd. 

*    *  * 

BEGGS  DEFEATS  BLUES 

The  City  of  Beggs,  Okla.,  will  have 
Sunday  Shows,  that  question  was  finally 
settled  when  Mayor  T.  A.  Jones  an- 
nounced his  veto  of  the  ordinance  clos- 
ing the  Sunday  shows  which  was 
passed  ten  days  ago  by  the  council  by 
a  majority  of  5  to  3. 


BRANCH  MANAGERS 
ARE  OPTIMISTIC 

Branch-Managers,  reporting  to  the 
Pathe  Home  Office  under  that  com- 
pany's policy  of  having  its  exchange 
managers  spend  a  week  in  New  York 
from  time  to  time  conferring  with  the 
sales  executives,  bring  word  of  improv- 
ing conditions  in  their  respective  terri- 
tories. 


An  interesting  study  of  Robert  Fraser  who  plays  a  leading  role  in  C.  B.  C.s 

production,  "The  Foolish  Virgin." 


Little  Mary  Kornman,  Queen  of  the  "Our 
Gang"    bunch     of    juvenile  comedians. 

The  outlook  in  the  South  is  declared 
by  Paul  Schmuck,  the  ISfew  Orleans 
branch-manager,  to  be  particularly  fav- 
orable. The  cotton  crops  are  satisfac- 
tory, and  this  coupled  with  the  fact 
that  certain  European  markets  closed 
since  the  World  War  are  beginning  to 
renew  orders  with  something  like  their 
old-time  proportions  holds  forth  con- 
siderable promise  for  the  principal  in- 
dustry of  the  South. 

Other  Branch-Managers  who  have 
reported  to  the  Pathe  Home  Office  dur- 
ing the  past  few  weeks  and  brought 
word  of  generally  sound  business  pros- 
pects for  the  coming  season  are  O.  J. 
Ruby  of  Cleveland,  E.  E.  Heller  of 
Charlotte,  T.  G.  Meyers  of  Des  Moines, 
and  R.  S.  Ballantyne  of  Omaha. 
*    #  * 

INTERESTING  RADIO 

INSTRUCTION  BOOKLET 

An  exceedingly  comprehensive  in- 
struction booklet  has  been  issued  by 
the  Freed-Eisemann  Radio  Corpora- 
tion. The  booklet  contains  40  pages  of 
matter  and  much  of  it  is  devoted  to 
items  of  interest  to  the  radio  enthusi- 
ast. 

It  includes  such  information  as  to 
how  to  string  an  aerial ;  a  list  of 
"don'ts" ;  broadcasting  stations;  com- 
mon difficulties  explained ;  and  a  log  for 
stations  that  have  been  heard. 

It  gives  instruction  in  detail  regard- 
ing the  connecting  and  operating  of  the 
radio  set  and  should  prove  a  valuable 
handbook  to  any  radio  bug. 

Since  the  theatres  have  taken  up  the 
business  of  broadcasting  their  pro- 
grams, the  air  is  full  of  melody  and 
enthusiasts  throughout  the  country  are 
tuning  in  to  receive  the  benefit  of  the 
world's  greatest  musical  concerts- 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Preferred  Pictures  Prepare 
Excellent  Lineup 


EXHIBITORS  can  depend  upon 
nine  box-office  pictures  this  year 
from  B.  P.  Schulberg  Produc- 
tions, is  the  promise  of  B.  P.  Schulberg 
who  will  continue  to  make  Preferred 
Pictures  for  release  on  the  independent 
market. 

The  first  of  these,  "The  Breath  of 
Scandal,"  is  completed  and  prints  are 
now  in  the  Schulberg  exchanges  ready 
for  immediate  playdates.  Eve  Unsell 
adapted  this  story  by  Edwin  Balmer 
and  the  direction  is  credited  to  Gasnier. 
In  the  cast  are  featured  Betty  Blythe, 
Lou  Tellegen,  Patsy  Ruth  Miller,  For- 
rest Stanley,  Jack  Mulhall,  Phyllis 
Haver,  Myrtle  Stedman,  Charles  Clary 
and  Frank  Leigh. 

The  remaining  eight  productions 
listed  by  Mr.  Schulberg  are  as  follows : 

"White  Man,"  an  adventure  story  of 
the  African  jungles  by  George  Agnew 
Chamberlain. 

"The  Triflers,"  adapted  from  the  so- 
ciety novel  by  Frederick  Orin  Bartlett. 

"The  Boomerang,"  the  David  Belasco 
stage  play  by  Winchell  Smith  and  Vic- 
tor Mapes. 

"When  A  Woman  Reaches  Forty," 
story  by  Royal  A.  Baker,  motion  pic- 
ture censor  for  the  City  of  Detroit. 

"Faint  Perfume,"  Zona  Gale's  best 
selling  novel  of  small  town  life. 

"My  Lady's  Lips,"  an  original  screen 
story  by  Eve  Unsell. 

"The  Mansion  Of  Aching  Hearts,"  . 


J.  G.  Bachman,  who  believes  "The  Breath 
of  Scandal,"  Preferred  Pictures  produc- 
tion   is    a    real    showmanship  picture. 


based  upon  the  famous  song  by  Harry 
Von  Tilzer  and  Arthur  J.  Lamb. 

"Frivolity,"  written  directly  for  the 
screen  by  Larry  Evans. 

"  'The  Breath  of  Scandal'  is  the 
greatest  box-office  picture  I  have  ever 
directed,"  says  Gasnier  who  has  just 
completed  a  screen  version  of  Edwin 
Balmer's  novel  for  B.  P.  Schulberg  to 
be  released  as  a  Preferred  Picture. 

For  many  seasons,  Gasnier's  name 
has  been  synonymous  with  box-office 
value.  In  his  twenty  years  experience 
as  a  director,  ever  since  the  days  when 
pictures  were  literally  "in  their  infancy," 
Gasnier  has  furnished  exhibitors  with 
a  consistent  output  of  audience  pictures. 

"The  Butterfly  Man,"  "The  Cor- 
sican  Brothers"  and  "Kismet"  are  a 
trio  of  his  early  productions  that  will 
be  remembered  as  outstanding  accom- 
plishments at  the  time  they  were  re- 
leased. 

For  more  than  two  years  Gasnier  has 
been  making  his  own  productions  Under 
the  supervision  of  B.  P.  Schulberg  and 
has  released  them  as  Preferred  Pic- 
tures. His  first  such  release,  "Rich 
Men's  Wives,"  was  one  of  the  most  not- 
able box-office  successes  of  1922.  He 
followed  this  with  "Poor  Men's 
Wives,"  "Daughters  of  the  Rich," 
"Mothers-in-Law,"  "Maytime"  and 
"Poisoned  Paradise,"  all  of  which  reg- 
istered with  great  success. 

*    *  * 

BURTON  KING  TO 
DIRECT  FOR  MAIDINA 

In  connection  with  the  production 
plans  of  Maidina  Pictures,  Inc.,  987 
Eighth  Avenue,  New  York,  as  recently 
announced  in  the  trade  press,  the  fol- 
lowing letter  from  Director  Burton 
King,  now  under  contract  to  Banner 
Productions,  Inc.,  will  serve  to  clarify 
a  situation  arising  from  a  seeming  con- 
flict between  Director  King's  present 
contractual  obligations  and  his  connec- 
tions with  Maidina  Pictures  Inc. 

Mr.  King's  letter  follows: 

Maidina  Pictures,  Inc., 
987  Eighth  A-.  .nue, 
New  York. 
Gentlemen : 

This  is  to  advise  you  in  accordance 
with  our  agreement,  that  I  shall  be  pre- 
pared to  begin  production  for  you  and 
direct  such  pictures  as  you  may  select, 
upon  the  conclusion  of  my  present  con- 
tract with  Banner  Productions,  Inc.,  of 
1540  Broadway,  New  York. 

This  contract  calls  for  the  production 
of  four  features,  two  of  which,  "The 
Truth  About  Women"  and  "The  Man 


B.  P.  Schulberg,  of  Preferred  Pictures, 
who  has  planned  nine  features  for  next  year. 

Without  A  Heart,"  I  have  already  com- 
pleted, and  the  third  "Those  Who 
Judge,"  is  now  in  production.  The 
fourth  picture,  which  has  already  been 
selected,  I  expect  to  put  into  produc- 
tion early  in  November. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  series,  pro- 
vided Banner  Productions  Inc.,  do  not 
claim  my  services,  under  their  option, 
for  further  pictures,  if  you  are  then 
ready  to  start  production,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  begin  work  for  you  under  our 
agreement. 

If  there  should  be  further  delay  in 
completing  our  affiliation,  each  of  us 
shall  be  free  to  arrange  terms  to  meet 
our  respective  obligations. 

Trusting  that  this  letter  will  clarify 
the  misunderstanding  which  seems  to 
have  arisen  regarding  my  connections 
with  Banner  Productions  Inc.,  and 
Maidina  Pictures  Inc.,  I  am 

Yours  very  truly, 
Burton  King 

*    *  * 

MAY  McAVOY  IN 
'BEN  HUR'  CAST 

The  much  coveted  role  of  Esther  in 
the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production 
of  Lew  Wallace's  "Ben  Hur,"  which 
Fred  Niblo  is  directing  in  Rome  with 
Ramon  Novarro  in  the  title  role,  has 
finally  been  awarded  to  May  McAvoy. 
This  announcement  comes  after  months 
of  deliberation,  during  which  practical- 
ly every  leading  actress  in  motion  pic- 
tures was  considered  for  the  part.  Irv- 
ing G.  Thalberg,  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er, executive,  signed  this  popular  player 
last  week.  Miss  McAvoy  will  leave 
with  her  mother  for  Rome  within  the 
fortnight. 

With  the  signing  of  Miss  McAvoy 
the  cast  of  "Ben  Hur"  is  practically 
complete. 


September  20,  1924 

New  Producers 

Maidina  Pictures  Will  Make 
First  of  Series  in  East 

Assembling  about  themselves  a  group 
of  earnest  men  of  wide  motion  picture 
experience  Eugene  di  Napoli  and  Lewis 
I.  Maisell,  the  founders  of  Maidina  Pic- 
tures Inc.,  are  laying  a  strong  founda- 
tion in  preparation  of  their  entry  into 
the  producing  field. 

Production  activities  will  be  centered 
in  the  East.  Names  of  proven  box- 
office  value  will  assume  the  important 
roles  in  these  pictures  which  will  be 
made  from  stories  written  by  authors 
who  have  already  attained  the  rank  of 
literary  distinction.  Distribution  of  this 
product  will  in  all  probability  go 
through  a  well  known  distributing  or- 
ganization. 

Filoteo  Alberini,  film  pioneer  and 
famed  inventor  of  the  Panoramic  Mo- 
tion Picture  Camera,  who  founded  the 
Cines  Company  of  Rome,  Italy,  is 
President  and  Technical  Director. 

With  Edison  and  the  Lumiere 
Brothers  of  France,  Alberini  was  one 
of  the  very  first  to  invent  apparatus  for 
the  photography  and  projection  of  Mo- 
tion Pictures.  "The  Father  of  the 
European  Cinema  Industry"  is  the  dis- 
tinction that  has  been  bestowed  upon 
Alberini  inasmuch  as  he  was  the  first 
to  give  commercial  impulse  to  the  cine- 
matograph by  opening  the  first  theatre 
in  Europe  for  the  presentation  of  pic- 
tures at  popular  prices. 

Burton  King,  well  known  to  the  in- 
dustry as  a  feature  director  will  handle 
the  megaphone  for  this  new  company 
as  soon  as  he  is  free  from  his  con- 
tractual obligations  to  Banner  Produc- 
tions Inc. 

And  now  from  over  the  seven  seas — 
from  mystic  India — comes  the  latest  ad- 
dition to  the  Maidina  staff,  Edwin 
Meyers,  the  brilliant,  young  photoplay- 
wright  who  is  now  Scenario-Editor. 

Mr.  Meyers  has  lately  been  associated 
with  the  Madan  Theatres,  Ltd.,  of  Cal- 
cutta, India,  the  largest  and  most  pow- 
erful producing  and  exhibiting  organi- 
zation in  the  Orient,  as  chief  of  their 
Scenario  Department.  He  has  also 
written  and  produced  a  number  of 
Oriental  screen  classics  which  have 
gained  for  him  an  enviable  reputation 
in  his  native  land.  Mr.  Meyers  is  a 
deep  creative  thinker  and  philosopher 
whose  remarkable  adaptability  in  mo- 
tion picture  technique  and  screen  story 
construction  has  aroused  much  atten- 
tion in  American  film  circles. 

FAMOUS  PLAYERS  OF 
CANADA  EXPANDS 

One  of  the  most  important  or  recent 
theatre  transactions  is  reported  at  Mon- 
treal, Quebec,  in  the  acquiring  by  the 


Gasnier,  who  is  to  direct  "The  Triflers" 
as  his  second  Preferred  picture. 

Famous  Players  Canadian  Corporation, 
Limited,  Toronto,  of  the  chain  of  ex- 
cellent moving  picture  theatres  operated 
in  _  Montreal  by  Independent  Amuse- 
ments, Limited,  of  which  George  Nich- 
olas of  Montreal  has  been  managing  di- 
rector for  a  number  of  years.  No  less 
than  six  attractive  houses  figure  in  the 
deal,  two  of  them  being  well-established 
down-town  theatres. 

The  list  includes  the  Strand  and  Re- 
gent Theatres,  which  are  centrally  lo- 
cated, the  Papineau,  Belmont,  Corona 
and  Plaza  all  of  which  serve  various 
definite  districts  of  Canada's  largest 
city.  Incidentally,  the  four  last  named 
are  comparatively  new  structures,  the 


Page  31 

Corona  and  Plaza  having  been  opened 
a  little  over  a  year  ago. 

The  absorption  of  the  Montreal  cir- 
cuit by  Famous  Players  marks  the  dis- 
appearance of  probably  the  most  influ- 
ential group  of  independent  moving  pic- 
ture houses  in  Canada  as  such.  At  the 
same  time,  the  ever-growing  Famous 
Players  Corporation  is  becoming 
stronger  than  ever,  intimation  being 
given  by  N.  L.  Nathanson  of  Toronto, 
managing  director  of  the  corporation, 
that  Famous  now  controls  upwards  of 
70  high  class  moving  picture  and  vaude- 
ville theatres  in  all  the  important  cities 
of  the  Dominion. 

*    *  * 

"PETE"  MILNE 

PUTS  ONE  OVER 

Without  even  whispering  a  word 
along  Broadway,  Peter  J.  Milne  "Tele- 
graph" film  writer  folded  his  tent  like 
a  "Son  of  the  Sahara"  and  slipped 
silently  away  to  the  "Little  Church 
Around  the  Corner"  last  Sunday. 

As  all  filmdom  knows  "Pete"  is  a 
publicity  man  as  well  as  a  motion  pic- 
ture writer,  and  this  is  the  first  time 
on  record  that  he  ever  did  anything 
silently. 

The  girl  who  accepted  "Pete's"  chal- 
lenge is  Janet  Cruikshank,  a  raven 
haired  beauty  from  Greenwich  Village. 
"Larry"  Reid,  the  critic,  who  is  always 
in  character,  was  best  man.  He  says 
the  bride  was  a  "perfect  picture." 

Incidentally,  "Larry"  is  gathering  a 
lot  of  valuable  altar  experience,  this  be- 
ing the  third  time  this  season  he  has 
done  a  friend  a  mean  trick. 

The  well  wishes  of  all  New  York 
follow  "Pete."  And  as  for  Janet — well 
her  friends  hope  for  the  best. 


They  try  and  they  try  but  they  can't  make  the  laughmaker  smile.  The  trials  of  a 
comedian  are  indicated  here  when  the  entire  staff  insists  on  trying  to  make 
Buster  Keaton,  Metro  star,  laugh — or  even  smile.     His  reputation  is  at  stake. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Frank  Mayo  delivers  a  Dempsey,  in  this  scene  from  Associated  Exhibitor's  pro- 
duction, "The  Lawful  Cheater."  Raymond  Griffith  being  the  victim  of  the  knock-out. 


ORMISTON  SUCCEEDS 
PAUL  PEREZ 

Harry  Ormiston,  the  busiest  publicist 
up  in  Universal  working  under  genial 
Paul  Gulick,  has  been  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed Paul  Perez,  who  left  for  London 
a  few  days  ago. 

This  means  that  Ormiston  will  assist 
Gulick  with  the  preparation  of  the  Uni- 
versal Weekly,  besides  continuing  to 
supply  the  trade  with  Universal's  ex- 
ploitation material.  He  has  been  in  the 
"game"  for  nearly  three  years  and  dur- 
ing that  time  has  made  great  strides 
as  an  exploiter  and  general  press  agent. 

Ormiston  is  also  Director  of  Pub- 
licity for  Century  Comedies,  having 
stepped  into  Dave  Bader's  place  when 
he  went  to  Europe  last  April.  Since 
then  he  has  been  handling  the  destinies 
of  Julius  and  Abe  Stern's  product. 

Exhibitor's  Review  wishes  him  the 
good  luck  he  deserves. 


NEW  THEATRES  FOR 
NORTHERN  NEW  YORK 

Several  new  motion  picture  theatres 
in  northern  New  York  are  scheduled  to 
open  this  fall.  In  Messena  Springs, 
Attorney  Thomas  E.  Shean  is  erecting 
a  theatre  to  be  know  as  the  Rialto,  and 
which  when  completed  will  offer  op- 
position to  the  house  owned  and  oper 
ated  by  Vic  Warren. 

In  Potsdam,  the  house  which  is  be- 
ing built  by  the  Papayanakos  brothers, 
and  which  will  be  managed  by  Harry 
Papayanakos,  has  reached  the  stage  as- 
suring its  opening  not  later  than  Oct.  1. 

The  house  is  a  large  and  attractive 
one  and  is  extremely  well  located.  The 


Strand,  in  Schenectady,  which  was 
quite  badly  damaged  by  fire  the  fore 
part  of  July,  has  been  repaired,  and  re- 
opened during  the  past  week  wjth 
"The  Covered  Wagon"  as  the  attrac- 
tion. 

There  has  been  a  change  in  the 
Strand  in  Scotia,  which  is  now  operated 
by  John  Myers,  of  the  Star  Theatre  in 
Schenectady. 

Bob  Landry's  house  known  as  the 
Strand,  in  Ogdensburg,  is  due  to  re- 
open October  1.  Workmen  have  been 
employed  on  the  house  for  several 
weeks  in  redecorating  it  and  installing 
many  improvements  including  some 
new  crystal  chandeliers  in  the  lobby. 


JUNE  MATHIS  SIGNS 
WITH  FIRST  NATIONAL 

June  Mathis  has  been  signed  by  First 
National. 

Richard  A.  Rowland,  general  of  First 
National  Pictures,  Inc.,  authorized  the 
announcement  in  Los  Angeles. 

Dominant  thinker,  iconaclast  of 
screen  tradition,  woman  of  achievement, 
June  Mathis  becomes  a  member  of  the 
First  National  organization  with  her 
past  successes  an  inspirational  memory 
and  the  future  unlimited  before  her. 

That,  in  brief,  was  Rowland's  ap- 
praisal of  his  acquisition. 

"Miss  Mathis,"  he  continued,  "disbe- 
lieves the  theory  that  there  are  only 
thirty-two  dramatic  situations  in  life. 
She  has  sold  us  the  thirty-third  already. 
She  is  going  to  have  a  desk,  a  pencil 
and  the  resources  of  a  great  organiza- 
tion to  capitalize  her  powers. 


GERMAN  COMPANY 
OPENS  OFFICE  HERE 

The  U.  F.  A.  Company  Union  Film 
Alliance)  of  Germany  has  opened  of- 
fices in  the  Loew  State  Theater  Build- 
ing here.  The  purpose  of  the  office 
will  be  to  look  after  the  sales  and  dis- 
tribution contracts  of  the  features 
which  the  U.  F.  A.  concern  will  export 
to  this  country  beginning  shortly. 

The  office  is  in  charge  of  Frederic 
Wynne-Jones,  at  one  time  associated 
with  the  D.  W.  Griffith  enterprises  here. 

Mr.  Wynne-Jones  recently  returned 
from  Europe,  where  he  has  been  con- 
ferring with  U.  F.  A.  officials.  He  is 
not  yet  ready  to  make  a  statement  re- 
garding the  number  of  productions  to 
be  brought  over  by  his  company  or  the 
channels  of  their  release,  but  expects 
to  issue  an  official  statement  next  week. 


Glenn  Hunter  in  the  picturized  version  of  "Merton  of  the  Movies"  again  lives  the 
disappointed  screen  struck  hero  in  Famous    Players-Lasky   Corp.'s  production. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  33 


Sol  Lesser  of  Principal  Pictures  uses  the 
megaphone  to  telephone  to  Harold  Bell 
Wright  that  his  picture  "The  Mine  with 
the   Iron  Door"  is  a  great  production. 

RED  SEAL  GETS 
C.  &  C.  SHORTS 

Col.  F.  W.  Clarke  of  Cranfield  & 
Clarke  announces  that  he  has  just 
closed  a  deal  with  Edwin  Myles  Fad- 
man  of  Red  Seal  Pictures  Corporation 
for  the  latter  to  distribute  the  entire 
output  of  the  Hepworth  short  subjects 
throughout  the  United  States  not  in- 
cluding Canada  which  will  be  disposed 
shortly  to  another  distributing  organi- 
zation. 

The  first  ten  subjects  included  in 
this  deal  have  been  announced  as  fol- 
lows :  "Through  Three  Reigns,"  "A 
Peep  in  Puzzleland,"  "The  Zoo's  Who's 
Who,"  "Magic  Hour,"  "If  Matches 
Struck,"  "A  Day  With  the  Gypsies," 
"Do  You  Remember,"  "Stratford-On- 
Avon,"  "Rubbernecking  in  London" 
and  "Up  the  River  with  Molly." 

"Through  Three  Reigns"  the  first 
subject  to  be  released  of  the  above 
mentioned  batch,  received  its  Ameri- 
can premiere  at  the  Rivoli  Theatre, 
New  York,  on  the  week  of  August  31, 
where  it  received  the  unanimous  praise 
of  the  daily  press. 

Contracts  with  the  two  foremost  first 
run  exhibitors  in  the  country,  Dr.  Hugo 
Reisenfeld  of  the  Rialto  and  Rivoli 
Theatres,  New  York,  and  Balaban  and 
Katz  of  Chicago,  have  been  signed  for 
the  entire  batch  of  ten  subjects  just  re- 
leased. 

*    *  * 

'SIREN  OF  SEVILLE' 
HAS  WORLD  PREMIERE 

The  world  premiere  for  the  Hunt 
Stromberg  production  "The  Siren  of 
Seville"  at  the  California  Theatre  in 
San  Francisco  last  week  resulted  in  a 
decided  triumph  in  which  the  producer 
and  Priscilla  Dean  shared  equal  honors. 

The  newspaper  criticisms  without  ex- 
ception seconded  the  expressions  of  the 
audience  and  Hunt  Stromberg  who  per- 
sonally attended  the  opening  returned 
to  Los  Angeles  "satisfied  and  inspired." 


DUNLAP  TO  DIRECT 
NEW  PICTURE 

C.  B.  C.  announce  in  a  special  from 
their  Western  studios  that  Scotty  Dun- 
lap  has  been  signed  to  direct  "One 
Glorious  Night"  a  forthcoming  story  in 
their  series  of  eight  Columbia  Produc- 
tions. Dunlap  is  best  known  for  his 
production  of  "Robinson  Crusoe,  Jr.," 
for  Jackie  Coogan.  The  wire  also  an- 
nounces that  George  W.  Hill  will  direct 
"The  Midnight  Express"  another  of 
the  Columbia  series. 


MEMPHIS  MUSICIANS 
ACCEPT  SCALE 

The  musicians  strike  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  has  been  settled  temporarily. 
The  finale  adjustment  depends  upon 
the  nation-wide  negotiations  now  under 
way.  The  walkout  of  the  Southland 
players  took  place  on  Labor  Day,  but 
they  returned  to  work  at  Loew's  State 
on  Tuesday  and  at  the  Pantages  on 
Wednesday,  last.  Loew's  Palace  is  us- 
ing radio. 

A  raise  of  $5  per  week  has  been 
granted  the  stage  hands  employed  by 
the  Orpheum  Theatre,  Quincy,  III., 
which  opened  for  one  season  on  Labor 
Day. 

*    *  * 

DESERVED  PROMOTION 
FOR  SIDNEY  KENT 

At  the  regular  monthly  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Famous 


Sidney  R.  Kent,  who  has  just  been  pro- 
moted to  the  office  of  General  Manager  of 
Famous  Players-Lasky's  Corporation.  Mr. 
Kent  formerly  was  Sales  Manager. 


Players-Lasky  Corporation,  held  Sep- 
tember 8,  the  office  of  General  Man- 
ager was  created,  and  Sidney  R.  Kent, 
elected  to  fill  the  position.  It  is  under- 
stood that  the  office  was  created  as  a 
testimonial  to  Mr.  Kent  and  as  a  mark 
of  appreciation  by  the  board,  of  the 
efficiency  he  has  developed  in  the  sales 
organiaztion. 


A  tensely  dramatic  scene  from  Famous  Players-Lasky's  production  of  "Her  Love 
Story."    Gloria  Swanson  and  Ian  Keith    play    leading    roles    in    this  feature. 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


Two  shiny  "Welcome  Home"  signs  dec- 
orate the  entrance  to  the  Paramount  West 
Coast  studio. 

They  are  for  Lois  Wilson  and  Ernest 
Torrence,  featured  Paramount  players, 
who  have  just  returned  home  after  a  trip 
to  Europe. 

Immediately  after  their  arrival,  both 
started  work  in  "North  of  36,"  the  Emer- 
son Hough  story  which  Irvin  Willat  is 
producing   for  Paramount. 

Roland  T.  Hill  enterprises  operating 
through  Western  Tennessee  with  headquarters 
in  Tullanola,  will  add  another  link  to  its 
chain  when  the  new  theatre  in  Franklin,  Tenn. 
is  opened.  It  will  conform  to  the  other  Hill 
houses  in  size  and  appointments  and  will  be 
opened  the  latter  part  of  August. 

*  *  * 

C.  B.  C.  Film  Sales  are  now  considering 
Richard  Harding  Davis'  story,  "Vera  the 
Medium,"  for  possible  production  in  place  of 
Cosmo  Hamilton's  "Who  Cares  ?"  in  the  pres- 
ent series  of  eight  Columbia  Productions.  If 
the  story  be  adopted  the  scenario  will  be 
written  by  Heath  Cobb  and  Leslie  Schaumann 
both  of  the  C.  B.  C.  organization. 

*  *  * 

Irving  Cummings  is  to  direct  "Pandora 
La  Croix,"  the  film  version  of  Gene 
Wright's  exciting  novel  of  Indian  army 
life,  for  First  National  Productions,  Inc. 
The  announcement  was  made  by  Earl 
Hudson,  under  whose  supervision  the  ad- 
venturous tale  will  reach  the  screen. 

*  *  * 

Pat  O'Malley  will  make  his  debut  under 
the  Lasky  banner  next  week  in  accordance 
with  a  contract  which  gives  him  the  male 
lead  opposite  Agnes  Ayres  in  the  forth- 
coming picturization  of  "Worldly  Goods," 
by  Sophie  Kerr.    Paul  Bern  will  direct. 

The  production  will  mark  the  first  ap- 
pearance together  on  the  screen  in  over 
three  years  of  Miss  Ayres  and  Mr.  O'Mal- 
ley. 

*  *  * 

Complete  control  of  an  invisible  mob  to 
synchronize  with  the  scene  being  filmed  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  away  through  the  use 
of  the  radio  was  reported  by  Robert  Z. 
Leonard,  director  of  the  First  National 
drama,  "Wilderness,"  in  which  Corinne 
Griffith  is  starring. 

Leonard's  perfection  of  this  new  phase 
of  radio  utility  was  achieved  on  location 
on  the  Sacramento  River,  Northern  Cali- 
fornia, where  the  "Wilderness"  cast  has 
been  filming  water  scenes. 

*  *  * 

Tom  Ince's  first  Charles  Ray  starring 
vehicle  for  Pathe  titled  "Dynamite 
Smith,"  in  which  Wallace  Beery,  Jacquel- 
ine Logan  and  Bessie  Love  are  presented 
in  the  supporting  cast,  will  have  its  first 
public  showing  in  America  at  the  Cali- 
fornia Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  where  it  is 
booked  for  an  indefinite  run  to  open  Oc- 
tober 11th. 


The  Independent  Pictures  Corporation 
is  about  to  place  upon  the  State  Right 
market  the  first  of  its  society  super  spe- 
cials directed  by  Harry  Revier  to  be  re- 
leased under  the  title  of  "Dangerous 
Pleasure." 

This  production  was  built  upon  a  pre- 
tentious scale  and  is  rated  by  Mr.  Gold- 
burg,  President  of  the  Independent  Pic- 
tures Corporation,  as  the  outstanding 
feature  of  his  organization  produced  this 
year. 

*  *  * 

Owing  to  the  mass  of  unusual  details 
involved  in  the  production  of  "Barbara 
Frietchie"  and  the  elaborations  made  on 
the  Clyde  Fitch  play  as  originally  written 
for  the  stage,  the  work  of  transferring  this 
big  American  classic  to  the  screen  has  far 
exceeded  its  time  schedule,  and  the  date 
of  its  release  has  been  moved  back  from 
August  24  to  September  14  by  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation. 

*  *  # 

In  order  to  prepare  for  his  most  am- 
bitious schedule  as  an  independent  pro- 
ducer, Samuel  Goldwyn  today  announced 
the  enlargement  of  his  scenario  depart- 
ment with  the  appointment  of  Miss  Sonya 
Levien  as  scenario  editor.  Miss  Levien 
has  just  resigned  as  managing  editor  of 
McClure's  Magazine. 

*  *  * 

Samuel  Sax,  president  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Lumas  Film  Corporation,  dis- 
tributors of  the  Gotham  Productions,  an- 
nounces that  production  activities  are  now 
going  at  high  speed  at  the  Hollywood 
Studios  in  Hollywood  under  the  direction 
of  James  P.  Hogan. 

Of  the  series  of  six  Gotham  productions 
that  will  be  released  on  the  independent 
market  by  the  Lumas  Corporation,  two 
have  been  completed  and  actual  produc- 
tion has  already  been  started  on  the 
third. 


Buster  Keaton's  latest  picture  "The 
Navigator"  is  said  to  be  the  most  expen- 
sive comedy  ever  produced.  It  cost  $500,- 
000. 

*  *  * 

On  August  21  the  cameras  started  to 
click  on  "The  Beloved  Brute"  which  is 
scheduled  on  Vitagraph's  release  chart  for 
mid  December. 

'  '*  f  2*  !'  •'* 

Principal  Pictures  Corporation,  now  in 
the  last  week  of  shooting  on  "The  Mine 
With  The  Iron  Door" — are  already  pre- 
paring the  next  of  the  Harold  Bell  Wright 
stories  for  immediate  production. 

*  *  * 

Olga  Printzlau,  one  of  the  highest  priced 
scenario  writers  in  the  business,  has  again 
been  signed  by  Warner  Bros,  to  make 
the  screen  adaptation  of  Max  Kretzer's 
"The  Man  Without  a  Conscience." 

*  *  * 

In  "Here's  How,"  a  Universal-Jewel  pro- 
duction, Alec  B.  Francis  will  make  his 
first  appearance  in  Universal  pictures.  He 
has  been  cast  for  the  role  of  John  Har- 
ring  in  this  production  which  features  May 
McAvoy. 

H*     ^-  4s 

Preparations  for  the  picturization  of  Ed- 
gar Selwyn's  sensational  stage  success 
"The  Mirage"  were  started  this  week  at 
The  Thos.  H.  Ince  Studio,  immediately 
upon  the  completion  of  "Barbara  Frietchie" 
which  it  will  follow  on  the  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corporation  program. 

*  *  * 

Harmon  Weight  entered  yesterday  on 
the  second  week  of  work  on  the  new  As- 
sociated Arts'  production  "Hard  Cash," 
slated  for  early  autumn  release  by  F.  B.  O. 
Production  headquarters  have  been  estab- 
lished at  the  F.  B.  O.  Hollywood  studios, 
where  Messrs.  Goebel  and  Erb  intend  to  hold 
forth  permanently  as  indepedent  producers. 


September  20.  1<>24 


Page  35 


William  F.  Russell  will  interpret  the 
title  role  of  "The  Beloved  Brute,"  the  mo- 
tion picture  version  of  the  Kenneth  Per- 
kins novel  which  will  be  directed  by  Com- 
modore J.  Stuart  Blackton  at  the  Vita- 
graph  studios  in  Hollywood.  Work  on  the 
production  has  just  been  begun. 

*  *  '  * 

Editorial  work  on  "In  Hollywood  with 
Potash  and  Perlmutter"  is  practically  fin- 
ished and  Samuel  Goldwyn,  producer  of 
this  riotously  funny  First  National  pic- 
ture, will  take  it  with  him  when  he  leaves 
for  New  York  in  the  near  future. 

*  *  * 

Edith  Wharton  Pulitzer's  prize  winning 
novel,  "The  Age  of  Innocence"  is  being 
rapidly  whipped  into  production  at  the 
Warner  Bros.  West  Coast  studio  with  a 

cast  of  exceptional  players. 

*  *  * 

Beverly  Bayne,  who  recently  signed  a 
Warner  contract,  is  co-starring  with 
Elliott  Dexter,  thereby  making  a  combina- 
tion of  one  of  the  most  popular  and  ex- 
perienced leads  in  motion  pictures. 

The  cast  of  "Women  First,"  the  fourth 
of  the  Perfection  Series  just  completed 
and  on  its  way  to  the  East  is  as  follows: 
Eva  Novak,  William  Fairbanks,  Lloyd 
Whitlock,  Lydia  Knott,  Bob  Rhodes,  Bill 
Dyer,  Meta  Sterling,  Max  Ascher,  Andy 
Waldron,  Dan  Crimmins,  Bill  Carroll, 
Jack  Richardson. 

*  *  * 

The  shortest  negotiations  on  record  re- 
sulting in  a  motion  picture  contract  took 
place  today  between  Bessie  Love  and 
Paramount  according  to  an  announcement 
made  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice-presi- 
dent, in  charge  of  production.  At  9.30 
Miss  Love  entered  the  office  of  Charles 
Eyton,  General  Manager  of  the  West 
Coast  studio  activities  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation.  By  11.30  she 
was  on  the  transcontinental  train  bound 
for  New  York  where  she  will  play  in 
Thomas  Meighan's  current  starring  pic- 
ture, "Tongues  of  Flame." 


Casting  is  being  rushed  on  "Those  Who 
Judge,"  the  third  feature  offering  in  the 
Banner  Big  4  Series,  directed  by  Burton 
King,  of  which  the  first  two  were  "The 
Truth  About  Women"  and  "The  Man 
Without  A  Heart,"  according  to  an  an- 
nouncement by  George  H.  Davis  and  Sam- 
uel J.  Briskin,  directing  heads  of  Banner 
Productions,  Inc. 

Before  leaving  for  Portland  with  his 
technical  staff  to  start  work  on  "The 
Greatest  Thing,"  his  next  production  for 
the  Associated  Exhibitors,  Lewis  Moo- 
maw,  who  wrote  and  directed  Chechahcos, 
signed  Jean  Herfholt  for  one  of  the  lead- 
ing roles  in  the  picture. 

sis 

Pat  O'Malley  has  been  signed  to  play 
the  lead  opposite  Agnes  Ayres  in  her  new 
starring  picture,  "Worldy  Goods,"  accord- 
ing to  an  announcement  by  Jesse  L. 
Lasky,  first  vice-president  in  charge  of 
production  of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Cor- 
poration. 

*  *  * 

Viola  Dana,  whose  transition  from  light 
comedy  drama  to  the  heavier  medium  of 
serious  drama  was  an  episode  of  recent 
film  moment,  has  been  signed  by  First  Na- 
tional Productions  to  play  the  leading 
feminine  role  in  "Pandora  La  Croix," 
which  is  about  to  go  into  production. 

*  *  * 

A  dispatch  from  the  West  Coast  to 
Vitagraph's  general  offices  in  Brooklyn, 
tells  of  a  private  showing  of  "The  Clean 
Heart"  given  this  week  by  J.  Stuart  Black- 
ton,  the  producer,  with  municipal  officials 
on  Santa  Barbara  and  La  Jolla  as  the 
principal  guests. 

Frank  Borzage  has  engaged  little  Edwin 
Hubbell,  Wampas  baby  artist,  for  the  cast 
of  Norma  Talmadge's  latest  photoplay, 
"The  Lady."  Little  Edwin,  sometimes 
known  as  "the  sweetest  child  in  pictures," 
las  just  finished  an  engagement  with 
Jack  Dempsey. 


C  C  BURR  presents 


Johnny  Hines 

m  TheSPEED  SPOOK 


Selznick's  "The  Passionate  Adventurer"  has  been  finished.  Alice  Joyce,  Marjorie 
Daw  and  Director  Graham   Cutts,   congratulate   Cameraman   Claude  McDonnel1, 


"landless  exploitation  possibilities." 

— M.  P.  World, 
"fitfe  and  cast  glitter  with  allurement." 

— Trade  Review. 

"^^ill  register  before  any  sort  of  audi- 
ence." — Morning  Telegraph. 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST    COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.  C.  Burr,  Managing  Director 
133  West  44  St.,  New  York  City 

Foreign  Rights  controlled  by 
Simmonds-Kann  Ent.,  Inc. 
220  West  42nd  St.,  N.  Y.  C. 


The  road  to  stardom  has  been  opened 
to  Jane  Winton,  former  Follies  show  girl, 
who  has  been  appearing  in  Paramount  pic- 
tures at  the  company's  eastern  studio. 

Miss  Winton,  who  is  now  working  in 
Babe  Daniel's  first  starring  picture,  "Dan- 
gerous Money,"  has  been  assigned  a  role 
in  Cecil  B.  DeMille's  forthcoming  produc- 
tion, "The  Golden  Bed,"  which  will  soon 
go  into  work. 

*  *  * 

Adolphe  Menjou  will  go  to  New  York 
immediately  following  the  conclusion  of 
his  featured  role  in  Pola  Negri's  current 
starring  picture  "Forbidden  Paradise,"  to 
play  opposite  Elsie  Ferguson  in  "The 
Swan,"  according  to  an  announcement 
made  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky. 

*  *  * 

Samuel  Goldwyn  announces  that  he  has 
just  signed  a  contract  with  Ronald  Col- 
man  to  appear  under  his  banner  for  five 
years.  Colman  sprang  to  over-night  fame 
in  his  first  picture  appearance  in  "The 
White  Sister"  and  has  just  completed 
work  in  the  Samuel  Goldwyn-George 
Fitzmaurice  production  "Tarnish"  released 
by  First  National.  Colman  was  also  loaned 
to  Constance  Talmadge  by  Mr.  Goldwyn 
for  her  picture  "Heart  Trouble." 

*  *  * 

With  the  launching  of  the  first  Harry 
Garson-Lefty  Flynn  Western  production 
"The  Forbidden  City"  last  week,  produc- 
tion activities  at  the  big  Film  Booking 
Offices  plant  in  Hollywood  began  to  hum 
merrily  and  the  outlook,  reported  by  Gen- 
eral Manager  E.  P.  Fineman,  indicates  a 
busy  autumn  and  winter  among  the  inde- 
pendents quartered  at  Melrose  and  Gower. 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Manager  Robbed 

When  Maurice  Stahl,  manager  of  the  Tiv- 
oli,  which  is  owned  by  the  St.  Louis  Amuse- 
ment Company,  reached  the  theatre  about  11 
a.  m.  Monday  he  found  two  armed  rob- 
bers waiting  in  the  lobby.  They  compelled 
him  to  walk  to  the  office  on  the  mezzanine 
floor  and  open  the  safe  which  contained  the 
receipts  of  Saturday  night  and  Sunday. 

Before  leaving  them  they  went  into  the 
auditorium  of  the  theatre  and  captured  a  por- 
ter and  two  women  helpers,  taking  them  to 
the  office  also.  They  then  tied  Stahl  and 
the  help  hand  and  foot,  tore  a  telephone 
from  the  wall,  locked  the  door  from  the 
outside  and  fled.  Stahl  managed  to  crawl 
to  a  window  and  broke  the  glass  with  the 
telephone,  calling  help. 


Exhibitor  Honored 

At  a  special  session  of  the  Everett,  Wash., 
lodge  of  Elks,  attended  by  600  of  the  Ever- 
ett brethern  and  numerous  state  officials, 
Walter  Meier,  new  state  president,  presented 
Joe  St.  Peter,  retiring  president  with  a  plati- 
num watch.  Mr.  St.  Peter  is  owner  and 
manager  of  the  Rose  theatre,  Everett,  and 
has  for  many  years  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  his  patrons  at  the  Rose. 


Ad  Causes  Trouble 

Because  a  dollar  bill  was  reproduced  in 
the  picture,  an  advertising  film  shown  at  the 
Electric  theatre,  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  has  been 
ordered  withdrawn  by  O.  Q.  Claflin,  United 
States  commissioner.  The  film  showed  a  man 
extracting  a  dollar  bill  from  his  wallet, 
which,  a  subtitle  said,  would  establish  credit 
at  the  store  advertised.  W.  H.  Davenport, 
head  of  the  secret  service  bureau  in  Kansas 
City,  sent  to  investigate  the  film,  reported 
that  it  violated  the  law  by  reproducing 
United  States  currency. 

*  *  * 

Jones  Returns  to  K.  C. 

Raymond  B.  Jones  again  has  resumed  his 
position  as  publicity  man  for  the  National 
Theatres  Company  of  Topeka,  Kan.  Mr. 
Jones,  for  the  last  year,  has  been  advertis- 
ing manager  of  the  Howard  theatre,  Atlan- 
ta, formerly  having  been  connected  with  the 
Topeka  concern  for  four  years. 

*  *  * 

Theatre  Changes 

The  following  new  theatres  and  changes 
in  management  have  been  announced  in  the 
Kansas  City  territory:  Central  theatre,  Ober- 
lin,  Kan.;  purchased  by  D.  Dowden;  Over- 
land theatre,  Overland  Park,  Kan.,  pur- 
chased by  George  Tivianna;  Orpheum  thea- 
tre, Parsons,  Kan.,  purchased  by  N.W.  Hus- 
ton of  Columbus,  Kas. ;  Byers  theatre,  Ex- 
celsior Springs,  Mo.,  re-opened  after  having 
been  dark  all  summer;  opening  date  for 
New  Grand  theatre,  Topeka,  Kan.,  oper- 
ated by  National  Theatre  Company,  set 
for  September  15. 

*  *  * 

Beauty  Contests 

A  series  of  four  beauty  contests  has 
swelled  the  book  office  receipts  at  a  quartet 
of  Kansas  City  suburban  theatres.  The  first 
contest  was  at  the  Gillham  theatre,  the  sec- 
ond at  the  New  Centre,  the  third  at  the 
Gladstone  and  the  fourth  at  the  Roanoke, 
each  getting  liberal  press  space  and  creating 
wide  interest  among  the  flapper  element  of 
the  respective  neighborhoods. 

*  *  * 

Kansas  City  Host 

Kansas  City  was  host  last  week — almost 
unawares — to  a  party  of  Hollywood's  best 
known  stars,  who  were  on  their  way  to  St. 
Louis,  where  they  took  part  in  the  dedica- 
tion ceremonies  of  Marcus  Loew's  new 
Loew-State  theatre.  The  party  included  Mae 
Murray,  Herbert  Rawlinson,  George  Hack- 
ethorne,  Eleanore  Broadman,  Aileen  Prin- 
gle,  Walter  Hires  and  Claire  Windsor. 


Poure  in  New  York 

Maurice  Poure,  director  of  the  orchestra 
of  the  Palace  Theatre,  Calgary,  Alberta,  for 
the  past  18  months,  has  resigned  in  order  to 
move  to  New  York  City,  where  he  is  taking 
up  special  musical  activities.  Prior  to  his 
departure,  the  staff  of  this  large  moving  pic- 
ture house  and  many  friends  gathered  at  the 
King  George  Hotel  to  give  him  a  fond  fare- 
well, a  feature  being  the  presentation  to  him 
of  a  handsome  fountain  pen  and  pencil  set 
by  Dr.  H.  M.  Thurston,  representing  the  Pal- 
ace Theatre  Company. 

Toronto  Tivoli  Reopens 

The  Tivoli  Theatre,  Toronto,  one  of  the 
several  leading  downtown  picture  palaces  of 
the  Ontario  Capital,  was  re-opened  August 
30  as  a  "Twenty  Five  Cent  Theatre"  under 
the  management  of  Will  J.  Stewart,  former 
manager  of  the  Rialto  Theatre,  Toronto,  and 
a  veteran  exchange  man.  Mr.  Stewart  is  in 
charge  of  the  house  for  the  shareholders  and 
property  holders.  The  Tivoli  was  formerly 
the  Allen  Theatre,  and,  as  such,  was  the  head 
theatre  of  the  once  glorious  Allen  Theatres, 
Limited,  operating  about  50  houses.  The 
opening  attraction  was  "The  Lullaby."  The 
policy  of  the  house  is  to  charge  25c  for  any 
seat  at  any  time  for  adults  and  15c  to  child- 
ren any  time.  The  music  is  provided  by  a 
pipe  organ. 

British  Films  Shown 

There  is  one  spot  in  Canada  at  least  where 
English-made  film  productions  are  enjoying 
a  considerable  sway.  This  is  Vancouver,  B. 
C,  where,  during  the  last  week  in  August, 
no  less  than  three  of  the  largest  downtown 
houses  of  the  city  were  presenting  special 
British  pictures.  These  were: — Colonial 
Theatre,  playing  "Come  On  Loving  Cup!", 
Globe  Theatre,  showing  "Old  Bill  Through 
the  Ages"  and  the  Rex  Theatre,  offering 
"Out  to  Win." 

Watching  Loew 

Prominent  St.  Louis  bankers  and  down- 
town business  men  are  watching  with  inter- 
est the  success  of  the  Loew  State  Theatre, 
Eighth  street  and  Washington  avenue,  which 
is  endeavoring  to  bring  down-town  night 
life.  On  August  27  Festus  J.  Wade,  presi- 
dent of  the  Mercantile  Trust  Company,  was 
host  to  400  workers  at  a  theatre  party  p 
Loew's.  Other  down-town  business  men  are 
also  helping  to  boost  the  receipts  of  the  new, 
house.  It  will  mean  much  to  St.  Louis  if  the' 
new  theatre  proves  a  winner. . 


*  *  * 

Doudlah  a  Fisherman 

W.  L.  Doudlah,  of  Wenatchee,  Wash.,  has 
been  fishing  of  late.  He  found  the  waters 
of  Lake  Chelan  productive  of  much  sport  in 
the  way  of  game  fishing.  His  three  largest 
fish  totaled  twenty-seven  pounds.  Perhaps 
"Dud"  has  had  so  much  experience  baiting 
film  fans,  that  it  enables  him  to  hook  the 
wary  trout  with  ease. 

*  *  * 

Panic  Avoided 

Failure  on  the  part  of  several  persons  who 
saw  heavy  smoke  belching  from  the  rear 
windows  of  the  Plaza  Cafe,  13  East  Elm 
street,  Brockton,  Mass.,  to  sound  an  imme- 
diate alarm,  allowed  flames  which  had  burst 
forth  in  the  kitchen  to  gain  considerable 
headway  before  apparatus  from  the  Central 
and  East  Side  stations  responded  recently. 

Next  door  a  Majestic  Theatre  audience, 
suspicious  of  the  smoke  which  seeped 
through  the  windows,  was  quieted  by  Mana- 
ger Jule  E.  Francke,  and  only  half  the  crowd 
left  when  informed  of  the  fire.  There  was 
no  great  rush  for  the  doors,  it  was  reported. 

*  *  * 

Walter  Wilson  Promoted 

Walter  P.  Wilson,  who  has  been  in  the 
moving  picture  theatre  business  in  Canada 
since  he  left  England  15  years  ago,  has  been 
appointed  manager  of  the  Capitol  Theatre 
at  Edmonton,  Alberta,  by  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corp.  Mr.  Wilson,  who  had  been 
a  prominent  Kiwanian  at  Winnipeg,  Mani- 
toba, started  as  manager  of  the  Starland 
theatre  and  eventually  became  the  director 
of  a  chain  of  houses  in  the  Middle  West. 
Later,  he  took  over  the  management  of  the 
Lyceum  Theatre  for  A.  R.  McNichol,  the 
owner,  but  organized  the  Garrick  Theatre  in 
Winnipeg  in  1920.  Some  months  ago  he  dis- 
posed of  his  financial  holdings  in  the  new 
Garrick  to  return  to  the  Lyceum  for  Mr. 
McNichol  but  the  latter  recently  released  the 
Lyceum  to  an  American  syndicate  with  the 
result  that  Mr.  Wilson  went  with  Famous  1 
Players. 

During  the  past  year,  Mr.  Wilson  had  been 
president  of  the  Manitoba  Moving  Picture 
Exhibitors  Association. 


September  20.  1924 


Page  37 


Oa\er  to  Remodel 

R.  D.  Craver,  of  Charlotte,  for  many  years 
a  dominant  factor  in  theatrical  field  of  the 
South,  has  leased  the  old  opera  house  at 
Charlotte  and  at  an  early  date  will  begin  to 
convert  il  into  a  modern  motion  picture  thea- 
tre. It  will  be  so  re-arranged  that  there  will 
be  fourteen  hundred  advantageous  seats  and 
will  be  opened  during  the  Christmas  holiday 
seasons. 

Craver  is  also  preparing  plans  for  a  mam- 
moth vaudeville  theatre  to  be  built  in  Char- 
lotte, construction  on  which  will  start  within 
the  next  sixty  days. 

*  *  .  *. 

Epidemic  Closes  Theatres 

Because  of  tl\e  prevalance  of  infantile 
paralysis,  the  authorities  at  Charlotte 
town,  Prince  Edward  Island,  took  the  un- 
usual step  of  ordering  the  local  moving 
picture  exhibitors  to  cancel  all  matinee 
performances  for  the  first  two  weeks  in 
September.  And  order  was  also  issued  to 
delay  the  opening  of  the  public  schools 
for  the  same  period.  Evening  perfor- 
mances at  the  shows  were  crowded  as  a 
result. 

*  *  * 

Round  Table  Briefs 

Leonora  Anderson,  formerly  of  the  staff 
of  the  Atlanta  Constitution  has  joined  the 
staff  of  the  The  Weekly  Film  Reznezv,  At- 
lanta regional. 

*  *  * 

The  Paramount  Pep  Club  enjoyed  an  out- 
ing last  week  on  the  grounds  of  division 
manager  Fred  Creswell's  estate  on  Roswell 
Road  out  of  Atlanta,  including  banqueting, 
sports  and  dancing. 

*  *  * 

Cecil  DeMille's  "The  Ten  Commandments" 
formal'}'  opened  the  season  at  the  Atlanta 
Theatre,  Atlanta,  on  September  first,  with  a 
week's  engagement  to  almost  capacity  busi- 
ness. 

*  *  * 

The  newest  theatre  under  the  banner  of 
E.  J.  Sparks  Florida  Enterprises,  the  Pal- 
ace, at  Bradentown,  Florida,  was  auspicious- 
ly opened  on  August  14.  The  Palace  seats 
1200,  nine  hundred  downstairs  and  three  hun- 
dred in  the  balcony. 

*  *  * 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thos.  H.  James  are  back  at 
Loew's  Grand,  Atlanta,  after  a  delightful 
vacation  in  the  southern  lake  region  of 
Louisiana.  With  abundant  opportunity  for 
hunting  and  fishing,  sports  they  both  enjoy, 
their  two  weeks  was  one  round  of  pleasure. 

*  *  * 

Col.  Thos.  H.  Orr  is  operating  the  theatres 
in  Boaz,  Alkertville  and  Huntersville,  Ala- 
bama and  was  in  Atlanta  the  past  week  ar- 
ranging bookings. 

*  *  * 

H.  M.  King,  manager  of  the  Palace  Thea- 
tre, Inmon  Park,  Atlanta,  was  hurt  last  week 
when  he  dived  into  shallow  water  at  Spillers 
Park. 

*  *  * 

Many  exhibitors  visited  Atlanta's  film  row 
the  past  week.  Among  them  were  the  fol- 
lowing: T.  B.  Grimes,  Gordon,  Ga. :  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kenneth  Richardson,  Seneca  Falls,  S. 
C. ;  Frank  Miller,  Augusta,  Ga. :  Sam  Bor- 
isyk,  American  Theatre,  Chattanooga ;  W.  D. 
Bucker,  National  theatre,  Greensboro,  N.  C. : 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Harriss.  Fort  Myers 
Theatre,  Fort  Myers,  Fla. :  George  Denton, 
Lake  Worth,  Florida;  R.  B.  Wilby,  of  Ala- 
bama. 

*  *  * 

Perry  Spencer  has  joined  the  staff  of  the 
Howard  Theatre,  Atlanta,  as  director  of  pub- 
licity, succeeding  Raymond  Jones,  resigned. 
Mr.  Spencer  brings  to  the  position  an  ex- 
perience gained  in  fourteen  years  active  as- 


sociation with  almost  every  branch  of  the 
theatre  and  amusement  game. 

He     ^  SH 

Joe  Hatcher,  one  of  the  representative  ex- 
hibitors of  Mississippi,  of  Tupelo,  died  last 
week. 

*  #  * 

Friends  in  Atlanta  have  received  word  of 
the  safe  arrival  in  Hamburg,  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sig  Samuels,  of  Atlanta's  Metropolitan 
theatre.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuels  are  enroute 
the  Breslau,  for  a  family  reunion. 

*  *  * 

The  Dixie  Theatre,  Lewisburg,  Tennessee, 
which  was  entirely  destroyed  by  fire  on  July 
4th,  will  reopen  in  September. 

*  *  * 

E.  J.  Sparks,  head  of  the  E.  J.  Sparks 
Florida  theatrical  enterprises,  has  reached 
Seattle  on  the  transcontinental  motor  trip 
which  he  started  in  June. 

*  *  * 

Howard  Price  Kingsmore,  manager  of  the 
Howard,  Atlanta,  is  on  a  vacation  trip  to 
Atlantic  City. 

The  Picher  Theatre  at  Picher,  Okla.,  has 
been  opened  for  business.  The  theatre  will 
seat  about  1,200,  and  is  modern  and  up-to- 
date. 

*  *  * 

Bill  Bradley  and  Bill  Finney  have  leased 
the  Hollywood  theatre  at  Stillwater,  Okla. 

E.  L.  and  Floyd  Johnson  have  leased  the 
Empress  theatre  at  Enid,  Okla.,  and  after 
remodelling,  will  reopen  at  an  early  date 
with  pictures  at  popular  prices. 

*  *  * 

Sherman  Alwees  has  purchased  the  Em- 
pire theatre  at  Eureka  Springs,  Ark. 

*  *    * . '  ■      .  . 

Mrs.  Minnie  Heiser  has  purchased  the  local 
picture  show  at  Green  Forest,  Ark.,  from  E. 
O.  Alfred  and  Charles  Grim. 

*  .  *  * 

The  Campbell  theatre  has  been  opened  at 
Denton,  Texas,  with  Grover  Campbell  as 
manager.  A  prize  of  $10  gold  was  given 
for  the  title  selected  for  the  formal  opening. 

*  *  * 

Four  theatres,  the  Pearl,  the  Pike,  the 
Liberty  and  the  Wigwam  were  incorporated 
by  the  International  Amusement  Co.  at  San 
Antonio,  Texas,  with  $10,000  capital.  No 
improvements  contemplated. 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Kalbfeld,  wife  of  the  owner- 
manager  of  the  Pauline  Theatre,  Northwest 
St.  Louis,  who  was  injured  in  a  recent  auto- 
mobile accident,  has  entirely  recovered. 

*  *  * 

Friends  of  William  Sohm,  owner-manager 
of  the  Belasco  Theatre,  Quincy,  111.,  were 
pleased  to  learn  that  his  wife  is  rapidly  re- 
covering from  her  recent  illness. 


Both  Mi.  and  Mrs.  I.  W.  Rodgers  of 
Cairo,  Dl.,  and  Poplar  Bluff,  Mo.,  are  ser- 
iously ill  from  an  attack  of  stomach  trouble. 
Bad  water  is  believed  to  be  the  cause  of  their 
sickness. 

*  *  * 

The  Pershing  Theatre,  Delmar  boulevard, 
near  Hamilton  avenue,  St.  Louis,  reopened 
September  6  as  a  dramatic  stock  house.  The 
Woodward  Players  was  the  attraction.  Last 
year  this  house  was  used  only  occasionally 
for  de  luxe  showings  of  ;uper  feature  pic- 
tures. 

%       #  ^ 

Maurice  Engel,  publicity  director  for  Co- 
lumbia Pictures  Corporation,  is  a  patient  at 
the  Missouri  Baptist  Sanitarium,  St.  Louis. 
A  general  breakdown  due  to  overwork  and 
rheumatism  is  the  cause  of  his  illness.  His 
friends  hope  for  his  speedy  recovery.  Engel 
is  the  best  known  publicity  man  working  out 
of  St.  Louis. 

*  *  * 

Out  of  town  exhibitors  in  St.  Louis  dur- 
ing the  past  week  included  :  H.  A.  Whitney, 
Liberty  theatre,  Mexico,  Mo. ;  John  Sapuld- 
ing,  Litchfield,  111. ;  Mrs.  Paul,  Carlinville, 
111.;  S.  E.  Pertle,  Jerseyville,  111. ;  Bill  Kar- 
stetter,  Columbia,  Mo. ;  Oscar  Wesley,  Gil- 
lespie, 111. ;  Elvin  Weeks,  Staunton,  111. ;  J. 

E.  Richardson,  Roodhouse,  111. ;  J.  Richards, 
Witt,  111. ;  C.  E.  Brady,  Cape  Girardeau, 
Mo. ;  Cle.  Lilly,  Hannival,  Mo. ;  Pete  Sikes, 
Highland,  111. ;  Buddy  Paul,  Mexico,  Mo. ; 

F.  L.  Keuss,  New  Athens,  111. ;  Sam  Tay- 
lor, O'Fallon,  111.;  O.  L.  Roman,  Benld,  111.; 
J.  A.  Hickman,  Puxico,  Mo. :  Charley  Horse- 
field,  Union,  Mo.,  and  C.  A.  Law,  Bucner, 
111. 

*  *  * 

N.  L.  Royster,  former  manager  of  the 
Capitol  theatre,  Birmingham,  Ala.,  has  re- 
signed to  take  over  the  management  of  pub- 
licity for  the  new  Temple  theatre.  For  the 
past  16  years  Mr.  Royster  has  been  connected 
with  the  amusement  business  and  is  a  thor- 
oughly trained  publicity  man. 

*  *  * 

R.  H.  Cherry,  assistant  manager  at  Loew's 
Ottawa  theatre  for  the  past  year,  left  Otta- 
wa September  3  for  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  to  be- 
come assistant  manager  of  Loew's  State 
theatre  there. 

*  *  * 

A  big  new  pipe  organ  has  been  installed 
in  the  Pantagcs  Theatre,  Hamilton,  On- 
tario, under  the  direction  of  Manager  George 
Stroud.  The  organist  is  Leslie  Somerville, 
who  formerly  played  at  the  Savoy  and  Loew 
theatres  in  Hamilton  and  more  recently  pre- 
sided at  the  organ  in  the  Capitol  theatre. 
Montreal. 

*  *  * 

John  Danz  closed  the  Class  A,  Seattle,  on 
Sunday,  August  24,  to  remain  closed  until 
the  crew  of  workmen  have  completed  the 
job  of  converting  it  into  a  thoroughly  up- 
to-date  house  with  a  much  increased  seating 
capac'ty.    It  will  be  called  the  Capitol. 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


■      Editorial  n 


For  Better  Showmanship 

IF  the  typical  exhibitor  has  a  besetting  business 
sin,  it  is  his  failure  to  take  as  seriously  as  he 
might  his  own  business.  Because  it  is  entertain- 
ment he  sells,  rather  than  those  more  tangible 
things  stocked  by  most  of  Main  Street's  business 
men,  he  sometimes  imagines  that  other  lines  are 
more  substantial  and  that  his  calling  ranks  as 
a  game. 

Probably  it  is  true  that  the  selling  of  entertain- 
ment requires  more  ingenuity  than  the  prosaic 
operation  of  "keeping  store."  But  that  merely 
affords  practical  testimony  of  the  high  order  of 
ability  required  in  this  business.  It  does  not  sug- 
gest any  reason  why  the  motion  picture  merchant 
should  be  any  less  a  business  man  than  his  neigh- 
bors. 

Some  people  have  the  notion  that  the  successful 
showman  must  be  a  genius.  And  "genius"  with 
them  spells  anything  that  is  eccentric,  freakish. 

Other  people,  perhaps,  of  a  higher  order  of  in- 
telligence, have  come  to  appreciate  the  business 
side  of  showmanship  and  to  rate  the  showman  at 
his  fair  value  as  a  business  man. 

The  exhibitor,  however,  seldom  does  his  full 
duty  by  himself.  He  is  tireless  in  his  exploitation 
of  everything  except  his  own  personality,  his  own 
part  in  the  business  life  of  his  community.  He  is 
too  modest  in  these  things.  His  business  has  de- 
veloped rapidly.  He  has  a  house  to  fill.  He  has 
an  ever-present  problem  of  effective  advertising 
and  profitable  exploitation,  centering  largely 
around  the  creations  of  others.  So  it  isn't  particu- 
larly surprising  that  -he  often  forgets  or  neglects 
the  exploitation  of  his  own  creation — his  business' 
—and  of  his  individual  personality  on  which  the 
business  is  built.  ' 

But  that  is  enough  of  conversation  in  the  third 
person.    Let's  be  more  specific  :r 

You,  if  you  are  an  exhibitor,  will  profit  by  tak- 
ing stock  of  your  own  status  in  the  community 
you  are  serving.  Do  your  customers  know  you  as 
they  should?  Do  they  know  what  you  are  doing 
for  them?  Have  you  the  same  status  in  the  public 
life  of  your  community  as  other  business  men 
whose  investments  in  legitimate  enterprises  are 
comparable  with  yours?  Is  your  theatre  an  insti- 
tution? Or  is  it  a  hall  where  somebody's  pictures 
are  shown? 

Do  you  advertise  a  picture  in  bold-face  and  hide 
the  name  of  your  theatre  in  small  type? 

Do  your  customers  realize  the  lengths  to  which 
you  are  going  to  insure  their  convenience  and 


comfort?  Have  they  been  educated  to  feel  that 
they  can  trust  you  always  to  provide  at  least  passa- 
ble entertainment,  regardless  of  what  they  see  in 
your  lobby? 

If  you  can  answer  these  questions  to  your  own 
satisfaction,  there's  nothing  more  to  be  said.  If 
you  can  not,  there's  something  to  be  done.  And 
that  is  Showmanship ! 

■5$:  ^ff 

The  Season's  Big  Job 

THE  industry's  best  and  busiest  season  is  just 
ahead. 

Analyze  as  much  as  you  please — there's  no 
basis  on  which  you  can  soundly  arrive  at  any  other 
conclusion. 

There  will  be  plenty  of  pictures.  Yes,  plenty 
of  good  pictures. 

The  radio  has  lost  much  of  its  novelty  as  a  play- 
thing. It  will  be  less  of  a  competitor  than  a  year 
ago.  It  is  settling  down  to  its  legitimate  place  in 
the  entertainment  world. 

The  public  has  ample  money  to  spend. 

The  screen  will  provide,  for  the  majority,  the 
best  entertainment  their  money  can  buy. 

But  there  is  one  big  job  ahead. 

It  is  to  convert  that  portion  of  the  public  which 
is  not  yet  sold  on  the  real  worth  of  motion  pictures. 
To  increase  the  army  of  fans.  To  reach  higher  and 
/higher. 

The  automobile  made  its  first  appeal  to  the 
wealthy.  This  year  the  average  price  of  all" cars 
sold  is  approximately  $800. 

Motion  pictures  started  at  the  other  extreme. 
But  there  is  no  one  so  wealthy,  so  exclusive,  as  to 
be  beyond  the  reach  of  this  -  season's  screen 
program. 

It  is  time  to  put  on  pressure  to  the  limit.  To  go 
after  a  larger  public.  To  sell  the  whole  public  on 
the  real  worth  of  the  pictures  that  are  coming. 

*    *  * 

A  Deserved  Promotion 

A QUIET  announcement  this  week  tells  of  the 
elevation  of  Sidney  Kent  to  the  office  of  gen- 
eral manager  in  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
organization.  As  a  reward  for  faithful  effort  and 
real  accomplishment,  back  of  which  lies  a  con- 
structive spirit  and  an  unswerving  loyalty  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  industry,  such  recognition  is 
pleasing  to  record.  It  is  a  sizeable  job,  for  which 
Mr.  Kent  has  demonstrated  his  fitness. 


77V    'Wanderer   of   the  Waste 
-*-  land"  Jack  Holt  has  the  lead, 
supported  by  such  noteworthy 
players    as   Billee  Dove, 
Kathlyn  Williams,  and 
Noah  Beery. 


E 


VEN  in  black 
and    TP  h  i  t  e 
this  picture,  direct- 
ed by  Irvin  Willate  for 
Paramount,  would  be  a 
"nit."     The   addition  of 
colors  maizes   each  character 
and  scene  stand  out  effectively. 


'  Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland' 


The  Technicolor  Process  Has  Given  to  This  Excellent  Famous  Players-Lasky 

Play  the  Grandeur  of  Natural  Colors 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


'CAPTAIN  BLOOD'  HIGH 
IN  BOX  OFFICE  VALUE 

VitagrapKs    Picture-Drama    of  Saba- 
tints  Novel  Will  Play  Capacity 
Wherever  Shown 

'CAPTAIN  BLOOD'.  A  Vitagraph  Pic- 
ture. Author,  Rafael  Sabatini.  Director, 
David  Smith.    Length,  About  8,500  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Captain  Blood   Warren  Kerrigan 

Arabella   Bishop   Jean  Paige 

Jeremy   Pitt   James  Morrison 

Lord  Julian  Wade   Allan  Forrsst 

Mary    Traill   Charlotte  Merrian 

Colonel   Bishop   Wil.'rid  North 

Don  Diego   Bertman  Grassby 

Corliss   Otis  Harlan 

Peter  Blood,  a  young  Irish  physician,  is  sold  into 
slavery  in  Barbadoes  for  dress'ng  the  wounds  of 
rebels  against  King  James  II.  Through  strategy  he 
and  his  fellow  slaves  take  possession  of  a  Spanish 
ship  that  attacks  the  city.  As  Captain  Blood  he  be- 
comes the  pirate  scourge  of  the  Spanish  main,  and 
after  many  adventures  is  pardoned  by  the  new  King, 
William,  is  made  Governor  of  Jamaica,  and  marries 
the  niece  of  his  former  owner. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

TT  will  be  a  privilege  for  you  to  present 

"Captain  Blood"  to  your  patrons,  and  it 
will  be  a  privilege  for  them  to  line  up  at 
your  box-office  for  one  of  the  greatest  film 
treats  ever  screened. 

Here  is  a  drama  of  cold  steel  and  warm 
hearts,  of  soft  words  and  hard  eyes,  of 
powder  and  lace,  of  cutlasses  and  velvet. 
It  is  the  sort  of  story  that  will  send  the 
girls  out  of  your  theatre  starry-eyed  with 
dreams.  The  sort  that  will  brighten  the 
eyes  and  quicken  the  pulses  of  men. 

Directorial  genius,  tale-telling  ability, 
sumptuous  settings,  and  able  characteriza- 
tions have  combined  to  present  an  eye-fill- 
ing, attention-gripping  production,  equal  to 
"My  of  its  predecessors  in  popular  appeal. 

Love  interest  is  well  defined,  suspense 
cleverly  sustained,  there  is  a  leaven  of 
comedy,  and  thrills  of  combat  that  cause 
real  shivers. 

The  climax  of  the  picture  is  attained 
in  the  boarding  of  the  Spanish  ships  by 
Blood  and  his  cut-throat  crew  of  priva- 
teers, and  the  subsequent  blowing  up  of 
the  enemy  vessels. 

Another  deeply  affecting  shot  is  that  in 
which  the  pirate  vessel  takes  its  final  nose- 
dive to  Davy  Jones'  locker,  while  the 
tattered  but  triumphant  crew  watch  in 
rapt  silence  from  the  deck  of  their  prize. 

Unfortunately  there  are  one  or  two  fool- 
ish bits,  such  as  the  sterling  young  pirate 
Jeremy  Pitt  chasing  his  sweetheart  about 
a  garden  for  a  kiss  in  quite  bucolic  fashion. 
This  dashing  fellow  should  not  act  like 
an  impassioned  shepherd.  Sea  rovers  should 
show  sterner  stuff. 

Kerrigan  is  a  better  pirate  than  pill- 
maker.  In  his  embroidered  elegance,  be- 
decked with  jewels  and  fine  feathers,  he  is 
dream-rogue.  If  Kidd  and  Morgan  arid 
Blackbeard  and  the  rest  weren't  this  type 
of  pirate,  they  should  have  been. 

James  Morrison,  as  first  assistant  buc- 
caneer scores  a  personal  hit.  Allan  For- 
rest, as  Lord  Julian  Wad.e,  Wilfrid  North, 
as  vicious  old  Colonel  Bishop,  and  Bertram 
Grassby,  as  Don  Diego,  are  excellent. 
Jean  Paige,  as  Arabella  Bishop,  had 
scarcely  opportunity  to  display  more  than 
a  flash  of  her  histrionic  talent.  But  she 
made  the  most  of  her  part,  and  proved  ca- 
pable of  fatter  roles. 


'POTASH  &  PERLMUTTER' 
WILL  DO  GOOD  BUSINESS 

Goldwyn  Comedy  Depicts  Their 
Adventures  in  Hollywood 

In  Hollyzvood  with  "Potash  &  Perlmutter.' 
A  Samuel  Goldwyn  Production.  Author, 
Montague  Glass.  Adaptation,  Frances  Mar- 
ion.   Director,  Al  Green. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Mawruss  Perlmutter   Alexander  Carr 

Abe    Potash   George  Sidney 

Rosie   Potash   Vera  Gordon 

Ruth   Perlmutter   Belle  Bennett 

Rita   Sismondi   ■.  Betty  Blythe 

Blanchard   Anders  Randolf 

Abe  and  Mawruss  enter  the  "picture  business"  in 
Hollywood.  Their  first  productions  are  awful  flops. 
A  banker  offers  a  loan  providing  a  famous  "vamp" 
is  starred.  The  partners  accept,  and  almost  lose 
their  wives,  their  homes  and  their  lives.  But  in 
the  end  all  is  well  and  they  resume  their  peaceful 
quarrels. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

'"PHIS  is  one  of  the  cleverest  comedies  of 
-•-the  year.  If  your  audience  has  learned  to 
love  and  laugh  at  Montague  G!ass'  stories, 
and  the  partners  who  have  been  transferred 
from  print  to  celluloid  by  Alexander  Carr 
and  George  Sidney,  your  theatre  will  be  a 
mansion  of  mirth  during  the  showing. 

The  only  time  your  audience  won't  be  gig- 
gling is  when  the  chuckles  grow  into  veri- 
table roars  of  merriment.  Not  alone  is  the 
action  funny,  but  the  titles  never  fail  to  give 
a  laugh.  Each  is  written  in  the  inimitable 
dialect  of  Abe  and  Mawruss,  and  they  are  all 
brimful  of  "nifties"  and  "wise  cracks." 

The  shots  of  the  partners  being  "vamped"  ■ 
by  Norma  and  Constance  Talmadge  are 
gems.  And  you  can  imagine  for  yourself 
what  happens  when  Abe  kicks  a  real  lion, 
which  has  been  substituted  for  a  made-up 
dog.  The  picture  simply  teems  with  such 
ludicrous  situations,  yet  none  of  them  are 
overdone. 

As  we  watched  the  antics  of  the  former 
"cloak  and  suit"  firm,  we  somehow  couldn't 
help  but  think  of  the  late  Barney  Bernard 
who  made  thousands  laugh  with  his  charac- 
terization of  Abe.  But  George  Sidney  fills 
Abe's  baggy  suit  to  perfection,  and  we  know 
Barney  would  be  glad  to  have  such  a  suc- 
cessor so  ably  "carry  on"  in  making  a  sad 
world  glad. 

As  in  all  true  comedy,  there  is  the  least 
suspicion  of  a  tear  to  mingle  with  the  smiles. 
But  just  as  the  pathos  begins  to  register,  one. 
of  those  titles  comes  along,  and  the  tear 
dies  aborning. 

Alexander  Carr  has  become  °.n  institution. 
And  will  always  remain  so.  He  is  doomed 
forever  to  be  Mawruss  Perlmutter — just  as 
Joe  Jefferson  was  Rip  Van  Winkle. 

Betty  Blythe  is  particularly  pleasing,  as 
Rita  Sismondi,  the  big  hearted  "vamp."  Vera 
Gordon,  as  Mrs.  Potash,  is  excellent,  and  the 
rest  cf  the  cast  is  eminently  satisfactory,  in- 
cluding the  two  extra  girls,  Norma  and  Con- 
stance. '-SwimlSw- 

You  need  have  no  fears  about  getting  in 
bad  with  your  patrons  on  this  6neA  They  Will 
enjoy  every  foot  of  film  and  ask  for  more.. 

A  new  and  clever  Way  to  advertise '  thisH 
picture  would  be;  to  "insert  sayings  ascribed? 
to  Abe  and  Mawruss  in  the, newspapers,  C.qjpj 
for  such  -  ads  With  be-  supplied *W*rW  prefP 
book.  The  possibilities  for  a  bally  consist- 
ing o,f  two  men  in  character  costumes  are 
too  widely  varied  to  need  more  than  men- 
tion. An  inexpensive  and  effective  prologue 
may  be  staged  by  arranging  a  "dumb  act" 
showing  a  bit  of  action  between  the  partners, 
thejr  .wives  and  the  "vamp." 


'FLYING  FISTS'  IS  A 

BOX-OFFICE  KNOCKOUT 

Clever  Chapter  Play  Shows  Light- 
weight Champ  to  Good 
Advantage 

'FLYING  FISTS,'  Ginsberg  &  Wilks  Photo- 
play. Author,  Sam  Hellman.  Director, 
Larry  Window,.    Six  two  reel  productions 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Benny  Lane   Benny  Leonard 

The    Girl   Diana  Allen 

The   Manager   Frank  Allworth 

The  Trainer   Tammany  Young 

The  Rubber   Billie  Mitchell 

The  series  has  to  do  with  the  adventures  of 
Benny  Lane,  a  bookkeeper,  who  takes  up  pugilism 
as  a  profession  because  of  financial  need.  Each 
episode  is  complete  in  itself,  yet  together  the  six 
form  a  complete  story.  There  are  four  or  five 
rounds  of  fast  boxing  in  each  part. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

\/rOU  can  line  up  capacity  crowds  with 
"Flying  Fists."  They  may  see  the  first 
episode  through  curiosity,  but  they  will  awail 
the  showing  of  eacn  succeeding  chapter  in 
a  fervor  of  anticipation. 

The  gong  has  sounded  on  the  third  round 
of  Lightweight  Leonard's  six  stanza  battle 
for  film  recognition.  And  already  it  is  quite 
evident  that  Benny  will  be  champ  of  his  class 
in  filmdom  before  "Flying  Fists"  goes  the 
limit. 

Each  cleverly  titled  episode  is  a  Sam  Hell- 
man  Saturday  Evening  Post  type  tale  com- 
plete in  itself.  Yet  each  arouses  increased 
interest  in  what  is  to  follow.  Every  chap- 
ter is  liberal  in  its  offering  of  romance, 
pathos,  thrills  and  laughter. 

The  kids  will  love  "Flying  Fists,"  men 
will  hail  an  opportunity  to  see  Leonard  in 
action,  and  the  girls  will  forget  "Rudy"  in 
watching  the  chiseled-featured  champ  win 
love  and  laurels  through  his  skill  in  the 
manly  art.  Bring  'em  in — and  "Flying 
Fists"  will  send  'em  out  happy — happy  to 
return  next  week. 

Frankly,  we  went  to  see  this  fighter's  film 
as  one  might  go  to  see  the  freaks  in  the  side 
shows.  But  we  stayed  to  applaud  Benny 
Leonard,  motion  picture  actor.  Naturally, 
he  is  best  inside  the  ring  ropes — but  there 
isn't  a  sequence  in  which  he  is  not  entirely 
adequate. 

Each  episode  features  a  few  rounds  of 
boxing,  and  the  screen  action  shows  Leo- 
nard's style  and,  speed  better  than  one  may 
visualize  them  from  a  ringside  seat.  The 
east  is  uniformly  fine.  Diana  Allen,  of  flTe 
Follies,  makes  an  eye  and  heart  filling  hero- 
ine. 

A  lot  of  local  color  is  lent  by  the  antics 
of  Tammany  Young,  the  famous  "gate  crash- 
er" of  spartdom,  in  the't^role  of  "Chuckles" 
the  lugubrfo'us  traine£.%'.!We  hope  that  in  the 
remaining  rt««»ds  "Tarn's"  part  may  be  fat- 
tened. He  »s  the  Ability  to  put  across  a 
corking  characterization  .that  .will  add  inter- 
>ifest  and  harvest  laughs. 

v  s  Exploration  ?  Leonard's  ,,War.i  activities 
..  .shoiikl  secure  the  sponsorship,. .of ;/ihe  Ameri- 

:  '''ca'ri' "  LegfoVh  Local  a thief  3c  clubs,  men's 
c'ubs,  boys'  clubs,  and  sports  organizations 
may  be  interested.  The  Boy  Scouts  should 
be  played  up.  For  .  there  is  no  reason  why 
Benny,  a  clean-living,  home-loving  boy  who 
has  wrested  wealth  from  a  co-ordination  of 
mental  and  physical  effort,  should  not  be 
held  up  as  an  ideal  for  American  youth. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  41 


RANKS  AS  SURE-FIRE 

BOX  OFFICE  HIT 

'Morion  of  the  Movies'  Has  Straight 
I  n failing  Audience  Appeal 

'MERTON  OF  THE  MOVIES.'  Paramount 
Photoplay.  Author.  Harry  Leon  Wilson. 
Director,  James  Cruzc.    Length,  7,655  feet 

CAST  &  SYNOPSIS 

Merton  Gill   Glenn  Hunter 

Sally   Montague   Viola  Dana 

Jeff    Baird   DeWitt  Jennings 

Harold   Parmalee   Elliott  Roth 

Mr.  Montague  Charles  Ogle 

Mrs.   Montague   Ethel  Wales 

Pete  Gashwiler   Charles  Sellon 

Mrs.  Gashwiler   Sadie  Gordon 

Tessie   Kearns   Gale  Henry 

Merton  is  movie-struck.  He  works  in  a  village 
store,  but  devotes  all  his  spare  time  to  studying  act- 
ing for  the  screen.  Finally  he  goes  to  Ho  lywood, 
with  his  savings.  He  nearly  starves,  is  aided  by 
"Flips"  Montague,  a  little  comedienne,  getc  a  part 
in  what  he  supposes  to  be  a  serious  feature,  but 
which  turns  out  to  be  the  sort  of  burlesque  comedy 
he  despises.  Merton  is  heart-broken  at  first,  but  the 
comedy  makes  a  tremendous  hit.  He  is  compelled 
to  believe  that  his  talent  lies  in  fun-making,  is 
given  a  contract  at  $500  per  week  and  wins  Flips 
for  his  wife. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A  GREAT  contribution  to  the  screen, 
"Merton  of  the  Movies"  reflects  credit 
on  all  concerned  in  its  production  and  gives 
every  indication  of  proving  a  sure-fire  box 
office  hit  in  every  section  of  the  country. 
Tames  Cruze  has  directed  this  film  gem  with  ' 
exquisite  taste  and  good  judgment,  the  star, 
Glenn  Hunter,  who  created  the  role  of  Mer- 
ton on  the  legitimate  stage,  scores  a  distinct 
triumph  and  is  loyally  backed  by  the  talented 
members  of  a  carefully  selected  cast,  each 
one  of  whom  does  his  or  her  bit  toward 
making  this  feature  one  of  the  outstanding 
productions  of  the  season. 

In  addition  to  its  intense  heart  appeal,  its 
delicious  humor  and  satire,  this  picture  pos- 
sesses the  drawing  power  that  attaches  to  a 
production  giving  an  intimate  look-in  on 
studio  life.  It's  all  very  realistically  handled, 
Merton,  fresh  from  the  rustic  burg,  with  all 
his  hopes  and  ambitions  bubbling  over  as  he 
lands  at  the  movie  goal,  is  a  very  life-like 
character,  one  that  gets  your  sympathy  in 
bucketfuls,  even  while  you  are  smiling  over 
his  serio-comic  misfortunes. 

In  one  respect  the  writer  is  inclined  to 
think  that  the  screen  version  of  Harry  Leon's 
clever  story  outdoes  the  stage  production. 
That  is  in  the  variety  of  detail,  the  accurate 
fashion  in  which  everything  pertaining  to 
filmland  and  its  inhabitants  is  set  forth.  It 
could  hardly  be  otherwise  in  the  case  of  a 
narrative  dealing  with  the  celluloid  drama, 
for  the  stage  necessarily  has  its  limitations 
which  do  not  handicap  the  camera.  At  all 
events,  "Merton  of  the  Movies"  in  film  form 
must  be  classed  as  entertainment  de  luxe, 
with  not  a  strained  note  or  inch  of  wasted 
footage  in  the  entire  eight  reels. 

The  opening  reel  is  extremely  effective, 
showing  Merton  in  the  village  store,  having 
his  photos  taken  in  cowboy  attire,  being  run 
away  with  by  the  old  gray  mare  as  the  con- 
gregation is  emerging  from  church.  But  the 
best  bit  of  fun  occurs  in  the  scenes  where 
he  is  cajoled  into  acting  in  what  he  supposes 
to  be  a  serious  feature,  but  which  is  really 
comedy  of  the  burlesque  order.  This  is 
wonderfully  well  handled,  and  another  good 
situation  is  his  horror  when  he  views  the 
result  of  his  labors  and  realizes  that  he  has 
been  tricked. 

_  The  romance  with  Flips  Montague  is  pret- 
tily developed,  Viola  Dana  giving  one  of  the 
best  performances  of  her  career  as  the  vola- 
tile Flips.  Glenn  Hunter  is  simply  immense 
as  Merton,  a  flawless  portrayal  of  an  ex- 
ceedingly difficult  part,  if  ever  there  was  one. 

You  have  both  plav  and  book  to  fall  back 
upon  in  exploiting  this.  Praise  the  picture 
to  the  limit,  it  will  repay  you. 


'VANITY'S  PRICE'  WILL 

PROVE  A  WINNER 

Rejuvenation  Theme  Makes  Inter- 
esting Story 

'VANITY'S  PRICE.'  F.B.O.  Production. 
Story  by  Paul  Bern.  Director,  R.  William 
Neil.    6124  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Vanna  Du   Maurier   Anna  Q.  Nilsson 

Henri   De  Greve   Stuart  Holmes 

Richard   Dowling   Wyndam  Standing 

Teddy   Arthur  Rankin 

Sylvia   Lucille  Ricken 

Mrs.    Connors   Cissy  Fitzgerald 

Katherine  Dot  Farley 

Vanna  Du  Maurier,  a  noted  actress  feels  that  she 
is  losing  her  beauty.  She  learns  of  a  doctor  in 
Vienna  who  can  restore  youth.  As  she  is  about  to 
leave  for  Vienna  she  meets  her  husband  whom  she 
has  not  seen  for  years.  Her  son,  Teddy,  does  not 
know  his  father.  Vanna's  opera'ion  is  successful 
and  she  returns  but  her  disposition  has  fchanged. 
Teddy  resents  her  infatuation  for  De  Greve,  the 
husband,  and  in  a  scene  in  the  mother's  boudoir  Ted- 
dy attacks  De  Greve  and  is  knocked  unconscious. 
Richard  Dowling,  admirer  of  Vanna,  goes  to  De 
Greve's  home  and  administers  a  terrific  beating. 
Dowling  marries  Vanna,  and  Teddy  marries  S~y4via. 

By  Len  Morgan 
T  N  "Vanity's  Price".  F.B.O.  has  an  excel- 
lent  box  office  picture.  It  has  those  ele- 
ments that  appeal  to  the  women,  who  com- 
prise a  great  part  of  the  American  picture 
audience  and  it  has  everything  for  high  pow- 
ered publicity  and  exploitation. 

The  picture  is  of  the  "Black  Oxen"  type 
in  which  a  woman  fears  age  and  is  willing 
to  sacrifice  everything  to  have  her  youth 
restored.  It  offers  many  dramatic  scenes 
that  are  well  enacted  and  there  is  enough 
human  interest  and  excitement  injected  to 
send  the  production  over  with  a  bang. 

Director  Neil  handled  the  picture  well  and 
made  the  most  of  his  material.  There  is 
one  scene,  however,  that  would  be  just  as 
well  eliminated.  After  Standing  leaves  De 
Greve,  after  giving  him  a  terrible  beating, 
De  Greve  is  shown  with  his  face  cut  and 
bleeding  and  is  shown  lifting  several  teeth 
from  his  mouth.  This  may  prove  repulsive 
to  many. 

Anna  Q.  Nilsson  is  wonderfully  attractive. 
She  wears  her  clothes  well  and  carries  the 
burden  of  the  picture  in  a  charming  man- 
ner. She  is  called  upon  to  do  some  heavy 
acting  and  her  many  followers  will  not  be 
disappointed  in  her  in  this  picture. 

Stuart  Holmes  is  villainous  to  the  nth  de- 
gree. He  has  a  hard  part  to  portray  and 
does  well  with  .it.  He  is  given  a  beating  by 
Miss  Nilsson  that  must  have  left  many 
marks.  She  used  a  heavy  quirt  and  beat  him 
unmercifully.  Standing  also  lays  him  low 
with  many  rights  and  lefts. 

Arthur  Rankin,  Lucille  Ricksen  and  Dot 
Farley  are  well  cast  and  aid  greatly  in  mak- 
ing the  picture  a  success. 

Advertise  the  rejuvenation  angle  of  the 
picture  and  tht  wonderful  gowns  worn  by 
Miss  Nilsson.  The  excellent  cast  is  worthy 
of  some  heavy  advertising  also. 


A  Correction 

In  last  week's  issue  of  The  Ex- 
hibitors Trade  Review  a  trans- 
position of  paragraphs  of  First  Na- 
tional's "Flirting  With  Love"  and 
F.B.O. 's  "Messalina"  was  '  made  in 
making  up  the  review  pages. 

The  reviews  would  appear  that 
First  National's  picture  was  a  for- 
eign made  production,  with  great 
mob  scenes ;  and  that  "Messalina" 
was  a  light  farce.  This  should 
have  been  reversed. 

"Flirting  with  Love"  is  an  excel- 
lent farce  and  well  acted  and  "Mes- 
salina" contains  some  of  the  best 
mob  scenes  that  we  have  ever 
seen  enacted. 


CHARLES  RAY  STAGES 
EXCELLENT  COMEBACK 

'Dynamite  Smith'  Proves  Good 
Vehicle  for  Star 

'DYNAMITE  SMITH.'  Thomas  Ince 
Photoplay  released  by  Pathe.  Director, 
Ralph  Ince.    Length,  6,400  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Gladstone   Smith   Charles  Ray 

Kitty  Gray   Jacqueline  Logan 

Violet   Bessie  Love 

Slugger  O'Rourke  Wallace  Beery 

Aunt  Mehitable   Lydia  Knott 

Marshall,  White  City  S.  D.  Wilcox 

Faro   Dealer   Jim  Hart 

Colin    MacClintock  Russell  Powell 

Dad  Gray   Adelbert  Knott 

Gladstone  Smith,  'Frisco  newspaper  reporter,  is 
sent  on  an  assignment  on  the  Barbary  Coast,  meets 
Violet,  wife  of  Slugger  O'Rourke,  keeper  of  a  dive. 
Violet's  tale  of  brutality  works  on  Smith  so  that  he 
writes  a  story  which,  results  in  the  closing  of 
O'Rourke's  place.  Smith  takes  violet  to  Alaska. 
O'Rourke  tracks  .them  and  makes  life  miserable  for 
Smith,  who  is  naturally  timid.  Violet  dies.  Smith, 
who  has  gained  courage  through  association  with 
Kitty,  Gray,  the  girl  he  loves,  wounds  his  leg  with 
an  axe,  sets  a  bear  trap  for  O'Rourke  in  which 
the  latter  is  caught.  Smith  lights  a  dynamite  fuse 
which  will  blow  both  of  them  up.  Suddenly  crazed 
with  fear  that  Kitty,  to  whom  ■  he  has  entrusted 
Violet's  baby,  will  be  hurt,  Smith  throws  away  the 
lighted  fuse.  It-  explodes  near  the  cabin,  O'Rourke 
is  killed,  but  Smith,  the  baby  and  the  girl  he  loves 
are  safe.  . 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

CHARLES  RAY  executes  a  brilliant 
"comeback"  in  this  picture,  reminding 
old-timers  of  the  Triangie  period,  when 
Thomas  Ince  and  Gardner  Sullivan  com- 
bined with  Charles  to  put  out  features  which 
went  over  with  the  proverbial  bang  where- 
ever  they  were  shown  Here  we  have  the 
trio  again,  and  we  want  to  go  on  record  as 
saying  that  it's  a  case  of  unity  which  wins. 

For  "Dynamite  Smith"  is  great  entertain- 
ment !  With  Ray  as  the  star  and  a  crack- 
ing good  story  to  boot,,  any  exhibitor  who 
shows  this  film  will  get  the  money.  But  the 
said  exhibitor  must  make  it  plain  that  Ray 
is  back  in  the  sort  of  role  which  formerly 
made  him  famous  from  coast  to  coast,  set- 
ting aside  the  unfortunate  excursions  he 
took  into  other  film  fields  of  poor  pasturage. 

As  the  feature  stands  it  looks  as  though 
it  should  meet  with  approval  in  all  classes 
of  theatres.  There  are  no  end  of  trenchant 
"wallops"  in  evidence  from  the  melodramatic 
viewpoint.  We  see  the  hero,  Gladstone 
Smith,  a  newspaper  reporter  of  unusual 
timidity  and  modesty  for  one  of  that  craft, 
yet  there  have  been  such  submerged  news- 
hounds,  and  Gladstone  is  so  plausibly  natural 
that  you  accept  him  as  the  real  thing. 

He  falls  for  an  underworld  lady  who 
works  on  his  sympathies  to  the  extent  of 
persuading  him  to  skip  to  Alaska  with  her. 
Which  he  does,  and  Violet's  rugged  hubby, 
Slugger  O'Rourke,  irate  because  Smith  had 
a  hand  in  losing  his  Barbary  Coast 
dump,  goes  on  their  trail.  Thereafter 
O'Rourke  leads  Smith  a  dog's  life,  Violet 
dies,  but  leaves  a  baby  behind  her  and  the 
Slugger  wreaks  vengeance  on  Gladstone. 

Right  here  is  where  the  film  swings  around 
a  peculiar  curve.  Generally  the  hero  turns 
at  the  last  moment  and  beats  blazes  out  of 
the  pursuing  villain.  But  Smith  uses  strategy, 
sets  a  bear  trap  for  the  Slugger,  catches 
him  and  proceeds  to  blow  him  up  with  dyna- 
mite. Remembering  that  he  has  entrusted 
Violet's  baby  to  the  girl  he  loves,  Kitty  Gray, 
Gladstone  throws  away  the  fuse  at  the  cru- 
cial moment,  but  it  explodes  close  enough 
to  exterminate  O'Rourke,  and  all  ends  well. 

The  picture  is  strong  in  the  surprise  ele- 
ment, you  never  can  guess  what  is  going  to 
happen  next,  the  action  breezes  along  at  a 
lively  gait  and  there  isn't  an  inch  of  lost 
motion  in  the  entire  seven  reels. 

Exploit  this  as  a  Charles  Ray  "comeback," 
a  picture  in  which  the  star  excels  himself 
and  equals  the  best  of  the  productions  in 
which  he  earned  screen  fame. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BRITISH  FEATURE 

'  NATIVE  FAULTS 

"Strangling"    Threads"  Handicapped 
By  Poof  Direction  and  Inferior 
Photography 

'STRANGLING  THREADS.'  Cranfield  and 
Clark,  Inc.  Photoplay.  Authors,  Leon  M. 
Lion  &  Cecil  Hepworth.  Director,  Cecil  M. 
Hepworth.    Length,  5,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Stephen  Mallard   James  Carew 

Irma  Brian  Alma  Taylor 

Merton  Forsdyke   Campbell  Gullen 

Mrs.  Brian   Gwynne  Herbert 

Miss  Debb   Eileen  Dennes 

Irma  Brian  weds  wealthy  Stephen  Mallard  in 
order  to  aid  her  mother,  who  is  in  financial  diffi- 
culties. A  woman  accuses  Irma  of  intimacy  with  a 
former  lover  but  Stephen  believes  his  wife  faithful. 
Mallard  is  arrested  on  suspicion  of  killing  a  woman 
found  dead  on  his  estate.  His  wife's  testimony  frees 
him,  although  she  thinks  he  is  guilty  and  scorns 
him.  Later  the  death  of  their  child  brings  about 
an  explanation.  Mallard  confesses  that  the  dead 
woman  was  once  his  wife  and  the  victim  of  a  heart 
attack  while  he  was  talking  to  her.  He  offers  Irma 
her  freedom,  but  she  admits  that  she  loves  him  and 
they  are  reunited. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

DRODUCED  in  England,  "Strangling 
A  Threads"  falls  short  in  a  good  many 
respects  as  regards  the  entertainment  values 
demanded  by  average  American  audiences. 
Like  the  majority  of  British  features  it  lacks 
decisive  action,  speed  and  coherent  contin- 
unity,  and  is  also  handicapped  by  mediocre 
photography.  As  it  stands,  it  may  pass 
muster  in  houses  where  a  frequent  change  of 
program  occurs,  but  is  not  strong  enough  for 
a  long-run  schedule. 

The  plot  isn't  weak,  so  far  as  material  is 
concerned,  but  the  director  fails  signally  to 
develop  its  salient  angles  and  link  up  the 
situations  smoothly.  The  story  "rambles" ; 
here  and  there  a  dramatic  jolt  is  administered 
with  good  effect,  but  the  effect  isn't  lasting, 
for  usually  there  follows  a  gap  in  the  action, 
bridged  by  more  or  less  inconsequential  de- 
tail. 

The  opening  reels  deal  with  the  domestic 
complications  in  the  household  of  the  Mal- 
lards, the  heroine  having,  for  her  mother's 
sake,  wedded  a  man  she  does  not  love,  but 
to  whom  she  remains  faithful  although  a 
former  lover  lurks  in  the  background.  Irma 
Mallard  is  made  the  target  of  unjust  sus- 
picions, but  Stephen,  the  husband,  believes  in 
her  loyalty.  Stephen  is  a  chap  with  ideas  of 
his  own  regarding  the  operation  of  modern 
laws  and  rather  inclined  to  be  his  own  law- 
maker on  occasions,  a  fact  which  doesn't  help 
his  cause  any  when  he  becomes  involved  in 
a  murder  charge. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  film  strikes  its 
best  gait  and  tightens  the  suspense,  for  the 
murder  mystery  stuff  is  pretty  well  handled 
and  works  up  to  a  nifty  situation  when  Irma, 
although  subsequently  convinced  for  awhile, 
that  Stephen  is  really  guilty,  gives  testimony 
in  his  favor  which  frees  him.  The  trial 
scene  is  extremely  effective,  not  too  long- 
drawn  out,  and  enlivened  with  some  lively 
touches  of  humorous  relief. 

Irma  is  given  a  chance  to  leave  Mallard 
and  join  suitor  number  one  legally.  But  the 
death  of  their  child  and  Stephen's  confession 
regarding  the  identity  of  the  dead  woman 
brings  about  a  complete  reconciliation  between 
the  couple,  and  the  picture  ends  on  a  satis- 
factorily cheerful  note.  The  photography 
suffers  from  poor  lighting  effects  which  mar 
both  closeups  and  long  shots  considerably. 

Dramatic  honors  go  to  Alma  Taylor,  who 
displays  adequate  emotional  ability  and  looks 
very  attractive  in  the  heroine  role  of  Irma 
Brian.  James  Carew  gives  a  solidly  impres- 
sive characterization  of  the  iron-willed  Mal- 
lard, _  and  capable  support  is  rendered  the 
principals  by  others  in  the  cast. 

The  best  exploitation  angle  is  the  murder 
mystery,  with  stress  laid  on  the  husband's 
willingness  to  sacrifice  himself  in  order  to 
protect  his  wife  from  scandal. 


THE  DESERT  OUTLAW 

THRILLS  AND  WINS 

Sure  Box  Office  Hit  Wherever  Wes- 
terners Are  Popular 

'THE  DESERT  OUTLAW.'  Fox  Photo- 
play. Author,  Charles  Kenyon.  Director, 
Edmund  Mortimer.    Length,  5,576  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Sam  Langdon  Buck  Jones 

May  Hallo  way  Evelyn  Brent 

Doc  McChesney   DeWitt  Jennings 

Tom  Halloway  William  Haynes 

Black  Loomis   Claude  Payton 

Sheriff   William  Gould 

Mad   McTavish   Bob  Klein 

Young  Tom  Halloway  gets  into  bad  company  and, 
as  member  of  an  Arizona  bandit  gang,  robs  the  ex- 
press office  on  the  day  his  sister  arrives  from  the 
East.  He  is  denounced  by  McTavish,  the  sheriff 
finds  Tom's  sister  in  the  former's  cabin,  she  hears 
the  news,  McTavish  is  murdered.  May  and  Tom 
escape,  Sam  Langdon  is  mistaken  for  the  robber, 
but  breaks  away  successfully  from  the  posse.  Later 
Sam  clears  up  matters  after  a  medley  of  wild  ad- 
ventures, Tom  is  pardoned  and  Sam  weds  Mav. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

R  UCK  JONES  gets  away  to  a  swinging 
start  in  this  picture  and  keeps  up  a  rat- 
tling pace  to  the  finish.  It's  great  stuff  of 
its  kind,  a  Western  melodrama  which  should 
go  over  in  crashing  style  wherever  they  like 
slap-dash  action,  unadulterated  romance  and 
thrills  galore.  Buck  Jones'  admirers  are  sure 
to  pronounce  the  film  a  winner  in  every  par- 
ticular and  exhibitors  whose  patrons  demand 
a  meaty  adventure  diet  will  make  no  mistake 
in  booking  "The  Desert  Outlaw." 

The  story  values  rank  above  those  of  the 
average  Westerner  because  of  the  sympa- 
thetic interest  aroused  by  the  heroine's  affec- 
tion for  her  young,  erring  brother.  While 
Director  Edmund  Mortimer  has  fairly  soak- 
ed the  film  with  realistic  atmosphere  and  load- 
ed it  with  pungent  thrills,  he  has  managed 
throughout  to  develop  and  maintain  a  strict- 
ly human  appeal  such  as  you  seldom  find  in 
rip-roaring  pictures  of  this  type. 

Also,  the  spectacular  incidents,  nerve-rack- 
ing and  colorful  as  they  are,  leave  a  plaus- 
ible impression  behind,  because  of  skillful 
handling,  smooth  continuity  and  refreshing 
lack  of  exaggeration.  This  is  all  the  more 
surprising  when  one  reflects  upon  the  myriad 
complications  which  ensue  from  the  time  that 
Tom  Halloway  robs  the  express  office,  for  the 
narrative  twists  and  turns  into  altogether  un- 
expected channels. 

Buck  Jones,  as  the  dashing  Sam  Langdon, 
rides  like  the  born  daredevil  that  he  is,  you 
see  him  go  spinning  down  a  steep  mountain 
side,  leaping  from  a  high  cliff  into  a  foam- 
ing torrent,  swimming  while  handcuffed, 
fighting  with  the  villain  under  water — this 
last  a  whale  of  a  scene  that  will  make  the 
most  hard-boiled  fan  sit  up  and  take  notice. 

The  rescue  from  the  stage  coach  and  the 
battle  between  the  bandits  and  the  sheriff's 
men  are  among  the  picture's  big  moments,  nor 
should  hero  Sam's  exploit  when  he  gallops 
into  a  barroom  and  crowds  his  foemen  into 
a  corner,  incidentally  saving  the  gal,  be  for- 
gotten when  enumerating  the  melodramatic 
punches. 

Artistically,  the  feature  is  a  rare  delight. 
The  mountain  scenery  is  exquisite.  Seldom 
has  the  "great  outdoors"  been  screened  with 
such  enthralling  effect.  It's  100  percent  cam- 
era work,  every  inch  of  it. 

Buck  Jones  shows  that  he  is  quite  some 
dramatic  boy  as  well  as  stunt  performer,  by 
giving  a  very  natural  and  appealing  char- 
acterization as  Sam  Langdon.  His  leading 
lady,  Evelyn  Brent,  is  a  charming  heroine  and 
has  never  appeared  to  better  advantage  than 
in  the  role  of  May  Halloway.  Bob  Klein 
scores  a  hit  as  Mad  McTavish  and  the  sup- 
port is  excellent. 

You  can  safely  exploit  this  as  a  great 
Buck  Jones  picture.  Praise  the  story  to  the 
limit  as  a  whirlwind  romantic  melo  and  don't 
forget  the  remarkably  fine  scenic  views.  Eve- 
lyn Brent  should  be  featured  widely  as  well 
as  the  star. 


GOOD  RIDING  STUNT 

IN  'BATTLING  BUDDY' 

Buddy  Roosevelt  in  Lively  Western 
Drama 

'BATTLING  BUDDY.'  Weiss  Bros.  Art- 
class  Production.  Author,  Elisabeth  Bur- 
bridge.  Director,  Richard  Thorpe-.  Length 
4,600  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Buddy  West   Buddy  Roosevelt 

Dorothy  Parker   Violet  La  Pi  ante 

Pete  Hall   William  Lowery 

Ginger   Kewpie  King 

Dorothy  Parker,  the  adopted  daughter  of  a  ranch 
owner,  Daniel  West,  is  bequeathed  a  half  share  of 
the  ranch.  The  other  half  goes  to  his  nephew,  Buddy 
West,  who  has  been  away  for  years.  The  will  had 
a  provision,  however,  that  if  the  nephew  proved 
incompetent  of  running  the  ranch,  his  share  was  to 
go  to  Pete  Hall,  the  foreman.  Pete  means  to  get 
his  share,  and  has  Buddy  put  in  a  sanitarium  for 
the  insane,  as  incompetent.  Here  Buddy's  room- 
mate is  Ginger,  a  good  natured  tramp.  Together 
they  contrive  their  escape.  The  boys  return  to  the 
ranch,  and  though  their  cabin  is  burned  while  Dor- 
othy is  in  it,  Buddy  rescues  her,  giving  Hall  the 
thrashing  of  his  life,  and  orders  Hall  and  his  men 
off  the  ranch. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

FOR  a  real,  "open-spaces"  Western  riding 
man,  Buddy  Roosevelt  fits  the  picture 
to  a  nicety.  He  is  one  of  those  wide-smiling 
fellows  that  we  all  just  naturally  take  a  lik- 
ing to.  At  any  rate,  in  the  reviewer's  opinion, 
Buddy  will  "get  over,"  as  his  personality  on 
the  screen  rates  rather  high. 

Generally  speaking  "Battling  Buddy" 
should  have  good  box  office  value  for  its 
very  action  alone.  The  scenes  are  particu- 
larly well  chosen,  and  the  whole  picture 
seems  to  teem  with  life. 

The  crowds  like  Western  pictures.  There's 
a  sort  of  mass  appeal  in  the  romantic  melo- 
drama of  the  plains.  There  are  sure  to  be 
thrills ;  and  all  these  angles  are  present  in 
good  measure  in  this  film.  The  cast  support- 
ing Buddy  Roosevelt  are  highly  pleasing  in- 
deed, with  especial  mention  devoted  to  "Kew- 
pie" King,  who  takes  the  part  of  the  good 
natured  tramp. 

This  picture  abounds  in  fistic  encounters, 
more  particularly  between  Buddy  and  the  vil- 
lain, and  they  certainly  "mix"  things  up. 
Buddy  Roosevelt  is  the  average  man's  idea 
of  a  good  scrapper  and  the  average  woman's 
ideal  of  a  he-man,  and  surely  gives  a  good 
account  of  himself,  for  he  has  a  rather  for- 
midable adversary  in  William  Lowery,  who 
plays  the  part  of  Peter  Hall. 

To  Violet  LaPlante  go  the  heroine  honors, 
for  she  makes  a  delightful  complement  to  the 
excellent  Western  scenery  and  is  a  highly 
decorative  addition  to  the  screen. 

There  is  a  tense  moment  when  the  little 
cabin  where  Buddy  and  Ginger  have  taken 
up  quarters  is  burned  by  the  cowboys  on  the 
ranch,  who  fear  it  is  inhabited  by  ghosts. 

At  the  time  the  fire  is  started,  however,  its 
regular  occupants  are  down  at  the  river  wash- 
ing up,  and  Dorothy  has  called  to  talk  to 
them.  As  she  finds  they  are  out,  and  at- 
tempts to  leave,  she  is  confronted  by  the 
sight  of  the  cowboys  making  their  way  to 
the  cabin. 

Returning  quickly  to  the  safety  of  the 
closed  door  of  the  shack,  she  is  soon  aware 
of  the  plan  to  burn  it  down  and  in  short 
order  is  surrounded  by  the  flames  from  the 
tinder  like  cabin. 

Here  is  where  Buddy's  riding  serves  him 
in  good  stead.  Taking  his  excellent  mount 
"Pardner,"  he  runs  up  the  nearby  cliff  and 
jumps  his  horse  through  the  roof  of  the 
burning  cabin.  This  is  well  staged  and  is  a 
real  thrill.  On  the  whole  the  picture  should 
please. 

Exploitation  should  really  be  done  in  the 
name  of  Buddy  Roosevelt,  as  his  name  is 
getting  to  have  more  and  more  box  office 
prestige.  Practical  ballyhoo  ideas  should  not 
overlook  the  advertising  angle  of  the  obese 
tramp,  locked  in  the  sanitarium,  and  snapping 
at  flies.  Properly  characterized  this  would 
attract  wide  attention. 


September  20,  1<>24 


Page  43 


AUDIENCE  APPEAL 

IN  'K— THE  UNKNOWN' 

Mystery    and    Romance  Distinguish 
Film  Version  of  Rinehart  Novel 

'K—THE  UNKNOWN.'  Universal  Jewel 
Photoplay.  Author,  Mary  Roberts  Rine- 
hart. Director,  Harry  Pollard.  Length, 
8,146  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Sidney  Page   Virginia  Valli 

"K"  Le  Moyne   Percy  Marmont 

Carlotta  Harrison   Margarita  Fisher 

George  "Slim"  Benson   Francis  Feeney 

Dr.   Max  Wilson   John  Roche 

Joe  Drummond   Maurice  Ryan 

Aunt  Harriet  Kennedy   Myrtle  Vane 

Dr.  Ed  Wilson   William  A.  Carroll 

K.  Le  Moyne  comes  to  board  with  aunt  of  Sidney 
Page,  small-town  belle.  The  latter,  a  probation 
nurse,  is  wooed  by  Dr.  Max  Wilson,  who  has  an 
affair  with  Nurse  Carlotta.  Wilson  is  shot  by  Joe 
Drummond,  one  of  Sidney's  suitors.  Carlotta, 
recognizing  the  mysterious  K  as  the  celebrated  sur- 
geon Edwardes,  persuades  him  to  perform  an  oper- 
ation which  saves  Wilson's  life.  This  revelation  of 
Edwardes'  identity  leads  to  his  arrest  on  a  man- 
slaughter charge.  But  Carlotta  confesses  that  she 
is  responsible  for  the  death  for  which  Edwardes  is 
wanted,  having  tried  to  discredit  Edwardes  in  favor 
of  a  rival  surgeon.  Edwardes  is  freed  and  marries 
Sidney. 

By  George  T.  Pardv. 

A  GOOD  audience  picture  which  should 
**■  prove  a  profitable  investment  for  any 
exhibitor!  You  can  always  depend  upon  a 
Mary  Roberts  Rinehart  yarn  to  supply  a  gen- 
erous quantity  of  mytsery,  thrills  and  romance 
and  "K — The  Unknown"  is  no  exception  to 
the  rule. 

It  isn't  very  difficult  to  guess  early  in  the 
drama  just  who  the  strange  boarder  at  the 
residence  of  the  heroine's  aunt  really  is.  But 
the  mystery  thickens  around  the  question  of 
why  the  famous  Dr.  Edwardes  is  keeping 
under  cover  and  what  connection  gay  Dr. 
Wilson  and  nurse  Carlotta  have  with  the 
matter.  All  this  is  cleverly  concealed  right 
up  toward  the  last,  it  is  impossible  to  an- 
ticipate the  action,  with  the  result  that  the 
spectators  are  kept  constantly  on  the  alert 
and  the  finale  comes  as  an  agreeable  sur- 
prise. 

There  are  four  men  in  love  with  the  hero- 
ine, and  as  might  be  expected,  the  compli- 
cations ensuing  are  many  and  at  times  highly 
humorous.  If  there  be  a  fault  in  Harry 
Pollard's  direction  it  is  found  in  a  tendency 
to  over-stress  the  comedy  relief.  Some  of 
the  scenes  in  which  Sidney  Page's  two 
youthful  lovers  figure  are  undeniably  funny, 
but  others  degenerate  into  mere  horse-play 
and  are  mere  waste  of  footage,  an  error  of 
judgment  which  is  fortunately  more  than 
balanced  by  the  film's  general  excellence. 

The  strong  point  of  the  feature  is  its  in- 
tense emotional  appeal.  Melodrama  there  is, 
but  of  a  subdued  nature,  the  thrills  are  more 
mental  than  physical,  Mr.  Pollard  never  sac- 
rifices the  human  side  of  the  story  to  the 
temptation  of  putting  over  a  theatrical  punch. 

Events  reach  a  high  point  of  tension  with 
the  shooting  of  Dr.  Wilson  and  the  call  for 
"K"  to  operate  on  the  injured  man.  If  he 
does  so,  he  not  only  admits  his  identity, 
thereby  placing  himself  within  the  clutches 
of  the  law,  but  has  the  poor  consolation  of 
knowing  that  he  will  restore  to  mischievous 
vigor  a  rival  who  will  carry  off  the  girl  he 
loves.  But  he  takes  the  righteous  course  and 
is  rewarded  when  Sidney  returns  his  affec- 
tion and  he  is  cleared  of  the  criminal  charge 
hanging  over  him  by  nurse  Carlotta's  belated 
confession. 

Percy  Marmont  wins  the  principal  dramatic 
honors  by  an  exceedingly  fine,  natural,  and 
in  every  way  impressive  portrayal  of  "K." 
Virginia  Valli  is  excellent  as  the  small-town 
belle  heroine. 

Tieups  with  book  stores  on  the  Rinehart 
novel  from  which  the  film  is  produced  should 
be  arranged,  as  the  author's  fame  as  a  popu- 
lar fiction  writer  is  international.  Play  up 
Percy  Marmont,  Virginia  Valli,  and  go  the 
limit  in  praising  the  story's  romantic  and  hu- 
man appeal. 


BETTY  COMPSON  AS 

A  JUNGLE  HEROINE 

"The  Female"  With  Vivid  African  At- 
mosphere, a  Fair  A  ttraction 

■THE  FEMALE.'  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corp.  Photoplay.  Author,  Cynthia  Stokle'y. 
Director,  Sam  Wood.  Length,  6,167  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 


Dalla   Betty  Compson 

Colonel  Valentia   Warner  Baxter 

Barend  De  Beer   Noah  Beery 

Coldah  Harrison   Dorothy  Cummings 

Clon  Biron   Freeman  Wood 

Laura  Alcutt   Helen  Butler 

Mrs.  Castigne   Pauline  French 

Clyde  Wiel   Edgar  Norton 

Lady  Malete   Florence  Wix 

Lost  in  African  jungles  when  a  baby,  Dalla  is 
nursed  by  lions  and  when  found  becomes  known  as 
"the  lion  cub,"  as  it  is  popularly  supposed  she  has 
absorbed  the  wild  beast  nature.     She  falls  in  love 


with  Valentia,  a  hunter,  but  in  a  moment  of  pique 
marries  her  guardian  De  Beer,  an  elderly  Boer.  They 
make  a  compact  that  she  is  to  be  wife  in  name  only 
for  three  years.  She  goes  to  England  to  be  educated 
and  returns  a  cultured  woman.  The  three  year  per- 
iod is  not  quite  up.  De  Beer  is  slain  by  Biron, 
in  love  with  Dalla.  The  latter  is  accused  of  having 
fired  the  fatal  shot,  but  is  cleared  and  won  by 
Valentia. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

ON  the  strength  of  the  animal  stuff,  good 
photography  and  star's  popularity  "The 
Female"  ought  to  do  fairly  well  as  a  box 
office  attraction  for  the  neighborhood  and 
smaller  houses.  Betty  Compson's  name  will 
draw  them  in,  and  although  the  film  does 
not  rank  with  the  best  of  her  screen  con- 
tributions, it  moves  at  a  lively  pace  and  offers 
a  plot  with  enough  unusual  angles  to  hold 
an  average  audience's  interest  to  the  close. 

While  this  isn't  a  juvenile  picture  in 
any  sense  of  the  word,  child  patrons  will 
no  doubt  be  highly  entertained  by  the  hero- 
ine's adventures  in  infancy  with  a  bunch  of 
lions  when  she  is  lost  in  the  jungle.  Its 
appeal  for  adults  lies  chiefly  in  Dalla's 
tangled  love  affairs  and  her  marital  compact 
to  remain  "a  wife  in  name  only"  until  three 
years  from  the  date  of  her  wedding. 

Having  been  nursed  by  attentive  lions  for 
a  week,  the  current  belief  among  her  ac- 
quaintances is  that  Dalla  must  be  listed  as  a 
trifle  ferocious,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  she 
grows  up  a  very  untameable  sort  of  person, 
quite  the  wildest  of  Africa's  younger  gener- 
ation. It  is  in  keeping  with  her  early  train- 
ing that  she  should  fall  in  love  with  Valentia, 
a  big  game  hunter  of  proven  valor.  But  at  a 
ball  she  overhears  some  uncomplimentary 
comments  on  her  crude  behavior  made  by  a 
couple  of  scandal-mongering  females,  con- 
cludes that  Valentia  has  been  only  amusing 
himself  with  her,  and  in  a  fit  of  anger  mar- 
ries the  elderly  Boer,  De  Beer,  who  is  her 
guardian. 

The  three  year  compact  follows  and  Dalla 
returns  from  an  educational  course  in  Eng- 
land completely  renovated.  The  killing  of 
De  Beer  by  a  chap  infatuated  with  the  young 
wife,  and  the  flight  of  Dalla  when  suspect- 
ed of  the  crime  are  among  the  most  sensa- 
tional incidents  of  the  feature.  Valentia's 
search  for  the  girl  terminates  at  a  water 
hole,  where  a  lion  is  about  to  eliminate  him, 
when  Dalla  subdues  the  beast  with  the  power 
of  her  eyes,  another  well-handled  scene, 
which  produces  a  distinct  thrill.  A  happy 
climax  is  attained. 

Betty  Compson's  slender  figure  is  seen  to 
the  best  possible  advantage  in  a  number  of 
stunning  gowns  which  should  arouse  the  ad- 
miring envy  of  all  feminine  fans,  and  her 
work  as  the  lovely,  untamed  Dalla  is  re- 
markable for  its  fiery  emotional  appeal. 
Warner  Baxter  registers  satisfactorily  as  the 
mighty  hunter  and  heart-breaker,  Colonel 
Valentia,  Noah  Beery  is  convincing  as  the 
rugged  old  De  Beers  and  the  support  is  ade- 
quate. 

Betty  Compson  is  your  best  bet  in  ex- 
ploiting "The  Female."  Tell  the  women 
folks  about  her  beautiful  gowns,  and  there 
is  a  certain  lure  for  the  children  in  the  wild 
beast  exhibitions. 


SEX  STUFF  MIXED 

WITH  HOKUM  SALVE 

"Other  Kind  of  Love"  Unfit  for  the 
Family  Circle 

'THE  OTHER  KIND  OF  LOVE.'  Gold- 
stone  Photoplay.  Author,  Bucleigh  Fits 
Oxford.  Director,  Duke  Wornc.  Length, 
5,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Adam  Benton   William  Fairbanks 

Elsie  Brent  Dorothy  Revier 

Mary  Benton  Edith  Yorke 

George  Benton   Robert  Keith 

Chorus  Girl   Rhea  Mitchell 

Elsie  Brent,  orphan,  lives  on  a  farm  with  Mrs. 
Benton  and  the  latter's  eldest  son  Adam.  George, 
younger  son,  returns  from  college  in  trouble  as 
resiult  of  having  forged  a  check.  Adam  sacrifices 
his  savings  to  square  matters.  George  weds  Elsie. 
Just  as  they  have  left  the  farm  a  girl  arrives  who 
proves  to  be  George's  wife.  Adam  rushes  to  the 
cabin  where  George  and  Elsie  are  staying.  The 
brothers  fight,  Adam  is  knocked  senseless.  George, 
horrified,  runs  away  and  falls  over  a  cliff.  He  is 
rescued  by  Adam.  An  all  around  reconciliation  fol- 
lows. George  reforms,  makes  good  with  his  wife 
and  Adam  wins  Elsie. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

HP  HEY'VE  drawn  liberally  on  the  standby 
hokum  stuff  which  tickled  the  sensibilities 
of  folks  who  used  to  patronize  the  ten, 
twenty,  thirty  cent  legitimate  melodramas  in 
bygone  days,  in  filming  this  one.  There's  the 
old  farmhouse,  gentle  widowed  mother,  hon- 
est elder  son  and  scape-grace  brother,  lovely 
orphan  in  danger  of  betrayal  by  the  latter, 
who  is  already  possessed  of  a  wife.  All  fa- 
miliar figures  to  the  veteran  playgoer! 

Mightn't  be  such  a  bad  buy  for  the  State 
Rights  market,  if  the  screen  offering  wasn't 
saturated  with  sex  suggestion  to  a  point 
where  it  is  bound  to  prove  offensive  in  many 
localities.  Certainly,  exhibitors  who  want  to 
please  the  select  or  family  trade,  will  do  well 
to  pass  up  "The  Other  Kind  of  Love."  Where 
patrons  are  not  too  particular,  the  feature 
may  fill  the  bill,  but  at  its  best,  figures  only 
as  a  one  day  attraction. 

None  of  the  characters  earn  any  great  de- 
gree of  sympathy.  The  strait-laced  elder 
brother  is  rather  a  bonehead  hero,  the  young- 
er one  an  awful  swine,  the  heroine  a  simper- 
ing miss  who  doesn't  know  her  own  mind, 
limited  as  it  is,  and  the  good  old  mother 
merely  exasperates  the  onlooker,  as  she  lav- 
ishes her  sentimental  yearnings  on  the  un- 
worthy black  sheep  son. 

With  all  the  fuss  made  over  mother  love 
and  the  supposedly  noble  self-sacrifice  of  the 
older  brother,  the  sexual  urge  is  the  main 
influence  in  the  picture.  Everything  works 
up  toward  one  definite  idea,  George  Benton's 
intention  to  seduce  Elsie  Brent.  True,  he 
doesn't  really  get  that  far,  but  he  goes  the 
limit  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  when  foil- 
ed at  the  crucial  moment  by  brother  Adam, 
tries  energetically  to  knock  the  latter's  brains 
loose  from  the  pan. 

The  manifestations  of  physical  passion  are 
voluptuously  but  crudely  indicated,  as  in  the 
scene  where  George  proceeds  to  force  his  at- 
tentions on  the  girl  who  thinks  she  is  his 
wife,  and  one  can't  help  wondering  why  she 
waited  until  that  particular  time  to  show  her 
dislike  of  him.  But  the  whole  thing  is  un- 
convincing. 

Except  in  the  scrap  with  George  and  his 
subsequent  rescue  of  that  gent  when  he  has 
fallen  over  a  cliff,  William  Fairbanks  has 
little  to  do  in  the  role  of  Adam,  but  look 
ruggedly  stern  in  a  succession  of  closeups. 
He  does  that  satisfactorily  enough.  Dorothy 
Revier  isn't  a  bad-looking  heroine  and  acts 
fairly  well.  Robert  Keith  labors  hard  but 
accomplishes  little  in  the  part  of  blackleg 
George,  and  the  support  is  on  a  par  with  the 
work  of  the  principals.  The  photography  in- 
cludes some  pretty  exteriors  and  good  light- 
ing prevails. 

There  is  really  nothing  to  exploit  in  this 
picture  outside  of  the  sex  atmosphere,  which 
is  about  the  last  thing  any  exhibitor  with 
common  sense  and  a  strain  of  decency  would 
think  of  doing. 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Biq  Little  Feature 


Larry  Semon's  Comedy  Ready 

Larry  Semon's  first  two-reel  special 
comedy  for  Educational  release  is  prac- 
tically completed. 

The  four  Larry  Semon  Special  Com- 
edies planned  for  Educational  distribu- 
tion, which  are  being  produced  by  Se- 
mon and  the  Chadwick  Pictures  Cor- 
poration in  Los  Angeles,  were  designed 
to  be  the  outstanding  productions  of  the 
dare-devil  comedian's  career.  Reports 
from  the  coast  on  the  first  of  these  four 
two-reel  comedy  "featurettes",  entitled 
"Her  Boy  Eriend",  indicate  that  this 
ambition  is  to  be  achieved. 

Dorothy  Dwan,  who  has  been  seen  in 
parts  in  "Shadows  of  Paris"  with  Pola 
Negri,  "Feet  of  Clay,"  "Those  Who 
Dance",  and  other  feature  pictures,  is 
Semon's  leading  lady  in  "Her  Boy 
Friend",  and  among  the  thrills  is  a  par- 
ticularly hazardous  stunt  by  Miss 
Dwan.  "Her  Boy  Friend"  is  a  story 
based  to  some  extent  on  the  experiences 
of  a  dare-devil  newspaper  reporter. 

The  next  Larry  Semon  Special  Com- 
edy for  Educational  will  go  into  pro- 
duction immediately  after  the  shipping 
of  "Her  Boy  Friend".  This  will  be  an 
auto  race  story  entitled  "The  Speed 
Kid". 

*      *  * 

Hiers  in  'Short  Change' 

Walter  Hiers  is  playing  the  part  of 
a  corpulent  bank  teller  who  would 
rather  catch  fish  than  cash  checks,  in 
his  first  two-reel  comedy  for  Educa- 
tional, which  is  to  be  titled  "Short 
Change."  The  picture  is  directed  by 
Archie  Mayo,  who  has  attracted  atten- 
tion through  his  work  in  directing  three 
of  the  ;most  popular  of  the  Christie 
Comedies  in  the  last  season. 

Little  befreckled  Jack  McHugh,  who 
plays  leading  roles  in  Juvenile  Come- 
dies, was  "borrowed"  by  the  Hiers 
Company  to  play  .the  part  of  a  little 
pest  who  adds  much  to  the  many  dis- 
comforts of  the  fat  bank  employe 
when  he  starts  on  his  vacation.  Duane 
Thompson  is  Hiers'  leading  lady. 
*    *  * 

SYNOPSIS  OF  INTER- 
NATIONAL NEWS  NO.  74 

Atlantic  City — Thousands  gather  to 
see  fairest  bathing  beauty  picked. 

Westbury,  L.  I. — On  the  polo  danger 
line  with  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

Hollywood,  Cal.  -  -  "Double"  for 
movie  heroes  invents  a  new  thriller. 

Colorado  Springs,  Col.  ■ —  Death 
curves  defied  in  Pikes  Peak  climb. 


Mr.  Rainier,  Wash. — Use  mountain 
snows  as  Summer  ballroom.  Fair  dan- 
cers find  Rainier's  icy  slopes  ideal  for 
rehearsal. 

Paris,  France — Water  titling  stars 
battle  for  championship. 

Detroit,  Mich. — Swiftest  motorboats 
in  gold  cup  classic. 

Baltimore,  Md. — Swiftest  scullers 
race  in  middle  states  regatta.  Crescent 
Club  wins  junior  doubles. 

Temple,  Texas — Thousands  call  to 
cheer  victorious  "Ma"  Ferguson. 
Woman  victor  in  governorship  pri- 
maries gets  remarkable  ovation. 

Hollywood,  Cal. — New  nose  for 
Jack  Dempsey  as  kid  cupid  lands  K.  O. 
World's  champion  pretties  up  just  as 
papers  announce  he's  engaged  to  wed. 

Indian  Harbor,  Laborador — U.  S. 
Airmen  circle  the  globe !  Our  hero 
aviators  return  to  North  America  con- 
tinent after  epoch  making  flight ! 

*  *  * 

SYNOPSIS  OF  KINOGRAMS 
NO.  5011 

Yaqui  Indians  Make  Some  Good 
Medicine — Tucson,  Ariz. — Ceremonial 
dances  of  the  tribe  bring  out  the  young 
braves  in  niftiest  togs. 

Prince  Evades  Mob  to  Watch  Polo- 
ists — Westbury,  N.  Y. — Our  royal  visi- 
tor, with  few  of  his  friends,  manages 
to  see  practice  unnoticed. 

Lawn  Bowlers  Learn  How  to  Roll 
Curves.  -  -  Dorchester,  Mass.  —  Best 
players  in  the  country  take  part  in  Na- 
tional Tournament  events. 


Autos  Meet  in  Head-On  Smash. — 
Oakland,  Cal. — Offers  the  following  as 
new  way  to  get  rid  of  an  old  car. 

All  Nice  People  Must  Learn  This. — - 
Chicago. — Dancing  masters  so  decree 
of  newest  dance  step  guaranteed  to  be 
very  genteel. 

It  Must  Be  That  Autumn  Ap- 
proaches.— Berkley,  Cal.  —  Here's  a 
sure  sign — football  practice  begins,  at 
Univ.  of  California. 

Big  Bill  Tilden  Keeps  His  Title.— 
Forest  Hills,  N.  Y.— Little  Bill  John- 
son and  the  champion  again  struggle 
for  tennis  crown. 

No  Bobbed  Hair  for  Mrs.  Lydia  Mc- 
Pherson. — Sacramento,  Cal. — With  100 
other  women  she  takes  part  in  Samson 
style  contest  at  fair. 

Army  Fliers  Reach  America  Again 
on  Trip  Round  World. — Indian  Har- 
bor.— Triumphal  flight  nearly  over ! 
*    *  * 

LITTLE  ROBINSON 
CORKSCREW 

Pathe  2  reels' 

Ralph  Graves,  as  the  hero,  returns  to  his 
home  town  the  village  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  as 
the  agent  for  the  "Ajax  Muscle  Builder." 
His  sweetheart's  dad  allows  him  to  use  his 
window  space  for  demonstration  purposes, 
and  the  village  does  its  daily  dozen.  During 
his  exercises,  he  falls  and  causes  serious 
damage  to  the  shelves  and  fixings  of  the 
window.  To  repay  the  costs  he  takes  a  job 
in  the  store  as  a  clerk,  his  wages  paying  off 
the  damages. 

Widow  Brown  invites  him  to  call  at  her 
home  to  give  her  private  lessons  with  the 
exerciser,  and  while  there  she  makes  love  to 
him.  Susan  his  sweetheart,  and  her  father 
see,  and  a  substitute  son-in-law  is  quickly  ar- 
ranged for  and  in  pique  the  father  orders 
the  marriage  immediately. 

Susan's  French  maid  walks  into  the  room 
where  the  bride  is  dressing,  and  tries  on  the 
veil  and  dress.  As  the  substitute  groom  had 
been  making  love  to  the  maid,  she  deter- 
mines to  take  this  opportunity  to  marry  him. 
Hiding  her  face  under  the  veil,  she  succeeds 
in  being  married  to  her  sweetheart,  leaving 
Susan  for  our  hero  Ralph. 


In  Pathe's  comedy  "Outdoor  Pajamas," 
Charley  Case  makes  merry  apparelled  in 
only  his  boudoir    costume    and  slippers. 


This  is  the  second  of  the  Ralph  Graves 
comedies  which  Mack  Sennett  is  producing. 
While  Ralph  Graves  is  good  in  the  role  of 
country  bumpkin,  yet  it  seems  out  of  line  for 
one  so  talented  for  dramatic  roles,  to  take 
on  this  slapstick  material. 

However  that  is  another  side  of  the  ques- 
tion of  whether  or  not  this  comedy  will 
'produce'  at  the  box-office.  We  think  it 
should  go  well,  because  the  laughs  are  al- 
most continuous,  the  action  quite  "peppy;" 
and  that  it  therefore  is  safe  booking. 

The  entire  cast  of  characters  is  good  and 
the  story  runs  along  smoothly. 

Exploitation  honors  should  be  divided  be- 
tween Ralph  Graves  the  starred  player  and 
Mack  Sennett  who  produces  these  comedies. 
There  is  a  certain  charm  around  the  Sennett 
name  that  the  public  accepts  as  an  assurance 
of  good  comedy. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  45 


Jack  Dempsey,  disguised  as  a  Frenchman, 
in  a  scene  from  Universal's  "So  This  Is 
Paris."  He  is  accompanied  by  Hayden 
Stevenson  and  George  Ovey,  who  are  also 
in  all  of   the    "Fight   and   Win"  series. 


THE  SUN  DOWN,  LIMITED 

Pathe  2  reels 

SYNOPSIS 

For  lack  of  play  yards,  "Our  Gang"  find 
their  amusement  in  the  Railroad  yards 
where  engines  and  trains  come  and  go.  They 
make  friends  with  the  engineers,  and  are 
frequently  taken  for  rides  in  the  engine 
cabs,  until  their  familiarity  gets  them  into 
trouble.  While  the  engineer  is  having 
lunch,  two  of  the  kids  decide  to  take  a 
ride  by  themselves,  and  get  aboard.  They 
know  how  to  start  it  but  not  how  to  stop 
it.  After  some  time,  running  it  back  and 
forth  to  round  house  and  yards,  the  en- 
gineer finds  out  what  is  going  on,  hops 
aboard  and  stops  the  engine.  The  kids  are 
chased  and  warned  never  to  return.  In 
pique,  they  build  their  own  railroad,  using 
boilers  and  cans  available,  running  it  on  an 
unused  portion  of  track,  outside  the  yards. 
"Toughey"  of  a  competing  gang  has  built 
his  own  train,  which  has  taken  the  fancy  of 
the  feminine  members  of  the  gang.  How- 
ever he  loses  his  customers  when  the  gang 
build  their  own.  "Toughey"  then  tries  to 
wreck  the  tracks,  and  the  train  runs  amuck, 
and  into  town,  getting  the  kids  in  trouble 
with  the  police. 

It  should  really  suffice  to  say  that  this 
is  one  of  the  best  "Our  Gang"  comedies 
produced. 

The  theme  is  excellent  and  the  kids  un- 
usually clever.  All  in  all  there  is  a  de- 
cided charm  to  all  that  the  kids  do.  The 
train  has  all  the  accessories,  such  as  depot, 
mail  stand,  watering  spout  and  all,  and 
much  ingenuity  is  shown  in  the  staging. 

There  are  tense  moments  of  suspense 
when  the  boys  run  away  with  the  real  en- 
gine. They  start  it  but  cannot  stop  it. 
and  at  one  time  little  dark  skinned  Farina 
has  her  foot  caught  in  a  rail  frog.  The 
engine  comes  thundering  along,  right 
down  on  her.  With  presence  of  mind,  she 
lays  flat  on  her  back.  Though  this  occurs 
several  times,  she  emerges  scared  but  un- 
bruised. 

Exhibitors  know  the  box-office  value  of 
these  juvenile  comedies.  There  is  a  uni- 
versal appeal  in  them  all,  and  Sun  Down 
Limited  has  the  edge  on  all  of  the  others 
before  it,  for  it  is  superlatively  funny. 


"Our  Gang"  comedies  are  built  to  amuse 
children — but  the  adults  as  well  are  not 
denying  their  interest  in  these  precocious 
kiddies. 

*    #  * 

DIRTY  HANDS 

Educational  2  reels 

A  juvenile  comedy ;  cast  including  Jack  McHugh, 
James   Hertz,    Bird;e  Fogel.  Tom  Hicks. 

SYNOPSIS 

Jack  was  the  son  of  a  poor  family;  he  took 
care  of  the  baby  and  delivered  the  washing. 
While  doing  his  errands  he  finds  his  gang 
engaged  in  a  baseball  contest,  which  he  joins. 
The  game  is  broken  up  when  a  batted  ball 
crashes  through  a  neighboring  pane  of  glass. 

Due  to  conditions,  and  her  inability  to  sup- 
port him,  Jack's  mother  decided  to  put  him 
in  an  orphan  home,  but  Jackie's  poodle  dog 
causes  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for  Jack  at 
the  home.  They  send  for  the  dog-catcher 
whose  entire  catch  is  released  by  Jack,  while 
securing  the  liberty  of  ;his  own  dog. 

In  a  newspaper  he  notes  that  a  whole  ken- 
nel of  blooded  dogs  have  run  away,  and  in 
his  new  charges  he  recognizes  the  lost 
brood.  He  returns  them  to  their  owners,  re- 
ceives a  large  reward  and  his  mother  and  he 
roll  in  prosperity. 


"Dirty  Hands"  is  a  right  good  little  com- 
edy, for  it  possesses  contrast  and  story.  The 
audience  will  like  the  cast,  and  Jack  Mc- 
Hugh is  a  freckle  face  well  known  to  the 
movie  going  public.  There  are  many  good 
laughs,  and  a  moment  or  two '  of  pity  for 
the  kiddie  being  put  away  with  the  orphans. 

The  action  in  the  baseball  game  is  good 
as  are  the  captions.  The  way  that  team 
runs  away  when  the  window  is  broken  is 
quite  true  to  life. 

This  should  be  a  good  comedy  to  book, 
for  where  there  are  a  number  of  children 
and  young  folks,  juvenile  comedies  always 
succeed  in  securing  their  cordial  interest. 


STUPID  BUT  BRAVE 

Educational  2  reels 

SYNOPSIS 

Al  St.  John  is  a  member  of  the  tramp 
"idle-class."  He  seeks  work,  however,  and 
is  engaged  by  an  importer,  provided  he  joins 
him  on  the  boat  which  sails  three  days  lat- 
er, from  a  town  four  hundred  miles  away. 

Al  goes  via  freight  car  as  he  has  no  fare, 
is  forced  to  alight  by  railway  watchmen.  He 
is  stripped  of  his  clothes  by  jailbirds,  enters 
into  a  cross-country  run.  He  wins  the  prize 
of  one  hundred  dollars.  Proceeding  down 
the  road,  he  encounters  a  young  woman 
motorist  being  held  up  by  bandits.  He  res- 
cues her,  and  accepts  her  invitation  to  ride 
to  San  Pedro — where  he  is  to  meet  his  em- 
ployer— he  finds,  during  the  conversation  that 
she  is  his  "boss"  daughter,  and  all  ends 
happily. 


This  comedy  has  a  great  many  angles 
from  which  it  might  find  favorable  com- 
ment. The  central  character  is  played  in  his 
usually  delightfully  interesting  way  by  Al 
St.  John. 

There  are  few  opportunities  for  genuine 
comedy,  but  the  captions  make  up  for  that, 
as  they  are  numerous  and  good.  The  gags 
and  puns  will  sprinkle  the  audience  with 
laughs. 

The  barber-shop  scene  where  Al  goes  to 
shave,  knowing  he  hasn't  the  price — and  see- 
ing others  who  are  short  in  change,  get 
beaten  up,  lends  our  hero  an  aura  of  sympa- 
thetic acceptance  on  the  part  of  any  audience. 

Al  St.  John  is  a  known  quantity  as  far  as 
the  public  is  concerned.  He  has  been  seen 
in  some  exceptionally  good  comedies.  The 
present  film  is  funny  and  should  be  a  worth- 
while picture  to  book.  Exploitation  is  easy,, 
for  the  cross-country  race  scene,  and  the 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  lady,  are  good  bally- 
hoo, while  the  situations  and  the  gags  can 
be  advertised  with  good  effect. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Give  Yourself  An  Even  Break 


THE  age-old  query  "What  Is 
Showmanship"  has  never  been  an- 
swered. Or,  to  be  more  accurate, 
it  has  been  answered  in  such  a  variety 
of  ways,  that  one  may  either  pay  his 
money  and  take  his  choice,  or  spend  a 
few  quiet  evenings  at  home  figuring  it 
all  out  as  he  would  a  Sam  Lloyd  puzzle. 

Someone  once  said  that  the 
world  is  composed  of  a  number  of 
things — or  words  to  that  general 
effect.  And  so  it  is  with  Show- 
manship. 

Showmanship  is  theatre  manage- 
ment— good  housekeeping.  Show- 
manship stands  forth  in  an  alluring 
lobby.  Showmanship  is  evident  in 
window  displays.  Showmanship 
shrieks  from  every  attention- 
gripping  twenty-four  sheet.  Show- 
manship is  exploitation — ballyhoo. 
Showmanship  is  advertising.  Show- 
manship is  good-fellowship  on  the 
part  of  the  exhibitor.  There  is 
Showmanship  in  every  effective 
prolog.  And  presentation  plays  an 
important  part.  The  skillful  selec- 
tion of  a  program  is  Showmanship 
— and  so  is  the  installation  of 
proper  equipment.  Yes,  Showman- 
ship covers  a  multitude  of  exhibi- 
tor activities. 

It  is  indeed  a  magic  word.  It  is 
the  "open  sesame"  that  will  swing 
wide  the  gateway  of  financial  suc- 
cess for  those  who  have  faith — and 
prove  it  by  their  labors. 

Despite  the  actual  benefit  to  be 
derived  in  cold  cash  by  those  who 
worship  at  this  shrine,  it  is,  per- 
haps, impossible  for  many  exhibitors 
to  be  students  of  Showmanship  in  its 
many  ramifications.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting and  illuminating  to  peruse  an 
encyclopedia  from  "Aam — an  old 
Dutch  liquid  measure"  right  through 
to  "Zythum — a  kind  of  beer."  One 
would  doubtless  gain  much  useful  in- 
formation. But  few  have  the  time  or 
inclination. 

HOWEVER,  there  is  one  variety  of 
Showmanship  that  is  imperative  in 
its  demands.  Fortunately  it  is  easy  to 
practice.  It  is  personal  Showmanship, 
personal  exploitation,  personal  building 
of  good  will,  by  you,  for  yourself  and 
your  theatre. 

You  are  a  retailer  of  entertainment. 
A  purveyor  of  products  appealing  di- 
rectly to  the  hearts  and  souls  of  your 
customers.  You  are  selling  love,  laugh- 


ter, romance,  adventure,  tragedy,  tears. 

And  in  many  respects  your  merchan- 
dising problems  are  not  so  very  differ- 
ent from  those  confronting  your  fel- 
low businessmen.  You  purchase  your 
commodity  from  one  source,  and  you 
sell  it  to  another.  It  would  perhaps 
seem,  that  so  long  as  you  buy  a  fine 


T^HE  most  important 
thing  in  the  world  to 
yon  is — yourself.  In  the 
last  analysis  you,  your- 
self, are  responsible  for 
your  success  or  failure. 

Read  this  and  see  why 
you  haven't  been  giving 
yourself  a  square  deal, 
and  how  you  can  begin 
today  to  make  yourself 
and  your  theatre  famous. 


quality  of  goods,  your  chief  concern 
should  be  with  those  to  whom  you  sell 
— those  who  pay  their  money  to  you  in 
exchange  for  your  product. 

IF  you  have  a  grudge  against  some 
distributing  company  —  no  matter 
how  much  or  little  it  may  be  justified 
— that  company  has  an  obstacle  to 
overcome  before  it  can  even  compete 
with  other  wholesalers  for  your  patron- 
age on  an  even  footing.  If  you  person- 
ally dislike  some  certain  film  salesman 
or  exchangeman,  that  individual  is 
handicapped  in  his  dealings  with  you 
no  matter  how  fine  a  grade  of  mer- 
chandise he  offers. 

Pause  a  moment.  If  these  things  be 
true — may  not  the  same  situation  exist 
between  you  as  the  merchant  and  your 
potential  patrons  as  the  ultimate  con- 
sumers of  your  wares  ? 


Have  you  ever  paused  to  think  how 
they  regard  you — personally?  And 
your  theatre?  Whatever  you  do — don't 
deceive  yourself !  Look  the  proposition 
squarely  in  the  face.  And  if  the  answer 
isn't  to  your  liking — take  steps  to 
change  the  answer.  Arthur  Brisbane, 
who  writes  for  millions  of  readers  each 
day,  says  that  if  he  didn't  like  what 
he  saw  in  the  mirror,  he'd  change 
his  face— not  break  the  glass.  Do 
you  likewise. 

By  personal  Showmanship  we  do 
not  mean  to  array  yourself  in  all 
your  glory,  and  parade  the  lobby. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  clout  casual 
acquaintances  on  the  shoulder  in 
vociferous  greeting.  It  is  not  es- 
sential to  offer  your  cigars  to  every 
man  you  meet.  Don't  be  notorious. 
This  type  of  work  is  coarse.  It  is 
old  stuff,  and  passed  quietly  out 
about  the  time  P.  T.  got  rid  of  the 
crowds  by  means  of  a  sign  over  his 
exit  reading  "This  Way  to  the 
Egress." 

One  thing  a  showman  mustn't  be 
is  old  fashioned.  And  the  1924 
model  exhibitor  is  vastly  different 
from  the  sawdust  "Joey." 

Be  unostentatiously  in  evidence 
about  your  theatre.  Let  your 
mouth  curve  up  instead  of  down. 
Earn  the  respect,  confidence  and  co- 
operation of  your  employees.  Give 
your  patrons  a  hundred  cents  worth 
of  entertainment  for  every  dollar 
they  leave  you.  Meet  them  socially 
through  proper  channels  outside 
business  hours.  Join  the  men's  clubs, 
the  Board  of  Trade,  the  City  Boosters, 
the  church,  the  civic  organizations.  Be 
a  useful  member  of  the  community. 


And  make  it  a  Showmanshiphouse 
as  well  as  a  showhouse.  Boost  your 
theatre  into  its  niche  just  as  you  have 
boosted  yourself.  Make  it  clean,  dig- 
nified, beautiful,  comfortable — a  local 
institution.  When  occasion  offers  turn 
it  over  to  the  Orphan  Asylum  for  a 
day.  If  room  is  required  for  some 
civic  gathering  for  the  promotion  of 
the  city's  interests — let  it  be  known 
that  your  theatre  is  always  at  the  dis- 
posal of  a  good  cause.  You'll  lose  a 
night's  receipts.  And  you'll  gain  a 
hundred  friends.  Be  far-sighted.  Look 
ahead.  It  pays  in  the  end.  Be  a  show- 
man. And  remember  that  Showman- 
ship, like  charity,  begins  at  home. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  47 


Make  Your  Theatre  News 
for  Newspapers 

By  FRED  E.  HAMLIN 

Director  of  Publicity  Mark  Strand  Theatre,  N.  Y.  C. 


EXPLOITING  a  theatre  along 
with  the  photoplays ! 
So,  to  escape  the  generalities  and 
theories  which  may  or  may  not  be  prac- 
ticable, let  the  records  of  the  Mark 
Strand  Theatre  tell  the  story. 

In  April  1924,  as  the  publicity  di- 
rector of  the  Mark  Strand,  I  came  into 
the  organization  fresh  from  the  city 
desk  of  a  New  York  newspaper  and 
with  the  advantage  and  background  of 
personal  acquaintance  with  every  New 
York  newspaper  man,  his  confidence 
in  me  and  his  good  wishes.  My  busi- 
ness had  been  writing,  my  training  had 
been  in  writing  and  it  was  quite  natural 
that  I  leaned  towards  newspapers  in  ex- 
ploitation of  the  theatre. 

The  first  job  was  to  stage  the  tenth 
anniversary  celebration  of  the  Mark 
Strand-  The  tenth  anniversary  of  the 
Mark  Strand,  first  million-dollar  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  in  the  world;  the 
pioneer  in  the  present-day  high  artistic 
presentation  of  photoplays — something 
to  write  about  and  talk  about.  Sixty 
million  paid  admissions  in  ten  years ! 
The  first  to  score  photoplays  to  music ! 

Newspaper  training  was  put  in  prac- 
tice. Instead  of  mimographed  copy, 
every  article  on  the  tenth  anniversary 
was  expressly  written.  Every  story 
was  written  as  a  news  story.  News 
for  newspapers  written  as  a  newspaper 
man  wants  it — that  was  the  big  idea ! 

Interviews  with  M'oe  Mark,  president 
and  general  manager  of  the  Mark 
Strand  theatres,  about  how  he  and  his 
deceased  brother  Mitchell  H.  Mark, 
started  the  first  motion  picture  theatre 
in  the  world  in  Buffalo  years  ago. 

Something  to  write  about — news  for 
newspapers !  For  five  years  Joseph 
Plunkett  was  managing  director  of  the 
Mark  Strand.  For  five  years  he  had 
been  staging  the  prologues  and  feature 
settings  for  the  theatre.  He  had  won 
the  theatre  a  steady  patronage  with  dig- 
nified presentations. 

An  elaborate  souvenir  program  was 
compiled.  There  were  reproduced  let- 
ters from  the  Governor,  the  Mayor, 
the  head  of  the  motion  picture  industry, 
officers  of  the  Mark  Strand  organiza- 
tion and  others  high  in  the  film  industry. 
The  history  of  the  Mark  Strand  was 
written  in  entertaining  narrative  news- 
paper style.  The  tenth  anniversary  was 
made  AN  EVENT  in  the  motion  pic- 
ture business,  not  just  a  celebration  of 
the  Mark  Strand  theatre.  It  was  AN 
EVENT  of  interest  to  every  person 
who  had  ever  seen  a  motion  picture. 


Seventy-five  thousand  programs  were 
distributed  to  the  theatre  patrons, 
copies  were  mailed  to  the  libraries  in 
every  leading  city  and  town  with  an  ex- 
planatory memo  to  the  librarian  that 
"this  is  the  first  authentic  story  of  the 
first  of  the  big  motion  picture  theatres 
and  a  valuable  work  of  reference."  To 
15,000  exhibitors,  distributors  and  pro- 
ducers copies  were  sent. 

"At  the  Sign  of  the  Lipstick." 


Fred  E.  Hamlin,  Director  of  Publicity 
Mark  Strand  Theatre,  New  York 

Every  exhibitor  undoubtedly  has 
heard  of  "At  The  Sign  of  the  Lip* 
stick,"  the  first  cosmetics  suite  for 
ladies  in  a  theatre.  Here's  the  secret : 
The  Mark  Strand  built  a  very  fine  two- 
room  ladies  room  off  the  orchestra  lob- 
.  by.  It  was  indeed  luxurious.  Fine 
tapestries,  carpets,  genuine  Louis  XV 
furniture,  beautiful  mirrors  set  in  the 
walls  and  rosewood  and  satinwood  fin- 
ishing- The  lavatory  was  a  separate 
room  entered  through  the  Louis  room. 

It  was  just  a  very  expensive  and  elab- 
orate ladies  rest  room  and  lavatory. 
But  would  any  newspaper  print  a  story 
about  a  new  "ladies  room?"  Hardly! 
So  I  gave  it  the  trick  name,  "At  The 
Sign  of  the  Lipstick,"  and  called  it  "the 
first  cosmetics  suite  exclusively  for 
Milady.  I  emphasized  that  Mere  Man 
objected    to    Milady   powdering  and 


fussing  with  a  lipstick  while  seated  in 
the  theatre,  or  stopping  in  front  of  a 
lobby  or  store  mirror. 

To  get  the  idea  across  to  the  news- 
papers and  get  the  publicity,  a  Mark 
Strand  artist  made  fifty  hand-painted 
invitations  to  a  "formal  christening 
party  of  the  first  cosmetics  suite."  Rich- 
ard Barthelmess  and  Marion  Coakley, 
playing  in  a  film  at  the  theatre  at  the 
time,  agreed  to  attend  an  initiation  cere- 
mony. A  Fifth  Avenue  caterer  was 
engaged  to  serve  refreshments  with  all 
the  trimmings  of  a  Ritz  party. 

Five  girls  of  different  types  who 
didn't  use  rouge  were  used  as  models 
for  the  initiation.  Miss  Coakley  showed 
the  various  make-ups-stage,  street,  eve- 
ning, etc.  It  made  a  great  yarn  for  the 
newspapers  and  photographs  of  "the 
first  cosmetics  room,"  with  Barthel- 
mess, Miss  Coakley  and  the  newspaper 
writers,  some  of  national  reputation, 
were  broadcast  through  syndicates, 
newspaper  rotogravure  sections  and 
magazines.  A  follow-up  was  an  inter- 
view with  the  attendant,  a  white  woman 
who  was  called  "the  cosmetics  artiste, 
who,  not  using  the  lipstick  herself,  was 
an  expert  in  its  application."  Her  du- 
ties, it  was  emphasized  were  to  politely 
assist  Milady;  to  tell  her,  for  example, 
that  she  had  too  much  powder  on  her 
nose,  or  too  smooth  out  the  rouge. 

Promoting  the  Ballet. 

The  Mark  Strand  theatre  has  a  ballet 
corps  of  about  twenty  girls  under  the 
direction  of  a  ballet  master,  Anatole 
Bourman,  who  was  once  in  the  Imper- 
ial Ballet  of  Petrograd.  The  ballet  girls 
were  pretty  and  graceful.  They  were 
first  taken  to  bathing  beaches  to  for- 
mally open  the  beach  season.  Incident- 
ally, they  beat  the  Zeigfeld  Follies  to 
the  newspapers.  Rehearsals  were 
staged  atop  the  theatre  on  the  roof  in 
hot  weather — and  duly  photographed. 
The  ballet  was  taken  with  concert  ar- 
tists to  the  hospitals  to  give  dances  and 
musical  programs  for  the  unfortunate 
youngsters  and  grown-ups  who  couldn't 
get  to  the  theatre- 

A  tie-up  was  affected  with  a  New 
York  morning  newspaper  to  place  fresh 
air  fund  collection  boxes  in  the  theatre 
lobby  to  help  provide  summer  vaca- 
tions for  poor  children.  More  than 
$2500  has  been  raised  so  far  by  the 
patrons  in  nickles  and  dimes  and  quar- 
ters.   No  solicitation;  just  voluntary. 

The  fund  boxes  provided  back- 
ground   for    newspaper  photographs. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


If  I  Owned  a  Theatre — 


SHOWMANSHIP." 
A  magic  word.  But  just  what 
does  it  really  mean. 
All  too  often  it  simply  means  a  clever 
advertising  and  exploitation  campaign 
designed  to  sell  a  big  picture  to  the  pub- 
lic. And  it  is  correctly  used  in  that  sense 
but  to  my  way  of  thinking,  this  type 
of  showmanship  does  not  go  far 
enough. 

If  I  owned  or  operated  a  theatre,  I 
would  apply  my  ideas  of  showmanship 
from  the  time  I  acquired  the  house  un- 
til it  ceased  -doing  business. 

I  believe  showmanship  begins  with 
the  building  of  the  theatre  and  never 
ceases  as  long  as  that  theatre  continues 
to  exist  as  a  place  of  entertainment. 

Showmanship  starts  before  your  pro- 
gram is  selected.  It  is  seen  in  a  well 
ordered  and  comfortable  or  "homey" 
theatre.  There  is  all  the  difference  in 
the  world  between  a  house  that  has  a 
pleasant  atmosphere  and  one  that  is 
severe  and  cold  :  without  the  personality 
of  the  management  evident. 

Showmanship  should  sell  not  your 
particular  picture  but  your  theatre  to 
your  community.  It  should  make  your 
house  as  much  a  part  of  the  life  of  the 
city  as  the  schools,  churches,  library  or 
post  office.  It  should  so  establish  your 
house  in  the  minds  of  your  public  that 
they  will  think  of  the  theatre  first  and 
the  picture  secondly.  Get  them  to-  sav 
"Let's  go  to  the  Palace"  instead  of  sav- 
ing "Let's  go  to  the  movies." 

AND  you  can  do  this  if  your  show- 
manship starts  with  their  buying  a 
ticket  and  never  lets  up.  A  pleasant 
word  and  a  smile  from  the  cashier ; 
courteous  treatment  from  the  doorman 
and  a  cheerful  and  willing  usher  build 
good  will  and  make  people  want  to 
come  to  your  theatre  because  they  feel 
at  home  there.  That's  the  start.  Then 
give  them  good  music,  a  good  well  bal- 
anced program  in  which  no  element  is 
neglected  and  you  will  soon  find  your- 
self in  a  position  where  competition 
need  not  worry  you. 

Of  course  advertising  and  publicitv 
play  an  important  part  in  showman- 
ship. And  advertising  and  publicity 
plus  exploitation  should  be  used  bv 
every  live  exhibitor-  But  they  should 
be  used  with  caution  and  should  all  be 
gauged  to  build  up  the  reputation  of 
your  house. 

The  truth  in  advertising  is  all  im- 
portant for  misleading  advertising  never 
has  and  never  will  pay.  You  mav  fool 
then  once  but  they  are  bound  to  be  af- 
fected by  this  kind  of  advertising  and 
soon  believe  that  they  can  not  place 
any  dependence  in  anything  you  may 
say.    This  type  of  advertising  tends  to 


By  RAY  JOHNSTON 

President  Rayart  Picture  Corporation 


Ray  Johnston,  who  is  president  of 
Rayart  Pictures  Corporation 


tear  down  rather  than  build  ud  and  is 
fatal  to  a  house.  It  is  not  good  under 
any  condition.  Not  even  where  you  de- 
pend upon  transient  trade.  And  it  is 
suicidal  in  a  family  or  neighborhood 
house. 

Book  the  best  pictures  you  can.  Ad- 
vertise them  as  much  as  you  can  legiti- 
mately but  do  not  mislead  your  patrons. 

Give  them  a  bright  cheerful  theatre. 
Make  them  feel  at  home.  Cooperate 
with  local  affairs.  Lend  your  house  for 
impoitant  meetings  occasionally.  Don't 
fight  the  churches  and  reformers.  Work 
with  them. 

A SPECIAL  Saturday  morning  ma- 
tinee for  the  children  with  a  spe- 
cially selected  program  for  them  is  one 
of  the  best  builders  of  good  will  and 
once  you  get  the  children  coming  to 
your  theatre,  they  "sell"  their  parents. 

But  after  all  you  must  have  the  right 
kind  of  pictures  for  vour  house  or  all 
your  showmanship  will  go  for  naught. 
They  will  excuse  an  occasional  bad  pic- 
ture if  you  give  them  plenty  of  good 
ones  for  they  know  that  every  one  can- 
not be  a  perfect  picture.  But  vou  can 
save  the  day  by  using  judgment  in  se- 
lecting your  program.  If  you  feel  that 
the  feature  is  weak  build  up  with  short 
subjects  of  unusual  nature.  Manv  a 
poor  feature  is  saved  bv  its  surround- 
ing proeram. 

But  there  is  no  need  for  showing  a 
poor  feature.  With  the  number  of  pic- 
tures available  today,  you  can  if  you 


have  a  daily  change,  select  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  good  pictures;  that 
is  IF  you  do  not  let  yourself  be  tied  up 
by  block  booking  but  keep  your  dates 
open  so  that  you  can  select  the  cream  of 
the  market  as  you  wish.  This  is  the 
all  important  thing.  Many  an  exhibitor 
has  been  compelled  to  pass  up  an  attrac- 
tion that  got  a  lot  of  money  for  his 
competitor  simply  because  a  smooth 
salesman  had  sold  him  a  full  line  of 
product  which  left  him  no  open  dates. 
Showmanship  also  means  keeping  your 
booking  open  so  that  you  can  take  ad- 
vantage of  any  special  production  that- 
may  come  along  during  the  season. 

The  price  of  showmanship,  like  Lib- 
erty, is  eternal  vigilance. 

rfc  Sfr 

Make  Your  Theatre  News 

(Continued  from  page  47) 
Baby  Peggy  was  photographed  drop- 
ping in  her  coins ;  concert  artists  were 
photographed  doing  their  bit  for  the 
poor,  arid  stories  were  written  every 
few  days  in  the  newspaper  about  the 
Mark  Strand's  golden  boxes. 

Invaluable  Good  Will ! 

As  an  offshoot  of  one  of  ihe  hospital 
parties,  the  Mark  Strand  got  from  a 
radio  manufacturer  a  radio  set  for  the 
crippled  children's  ward.  A  local  broad- 
casting station  gives  special  bedtime 
stories  for  the  children,  mentioning  the 
Mark  Strand-  The  rest  of  the  day  the 
cripples  can  use  scissors  on  movie  stills 
sent  over  by  the  theatre  after  they  have 
been  used  in  the  lobby  displays.  Photo- 
graphs galore  in  newspapers — good  will 
for  the  theatre — a  little  trouble  every 
week  to  mail  the  old  stills  to  the  hos- 
pital ! 

News  for  newspapers,  then  the  photo- 
play will  almost  take  care  of  itself.  Of 
course,  you  can't  ignore  the  photoplay 
at  all,  but  it  is  just  as  important  to  the 
success  of  the  theatre  that  it  be  ex- 
ploited intelligently  as  it  is  for  the 
photoplay  to  be  advertised. 

"You  haven't  seen  New  York  if  you 
haven't  seen  the  Mark  Strand." 

That's  the  Mark  Strand's  slogan 
along  with  "A  National  Institution" 
these  days  to  cash  on  the  advertising 
through  broadcasting  of  musical  pro- 
grams and  special  concerts  by  Mark 
Strand  artists. 
'  News  for  newspapers  ! 

That's  the  big  idea  in  exploiting  the 
Mark  Strand. 

Dodge  the  old  circus  press-agentry, 
the  gushing  adjectives ! 

Simple — isn't  it? 


September  20,  1924 


Page  49 


Exploitation 


For  the  Picture,  or 

For  the  Theatre  ? 


By  LON  YOUNG 

Director  of  Advertising  and  Publicity,  Warnsr  Bros. 


THE  head  of  this  article  would 
make  a  crackerjack  subject  for 
a  debate,  with  unlimited  argu- 
ments favorable  to  both  sides  and  it 
would  take  some  very  impartial  judges 
with  an  additional  arbitration  commit- 
tee to  decide  the  winner. 

It  is  one  of  those  things  on  which 
the  view  depends  entirely  upon  where 
you  sit — in  the  office  of  a  theatre  or  in 
the  organization  of  the  film  company. 

The  best  solution  to  the  problem  and 
its  answer  is  both. 

Exploitation  for  the  theatre  should 
be  a  continual  part  of  the  manager's 
daily  routine  and  worked  out  upon 
carefully  pre-arranged  plans  and  follow 
a  definite  program  according  to  policy 
outlined,  which  should  be  done  before 
the  theatre  has  even  opened  its  doors 
to  the  public  for  the  first  time. 

Exploitation  for  a  given  picture 
should  start  from  the  day  the  produc- 
tion is  definitely  booked  and  culminate 
in  a  big  smash  the  day  of  its  opening. 

Application,  The  Important  Thing 

Having  sat  on  both  sides  of  the  fence 
at  different  times,  the  writer  has  had 
opportunities  to  look  at  the  situation 
from  both  angles  and  the  answer,  as  it 
appears,  may  be  summed  up  in  that  it 
does  not  matter  so  much  where  the  ex- 
ploitation is  applied,  as  long  as  it  IS 
applied. 

The  exhibitor  should  never  lose  sight 
of  the  fact  that  every  bit  of  exploita- 
tion done  for  the  picture  is  also  valu- 
able publicity  for  the  theatre, — provid- 
ing— and  this  is  very  important,  that 
the  picture  exploited  is  worthy  of  the 
publicity  given  it. 

The  kind  of  exploitation  is  also  very 
important. 

A  broken  down  motor  truck  with  a 
few  tattered  posters  or  banners  on  it 
will  certainly  not  create  a  very  favor- 
able impression  of  either  picture  or 
tfieatre,  but  a  cleverly  worded  and  de- 
tigned  advertisement,  a  novel  stunt  or 
even  an  old  one  well  worded,  will  not 
only  put  the  picture  over,  but  keep  the 
theatre  on  the  map. 

Many  motion  picture  exhibitors, 
whose  experience  in  the  business  has 
been  confined  to  the  past  few  years, 
are  under  mistaken  impression  that  ex- 
ploitation is  something  new.  Any  old 
timer  in  any  branch  of  the  show  busi- 
ness can  tell  you  that  the  contrary  is 
the  case.  The  word  may  be  of  recent 
origin  and  use,  but  the  principle  is  as 
old  as  the  business  of  entertainment 
itself.     Exploitation   may   be  applied 


LON  YOUNG 

the  brilliant  exploiteer  of  War- 
ner Brothers  was  asked  whether 
the  theatre  or  the  picture  should 
receive  the  best  showmanship 
efforts  of  the  exhibitor,  and  he 

SAYS 

that  the  efficient  way  to  sell  mo- 
tion picture  entertainment  to 
America  is  by  exploiting  both 
playhouse  and  attraction  on  a 
basis  that  is  strictly 

FIFTY-FIFTY 


with  equally  good  results  to  almost  any 
kind  of  business,  provided  it  is  handled 
in  the  manner  most  consistent  with  that 
business.  An  exhibitor  can  and  the 
producers  often  do,  take  a  leaf  from 
the  books  of  some  of  the  great  mer- 
chandizing concerns. 

Proper  Limit  To  Advertising 

Over-exploitation  is  nearly  but  not 
quite,  as  bad  as  no  exploitation  at  all, 
you  can  give  the  public  "advertising 
indigestion"  just  as  a  man  may  die 
from  overeating.  He  can  also  starve 
to  death,  the  methods  may  be  different 
but  the  result  the  same. 

It  has  often  been  the  case,  where  a 
publicity  man  for  a  film  company  or 
a  theatre,  has  gone  to  a  newspaper 
editor  to  "sell"  him  an  idea — which  hap- 
pened to  be  a  good  one — the  newspaper 
fell  in  line  without  a  struggle — but  then, 
the  publicity  hound  not  satisfied  with 
winning  his  point,  tried  to  amplify  it 
beyond  reason,  and  the  entire  deal  was 
off. 

The  exhibitor  should  never  allow  mis- 
representation to  enter  into  any  adver- 
tising which  bears  the  name  of  his  the- 
atre. It  may  not  hurt  the  picture  which 
perhaps  will  benefit  by  the  temporarily 
increased  attendance,  but  it  will  surely 
hurt  the  theatre  which  is  a  fixed  propo- 
sition and  not  a  "one  night  stand  tent 
show." 

There  is  a  marked  tendency  at  the 
present  time  for  the  theatre  manager  to 
exaggerate,  multiply  the  claims  made 
for  the  picture  by  the  producer, 
and  otherwise  try  to  "pep"  up  the  ad- 
vertising. It  may  be  quite  possible  to 
improve  on  any  ad,  made  up  for  any 
picture  but  the  producer  usually  knows 


how  far  to  proceed  with  safety,  where- 
as the  exhibitor  often  begins  where 
the  producer  leaves  off. 

The  best  examples  of  this  are  shown 
in  the  fact  that  of  all  the  samples  of 
advertising  receiving  condemnation  by 
a  powerful  social  organization,  not 
one  of  them  originated  in  the  office  of 
the  producer. 

Advertising  the  picture  at  the  the- 
atre and  the  theatre  at  the  same  time, 
is  simple.  For  instance,  a  house  has  a 
beautiful  organ  or  orchestra.  Good 
news  copy — for  the  theatre. 

However,  if  the  fact  is  made  known 
that  on  this  beautiful  organ  will  be  ren- 
dered an  especially  synchronized  musi- 
cal score  composed  or  arranged  especi- 
ally for  this  particular  picture,  the  copy 
is  just  twice  as  good,  and  both  the  pic- 
ture and  the  theatre  benefit. 

Each  House  Individual  Problem 

Every  photoplay  theatre  is  a  prob- 
lem unto  itself.  Nearly  every  theatre 
has  a  majority  of  patrons  who  favor 
a  particular  type  of  picture.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  there  are  not  sufficient  of 
this  type  of  picture  to  provide  a  pro- 
gram every  day,  and  even  if  there  were 
enough  they  would  most  likely  get  mo- 
notonous. 

The  solution  therefore  is  to  lend  ex- 
tra exploitation  effort  to  the  type  of 
pictures  that  are  not  the  favorites  and 
the  others  will  take  care  of  themselves. 

There  is  some  element  of  entertain- 
ment in  almost  every  film  play  made 
nowadays.  The  producers  crystalize 
their  "high  spots"  in  the  press  books 
and  other  matters,  it  is  up  to  the  ex- 
hibitor to  select  the  angles  which  suit 
his  purpose  best. 

Another  point  to  remember  is  the 
fact  that  it  sometimes  is  good  business 
to  book  a  certain  picture  which  has  out- 
standing merit  even  though  it  may  be  a 
foregone  conclusion  that  it  will  not  be 
profitable. 

When  Warner  Bros,  made  "Beau 
Brummel"  with  John  Barrymore  it  was 
not  with  the  thought  of  immense  prof- 
its, but,  because  it  was  the  type  of  pic- 
ture that  should  be  made. 

The  bigger  producers  can  make  pic- 
tures on  a  certain  designated  formula 
which  time  and  experience  have  proven 
will  both  make  money  and  satisfy. 

That  is  standing  still  and  nothing  can 
stand  still  indefinitely  and  survive.  You 
must  go  either  forward  or  back  and 
those  who  go  back,  go  out. 

Therefore  every  time  an  exhibitor 
properly  exploits  a  picture  for  his  the- 
atre he  is  also  exploiting  his  theatre 
at  the  same  time. 


Page  50 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Human  Nature's  The  Same  Everywhere! 


By  DAVID  BADER 

Director  of  Exploitation,  Ginsberg  and  Wilk. 


"Human  nature's  the  same  where'er 

you  roam, 
Whether  it  be  'across  the  pond' — 

or  home." 

WE  believe  the  poet  Edgar  Guest 
wrote  these  few  lines — but  no 
matter  who  wrote  them,  a  wealth 
of  underlying  psychology  is  found  in 
them.  In  these  lines  can  be  found 
either  the  failure  or  the  success  of  a 
showman,  especially  to  the  man  who 
faces  the  stark  realization  of  catering 
to  different  audiences  from  time  to 
time. 

By  this  I  mean,  where  a  sex  picture 
may  attract  one  type  of  audience — a 
subtle  society  drama  is  sure  to  attract 
a  different  calibre  of  men  and  women. 

But  it  can  be  safely  said  that  the 
same  psychology  of  showmanship  can 
come  into  play — only  you  must  dish  it 
so  you  won't  even  know  it's  the  same. 
Some  restaurants  serve  hash — but  they 
use  a  foreign  term  that  even  the  waiter 
can't  pronounce,  and  the  result  is  pleas- 
ant. 

Showmanship  is  a  wonderful  thing. 
It  isn't  born — it's  made.  Some  of  us 
require  years  of  training,  others  have 
the  knack  and  no  matter  what  the  pic- 
ture may  be,  we  "bring  'em  in."  Still, 
it's  a  virile  institution — virile,  for  only 
the  strong  ideas  will  live. 

Fool  your  townsfolk  once  or  twice— 
and  you  may  bring  them  in,  but  you 
don't  want  that  kind  of  business. 

You  want  the  kind  that  has  built  in- 
stitutions from  a  one  to  a  ten  story 
building.  Pleasing,  satisfying — these 
are  the  requisites.  You  may  not  al- 
ways have  a  remarkable  picture  to 
speak  of — but  then  don't  talk  too  much. 
Silence  is  golden ;  be  brief,  tell  your 
message  straight-forwardly  and  then 
do  your  best  to  bolster  up  the  program 
with  good  shorts  and  pleasant  music. 

IF  I  were  a  showman  and  I  played  a 
heavy  drama,  I  would  accompany 
it  with  a  short  subject  along  the  lines 
of  Benny  Leonard's  two  reel  subjects, 
"Flying  Fists"  or  "The  Leather  Push- 
ers," or  a  good  two  reel  comedy  such 
as  Century,  Educational,  Pathe,  etc. 
A  new  reel  would  help  balance  nicely. 
Thus — without  resorting  to  trashy 
newspaper  ads,  such  as  Will  Hays  re- 
cently balked  at,  you  could  advise,  your 
respective  patrons,  and  your  regular  pa- 
trons, of  a  snappy  little  bill,  giving  them 
something  along  the  lines  of  a  maga- 
zine— a  novelette  or  two,  and  some 
short  stories,  so  to  speak. 

Why  jeopardize  the  good-will  of  your 
house  because  the  picture  is  not  a 
world-beater,  and  you  want  to  make 


David  Bader,  who  knows  human  natures 
discusses  the  question  of  showmanship 
from    the    exhibitors    point    of  view. 

"them"  think  it  is?  It  shouldn't  be 
done ! 

When  I  was  abroad  recently,  I 
learned  that  the  Britons  weren't  so 
much  against  our  ideas  and  schemes 
for  success  as  they  were  against  our 
methods  of  attracting  attention  to  a  cer- 
tain film. 

So  I  decided,  since  human  nature's 
the  same  everywhere,  to  use  my  own 
ideas — but  present  them  the  way  the 
English,  Scots  and  Irish  wanted  to  see 
them  presented. 

My  window  placards  were  neat  and 
dignified  in  every  case,  ballyhoos  were 
taboo  or  muffled  to  a  certain  extent, 
newspapers  stories  were  not  exagger- 
ated, and  street  parading,  etc.,  was  for- 
gotten for  the  time  being.  I  was  in  a 
land  where  different  types  of  showman- 
ship were  required,  yet  every  idea  I 
ever  used  here  in  America  was  suc- 
cessfully worked  there.  I  only  dressed 
my  ideas  differently. 

A GOOD  housewife  can  use  yester- 
day's turkey  and  make  "doggone" 
good  croquettes  from  it.  The  same  pro- 
cedure is  ours  for  the  making  if  we  but 
apply  our  ideas  of  showmanship  in  the 
manner  called  for.  The  psychology  is 
the  same  no  matter  where  you  are,  and 
most  of  us  have  pretty  nearly  the  same 
likes  and  dislikes. 

If  the  people  we  deal  with  are  con- 
servative, let  our  own  thoughts  be  con- 
servative. If  the  sensationalism  is  the 
"bunk" — forget  there  ever  was  such  a 


thing  as  a  press  book  preaching  sensa- 
tional stunts.  Why  talk  to  your  people 
in  the  style  of  Witwer  or  Hellman,  if 
what  they  want  is  Barrie  or  Conrad? 

IN  exploiting  Baby  Peggy,  Univer- 
sal always  played  for  the  refined 
baby  angle.  Dress  shops,  toys,  bobbed 
hair,  baby  contests — always  with  the 
baby  in  mind.  Even  though  there  was 
a  gang  of  crooks  in  one  of  her  stories, 
"The  Darling-of  New  York,"  they  kept 
to  the  clean  angle  throughout.  And  it 
paid ! 

When  Benny  Leonard's  "Flying 
Fists"  are  released,  Henry  Ginsberg  and 
Jacob  Wilk,  the  producers,  won't  play 
up  the  biff -bang-biff  of  the  ring.  They'll 
talk  about  Benny's  clean  reputation,  his 
clean  living,  his  personality  as  a  ver- 
satile chap,  his  love  of  family  life,  etc. 

All  this  aids  materially — and  doesn't 
lower  Leonard's  prestige  as  a  fighter  by 
a  whit.  And  the  exhibitor  who  follows 
this  thought  will  profit.  Those  who 
followed  Stern  Brothers'  original  Baby 
Peggy  campaign  profited,  and  the  com- 
panies who  have  laid  out  excellent  cam- 
paigns like  F.  B.  O.,  etc.,  have  helped 
exhibitors. 

But  the  showmanship  'touch'  must  be 
applied  by  you.  No  company  in  the 
business  today  knows  your  patrons 
better  than  you  do — and  if  you  use  the 
"copy"  their  men  give  you,  dressed  with 
your  own  knowledge  of  wnat  the  cus- 
tomers want,  you  can't  fail. 

FOR  although  human  nature  is  the 
same  no  matter  where  you  go — lo- 
cal psychology  is  always  different 
What  appeals  to  the  small  farmer  may 
be  "all  wet"  with  the  bigger  farmer. 
What  the  citizens  of  an  oil  center  may 
go  into  a  frenzy  over  a  city  of  non- 
factory  workers  may  resent.  And  so  it 
goes. 

YOU'VE  got  to  know  your  people — 
and  the  quicker  and  more  thorough 
you  do,  the  more  certain  you  are  in 
knowing  what  to  present  for  them,  and  * 
how  to  tell  them  what  you've  got — in 
a  manner  that  can't  fail  but  "bring  'em 
in." 

It's  all  in  the  knowing  who  you're 
dealing  with — for  after  all,  just  be- 
cause you've  made  a  success  of  a  film 
in  Squeedunk,  you  may  fall  down  in 
Whonoseville  unless  you  know  how  to 
serve  the  same  ingredients  you've  been 
serving — in  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  In 
other  words  keep  the  soul  of  your  idea 
intact — but  for  Gods  sake  disguise  it 
if  you  feel  it's  necessary  to  get  the 
"dough."  And  that  goes  where'er  you 
roam — whether  it  be  across  the  pond  or 
home ! 


September  20,  1924 


Pagt  51 


What  Should  the  Exhibitor  Know 
About  Showmanship? 

The  Force  That  Sells  the  Picture  to  the  Public  Is  Discussed 
For  the  Benefit  of  the  Exhibitor 

By  NAT  G.  ROTHSTEIN 

Director  of  Publicity,  Advertising,  and  Exploitation  for  F.  B.  O. 


SHOWMANSHIP  is  as  high  as 
the  sky  and  as  wide  as  the  Uni- 
verse. The  subject  of  showman- 
ship is  as  huge  a  one  as  is  salesmanship, 
the  force  that  moves  the  industrial 
world. 

In  the  fewest  words  possible  I'll  give 
you  my  condensed  version  of  show- 
manship as  to  my  mind  it  should  be  ap- 
plied to  the  business  of  motion  picture 
exhibition. 

Contact  with  theatres  throughout  the 
country  on  many  trips  that  I  have  made 
has  proven  to  me  that  the  average  ex- 
hibitor lacks  those  fundamental  require- 
ments of  showmanship  so  necessary 
now  in  these  days  of  fierce  competition. 

The  average  theatre  owner  books  a 
picture,  let  us  say  for  example,  a  good 
feature  with  outstanding  advertising- 
possibilities.  Does  he  study  that  pic- 
ture? Does  he  pick  out  its  strong 
points — does  he  analyze  its  possibilities 
for  novel  advertising  in  newspapers, 
throwaways,  letters,  street  exploitation, 
tie-ups,  etc?  He  does  not.  By  that  I 
mean  the  average  exhibitor. 

HE  is  content  if  he  is  a  subsequent 
run  exhibitor  to  rely  on  the  public- 
ity the  film  has  had  in  larger  communi- 
ties or  in  whatever  publicity  his  local 
newspapers  have  run,  aside  from  any 
efforts  of  his  own  to  publicise  the  pic- 
ture. 

I've  found  some  who  have  paid,  as 
high  as  $150.00  for  a  feature  and  who 
have  been  content  to  hang  out  a  one 
sheet  "out  front,"  stick  a  few  lobby 
photos  in  shabby  frames  and  let  it  go 
at  that. 

Exhibitors  seem  to  forget  that  they 
are  in  "business"  and  a  hard  one  at 
that.  They  seem  to  believe  that  there 
is  a  magic  about  show  business  that 
whispers  to  them — You  don't  have  to 
think  and  work  and  plan — not  at  all — ■ 
people  want  movies  so  I'll  get  my  share 
anyhow." 

Just  kidding  themselves,  that's  all. 

In  one  city  I  visited,  having  made  a 
special  trip  to  help  a  high  priced  pic- 
ture to  be  put  over,  I  was  astonished  to 
hear  the  theatre  owner  tell  me  that — 
"You  are  the  only  advertising  man  that 
ever  came  out  here  who  showed  any 
pep."  Said  he — "Why  man  if  I  used 
all  the  stuff  you've  just  suggested,  my 
people  wouldn't  know  what  io  make  of 
the  picture," — "they're  not  used  to  it." 
Said  I — "Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that 


you  book  high  priced  pictures  and  let 
them  stand  or  fall  without  putting 
everything  you  have  behind  them." 

I  was  amazed  to  hear  him  tell  me 
that  he  picked  his  pictures  on  the 
strength  of  what  they  had  done  else- 
where and  on  the  strength  of  the  ad- 
vance publicity  the  picture  had  had  and 
play  it  without  any  efforts  of  his  own. 

SAID  I  further — "Do  you  mean  to 
tell  me  that  you  never  use  the 
ideas,  ads,  stories  and  high  pressure 
material  prepared  by  film  companies  for 
which  is  paid  large  sums  to  expert 
specialists  in  their  line  ?"  Said  he — "I 
haven't  time."    That  flattered  me. 

And  that's  the  way  the  average  ex- 
hibitor conducts  his  business,  one  of 
the  most  competitive  businesses  of  the 
day. 

In  F.  B.  O.  we  have  a  department 
that  makes  a  sales  analysis  of  every 
picture,  large  or  small.  The  high  points 
of  the  drama  are  picked  out,  boosted, 
written  about, — and  so  laid  out  in  the 
material  prepared  that  any  exhibitor 
has  only  to  use  the  stuff  to  secure  ab- 
solute sure-fire  results,  everything  else 
being  equal. 

Let  me  give  you  a  striking  example. 


Nat  G.  Rothstein,  who,  as  director  of  ad- 
vertising and  publicity  for  F.  B.  O.  pro- 
ductions has  an  important  message  on 
the  every-day  need  for  show  salesmanship. 


F.  B.  O.  handled  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid 
in  "Human  Wreckage."  It  was  a  nar- 
cotic picture. 

It  had  a  sad  theme.  It  was  "sob" 
all  throughout. 

It  had  no  comedy  relief.  It  was 
"suffering"  entertainment. 

Nobody  wanted  to  suffer  through  a 
picture,  yet  "Human  Wreckage"  played 
in  more  theatres  and  made  more  money 
for  exhibitors  than  any  comparable  mo- 
tion picture  released  in  the  last  ten 
years.  Why? 

Because  the  sales  analysis  made  of 
this  picture  and  the  showmanship  we 
put  behind  it  aroused  the  exhibitor  to 
the  tremendous  possibilities  of  the  pro- 
duction, and  he  came  out  of  his  leth- 
argy for  a  moment  and  pitched  in. 

We  showed  the  exhibitor  that  his 
local  editor  would  help  out  with  high 
powered  editorials,  directing  people  to 
see  this  picture  and  to  take  their  fam- 
ilies to  see  it  as  a  gripping  lesson  to  the 
rising  generation. 

To  the  editor  we  appealed  with  the 
material  he  wanted. 

We  asked  editors  if  they  were  for,  or 
against,  "dope."  We  asked  them  if  they 
were  or  were  not  the  guardians  of  the 
welfare  of  the  people  of  their '  com- 
munities. Their  only  answer  could  be 
that  they  were. 

With  that  as  a  base  we  appealed  to 
them  to  jump  into  this  huge  nation- 
wide campaign  to  stamp  out  narcotics, 
and  use  their  editorial  whips  to  arouse 
the  people.  They  did.  And  in  mag- 
nificent style. 

THE  result  was  that  millions 
-i-  crowded  their  way  into  theatres  to 
see  "Human  Wreckage,"  while  an- 
other narcotic  picture  out  ahead  of 
"Human  Wreckage"  did  a  terrible 
flop. 

Did  "Human  Wreckage"  have 
its  effect?  It  did.  It  accomplished 
many  things.  It  set  the  American 
people  thinking.  It  drove  home  to  them 
a  lesson.  And  while  doing  so,  gave 
them  a  drama  of  extraordinary  propor- 
tions, that  ordinarily  handled  wouldn't 
have  drawn  a  corporal's  guard. 

The  methods  F.  B.  O.  used  were 
"Showmanship"  methods.  We  applied 
showmanship  to  every  angle  of  adver- 
tising, publicity  and  exploitation  in  big 
and  impressive  style. 

The  picture  was  a.  huge  success, — ex- 
hibitors made  loads  of  money  with  it 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trzde  Review 


and  the  public  was  satisfied.  Handled 
without  the  most  cautious,  most  adroit, 
carefully  prepared  plans,  the  picture 
wouldn't  have  even  reached  first  base, 
— the  public  would-  have  refused  it  and 
the  exhibitors  would  have  lost  money 
with  it  and  Mrs.  Reid's  noble  efforts 
would  have  been  lost.  One  mis-step 
wi^h  this  picture  would  have  been  fatal. 
No  mis-steps  were  made,  because  show- 
manship was  used. 

I  can  cite  you  a  half  dozen  other  pic- 
tures that  F.  B.  O.  has  handled  that 
have  been  put  over  by  showmanship 
which  exhibitors  would  do  well  to  study 
and  emulate. 

Showmanship  consists  of  a  whole  lot 
more  than  "merely  handing  out  a  one 
sheet"  and  a  few  lobby  photos. 

IT  isn't  enough  that  a  theatre  use 
posters,  lobbies,  well  decorated 
fronts,  good  newspaper  advertising, 
mailing  lists,  and  stunts  on  unusual 
pictures. 

There  are  dozens  of  ideas  that  can 
be  used  with  sure  fire  results  and  at 
small  cost  if  the  exhibitor  will  only 
take  the  trouble  to  study  the  average 
good  press  book  prepared  by  the  largei 
film  companies. 

If  that  talent  did  not  exist  and  if  that 
talent  was  not  available  to  exhibitors  I 
would  say  that  many  exhibitors  would 
have  an  alibi  but  with  the  vast  amount 
of  suggested  ideas  and  ready  prepared 
material,  no  exhibitor  in  the  wide  world 
has  cause  for  an  alibi  in  a  picture  not 
going  over. 

Nine  time  out  of  ten  you  can  lay  it 
to  lethargy  on  the  part  of  the  theatre 
owner. 

Given  the  same  picture  in  two  dif- 
ferent cities  of  the  same  size,  one  ex- 
hibitor makes  a  success  of  his  ex- 
hibition and  the  other  man  flops.  What's 
the  reason?  Nine  times  out  of  ten 
the  man  who  flopped  didn't  do  a  single 
thing  to  put  his  picture  over,  while 
the  other  man  made  an  effort. 

That  "effort"  makes  a  whale  of  a  dif- 
ference on  receipts  in  two  similar  com- 
munities with  the  same  picture. 

IN  every  picture  there's  at  least,  one 
big  exploitation  idea.  If  the  press 
books  don't  give  it,  a  smart  exhibitor 
can  easily  pick  it  out  himself  and  lean 
on  it,  which  backed  up  by  the  other 
material  printed  in  press  books  assures 
success. 

Showmanship  doesn't  mean  the  ex- 
aggerated use  of  superlatives.   It's  bad 
business  to  advertise  each  picture  you 
show  as  the  biggest,  greatest,  finest,  etc.,  ■ 
etc. 

The  public  don't  believe  you  nor  your  " 
ads  after  a  while.    Team  to  tell  them 
the  truth.    Neither  is  showmanship  the 
use  of  salacious  advertising.    The  pub- 
lic is  getting  sick  of  sex  advertising. 

They're   fed  up   on     nasty  movies. 
They're  tired  of  suggestive  publicity. 

If  you  have  a  picture  based  on  a  sex 
problem,  don't  scream  in  flagrant 
language  the  nastiness  of  your  picture. 


It  gets  a  few,  and  drives  more  away. 
Tell  it  to  'em  in  understandable  lan- 
guage that  dori't  offend. 

And  here  let  me  say  that  through  the 
efforts  of  Will  Hays,  producers  are 
getting  away  from  the  nasty  sex  stuff 


(1  ONSIDER  the  Prince  of  Wales- 
He  turned  down  his  panama  hat 
and    changed    a    nation's  style. 
There's  a  showman. 

Journalism  has  its  greatest  show- 
man in  Brisbane.  Politics  has  its 
Dawes  and  Al  Smith;  theatre,  Morris 
Guest ;  pictures,  'Roxy'  and  Sid 
Grauman — and  there's  a  Reichenbach 
for  the  publicity  men. 

Showmanship  is  a  matter  of  per- 
sonality.   That  makes  it  an  art. 

And  being  an  art,  showmanship 
deals  with  imagination,  relying  on 
originality,  distinction  and  novelty 
for  its  achievements. 

Showmanship  is  a  manifestation  of 
ideas,  expressed  in  some  out  of  the 
ordinary  manner.  It  must  tempt, 
lure  and  attract.  It  must  get  and 
hold  the  sympathy  of  the  thing  being 
'showmanshipped.'  It  must  lead 
thought  to  certain  channels  and 
action. 

The  science  of  showmanship  deals 
with  rules  and  regulations  of  exploi- 
tation. But  knowledge  of  the  laws 
never  made  a  showman,  any  more 
than  it  makes  a  trial  lawyer. 

Personality  must  be  the  animating 
force  behind  any  showman's  cam- 
paign. Personality  gives  it  punch, 
color  and  warmth.  Add  proper  plan 
to  personality,  and  it  should  draw 
crowds  and  put  added  money  in  the 
box-office. 

Showmanship  does  a  thing  as  it 
has  never  been  done  before ! 

Showmanship  says  a  thing  as  it 
has  never  been  said  before! — and 
shows  it  as  it  has  never  been  shown 
shown  before ! 

It  may  have  been  done  before,  but 
the  art  of  the  showman  is  to  fire  it 
in  a  distinctive  way,  revealing  in  it 
such  an  unusual  manner  that  it  seems 
absolutely  new.  That's  what  touches 
the  imagination,  p'itjues  the  interest 
and  stimulates  the'  buying  impulse. 

Ask  showmen  the  whys  of  their 
success  and  here's  their  answer : 

Every  picture  has  at  least  one 
basic  idea  in  it  that  makes  it  an  indi- 
vidualized creation. 

This  different  idea  is  the  keynote. 
The  balance  of  the  campaign  must 
hit  a  hamronious  relation  with  it. 


and  into  c'erner,  finer,  higher,  type  of 
production;  the  only  real  saviour  of  the 
business  for  the  future. 

My  earnest  advice  to  every  exhibitor 
is  to  study  the  press  books.  See  the 
showmanship  theerin  set  forth. 


IVT ORRIS  GUEST  brought  "Chauve 
■"J-  Souris"  to  America  and  made 
American  society  part  with  Eleven  Per 
seat  per  person  and  made  them  like  it. 
His  keynote  was  newspaper  public- 
ity. With  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad" 
it  was  an  advertised  seat  sale  plus 
distinctive  presentation. 

Grauman  lined  up  some  "paid" 
pioneers  who  brought  their  lunch  and 
slept  in  the  lobby  the  night  before 
the  opening  of  "The  Covered 
Wagon."  The  Indian  ballyhoo  help- 
ed, but  his  pioneer  gag  won  in  Los 
Angeles. 

In  New  York,  John  Flinn's  tie-up 
with  the  advance  ticket  agencies  was 
a  rare  touch  of  showmanship.  Reich- 
enbach's  Fashion  Parade  during  the 
showing  of  "Monsieur  Beaucaire"  at 
the  Strand  hit  the  fancy  of  the  public 
and  drew. 

Showmanship  must  take  those  dis- 
tinctive things  from  each  picture  and 
tempt  the  public  with  them. 

It  must  lure  to  the  box-office  by 
sheer  originality  and  novelty.  It  may 
be  in  a  prologue.  It  may  be  in  a 
street  stunt.  It  may  be  in  a  news  ad. 
But  no  matter  what  it  is — it's  the 
unusual  that  makes  "standing  room" 
necessary  in  our  biggest  theatres 
today-     .  J,-  >.  .  , 


Personality  in  Showmanship 

By  VICTOR  M.  SHAPIRO 

Publicity  Director,  Samuel  Goldvuyn 


September  20,  1924 


Page  53 


Gerald  Gallagher,  real  show- 
man himself,  pleads  for  the 
all-'round  theatre  manager, 
as   showman   of   the  future. 


Looking  Forward — 

The  Future  of  Theatre  Management 


By  GERALD  GALLAGHER 

General  Manager,  Piccadilly  Theatre 


THOUGH  I  started  out  to  write 
about  "Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Management,"  instead  it  may  be 
preferable  if  I  were  to  discuss  "Mo- 
tion Picture  Theatre  Management  of 
the  Future." 

I  now  speak  of  that  rather  remote 
day  when  Jackie  Coogan  will  be  playing 
Theodore  Roberts'  roles.  Somehow  or 
other  the  word  "future"  always  sug- 
gests "perfection,"  so,  in  the  style  of 
H.  G.  Wells,  let's  ruminate  upon  Mr. 
Theatre  Executive  of  1976. 

The  manager  of  that  day,  must  of 
necessity  combine  practical  showman- 
ship with  intellectual  training  of  a  very 
high  order.  He  will  be  a  college  man 
who  has  lived  in  the  atmosphere  of 
the  theatre. 

University  Course  Likely 

Probably  some  of  the  universities  will 
have  a  special  course  in  theatrical  man- 
agement. At  any  rate,  the  ideal  the- 
atre executive  must  have  adequate  in- 
struction in  Science,  Arts  and  Com- 
merce. 

The  modern  motion  picture  theatre's 
activities  are,  broadly  speaking,  divided 
into  four  divisions :  Bookings,  Presen- 
tation, Advertising,  and,  for  want  of  a 
better  word,  Physical  activities.  The 
ideal  manager  must  be  able  to  actively 
supervise  "these  four  departments. 

As  regards  bookings,  he  will  need  to 
be  the  rare  combination  of  fastidious 


critic  and  intuitive  box-office  fortune 
teller.  It  follows  that  he  should  be  a 
profound  student  of  the  various  phases 
of  Art,  of  the  Drama,  of  Literature,  of 
Photoplay  Technique,  and  so  forth.  He 
must  now  allow  this  contact  with  ab- 
stract subjects,  however,  to  alienate  him 
from  the  "hard  facts"  as  to  just  what 
the  dear  public  will  and  will  not  pay  to 
see. 

Knowledge  of  Presentation 

In  the  matter  of  Presentation,  our 
manager  of  1976  must  know  his  stage 
and  its  mechanical  problems.  He 
should  get  his  training  in  this  matter 
from  the  hundreds, of  books  on  the  sub- 
ject as  well  as  from  personal  contact 
with  all  the  lighting  and  scenic  details. 

He  should  also  be  sufficiently  of  a 
musician  as  to  adequately  supervise  this 
part  of  the  show.  David  Belasco  and 
S.  L.  Rothafel  may  leave  it  to  subor- 
dinates to  work  up  the  preliminary  de- 
tails of  a  show,  but  you  can  bet  your 
life  that  when  it  comes  to  the  final  re- 
hearsals each  of  them  has  complete  say 
as  to  what  goes  in  or  out,  and  how. 
And  that's  why  they  are  leaders  in  their 
respective  fields. 

When  it  comes  to  advertising,  you 
are  dealing  with  the  oxygen  that  keeps 
the  theatre  alive.  You  can  do  too  little 
of  it,  and  too  much  of  it. 

The  manager  of .  fifty  years-  hence 
must  be  able  to  tackk/uie  merchandis- 
ing problems  of  his  house  in  a  thorough 


manner.  He  must  not  only  have  ideas, 
but  must  also  have  technical  and  sound 
training  in  this  subject. 

Under  the  unsatisfactory  heading  of 
"Physical"  house  activities,  fall  all  the 
remaining  items  that  have  to  do  with 
the  operation  of  a  theatre.  I  allude  to 
personnel,  maintenance,  accounting, 
purchasing.  Our  manager  must  be  a 
sound  business  man. 

There  may  be  nothing  new  in  the 
foregoing.  You  may  argue  that  there 
are  many  such  men  in  the  exhibiting 
end  today.  I  claim  that  there  are  less 
than  half  a  dozen.  We  have  hundreds 
of  clever  buyers  of  film  and  talent,  who 
are  unable  to  keep  a  clean  house,  and, 
also,  many  presentation  experts  who 
haven't  the  least  idea  about  advertising. 

Hopes  for  Perfect  Managers 

My  plea  is  for  all-round  men.  The 
theatre  of  the  future  will  demand  men 
who  can  take  their  places  with  the  in- 
tellectual leaders  of  the  community,  and 
at  the  same  time,  not  forget  the  sub- 
stantial fundamentals  of  the  show  busi- 
ness. Impossible? 

Perhaps ! 

Probably  it's  useless  to  worry  about 
it  at  all,  because,  as  I  conclude  this 
article,  I  see  a  headline  of  a  newspaper 
which  states  that  someone  has  perfected 
an  invention  to  transmit  motion  pictures 
by  radio.  At  any  rate,  it  proves  that 
the  world  is  moving  forward,  and  we 
ought  to  take  our  cue  from  that. 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Good  Judgment  in  Showmanship 


By  J.  K.  ADAMS 

Director  Publicity,  Arrow  Film  Corporation 


SHOWMANSHIP!  How  easy  to 
use  that  word  and  how  much  it 
is  abused.  Every  one  operating 
an  attraction,  from  the  freak  side  show 
to  the  big  spectacular  theatrical  pro- 
duction, claims  to  be  a  "showman." 
Most  of  them  have  heard  that  P.  T. 
Barnum  was  the  world's  greatest  show- 
man, and  many  try  to  follow  what 
they  think  were  his  methods  of  "bunk- 
ing" the  public. 

They  don't  realize  that  Barnum's 
showmanship  began  with  his  judgment 
in  selecting  his  attractions,  and  then 
cashed  in  through  his  wonderful  ex- 
ploitation. He  was  a  circus  man  and 
while  a  past  master  of  "bunk"  and 
"hokum"  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  circus  plays  a  town  at  most,  once 
a  season  and  people  forget  the  "hok- 
um" in  that  time. 

Barnum  pulled  some  publicity  stunts 
that  have  never  been  surpassed.  Prob- 
ably the  most  successful  was  when  he 
brought  the  monster  elephant  "Jumbo" 
from  the  London  Zoo.  His  press  agent, 
than  whom  there  never  was  a  better, 
Harlan  Page  Hubbard,  started  a  cam- 
paign in  the  English  newspapers  to 
have  all  the  children  in  Great  Britain 
contribute  one  penny  each  to  make  a 
fund  to  buy  "Jumbo"  back.  This  was 
an  instantaneous  success  and  the 
American  papers  gave  column  after 
column  to  accounts  of  its  progress  so 
that  Barnum  secured  thousands  of  dol- 
lars worth  of  publicity.  This  was  one 
development  of  his  remarkable  genius. 

THE  showmanship  displayed  by  the 
average  motion  picture  theatre  man- 
ager is  improving,  but  there  is  still 
room  for  its  betterment  in  many  cases. 
This  probably  does  not  apply  to  the 
reader,  but  he  can  readily  think  of 
several  of  his  fellow  exhibitors  whose 
showmanship  is  not  all  it  might  be. 

Good  judgment  in  selection  of  at- 
tractions is  the  first  requisite.  Without 
that  all  your  other  abilities  will  fail  to 
win  lasting  success.  In  picking  pro- 
ductions, don't  be  satisfied  to  play  any 
old  thing  that  will  get  the  money  into 
the  box  office.  Educate  your  public, 
little  by  little,  to  better  pictures.  Estab- 
lish in  their  minds  that  at  your  house 
they  can  always  be  sure  of  seeing  a 
good  picture.  This  reputation  will  help 
you  many  a  time  when  you  have  a  poor 
attraction. 


Exploit  your  pictures  more  thor- 
oughly and  effectively.  Spend  some 
money  for  exploitation  costumes  and 
accessories  and  use  them  as  you  prob- 
ably have  already  done  on  Westerns. 

Exploitation  angles  occur  in  every 
picture  that  require  only  a  little  thought 
and  a  few  dollars.  Exploitation  ac- 
cessories are  a  permanent  investment 
that  will  pay  good  profits  for  months. 

Talk  with,  and  get  the  ideas  of  some 
of  the  other  live  members  of  your  State 
Association  on  exploitation  and  adver- 
tising. Call  on  your  distributors  for 
press  matter  that  is  not  so  full  of  ad- 
vertising "bunk"  that  no  newspaper 
editor  can  use  it. 

Editors  cannot  run  advertising  mat- 
ter in  the  news  column,  but  they  will 
use  matter  of  interest  to  their  readers 
even  though  it  carries  the  name  of  the 
star  and  the  attraction. 

Use  more  cutouts  from  the  six  sheets 
and  the  twenty-four  sheets.  They  re- 
pay the  cost  over  and  over. 

Don't  show  a  picture  that  you 
wouldn't  be  willing  to  take  your  own 
family  to.    Dirty  pictures  hold  no  box 


J.  K.  Adams,  Director  of  Publicity  of  Arrow 
Film  Corporation,  stresses  the  need  for 
exhibitor's    judgment    in  showmanship. 


office  records.  The  biggest  money 
makers  have  been  the  clean  pictures. 
Just  think  that  over. 

YOU  operate  the  world's  most  won- 
derful educational  institution  in 
your  neighborhood.  Are  you  taking 
pride  in  helping  to  make  the  young 
people  in  your  audiences  better  men 
and  women,  or  don't  you  care  so  long 
as  you  get  yours?  It  don't  cost  you 
any  more  money.  Just  a  little  more 
care  and  thought  on  your  part  and  you 
and  your  theatre  will  have  a  marked 
influence  for  good  on  the  coming  men 
and  women  of  the  community  where 
you  are  making  your  living. 

House  management  success  means 
just  one  thing — Service.  It  means 
making  your  patrons  comfortable  and 
happy  while  in  your  theatre.  Courtesy 
and  consideration  begins  with  the  man- 
agement and  you  cannot  expect  your 
employees  to  show  it  unless  you  set  the 
example.  Courtesy  and  consideration 
cost  only  the  effort  of  thinking  and  do- 
ing. 

If  your  patrons  are  treated  with 
politeness  and  consideration  and  are 
called  "Sir"  and  "Madame"  it  will  soon 
have  its  effect.  You  will  get  from 
your  staff  only  the  service  you  demand. 
If  you  go  into  a  swell  restaurant  and 
the  head  waiter  treats  you  like  a  dis- 
tinguished guest,  you  feel  pretty  good 
and  you  think,  "Well,  this  is  a  regular 
place  where  I  am  appreciated." 

Does  it  cost  you,  your  cashier,  your 
doorman,  and  your  ushers  anything  but 
thought  to  treat  your  patrons  that  way  ? 
No  brother,  it  don't  but  a  lot  of  house 
managers  are  falling  down  on  that  very 
thing,  even  here  in  some  of  the  big 
New  York  houses,  where  they  should 
know  better.  Why?  Carelessness.  They 
think  they're  so  good  they  can't  lose. 
Maybe  they  won't  have  a  losing  week, 
but  they'd  have  a  bigger  gross  if  they 
were  more  careful  and  made  their  staff 
toe  the  mark. 

Many  men  are  running  picture  thea- 
tres who  never  had  any  showmanship 
experience.  They  have  learned  much 
in  a  short  time  and  deserve  great  cred- 
it. This  article  is  just  an  effort  to 
help  in  emphasizing  some  of  the  more 
important  necessities  of  that  great  call- 
ing styled  "Showmanship." 


September  20.  1924 


Page  55 


"Tell  Them  What  You've  Got 


V) 


By  L.  H.  MITCHELL 

In  Charge  of  Trade  Publicity  for  First  National  Pictures,  Inc. 


THE  exploitation  of  motion  pictures 
is  passing  through — in  fact,  is  al- 
most out  of — its  first  phase  and  is 
entering  a  second  stage  that  may  be 
called  "better  exploitation."  It  may  or 
may  not  be  "bigger." 

"Get  them  in"  was  the  slogan  of  the 
first  phase,  which  still  persists  strongly 
with  some  exhibitors,  the  numbers  of 
which,  fortunately,  is  becoming  fewer 
and  fewer.  This  was  the  period  of 
stepping  on  the  gas  in  motion  picture 
exploitation  without  any  thought  being 
given  to  the  exhaust  in  case  too  much 
gas  was  applied.  And  almost  invari- 
ably too  much  gas  was  used.  Exploi- 
tation was  regarded  as  a  hill  to  be  taken 
"on  high" — something  necessary  to  sur- 
mount on  the  road  to  bigger  receipts. 

From  "Get  them  in"  to  "Tell  them 
what  you've  got"  is  a  long  stride,  yet 
one  that  many  exhibitors  have  taken  in 
the  past  year  or  two — much  to  the 
credit  of  their  standing  in  their  own 
communities  and  much  more  to  the 
good  name  of  motion  pictures. 

"Get  them  in"  was  the  father  of 
misleading  statements  in  advertising 
and  publicity — in  many  cases  furnished 
by  the  producer  and  distributor —  and 
the  second  cousin  of  dishonesty  towards 
patrons  of  the  "movies."  Anything  was 
allowable  that  attracted  public  attention 
to  the  theatres  and  the  picture  being 
shown.  Advertisements  promised  sen- 
sational thrills,  "spicy"  sex  themes  and 
situations  hot  to  be  found  in  the  pic- 
ture itself.  One  element  of  the  public, 
the  public  that  wants  clean  entertain- 
ment, was  driven  away.  Another  ele- 
ment was  attracted,  but  dissatisfied  be- 
cause its  aroused  appetite  was  not  ca- 
tered to,  and  not  so  easy  to  coax  back 
into  the  theatre  on  future  occasions. 
The  exhibitor  was  burning  his  candle 
at  both  ends. 

THIS  was  perhaps  a  necessary  phase 
in  the  evolution  of  exploitation  of 
pictures.  The  hurt  to  his  pocket  book 
soon  convinced  the  wiser  exhibitor  that 
his  first  consideration  if  he,  wanted  to 
remain  in  the  business  was  toward  his 
public.  He  must  build  up  a  reputation 
for  his  theatre,  build  up  a  clientele  on 
which  he  could  depend.  But  he  found 
that  he  could  only  do  that  by  giving 
his  patrons  pictures  on  which  they 
could  depend — to  which  they  could 
bring  the  entire  family  without  any 
qualms  as  to  its  ultimate  effect  on  the 
mind  of  adolescent  Sammy  and  his  sex- 
conscious  older  sister,  Mary. 

Often  times  this  exhibitor  found  that 


L.  H.  Mitchell,  Director  of  Trade  Press 
Publicity     for    First    National  pictures. 


he  had  to  show  some  picture  which 
would  not  appeal  to  his  regular  clien- 
tele— perhaps  because  of  block  booking. 
He  wanted  to  keep  his  good  name  and 
his  standing  in  the  community  and  de- 
cided to  tell  his  public  just  what  the 
picture  was  and  let  them  decide  for 
themselves  whether  they  wanted  to  see 
it.  He  may  have  kept  some  patrons 
away  by  his  truthfulness,  but  he  at  least 
kept  them  for  future  occasions  when 
he  had  pictures  of  a  different  charac- 
ter to  show  them ;  they  remained  pa- 
trons of  motion  pictures,  and  of  his 
theatre. 

Dishonest  advertising  and  exploita- 
tion, due  as  often  to  the  producer  and 
distributor  as  to  the  exhibitor  himself, 
drove  the  latter  to  build  up  a  stand- 
ard for  his  theatre  and  a  clientele 
which  was  steady  because  it  had  faith 
in  the  sort  of  photoplay  it  would  offer 
them.  The  exhibitor  began  to  spend 
time,  thought  and  money  to  build  up  a 
good  name  for  his  theatre  in  the  com- 
munity, convinced  that  it  would  pay  in 
the  long  run.  If  he  could  not  always 
select  just  the  pictures  he  would  wish, 
he  could  at  least,  through  his  adver- 
tising, tell  his  public  what  he  had  to 
offer  them.  That  helped  him  to  estab- 
lish a  name  for  his  theatre.  It  is  a 
healthy  and  hopeful  sign  that  more  ex- 
hibitors are  telling  the  public  what 
they've  got  in  picture  fare ;  it  not  only 
aids  in  establishing  a  standard  for  his 
theatre,  but  acts  as  check  upon  the  pro- 
ducer who  looks  a  little  more  carefully 


into  the  character  of  the  picture  before 
he  starts  production. 

THE  exhibitor  can  not  yet,  probably 
will  never  be  able  to,  pick  his  au- 
dience for  any  special  picture ;  he  may 
always  have  to  depend  upon  the  repu- 
tation of  his  theatre  for  the  patrons  it 
draws.  His  life  as  an  exhibitor  de- 
pends on  drawing  a  sufficiently  large 
number  of  persons  into  the,  theatre  to 
make  it  a  paying  institution.  To  do 
that  he  must  offer  pictures  that  appeal 
to  all  tastes;  his  clientele  is  divided  in 
its  likes  and  dislikes.  How  shall  he 
cater  to  all  classes  of  patrons  and  yet 
build  a  sound  reputation  for  his  theatre 
and  a  high  standard  for  the  quality  of 
the  pictures  he  shows? 

"Tell  them  what  you've  got"  is  the 
best  answer  to  that  question  that  has 
yet  been  found.  More  and  more,  the 
exhibitor  is  practising  the  precept.  He 
may  be  under  contract  to  show  all  of 
the  product  of  a  big,  established  pro- 
ducing-distributing  company,  which 
also  realizes  that  it  must  cater  to  all 
classes  of  patrons  in  order  to  establish 
and  hold  its  own  reputation  as  a  leader 
in  the  industry  and  to  derive  the  in- 
come needed  to  keep  on  making  pic- 
tures and  protect  the  money  that  is  al- 
ready invested.  If  the  exhibitor  is  al- 
lied with  such  a  producing  distributing 
concern  as  First  National  Pictures, 
Inc.,  or  other  leaders  of  the  industry, 
his  problem  is  greatly  simplified.  First 
National  makes  pictures  about  which 
the  truth  can  be  told  in  advertising  and 
exploiting;  the  very  trade  mark  of  that 
producer-distributor  help  to  establish  a 
standard  for  the  theatre.  Due  care  and 
honesty  on  the  part  of  the  exhibitor  in 
telling  the  public  what  he's  got  to  offer 
it  in  each  picture  shown  will  keep  the 
reputation  of  his  house  clear. 

The  "Tell  them  what  you've  got" 
phase  of  motion  picture  exploitation 
has  as  yet  but  been  scratched  on  the 
surface;  careful  tilling  of  the  field  will 
do  much  towards  stabilizing  the  stand- 
ards of  the  industry  and  paring  the 
claws  of  those  clamoring  for  censor- 
ship of  the  screen. 


Page  56 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Why  Some  Exhibitors  Lose  Money 

On  Good  Pictures 


By  IRVING  M.  LESSER 

Vice  President  Principal  Pictures  Corporation 


SHOWMANSHIP  is  that  rare 
quality  possessed  by  a  man  in  the 
.show  business,  of  knowing  how 
to  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time. 
The  word  "Showman"  isn't  in  the 
Standard  Dictionary.  It  has  been  coined 
and,  like  Topsy,  it  "just  growed." 
Everybody  knows  that  a  "Show"  is  a 
form  of  entertainment;  therefore  a 
showman  is  one  who  presents  a  form 
of  entertainment.  And  what  is  the  art 
of  presenting  an  entertainment  ?  It  is  : 
( 1 )  Knowing  what  the  public  wants ; 
(-2)  Giving  the  public  what  it  wants, 
keeping  in  mind  the  inherent  American 
leaning  toward  decency;  (3)  Doing  all 
of  these  things  in  such  a  way  that  fair 
profits  will  be  made. 

Every  business  has  its  art.  The  rail- 
splitter  must  know  his  job.  A  plumber 
is  a  plumber;  and  a  good  plumber  isn't 
the  one  who  charges  the  highest  prices, 
but  the  one  who  does  the  best  work— 
who  works  for  the  love  of  his  trade 
and  the  efficiency  of  what  he  turns  out. 
To  the  same  effect,  the  good  showman, 
in  motion  pictures,  is  the  one  who  dis- 
plays good  showmanship.  How?  An- 
swer : 

(1)  If  he  is  a  producer,  by  turning 
out  only  the  best  pictures  with  the  best 
audience  appeal. 

(2)  If  a  salesman,  by  using  discre- 
tion in  dealing  with  exhibitors —  by 
helping  the  theatre  owner  build  up  his 
business ;  for  only  by  aiding  in  the  up- 
building of  the  motion  picture  theatre 
does  the  distributing  organization  lay 
the  foundation  of  its  own  success. 

(3)  If  an  exhibitor,  by  using  good 
judgment  in  buying,  and  excellent 
judgment  in  advertising,  publicising 
and  exploiting  his  pictures. 

IN  thus  referring  to  producer,  sales 
force,  exhibitor  as  being  showmen  I 
am  emphasizing  one  important  fact  in 
motion  pictures  which  has  been  woe- 
fully neglected.  The  fact  is  that  every 
branch  of  our  industry  in  correlated, 
interlocked.  And  if  we  overlook  this 
fact  we  are  harming  only  ourselves. 
For  the  producer  can't  get  along  with- 
out his  distributing  organization,  or 
sales  force,  producer  and  distributor 
can't  get  along  without  the  exhibitor ; 
and  exhibitor  can't  get  along  without 
producer  and  distributor. 

Let's  assume  that  we  all  are  working 
toward  a  common  end.  What  is  that 
end?  Is  it,  first  of  all,  to  make  money? 
Emphatically,  no.    We  are,  or  should 


be,  working  to  bring  our  shows,  our 
industry,  up  to  the  highest  point  of 
popularity,  because  we  know  that  when 
we  have  accomplished  that,  we  are  cer- 
tain to  make  money.  Public  favor 
means  public  patronage ;  public  patron- 
age means  financial  success. 

We  still  are  bearing  in  mind  that  we 
are  showmen — or,  at  least  that  we  are 
trying  to  be.  And  a  showman  is  one 
who  presents  a  form  of  entertainment. 
What  should  that  form  of  entertain- 
ment be  ?  What  does  the  American 
public  want?  We  judge  that  primarily 
bv  the  popularity  of  motion  pictures 
which  have  been  produced.  But  that 
should  not  be  our  sole  basis  of  judg- 
ment. What  then  ?  How  will  we  use 
our  sense  of  showmanship  in  seeking 
to  give  the  public  what  it  wants?  By 
knowing    our    public    intimately,  by 


Irving  M.  Lesser,  member  of  the  Prin- 
cipal Pictures  Corp.,  has  learned  the 
motion  picture  business  from  the 
ground  up,  and  his  message  should  in- 
terest    all     the     nation's  showmen. 


studying  their  life  and  habits  and  cus- 
toms. Moliere,  the  playwright,  used 
to  read  his  plays  to  his  chambermaid. 
If  they  made  her  smile  or  weep  he  de- 
cided that  they  were  fit  to  be  produced. 
If  they  had  no  perceptible  effect  upon 
her  he  knew  they  had  no  "audience  ap- 
peal." 

IN  the  same  manner  do  exhibitors  to- 
day, consciously  or  unconsciously, 
gauge  the  effect  of  motion  pictures  on 
their  audiences.  They  have  a  test' 
method  much  more  effective  than  that 


of  Moliere.  The  West  Coast  Thea- 
tres, for  instance,  have  a  system  of  dis- 
tributing questionnaires  to  their  audi- 
ences and  thus  gaining  direct  informa- 
tion as  to  the  effect  of  picture  on  spec- 
tator. 

These  questionnaires  have  shown 
that  the  public  today  wants  virile  Amer- 
ican stories  of  out-of-door  life  and 
adventure.  Those  are  the  stories  you 
will  see  predominating  on  the  screen. 
By  sounding  out  audiences  my  brother, 
Sol  Lesser,  president  of  Principal  Pic- 
tures and  vice  president  of  West  Coast 
Theatres,  Inc.,  concluded  that  fine  Am- 
erican stories  by  fine  American  writers 
were  what  the  public  wanted,  and  so  he 
obtained  the  motion  picture  rights  to 
Harold  Bell  Wright's  works.  First  we 
produced  "When  a  Man's  a  Man,"  a 
First  National  release.  It  proved  a  tre- 
mendous success.  Now  we  are  offering 
Wright's  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron 
Door,"  a  Sam  Wood  Production  with  a 
splendid  cast  headed  by  Pat  O'Malley, 
Dorothy  Mackaill,  Robert  W.  Frazer, 
Mary  Carr.  And  Sol  Lesser's  judgment 
on  this  second  Wright  picture  is  being 
upheld  all  along  the  line. 

WHEN  a  picture  succeeds  producer, 
distributor,  exhibitor  shake  hands 
all  around  and  each  gives  the  other  the 
credit.  When  it  fails  each  generally 
blames  the  other.  The  failure  of  a 
picture  generally  is  laid  at  the  door  of 
the  producer — in  many  cases  placed 
there  unjustly.  For  the  best  picture  in 
the  world  can't  succeed  without  proper 
advertising,  exploitation,  publicity.  It 
must  be  shoved  ahead  so  that  the  pub- 
lic will  sit  up  and  take  notice.  On  the 
other  hand  all  of  the  advertising,  pub- 
licity and  exploitation  in  the  world 
can't  make  a  success  of  a  worthless 
production. 

The  exhibitor  should  back  up  the 
producer  or  distributing  organization  in 
that  advertising,  and  furthemore  the 
exhibitor  should  do  his  own  exploiting. 
Why?  Because  he  knows  his  own  peo- 
ple, his  own  community. 

Dealing  in  personalities  generally  is 
confined  to  confidential  gatherings.  In 
this  connection  I  shall  not  mention 
names  in  print.  If  I  did  I  could  tell  of 
houses  showing  good  pictures  whose 
owners  are  losing  money  and  blaming 
the  public,  when  the  real  blame  rests 
at  their  own  doors.  They  are  not  ad- 
vertising and  exploiting  the  pictures 
properly — they  are  not  displaying  show- 
manship. 


tit 


With 


£)orothtf 
cMackaitt 


in  a 


FRANK. 
E.  WOODS 

Special  (production^ 


John  Harron,  Louise  Dresser 
and  William  V.  Mong 
Directed  by  John  G.  Adolfi 
Story,  Supervision  and  Editing  by  Frank  Woods 

Released  by 
PRODUCERS 
DISTRIBUTING 
CORPORATION 

Foreign  Distributor 
WM.  VOGEL,  Distributing  Corp. 

Season  1924-1925 — Thirty  First-Run  Pictures 

Page  58 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


'What  Shall  I  Do?' 


This  still  of  Dorothy  Maekaill,  who  plays  the 
jeminine  lead  in  the  Frank  E.  Woods  production 
offered  through  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration, has  helped  win  fame  for  the  photoplay 


September  20.  1924 


Page  59 


Every  Week  a  Different 
Feature.  Every  Issue  a 
Section    of  Opportunities 


Turn  Window  Shoppers 
Into  Movie  Patrons  and 
You  Fear  no  Competition 


Constructive  Incentives  for 


nd  Local  Merchants 


The  Showmanship  Answer 

to  "What  Shall  I  Do  ?  " 


UPON  the  verdict  of  the  families" 
of  your  town  rests  the  financial 
success  or  failure  of  your  enter- 
prise. And  in  "What  Shall  I -Do?"  you 
have  a  film  that  holds  appeal  for  every 
member  of  the  community.  It  is  truly] 
a  picture  for  the  home.  Its  box-office 
return  will  prove  conclusively  the  wis- 
dom of  tossing  the  purple  passion  pic- 
tures into  an  irretrievable  discard. 

The  action  centers  about  a  youthful 
couple  and  their  baby.  The  father  suf- 
fers a  loss  of  memory.  The  girl  is 
left  penniless,  denied  by  her  husband 
and  with  her  child  to  care  for. 

The  situation  offers  splendid  exploi- 
tation opportunities.    For  instance : 

Beautiful  Baby  Contest 

Start  it  off  with  pictures  of  the  babv 
used  in  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  and  offer 
prizes  for  the  prettiest  babies,  the  the- 
atre to  offer  part  of  the  prizes  and  the 
newspaper  to  offer  additional  prizes 
and  to  print  photographs  of  the  con- 
testants and  winners. 

To  these  an  extra  prize,  or  prizes 
should  be  offered  by  the  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  in  the  name 
of  Frank  Woods,  the  producer  of 
"What  Shall  I  Do?"  These  prizes 
should  be  awarded  by  a  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  newspaper. 

The  baby  show  should  take  place  the 
afternoon  of  the  opening  day  of  the 
picture  at  the  theatre.  The  babies  en- 
tering the  contest  should  have  their 
names  and  photographs  submitted  to  the 
newspaper  any  time  in  advance  of  the 
final  day  for  judging  the  winners. 

These  photographs  the  newspapers 
publish  from  day  to  day  as  they  come 
in,  and  on  the  day  when  the  picture  is 
to  open  the  babies  in  the  contest  should 
be  presented  in  person  at  the  matinee. 
The  awards  could  be  by  committee  or 
by  votes ;  the  newspaper  carrying  voting 
coupons  and  the  theatre  audiences  hav- 
ing voting  coupons  for  each  ticket  sold. 

If  the  award  is  by  popular  vote,  each 


baby  contestant  should  be  numbered 
and  photographs  published  by  the  news- 
paper and  displayed  in  the  lobby  of  the 
theatre.  The  votes  are  to  be  counted 
after  the  final  performance. 

Letter  Contest 

Tie-up  the  theatre  and  a  local  news- 
paper in  a  prize  contest  for  the  best 
replies  to  "What  Shall  I  Do  With  My 
Baby?"  The  "sob  sister"  of  the  news- 
paper should  be  interested  in  the  propo- 
sition. The  letters  replying  to  the 
question  should    answer   the  problem 


Still  No.  79  from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  pathos-picture  "What  Shall 
I  Do?"  offers  a  fine  tie-up  with  the  song- 
hit,    for    musical    instruments    or  pearls. 

that  confronts    Jeanie    Andrews,  the: 
young  deserted  wife  in  "What  Shall  I 
Do  ?"  and  should  be  limited  to  one  hun-J 
dred  words. 

The  newspaper  should  print  selected 
letters  with  comments  from  day  to  day, 
starting  sometime  before  the  picture 
appears  at  the  theatre.  The  theatre 
in  slides  and  a  trailer  of  the  picture 
should  boost  the  contest  simultaneously. 


The  prizes  should  be  awarded  by  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  newspaper 
and  should  be  announced  the  last  day 
of  the  showing. 

The  prizes  offered  by  the  theatre,  and 
the  newspaper  should  be  added  to  by 
Frank  Woods,  producer  and  author  of 
the  picture. 

Free  Space 

A  number  of  signed  letters  boosting 
the  picture  should  be  sent  to  the  news- 
papers by  individuals.  One  should 
stress  the  fact  that  this  is  the  sort  of 
picture  decent  folks  desire.  Another, 
from  a  young  mother,  make  inquiries 
regarding  day-nurseries  in  connection 
with  the  film.  One  from  a  physician 
offering  congratulations  on  the  manner 
in  which  the  treatment  of  amnesia  is 
portrayed.  And  another  mentioning  the 
floating  clouds  covered  with  babies, 
and  asking  about  the  photography. 

These  are  but  suggestions.  Manv 
more  ideas  will  occur  to  you,  and  you 
should  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
close  friends  to  have  the  letters  sent 
without  any  difficulty. 

Civic  Tie-Up 

With  the  co-operation  of  the  various 
women's  clubs,  and  the  civic  author- 
ities, inaugurate  a  movement  for  the 
establishment  of  day-nurseries  where 
working  women  may  safely  leave  their 
kids. 

Interest  the  wealthy  club-women  in 
adopting  an  orphan,  or  a  number  of 
orphans,  by  contributing  money  to  a 
fund  that  will  make  provision  for  the 
rearing  and  education  of  these  unfor- 
tunate youngsters. 

Any  charitable  enterprise  in  connec- 
tion with  children  or  destitute  mothers 
will  bring  back  the  bread  you  cast  upon 
the  waters  to  your  theatre  in  the  form 
of  box-office  layer-cake. 

Never  forget  that  a  good  deed  adver- 
tises itself— either  "on"  or  "off." 


Still  No.  94  offers  possibilities  for  windows  on  sport  goods  and  sport  clothes. 


Big  Window  Displays  For 
Frank  E.  Woods'  Big  Film 

'What  Shall  I  Do?"  Offers  Tie-Ups 
Different  From  Other  Productions 


THE  best  windows  for  your  show- 
ing of  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  will 
be  those  tying-up  your  attraction 
with  the  babies  of  the  town.  Any  and 
all  sorts  of  products  manufactured  for 
infants  may  be  logically  featured. 

There  is  a  wonderful  opportunity  to 
have  the  local  dairy  companies  exploit 
their  merchandise  with  the  picture.  This 
may  be  done  in  newspaper  advertising, 
by  posters  on  delivery  wagons,  or  by 


hand-bills  or  other  literature  delivered 
by  the  drivers  with  the  milk. 

There  are  dozens  of  stills  that  are 
applicable  to  baby  windows,  and  each 
one  of  them  has  the  irresistible  appeal 
to  all  humanity  found  only  in  these 
"little  bits  of  Heaven." 

SK  to  see  Still  No.  59  if  you  are 
arranging  an  infants'  wear  display. 
Nos.  53  and  54  will  also  help  in  this 


regard.  They  feature  the  wonderful 
kid  appearing  in  the  Frank  Woods'  pro- 
duction. He  is  all  smiles  and  dimples. 
Happy  as  the  day  is  long.  Well-fed 
and  well-dressed.  Well  taken  care  of 
in  every  way.  In  these  stills  he  is 
shown  in  the  last  word  in  baby  baskets 
— the  very  kind  some  enterprising  mer- 
chant in  your  town  is  selling. 

In  still  Nos.  4  and  6  another  child 
is  shown.  He  is  quite  a  contrast.  And 
without  doubt  the  reason  is  because  he 
has  not  been  fed,  or  clothed  or  cared 
for  according  to  the  specifications  of 
your  tie-up  partners. 

NO  57  shows  Johnny  Harron,  Dor- 
othy Mackaill  and  the  featured 
players  intent  in  the  examination  of  a 
nursing  bottle.  The  tie-up  is  obvious. 
Still  No.  78  features  four  beautiful 
babies,  and  is  a  human  interest  photo- 
graph if  ever  one  was  taken. 

There  are  various  other  baby  pic- 
tures, 55,  83,  66  and  so  on.  They  may 
all  be  used  to  great  advantage  in  win- 
dow displays  of  infants'  things.  The 
title  of  the  picture  may  be  worked  into 
window  cards.  For  instance,  "What 
Shall  I  Do?"  may  be  the  plaintive 
query  of  the  mother  of  a  child  pining 
away  from  malnutrition — and  the  an- 
swer, of  course,  is  feed  the  child  Mel- 
lon's  Food,  or  whatever  food  your  tie- 
up  dealer  is  merchandising.  The  same 
idea  may  be  used  in  many  other  ways. 


4 


Page  61 


In  addition  to  the  baby  tie-ups  there 
are  a  number  of  other  logical  connec- 
tions between  your  theatre,  "What 
Shall  I  Do?"  and  the  merchants  of  the 
city. 

In  the  picture  the  boy  who  loses  his 
memory  is  married  to  a  poor  girl.  But 
he  is  wealthy,  and  his  home  is  graced 
with  all  the  beauties  money  furnishes. 
The  women  are  well-apparelled,  and 
adorned  with  pearls  and  other  jewels. 

You  have  at  your  disposal  a  variety 
of  stills  suitable  for  gown  and  jewel 
displays,  (dance  at  Nos-  82,  87,  91,  76, 
71,  72  and  you  will  get  the  idea. 

You  may  also  secure  windows  from 
house  furnishings  and  interior  decora- 
tors with  such  stills  as  Nos.  75,  88  and 
73,  which  show  gorgeous  draperies, 
rugs,  pictures,  trophies,  and  the  many 
articles  that  go  to  make  a  home  of  re- 
finement and  elegance. 

AS  is  usual  when  beautiful  women 
appear  in  a  production  there  are 
tie-ups  with  cosemetics,  beautifiers,  and 
so  on.  And  alwavs  bear  in  mind  the  title 
of  the  picture.  '  "What  Shall  I  Do  ?" 
may  be  asked  regarding  a  poor  com- 
plexion, lustreless  hair,  or  stained 
clothing.  And  the  answer  will  be  to 
buy  "Helen's  Complexion  Cream,"  use 
"Burns'  Hairbright,"  or  take  the  spotted 
gown  to  the  "Bambalina  Dry  Cleaning 
Establishment." 

A  good  part  of  the  action  takes  place 
in  the  restaurant  where  the  heroine  is 
cashier.  Beside  arranging  for  window 
space,  make  it  a  point  to  see  that  the 
restaurant  cashiers  in  your  town  have 
a  few  stills  near  the  cash  register.  Lots 
of  folks  pause  for  a  second  at  this 
strategical  point,  and  the  pictures  of 
your  attraction  will  grip  attention.  A 
pass  t<>  the  check-taker  may  help  con- 
siderably in  making  patrons  for  your 


Here  is  a  tie-up  for  displays  of  office  furniture,  desk  lights,  filing  cabinets,  and 
all  sorts  of  business  equipment  including  stationery.  The  still  is  No.  67  from 
Producers   Distributing  Corporation's  box-office   success   "What   Shall  I  Do?" 


theatre  of  the  restaurant's  guests.  A 
boost  well  placed  often  goes  a  long  way. 

The  stills  that  will  prove  appropriate 
for  restaurant  and  lunch-room  tie-ups 
are  Nos.  15,  31,  28,  41,  27,  17,  16,  12, 
38,  21,  23,  26,  29,  11  and  10. 

THERE  are  some  good  fight  scenes, 
and  stills  of  them  will  help  you  in 
tie-ups  with  sporting  goods  dealers, 
gymnasiums,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  simi- 
lar organizations.  In  this  connection 
a^k  to  see  27,  43,  46  and  47.  There  are 
others,  but  these  will  convey  the  thought 


Still  No.  92  may  be  used  in  a  restaurant  tie-up,  or  for  any  display  of  food-stuffs 
and  beverages.  It  is  one  of  the  scenes  in  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's 
recent  production,  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  The  hero  feasts  while  his  wife  is  starving. 


as  to  how  this  type  of  still  may  best  be 
utilized. 

There  are  "theme"  stills  that  convey 
impressions  of  the  picture.  They  are 
not  especially  logical  for  use  in  tying 
up  with  any  particular  product,  but  they 
will  attract  interest  in  any  window  and 
it  is  recommended  that  each  display 
carry  a  few  of  them.  Nos.  25,  20,  14, 
65,  60,  77  and  1  are  some  of  these. 

An  idea  for  a  rather  unique  window 
display  of  stills  would  be  to  tell  the  en- 
tire story  of  the  photo-drama  by  means 
of  an  arrangement  of  stills  in  proper 
sequence.  They  are  all  there,  and  with 
a  little  care  you  can  evolve  an  ingeni- 
ous display  that  is  sure  to  attract  atten- 
tion,   and    build    patronage    for  you. 

A  very  important  asset  for  your  at- 
traction is  Irving  Berlin's  big  song  hit, 
"What'll  I  Do?"  It  is  tremendously 
popular,  and  somehow  the  plaintive 
melody  seems  to  exactly  fit  the  picture. 
By  all  means  play  it  during  the  show- 
ing, and  cooperate  with  music  sellers 
and  instrument  shops  to  your  mutual 
advantage.  The  cover  of  the  song  is 
Still  No.  3  from  the  production,  and  it 
is  known  by  folks  in  every  town  where 
music  is  sold.  It  is  the  theme  song  ot 
the  production,  and  the  cover  says  so. 
The  still  referred  to  has  been  selected 
as  typical  of  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  and 
is  the  frontispiece  of  this  week's  Na- 
tional Tie-up  Section. 

In  this  Frank  E.  Woods'  production, 
Producers'  Distributing  Corporation 
has  given  exhibitors  a  wonderful  photo- 
play. 


'WHAT 
SHALL 


A  Great  Human  Drama  With 
A  Universal  Appeal  to  Every 
Man,  Woman  and  Child,  With 
A  Thousand  Showmanship  Angles 


The  Critics  are  Unanimous 

"Your  women  patrons  are  going  to  enjoy  this 
picture  and  likewise  their  male  relatives,  for 
there  is  something  in  it  to  entertain  both 
sexes."  — M.  P.  Nezvs 

"Looks  like  a  sure  box-office  winner.  Bound 
to  hold  the  attention  of  the  average  spectator 
from  start  to  finish."        —Ex.  Trade  Review 

"Interest  is  held  from  the  first  foot  to  the  last. 
Impresses  as  a  picture  that  will  appeal 
especially  to  women."  — M.  P. 

"You  should  be  able  to  please  them  with  this." 

— Film  Daily 

"A  deeply  appealing  picture.  The  actinp 
of  Miss  Mackaill  is  convincing  and  her 
sorrow  is  shared  by  the  spectator." 

— Harrison's  Reports 

'It  should  make  money  for  the  theatre 
cwner  as  well  as  fame  for  its  star." 

— N.  Y.  Morning  Tel  graph 


A  Box-Office  Booster 

NOW  BOOKING 


starring 


Dorothy 
Mackaill 


A  Frank  Woods  Production 
with 

JOHN  HARRON         LOUISE  DRESSER 
and  WILLIAM  V.  MONG 

Directed  by 
JOHN  G.  ADOLFI 

Story,  supervision  and  editing  by 
FRANK  WOODS 


Released  by 

Producers  Distributing  Corporatk&e 

Season  1924-1925 — Thirty  First-Run  Pictures 


Foreign  Distributor 

WM.VOGEL 

Distributing"  Corporation  > 


Send  for  display  material  in 
connection  with  your  show- 
ing of  "The  Chechahcos," 
"The  Boy  of  Flanders"  and 
"What  Shall  I  Do?"  as 
soon  as  you  know  your  play- 
dates. 


EAGLE  BRAND 


FOR  sixty  years  the  answer  to  the  question  of  many  frantic 
mothers:  "What  Shall  I  Do  About  My  Baby?"  has  been 
answered  by  The  Borden  Company  with  its  quality  product,  Eagle 
Brand  preserved  milk. 

To  secure  the  benefit  accruing  from  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
national  advertising,  clip  the  coupon  calling  for  display  material 
for  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  and  be  assured  of  our  hearty  co-operation 
in  a  mutual  merchandising  campaign. 


7Ac  ISord&n,  Gvm/tuwu 


EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW, 
45  West  45th  Street,  New  York  City. 

Please  have  The  Borden  Company  forward  its  special  window  display  material  by  return  mail  so  that  I  may  take  advantage 
of  the  National  Tie-Up  offered  with  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  I  have  listed  my  playdates  below,  and  have  specified  the  num- 
ber of  displays  I  shall  require  in  connection  with  this  showing. 

Name  "What  Shall  I  Do?" 

'  Playdates   

Theatre   

Town  No.  Displays  Required   


35E5252525252SESEE2525a5ffi25ffi^ 


^IIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIH 


SAFETY  FIRST! 


Take  no  chances  on  missing  our  special 
window  display  material  for  your  tie-up 
windows  on  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration's big  picture  "What  Shall  I  Do?" 

Send  a  list  of  your  playdates  to  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review,  and  displays  will  be 
sent  you  at  once  together  with  the  tie- 
up  suggestions.    Say  how  many  you  want. 

SECURITY  BLANKET  FASTENER  CO.,  Inc., 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

National   Tie-Up   also   available    on   "Captain  January" 


J  WRITE 

I  EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 

J  FOR 

|  WINDOW  DISPLAY  MATERIAL 

1  FROM 

|  ALBERT  LORSCH  &  CO.,  Inc. 

§§  ON 

|  "WHAT  SHALL  I  DO?" 

^iiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiM^ 


ARTISTIC  WINDOWS 

FOR 

"WHAT  SHALL  I  DO?" 
YARDLEY  &  CO.,  Ltd. 

Write  Your  Playdates  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


September  20,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  65 


Call  In  the  Coroner 

Or  Come  To 


For  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  you  might 
arrange  a  window  showing  a  children's 
bedroom.    Two  beds.    Wax  figures  of 


Life 


IT  is  necessary  for  you  to  tell  folks 
about  yourself  and  about  what  you 
are  offering  in  the  way  of  entertain- 
ment. The  Review  has  given  you  a 
valuable  medium  through  which  to 
reach  all  of  your  potential  patronage 
through  National  Tie-Up  windows.  The 
rest  is  up  to  you.  This  week's  National 
Tie-Up  picture  would  al- 
most seem  to  have  been 
made  to  order  by  Frank  E. 
Woods  for  window  display 
purposes.  Any  number  of 
strikingly  original  windows 
may  be  evolved  from  the 
subject  matter  of  the  pic- 
ture. And  every  one  of 
them  will  bring  a  real  big 
percentage  of  the  window 
shoppers  to  your  theatre. 

The  products  listed  in  the 
section    include  Borden's 
Milk,  Safety  Blanket  Fas- 
tener, Chex,  Kleinerts  Rub- 
ber Goods,  Regent  Pearls 
El  Producto   Cigars,  Ok 
English      Lavender     am  I 
Pebeco  Dentifrice.    An  ai  - 
ray  of  nationally  advertised 
wares  whose  publicity  ap- 
propriations run  into  un- 
imaginable   figures.  And 
you  are  presented,  free  of 
charge,  with  the  chance  to 
line  them  all  up  for  your 
showing  of  Producers'  Dis- 
tributing Corporation's 
heart-drama  "What  Shall  I 
Do?" 

There's  easy  money  ly- 
ing right  here  for  you  to 
pick  up.  Get  busy.  First 
book  the  picture.  Then  call 
on  the  merchants  who  are 
alive  enough  to  put  a  spar- 
kle in  the  eyes  of  their 
shops. 

Talk  turkey.  There  is 
more  interest  in  motion  pic- 
tures today  than  there  is  in 
a  presidential  election  or 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  They  know  it. 
Give  them  the  chance  to  help  them- 
selves by  helping  your  show. 

WHEN  you  have  lined  up  the  best 
available  windows,  write  to  the 
Review  giving  full  information  about 
your  playdates.  State  the  numbers  of 
the  tie-ups  you  desire,  and  say  how 
many  sets  of  display  material  you  wish. 

Promptly  upon  receipt  of  your  letter, 
the  Review  will  step  on  the  gas,  and 


ten-ton-truck  publicity  for  your  show- 
will  get  under  way. 

In  arranging  with  your  dealer  tie-up 
partners  for  types  of  displays,  get  un- 
usual window-trim  ideas.  You  are  a 
showman,  your  business  is  full  of  life, 
color,  interest — make  each  and  every 
window  reflect  these  things. 


WHAT  LL  I  DO 


^}tie  featured  sorb- 
in the 

NEW  MUSIC 
BOX  REVUE 

IDords  and  music  hr^^ 

IRVING 
BERLIN 


^Jrie  theme  song"  -  in 

FRANK  WOODS1 

Motion  Picture  Production 

*  WHAT 
SHALL  I  DO 

starimg 

DOROTHY  MACKA1LL 

DISTRIBUTED      BY  HODKINSON 


gil  IRVING  BERLIN, INC.  MUSIC  PUBLISHERS  1607  D'WAY.  N.Y.  HFf 


This  is  a  replica  of  the  cover  on  "What'll  I  Do?"  the  big  song  hit 
tied-up  with   Producers   Distributing    Corporation's    picture  "What 
Shall  I  Do?"    It  is  Still  No.  3. 


Put  action  into  your  window  dis- 
plays. A  Times  Square  sporting  goods 
dealer  had  to  call  the  cops  to  make  the 
crowds  move  away  from  his  windows. 
Why?  He  fixed  up  a  baseball  window, 
put  two  kids  behind  the  glass,  gave 
them  a  rubber  ball  to  play  with — and 
let  the  kids  do  the  rest.  Bankers  and 
boot-blacks  stopped  to  look.  And  don't 
ever  think  that  any  gazer  missed  a  de- 
tail of  the  display — or  the  tie-up  with 
the  picture  that  was  thus  exploited. 


kids  in  each.  One  is  uncovered  and 
half  out  of  bed — the  other  is  sleeping 
quietly,  safely  tucked  in,  and  the  blan- 
ket held  in  place  by  the  fastener. 

FIX  a  window  showing  a  home  in- 
terior. Wax  figures  of  mother, 
father  and  child  clad  as  are  the  char- 
acters in  "What  Shall  I  Do?"  Have 
them  all  looking  happy  because  they 
use  the  National  Tie-Up  products-  Or 
a  window  with  an  interior  featuring  an 
easy  chair,  slippers,  dressing  gown,  and 
a  dox  of  El  Productos  on 
the  table.  A  card  might 
read :  "He  has  gone  to  the 
City  Theatre  to  see  "What 
Shall  I  Do?"— and  after 
the  show  he'll  be  right  back 
for  an  El  Producto." 

Arrange  a  group  around 
a  piano  with  the  song 
"What'll  I  Do?"  promi- 
nently displayed.  Arrange 
a  local  Victrola  tie-up — 
and  see  that  the  record  is 
featured  together  with  your 
production  stills. 

Get  action  in  your  win- 
dows— if  you  only  put  in 
two  kittens  and  a  ball  of 
yarn.  If  you  cannot  get 
actual  living  moving  things 
in  the  displays — indicate 
action.  Make  the  window 
look  as  though  some  one 
had  been  there. 

In  arranging  the  smaller 
window  display  be  careful 
not  to  overcrowd  them.  Can 
you  not  visualize  the  artis- 
try and  pulling  power  of 
a  richly  draped  window 
with  perhaps  a  single  still 
or  window  card  regarding 
"What  Shall  I  Do?"  and 
one  package  of  Old  Eng- 
lish Lavender. 

Or  take  the  pearls.  It 
would  certainly  be  an  error 
to  arrange  a  window  brim- 
ful of  these  gems.  They 
wouldn't    mean  anything. 
There  would  be  so  many 
that    they    would  appear 
cheap — and   your  picture 
would  be  cheapened  accordingly.  For 
merchandise,  like  men,  is  judged  by  the 
company  it  keeps. 

But  how  effective  would  be  a  single 
string  of  pearls — properly  displayed, 
an  artistic  still  from  your  attraction, 
and  a  card  saying,  for  instance  "What 
Shall  I  Do?" — about  Her  birthday. 
Regent  Pearls  and  tickets  to  the  City 
Theatre  solve  the  question." 

Real  National  Tie-up  window  dis- 
plays will  pay  every  time- 


Page  66 


NATIONAL 


A  real  National  Tie- 
Up  for  INFANTS' 
WEAR  WINDOWS  on 
"What   Shall   I  Do?" 


For  A 


Money  Making  Window 

Write  E.  T.  R.  For  Our  Displays 


REG.U.S.PAT.OFF. 


Also    available  on 
other  National  Tie- 
Up  pictures. 


Write    to  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review 
for     display  ma- 
,  terial. 


'Sis.... ;       •:  ,/MMtK 


Ch 


ex 


WINDOW  DISPLAYS  FOR 
"WHAT  SHALL  I  DO"? 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"What 
Shall 
I  Do?" 


USE  PEBECO 


Write 
Playdates 
to 

Exhibitors 
Trade 
Review 


The  Pebeco  story  is  told  in  big  ad- 
vertisements regularly  in  Saturday 
Evening  Post,  Literary  Digest,  De- 
lineator, Designer,  Ladies  Home 
Journal,  Good  Housekeeping,  and 
American  Magazine.  You  can't  af- 
ford to  miss  this  big  National  Tie- 
Up. 


LEHN  &  FINK,  Inc.,  New  York 


The  above  cut  is  an  actual  reproduction   of  the  display  material  whichyou  may  secure  for  National  Tie-Un  window  disnlavs  for  vour  showine 

of  "WHAT  SHALL  I  DO?"  " 


As  soon  as  you  know  your  playdates  of  the  Frank  E.  Woods  Production,  "WHAT  SHALL  I  DO?"  released 
through  Producers  Distributing  Corporation,  write  immed  iately  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review,  giving  them  the  dates 
and  stating  the  number  of  displays  that  you  will  require  for  your  showing.  Also  do  not  forget  that  El  Producto 
National  Tie-Ups  are  available  on  "The  Speed  Spook,"    "Sherlock,  Jr.,"  "Into  the  Net,"  and  "The  Perfect  Flapper." 

G.  H.  P.  CIGAR  CO.,  Inc. 


September  20,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  67 


TELL  THE  OTHERS 

WHAT  YOU  DO 

Co-operate  with  Brother  Shoicmen 
by  Exchanging  Ideas 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review  is  still 
offering  one  dollar  each  for 
photographs  of  National  Tie-Up 
window  displays  submitted  by  exhib- 
itors and  found  suitable  for  publication. 

This  latter  phase  means  that  the  win- 
dow must  have  pulling  power,  and  that 
the  photographic  tones  must  be  such 
that  a  cut  may  be  made  of  the  picture. 

In  making  this  offer  the  idea  was  not 
to  tender  any  prize  or  anything  of  the 
sort,  but  merely  to  give  showmen  the 
opportunity  to  tell  the  world  what  they 
were  doing  to  line  crowds  up  at  the  box 
office  through  the  medium  of  window 
display  advertising. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  profes- 
sional photographer  do  the  work.  Al- 
though of  course  a  professional  out- 
classes an  amateur  in  any  line  of  en- 
deavor. A  well  timed  and  developed 
snap  shot  may  be  equally  acceptable, 
and  among  your  friends  there  is  doubt- 


less a  'camera  bug'  who  will  be  happy 
to  lend  his  cooperation. 

The  National  Tie-Up  idea  is  getting 
bigger  every  day.  It  has  become  na- 
tionally recognized  as  a  showmanship 
idea  par  excellence.  It  has  proven  it- 
self. It  has  brought  results.  It  has 
sold  goods  for  merchants — and  it  has 
boosted  attendance  at  pictures  by  big 
percentages. 

Tell  your  fellow  showmen  today  just 
what  you  have  accomplished  with  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  windows.  And  let  photo- 
graphs help  tell  the  story. 

And  don't  overlook  a  single  bet  in 
getting  the  windows  of  your  town  to 
sell  your  show.  Utilize  every  National 
Tie-Up  supplied  by  the  Review,  and  in 
addition  get  every  local  tie-up  that  can 
be  logically  connected  with  your  attrac- 
tion. 

At  the  Hotel  Statler,  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
from  September  29  to  October  1,  there 
will  be  held  the  first  annual  convention 
of  the  Window  Display  Advertising  As- 
sociation. Try  to  attend.  Get  your 
dealer  friends  to  attend.  The  business 
knowledge  gained  will  repay  the  effort. 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike— in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahoos."  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

220  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


National  Tie-Up  Windows  Now  Available 


"WHAT   SHALL  I  DO?" 

152 — Chex   Druggists 

151 — Regent    Pearls   Jewelers 

150 — Bordens  Milk   Groceries 

149 — Pebeco   Druggists 

148 — Kleinerts  Products   Infants'  Wear 

147 — Old  English   Lavender   Druggists 

146 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners.  .  Infants'  Wear 

145 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"VANITY'S  PRICE" 
144 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...Women's  Wear 

143 — Djer-Kiss    Powder   Druggists 

142 — Fashionette    Hairnets   Druggists 

141 — Pebeco    Toothpaste   Druggists 

140 — Cappi   Perfume   Druggists 

139 — Amami  Shampoo   Druggists 

138 — Delicia    Lashbrow   Druggists 

137 — Chex   Druggists 

136 — Bluebird    Pearls     ....    ^. .  ....Jewelers 

"SIREN  OF  SEVILLE" 

135 — La  Supreme    Pearls   Jewelers 

134 — Delicia    Lipsticks   Drug  Stores 

133- — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ..Women's  Wear 
132 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres    ....Women's  Wear 

131 — Djer-Kiss    Powder   Drug  Stores 

130 — Cappi   Perfume   Drug  Stores 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
129 — Kleinerts   Bathing   Caps   ..Women's  Wear 

128 — Hollywood  Hats   Hat  Sho'ps 

127— G.   G.   G.   Clothes   Clothiers 

126 — Thermo  Vests   Sport  Goods 

125 — Gropper    Knit    Ties   Haberdashers 

124 — Fownes    Gloves   Men's  Wear 

123 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"NEVER   SAY  DIE" 

122 — Vogue   Clothes   Clothiers 

121 — Society  Club  Hats   Hat  Shops 

120 — Rit   Druggists 

119 — Wahl  Pens   Dept.  Stores 

"HER  OWN  FREE  WILL" 
118 — Her  Own  Free  Will  Story  ...Book  Shops 

117 — La   Supreme   Pearls   Jewelers 

116 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...  Women  s  Wear 

115 — Delicia   Lipstick   Beauty"  Shops 

114 — Delica-Brow   Beauty  Shops 

113 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"INTO  THE  NET" 

112— G.  G.  G.  Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

111 — Hollywood    Hats   Hat  Shops 

110 — Gropper  Knit  Ties   Haberdashers 

109 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

108 — Pebeco  Dentrifice   Drug  Stores 

"THE  ARAB" 

107 — Temple  of  Allah  Incense  Drug  Stores 

106 — The  Arab  Song  Music  Stores 

105 — Gouraud*s  Oriental  Cream  Drug  Stores 


104 — Sanka    Coffee  Grocers 

103 — Ramses  Perfumes  Drug  Stores 

102 — Gulbenkian's  Rugs   House  Furnishers 

"FIRST  NATIONAL"  TIE-UPS 
101 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Book   ...Book  Shops 
100 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Song  ...Music  Shops 

99 — Boy  of  Mine  Song   Music  Shops 

98 — Ponjola   Book   ,  Book  Shops 

,97 — Penrod  Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

96 — Sure-Fit   Caps   Hat  Shops 

95 — Kleanet  Hairnets   Beauty  Shops 

94 — Propper  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"CAPTAIN  JANUARY" 

93 — Baby  Peggy  Story  Book   Book  Stores 

92 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners  Children's  Wear 
91 — Baby  Peggy  Stationery   ..Stationery  Stores 

90 — Westphal's    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

89 — Junior  Coats  and  Suits  ....  Children's  Wear 

88 — Wayne  Knit  Socks   Children's  Wear 

87 — Kummel  Juvenile  Dresses  ..Children's  Wear 

86 — Baby  Peggy  Dolls   Toy  Shops 

85 — Baby  Peggy   Underwear    ..Children's  Wear 

84 — Baby   Peggy   Hats   Millinery 

83 — Baby  Peggy  Handkerchiefs  Children's  Wear 
"FAMOUS"  TIE-UPS 

82 — Garcia  Grande  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

81 — Triumph  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

80 — Kleanet  Drug  Stores 

7,9 — Berklet   Knit   Ties   Haberdashers 

78 — Aubry    Sisters   Beauty  Shop 

77 — Coro  Pearls   Jeweler 

76 — Chex   Drug  Store 

"SHOOTING  OF  DAN  McGREW" 
75 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

74 — Djer-Kiss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

73 — Victor  Record  (No.  55218)    ..Music  Stores 

72 — Richelieu    Pearls   Jewelers 

71 — Amami    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

70 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"SHERLOCK.  JR." 

69 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

68 — Djer-K'ss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

67 — Melto    Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

66 — Gage    Hats   Milliners 

65 — Regent    Pearls   Jewelers 

64 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

63 — Pebeco  Tooth  Paste   Drug  Stores 

"MIAMI" 

62 — Gotham  Gold  Stripe  Women's  Wear 

61 — Rigaud's  Talcum   Drug  Stores 

60 — Vogue  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

59 — Cappi    Perfume   Drug  Store 

58 — Chappel-Harms    (Miami)    ....Music  Stores 

57 — Kleinert  Bathing  Caps  Women's  Wear 

56 — Jantzen   Swimming  Suits    ..Women's  Wear 
"BOY  OF  FLANDERS" 

55 — Jackie  Coogan   ...Confectioners 

54 — Ingersoll    Watches   Jewelers 

53 — Jackie   Coogan   Chocolates  Confectioners 


52 — Borden's    Milk   Grocers 

51 — Jackie  Coogan  Hats   Hat  Shops 

50 — Grosset  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"THE    SEA  HAWK" 

49 — Tudor   Silverware   Jewelers 

48 — Blue  Bird  Pearls   Jewelers 

47 — Van  Raalte  Apparel   Women's  Wear 

46 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

45 — Conde  Cosmetics   Drug  Stores 

44 — Bonnie  B  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

43 — Old   English    Lavender   Drug  Stores 

42 — Mystikum  Perfume   Drug  Stores 

41 — Jack   Mills   Music   Music  Stores 

40 — Grossett  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"MrSSING  DAUGHTERS" 

3B — Gordon  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

38 — Forest  Mills  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

37 — Omar    Pearls   Jewelers 

36 — Pebeco  Tooth  Paste   Drug  Stores 

35 — Criss-Cross  Brassieres   Women  s  Wear 

34 — Gage  Hats   Milliners 

33 — Wonderstoen  Hair  Eraser   Drug  Stores 

"PERFECT  FLAPPER" 

32 — El   Producto   Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

31 — Winx  Lash  Nourishment  ....Drug  Stores 
30 — Wonderstoen  Hair  Eraser   ....  Drug  Stores 

2$ — Hygienol   Powder  Puffs   Drug  Stores 

28 — Melto  Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

27 — Vanity   Fair   Frocks   Women's  Wear 

26 — Pert  Rouge   Drug  Stores 

25 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

24 — Djer-Kiss    Products   Drug  Stores 

23 — Regent  Pearls   Women's  Wear 

22 — Frances  Faire  Frocks   Drug  Stores 

"CHECHAHCOS" 

20 — La   Palina    Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

19 — Thermo  Sport  Coats   Men's  Clothing 

18 — Sterno  Canned  Heat   Drug  Stores 

17 — Borden's  Condensed  Milk   Grocers 

16 — Zepherized  Knit  Underwear  Women's  Wear 
15 — Auto   Vacuum   Freezer   . . . .  Housefurnishing 

"RECOIL" 

14 — Chinwah    Perfumes   Drug  Stores 

13 — Nemo   Corsets   Women  s  Wear 

12 — Venida  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

11 — Boncilla  Beauty  Clay   Drug  Stores 

10 — Deltah    Pearls   Jewelers 

9 — Inecto  Hair  Tint   Drug  Stores 

8 — Onyx  Hosiery   Womeirs  Wear 

"BEAU  BRUMMEL" 

7 — Sta-shape  Hats   Hat  Shops 

6 — Vivaudou   Drug  Stores 

5—  Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

4 — Sampson   Dress   Jewelry   Jewelers 

3 — Personality  Clothes   Men's  Clothing 

2 — Fashionknit  Ties   Haberdashers 

1 — Glove  Industries   Women's  Wear 


Name 
Theatre 


Town 
State 


Tie-Up  Numbers 
Play  Dates   


WHAT  SHALL  1  DO 


REPRODUCTION  OF 
SONG  COVE 


^[ac\aiU  in 

"WHAT  SHALL 
I  DO" 


A  Frank  Woods  Production 

WITH 

JOHN  HARRON  LOUISE  DRESSER 
and  WILLIAM  V.  MONG 


Starring 

£)orothu  ^ckaill 


romy 

~~ ollei 


ers  you  an 
unprecedented 
tie-up  with  the 
most  popular 

song  hit  oP  the 

day 


IRVING  BERLIN'S 

Sensational  Success 

WHAT'LL  I  DO 


I/O 


RIDE  IN  ON  THIS 
WAVE  OF  POPULARITY 

Every  music  dealer  in  your  town  is  willing  and  eager 
to  co-operate  with  you.  As  soon  as  you  book  the  pic- 
ture, the  Irving  Berlin  people  will  immediately  ship  free 
window  displays  to  every  song  dealer  in  your  town  or 
neighborhood,  advertising  the  song  and  picture. 

BOOK  THE  PICTURE  NOW 

'  and  cash  in  on  this  big  free  tie~Uj 

Released  by 

Producers  Distributing  Corporation 

Foreign  Distributor 
WM.  VOGEL 


Making  big  profits 

bigger-/ 


next  week~this 
window  display 
section  back 
here  ^  will  be 
devoted  to  one 
of  the  biggest 
bring  'em  in  pict- 
ures of  the  year/ 


JOSEPH  M.  SCHENCK  presents 


NORMA  TALMADGE 


Leadership 

and 
Reason 
Whv 

No.  j 


SECRETS" 

by  RUDOLF  BESIER  and  MAY  EDINGTON 
based  on  the  SAM  H.  HARRIS  play  'SECRETS 

directed  by    FRANK  BORZAGE 

Screen  version  by      FRANCES  MARION 


A  3*rat  national  Attraction 


Page  70 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR 
JESSE  L.  LA  SKY 
PRESENT 


WANSON 


ALLAN  DWAN 

P  RODUCTION 


Tried  and  Proved  To  Be  the  Greatest 

Swanson  Box  Office  Sensation  of  All! 


Cragin  and  Pike,  Majestic 
Theatre,  Las  Vegas,  Nev.: 
"Best  Swanson  to  date  in 
the  ability  shown  in  Gloria 
to    act.     Pleased  100  per 

cent  and  brought  out  rec- 
ord summer  crowd." 


Howard  Waugh,  Loew,s 
Palace,  Memphis,  Tenn.: 
"Temperature  110,  'Man- 
handled' opened  to  better 
business  than  'Humming 
Bird'  or  'Society  Scandal.' 
Tremendous  week  in  spite 
of  heat." 


"Manhandled"  did  $30,312 
in  one  week  at  McVickers, 
Chicago.  In  big  towns  or 
small,  it's  proven  one  of 
the  season's  best.  Naturally 
it's  one  of  Paramount's 
Famous  Forty. 


By  Arthur  Stringer.     Screen  play  by  Frank  W.  Tuttle.     4-column  Newspaper  Cut  or  Mat  above. 


September  20.  1924 


Page  71 


IlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllUllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliy^  IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH^ 

cfried  and  Proved  Pictures 

^'l 11  l^l''1 1'  I  I  ■!  ^  ■!  1  I  !  I  I  :  :    :  ,  i  I  !  I- 1- 1. 1  !■  I  i.'l  I.  :l  M.H:!L  I  M  li  ■Il-i,:;,  liM  i'  1!^  I  |- 1'  I  I  I '  I '  1 :  1 1  ■  I M ;  1 1  -  ■  ■!!  Illlhll  M  'l-hh  M'l-'l.'l-'l.'h.li-,  ,11,  .ir,li.liJi,l,.!i,  i,  ■        I.|:!|M '!  '.   ■     .        -    :  "  '  ,    .  .  i     ■  ,. 


 ■ 


Bobby  Burns"  Jakobi  Puts  It  Over 

And  Tells  How 

By  H.  I.  B.  JAKOBI 


LISTEN,  you  boys!    I'm  a  smart 
feller.    And  I  admit  it-    So  does 
the  rest  of  the  burg  to  which  I 
barnacled  myself.    I've  made  plenty  of 
jack.   And  I  started  on  a  shoe  string. 
Here's  how ! 

Once  I  was  one  of  the  world's  most 
useful  citizens — an  exploitation  man.  I 
worked  for  one  of  the  big  companies. 
I  pulled  some  good  stunts,  and  made  a 
lot  of  exhibitor  friends,  by  helping 
boost  the  box-office  ball  over  the  red 
ink  line. 

If  any  of  the  members  of  this  club 
want  to  know  about  those  stunts  and 
how — let  'em  write  me  and  I'll  tell  'em 
through  the  exhib's  best  pal  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 

But  as  old  boy  Kipling  says  "that's 
another  story" — or  a  series  of  'em  if 
you  like. 

Anyhow  I  got  fired.  After  this  hap- 
pened the.  big  boss  himself  in  the  flesh 
came  around  and  sang  "I'm  Sorry  Now" 
all  over  the  flat.  But  I  had  made  so 
much  dough  for  others  I  figured  now 
was  the  time  to  make  some  for  me. 
So  I  sang  back  "Oh  How  I  Laugh 
When  I  Think  That  I  Cried  About 
You." 

Then  I  thought  up  how  to  open  a 
showmanship  house.  Not  a  showhouse 
— a  showmanship  house.  I  had  a  bright 
thought  (being,  as  I  told  you,  a  smart 
feller)  but  the  old  bank  roll  was  almost 
as  flat  as  a  prairie  mountain  than 
which  there  are  no  whicher. 

WELL,  I  had  an  uncle.  And  he  was 
a  business  bandit.  And  he  was 
rich.  And  I  promoted  him.  And  that's 
that.  Business  went  bad,  and  he's  made 
more  money  from  his  loan  to  me  than 
he  ever  made  strutting  his  stuff  as  one 
of  the  James  Boys. 

Next — location.  I  took  me  a  trip. 
And  look  'em  over.  And  picked  a  town 
with  a  monoply  house  playing  first 
runs. 

I  hired  a  joint  that  was  a  cross  be- 
tween a  livery  stable  and  a  misbegotten 
garage.  And  I  made  a  motion  picture 
theatre  of  it.  That's  another  story,  too, 
and  if  you  want  it,  ask  for  it. 

Then  I  looked  over  Nat  Rothstein's 
book  on  "Showmanship"  and  I  saw  the 
next  thing  to  do  was  to  elect  a  policy. 
I'd  played  the  game — but  I'd  never 
voted  for  one. 


I  had  a  first  run  house  to  beat.  They 
had  a  theatre  with  a  capital  T.  And  I 
had — well,  it's  better  now.  And  they 
had  the  gang.  I  was  the  opposition. 
And  I  was  a  joke.  They  didn't  take 
me  seriously.    Thank  God ! 

1KEPT  my  face  and  conduct  clean, 
and  did  the  same  for  the  "Play- 
house"— which  was  its  name — and  is. 
I  licked  two  ticket  takers  and  three 
ushers  before  I  got  a  crew  that  would 
treat  the  customers  like  human  beings. 

I  personally  picked  the  gum  off  the 
chairs,  and  saw  to  it  that  there  was 
enough  ventilation  so  the  place  wouldn't 
smell  like  something  had  died.  I  did  a 
lot  of  stuff  those  days.  That's  a  little 
time  back.  I'm  sitting  pretty  now.  And 
the  idea  did  it  all.  You  don't  know 
about  that  yet.  But  be  patient.  It's  com- 
ing. 

As  I  started  to  say  when  you  insisted 
on  buying — I  had  a  first  run  house  to 
beat.    I  went  to  their  show  regularly. 
And  they  ran  some  awful  cheesecakes. 
You  can't  blame  the  men  who  make 
Somebody  who  shows  up  once 


Boys  we  need 
and  the  boys 


em. 

every  two  weeks  says 
some  of  them  things" 
say  "Yes,  Sir."  Then  after  he  steps 
out  for  a  Tuesday  to  Sunday  week- 
end, the  boys  holler  downstairs,  "Hey, 
Steve,  get  plot  No.  42,  call  up  cast  No. 
53,  change  the  setting  from  Eleventh 
Street,  Greenwich  Village  to  Lowrie 
Street,  Long  Island,  give  it  a  title  that 
will  just  get  by  Will  Hays,  and  call  it  a 
Super-something  or  other."  And  the 
fellows  down  stairs  do  it.  And  that 
first-run  house  paid  for  it — and  so  do 
you. 

I CONCLUDED  I  wouldn't  be  one  of 
the  fish.  I  wasn't.  And  it  paid  not 
to  be.  Just  about  now  you're  saying 
"Wotinell  is  this  bird  talking  about — 
what  is  this  idea  that  put  him  on  the 
crest  of  the  wave."  Well,  brethern, 
listen  closely  for  here's  the  works — 

I  played  pictures  that  were  tried  and 
proved.  As  Eddie  A.  Poe  says,  "only 
that  and  nothing  more." 

But  that  was  plenty  for  me.  And  it 
will  be  for  you  if  you'll  listen  to  rea- 
son. Here's  how  I  figured  it.  And  I 
was  in  the  same  canoe  that  you're  bail- 
ing out  right  now. 

Says  I  to  Me,  says  I :  "Bobby,  you're 


down  to  your  last  couple  of  million.  If 
you  were  in  a  crap  game  with  the  dice 
loaded  against  you — and  you,  yourself, 
had  a  couple  of  trained  gallopers  in 
your  vest  pocket  right  next  to  the  rab- 
bit's foot — Bobby — I  ask  you — would 
you  or  wouldn't  you."  And  I  answered 
"Yes." 

So  I  looked  up  those  box-office  babies 
that  had  gone  big  all  the  way  from 
Broadway  to  Bakersville.  And  I 
booked  'em.  Cheap.  The  sellers  were 
asleep  at  .the  switch.  I  was  buying  old 
film — a  lot  of  duds — anywhere  from  a 
few  months  to  a  couple  of  years  old. 
But,  sweet  daddy,  they  sure  breathed 
the  breath  of  life  into  the  expiring  bank 
roll! 

IT  was  a  sure  bet.  Just  an  idea — 
that's  all.  But  a  wow,  right.  The 
whole  town  had  heard  of  my  pictures. 
Friends  from  the  big  cities  had  written 
and  told  them.  They  had  read  the 
books.  They  had  got  the  "word  of 
mouth"  stuff.  Some  had  seen  the  show 
once  at  the  "Paradise" — my  first  run 
opposition.  And  they  wanted  it  again 
— so  did  their  friends  who  had  missed. 
They  proved  it.  At  the  box-office. 
With  the  long  green. 
It  was  a  cinch.  And  is. 
According  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Re- 
view "Foolish  Wives"  has  been  booked 
over  6,000  times.  And  I  made  money 
with  it  three  weeks  ago.  That's  just  an 
example.  Consider  "Lilies  of  the 
Field,"  "The  White  Flower,"  "Rou- 
lette." All  old-timers.  All  tried  and 
proved.  And  I've  made  money  with 
'em  all.  If  you're  still  a  bit  leary  give 
a  thought  to  "Beau  Brummel"  and  kin- 
dred classics. 

Boys,  honest,  you  can't  miss. 
And  by  the  way.  The  "Paradise"  is 
out  of  business  now.  I  bought  it — and 
transferred  the  name  of  the  original 
barn  to  the  big  theatre.  Now  it's  the 
"Playhouse."  There  is  a  city  fifty 
miles  away  which  I  will  admit,  in  con- 
fidence, has  a  bigger  population  than 
we  have.  And  they've  got  two  theatres 
there.  And  before  I  write  again  I'm 
going  to  buy  them  both. 

I'm  a  smart  feller.  I  admit  it.  My 
bank  president  and  my  bank  account 
prove  it. 

I  play  "Tried  and  Proved"  pictures. 


We  made  it  to  make  'em  laugh  ~ 

IT  MADE  THEM  ROAR/ 


HEB      TEMPORARY      HUSBAND.      (6  723 

pet).  Star.  cast.  One  of  the  funniset  pic- 
tures I  ever  ran.  House  in  uproar  of  laughter 
Plough  the  entire  picture.  Will  please  any 
Stodience.  Good  attendance.  Tone  good 
Sunday,  questionable.  Fine  audience  appeal.' 
lown  and  country  class,  town  of  1,780  Ad- 
mission 10-15,  10-20,  15-25.  Herbert  'Tapp 
Hippodrome  Theatre  (460  seats),  Sherldanl 
Indiana. 


First  National  Pictures,  iwc.  present^ 


HUSBAND 

with 

SYDNEY  CHAPLIN    OWEN  MOORE 
SYLVIA  BREAMER 

Suteri  Cajst  directed  by  JOHN  F.McDER 

by  Edward  A.  Paulton 

ography— S.E.  Landers  and  Perry  Evans  Settings  designed  by  Milton  Menasc 

Edited  by  Edward  McDermott  Titled  by  Harvey  Thew  , 


m 


mm 


A  cHzAt  llatiotidl  Picture 


/ft'  proved  its  Value  in 


September  20.  1024 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  73 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Contest  Not  so  Peaceful 

Would  you  like  to  start  a  riot  ?  Then 
run  a  beauty  contest  as  one  exhibitor 
did  in  a  California  oil  town. 

However  we  would  not  like  to 
recommend  so  strenuous  a  form  of  ex- 
ploitation ;  however,  we  would  suggest 
that  you  follow  the  adventure  of  this 
showman  and  learn  just  what  hap- 
pened. 

Viola  Dana  is  starring  in  a  picture 
that  is  called  "The  Beauty  Prize,"  and 
during  the  telling  of  the  story  on  the 
screen  there  is  held  a  beauty  contest, 
from  which  the  picture  receives  its 
title.  In  a  central  California  town, 
called  Taft,  was  recently  held  a  beauty 
contest,  which  was  started  by  a  resi- 
dent of  that  town,  who  had  just  pre- 
viously been  in  Long  Beach,  Calif., 
where  a  real  beauty  contest  was  held. 
Fifty  bathing  beauties  took  part  in  the 
earlier  competition,  and  with  the  idea 
in  mind  that  the  girls  of  his  home  vil- 
lage were  as  attractive  as  could  be,  he 
furthered  the  project. 

On  the  night  selected,  there  were 
forty  contestants  who  ascended  the 
rostrum.  Then  the  curtain  was  low- 
ered so  that  the  faces  could  not  be 
seen,  and  the  judges  were  obliged  to 
pass  upon  the  loveliest  example  of 
feminine  beauty  of  the  ankles  and 
lower  limbs  thus  exposed  to  view. 

The  contest  broke  up  suddenly.  The 
name  of  the  winner  is  not  yet  an- 
nounced. The  whole  audience  was  in 
an  uproar  and  the  meeting  nearly  end- 
ed in  shootings  and  feuds. 

The  result  of  the  contest  was  relayed 
on  to  Viola  Dana,  and  when  she  was 
informed  of  the  sensation,  declined 
further  invitations  to  judge  beauties  or 
award  prizes. 


Post-cards 

Manager  Ralph  Thayer  of  the  Des 
Moines  Theatre,  Des  Moines,  la.,  used 
a  special  post-card  for  First  National's 
Goldwyn  -  Fitzmaurice  production 
"Cytherea,"  which  attracted  much  at- 
tention. Ten  thousand  of  them  were 
mailed  to  movie  patrons. 

The  advertising  copy  on  the  back  of 
the  card  read:  "  'Cytherea'  (the  goddess 
of  love)  from  the  novel  by  Joseph 
Hergesheimer,  a  powerful  picture — a 
glowing  romance,  with  Lewis  Stone, 
Irene  Rich,  Alma  Rubens,  Norman 
Kerry,  Constance  Bennett." 


Across  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  in 
imitation  hand-writing  was  :  "Just  to  re- 
mind you  that  it  starts  Sunday,"  while 
across  the  lower  right  hand  corner  was 
written :  "At  the  Des  Moines  of 
Course." 

Mr.  Thayer  started  his  advertising 
campaign  with  a  series  of  three  teaser 
ads  on  "Who  is  the  Goddess  of  Love?" 
One  teaser  asked,  "Is  it  Venus?"  an- 
other, "Is  it  Cytherea?"  and  the  third, 
"Is  it  Aphrodite?"  Each  teaser  was  re- 
peated three  times  in  each  paper,  and 
then  the  display  ad  was  increased  to 
two  columns  in  width  and  ten  inches 
deep. 

*    *  * 

Inexpensive  Fashion  Show 

Merchants  in  Columbia,  S.  C,  were 
cold  on  the  subject  of  a  ladies'  fashion 
show,  but  one  store  which  had  a  men's 
department  offered  to  go  into  the  propo- 
sition if  Irvin  would  stage  a  men's  show 
instead.  So  Irvin  built  his  show  on  the 
fact  that  Allan  Simpson  who  plays  op- 
posite Gloria  Swanson  is  a  fashion-plate 
for  clothes,  hats,  collars  and  scarfs. 

To  make  this  style  show  an  attraction 
instead  of  just  an  ad  for  the  store,  Ir- 


vin got  the  Glee  Club  Quartette  from 
the  University  of  South  Carolina,  to 
wear  the  clothes  and  sing  the  songs. 

A  little  boy  five  years  old,  who  had 
sung  for  the  Saturday  morning  mat- 
inees, was  the  hit  of  the  show. 

Irvin's  doorman,  Sam  Sammond, 
famous  around  Columbia  as  a  burnt 
cork  performer,  worked  out  a  little  skit 
with  the  kid  in  which  both  had  singing 
parts. 

The  department  store  with  which  he 
tied  up  gave  him  twenty  inches  in  the 
papers,  paid  the  quartette  fifty  dollars, 
and  paid  for  the  rigging  up  of  a  few 
pieces  of  scenery. 

All  it  cost  Irvin  was  $2.50,  which  he 
gave  the  little  kid  who  sang. 

Mr.  Mimnaueh,  owner  of  the  largest 
department  store  in  South  Carolina, 
saw  the  show  and  was  so  pleased  with 
it  he  immediately  made  a  deal  with  Ir- 
vin to  put  on  his  store's  show  at  the 
theatre  using  New  York  models  and 
gowns. 

*    *  * 

Large  Posters  Serve  Many 
Purposes 

Use  the  posters  that  the  producers 
have  designed,  to  add  to  your  adver- 
tising plans  something  of  the  true  sales- 
manship every  exhibitor  is  said  to  pos- 
sess. 

Poster  lobbies  are  quite  novel  and 
effective,  but  the  attractiveness  is  there 
— and  the  ad  goes  big. 


A  model  representing  the  star  of  Metro-Goldwyn's  "The  White  Sister,"  was  the 
center  of  an  effective  window  display.  The  Rivera  Theatre  received  excellent  publicity. 


Page  74 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 

Universal  Paramount 


A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— 3,792 
Bookings.  Child  Love.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  story  has  that  universal  ap- 
peal that  goes  straight  to  the  hearts  ot  those 
compromising  any  audience. 

THE  ACQUITTAL   —  4,390  Bookings. 
Mystery  Play.  Reviewed  Dec.  8.  BECAUSE 
of  the  cast  and  the  interesting  story  por- 
trayed so  convincingly  that  the  film  is  a  box- 
office  winner. 

A  LADY  OF  QUALITY — 3,779  Bookings. 
Love  Story.  Reviewed  Dec.  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  corking  good  love  story  and  boasts 
Milton  Sills  and  Virginia  Valli  in  the  cast. 

DRIFTING — 4,229  Bookings.  Action  and 
Adventure.  Reviewed  Oct.  27.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  stirring  melodrama  starring  Priscilla 
Dean  and  having  Wallace  Beery  and  Matt 
Moore  in  the  cast. 

THE  FLIRT— Booked  6,977  times.  Love 
and  Society  Picture.  Reviewed  February  9. 
BECAUSE  it  numbers  among  the  most 
popular  pictures  on  the  screen,  and  has  a 
ready  made  audience  waiting  for  a  chance  to 
see  it. 

FOOLISH  WIVES— Over  6,000  Bookings. 
Love  and  Intrigue.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE Erich  Von  Stroheim  produced  the 
picture  and  played  the  lead,  and  the  story 
is  of  universal  interest. 

HUNTING  BIG  GAME^1,873  Bookings. 
Adventure  in  the  Wilds.  Reviewed  Feb.  9. 
BECAUSE  it  is  a  true  adventure  picture  re- 
plete with  real  thrills  and  takes  audiences 
on  a  personally  conducted  tour. 

THE  LAW  FORBIDS— 1,559  Bookings. 
Domestic  Drama.  Reviewed  (?)  .  BE- 
CAUSE Baby  Peggy  heads  a  powerful  cast, 
and  the  story  has  a  strong  theme  built 
around  the  sanctity  of  the  home. 

MERRY  GO  ROUND^,916  Bookings. 
Love  and  War.  Reviewed  Jan.  19.  BE- 
CAUSE Mary  Philbin,  Norman  Kerry  and 
the  picture  itself  proved  a  box-office  sensa- 
tion of  1923. 

THE  STORM  DAUGHTER— 1,601  Book- 
ings. Sea  Story.  Reviewed  April  19.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outstanding  box- 
©f  the  ocean  deeps  starring  Priscilla  Dean 
and  featuring  Tom  Santschi. 

THUNDERING  DAWN— 4,304  Bookings. 
Melodramatic  Thriller.  Reviewed  Dec.  15. 
BECAUSE  it  stars  Anna  Q.  Nilsson  and  J. 
Warren  Kerrigan  and  shows  the  best  Tidal 
Waves  and  typhoon  scenes  ever  filmed. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR— 4,941  Book- 
ings. Baseball  Story.  Reviewed  Jan.  26. 
BECAUSE  the  great  national  interest  in  the 
natical  games  makes  this  a  sure-fire  attrac- 
tio- , 

WHITE  TIGER-  -3,839  Bookings.  Crook 
Melodrama.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE 
Priscilla  Dean  stars,  and  the  picture  has 
proven  appealing  to  audiences  all  over  the 
country. 


THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE — 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

Selznick 

THE  ROAD  OF  AMBITION— Rise  of 
Youth.  Reviewed  December  29.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  fine  moral  story  in  which  Conway 
Tearle  appears  as  a  sympathetic  character 
who  more  than  pleases  his  audiences. 

LOVE  IS  AN  AWFUL  THING— Mar- 
riage Difficulties.  Reviewed  January  19.  BE- 
CAUSE audiences  cry  with  laughter  when 
they  see  it  'and  Owen  Moore  appears  at  his 
best  in  it. 

JUST  A  WIFE— Triangle  Drama.  Re- 
viewed December  15.  BECAUSE  it  brings  to 
the  screen  a  sympathetic  and  clean  story  of 
the  love  and  sacrifice  of  a  woman  and  thus 
sounds  the  popular  appeal. 

THE  LAW  OF  COMPENSATION— 
Marriage  Drama.  Reviewed  December  22. 
BECAUSE  it  has  proved  by  its  record  that 
it  is  a  story  which  gives  Norma  Talmadge 
a  role  she  is  well  capable  of  handling  and  it 
pleases  big  city  and  small  town  audiences. 

A  MAN'S  HOME— Story  of  New  Riches. 
Reviewed  December  29.  BECAUSE  it  snugly 
fits  the  public  taste  for  average  pictures  and 
has  proven  its  entertainment  value  by  its  rec- 
ord at  the  box  office. 

THE  CRICKET  ON  THE  HEARTH— 
Romance.  Reviewed  February  16.  BE- 
CAUSE it  brings  one  of  Charles  Dickens 
most  delightful  stories  to  the  screen  in  a 
presentation  so  charming  and  interesting  that 
it  has  found  a  place  for  itself  with  everyone. 

REPORTED  MISSING— Comedy  Melo- 
drama. Reviewed  January  12.  BECAUSE 
comedy  melodramas  can  always  attract  audi- 
ences and  this  is  a  particularly  good  one  star- 
ring Owen  Moore. 


ONE  WEEK  OF  LOVE— Flapper  Ro- 
mance. Reviewed  December  22.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  delightful  light  comedy  with  fast  ac- 
tion, plenty  of  thrills  and  two  very  popular 
stars  who  inject  the  story  with  humane- 
ness and  fire. 

A  LADY'S  NAME— Love  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed March  15.  BECAUSE  this  delightful 
comedy  besides  its  own  inherent  merit  has 
big  exploitation  possibilities,  which  exhibitors 
have  used  extensively  and  found  real  money 
makers. 

First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA — A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  v.f  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  woman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 
age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT— One  of  the  biggest 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNING 
— Modern    Youth.      Reviewed    March    22.  i 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.       BE-  ' 
CAUSE  it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


September  20,  1924 


Page  75 


Equipment  Notes 


TOOL  KIT 

Nearly  every  small  exhibitor  is  called 
upon  to  do  more  or  less  mechanical  and 
carpentry  work  around  his  theater  for 
he  cannot  afford  to  hire  an  odd-job 
man  to  take  care  of  little  details. 

To  do  efficient  work  it  is  necessary  to 
have  tools  to  work  with.  A  screw  re- 
placed or  a  nail  placed  at  the  right  time 
will  save  many  dollars. 

There  is  always  something  to  be  done 
and  if  one  has  a  proper  kit  of  tools 
any  one  with  a  little  knowledge  can 
have  a  heap  of  money  do  good  work. 

Tool  kits  come  in  all  sizes  and  a 
small,  but  a  complete  one  can  be  pur- 
chased at  a  reasonable  cost  and  will 
last  indefinitely. 

*  *  * 

DISINFECTANT 

When  your  employees  mop  the  floors 
if  a  small  amount  of  disinfectant  is 
placed  in  the  water  it  will  help  cleanse 
the  surface  and  at  the  same  time  kill 
any  germs  that  may  be  making  a  home 
there. 

Any  public  place  is  in  danger  of  har- 
boring disease  germs  for  the  audience 
is  made  up  of  every  class  of  people  and 
among  them  there  is  a  possibility  of  a 
diseased  person  who  might  contaminate 
mam'. 

All  surfaces  that  are  washed  should 
be  treated  with  a  germicide.  The  cost 
is  small  and  there  are  many  brands  to 
choose  from. 

Disinfectant  will  also  entirely  coun- 
teract a  musty  or  stale  tobacco  odor 
which  sometimes  clings  about  a  theatre. 

*  *  * 

ELECTRIC  HEATER 

Did  your  cashier  nearly  freeze  to 
death  last  winter  in  that  little  ticket 
booth,  which  has  very  little  shelter  from 
the  wintry  blasts?  A  great  many  ticket 
booths  are  placed  in  such  a  position 
that  they  get  the  play  of  the  wind  on 
three  sides  and  as  a  rule  the  offices  are 
not  built  to  withstand  extreme  cold. 

There  are  several  small  electric 
heaters  on  the  market  that  consume 
little  electricity  yet  send  forth  a  glow- 
ing heat  that  will  give  the  cold  a  fight 
for  its  life. 

A  cashier  who  is  forced  to  sit  in  the 
booth  for  hours  cannot  do  efficient  work 
if  her  fingers  are  numbed  with  cold  and 
she  should  not  be  required  to  do  so 
when  a  remedy  can  be  had  at  a  very 
reasonable  cost. 

*  *  * 

AIR  BRUSH 

For  the  exhibitor  who  cannot  afford 
to  have  an  artist  make  his  display  cards 
and  announcements  for  lobby,  there  is 
a  very  efficient  devise  known  as  an  air 
brush,  which  can  be  made  to  take  the 


place  of  a  paint  brush  and  give  much 
better  results. 

Thet operation  of  the  brush  is  simple 
and  the  brush  itself  is  no  larger  than 
a  heavy  crayon  yet  it  makes  a  heavy 
line  that  will  attract  attention  and  put 
your  message  over. 

One  does  not  need  to  be  an  expert 
to  operate  the  brush.  Its  mechanism  is 
simple  and  with  a  little  experimenting 
the  average  exhibitor  can  make  his  own 
cards  and  signs  that  will  be  a  credit 
to  his  theatre. 

STAIR  TREADS 

While  patrons  are  in  your  theatre 
they  are  under  your  protection  and  you 
are  obligated  to  use  every  means  in  your 
power  to  give  them  that  protection. 
There  are  many  small  items  that  can 
be  added  to  your  list  of  equipment  that 
will  greatly  aid  in  building  patronage. 

According  to  insurance  statistics,  a 
great  number  of  accidents  are  caused 
by  persons  falling  down  stairs.  These 
accidents  are,  from  many  causes,  but 
chiefly  through  a  slight  rip  in  the  car- 
pet or  a  too  smooth  surface. 

These  two  causes  can  be  eliminated 
by  the  use  of  stair  treads  and  the  cost 
of  installation  is  small.  The  treads  will 
also  save  wear  and  tear  on  the  carpets 
and  will  soon  pay  for  themselves. 


Projection  Hints 

 By  WESLEY  TROUT  

Powers  New  Aspheric  Condenser 
Mount 

The  Nicholas  Powers  Companv  is 
putting  out  a  new  condenser  mount 
called  the  Aspheric  Condenser  Mount 
which  is  designed  to  use  the  Cinephor 
condensers.  This  condenser  is  made 
of  optical  heat-resisting  glass  and  is 
a  two-element  condensing  system.  An 
increase  in  illumination  of  approxi- 
mately fifty  per  cent,  is  secured  by  this 
system  as  compared  with  the  prismatic 
condenser  for  mazda  projection.  The 
new  mount  has  now  been  placed  on  the 
market  by  the  N.  Powers  Comoanv. 
New  York,  N.  Y..  at  a  reasonable 
price. 

*    *  * 

Very  Good  Screen  Results  with  Mazda 

A  few  weeks  back  I  visited  the  Bee- 
son  Theatre  at  Dodge  Chy,  Kansas, 
and  Mr.  Beeson  was  using  Mazda 
eauipment  for  projection.  Powers 
6B's — two  of  them — and  G.  E.  Mazda 
equipment  with  900  watt  bulbs  are  be- 
ing used  very  successfully.  The  screen 
result  was  very  pleasing  and  the_  pic- 
ture was  bright  and  clear  at  all  times. 
The  Mazda  equipment  was  well  han- 


dled by  the  projectionist.  Change- 
overs  were  very  good  and  made  quick- 
ly. The  Beeson  Theatre  is  a  very 
pretty  little  motion  picture  theatre  and 
is  doing  a  very  good  business. 

The  Cozy  Theatre,  Dodge  City,  is 
also  another  very  pretty  little  house  for 
its  size.  Two  Powers  6A's  and  a  G. 
E.  Motor  Generator  Set  is  the.  projec- 
tion equipment.  Projection  was  very 
good  while  I  was  there  and  the  ma- 
chines were  well  handled  by  the  pro- 
jectionist in  charge. 

Should  Be  in  Line 

It  is  very  important  that  the  sprock- 
ets of  your  projection  machine  be  in 
perfect  line  with  each  other  and  with 
the  aperture.  With  the  modern  pro- 
jection machine  there  is  very  little  pos- 
sibility of  getting  the  sprockets  out  of 
line.  It  is  well,  however,  to  test  the 
matter  when  installing  new  sprockets. 

To  see  that  you  have  the  intermittent, 
upper  and  lower  sprockets  in  line  you 
should  proceed  as  follows:  Thread  a 
piece  of  new  film  into  the  machine,  en- 
gaging it  with  the  teeth  of  the  upper 
and  lower  sprockets  and  the  intermit- 
tent sprockets,  closing  the  idler  rollers 
over  each  sprocket.  Turn  the  flywheel 
of  your  projector  mechanism  back- 
wards until  the  film  is  stretched  very 
tightly.  If  the  upper  and  intermittent 
sprockets  and  the  aperture  are  in  line 
with  each  other,  that  fact  will  be 
evidenced  by  the  film-edge  being  in  line 
with  the  tracks  on  the  aperture  plate, 
or  the  aperture  being  out  of  center  with 
the  film.  Now  if  the  film  seems  to 
bear  equally  on  both  edges  of  both 
sprockets,  and  the  aperture  plate  tracks 
are  not  straight  with  the  film,  it  would 
then  indicate  the  probability  that  the 
aperture  plate  itself  is  out  of  true.  You 
should  then  straighten  out  the  sprock- 
ets or  the  aperture  plate  that  seems  to 
be  out  of  line. 

*    *  * 
A  Few  Important  Tips 

When  erecting  a  new  projection  room  be 
sure  that  the  floor  is  firm;  that  you  have 
plenty  of  room  to  do  your  work  in ;  that  you 
use  the  proper  size  wires;  that  the  projec- 
tion machines  are  placed  in  the  center  with 
the  screen;  that  the  machines  are  not  placed 
higher  than  the  screen.  For  the  very  best 
results  you  should  install  the  latest  and  best 
in  projection  room  equipment. 

A  test  light  should  be  in  ever^  projection 
room,  and  be  sure  that  you  have  plenty  of 
fuses  on  hand  at  all  times. 

Your  projection  screen  should  be  cleaned 
off  every  week.  A  dirty  projection  screen 
surface  will  kill  light  for  you. 

To  secure  best  results  in  light  you  should 
use  the  proper  size  carbons,  and  be  sure  that 
you  use  enough  amperage  at  the  arc  for 
the  picture  that  you  are  projecting  on  the 
screen. 

In  order  that  you  can  secure  a  bright  and 
clear  picture  you  must  keep  your  projection 
lenses  clean  at  all  times.  A  projection  lens 
should  be  cleaned  every  day. 


Page  76 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PROJECTION  HINTS 

(Continued) 
Correct  Adjustment 

Now  when  the  intermittent  move- 
ment is  on  the  "lock"  its  correct  adjust- 
ment should  be  such  that  there  will  be 
very,  very  little  circumferential  move- 
ment in  the  intermittent  sprocket  of 
your  projector,  but  great  care  must  be 
exercised  by  the  projectionist  that  the 
adjustment  be  not  made  too  close  or 
else  there  will  be  undue  and  unneces- 
sary friction  of  the  parts.  All  adjust- 
ments are  usually  made  when  the  pro- 
jector mechanism  is  cold,  and  it  must 
be  remembered  that  under  the  influence 
of  the  heat  of  the  spot  on  the  cooling 
plate  of  your  projector,  all  the  parts  ex- 
pand more  or  less,  and  that  fact  must  be 
taken  into  consideration  in  adjusting 
the  intermittent  movement  parts  of 
your  projector  mechanism. 

Remember  that  a  very  little  circum- 
ferential play  in  the  intermittent 
sprockets  does  no  harm,  in  fact  it  is 
necessary;  excessive  motion,  of  course, 
will  do  a  great  deal  of  harm  to  your 
movement  parts. 

The  projectionist  or  exhibitor  should 
never  attempt  to  put  in  a  new  star  and 
try  to  make  it  run  with  an  old  cam,  or 
vice  versa.  Now  if  either  a  new  cam 
or  star  is  installed,  I  would  by  all 
means  advise  that  the  part  it  is  to  work 
with  always  be  renewed  also,  and  that 
the  projectionist  install  new  bearing- 
while  he  is  at  it.  You  will  secure  much 
better  service  from  your  intermittent 
movement  if  you  will  do  this. 

Cleaning  Your  Projection  Lens 

Nothing  but  a  perfectly  clean  cham- 
ois skin,  or  soft,  perfectly  clean  cotton 
cloths,  such  as  an  old  handkerchief, 
should  be  used  by  the  projectionist  for 
cleaning  his  projection  lenses. 

Saturate  a  cloth  with  the  alcohol 
solution  as  above  and  wash  lenses,  and 
then  quickly  polish  lens  while  still  wet. 
It  should  be  part  of  the  daily  duty  of 
every  projectionist  to  clean  his  lens 
every  day  regularly.  It  only  takes  a 
minute  and  you  will  secure  much  better 
results. 

The  guiding  rule  in  reassembling  a 
lens  is  to  place  all  lenses  with  their 
greatest  convex  side  towards  the  pro- 
jection screen. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 

WILL  BRING 

NEW  BUSINESS 

Follow  the  Equipment  Section 
and  Classified  Opportunities  in 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Classified  Opportunities 


Slides  &  Announcement 


Radios-Mat 


WHITE,  AMBER 


At  your  Dealer. 


is  the  Stationery  of  the  Screen 


Mailing  Lists 

Mailing  Lists 

'      Will  help  you  increase  sales 

Send  for  FUUE  catalog  grlving 
countsnnd  prices  on  classified  names 
or  your  lies  t  prospective  customers— 
NV.ional,  State,  Local— Individuals, 
Professions,  Business  Firms. 


CSQOy  Guaranteed  C  A 
yy/O  by  refund  of  J  F 

W 


each 


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General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howell*  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Arc;  N«W  York 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
"8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


]Botei5>ariittta 

54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $32* 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $629 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


Regular  Display  Rates  are  charged 
on  all    Classified    Display  Ad-lets. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


For  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity. Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

GENERAL  THEATRE  SUPPLIES— Greatly  Re- 
duced prices  on  Supplies  &  Equipment.  Film  Ce- 
ment, oz.  bottle  22c — Pint  bottle  $1.22 — Cinephor 
Parabolic  Condensers,  complete  set  $16. — Automa- 
tic Curtain  machines  prices  on  application.  Trouco 
'Vrc  Lamp  Lubricant,  per  a  large  can  45c —  Aisle- 
lites,  Argus,  each  352.78 — Peerless  Arc  Controls, 
each,  new,  $82.50 — Trouco  Admission  Signs  with 
ten  price  tags  complete,  each  $3. — Round  Belting 
1-4  inch  per  a  ft.  1°  1-?<*.:  Fl't  Powers  Drive  belts, 
"eh  70c — Simplex  flat  belts  70c  each — Belt  Coupl- 
ings, round,  screw  type  each  20c — Steel  Wire  belt 
honks,  dozen  4c — Coin  Changers,  new,  each  $71.85 
— Best  Carbon  Savers.  Extra  Heavy  for  3-4  and 
5-8"  each  89c — Silvertio  adapters,  each  53c — Exit 
Sign  Boxes  complete  $1.50 — Fort  Wayne  Compen- 
arcs  for  110-volts  $80;  Mazda  Transformers,  GE. 
each  $60. — Ticket  Holders,  single  $1;  double  $1.23. 
— Best  Heavv  Brass  Lugs  for  any  size  wire  73c — 
Radio  Mat  Slides,  box  50,  each  $1.38 — Reel  End 
Alarms  $2.88 — Da-Lite  Screens.  Automatic  Ticket 
Machines.  Screen  coating.  WE  PAY  PARCEL 
POST  AND  EXPRESS  ON  ALL  THE  ABOVE 
STIPPLTES  TO  ANY  THEATRE  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES.— W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  Box  No.  499,  ENID.  OKLAHOMA. 
(Branch). 

LENSES,  CONDENSERS  &  SHUTTERS— Sun- 
Ray  Condensers,  any  focus,  Piano  each  $1.02 — 
Menicus  or  Bi  Convex,  any  focus,  each  $1.45.  Cine- 
phor Projection  Lenses,  any  focus,  Quarter  size 
$28.75  ;  Half  size  $53.25.  The  New  Double  Disc  Shut- 
ter catalogue  and  free  trial  catalogue  and  prices  sent 
free  on  request.  Powers,  Simplex  Intermittent 
sprockets,  each  $3.95 ;  Edison  &  Motiograph  $4.2-2 
each.  Takeup  and  Feed  sprockets,  each  $2.78. 
CASH  MUST  BE  SENT  WITH  ALL  ORDERS. 
Sent  Postage  Prepaid.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA.  "The  Reliable 
Theatre  Supply  House." 


Wanted 


"USED"  35  M/M  SAFETY  FILM.  Large  quan- 
tities.    A.   B.  Cummings,  Attleboro,  Mass. 


At  Liberty 


TRIO  — VIOLIN,  PIANO,  DRUMS.  Thor- 
oughly experienced  in  pictures  and  vaude- 
ville. Drummer  fully  equipped  with  Tym- 
panies, Marimbas,  etc.,  and  doubling  Cornet.  Ex- 
tensive library.  Pictures  cued  accurately,  played 
artistically.  Best  of  reference.  Union.  No  musical 
proposition  too  large.  Will  go  anywhere.  Address 
Trio,  2813 — 5th  Ave.,  So.  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


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CORRECTNESS  GUARANTEED 


The  two  words — 

"EASTMAN" 

and 

"KODAK 

— in  black  letters  in  the  film  margin, 
identify  the  release  print  on  Eastman 
Positive  Film,  the  film  that  carries 
quality  from  studio  to  screen. 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


HAL  ROACH 


presents 


OUR  GANG" 


m 


"High  Society"  and  "The  Sundown  Limited" 

Two  Reel  Comedies 


The  best  known  kids  in  the  country  are  Hal 
Roach's  Rascals  who  make  the  "Our  Gang"  Come- 
dies such  riots  of  risibility. 
They  are  all  little  but  they  are  giants  in  laughter 
making.  10,284  exhibitors  ran  these  comedies  last 
year,  getting  big  laughs — and  profits,  from  these 
little  kids. 

In   "High    Society"    the   freckled-faced  imp, 


"Micky,"  is  adopted  by  a  wealthy  aunt  and  swaps 
Mulligan  stew,  corn<  d-beef  and  cabbage,  and 
such  Irish  delicacies  for  the  fare  of  the  rich.  Micky 
doesn't  like  the  change  a  bit  and  finds  a  way  to 
get  out  of  it.  And  the  aunt  suffers.  In  "The  Sun 
Down  Limited"  the  Gang  try  railroading.  The 
laughter  of  your  audiences  will  drown  out  the 
screech  of  a  hundred  locomotives! 

August  and  September  Release. 


Pafhecomedy 


Farina,    Micky   and   Mary  in 
"High  Society" 


National  Tie-Ups  for  "Secrets" 


Says  the  carbon — 


"No  MATTER  how  much  money  the  producer  has  spent 
in  studios  and  on  location,  after  weeks  and  months  of 
effort  have  passed  by  and  the  film  is  in  your  hands,  its 
success  as  a  money-maker  for  your  theatre  is  up  to  you. 

"Pictures  are  only  as  good  as  the  light  behind  them. 
Use  National  Projector  Carbons — most  projectionists 
do — and  insure  perfect  results.  Whatever  the  film, 
National  Projector  Carbons  will  get  the  most  out  of  it." 

There's  a  correct  National  trim  for  every  make  of 
projection  lamp,  for  every  current,  for  every  house;  a 
correct  trim  that  will  give  you  the  most  light  for  your 
money  and  the  best  and  purest  light  you  can  have — 
light  that  throws  a  picture  natural  in  tone  and  eye-easy. 

Our  service  engineers  are  always  at  your  call. 

Manufactured  and  guaranteed  by 
NATIONAL  CARBON  CO.,  Inc.,  Cleveland,  Ohio— San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Canadian  National  Carbon  Co.,  Limited,  Toronto,  Ontario 

National 

Projector  Carbons 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Executive,    Editorial  Offices  45   West  45th  St.,  New  York  City,  Subscription 
$2.00    year.     Entered    as   second-class   matter,    Aug.    25,    1922,     at  postoffice  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  under  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


Here  is  De  Mille's  successor  to  "The  Ten  Com- 
mandments". Bigger  and  better  than  "Manslaughter". 
The  story  of  the  flapper  grown  into  the  young  wife 
but  still  retaining  her  love  for  pleasure  and  excite- 
ment, a  craving  that  leads  her  into  adventures  and 
struggles.  Produced  on  a  more  gorgeous  scale  than 
any  other  De  Mille  picture  except  "The  Ten  Com- 
mandments." 


De  Mille  promised  you  a  $2  picture  in  "Feet  of 
Clay".  He  has  delivered!  He  has  made  a  picture 
that  establishes  him  more  firmly  than  ever  as  the 
greatest  showman-producer  in  the  business  and 
which  guarantees  record  profits  for  every  theatre 
showing  it.  See  this  amazing  production  at  your 
Exchange  at  your  first  opportunity.  Of  course  it's 
one  of  The  Famous  Forty. 


CECIL  a.  DeMIUE'S 

FEET  OF  CLAY 


"A  PARAMOUNT 
PICTURE 


PRODUCTION 


FEET  of  CLAY 

WITH 

ROD  LA  ROCOUE 
VERA  REYNOLDS 
RICARDO  CORTEZ 

JULIA  FA  YE 
THEODORE  KOSLOFF 
ROBERT  EDESON 
VICTOR  VARCONI 

Adapted  by  Beulah  Marie  Dix  and 
Bertram  Millhauser  from  Margaretta 
Tuttle's  popular  Ladies  Home  Journal 
serial  and  novel. 

A  PARAMOUNT  PICTURE 


Previously 
Winomcecl 

—Rin- fin-Tin  in  "Find 

Your  Man" 
—"The  Lover  of  Camille' 

("Deburau") 
—"The  Age  of  Innocence 
'—"Recompense"  (Sequel 
to  "Simon  Called  Peter* 
>—"The  Dark  Swan" 
—"The  Eleventh  Virgin" 
—"A  lost  Lady" 
—"Eve's  Lover" 
—"This  Woman'' 
—"The  Narrow  Street" 
—"The  Dear  Pretender" 

~-Rin-Tin-Tvnin"The 

Lighthouse  by  the  Sea 
—Ernst  Lubitsch's 

"Three Women" 
—"Bow  Baxter  Butted  In" 
—"My  Wife  and  I" 
—"Broadway  Butterfly" 
-"The  Bridge  of  Sighs" 
^—Second  Ernst  Lubitsch 
Production 

*—Rin-Tin  Tin  rroducttoi 


™!  MAN  WITHOUT 


n 


By  MAX 


I  on  in  every  corner  of  the  world. 

Max  Kretzer  has  made  it  theioundati 
ant  novel,  "THE  MAN  WITHOUT, 
las  pilloried  "the  man  without  a  cor 
measures  everything  in  dollars,  infb 
man  who  misses  the  real  things  of 
me  so  blinded  that  he  Ms  to  see  ther 


nothing  but  " 
success  just  aro 
And  then  the 
Innocent  suffer, 
flares  when  all 
assaulted. 


most  intense  in  the  story*  It  is  a  tale  of* 
kings"*  There  is  endless  struggle,  with 
he  corner  and  failure  ever  lurking  near, 
pathos— the  pity  that  comes  when  the 
i  for  the  one  who  reads  there  is  rage  that 
scent  things of  life  are  denied  or  brutally 


♦MM- 


Larely  have  Warner  Bros*  approached  a  story  which  has 
so  much  "strong  red  meat".  It  has  been  splendidly  cast 
and  admirably  produced.  It  will  create  a  sensation  in  the 
theatre. 

SaveTWENTY  dates  for  the  new  Warner  TWENTY. 


Jill 


iPSl 

H.  Clay  Miner 

presents  v|illl 

A  Whitman  Bennett 
Production. 


1  *  <\>itb 

HELENE  CHADWICK 

and  a  notable  supporting  ca&^™ 

Selco  Pictures  Incorporated 


When  are  you  married  and  not  married 
at  the  same  time? 

When  you  have  an  interlocutory  divorce 
decree. 

An  unusual  motion  picture  woven  around 
this  unusual  theme  is  "  Love  of 
Women. " 


Released  through 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


in  She 

TIT^Y"*  A  T  '\WaUace/ 
KJb  VJjHlJLj  /^Bee^ 

Production 


.CMatt 
(91oore 


(Chester 


Lrills  abound  intKis  hidhly  dramatic  production  wi 
JAMES  KIRKWOOD,  WALLACE  BEERY  and  LI  LA  LEE  • 


/*""*IVEN  the  combination  of  two  of  the  finest  actors 
\M  on  the  screen  today,  a  story  that  combines  all  the 
\J  elements  of  strong,  cumulative  dramatic  effect, 
and  a  director  who  has  proved  his  craftsmanship  in  a 
long  series  of  real  box  office  successes,  "Another 
Man's  Wife"  is,  without  doubt,  a  showmanship  pic- 
ture of  powerful  appeal. 

James  Kirkwood  and  Lila  Lee  co-star  in  this  pic- 
ture. Each  has  a  large  personal  following,  and  either 
one's  name  heading  a  cast  is  assurance  that  the  pro- 
duction is  of  real  money  value  to  the  exhibitor.  Kirk- 
wood and  Lee  combined,  prove  a  powerful  combination, 
and  the  fact  that  they  are  newlyweds  of  the  screen 
adds  tremendously  to  their  drawing  power. 

Matt  Moore,  Wallace  Beery,  Chester  Conklin  and 
Zena  Keefe,  who  support  the  stars,  all  have  roles 
peculiarly  fitted  to  their  excellent  abilities. 

"Another  Man's  Wife"  offers  an  ideal  dramatic 
vehicle  for  Kirkwood  and  Lee.  Is  there  justice  in  the 
.."unwritten  law?"  Is  it  right  that  a  man  should  be 
permitted  to  wreak  his  vengeance  on  the  invader  of 
his  home !  This  is  the  theme  of  this  intensely  dramatic 
story,  which  develops  through  a  series  of  tense  dra- 
matic situations  to  a  thrilling  climax. 

The  action  leads  the  three  principal  characters,  John 
and  Helen  Brand  and  the  love  pirate  who  would  steal 
Helen  away  from  her  husband,  to  the  exotic  and  pic- 
turesque country  beyond  the  Eio  Grande — Mexico, 
where  they  experience  many  hair-raising  adventures. 

A  spectacular  and  graphic  shipwreck  at  sea ;  a  des- 
perate hand-to-hand  battle  between  Brand  and  a  vil- 
lainous skipper  who  attacks  Helen,  and  a  reconcilia- 
tion between  husband  and  wife,  bring  to  a  close  a  tense- 
photoplay  that  grips  from  the  first  scene  to  the  final 
fadeout. 

The  story  was  written  by  Elliott  Claws  on.  Bruce 
Mitchell,  who  directed  Kirkwood  and  Lee  in  "Love's 
Whirlpool,"  is  responsible  for  this  production. 


Foreign  Distributor:  Wm. 


Vogel 


Dist.  Corp. 


SEASON  1924-25 — THIRTY  FIRST-RUN  PICTURES 


Page  6 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Qut^they  pop!  hit  after 


cthe  Great  American  (gveDra 

It's  a  pipirf ! 

Hits  we  made  'em! 
Hits  they'll  he! 


Better  get  this  line-up  boys  for 

your  c%  That  FIRST  NATIONAL  ] 
Contract  removes  competition; 


September  27.  1924 


£j(§M§]SIS!i)Kll)tgKl^ 

i 


Page  7 

BfSllHglHllgBHSHSIS® 


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EXHIBITORS 
9We  REVIEW 

9le  Business  %per  of  the  Motion  ftcture  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTENTS 

September  27,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Securing  Greater  Patronage   10 

Editorials   28 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Botsford  Heads  A.  M.  P.  A   12 

Mayer  In  N.  Y.  For  Conference    13 

M.  P.  T.  O.  A.  To  Fight  Censorship    11 

N.  J.  Exhibitors  Praise  Seider    15 

Barbara  Frietchie  Opens  Piccadilly   16 

Edw.  Saunders  Celebrates    17 

Associated  Exhib.  Offers  Prizes   18 

Marion  Davies  Film  Popular  In  Pittsburg    19 

Germany  To  Send  Best  Features  Here    20 

Exhibitors  Protest  Trailer  Ruling   21 

Irving  Lesser  Sees  Great  Year    22 

Vitagraph  Wins  Suit   23 

McCormick  Joins  Pathe   24 

Independent  Adopts  New  Booking  Plan    25 

Production  Highlights   26 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

"The  Sainted  Devil"'  Frontispiece 

Secrets   38 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Exhibitors  Round  Table    52 

Box  Office  Reviews   29 

Big  Little  Features   31 

Showmanship   34 

National  Tie-Up  Section   37 

Trw-d  And  Proved  Pictures   49 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President: 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York. 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3 ;  Foreign  $6 ;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


ym$  IN  THE  All} 


STATION  E.  T.  R. 
45  W.  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting a  column  of 
comment  that  may  be 
understood  Avithou"-  three 
stages  of  amplification. 
Sit  up  close  and  tune  in. 


You,  personally,  would  not  pander  to 
the  vices  or  weaknesses  of  your  fellow 
men.  Then  why  prostitute  your  theatre 
by  playing  pictures  that  are  beyond  the 
pale  ?    It  always  pays  best  to  be  clean. 


When  you  make  it  unprofitable  to 
produce  undesirable  pictures— they  will 
cease  to  be  made.     So  it's  uj  to  you. 


Let  the  personal  element  enter  in- 
to your  bookings.  Never  sign  up  for 
a  film  that  you  would  not  wish  your 
daughter  to  see — or  your  mother  to 
know  that  her  son  would  show  it. 


The  insect  world  contains  both 
maggots  and  butterflies.  Which  do 
you  prefer?  Which  do  you  believe 
your  patrons  prefer?  It's  the  same 
with  pictures.  Guide  yourself  ac- 
cordingly. 


Harold  Lloyd,  Dong  MacLean,  Bus- 
ter Keaton,  and  a  lot  more  film  folk 
seem  to  be  eating  regularly  from  the 
proceeds  of  clean  pictures.  And  so  do 
their  Producers.    Think  that  one  over. 


Why  try  to  be  naughty  when  it  pays 
so  well  to  be  good?  The  easiest  way 
is  the  beet  way  in  this  case.  Play  pic- 
tures  that    savor   of   sunshine    not 

those   that   are   murky   with  mire. 


The  preponderance  of  your  patronage  is 
decent.  Are  you  going  to  alienate  affections 
from  your  theatre  to  cater  to  a  few  unmoral 
morons  and  nondescript  ignoramuses? 


And  it  isn't  quite  sporting  to  play 
upon  the  weakness  of  licentious  senility 
or  the  ignorant  unsophistication  of 
youth.  Stick  to  the  virile  man  and 
womanhood  of  the  community  for  your 
customers  and  you  won't  go  far  wrong. 


la 

& 

n 

g 

i 


I 


Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


6  The  Sainted  Devil 


Rudolph  Valentino  reverts  to  type  and  once  more — in  Paramount 's  forthcoming  production 
— appears  as  a  Spaniard,  bold  and  fearless.    His  Tango  dancing  again  lends 


d  spirit  of  versatility  to  this  players  diverse  accomplishments. 


CJ  BG25805  C 


SEP  23  \m 


EXHIBITORS 
<U  REVIEW 

Qfe  Business  Jhper  of the  Motionftcturdndustrf 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


German  producers  are  agitating  against  the  importation  of  American  films  dur- 
ing 1925.    They  fear  the  "American  invasion." 

English  censor  board  gives  final  decision  on  Griffith's  "America."    The  picture  will  not  be  alkwed 
to  show  in  Great  Britain. 

Utica,  X.  Y.,  exhibitors  have  reached  an  agreement  with  the  musician's  union.    An  increase  of  $2  a 
week  has  been  granted. 

Montreal  musicians  have  struck  after  a  failure  of  the  exhibitors  and  union  men  to  reach  an  agreement. 

The  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  Southern  California  is  trying  to  have  an  ordinance  passed  in  Los  Angeles  to  in- 
crease the  license  fees  of  all  tent  shows. 

W.  A.  Steffes,  head  of  the  Northwest  exhibitors'  organization,  is  in  New  York  and  claims  conditions 
in  his  district  are  the  best  in  five  years  due  to  record  crops 

By  a  vote  of  9  to  1,  the  city  council  of  Carthage,  Mo.,  buried  an  ordinance  that  would  make  the  city 
"blue." 

Gabriel  L.  Hess,  general  counsel  for  Goldwyn  Pictures  and  later  with  Metro-Goldwyn  since  the  con- 
solidation, has  joined  the  Hays  organization  as  general  counsel. 

Sid  Grauman,  one  of  America's  greatest  showmen,  will  build  a  neAv  2,500  seat  theatre  in  Los  Angeles. 

Oklahoma  City  exhibitors  have  decided  to  fight  the  union  operators  rather  than  sign  a  ruinous  agree- 
ment and  will  put  all  houses  on  an  open  shopbasis. 

"Baby  Peggy,"  internationally  known  starlett.  has  been  released  from  her  contract  by  Principal  Pic- 
tures.   It  is  understood  she  will  accept  a  contract  with  a  European  company. 

The  Allies  Organization  will  meet  in  Topeka,  Kas.,  Monday,  September  22,  at  which  time  a  chairman 
will  be  elected  to  succeed  W.  A.  Steffes,  who  has  tendered  his  resignation. 

The  Detroit  Motion  Picture  Corporation  is  facing  receivership  unless  the  stockholders  raise  $245,670 
to  take  care  of  the  creditors. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Getting  That  Additional  Patronage 

Give  Shorts  the  Benefit  of  Your  Showmanship  Ability. 

By  E.  W.  HAMMONS 


President  Educational  Film  Exchanges,  Inc. 


WHEN  Ralph  Ruffner  of  the 
Capitol  Theatre,  Vancouver,  B. 
C,  made  the  single  reel  picture, 
"Plastigrams,"  the  third  dimension 
movie,  the  chief  attraction  in  his  ad- 
vertising and  exploitation,  and,  play- 
ing six  days,  came  within  $2,000  of  the 
full  week's  receipts  of  the  Broadway 
theatre  which  ran  the  same  feature 
length  subject  without  "Plastigrams," 
he  added  just  one  more  big  proof  of 
the  wisdom  of  greater  exploitation  of 
Short  Subjects.  And  when  we  consider 
that  the  Capitol's  admission  prices  are 
much  below  those  of  the  big  Broadway 
house,  and  that  the  Capitol  broke  all 
its  own  records  for  the  season  of  the 
year,  the  feat  seems  all  the  more  re- 
markable. 

Exploitation  of  short  subjects  today 
is  a  factor  of  proven  value.  It  is  no 
longer  considered  a  gamble  or  an  ex- 
periment. The  old  slogan  that  a  pic- 
ture that  is  worth  showing  is  worth 
advertising,  applies  to  short  subjects 
today  just  as  it  does  to  features. 

One  of  the  most  encouraging  devel- 
opments of  the  last  year  has  been  the 
marked  increase  in  advertising  the 
whole  show,  which  exhibitors  have 
been  doing  more  than  ever  before.  This 
means  100  per  cent  advertising — adver- 
tising that  appeals  to  every  member  of 
the  family  and  to  people  of  all  types, 
because  only  when  a  variety  of  enter- 
tainment is  offered  can  the  exhibitor 
make  his  strongest  appeal  to  people  of 
varied  tastes. 

THE  old  days  when  "and  a  comedy" 
was  all  most  exhibitors  thought  was 
necessary  in  their  newspaper  advertis- 
ing, and  when  practically  nothing  was 
done  in  the  way  of  general  exploitation 
'on  the  comedy  or  other  short  subjects, 
are  gone.  The  year  1924-1925  promises 
to  see  the  nearest  approach  to  100  per 
cent  advertising  and  exploitation  that  < 
the  industry  has  ever  seen. 

Ralph  Ruffner's  splendid  work  in  es- 
tablishing a  new  house  record  with  the 
short  novelty  "Plastigrams"  is  just  one 
of  many  examples  of  increasing  busi- 
ness with  the  aid  of  a  one  or  two-reel 
picture.  "Plastigrams"  has  been  used 
universally  as  the  principle  attraction 
of  the  program.  Full  pages  have  been 
put  over  in  big  metropolitan  dailies  in 
a  number  of  cities,  and  everywhere  this 
short  attraction  has  been  credited  with 
.big  increases  in  box-office  returns. 

"The  Chase"  is  another  short  sub- 
ject special  that  has  had  similar  special 
exploitation  with  excellent  results.  This 
subject,  showing  daredevil  ski  jumpers 


of  the  Alps  in  a  picture  of  a  thousand 
thrills,  has  had  a  big  share  of  the  news- 
paper space  devoted  to  the  program  by 
many  representative  houses,  and  its  ap- 
peal to  the  public's  desire  for  the  real 
wholesome  thrill  of  such  adventure  has 
paid  the  exhibitor  well  for  his  efforts. 

BUT  the  exhibitor  does  not  need  to 
wait  for  the  specials  to  exploit 
short  subjects  profitably.  The  come- 
dies which  he  runs  regularly  offer  him 
a  great  source  of  profit  if  he  will  but 
make  use  of  it.  Many  leading  show- 
men have  come  to  see  the  value  of  this 
regular  exploitation  of  the  comedy  sub- 
jects, and  the  advertising  and  exploita- 
tion of  the  key  theatres  of  the  country 
are  reflecting  the  policy  of  the  great 
showmen  who  guide  them  by  increased 
space  devoted  to  the  short  subjects 
which  add  the  spice  and  variety  to  the 
show. 

In  the  South  not  long  ago  one  wide- 
awake showman  made  a  two-reel  com- 
edy based  on  the  game  of  golf,  produce 
more  free  publicity  for  his  theatre  than 
any  feature  had  done  for  months.  Not 
only  was  a  general  appeal  made  to  the 
memberships  of  the  golf  clubs  of  the 
city,  but  the  newspapers  gave  him  space 
for  special  stories  on  the  sporting  pages 
in  addition  to  the  notices  carried  in 
the  amusement  section. 

IN  many  sections  of  the  country,  re- 
peated advertising  and  exploitation 
on  various  series  of  short  subjects  have 
worked  up  a  clientele  on  the  days  on 
which  a  picture  from  any  of  these 
series  is  showing  comparable  to  the 
clientele  which  follows  the  episodes  of 
a  serial.  "Christie  Comedy  Night,"  or 
"Mermaid  Comedy  Night,"  after  the 
idea  has  been  properly  sold  by  repeated 
advertising,  has  come  to  be  a  depend- 
able money-making  feature  of  the 
week's  program  in  hundreds  of  the- 
atres throughout  the  country.  Exhibit- 
ors everywhere  are  finding  that  there  is 
a  ready-made  patronage  waiting  for 
them  when  they  advertise  their  comedy 
in  addition  to  their  longer  picture. 

REPEATED  occasions  when  the 
comedy  has  "saved  the  show"  for 
the  exhibitor  when  the  feature  failed 
to  come  up  to  expectations,  and  has 
satisfied  countless  patrons  who  have 
been  disappointed  in  the  feature  only 
to  find  that  the  comedy  alone  was 
worth  the  price  of  admission,  have 
given  the  exhibitor  increasing  confi- 
dence in  the  efficacy  of  short  subject 
advertising.  Although  his  patrons  may 
expect  to  find  a  comedy  on  the  bill,  the 


E.  W.  Hammons,  President  of  the  Educa- 
tional Films  Exchanges,  Inc.,  has  some 
pithy  points  to  make  in  connection  with 
Showmanship  as  applied  to  Short  Subjects. 

exhibitor  has  found  that  by  advertis- 
ing the  comedy  as  one  of  the  feature 
items  of  his  program,  his  attendance  is 
materially  increased,  his  theatre  gains 
in  prestige,  and  a  steadily  increasing 
clientele  is  formed  which  insures  the 
future  success  of  his  playhouse. 

A  FTER  all  it  is  this  future  success 
for  which  the  showman  ought  to 
be  planning  and  working — permanent 
success,  a  "fifty-two  week  patronage, 
instead  of  the  one-week  kind,"  as  Mr. 
A.  C.  Brailey  so  aptly  puts  it  in  his  big 
newspaper  advertisement  announcing 
the  season's  policy  and  program  of  the 
Princess-Paramount  Theatre,  Toledo, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Brailey  does  what  every  live 
showman  ought  to  do  at  this  time  who 
has  had  the  foresight  to  insure  for  his 
theatre  a  supply  of  high  quality  short 
subjects.  He  not  only  tells  his  public 
about  the  fine  features  they  may  look 
forward  to,  but  also  assures  them  that 
on  every  program  they  will  find  a  fine 
comedy. 

"Consistency  in  good  features  and 
comedies  has  always  been  a  main  factor 
in  our  programs  and  in  our  success," 
says  the  Princess  announcement,  "Ours 
is  a  'fifty-two  week'  patronage  rather 
than  the  'one  week'  kind  and  after  all 
it  is  this  patronage  which  shapes  our 
future  policy. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  11 


M.  P.  T.  0.  A.  Will  Fight 
Censorship  Legislation 

Good  Pictures  Not  Always  the  Result  of 

Censorship 


THE  censorship  situation  in  Seattle 
is  now  to  the  front  and  is  receiv- 
ing the  consideration  of  all  the 
Theatre  Owners  in  that  city  and  adjoin- 
ing sections.  National  President  M.  J- 
O'Toole  of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  of  America  is  aiding  in  every 
way  possible  to  prevent  any  legislation 
that  would  be  detrimental  to  the  The- 
atre Owners  there.  The  following  are 
excerpts  from  statements  Mr.  O'Toole 
prepared  for  Mr.  Hone,  Treasurer  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
Washington  on  the  censorship  situa- 
tion : 

"Most  people  confuse  good  pictures 
with  censorship.  The  fact  of  the  mat- 
ter is  there  never  was  and  never  can  be 
any  definite  relationship  between  the 
two.  Censorship  represents  in  the  es- 
sence the  opinions  of  those  who  censor. 

"It  cannot  be  made  to  represent  the 
opinions  of  those  who  are  in  no  way  as- 
sociated with  censorship.  Hence  it  fol- 
lows that  political  or  official  censorship 
applied  to  any  subject,  whether  it  be 
a  film,  newspaper  article,  a  speech,  a 
sermon,  or  anything  else,  is  represen- 
tative only  of  the  commission  or  the 
person  who  is  doing  the  censoring.  It 
it  not  reasonable  that  the  American 
public  should  be  obliged  to  read  only 
and  see  only  and  hear  only  the  things 
that  some  other  person  officially  desig- 
nated or  otherwise  feels  disposed  to 
permit  them  to  enjoy- 

"There  are  manifestly  some  divisions 
of  Government  where  regulation  must 
be  tolerated.  But  these  have  to  do  with 
the  more  perfect  and  concrete  proposi- 
tions and  are  never  applied  within  the 
degree  of  safety  to  matters  affecting 
speech  or  any  other  element  of  public 
impression. 

"From  the  early  days  of  our  Repub- 
lic, the  Press  has  been  constitutionally 
free.  This  was  the  opinion  of  the 
Father  of  this  Republic,  expressed  in 
fundamental  law.  At  this  time,  they 
had  only  the  primitive  press  of  Benja- 
min Franklin,  and  he  was  the  original 
American  printer  and  editor. 

"There  was  a  provisional  thought 
resident  in  the  minds  of  our  Fathers 
that  the  press  was  a  National  safeguard 
for  the  liberties  of  the  people.  They 
saw  the  tyrant  of  but  a  few  years  ago 
suppressing  free  speech  and  a  free 
press.  They  realized  that  this  was  one 
of  the  modes  through  which  autocracy 


perpetuated  itself  and  by  which  free 
government  would  most  readily  be  de- 
stroyed. It  was  plain  to  them  that  any 
embargo  on  speech  or  written  opinion 
respecting  government  or  the  things 
that  in  any  sense  appertained  thereto, 
was  a  danger  because  it  placed  the  right 
of  utterance  and  expression  within 
bounds  which  held  back  the  mind  and 
checked  the  imaginative  powers  of  the 
people. 

"The  latest,  and  we  believe  by  far, 
one  of  the  most  potent  phases  of  the 
American  press  is  the  Motion  Picture 
Screen.     It   is   the   screen   press  of 


AFTER  three  years  of  consistent 
shooting  of  all  his  pictures  at  the 
Glendale  Studio,  Long  Island,  C. 
C.  Burr,  Managing  Director  of  East 
Coast  Films,  Inc.,  made  a  radical  change 
this  week  when  he  engaged  the  Jackson 
Studio  in  New  York  City  as  the  locale 
for  the  next  Johnny  Hines  feature, 
"The  Early  Bird"  which  goes  into  pro- 
duction this  week.  Mr.  Burr  was  loathe 
to  change  studios,  but  due  to  the  fact 
that  "The  Early  Bird"  calls  for  an  in- 
numerable amount  of  large  scenes,  he 
finally  thought  it  preferable  to  make 
use  of  the  Jackson  Studio  facilities 
where  Janice  Meredith  was  made. 
Coupled  with  this,  the  fact  that  the 
studio  is  in  New  York  City,  makes  it 
centrally  available. 

The  continuity  and  script  on  "The 
Early  Bird"  has  already  been  prepared, 
with  a  cast  lining  up  as  follows : 

Edmund  Breese,  Wyndham  Standing, 
Maude  Turner  Gordon  and  Bradley 
Barker. 


America,  the  great  visualizing  element 
of  expression  that  not  only  brings  the 
subject  matter  to  the  view  of  the  be- 
holder in  printed  and  pictured  form, 
but  through  the  processes  of  its  mech- 
anism actually  transfers  the  scene  of 
action  to  the  very  feet  of  the  beholder. 

"It  is  perfectly  plain  that  this  Mo- 
tion Picture  Screen  is  the  latest  devel- 
opment of  the  American  Press,  as  much 
a  part  of  it  as  is  the  modern  Newspaper 
and  Magazine  and  entitled  to  all  the 
liberties  and  freedom  that  the  Press 
constitutionally  enjoys  and  invested 
with  all  of  the  duties  now  borne  by 
any  other  division  of  the  Press. 

"This,  in  brief,  is  the  position  that 
we  take  on  censorship  in  a  fundamental 
way.  We  feel  that  the  liberties  of  the 
American  people  are  in  danger  of  the 
species  of  official  or  political  censorship. 
It  matters  little  who  the  individuals 
may  be. 

"The  people  are  interested  only  in 
the  institution.  They  want  the  medium 
of  expression,  represented  in  the  screen, 
to  be  free  for  their  use  and  the  use  of 
their  children,  and  not  held  in  leash  by 
any  system  of  political  or  other  forms 
of  Censorship." 


For  the  female  lead,  Mr.  Burr  is 
momentarily  expected  to  close  with  one 
of  screendom's  most  famous  actresses. 

"The  Early  Bird"  is  reported  to  pos- 
sess a  most  ingeniously  devised  story 
which  suits  Johnny  Hines  to  a  nicety. 
It  is  the  intention  of  both  Producer 
Burr  and  the  star  to  make  this  picture 
Hines'  greatest  achievement,  and  judg- 
ing from  the  amount  of  preparation 
given  to  the  story,  the  unusual  cast  en- 
gaged to  support  the  star  and  the 
amount  of  money  to  be  expended  on 
this  latest  Plines'  feature,  it  will  in  all 
probability  eclipse  in  screen  value  all 
of  the  previous  Hines'  successes. 

Charles  Hines  will  direct,  Chas.  Gil- 
son  and  John  Geisel  will  De  first  and 
second  cameramen  respectively,  Benny 
Berk  production  manager,  and  the  scen- 
ario by  Richard  Friek 

All  indications  point  to  a  big  produc- 
tion made  on  a  lavish  scale  in  which 
the  inimitable  Johnny  Hines  will  prob- 
ably give  another  unusual  screen  char- 
acterization to  the  industry. 


C.  C.  Burr  Leases  Jackson 
Studio  For  Hines 

Forced  to  Secure  Larger  Studios  For  Johnny 
Hines  New  Laugh  Features 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A.  M.  Botsford  Chosen 
President  of  A.  M.  P.  A. 

Former  Vice  President  Now  Heads  the  Organization 


ON  September  11.  at  Cafe  Boule- 
vard, New  York  City,  A.  M. 
Botsford,  director  of  advertising 
for  Famous  Players,  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  Other  officers 
elected  were  C.  W.  Barrell,  vice  pres- 
ident ;  Glendon  Allvine,  treasurer  and 
Walter  Eberhardt,  secretary. 

Following  is  a  brief  history  of  the 
notables : 

A.  M.  Botsford,  newly  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.,  was  born  in 
Rockford,  111.  Graduated  from  Wil- 
liams College,  '06.  Took  to  civil  engi- 
neering and  found  it  didn't  take  after 
he  smelled  printer's  ink  so  he  became 
city  editor  of  the  Quincy  Herald,  Quin- 
cy,  111.  The  diversified  lines  of  talent 
took  him  on  the  stage  where  he  was  a 
member  of  a  Buffalo  Stock  Company 
for  two  seasons,  with  John  Barrymore, 
with  the  Little  Theatre  Company  in 
"The  Pigeon"  and  with  Florence  Reed 
in  "The  Master  of  His  House."  From 
the  New  York  World  he  graduated  to 
the  publicity  department  of  Famous 
Players,  had  charge  of  the  trade  paper 
advertising  while  John  C.  Flinn  was  di- 
rector of  publicity  and  advertising  and 
was  made  advertising  manager  in  suc- 
cession to  Jerome  Beatty  when  the  lat- 


ter acceded  to  Mr.  Flinn's  position. 
Has  been  director  of  advertising  for 
rive  years.  Has  always  been  an  active 
worker  in  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  and  ascends 
to  the  presidency  after  serving  a  year 
as  vice-president. 

C.  W.  Barrell 

C.  W.  Barrell,  vice-president,  is  in 
charge  of  the  motion  picture  depart- 
ment of  the  Western  Electric  Company. 
Before  that  he  was  associated  with  the 
publicity  department  of  several  motion 
picture  producing  companies.  Has 
been  in  one  position  for  eight  years 
more  or  less  and  comes  to  the  vice- 
presidency  of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  after 
serving  a  year  as  secretary  and  as  a 
member  of  numerous  committees. 

Glendon  Allvine 

Glendon  Allvine,  treasurer,  has  been 
with  Famous  Players  for  four  years,  al- 
ternately in  charge  of  out  of  town 
newspaper  and  fan  magazine  publicity 
until  Mr.  Flinn's  affiliation  with  Pro- 
ducers' Distributing  Corporation  when 
Mr.  Allvine  took  over  the  handling  of 
special  productions.  Hails  from  the 
state  of  Kansas  and  is  a  holder  of  A. 
B.  and  LL.  D.  degrees  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas. 

Walter  Eberhardt 

Walter  F.  Eberhardt,  secretary,  grad- 
uate Bowdoin  College  with  a  back- 
ground of  newspaper  work  in  Duluth, 
Winnipeg,  Washington  and  New  York. 
Entered  the  motion  picture  business  via 
Famous  Players  in  1919  under  John  C. 
Flinn  and  transferred  his  activities  to 
First  National  in  1921  and  has  been 
there  ever  since  on  the  exploitation  end. 
Has  written  several  commerical  maga- 
zine articles  and  novelized  "Sundown," 
from  Earl  Hudson's  picture  for  First 
National. 


Ethel  Barrymore  and  Elinor  Glyn  visit  at 
the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Studios.  Mrs. 
Glyn  is  engaged  in  supervising  produc- 
tions being  made  of  several  of  her  stories. 


Fore ! 

TACK  DEMPSEY,  heavyweight 
"  champion  of  the  world,  and 
Benny  Leonard,  lightweight  fistic 
champion,  will  oppose  each  other 
on  the  golf  links  at  the  Fall  Film 
Tournament  to  be  held  on  Tues- 
day September  23,  at  Great  Neck, 
Long  Island. 

Over  125  entries  have  been 
made  to  date  and  more  coming  in 
every  minute.  It  looks  like  a  big 
day  for  the  followers  of  the  an- 
cient and  honorable  game. 


A.  M.  Botsford,  newly  elected  President 
of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  has  been  advertising 
director     for     Paramount,     receives  the 
entire  support  of  the  industry. 

Eisner  Resigns 

President  of  Kansas  M.P.T.O. 
Leaves  Exhibitor  Field 

A.  M-  Eisner,  president  of  the  M.  P. 
T.  O.  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  has  resigned. 
His  resignation,  which  was  made  at  a 
meeting  of  the  organization  in  Kansas 
City,  September  10,  will  take  effect  at 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Kansas  City 
body  in  the  near  future. 

Mr.  Eisner's  resignation  followed  the 
sale  of  his  Broadmour  Theatre,  Thirty- 
fourth  and  Broadway,  one  of  the  better 
suburban  houses  of  the  city,  which  was 
purchased  by  Weber  &  Crawford. 

"As  I  am  no  longer  a  theatre  owner 
it  is  only  fair  that  I  withdraw  to  make 
room  for  some  candidate,"  Mr.  Eisner 
said. 

If  a  pending  deal,  with  which  Mr. 
Eisner  is  connected,  materializes,  he 
soon  will  be  back  in  the  exhibitor  field, 
giving  to  Kansas  City  a  novelty  in  the 
motion  picture  field. 

The  next  president  of  the  M.  P.  T. 
O.  Kansas  City  will  serve  only  until  a 
general  election  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O- 
Midwest,  the  new  merged  organization 
of  Western  Missouri,  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
and  the  State  of  Kansas,  which  will  be 
perfected  at  the  Allied-Kansas  conven- 
tion in  Topeka,  Kas.,  September  22  and 
23. 

At  the  meeting  it  also  was  decided 
that  Western  Missouri  and  Kansas 
City  exhibitors  would  attend  the  Allied- 
Kansas  convention  in  a  body,  acting  as 
a  committee.  It  was  unanimously 
agreed,  also,  to  renew  efforts  in  com- 
bating music  tax  suits  now  pending  in 
Kansas  City. 


September  27. 


Page  13 


Louis  B.  Mayer  In  New  York 
For  Conference 

Greatest  Production  Schedule  Ever  Atempted,  Under  Way  at 

Metro's  Enormous  Plant 


LOUIS  B.  MAYER,  vice-presi- 
dent in  charge  of  production 
for    the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 

organization,  arrived  in  New  York  re- 
cently with  Mrs.  Mayer  and  their 
two  daughters,  Misses  Edith  and 
Irene.  They  are  on  their  way  to 
Europe  where  Mr.  Mayer  will  visit  and 
consult  with  Fred  Niblo  in  Rome  where 
he  is  directing  the  massive  and  elabo- 
rate production  of  "Ben  Hur." 

Mr.  Mayer  will  remain  in  New  York 
for  several  days  having  important  con- 
ferences scheduled  with  Mr.  Marcus 
Loew,  head  of  Metro-Goldwyn  and 
other  officials  of  the  company. 

"Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  are  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  stupendous  schedule 
of  production  ever  attempted  by  any 
company  at  any  time,"  declared  Mr. 
Mayer  on  his  arrival  in  the  East.  "We 
are  far  ahead  of  our  schedule,  twenty- 
four  pictures  have  been  completed, 
several  of  them  not  dated  for  release 
until  late  in  November.  Many  others 
are  in  the  course  of  production  and  our 
enormous  plant  at  Culver  City  is  oper- 
ating at  full  blast  and  will  continue  to 
do  so  for  many  months  to  come. 

"During  my  absence  Irving  G.  Thal- 
berg  and  Harry  Rapf  will  have  charge 
of  our  studio  activities  and  there  will 
be  no  let  up  in  the  work.  To  date  we 
have  made  a  record  in  quality  produc- 
tion and  the  short  space  of  time  devoted 
to  each  individual  production,  a  record 
that  will  be  very  difficult  to  equal.  It 
is  a  fact  that  never  before  have  such  a 
line  of  consistent  box-office  attractions 
ever  been  produced. 

"Of  our  pictures  already  completed 
or  in  production  the  greatest  is,  of 
course,  "Ben  Hur."  Fred  Niblo  will 
make  this  the  finest  motion  picture  ever 
produced  at  any  time.  Stupendous 
scenes  will  be  a  feature  of  'Ben  Hur,' 
thousands  of  extras  will  be  employed 
and  a  cast,  carefully  selected  for  both 
name,  value  and  genuine  adaptability 
for  the  role,  has  been  chcsen. 

"Another  of  our  pictures  now  in  the 
course  of  production  that  will  be  an 
outstanding  feature  is  'He  Who  Gets 
Slapped.'  Victor  Seastrom  has  made 
this  a  picture  that  I  am  positive  will 
rank  with  the  finest  ever  produced. 

"Robert  G.  Vignola's  production  of 
'Mrs.  Paramor'  is  another  forthcoming 
Meiro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production  that 


is  bound  to  make  a  hit  with  the  pub- 
lic. 

"Hugo  Ballin  has  completed  his  pro- 
duction of  'The  Prairie  Wife'  and  here 
is  another  of  the  Metro-Goldwyn-May- 
er consistent  hits. 

"Jackie  Coogan's  next  picture,  1  The 
Rag  Man,'  written  by  Willard  Mack  is 
by  far  the  finest  picture  this  young  star 
has  ever  turned  out-  It  should  sweep 
the  country  and  score  an  unqualified 
success. 

"Chester  Franklin  has  produced  in 
'The  Silent  Accuser'  a  picture  thai  will 
not  only  provide  novelty,  excellent  act- 
ing and  all  the  other  attributes  of  a  gen- 
uine success  but  will  offer  unheard  of 
thrills  as  well. 

"William  Vaughn  Moody's  great 
stage  play  'The  Great  Divide'  has  been 
turned  into  what  I  believe  to  be  the 
most  thrilling  Western  story  ever 
filmed.  Reginald  Barker  has  made  a 
marvelous  picture  in  'The  Great  Divide' 
and  has  as  his  cast  Alice  Terry,  Con- 
way Tearle,  Wallace  Beery,  Huntly 
Gordon,  Allan  Forrest,  George  Cooper 
and  Zasu  Pitts,"  said  Mr.  Mayer. 

Continuing  Mr.  Mayer  had  this  to 
say.  "Monta  Bell  has  just  completed 


his  first  picture  for  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  and  this  young  director  will  very 
greatly  add  to  his  fame  when  'The 
Snob'  is  released. 

"Hobart  Henley  is  now  cutting  and 
editing  his  second  production  for  us, 
'So  This  Is  Marriage'  and  here  is  an- 
other picture  that  is  going  to  give  all 
who  see  it  genuine  satisfaction." 

Although  no  bookings  have  as  yet 
been  made  it  is  expected  that  Mr.  May- 
er, Mrs.  Mayer  and  their  two  daughters 
will  sail  shortly.  Mr.  Mayer  has  not 
determined  just  how  long  he  will  re- 
main on  the  other  side. 

*    *  * 

SPECIAL  MEETING  OF 
N.  C.  EXHIBITORS 

North  Carolina  theatre  owners, 
through  its  secretary  James  E.  Estridge 
has  called  a  special  meeting  of  the  Ex- 
ecutive Committee  to  be  held  in  Char- 
lotte at  which  time  important  matters 
will  be  taken  up.  First  and  foremost 
will  come  the  matter  of  negotiations 
with  the  American  Society  of  Com- 
posers, Authors  and  Publishers  with  a 
view  of  either  renewing  or  cancelling 
the  contract  in  force  during  the  past 
twelve  months  with  the  Society  where- 
by Carolina  exhibitors  have  during  the 
past  year  operated  upon  a  hcense  fee 
about  fifty  percent  smaller  than  the 
standard  rates  charged  for  music  li- 
cense. Another  important  matter  will 
be  consideration  of  the  matter  of  better 
financing  the  association  through  the 
proposition  of  a  film  trailer  service. 


This  equestrian  trio  comprises  Louis  B.  Mayer,  vice  president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion, of  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  and  his  daughters,  the  Misses  Edith  and  Irene 
Mayer.    They  leave  shortly  for  Europe  to  visit  Fred  Niblo  and  the  company 

producing  "Ben  Hur"  abroad. 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


D.  W.  Griffith  who  has  just  returned  from 
Europe  and    announces    that   he   is  not 
bound  by  the  "Big  4." 

gard  to  the  future  prosperity  of  the 
industry.  The  present  activity  in  Hol- 
lywood is  a  sure  indication  of  a 
health)^  demand  of  the  public  for  good 
pictures.  The  constant  activity  of  re- 
sponsible persons  toward  the  end  of 
better  pictures  is  gradually,  but  none 
the  less  surely,  having  its  effect.  Ac- 
tive plans  for  possible  production  for 
next  year  will  be  started  when  Mr. 

Cohn  arrives  at  the  home  office. 

*  *  * 

ARRANGE  BENEFIT 
FOR  H.  YUDKIN 

Through  the  efforts  of  H.  F.  Jans, 
of  Jans  Production,  and  D.  J.  Hen- 
nessy,  of  the  Rivoli  Theatre,  Newark, 
N.  J.,  a  benefit  will  be  held  for  Herbert 
Yudkin,  a  well  known  film  salesman, 
who  is  now  convalescing  from  a  serious 
illness. 

Mr.  Yudkin  is  in  a  plaster  cast,  fol- 
lowing an  operation  by  Dr.  Lorenz,  well 
known  surgeon,  and  it  will  be  months 
before  the  cast  can  be  removed  and 
Mr.  Yudkin  will  be  able  to  take  up  his 
duties  again. 

The  efforts  are  meeting  with  great 
success.  Edward  F.  Albee,  of  the 
Keith  organization  was  one  of  the  first 
to  respond. 

Tickets  for  the  benefit  are  available 
through  Mr.  Jans  or  Mr.  Hennessy. 

*  *  * 


REORGANIZATION  OF 
SELZNICK  REPORTED 

According  to  very  persistent  reports, 
Selznick  Distributing  Corporation  is 
undergoing  a  reorganization  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  two  year  note-hold- 
ers. 

With  the  co-operation  of  the  note- 
holders whose  paper  falls  due  in  March, 
it  is  reported  that  the  plan  concerns  the 
extention  of  time  and  full  payment  of 
all  current  obligations  incurred  by  the 
present  organization. 

It  is  understood  the  payment  of  debts 
is  progressing  at  a  rate  satisfactory  to 
the  officials.  The  approximate  reduc- 
tion of  secured  and  prior  liabilities  as 
of  September  3,  this  year  was  $928,- 
184.06.  The  reduction  of  exhibitors 
advance  payments  of  August  30  this 
year  totaled  $311,285.53,  thus  making 
a  total  in  the  debt  reduction  of  $1,239,- 
469.59. 

*    *  * 

M.  P.  T.  0.  A.  TO  HELP 
GET  OUT  VOTE 

Members  of  the  New  York  Rotary 
Club  are  endeavoring  to  combine  the 
energies  of  the  Theatre  Owners  with 
their  efforts  in  bringing  out  a  record 
vote  at  the  coming  presidental  and  Gub- 
ernatorial election  here. 

This  form  of  cooperation  will  be  ex- 
tended as  far  as  possible  to  all  parts  of 
the  Nation  as  it  is  in  most  relations  a 
general  Rotary-Motion  Picture  Theatre 
move. 

National  President  M.  J.  O'Toole 
and  National  Director  Sydney  S.  Cohen 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners 
of  America  are  now  devising  the  most 
practical  means  of  effecting  this  form 
of  Rotary-Motion  Picture  Theatre 
demonstration  of  indifference  to  voting 
and  urging  all  citizens  for  patriotic  rea- 
sons to  vote  irrespective  of  party  affil- 
iations- Mr.  Cohen  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  New  York  Rotary  Club, 
being  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  rep- 
resentative there  and  very  active  in  all 
its  affairs. 

Theatre  owners  will  be  advised  from 
National  headquarters  on  the  most 
effective  way  to  appeal  to  the  public. 


An  Acknowledgment 

In  reviewing  Buster  Keaton's  lat- 
est Metro-Goldwyn  picfure,  "The 
Navigator,"  we  neglected  to  give 
credit  to  the  authors  of  the  story. 
Buster's  famous  gag  men,  Jean  C. 
Havez,  Clyde  Bruckman  and  Joe 
Mitr-Viell     wprp    resnonsihle    for  the 


GRIFFITH  SAYS  HE  IS 
NOT  BOUND  BY  'BIG  4' 

D.  W.  Griffith,  American  producer, 
returned  from  Europe  on  September  16 
aboard  the  Scythia.  He  stated  that  he 
is  still  connected  with  the  United 
Artists  and  that  his  latest  picture 
"Dawn"  will  be  distributed  through 
that  organization. 

In  connection  with  the  signing  of  a 
Famous  Players-Lasky  contract  to  pro- 
duce for  that  company,  he  stated  that 
there  had  been  some  disturbing  rumors 
concerning  United  Artists  and  he  felt  it 
was  best  to  have  the  Griffith  Pictures 
properly  financed  that  Famous  could 
amply  care  for  them. 

He  said  his  signature  to  the  state- 
ment sent  out  some  time  ago  by  United 
Artists  is  not  binding  upon  the  D.  W. 
Griffith's  Corporation,  as  Mr.  Griffith 
personally  should  not  sign  for  the  or- 
ganization. He  also  states  he  was  told 
by  his  attorney  that  the  statement  did 
not  act  as  a  contract. 

What  the  outcome  of  the  Famous 
Player-United  Artists  argument  will 
be  remains  to  be  seen. 

Mr.  Griffith  finished  practically  all 
the    exteriors    of    his    latest  picture 
"Dawn"  in  Europe.    The  interiors  will 
be  made  at  the  Mamaroneck  studios. 
*    *  * 

JACK  COHN  REPORTS 
ON  C.  B.  C.  PROGRAM 

A  letter  from  Jack  Cohn  of  C.  B.  C. 
announces  his  return  from  the  coast 
in  a  short  time. 

Mr  Cohn  has  been  out  on  the  coast 
overseeing  production  for  C.  B.  C.  with 
his  brother  Harry  Cohn.  He  states  in 
his  written  report  that  the  great  amount 
of  time  spent  in  planning  during  the 
earlier  part  of  the  season  is  now  show- 
ing results. 

"The  alternation  of  directors  and 
casts  so  that  incidental  scenes  of  sev- 
eral pictures  could  be  shot  in  close  or- 
der and  the  consequent  elimination  of 
dual  studio  facilities  has  been  the  great 
factor  in  our  being  so  far  ahead  of  our 
production  schedule. 

"The  whole  series  of  eight  Perfec- 
tion Pictures  has  been  completed  in  all 
important  parts.  Production  on  'One 
Glorious  Night,'  the  fourth  Columbia 
Picture  is  soon  to  be  started.  That 
leaves  us  only  four  more  Columbias  to 
do  and  our  plans  for  those  are  all  set. 
They  will  come  in  regular  order  and 
with  so  much  leeway  on  our  schedule 
we  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  make 
them  as  carefully  as  we  wish  to. 

"Those  people  who  always  cast 
doubts  on  the  announcements  of  pro- 
ducers as  to  the  number  of  pictures 
they  will  have  ready  by  a  given  time 
can  not  say  anything  about  C.  B.  C.  A 
promise  with  us  is  a  promise  lived  up 
to.  Do  not  listen  to  our  talk.  Our 
pictures  speak  for  us." 

Mr.  Cohn  is  very  optimistic  in  re- 


EDWARD  FOY  DIES 

Edward  (Eddie)  Foy,  52,  owner  of 
the  Foy  chain  of  neighborhood  theaters, 
died  at  Dallas,  Texas,  August  28,  fol- 
lowing an  illness  of  several  years. 

His  funeral  was  held  at  Dallas,  Sat- 
urday afternoon,  August  30,  with  many 
friends  in  attendance. 


story  and  the  highly  humorous  sub- 
titles. It  seems  to  us  that  all  three, 
as  well  as  Buster  himself,  are  en- 
titled to  no  end  of  credit  for  "The 
Navigator,"  certainly  one  of  the 
most  amusing  feature  comedies  we 
have  ever  seen  and  it  is  with  regret 
that  we  failed  to  mention  the  three 
authors. 


September  27,  1l)24 


Page  15 


New  Jersey  Exhibitors 
Praise  Joseph  Seider 

Board  of  Directors  Pass  Resolution  Acknowledging 
Benefit  of  His  Leadership 


THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners  of  New  Jersey  met  in 
Toms  River  on  September  11  of  last 
week  and  adopted  a  resolution  praising 
the  administration  of  State  President 
Joseph  M.  Seider  for  his  record  of 
achievements  since  his  election  to  suc- 
ceed R.  F.  Woodhull. 

Following  his  elevation  to  the  State 
leadership,  President  Seider  mapped 
out  a  program  in  which  he  embodied 
the  principal  needs  of  the  New  Jersey 
exhibitors  and  for  more  than  four 
months  he  has  been  hammering  away 
on  his  program.  His  efforts,  reflected 
in  many  separate  instances,  resulted  in 
the  reading  and  adopting  of  the  follow- 
ing resolution : 

Whereas  Joseph  M.  Seider,  President 
of  the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners 
of  New  Jersey,  has  led  this  association 
with  undaunted  courage,  wise  foresight 
and  judicious  tact,  and  has  in  every 
way  strengthened  this  organization  and 
has  broadened  its  influence  since  his  in- 
auguration, therefore  be  it  resolved: 

That  the  Board  of  Directors,  at  a 
meeting  held  at  Toms  River,  N.  J.,  on 
this  11th  day  of  September,  1924,  take 
this  means  of  acknowledging  the  organ- 
ization's indebtedness  to  his  able  lead- 
ership. 

Thursday's  meeting,  held  at  the 
Ocean  House,  Toms  River,  followed  a 
meeting  held  the  day  before,  when  the 
theatre  owners  of  Essex  County  met 
in  the  Robert  Treat  Hotel,  Newark, 
with  State  President  Seider  in  the  chair 
and  perfected  an  organization.  The 
Essex  County  organization  elected  the 
following  officers  and  directors  : 

President,  Louis  Rosenthal  (Palace)  ; 
Vice-President,  Richard  A.  Reilly 
(Strand)  ;  Secretary,  Eugene  Stein- 
hardt  (De  Luxe)  ;  Treasurer,  Moe 
Kreidel  (Grove)  ;  Sergeant-at-Arms, 
William  F.  Lessor  (National)  ;  Board 
of  Directors:  Wally  Wellinbrink  (The 
Wellmont)  ;  David  Mates  (Lincoln)  ; 
Jack  Halperin  (Savoy)  ;  David  J.  Hen- 
nessey (Rivoli)  ;  Henry  Sabo  (Clinton 
Square)  ;  Louis  Gold  (Treat)  and 
Jacob  Unger  (Cort).  The  organization 
adopted  the  name  of  Motion  Picture 
Theatre  Owners  of  Essex  County.  It 
will  be  affiliated  with  the  M.  P.  T.  O. 
of  N.  J.  Messrs.  Reilly,  Kreidel  and 
Lessor  were  appointed  to  negotiate 
with  the  Public  Service  Corporation  in 
the  matter  of  charges  for  electric 
power.    Messrs-  Unger,  Halperin  and 


Mates  were  appointed  to  the  Grievance 
Committee.  The  county  body  extended 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  State  organiza- 
tion, and  to  President  Seider,  for  as- 
sistance in  perfecting  the  county  organ- 
ization. 

The  Toms  River  meeting  was  sched- 
uled by  President  Seider  in  his  rotation 
chart  for  the  September  meeting.  Each 
month  the  state  directors  meet  in  a  city 
designated  in  advance.  The  meetings 
of  the  directors  are  open  to  all  exhib- 


A  friendly  chat  between  Erich  von  Stro- 
heim  and  Monta  Bell  directors  for  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer.  Bell  directed  "The 
Snob"  as  his  first  picture  for  his  new  em- 
ployers.   Stroheim  has  completed  ''Greed." 

itors  in  the  territory  where  the  meeting 
is  held.  The  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  were  the  guests  of  exhibitor 
I.  M.  Hirshblond  of  Toms  River  at 
luncheon  served  in  the  Ocean  House. 
Those  present  included  Sidney  Samuel- 
son,  Chairman  of  the  Board,  who  pre- 
sided ;  State  President  Seider,  William 
Keegan,  Benjamin  Shindler,  Arthur  B. 
Smith,  Louis  Rosenthal  and  Lea  Jusko- 
witz,  the  latter  serving  as  Secretary  in 
the  absence  of  Henry  P.  Nelson. 

"Si"  Fabian  of  Newark,  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  dur- 
ing the  early  summer,  was  dropped 
from  the  Board,  in  accordance  with  the 
constitution,  for  his  failure  to  attend 
three  consecutive  meetings.  His  suc- 
cessor will  be  elected  at  the  next  meet- 
ing to  be  held  in  Salem,  N.  J.,  Thurs- 
day, October  9. 

State  Treasurer  Keegan  reported  on 
the  finance  of  the  organization.  His 


report  showed  that  the  State  body  is 
in  an  excellent  way  financially. 

President  Seider  reported  on  book- 
ings of  the  industrial  reel,  "Flying 
Bandit."  The  bookings  have  been  com- 
pleted. The  State  organization  will  re- 
ceive $741.00  as  its  share  ot  these  book- 
ings. Mr.  Seider  reported  that  book- 
ings on  "My  Pal"  are  progressing  sat- 
isfactorily. He  also  reported  on  the 
political,  as  well  as  the  labor,  situation 
in  New  Jersey. 

President  Seider  further  reported 
that  the  State  organization  interceded 
in  behalf  of  the  theatre  owners  of  Es- 
sex County  in  the  recent  conflict  with 
the  motion  picture  operators  and  as  a 
result  a  satisfactory  contract  for  two 
years  was  arranged. 

Progress  has  been  made,  Mr.  Seider 
reported,  on  the  testimonial  dinner  to 
former  President  R.  F.  Woodhull  to 
be  held  during  the  winter  at  the  Robert 
Treat  Hotel  in  Newark.  The  dinner 
has  been  augmented  by  a  ball  sponsored 
by  the  newly  formed  theatre  owners 
organization  in  Hudson  County. 

The  Board  took  unanimous  action  in 
requesting  its  membership  not  to  book 
the  industrial  reel  put  out  by  the  Lee 
Lash  Studios  pending  the  approval  of 
the  organization. 

The  Legislative  Committee  of  the 
State  body  will  meet  in  Trenton,  Sep- 
tember 20. 

Arthur  B.  Smith  introduced  the  reso- 
lution praising  President  Seider,  which 
resolution  was  seconded  by  the  entire 
Board  and  unanimously  adopted. 
*    #  * 

MANY  FIRST  RUNS  ON 
'NEVER  SAY  DIE' 

Associated  Exhibitors  has  girded  the 
country  from  coast  to  coast  with  first 
run  playing  dates  for  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean's  latest  comedy  "Never  Say  Die." 
Following  the  world's  premier  at  the 
California  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  the 
picture  has  been  booked  to  play  pre- 
release engagements  at  Davis'  Million 
Dollar  Grand,  Pittsburgh;  Kunsky's 
Detroit,  Mich.;  Crandall's  Metropol- 
itan, Washington,  D.  C. ;  Sheas's  Hip- 
podrome, Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Guy  Won- 
der's Rivoli,  Baltimore,  Md. ;  New- 
man's Royal,  Kansas  City,  Mo;  Tal- 
bot's Colorado,  Denver,  Colo.;  Ham- 
rick's  Blue  Mouse  Theatres,  at  Seattle, 
Wash.,  Portland,  Ore.,  and  Tacoma^ 
Wash.;  Ray  Stinnett's  Capitol,  Dallas, 
Texas;  King's  and  Rivoli  (day  and 
date),  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Strand,  Erie, 
Pa.;  Desormeaux'  Strand,  Madison, 
Wis.;  Allen's  Temple,  Birmingham, 
Ala.;  Almo,  Raleigh,  N.  C. ;  Perry's 
Ogden,  Utah. ;  Martin's  Dixie,  Galves- 
ton, Texas.;  Capitol,  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  ; 
Steege's  Libertym,  Great  Falls,  Mont.; 
Palace,  Cedar  Rapids,  la.;  Pastime, 
Iowa  City,  la. ;  Crystal,  Waterloo,  la. ; 
Liberty,  McKeesport,  Pa.;  Montauk, 
Passaic,  N.  J. ;  Garden,  Paterson,  N.  J. 


Page  16 

6  Barbara  Frietchie'  To  Open 
New  Broadway  Theatre 

September  27th  Announced  as  the  Date  of  the  Opening 
of  the  Piccadilly  Theatre 


WITH  VINCENT  LOPEZ  swing- 
ing his  magic  baton  and  his  fa- 
mous orchestra  rendering  a 
special  program  of  music.  The  Picca- 
dilly Theatre,  New  York  City's  newest 
motion  picture  palace,  will  be  accorded 
a  gala  opening  on  September  27,  with 
an  audience  composed  of  the  elite  of 
the  motion  picture  world. 

"Barbara  Frietchie,"  Thos.  H.  Ince;3 
big  historical  romance  starring  Florence 
Vidor  and  Edmund  Lowe,  will  be  the 
opening  attraction,  and  it  is  expected 
that  Ince  will  be  present  to  witness  the 
presentation  of  the  first  production 
bearing  his  name  that  has  been  released 
in  the  independent  field. 

The  new  Piccadilly  Theatre  is  located 
on  Broadway  in  the  very  heart  of  New 
York's  theatrical  district  where  it  will 
cater  to  the  fastidious  tastes  of  the 
most  critical  of  audiences  and  compete 
for  patronage  with  the  finest  offerings 
of  the  stage  and  screen. 

The  theatre  itself  is  the  last  word  in 
decorative  beauty  trimmed  in  a  pre- 
dominating tone  of  blue  that  shades  into 
soft  taupes  and  yellows  and  diminishes 
in  gorgeous  sand  colors.    The  pros- 


THE  ALASKAN'  BREAKS 
RIVOLI  RECORD 

Every  record  for  attendance  and  re- 
ceipts broken — is  the  result  of  the  open- 
ing day's  business  of  Thomas  Meighan 
in  "The  Alaskan"  at  the  Rivoli  Theatre, 
New  York.  At  the  supper  show,  on 
Sunday,  usually  the  least  attended  of 
the  six  daily  performances,  the  crowds 
in  the  theatre  were  so  big  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  form  two  lines  on 
Broadway  in  front  of  the  Rivoli  box- 
office. 

The  Paramount  picture  was  favored 
in  making  this  record  by  good  weather 
and  an  intelligent  advertising  campaign 
conducted  by  Harry  Reichenback  a 
week  before  the  picture  opened. 
%    *  % 

PARAMOUNT  EUROPEAN 
BOARD  A  SUCCESS 

Announcements  of  the  results  ob- 
tained by  the  first  session  of  the  newly 
created  European  advisory  board  for 
Paramount  pictures,  received  at  the 
home  office  of  the  Famous  Players-Las- 
ky  Corporation,  indicate  the  greatest 
year's  business  ever  enjoyed  by  Para- 
mount during  the  coming  twelve 
months.    The  advisory  board,  consist- 


cenium  arch  and  the  orchestra  dome 
are  in  gold  leaf  from  which  a  mam- 
moth cut  glass  chandelier  is  suspended. 

In  addition  to  the  music  furnished 
by  musical  director  Vincent  Lopez, 
special  organ  numbers  will  be  played  by 
John  Hammond,  former  organist  of  the 
model  Eastman  Theatre  of  Rochester, 
N.  Y 

Lee  A.  Ochs,  veteran  showman  and 
New  York  theatre  owner,  will  guide 
the  destiny  of  the  Piccadilly  as  its  Man- 
aging Director,  and  his  selection  of 
"Barbara  Frietchie"  as  the  opening  at- 
traction brings  to  an  end  the  keen  ri- 
valry that  has  existed  for  the  honor  of 
supplying  the  initial  presentation  and  it 
scores  a  triumph  for  Thos.  H.  Ince  and 
Producers   Distributing  Corporation. 

Gerald  T.  Gallagher,  general  man- 
ager for  the  theatre,  is  enthusiastic  over 
the  selection  as  it  affords  a  world  pre- 
miere of  a  story  already  famous  on 
Broadway  as  a  stage  play  and  an  op- 
portunity for  much  favorable  compari- 
son of  the  portrayal  of  the  title  role  by 
Florence  Vidor  and  the  interpretation 
previously  given  by  Julia  Marlow. 


ing  of  the  executives  of  the  various 
European  Paramount  companies,  was 
organized  by  E.  E.  Shauer,  director  of 
the  foreign  department,  and  the  first 
session  was  held  in  the  Paramount  of- 
fices in  Paris  on  Aug.  28-29,  with  Mr. 
Shauer  in  the  chair. 

The  principal  business  transacted  at 
the  first  meeting  of  the  board  was  a 
discussion  of  plans  for  the  greater  co- 
ordination of  the  company's  distributing 
activities  in  Europe.  General  problems 
relating  to  the  distribution  of  Para- 
mount pictures  were  considered,  and  a 
campaign  outlined  to  make  the  coming 
year's  European  business  the  greatest 
in  the  history  of  the  Paramount  organ- 
ization. 

*    *  * 

CASTING  DIRECTORY 
OPENS  N.  Y.  OFFICE 

The  Standard  Casting  Directory  of 
Hollywood  announce  the  opening  of  a 
New  York  office  at  1650  Broadway 
with  Frederic  Arthur  Mindlin  in 
charge- 

This  office  will  handle  and  list  all  the 
artists  doing  picture  work  in  the  East, 
thus  making  the  Standard  Casting  Di- 
rectory a  complete  classified  directory 
of  Motion  Picture  Players. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Florence  Vidor,  was  signally  honored  when 
her  feature  picture  "Barbara  Frietchie"  for 
Producers  Dist.  Corp.,  was  chosen  to  open 
the  new  Piccadilly   Theatre,   New  York. 

EXHIBITORS  TO  FIGHT 
DAYLIGHT  SAVING 

The  Motion  Picture  Owners  of 
America,  through  National  President 
M.  J.  O'Toole,  is  sending  to  different 
parts  of  the  country  suggestions  and  ad- 
vice regarding  Daylight  Saving  Cam- 
paigns. Motion  picture  owners  through- 
out the  country  recognize  the  harm 
done  by  the  Daylight  Savings  law  in 
many  cities  and  an  organized  effort  will 
be  made  to  put  the  country  back  on 
Standard  time. 

Mr.  O'Toole  points  out  that  Day- 
light Saving  is  contrary  to  nature  and 
is  a  detriment  to  ligitimate  business  and 
should  be  abolished.  It  is  particularly 
harmful  to  exhibitors  and  it  is  hoped 
that  the  campaign  will  have  the  desired 
result  in  getting  back  to  normalcy. 

*    *  * 

N.  C.  EXHIBITORS  PRE-  j 
PARE  FOR  BATTLE 

Notice  has  been  served  upon  exhib- 
itor leaders  of  North  Carolina  that  the 
coming  session  of  the  North  Carolina 
General  Assembly  will  have  both  a 
state  censorship  and  a  state  admission 
tax  measure  presented  to  it  for  con- 
sideration. President  Henry  B.  Var- 
ner,  of  Lexington,  is  cognizant  of  the 
impending  clouds  and  is  building  his 
fences  throughout  the  state  in  antici-  j 
pation  of  a  hard  fight  before  the  next 
session  of  the  legislature  of  the  State. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  17 


Edward  Saunders  Celebrating 
Sixteenth  Year  In  Industry 


EDWARD  M.  SAUNDERS,  in 
charge  of  the  Western  Sales  Di- 
vision for  the  Metro-Goldwyn 
Distributing  Corporation,  is  about  to 
celebrate  his  sixteenth  year  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry,  sixteen  years  that 
have  made  him  one  of  the  best  in- 
formed men  in  the  trade  with  an 
acquaintance  among  exhibitors  and 
exchangemen  that  extends  all  over  the 
civilized  world. 

It  was  with  Rowland  and  Clark  that 
E.  M.  Saunders  began  the  career  that 
was  eventually  to  land  him  at  the  top. 
He  went  to  work  for  Richard  A.  Row- 
land in  December  1906  and  was  soon 
made  assistant  to  Mr.  Rowland  who 
handled  the  bookings  for  the  firm. 

When  Universal  was  organized  thir- 
teen years  ago,  in  1911,  Saunders  came 
to  New  York  where  he  opened  the  first 
branch  office  to  be  established  by  Uni- 
versal. This  was  located  at  11  East 
14th  street,  at  that  time  the  center  of 
the  film  renting  business,  with  the  orig- 
inal Biograph  studio  a  few  blocks  away. 

After  long  service  as  manager  of 
branch  offices  for  Universal,  Saunders 
resigned  at  the  time  when  the  state 
franchise  plan  first  was  contemplated. 

Seeing  the  possibilities  in  the  fran- 
chise idea,  Saunders  obtained  the  New 
York  State  franchise  of  the  Alco  Film 


Corporation  and  took  charge  of  their 
offices  in  New  York,  Albany  and  Buf- 
falo. 

Edward  M.  Saunders  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  Metro  Pictures  Corpora- 


ED WARD  M.  SAUNDERS 
In    charge    of    Metro-Goldwyn    sales  in 
western  section  of  the  United  States  and 
member    Board    of    Directors  Metro- 
Goldwyn    Distributing    Corporation,  Inc. 


tion  and  became  a  part  owner  of  the 
New  York  State  franchise  of  the  com- 
pany. In  a  very  short  time  he  was  ap- 
pointed General  Sales  Manager  for  the 
United  States  and  Canada  and  acted 
in  that  capacity  for  Metro  until  the 
merger  with  Goldwyn  when  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  Western  Sales 
Division  of  the  new  company. 

Sixteen  highly  successful  years  in 
what  many  are  pleased  to  call  the  "in- 
fant industry"  is  rather  out  of  the  or- 
dinary. There  are  not  many  who  can 
claim  connection  with  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  for  such  a  length  of  time. 
Edward  M.  Saunders  grew  up  with  the 
business,  the  business  never  outgrew 
him,  he  was  always  a  few  steps  ahead, 
always  ready  with  innovations  and 
probably  has  done  more  than  any  one 
other  man  to  build  up  the  elaborate 
selling  methods  as  they  exist  today.  To 
such  men  the  entire  industry  owes  a 
vote  of  thanks  and  should  offer  their 
heartiest  congratulations  on  his  six- 
teenth anniversary. 


PATHE  WILL  SHOW 
WHITE  INDIANS 

The  first  of  the  feature-length  sub- 
jects that  will  be  screened  in  chapters 
under  the  new  policy  adopted  by  Pathe 
News  is  the  recently  discovered  "White 
Indians"  of  Central  America.  This 
series  is  of  timely  and  unusual  interest 
due  to  the  large  amount  of  newspaper 
space  given  to  the  arrival  recently  of 
several  of  these  unknown  people  in 
New  York  City  accompanied  by  Rich- 
ard Marsh,  who  headed  an  expedition 
into  the  Darien  Jungles  to  find  them. 


Paramount  Speeding  Production 


Long  Island  Studios  Hum  With 
Increased  Activity 


THE  week  of  September  8  marked 
the  beginning  of  a  period  of  in- 
creased production  activity  at  the 
Famous  Players  studio  on  Long  Island. 
Four  new  Paramount  pictures  were 
launched  on  that  date  and  the  week 
following,  and  one  picture  now  in 
work  was  completed.  . 

The  first  picture  scheduled  to  start 
is  Thomas  Meighan's  starring  vehicle, 
"Tongues  of  Flame,"  the  last  story 
written  by  Peter  Clark  MacFarlane,  to 
be  directed  by  Joseph  Henabery. 

On  September  15,  Elsie  Ferguson 
will  return  to  the  screen  after  an  ab- 
sence of  nearly  two  years,  in  "The 
Swan,"  by  Molnar,  the  Broadway  stage 
success  which  is  to  be  made  into  a 
Paramount  picture  by  Dimitri  Bucho- 
wetzki. 

Another  production  now  being  pre- 
pared for  the  screen  is  Richard  Dix's 


second  Paramount  starring  picture, 
which  is  temporarily  titled  "Jungle 
Law." 

The  fourth  picture  will  be  "Argen- 
tine Love,"  an  original  story  by  Vicente 
Blasco-Ibanez,  to  be  made  by  Allan 
Dwan  starring  Bebe  Daniels  and  fea- 
turing Ricardo  Cortez. 

Bebe  Daniels,  Tom  Moore  and  the 
company  engaged  in  the  filming  of 
"Dangerous  Money,"  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Frank  Tuttle,  are  working 
nights  on  the  final  scenes  for  this  pic- 
ture, which  is  Miss  Daniels'  first  stellar 
effort  for  Paramount. 

Pictures  in  the  cutting  room  are 
Gloria  Swanson's  recently  completed 
"Wages  of  Virtue,"  Richard  Dix's  first 
starring  picture,  "Manhattan,"  and  Ru- 
dolph Valentino's  latest  Paramount  pic- 
ture, "A  Sainted  Devil." 


CHICAGO  FIRE  HAS 
BEEN  PICTURIZED 

The  great  Chicago  fire  of  1871, 
which  almost  completely  wiped  out  the 
Middle  West  Metropolis  and  its  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  population, 
has  been  reproduced  with  thrilling 
realism,  highly  spectacular  effects  and 
dramatic  touches  in  "Banders  Burned 
Away ;"  scheduled  for  release  by  As- 
sociated Exhibitors  for  early  in  the 
Fall. 


UNIVERSAL  SIGNS 
STRONG  MAN 

Joe  Bonomo,  famous  as  the  world's 
champion  strong  man,  and  noted  as 
professional  wrestler,  film  stunt  expert, 
and  teacher  of  physical  culture,  has 
been  signed  for  five  years  by  Universal 
as  a  serial  feature  player.  He  will  be- 
gin his  first  picture  under  the  new  con- 
tract when  he  appears  in  a  forthcoming 
circus  chapter  play,  in  which  he  will 
play  the  strong  man  and  lion  tamer,  the 
leading  role  in  the  piece. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Associated  Offers  Prizes 
In  'Spitfire'  Drive 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 
start  this  week  on  what  promises 
to  be  the  most  unique  sales  drive 
in  the  history  of  the  film  industry.  It 
is  unique  because  of  the  varied  number 
of  awards  offered  the  exchange  man- 
agers- The  contest  is  to  be  known  as 
"The  Spitfire"  contest,  and  the  winners 
will  be  given  their  choice  of  ten  dif- 
ferent bonuses. 

The  ten  awards  of  which  the  leading 
exchange  managers  will  have  his  choice 
have  an  individual  value  of  $2,500. 
These  are  : 

1.  Household  furnishings  and  fittings 
up  to  a  total  cost  of  $2500.  The  win- 
ner may  furnish  a  home  completely  or 
he  may  put  the  whole  amount  into  one 
rug,  a  painting,  a  player  piano,  a  li- 
brary or  any  other  item  of  furnishings 
or  fittings. 

2.  Choice  of  certain  new  models  of 
the  following  automobiles :  Anderson. 
Buick,  Chandler,  Chrysler,  Cole,  Davis, 
Flint,  Hudson,  Jordan,  Kissel,  Lexing- 
ton, Moon,  Nash,  Paige,  Peerless,  Reo, 
Rickenbacker,  Stearns-Knight,  Ster- 
ling-Knight, Studebaker,  Stutz,  Velie, 
Westcott  and  Willys-Knight. 

3.  A  Fay  &  Bowen  power  boat,  the 
Junior  Runabout,  Design  E-17,  24  feet 
over  all,  five-foot  beam,  equipped  with 
a  23-horse-power  engine,  Boat  makes  a 
speed  of  sixteen  miles  an  hour  and  has 


a  cruising  radius  of  ninety  miles  with- 
out refuelling. 

4.  Twenty-year  endowment  policy 
in  the  New  York  Life  (subject  to  win- 
ner's acceptance  as  a  risk)  paid  up  for 
5  vears,  for  the  principal  sum  of  from 
$7,000  to  $10,000,  according  to  age. 
This  policy,  for  the  best  risks,  also  in- 
cludes disability  provisions,  providing 
a  monthly  income  which  does  not  re- 
duce the  endowment  or  the  amount 
payable  at  death. 

5.  A  building  lot,  not  to  exceed 
$2500  in  cost,  or  the  payment  up  to 
$2500  on  a  lot  of  greater  cost. 

6.  Twenty-five  $100,  five  and  one- 
half  percent,  guaranteed,  first  mortgage, 
coupon,  registered  Prudence  bonds. 
These  bonds  are  issued  against  a  group 
of  income-producing  properties  and  be- 
sides this  security  are  guaranteed  by 
the  Prudence  Company. 

7.  The  payment  of  initiation  fee  and 
dues,  up  to  $2500,  in  a  country  club, 
town  club  or  both-  This,  of  course,  is 
conditional  upon  the  winner's  election 
to  membership. 

8.  Outfits  of  clothing  for  exchange 
manager  and  members  of  his  family, 
up  to  a  total  cost  of  $2500.  The  whole 
amount,  if  desired,  may  be  put  into  one 
item. 

9.  Tuition  and  expenses,  not  ex- 
ceeding $2500,  of  a  son,  daughter  or 
other  relative  in  any  college,  university 


If  the  Movie  could  reproduce  the  sound  of  Irene  Rich's  singing,  undoubtedly  there 
would  be  added  delight  to  her   Warner   Bros,   feature  picture   "This  Woman." 


or  other  school  to  which  they  obtain  ad- 
mission. This  would  include  expenses 
and  private  or  other  tuition  in  music  or 
any  other  subject,  either  at  home  or 
elsewhere,  up  to  the  limit  of  $2500. 

10.  An  article  or  articles  of  jewelry, 
either  for  the  winner  or  any  membe1 
of  his  family,  to  the  amount  of  $2500- 

The  contest  is  to  end  just  before  the 
holidays  so  that  the  bonuses  wi'l  be  a 
Christmas  present  to  the  winning 
branch  manager. 

•¥  afs 

ATLANTA  RENEWS 
OPERATOR'S  CONTRACTS 

Atlanta  motion  picture  theatres  have 
renewed  contracts  with  the  motion  pic- 
ture operators  for  another  year.  The 
only  change  is  an  increase  of  $5  per 
week  for  the  smaller  second  run  houses, 
this  increase  having  been  waived  a  year 
ago  with  the  provision  that  it  would  be 
allowed  this  year  if  the  year  showed  a 
profit  from  operations.  The  Musicians 
Union  has  not  yet  made  any  demands 
and  it  is  believed  will  operate  on  the  old 
contract  terms.  The  stage  hands  have 
not  as  yet  come  to  a  settlement. 


MEMPHIS  THEATRES 
WITHOUT  MUSIC 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  theatres  opened  La- 
bor Day  without  a  vestige  of  music, 
not  even  an  organ  being  allowed  to 
operate  on  account  of  a  walk  out  of  all 
union  musicians  after  the  theatres  had 
refused  to  accede  to  their  demands  for 
a  four  instead  of  a  five  hour  day. 

This  virtually  amounted  to  a  demand 
for  increase  of  twenty-five  percent 
since  the  programs  are  so  arranged  that 
it  requires  actually  five  hours  playing 
time  and  would  necessitate  securing  an 
extra  orchestra  for  the  extra  hour  or 
the  payment  of  overtime. 


ST  LOUIS  FILM  MAN 
IN  AUTO  ACCIDENT 

Charles  Gregg,  45  years  old,  salesman 
for  the  St.  Louis  Film  Exchange,  was 
killed  instantly  on  Thursday,  Septem- 
ber 11,  when  an  automobile  service  car 
in  which  he  was  riding  near  East 
Prairie,  111.,  toppled  into  the  ditch 
dongside  the  road. 

The  funeral  was  held  in  Greenway, 
Ark.,  his  former  home,  on  Sunday, 
September  14,  with  Masons  and  Elks  in 
charge.  The  St.  Louis  Film  colony  was 
represented  by  Harry  Hynes,  manager 
for  the  St.  Louis  Film  Exchange ; 
Harry  Strickland,  salesman  for  United 
Artists,  representing  the  St.  Louis  Film 
Salesmen's  Club,  and  Guy  I.  Bradford, 
salesman  for  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation,  proxy  for  C.  D.  Hill, 
president  of  the  St-  Louis  Film  Board 
of  Trade. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  19 


MARION  DAVIES  DRAWS 
HALF  OF  PLATTSBURGH 

More  than  one-half  of  the  population 
of  Plattsburgh,  N.  Y.,  saw  Marion  Da- 
vies  in  "Janice  Meredith,"  at  the  Clin- 
ton Theatre  in  Plattsburgh  during  the 
week  of  August  2-5. 

The  official  population  of  Plattsburgh 
is  11,300.  There  were  6,747  paid  ad- 
missions, and  also  the  free  admissions 
given  to  advertisers,  city  officials,  army 
officers  and  newspapermen.  The  aver- 
age proprietor  of  a  theatre  is  generally 
considered  as  doing  well  if  he  succeeds 
in  attracting  to  his  house  20 
percent  of  the  population. 
But  Plattsburgh  reached  the 
50  percent  figure  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  price  of  ad- 
mission had  been  raised  for 
this  production  from  the  usual 
10,  20  and  30  cent  charges 
to  a  flat  rate  of  50  cents. 

This  extraordinary  result  is 
to  be  credited  chiefly  to  an  in- 
tensive campaign  instituted 
by  the  Metro-Goldwyn  ex- 
ploitation executive  in  charge, 
who  proceeded  to  remind  the 
people  of  Plattsburgh  in  vig- 
orous fashion  that  the  picture 
had  been  made  for  the  most 
part  in  and  about  Plattsburgh 
the  year  before ;  that  many  of 
its  citizens  had  taken  part  in 
it,  and  that  consequently  the 
Cosmopolitan  Corporation 
had  granted  the  city  the  first 
showing  of  the  picture  out- 
side of  its  New  York  pre- 
miere at  the  Cosmopolitan 
Theatre. 

*    *  * 


sound  proof  and  is  designed  for  the 
convenience  of  mothers  who  bring  their 
children  with  them.  Should  the  child 
get  fretful  or  cross  during  the  perform- 
ance the  mother  can  take  him  to  the 
back  of  the  auditorium  where  she  can 
enjoy  the  rest  of  the  program  without 
having  the  other  patrons  annoyed. 

The  theatre  will  be  built  without  pil- 
lars or  posts  to  allow  for  perfect  vision 
from  every  seat.  All  the  lighting  will 
be  indirect  so  that  no  lamps  are  ex- 
posed to  the  public  view  thus  creating, 
a  soft,  pleasing  effect  which  is  much 
easier  on  the  eyes    than    the  sudden 


GOLDBURG  FORMS 
BUILDING  FIRM 

News  has  just  been  re- 
ceived from  Hollywood  that 
Jesse  J.  Goldburg,  president 
of  the  Independent  Pictures 
Corp.,  has  formed  a  new  sep- 
arate company  for  the  pur- 
pose of  building  a  theatre  on 
Sunset  Boulevard  in  Holly- 
wood. The  plans  for  the  the- 
atre are  now  being  drawn  but 
the  exact  location  of  the  thea- 
tre will  not  be  made  known 
until  the  plans  have  been  ap- 
proved by  the  building  depart- 
ment. 

The  theatre  is  to  be  com- 
prised of  an  enclosed  audi- 
torium seating  nine  hundred 
and  an  elaborate  and  ultra 
modern  roof  garden  seating  six  hun- 
dred. The  plans  provide  for  attractive, 
comfortable  smoking  rooms  and  lounge 
rooms,  and  a  large  restful  foyer  where 
patrons  may  sit  and  wait  if  they  do 
not  care  to  go  into  the  theatre  in  the 
middle  of  the  feature. 

There  is  also  being  considered,  a  spe- 
cial glass  enclosed  room  which  will  be 


Marion  Davies  adroitly 
bribes  the  half-intoxi- 
cated British  sergeant, 
W.  C.  Fields,  in  this 
scene  from  Cosmopoli- 
tan's "Janice  Meredith." 


Just  a  bit  indicative  o£ 
the  struggles  of  the 
American  troops  at 
Valley  Forge,  is  this 
pathetic  moment  when 
Janice  Meredith  reaches 
the  American  camp,  in 
Cosmopolitan's  produc- 
tion    of     that  name. 


bright  lighting  caused  by  exposed 
lam^  ^. 

The  auditorium  will  be  provided  with 
a  deep  stage  to  allow  plenty  of  space 
for  prologues,  etc.,  and  the  theatre  will 
be  equipped  with  a  large  modern  or- 
gan. The  decorations  will  be  in  French 
Renaissance  style  but  will  incorporate 
every  feature  of  modern  comfort. 


The  theatre  will  house  only  first  run 
pictures  catering  especially  to  indepen- 
dent releases,  each  picture  to  be  given 
an  elaborate  presentation.  The  key- 
note of  the  theatre  will  be  novelty  atfd 
originality  in  every  phase,  and  its  chief 
purpose  will  be  to  provide  particular 
patrons  with  something  distinctly  differ- 
ent. It  is  estimated  that  the  structure 
alone  will  cost  $200,000,  excluding  the 
cost  of  the  land. 

BIG  YEAR  PLANNED 
FOR  CENTURY 

With  product  for  the  next  four 
months  completed  and  already  in 
Universal  exchanges,  Century 
Film  Corporation,  producers  of 
Century  Comedies,  plans  the 
greatest  year  in  its  history  for 
1925.  Productions  scheduled  for 
release  up  to  the  first  of  January, 
1925,  were  completed  almost  a 
month  ago,  and  prints  delivered 
to  the  exchanges,  leaving  the 
studio  officials  free  to  make  plans 
for  next  year.  The  studios  have 
been  thoroughly  repaired  and  en- 
arged  sufficiently  to  provide  for 
the  heavy  production  schedule 
for  next  year. 

Pulius  and  Abe   Stern,  presi- 
dent and  vice-president  of  the  or- 
ganization, have  been  abroad  dig- 
ging up  novel  material  and  taking 
a  vacation  at  the  same  time.  They 
are  expected  back  at  the  end  of 
this  month  at  which  time  they  will 
proceed  directly    to  Hollywood 
where    their    studios  are 
located  in  order  to  personally 
supervise  the  production  for 
next  year. 

*    *  * 

RAYART  GIVES 
SERIAL  LINEUP 

W.  Ray  Johnston,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Rayart  Pictures 
Corporation,  this  week  an- 
nounced the  lineup  of  their 
new  serial,  "Battling  Brew- 
ster," which  is  going  into  pro- 
duction this  week  at  the  Rus- 
sell Studios  in  Hollywood. 

The  new  serial  will  be  pro- 
duced by  Imperial  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  a  California  cor- 
poration, and  will  be  directed 
by  Paul  Hurst,  who  has  not 
only  a.  great  number  of  fea- 
tures but  also  a  number  of 
serials  to  his  credit  as  direc- 
tor. Hurst  will  best  be  re- 
membered in  serials  by  his  direction  of 
"Lightning  Bryce." 

The  story  is  .an  original  one  by  Lewis 
Weadock,  a  writer  for  some  of  the  best 
magazines  and,  incidentally,  the  man 
who  titled  "The  Covered  Wagon." 

"Battling  Brewster,"  which  will  be 
issued  in  fifteen  episodes  of  two  reels 
each,  will  be  released  October  15. 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


GERMANY  TO  SEND  ITS 
BEST  FEATURES  HERE 

Following  the  opening  at  Room  1211, 
Loew  State  Theatre  Building,  on 
Broadway  of  offices  for  Ufa  Films, 
Inc.,  the  big  association  of  Continental 
producing  units,  the  following  state- 
ment was  issued  by  Frederic  Wynne- 
Jones,  American  representative  of  the 
European  concern. 

"Ufa  does  not  contemplate  producing 
any  pictures  in  America,  or  producing 
any  American  pictures  abroad-  It  will 
continue  to  use  its  two  big  studios  at 
Templehof  and  at  Neubabelsberg  near 
Berlin,  to  produce  stories  of  interna- 
tional interest,  and  to  utilize  its  present 
cosmopolitan  personnel.  However, 
from  time  to  time  some  American 
screen  stars  will  be  taken  abroad  to 
portray  roles  in  Ufa  productions. 

"Ufa  plans  to  send  to  this  country  its 
biggest  and  best  pictures,  particularly 
those  with  an  international  atmosphere, 
such  as  could  not  be  produced  in  this 
country.  Many  of  its  productions  might 
be  called  world-themes,  as  for  example 
'Siegfried,'  the  first  film  production  of 
the  Nibelung  saga  immortalized  in 
Wagner's  operas. 

"Having  associated  with  it  the  lead- 
ing screen  directors,  stars  and  techni- 
cians of  the  Continent,  Ufa  will  aim 
to  familiarize  this  country  with  the  best 
screen  art  of  Europe,  just  as  American 
publishers  through  translations  have 
familiarized  the  American  reading  pub- 
lic with  the  best  modern  European  lit- 
erature, and  American  theatrical  pro- 
ducers, through  importing  plays  and 
foreign  stars,  have  familiarized  the 
American  theatre-goer  with  the  best  in 
European  drama. 


Doris  Kenyon  arrives  in  Hollywood  for 
the  First  National  product'on  "Idle  Ton- 
gues"—she  is  greeted  by  John  McCormick. 


"Ufa  believes  that  the  work  of  such 
directors  as  Franz  Lang  of  such  artists 
as  Paul  Richter,  Hanna  Ralph  and  Emil 
Jannings  will  win  instant  recognition  by 
the  motion  picture-loving  population  of 
America. 

"To  a  very  slight  extent  the  Ameri- 
can public  is  already  familiar  with 
Ufa,  'Passion'  is  one  of  its  productions 
was  so  successful  here  that  Pola  Negri, 
its  star,  and  Lubitsch,  its  director  was 
induced  to  leave  Ufa  and  settle  here. 

"Of  the  artistic  value  of  Ufa  pro- 
ducts and  the  artistry  of  its  players, 
America  will  shortly  have  an  opportun- 
ity to  judge  for  itself. 

"That  its  producing  facilities  are 
worthy  of  its  artists  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  several  American  producers 
have  taken  to  making  pictures  abroad. 
'Decameron  Nights'  shortly  to  be  seen 
here  under  other  auspices  was  made  at 
Ufa's  Berlin  studio,  with  an  interna- 
tional cast,  which  includes  Lionel  Bar- 
ry mo  re. 


Laurette  Taylor  whose  new  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  production  "One  Night  in 
Rome"  has  just  been  released.  The  mir- 
ror's easel  is  her  leading  man  Tom  Moore. 

NON-THEATRICAL  UNITS 
HURT  BUSINESS 

With  many  complaints  from  exhib- 
itors of  Northwestern  states  of  non- 
theatrical  competition,  this  matter  prob- 
ably will  be  among  the  foremost  of  sub- 
jects to  be  taken  up  at  ;the  Allied-  Kan- 
sas State  convention  to  Topeka,  Sep- 
tember 22  and  23. 

"Community  picture  companies," 
which  receive  the  cooperation  of  local 
merchants,  who  pay  one  dollar  towards 
a  "merchants'  night,"  are  said  to  be 
thriving  in  several  adjacents  to  the 
Kansas  City  territory.  The  only  earthly 
possessions  or  investments  of  those 
companies  is  a  cheap  portable  outfit  and 
a  few  reels  of  scrap  film.  The  re- 
grettable phase  of  it  is  that  thus  far  ex- 
hibitors have  been  unable  to  find  any 
method  of  combating  such  competition, 
as  the  townspeople  have  been  "falling" 
heavy  for  such  enterprises. 

Although  the  plans  are  not  yet  com- 
pleted, the  convention  will  end  with  a 
mammoth  movie  ball,  to  which  the 
prizes  will  be  awarded  for  the  best  cos- 
tumes in  imitation  of  screen  stars. 


Lovely  Alice  Lake,  who  has  just  been  en- 
gaged to  a  star  in  the  next  Whitman-Ben- 
nett Production  entitled  "The  Lost  Chord." 
Success  to  Alice  on  her  new  association. 

With  the  order  of  business  of  the 
convention  completed  and  all  minor  de- 
tails attended  to,  the  meeting  is  ex- 
pected to  be  handled  in  court-like  fash- 
ion. 

#    #  * 

ALBANY  FILM  MEN 
PLAN  FROLIC 

What  is  expected  to  be  the  biggest 
gathering  of  exhibitors,  film  salesmen, 
exchange  managers  and  others  con- 
nected with  the  industry  in  the  history 
of  Albany  and  vicinity,  is  slated  for 
Saturday  afternoon,  October  4,  when 
the  salesmen  of  the  Capitol  City  will 
hold  their  first  outing  and  clambake. 
Already  several  hundred  tickets  have 
been  sold,  including  a  half  dozen  to  the 
Renown  offices  in  New  York  City. 
There  will  be  a  luncheon  at  noon,  fol- 
lowed by  a  clambake  in  the  late  after- 
noon. A  program  of  races  for  both 
men  and  women,  with  a  baseball  game 
and  dancing  is  being  arranged. 

3fC  5{£ 

FLANNERY  IS  OMAHA 
4BIG  U'  MANAGER 

Jack  Flannery,  veteran  exchangeman, 
has  returned  to  Omaha,  to  succeed  H. 
F.  Lefholtz  resigned,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Universal  branch.  For 
some  time  he  has  been  with  the  com- 
pany at  St.  Louis.  He  formerly  man- 
aged the  Omaha  Hodkinson  branch, 
prior  to  which  he  was  a  salesman  for 
that  firm  in  the  Minneapolis  territory. 
Lefholtz  who  managed  the  Universal 
exchange  for  ten  years,  now  is  Omaha 
manager  for  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  21 


EXHIBITORS  PROTEST 
NEW  TRAILER  RULE 

At  an  executive  meeting  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Owners  of  Eastern  Mis- 
souri and  Southern  Illinois  held  on  Sep- 
tember third,  the  following  resolution 
was  adopted : 

WHEREAS ,  The  Film  Exchanges 
have  been  furnishing  the  Exhibitors 
with  Trailers  for  many  of  their  feature 
pictures  gratis,  which  served  to  adver- 
tise the  picture  on  the  screen  in  ad- 
vance and  proved  a  good  medium  for 
the  Exchange  as  well  as  for  the  Ex- 
hibitor; and 

Now  we  are  informed  that  the  Ex- 
changes will  discontinue  Trailers  and 
are  urging  the  Exhibitor  to  buy  them 
from  the  National  Screen  Service  Com- 
pany of  New  York; 

We  therefore  desire  to  enter  our  pro- 
test against  such  action  for  the  reason 
that  the  service  furnished  by  the  Na- 
tional Screen  Service  Company  is  not 
satisfactory,  as  it  is  regulation  service 
only  and  does  not  individualize  certain 
features  which  the  exhibitor  would 
want  to  heavily  exploit  without  being 
compelled  to  contract  for  said  National 
Screen  Service. 

THEREFORE  BE  IT  RESOLVED, 
by  this  Organization  that  we  demand 
the  restoration  of  Trailer  Service  by 
the  Exchanges  as  heretofore. 

BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED, 
that  a  copy  of  this  Resolution  be  sent 
to  every  Exhibitor  in  Eastern  Missouri 
and  Southern  Illinois,  and  a  copy  be 
sent  to  the  Trade  Journal,  the  Hays 
Organization,  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  A. 
and  the  St.  Louis  Film  Board  of  Trade. 

I.  W.  Rogers, 
Pres.  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  E.  Mo.  &  S.  111. 

*    *  * 

RENOWN  HAS  LIVE 
SALES  STAFF 

Jack  Bellman,  the  hustling  manager 
of  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  distributing 
Truart,  Principal  and  other  independent 
productions  in  New  York  and  New  Jer- 
sey, has  surrounded  himself  with  a  sales 
staff  that,  judged  by  their  records, 
ranks  with  the  best  in  the  field.  Each 
and  every  man  was  selected  not  only 
because  of  his  knowledge  of  the  ter- 
ritory to  which  he  is  assigned,  but  also 
because  of  his  personal  popularity  with 
the  exhibitors  in  that  territory. 

Lower  Manhattan  is  covered  by 
Charles  Gould  who  also  takes  care  of 
Staten  Island.  Fred  Meyers  handles 
Upper  Manhattan  and  the  Bronx, 
where  he  is  well  known.  North  and 
South  Brooklyn  exhibitors  sign  con- 
tracts for  Dick  Gledhill  and  Max 
Broad,  respectively.  Bert  Freese  is  su- 
pervisor of  the  Jersey  Territory  where 
he  has  Lee  Gainsberg  and  Sam  Licht 


calling  on  the  theatres  and  Irving 
Grossman  is  bringing  in  the  business 
from  Long  Island  and  suburban  New 
York  as  well  as  from  up-state.  A.  Pol- 
lak  is  Bellman's  assistant  in  the  office, 
where  he  handles  the  innumerable  de- 
tails of  office  management  and  super- 
vises the  securing  of  dates. 

With  such  a  staff,  there  is  absolutely 
no  reason  for  the  proverbial  dotted  line 
to  be  without  the  signature  of  the  live 
showmen  of  the  district,  for  coupled 
with  the  ability  of  his  men,  Bellman 
has  a  line-up  of  features  that  any  ex- 
change can  well  be  proud  of. 


Edith  Thornton,  featured  player  in  Wil- 
liam Steiner  productions,  whose  first 
"Virtue's  Revolt"  is  soon  to  be  released. 


WARNER  SCHEDULE 
NEAR  COMPLETION 

With  the  Warner  Bros,  "twenty  for 
1924-25"  well  along  toward  completion 
and  promised  for  delivery,  in  their  en- 
tirety, to  exchanges  before  March  1, 
1925,  plans  for  the  season  to  follow 
are  beginning  to  crystallize  with  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  purchase  of  new 
story  material. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  observed 
that  the  Warners  have  just  acquired 
the  screen  rights  to  "The  Golden  Co- 
coon," by  Ruth  Cross,  recently  pub- 
lished by  Harper  Bros,  and  now  selling 
in  its  first  edition  at  a  rate  which  in- 
dicates that  it  is  destined  to  be  one  of 
the  really  big  things  of  the  current  year. 
The  deal  was  closed  between  Helen 
Hough,  agent  for  the  author  and  pub- 
lishers, and  the  Warner  Brothers  direct. 
The  purchase  price  has  not  been  an- 
nounced although  the  fact  that  the  book 
was  bought  in  competition  with  several 
other  producing  companies  is  the  indi- 
cation that  the  figure  was  not  a  low  one. 


HINES'  FEATURE  IS 
CLOSING  TERRITORY 

Sales  Manager  William  Wilkerson  of 
East  Coast  Films,  Inc.,  returned  this 
week  from  a  trip  through  the  Middle 
West  in  behalf  of  Johnny  Hines'  new 
series  of  three  features,  the  first  of 
which,  the  "Speed  Spook"  has  already 
been  completed. 

Included  among  the  sales  made  by 
Wilkerson  were  Wisconsin  to  John 
Ludwig,  of  Ludwig  Film  Exchanges, 
Film  Bldg.,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and 
Washintgon,  D.  C,  to  Trio  Productions, 
Inc.  The  territories  already  sold  on 
the  Hines'  features  number  as  follows : 

Greater  New  York  to  San  Zierler, 
Commonwealth  Film  Corporation,  N. 
Y.  City ;  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Southern  New  Jersey  to  Ben  Amster- 
dam, Masterpiece  Film  Attractions 
Philadelphia,  ,Pa. ;  Ohio  to  Skirboll 
Gold  Seal  Productions,  Cleveland ; 
New  England  to  American  Feature 
Film  Company,  Boston,  Mass. ;  the  en- 
tire foreign  rights  to  Simmonds-Kann 
Enterprises,  N.  Y.  City;  Minnesota  and 
North  and  South  Dakota  to  Fred  Cub- 
berly,  F.  &  R.  Films,  Loeb  Arcade 
Bldg.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  Wisconsin 
to  John  Ludwig,  of  Ludwig  Film  Ex- 
changes, Milwaukee,  and  Washington, 
D.  C,  to  Trio  Productions,  New  Jersey 
Ave.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Pending  negotiations  on  the  Johnny 
Hines'  series  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
complete  series  will  be  sold  practically 
100  percent  within  the  next  week. 

*    *  * 

SAVAGE  SIGNS  STAR 

Flora  Le  Breton,  English  picture  star 
who  has  made  a  series  for  Cranfield  & 
Clark,  has  been  placed  under  contract 
by  Henry  W.  Savage  for  a  term  of 
years. 


Irene  Rich  as  a  nightingale  seems  to 
charm  Marc  McDermott,  in  her  latest 
Warner  Bros,  production,  "This  Woman." 


Page  22 


Pola  Negri  in  her  latest  starring  picture  for  Paramount  "Forbidden  Paradise"  di- 
rected by  Ernest  Lubitsch.    Rod  La  Rocque  heads  the  supporting  cast. 

Irving  Lesser  Sees  Great 
Year  In  Industry 


RETURNING  from  the  Pacific 
Coast  where  he  made  an  inten- 
sive study  of  motion  picture  pro- 
duction and  attended  the  semi-annual 
meeting  of  Principal  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, Irving  M.  Lesser,  vice  president 
of  that  organization,  says  he  found  that 
big  and  powerful  productions  are  the 
order  of  the  day.  Mr.  Lesser,  at  his 
offices.  1540  Broadway,  expressed 
great  enthusiasm  over  the  rapid  strides 
forward  being  made  in  the  industry. 

"Whether  credit  for  all  of  this  goes 
to  the  efforts  of  Will  H.  Hays,  to  a 
response  by  producers  to  public  de- 
mand, the  fact  remains  that  motion  pic- 
tures have  reached  a  new  epoch  in  their 
development,"  he  said.  "Producers,  di- 
rectors, players  are  taking  more  pains 
with  their  work.  The  day  of  the  so- 
called  'shooting  gallery'  picture  has 
passed,  and  there  has  come  the  dawn- 
ing of  pictures  that  tell  a  mighty  story, 
produced  with  strength  and  with  play- 
ers of  proven  merit. 

"In  Los  Angeles  production  is  going 
along  at  fever  heat.  Every  studio  is 
engaged  in  turning  out  plays  of  real 
strength.  The  approaching  season  will 
prove  a  delightful  and  amazing  one  to 
patrons  of  motion  pictures.  Citing  the 
program  of  Principal  Pictures  Cor- 
poration as  a  specific  example  of  what 
is  being  done  on  the  Coast,  we  have 
just  finished  HaFpld  Bell  Wright's 
"The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door"  and 
the  prints  will  be  shipped  from  Los 
Angeles,  Sept.  23. 

"When  I  saw  the  picture  I  was 
astounded  by  its  magnitude.  Sam  Wood, 


the  director,  has  done  such  great  work- 
that  my  brother,  Sol  Lesser,  has  en- 
gaged him  to  picturize  Mr.  Wright's 
'The  Re-Creation  of  Brian  Kent.' 
Work  on  this  will  be  started  Oct.  IS.  I 
can  say  without  reservation  that  'The 
Mine  With  the  Iron  Door'  is  the  great- 
est picture  Principal  ever  has  made, 
and  in  saying  this  I  do  not  forget 
'When  A  Man's  A  Man'  which  is  a 
great  box-office  success,  or  any  of  our 
Jackie  Coogan  productions,  such  as 
'Oliver  Twist'  and  others.  'The  Mine 
With  The  Iron  Door,'  one  of  our  great- 
est American  novels,  is  a  contribution 
to  the  literature  of  the  screen. 

"Not  satisfied  with  this-  Principal  is 
going  to  produce  Tolstoi's  'Resurrec- 
tion'— produce  it  in  such  a  manner  that 
it  will  be  another  contribution  to  screen 
literature.  We  will  show  the  finer 
spirit  of  the  imaginative,  poetic,  loyal 
and  liberal  Russian  people.  We  will 
show  the  spirit  that  prevails  through- 
out the  world  today — the  spirit  pos- 
sessed by  Tolstoi  himself,  the  spirit 
which  arose,  phoenix-like  from  the 
ashes  of  the  World  War — the  spirit 
of  the  Bortherhood  of  Man.  By  this  I 
do  not  mean  the  spirit  of  anarchy,  of 
destruction  of  ideals  and  customs.  Be- 
fore production  is  started  it  is  our  in- 
tention to  work  out  the  theme  with  the 
Hays  office.  And  then  when  we  begin 
we  shall  endeavor  to  produce  something 
that  will  be  aimed  at  the  heart  of  every 
home-loving,  generous  minded  man  and 
woman.  Our  star  will  be  one  of  the 
biggest  dramatic  actresses  of  the  screen 
today.  Our  director  is  a  man  of  world- 
wide renown." 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

'SCARAMOUCHE'  BREAKS 
ALL  PARIS  RECORDS 

Unreservedly  acknowledged  to  be  the 
most  sensational  success  among  motion 
pictures  that  Paris  has  ever  known, 
Rex  Ingram's  production  of  "Scara- 
mouche"  has  entered  on  a  phenomenal 
run  at  the  Madeleine  Theatre  there. 

Opening  Sept.  4,  "Scaramouche" 
drew  17,500  francs  to  the  box-office, 
and  on  Sunday,  three  days  later, 
achieved  the  unheard-of  figure  of  23,- 
230  francs,  a  record  that  unless  broken 
by  "Scaramouche"  itself  will  stand  in 
all  likelihood  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

Paris  critics  were  unlimited  in  the 
praise  they  lavished  on  the  production, 
and  the  public  has  reacted  to  the  big 
spectacle  as  the  French  public  has  to  no 
other  cinema  achievement,  this  in  con- 
sideration of  the  fact  that  the  greatest 
American  and  foreign  successes  of  the 
past  and  recent  seasons  have  been 
shown  in  Paris. 

The  reception  of  "Scaramouche"  in 
the  city  of  its  original  locale  where  it 
faced  the  judgment  of  what  naturally 
was  the  most  critical  audience  the  pic- 
ture has  yet  played  to,  proved  the  ar- 
tistic worth  of  the  special,  and  is  an- 
other feather  in  the  cap  of  its  producer, 
Rex  Ingram- 

*    *  * 

AMERICAN  COMPANY  TO 
BUILD  IN  PARIS 

Jules  E.  Mastbaum,  President,  Stan- 
ley Company  of  America,  has  joined  in 
a  project  to  build  in  Paris  a  modern 
motion  picture  palace  to  cost  about 
$7,000,000.  The  house  is  to  be  on  a 
site  in  the  very  heart  of  Paris — about 
a  block  away  from  the  Opera — and  it 
will  probably  be  the  finest  house  in  the 
world.  Frank  Verity,  architect,  has 
just  returned  to  Paris  from  a  visit  to 
the  United  States  where  he  has  given 
close  study  to  American  picture  thea- 
tres. He  has  prepared  plans  for  the 
Paris  structure. 

Announcement  of  the  intention  of 
Mr.  Mastbaum  to  associate  himself 
with  the  Parisian  enterprise  came  on 
the  eve  of  his  departure  for  America, 
following  his  extensive  stay  in  Europe. 
He  will  sail  today  on  the  Majestic  for 
New  York  and  he  is  expected  to  ar- 
rive there  next  Tuesday.  More  re- 
garding his  plan  will  then  be  available 
but  he  has  already  definitely  announced 
his  intention  to  give  to  Paris  such  a 
cinema  theatre  as  only  America  now 
possesses.  He  will  be  associated  in  the 
enterprise  with  Captain  Benjamin 
Hicks  of  London  and  Benjamin  Blum- 
enthal,  who  conducts  a  number  of  thea- 
tres on  the  Continent.  The  intention  is 
to  erect  a  house  with  seating  capacity 
of  3000. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  23 


VITAGRAPH  WINS 
TITLE  SUIT 

The  following  statement  was  issued 
last  week  from  the  general  offices  of 
Vitagraph,  Inc.,  in  Brooklyn: 

"On  Monday,  September  8,  Justice 
James  C.  Cropsey,  in  the  Supreme 
Court  in  Brooklyn,  dismissed  the  tem- 
porary writ  of  injunction  he  had  pre- 
viously granted,  restraining  Vitagraph, 
Inc.,  from  the  use  of  the  title  "Behold 
This  Woman"  on  a  motion  picture  pro- 
duction, which  for  several  weeks  it  had 
been  circulating  widely. 

"The  application  for  the  temporary 
writ  had  been  made  by  T.  Everett 
Harre,  author  of  a  novel  entitled  "Be- 
hold the  Woman"  and  the  Macaulay 
Company,  publishers. 

"No  representation  whatsoever  had 
been  made  by  the  applicants  for  the 
writ  that  the  film  story  was  suggested 
by  Mr.  Harre's  novel.  On  the  contrary 
the  production,  'Behold  This  Woman' 
was  an  adaptation  of  E.  Phillips  Op- 
penheim's  novel,  'The  Hillman,'  and 
publicity  material  sent  out  by  Vita- 
graph, Inc.,  in  exploiting  the  produc- 
tion states  this  fact. 

"In  a  settlement  with  Mr.  Harre 
effected  at  the  time  the  writ  of  injunc- 
tion was  vacated,  Vitagraph,  Inc.,  paid 
this  author  a  nominal  sum,  $3,000, 
rather  than  take  the  film  out  of  the 
theatres  while  awaiting  a  civil  trial  of 
the  issue.  The  terms  of  that  settle- 
ment set  forth  specifically  that  Vita- 
graph, Inc.,  admits  no  liability  what- 
soever in  the  use  of  the  title,  'Behold 
This  Woman,'  and  full  and  undisputed 
right  to  which  is  restored  by  the  dis- 
continuance of  the  action." 

*    *  * 

C.  &  C.  SHORT  SUBJECTS 
ON  BROADWAY 

Cranfield  &  Clarke  announce  that 
they  have  closed  a  contract  with  Dr. 
Hugho  Reisenfeld  of  the  Rialto  and 
Rivoli  Theatres,  New  York  City,  for 
ten  novelty  one  reel  subjects  for  exhi- 
bition presentation  at  either  of  the  the- 
atres under  his  supervision.  The  first 
one  of  the  ten  subjects,  "Through 
Three  Reigns,"  began  a  phenomenal  en- 
gagement at  the  Rivoli  Theatre  on  Au- 
gust 31.  The  daily  press  were  unani- 
mous in  their  praise  of  this  short  sub- 
ject, which  is  apropos  at  this  particular 
time  with  the  Prince  of  Wales  visiting 
this  country. 

"Through  Three  Reigns"  deals  with 
the  Coronations  and  demise  of  three  of 
England's  monarchs  and  leads  up  to  the 
Prince  of  Wales  as  a  child  and  as  he 
looks  today.  The  other  nine  subjects 
are :  "A  Peep  in  Puzzleland,"  "The 
Zoo's  Who's  Who,"  "Magic  Hour,"  "If 
Matches  Struck,"  "A  Day  With  the 
Gypsies,"  "Do  You  Remember," 
"Stratford-on-Avon,"  "Rubbernecking 
in  London"  and  "Up  the  River  With 
Molly." 


F.  N.  FOR  POLAND 

The  Foreign  Department  of  First 
National  Pictures,  Inc.,  recently  made 
an  arrangement  with  Polish  exhibitors 
by  which  twenty  of  its  current  produc- 
tions will  be  distributed  in  various  cities 
of  Poland.  The  bookings  will  bf 
handled  through  First  National's  Ber- 
lin office. 

ALICE  JOYCE  SIGNS 
WITH  SCHULBERG 

An  important  announcement  con- 
cerning the  forthcoming  Preferred  Pic- 
ture, "White  Man,"  came  this  week 
when  B.  P.  Schulberg  made  public  that 
Alice  Joyce,  one  of  the  most  famous 
screen  stars  of  all  time,  had  been  en- 
gaged for  the  leading  feminine  role. 

In  "White  Man"  which  Gasnier  will 
direct,  she  will  return  to  the  screen 
after  an  absence  of  two  years,  her  lat- 
est appearance  having  been  in  Gold- 
wyn's  special  "The  Green  Goddess." 
Since  her  withdrawal  from  film  work, 
Miss  Joyce  has  been  the  recipient  of 
constant  offers  from  producers.  When 
it  recently  became  known  that  she  was 
again  available  several  more  overtures 
for  her  services  were  made,  among 
them  the  offer  of  the  lead  in  "White 
Man." 

Few  screen  names  have  ever  meant 
more  at  the  box-office  than  Alice  Joyce. 
Every  picture  patron  remembers  her  in 
numerous  Vitagraph  releases  and  Mr. 
Schulberg  feels  that  he  has  added 
greatly  to  the  advertising  value  of 
"White  Man"  by  having  secured  her  to 
head  the  cast. 

2^  *    *  * 

FINISH  COOGAN  SERIES 

With  the  completion  of  "The  Rag 
Man,"  the  fourth  and  last  of  the  Jackie 
Coogan  pictures  for  Metro-Goldwyn 
distribution  is  about  ready  for  release. 


GERSON  PICTURES  FOR 
INDEPENDENTS 

B.  Berger,  general  manager  of  Ger- 
son  Pictures  Corporation,  with  head- 
quarters and  studios  in  San  Francisco, 
announces  that  this  corporation  will 
produce  eight  feature  productions  dur- 
ing the  season  1924-5. 

This  series  will  be  produced  under 
the  personal  direction  of  Duke  Worne 
and  will  be  released  as  Duke  Worne 
Productions.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
capable  directors  in  the  type  of  stories 
in  which  Richard  Holt  will  appear,  and 
has  many  creditable  successes  to  his 
record  of  box-office  attractions. 

General  Manager  Berger  announces 
that  this  series  of  thrill  dramas,  which 
will  not  in  any  sense  of  the  word  be 
known  as  "westerns"  but  will  be  more 
in  the  class  of  society  pictures,  are  to 
be  franchised  on  the  independent  mar- 
ket. Berger  has  an  entirely  new  and 
hitherto  untried  plan  under  which  to 
distribute  this  series  and  expects  to 
make  announcement  of  this  plan  with- 
in the  next  few  weeks. 

*    *  * 

FOREIGN  TERRITORY 
FOR  RAYART  SOLD 

Richmount  Pictures,  Inc.,  of  which 
D.  J.  Mountain  is  President,  this  week 
announces  the  consummation  of  nego- 
tiations with  Rayart  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion for  the  exclusive  distribution  of 
the  Rayart  product  for  the  entire  for- 
eign market. 

The  deal,  which  is  one  of  the  largest 
deals  consummated  in  the  Independent 
fielcl  within  the  last  two  years,  includes 
two  serials,  twelve  westerns,  twelve 
dramas  and  twelve  specials. 

The  first  serial  released  will  be 
"Battling  Brewster"  and  the  first 
special  will  be  "The  Street  of  Tears." 


When  there's  a  kindly  Sheriff,  there's  usually  a  way — as  Eileen  Percy 
finds.  This  scene  from  Truart's  production  entitled  "Let's  Go"  is  one 
of  the  highlights  in  a  picture  of  excitement,  romance  and  heart  throbs. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


S.  BARRET  McCORMICK 
JOINS  PATHE 

S.  Barret  McCormick  has  been  ap- 
pointed Special  Exploitation  Manager 
in  charge  of  the  two  forthcoming  Pathe 
features,  "Dynamite  Smith"  and  "The 
Battling  Orioles." 

Mr.  McCormick  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  advertising  and  exploi- 
tation men  in  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness. He  is  equally  as  well  known  as 
an  exhibitor,  having  served  as  Manag- 
ing Director  of  some  of  the  largest 
theatres  in  the  country. 

He  was  at  one  time  a  Denver  news- 
paper man  and  entered  the  motion  pic- 
ture field  by  managing  two  Denver  the- 
atres. Since  then  he  has  managed  the 
Circle  Theatre  at  Indianapolis.  He  also 
managed  the  Allen  Theatre  at  Cleve- 
land and  opened  the  big  McVickers 
Theatre  at  Chicago.  He  comes  to  the 
Pathe  Exchanges,  Inc.,  from  the  Tivoli 
Theatre  at  Washington. 


LLOYD'S  LATEST  FOR 
NOVEMBER  RELEASE 

Harold  Lloyd's  latest  screen  pro- 
duction, "Hot  Water,"  will  be  released 
November  2,  according  to  an  announce- 
ment made  this  week  by  the  Pathe  Ex- 
changes, Inc. 

His  newest  production  is  an  entire 
departure  from  his  most  recent  release, 
"Girl  Shy,"  inasmuch  as  it  carries  no 
running  story,  and  almost  the  entire  ac- 
tion takes  place  within  twenty-four 
hours.  The  basis  of  the  picture  is  the 
troubles  of  a  newlywed,  a  mother-in- 
law,  a  turkey  won  in  a  raffle,  a  brother- 
in-law,  who  was  born  lazy  and  hasn't 
changed  a  bit  since  the  day  of  his  birth. 

In  Lloyd's  newest  production  there 
are  really  only  five  outstanding  charac- 
ters.   In  editing  and  cutting  everything 


was  sacrificed  for  laughs.  The  actual 
footage  runs  about  five  reels  completely 
eliminating  all  unnecessary  footage. 

Sam  Taylor  and  Fred  Newmeyer  are 
responsible  for  the  direction  with  the 
"gags"  and  titles  handled  by  Tommy 
Gray  and  Tim  Whalen.  Tobyna  Rals- 
ton again  appears  opposite  Lloyd  while 
Josephine  Crowell  enacts  the  next  im- 
portant role,  that  of  mother-in-law- 


F.  B.  0.  HOLDS  SALES 
CONFERENCE 

A  sales  conference  of  division  man- 
agers extending  over  a  period  of  three 
days,  starting  Sunday,  September  7, 
was  held  in  the  Home  Office  of  F.  B. 
O.  The  Division  Managers  who  at- 
tended were  C.  E.  Penrod,  in  charge  of 
the  Middle  States  Divisions,  Cleve 
Adams,  South  Western  States,  Max 
Weisfeldt,  Central  West  and  E.  J. 
Smith,  Eastern  States. 

Harry  Berman,  Sales  Manager  of  F. 
B.  O.  presided,  and  sales  policies  in 
connection  with  F.  B.  O.'s  forthcoming 
big  releases,  including  "Vanity's  Price," 
"Fools  in  the  Dark,"  "Messalina,"  the 
new  series  of  Thompson  productions, 
the  "Lefty"  Flynn  pictures,  "The 
Prude,"  F.  B-  O.'s  new  short  subjects, 
"The  Go-Getters"  and  the  new  series  of 
Westerns  to  be  made  by  the  Independ- 
ent Pictures  Corporation  were  discus- 
sed. 


FAMOUS  DIVIDEND 

At  a  meeting  held  Monday  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation  declared  the  regular  quar- 
terly dividend  of  $2.00  per  share  on 
the  preferred  stock,  payable  November 
1,  1924,  to  stockholders  of  record  at  the 
close  of  business  on  October  15,  1924- 
The  books  will  not  close. 


Usually  a  scene  of  a  scene  has  as  much  interest  as  the  celluloid  version  itself.  David 
Smith,  director  of  Vitagraph's  production  "Captain  Blood"  stated,  together  with  his 
principals!  Allan  Forrest  and  Jean  Paige  are  snapped  in  Arthur  Lett's  beautiful  garden. 


PEGGY  HOPKINS  JOYCE 
TO  BECOME  STAR 

Peggy  Hopkins  Joyce,  the  toast  of 
the  Riviera,  Monte  Carlo  and  the 
Broadway  musical  comedy  stage,  hav- 
ing tasted  the  bitter  and  the  sweet  of  a 
crowded  career  of  exciting  events,  does 
not  believe  that  her  cup  of  life  will  be 
full  until  she  has  appeared  as  a  star  in 
the  movies.  Toward  this  end,  Countess 
Peggy  Hopkins  Joyce  Morner,  who  re- 
cently hop-skipped  in  and  out  of  royal- 
ty, has  put  her  famous  "Hancock"  to 
a  million-dollar  contract  to  star  in  a 
series  of  motion  picture  productions. 

An  announcement  made  at  the  execu- 
tive offices  of  J.  M.  Mullin,  well  known 
pioneer  in  motion  picture  circles,  that 
he  has  signed  Peggy  Hopkins  Joyce  to 
star  in  a  series  of  screen  productions  at 
a  figure  that  reaches  a  high  water 
mark,  has  created  considerable  interest 
throughout  the  realm  of  moviedom. 

Peggy  Joyce's  last  theatrical  appear- 
ance was  as  the  star  of  Earl  Carroll's 
"Vanities  of  1923,"  which  played  the 
entire  season  on  Broadway  and  enjoyed 
a  successful  tour  of  the  large  cities 
throughout  the  country.  With  the  an- 
nouncement that  she  has  signed  a  con- 
tract to  appear  on  the  screen,  several 
Broadway  theatrical  producers  have 
taken  to  the  veil,  inasmuch,  as  each  one 
has  been  either  clamoring  or  stating 
that  he  has  Peggy  under  contract  for 
his  respective  show. 

Preparations  are  already  under  way 
for  the  first  production.  Negotiations 
have  been  started  for  the  purchase  of  a 
famous  stage  play  to  be  adapted  for 
screen  use  as  Miss  Joyce's  initial  film 
vehicle.  Production  activities  will  start 
early  in  October- 

*  *  * 

SULLIVAN  TO  PRODUCE 
SERIES  FOR  F.  B.  0. 

C.  Gardner  Sullivan,  veteran  scenario 
writer  and  editor,  has  entered  the  pro- 
duction end  of  the  motion  picture  busi- 
ness. His  first  picture,  "Cheap  Kisses," 
is  now  in  production  on  the  Thomas  H. 
Ince  "lot"  at  Culver  City,  California. 

The  C.  Gardner  Sullivan  Productions 
is  the  new  company  that  will  offer  the 
finished  product  of  Mr.  Sullivan's  fa- 
cile pen.  Four  productions,  in  all,  are 
to  be  made  in  the  first  series  of  this 
organization  with  each  of  the  stories 
written  by  Mr.  Sullivan. 

John  Ince,  brother  of  Thomas  H. 
Ince,  the  producer  was  chosen  to  direct 
the  first  of  the  Sullivan  productions 
which  will  be  released  by  F.  B.  O. 

*  *  * 

HUDSON  COMES  EAST 

Earl  Hudson,  production  manager 
for  First  National,  will  move  two  units 
to  New  York,  Oct.  15. 

One  group  will  be  headed  by  Corinne 
Griffith  and  will  immediately  start  work 
upon  "Declasse,"  while  the  other  star 
to  go  east  is  Milton  Sills. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  25 


INDEPENDENT  ADOPTS 
NEW  BOOKING  PLAN 

In  order  to  facilitate  matters  for  the 
exhibitor  and  make  more  sure  the  ser- 
vice to  him,  Independent  Pictures  Corp. 
has  adopted  the  policy  of  selling  only 
one  exchange  in  each  territory  and  al- 
lowing them  to  handle  the  product  ex- 
clusively. 

The  plan  met  with  the  instant  and 
complete  approval  of  several  exchanges 
prominent  among  which  are  Pioneer 
Films,  of  Boston,  who  holds  the  entire 
New  England  territory  and  who  has 
purchased  Independent  product  one 
hundred  percent;  the  Rex  Film  Co.,  of 
Detroit,  Sy  Griever  who  controls 
Northern  Illinois  and  Indiana,  and  the 
Independent  Film  Service  of  Dallas, 
Texas. 

Included  in  the  one  hundred  percent 
bookings  are  the  following  pictures : 
new  Franklin  Farnum  pictures  (series 
of  eight)  ;  Bill  Cody  series  of  eight 
pictures ;  Desmond-Holmes  productions 
(eight  in  series)  ;  "Dangerous  Pleas- 
ure," a  society  drama  with  Dorothy 
Revier,  Niles  Welch  and  Theodore 
Lorch;  "When  Winter  Went,"  a  five 
reel  comedy  with  Raymond  Griffith  and 
Charlotte  Merriam ;  "Woman  Under 
Oath,"  "Her  Game"  and  "Her  Code  of 
Honor"  with  Florence  Reed ;  "What 
Three  Men  Wanted"  with  Miss  Du- 
pont. 

*    *  # 

STATE  TAKES  CONTROL 
OF  'AMBITION' 

Deputy  Labor  Commissioner  Santee 
of  the  California  State  Department,  of 
Labor  has  assumed  control  of  funds 
guaranteed  from  the  sale  of  the  Grand 
Asher  Distributing  Corporation  and  the 
Motion  Picture  Producers'  Association 
picture  entitled  "Ambition." 


Gloria  Swanson  not  only  acts  in  her  pic- 
tures but  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
scenario.  She  is  shown  pondering  over 
the  script    of    a    picture    for  Paramount. 


Anna  May  Wong  is  the  first  Chinese  ac- 
tress to  attract  attention  in  pictures.  She 
is  now  in  demand  for  Oriental  parts.  The 
above  is  from  Pathe's  "The  Fortieth  Door." 

Complaints  were  lodged  against  ihc 
two  companies  by  workmen,  who 
claimed  that  they  received  worthless 
checks  in  payment  of  wages.  They 
further  presented  evidence  that  the  pic- 
ture had  been  sold  for  a  figure  approxi- 
mating $60,000.  Of  this  amount  $30,- 
000  will  be  paid  over  to  the  workmen 
and  former  employees. 

The  other  $30,000  will  be  used  to  de- 
fray property  and  material  claims 
against  the  companies. 

*  *  * 

BUSTER  KEATON  RENEWS 
SCHENCK  CONTRACT 

Buster  Keaton  and  Joseph  M. 
Schenck  have  signed  new  contracts 
calling  for  at  least  six  feature  comedies 
from  the  comedian  at  an  approximate 
cost  of  $300,000  each.  The  distribu- 
tion of  the  productions  will  rest  in 
Schenck's  hands. 

The  first  picture  under  the  new  con- 
tract will  be  an  adaptation  of  Roi 
Cooper  Megrue's  "Seven  Chances." 

*  *  * 

PRIZE  WINNING  NOVEL 
FOR  VITAGRAPH 

Another  of  Booth  Tarkington's  prize- 
winning  novels  will  find  its  way  to  the 
screen  this  winter,  when  Anagraph  re- 
leases "The  Magnificent  Ambersons." 
Jay  Pilcher  is  now  at  work  on  the 
continuity  for  this  production,  and 
David  Smith,  who  will  direct,  is  con- 
sidering possible  selections  for  the  vari- 
ous roles. 

Like  most  of  Mr.  Tarkington's 
stories,  "The  Magnificent  Ambersons" 
has  to  do  with  an  interior  American 
town,  whose  residents  are  very  human 


persons,  and  deals  with  experiences 
that  bring  readers  close  to  the  grass- 
roots. Besides  winning  one  of  the  an- 
nual Pulitzer  prize  awards,  it  has  been 
one  of  the  heaviest  sellers  of  this  novel- 
ist's many  successes,  and  is  admirably 
fitted  for  screen  use. 

*  *  * 

'RESURRECTION'  FOR 
PRINCIPAL 

Sol  Lesser,  president  of  Principal 
Pictures  Corporation,  announces  that 
Principal  will  produce  Tolstoi's  "Resur- 
rection" on  an  elaborate  scale.  Pro- 
duction will  be  started  within  a  few 
weeks.  The  stars  and  director  will  be 
of  world-wide  prominence.  Technical 
men  will  be  brought  here  from  the  Con- 
tinent to  insure  correctness  of  detail. 
Plans  are  also  under  way  to  send  the 
principals  to  Russia  for  certain  scenes 
impossible  of  reproduction  here. 

"Resurrection"  is  one  of  the  most 
absorbing  of  the  great  Russian's  works, 
sets  forth  in  detail  those  phases  of 
Russian  life  which  led  up  to  the  great 
revolution. 

*  *  * 

SYRACUSE  AVERTS 
MUSICIAN'S  STRIKE 

The  threatened  strike  of  musicians 
in  the  theatres  of  Syracuse  was  averted 
the  past  week  when  a  compromise  was 
brought  about  that  will  give  the  musi- 
cians $56  a  week  and  leaders  $85  a 
week.  This  represents  an  increase  of 
$4  a  week  to  the  former  and  $5  a  week 
to  the  latter,  or  just  one  half  the 
amount  originally  demanded.  In  Al- 
bany the  theatres  met  the  musicians  last 
week  by  giving  them  a  three  year  agree- 
ment with  the  union  and  $48  a  week, 
an  increase  of  $3  over  what  has  been 
paid. 


Miss  Kathlyn  Martyn,  who  will  be  seen  in 
a  prominent  role  in  "The  Sixth  Command- 
ment," which  will  soon  be  released  under 
the    guidance    of    Associated  Exhibitors. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


In  addition  to  their  three  original  units 
which  are  at  the  present  time  all  working  at 
top  speed,  the  Independent  Pictures  Corp. 
has  taken  over  a  new  unit  to  film  a  series 
of  special  Westerns  which  are  to  be  released 
by  one  of  the  prominent  releasing  com- 
panies. 

*  *  * 

Walter  Lantz,  the  cartoonist-creator  of  the 
new  Bray  cartoon  character  "Dinky  Doodle," 
is  at  present  putting  the  finishing  touches  to 
the  second  of  the  new  series  of  animated 
cartoons  in  which  the  artist  works  in  com- 
bination with  the  Cartoon  character. 

.   j(c  % 

Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation  announce 
that  Mission  Films  have  started  production 
on  "The  Tom  Boy"  which  they  are  making 
for  them  and  that  David  Kirkland  has  been 
signed  to  direct  the  production  with  beauti- 
ful Madge  Bellamy  in  the  title  part. 

*  *  * 

C.  B.  C.  have  another  one  of  their  Perfec- 
tion Series  featuring  Eva  Novak  and  Wil- 
liam Fairbanks  well  on  the  way  to  comple- 
tion. It  will  be  released  as  the  fourth  of 
the  series  and  under  the  title  of  "The  Beau- 
tiful Sinner." 

%    &  ^ 

Victor  Seastrom  is  cutting  and  titling  "He 
Who  Gets  Slapped,"  the  Andreyev  play 
which  he  has  produced  for  Metro-Goldwyn 
from  a  Carey  Wilson  adaptation  with  Lon 
Chaney  in  the  title  role. 

s}:  sjs 

Hobart  Henley  is  using  the  Bible  as  his 
scenario  for  an  important  episode  in  the 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production  of  "So 
This  is  Marriage"  which  he  is  directing. 
The  scenes  are  for  a  Biblical  insert  into  the 
ultra-modern  Carey  Wilson  story,  and  are 
being  photographed  in  their  natural  colors. 

*  *  * 

Nick  Grinde  has  returned  to  picture  mak- 
ing after  having  deserted  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry  for  a  brief  period  during  which 
he  directed  stage  productions.  Grinde  is  now 
assistant  to  Monta  Bell  at  the  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer studio,  where  Bell  is  producing 
"The  Snob"  from  the  Helen  R.  Martin 
novel. 

•¥ 

Production  work  on  "The  Mirage,"  star- 
ring Florence  Vidor,  was  gotten  under  way 
at  the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studio  this  week  with 
Clive  Brook,  Alan  Roscoe,  Vola  Vale  and 
Myrtle  Vane  in  the  leading  roles  of  the  sup- 
porting cast. 

sje      ^  :f; 

Beverly  Bayne  has  signed  a  long  term  con- 
tract with  Warner  Bros,  making  her  the 
latest  addition  to  a  list  of  important  screen 
players  in  the  Warner  string  which  has  been 
growing  at  the  rate  of  one  or  more  a  week 
for  some  time. 

•fc  H* 

William  de  Mille  is  somewhere  on  the 
Pacific  ocean  with  a  fishing  rod  in  his  hand 
and  the  script  of  his  next  production 
"Locked  Doors,"  in  his  pocket.  He  is  work- 
ing out  the  final  details  of  the  new  picture, 
which  is  from  an  original  story  by  Clara 
Beranger. 


Hard-working  Richard  Dix,  who  has  been 
playing  in  Paramount  pictures  without  a  rest 
period  between  roles,  left  the  Long  Island 
studio  recently  for  a  well-earned  vacation  at 
Lake  Placid. 

*•    *  # 

"The  River  Boat,"  which  Victor  Fleming 
will  produce  for  Paramount,  will  be  started 
on  September  22,  according  to  an  announce- 
ment made  today  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first 
vice  president  in  charge  of  production  of 
Famous  Players-Lasky. 

*  *  * 

The  first  of  the  season's  Ernst  Lubitsch 
productions  for  Warner  Bros.'  "Three 
Women,"  is  just  getting  under  way  in  the 
big  theatres  throughout  the  country  which 
have  been  impatiently  awaiting  its  release 
date.  It  is  going  into  the  Criterion  in  Los 
Angeles  to  follow  "The  Sea  Hawk"  which 
was  on  for  an  indefinite  run. 

*  *  * 

Warner  Baxter  is  to  continue  as  a  Thomas 
H.  Ince  featured  player,  according  to  an- 
nouncement from  the  Culver  City  studios. 
This  sets  at  rest  the  report  circulated  that 
Baxter  is  no  longer  under  the  auspices  of 
Thomas  H.  Ince,  which  started  when  he 
was  engaged  by  Famous  Players-Lasky  to 
play  in  Betty  Compson's  "Garden  of 
Weeds."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  is  still 
under  contract  to  Mr.  Ince  and  has  only 
been  lent  to  Famous  for  a  single  picture. 

*  *  * 

Olga  Printzlau,  one  of  the  highest  priced 
scenario  writers  in  the  business,  has  again 
been  signed  by  Warner  Bros,  to  make  the 
screen  adaptation  of  Max  Kretzer's  "The 
Man  Without  a  Conscience." 


Molly  O'Sullivan,  Cosmopolitan  player  in 
"Janice  Meredith,"  who  played  in  the 
Chariot  Revue,  has  returned  to  London. 


The  task  of  organizing  the  cast  which 
will  support  Gloria  Swanson  in  "Madame 
Sans-Gene"  has  been  completed.  The  cast 
includes  some  of  the  most  noted  actors  and 
actresses  of  France. 

Charles  de  Roche,  the  only  one  besides 
Miss  Swanson  who  has  had  motion  picture 
experience  in  America,  has  the  role  of  Le 
Febvre.  Mr.  de  Roche  needs  no  introduc- 
tion to  the  motion  picture  public. 

Zane  Gray's  "Code  of  the  West,"  a  great 
story  of  early  pioneering  days,  will  go  into 
production  for  Paramount  on  September  22, 
according  to  an  announcement  made  today 
by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice  president  in 
charge  of  production  of  Famous  Players- 
Lasky  Corporation. 

*    *  * 

Mabel  Julienne  Scott,  Edward  Connelly 
and  Warner  Oland  have  been  engaged  for 
important  roles  in  the  biblical  insert  in  Ho- 
bart Henley's  production  of  "So  This  is 
Marriage,"  which  is  being  filmed  at  the  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio.  Miss  Scott  has 
been  cast  for  the  role  of  Bath-Sheba,  while 
Connelly  will  appear  as  Nathan  the  Prophet. 
Oland  will  play  King  David. 

Additions  to  the  cast  for  Thomas  Meig- 
han's  newest  Paramount  picture,  "Tongues 
of  Flame,"  by  Peter  Clark  MacFarlane,  in- 
clude John  Miltern  in  the  role  of  "Scanlon," 
and  the  well  known  stage  player.  Burton 
Churchill  as  "John  Boland."  Joseph  Hena- 
bery  will  direct  from  the  adaptation  by 
Townsend  Martin. 

Adolphe  Menjou  will  go  to  New  York  im- 
mediately following  the  conclusion  of  his 
featured  role  in  Pola  Negri's  current  star- 
ring picture,  "Forbidden  Paradise,"  to  play 
opposite  Elsie  Ferguson  in  "The  Swan,"  ac- 
cording to  an  announcement  by  Jesse  L. 
Lasky,  first  vice  president  in  charge  of  pro- 
duction of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corpora- 
tion. 

%    %  ♦ 

Players  just  engaged  by  First  National 
to  appear  with  Doris  Kenyon,  the  featured 
player  in  "If  I  Marry  Again,"  are  Wallace 
Beery,  Rosemary  Theby,  Norma  Wills  and 
Hector  Sarno,  with  several  important  roles 
still  to  be  filmed. 

Helen  Gardner,  famed  from  one  end  of 
the  world  to  the  other,  as  a  Vitagraph  star 
of  several  years  ago,  makes  her  appearance 
on  the  screen  in  "Sandra,"  the  Sawyer-Lubin 
production  for  First  National  presenting 
Barbara  La  Marr  and  Bert  Lytell. 

"Another  Man's  Wife"  the  third  and  final 
feature  in  the  series  starring  Lila  Lee  and 
James  Kirkwood,  produced  by  Regal  Pic- 
tures, was  received  this  week  by  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  and  prints  will  be 
shipped  immediately  to  all  of  the  company's 
branches  for  screening  prior  to  release  on 
October  9. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  27 


A  wire  from  the  coast  announces  that 

C.  B.  C.  added  Phyllis  Haver  and  Lloyd 
Whitlock  to  the  cast  of  "The  Midnight  Ex- 
press," the  third  in  the  series  of  eight  Co- 
lumbia Productions.  This  makes  a  very 
strong  company  to  support  Elaine  Ham- 
merstein  in  the  leading  role. 

*  *  * 

The  screen  version  of  Howard  Rockey's 
novel  "This  Woman"  has  recently  been 
finished  at  the  Warner  Bros.,  West  Coast 
studio.  Phil  Rosen,  who  directed,  is  at 
present  busy  at  the  studio  laboratory  edit- 
ing and  titling  his  latest  production. 

*  *  * 

The  title  of  Emory  Johnson's  latest  pro- 
duction for  F.  B.  O.  has  been  changed 
from  "The  Grandstand  Play"  to  "Life's 
Greatest  Game"  is  headed  by  Jane  Thomas 
and  Johnnie  Walker,  with  Tom  Santchi, 
Gertrude  Olmstead  and  "Red"  Kirby  in 
support. 

*  *  * 

To  date  three  well  known  players 
have  been  given  parts  in  Willa  Cather's 
"A  Lost  Lady"  now  in  production  at  the 
Warner  Bros.'  West  Coast  studio.  They 
are,  Irene  Rich,  a  Warner  star,  who  will 
portray  the  part  of  Marion  Forrester;  Vic- 
tor Potel,  a  trouper  of  the  old  Essanay 
days,  who  will  play  Ivy  Peters  and  George 
Fawcett,  probably  the  best  known  of  all 
character  actors  who  has  been  signed  to 
play  the  part  of  Captain  Forrester. 

When  the  final  scenes  have  been  taken 
for  a  motion  picture  it  used  to  be  that 
there  was  a  lapse  of  a  month  before  the 
director  was  ready  to  have  it  seen  by  the 
executives  and  stars.  It  took  him  all  that 
time  to  cut  it  and  place  the  titles. 

*  *  * 

Harry  Garson  announced  yesterday  the 
complete  cast  for  his  first  "Lefty"  Flynn 
Western  under  the  terms  of  his  new  six 
production  contract  with  Film  Booking  Of- 
fices, work  on  which  began  last  week  at 
Rhyolite,  Nevada.  The  cast  includes,  be- 
sides Mr.  Flynh:  Gloria  Grey,  Charles 
Crockett,  Frederic  Peters  and  Daddy  Hoo- 
sier. 

if      ip.  H/i 

Joe  Brandt  ann^unc^  thq.t  he  has 
signed  the  novelty  film  "Hot  Dog"  a  two- 
reel  comedy  acted  entirely  by  animals 
with  the  DeLuxe  Film  Co.,  of  Philadel- 
phia, for  South  New  Jersey.  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Delaware  and  with  the  Ex- 
hibitors  Film   Exchange   of  Washington, 

D.  C,  for  Maryland,  Virginia  and  the 
District  of  Columbia. 

*  *  * 

Rudolph  Valentino  will  see  his  work  in 
"The  Sainted  Devil"  in  Juan  Les  Pins,  An- 
tibes,  France. 

Mr.  Valentino  sailed  for  Europe  the  day 
following  the  completion  of  the  Paramount 
picture  which  was  filmed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Joseph  Henabery. 

*  *  * 

Warner  Bros.,  distributors  throughout 
the  country  are  receiving  the  first  three 
releases  of  the  1924-25  product  which  are 
Ernst  Lubitsch's  "Three  Women,"  Rin- 
Tin-Tin  in  "Find  Your  Man,"  and  Monte 
Blue  and  Marie  Prevost  in  "The  Lover  of 
Camille." 

Each  one  of  these  first  three  has  so 
much  special  "kick"  from  the  exhibitor's 
standpoint  that  playdates  throughout  the 
country  have  already  been  set  through  the 
various  distributors. 


Helene  D'Algy  who  plays  an  important 
role  in  Paramount's  production,  "The 
Sainted   Devil"  with   Rudolph  Valentino. 

With  Milton  Sills  and  Viola  Dana  head- 
ing the  cast,  filming  of  "Pandora  La 
Croix,"  first  of  two  new  productions  slated 
by  First  National  this  week,  was  launched 
at  the  United  Studios  yesterday. 

Irving  Cummings,  noted  as  a  producer 
and  director  of  dramatic  spectacles  of 
oriental  locale,  is  handling  the  megaphone, 
with  Earl  Hudson,  supervisor  of  the  First 
National  producing  units,  superintending 
the  production. 

*  *  * 

The  Warner  (3ros.'  executives  at  ihe 
west  coast  studio  took  advantage  of  the 
big  public  ball  which  was  recentlv  held 
at  the  Ambassador  Hotel  in  Los  Angeles 
that  marked  the  close  of  one  of  Jnc  great- 
est pageants  ever  held  at  the  coast,  by 
taking  many  scenes  for  their  coming  Clas- 
sics of  the  Screen.  The  first  scene  was  for 
"The  Narrow  Street"  adapted  from  Ed- 
win Bateman  Morris'  popular  novel. 

*  *  * 

With  the  Warner  Bros.'  "twenty  for 
1924-25"  well  along  toward  completion  and 
promised  for  delivery,  in  their  entirety,  to 
exchanges  before  March  1,  1925,  plans  for 
the  season  to  follow  are  beginning  to  crys- 
talize  with  the  announcement  of  the  pur- 
chase of  new  story  material. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  observed 
that  the  Warners  have  just  acquired  the 
screen  rights  to  "The  Golden  Cocoon,"  by 
Ruth  Cross. 

*  #  * 

That  Regal  Pictures,  Inc.,  is  carrying 
its  desire  for  highly  artistic  productions  to 
the  last  degree  of  detail  is  pointed  out 
by  the  ever  alert  press  agent  who  records 
the  fact  that  one  of  the  extras  supporting 
Margaret  Livingston  in  "The  Follies  Girl" 
bears  the  name  of  Adonis  De  Milo. 
^    *  % 

Irving  Cummings  has  taken  the  last  scenes 
of  "In  Every  Woman's  Life,"  his  first  pro- 
duction for  M.  C.  Levee  for  First  National 
release  and  is  now  completing  the  cutting 
and  titling  of  the  picture. 

if       if  if 

The  last  frontier  pistol  has  flashed;  the 
last  of  the  bandit  tribe  has  been  killed  or 
put  to  rout,  and  Zane  Grey's  "The  Border 
Legion"  is  now  a  completed  motion  picture. 


The  scenic  grandeur  of  Rainier  National 
Park  in  Northwestern  Washington  is  being 
woven  into  the  background  of  J.  K.  Mc- 
Donald's forthcoming  First  National  picture, 
"Frivolous  Sal,"  which  Victor  Shertzinger 
is  directing.  Mr.  McDonald  chose  for  some 
of  the  exterior  scenes  of  his  photoplay  one 
of  the  few  spots  in  America  where  snow 
may  be  found  the  year  round. 

*  *  * 

Vera  Reynolds,  Cecil  B.  DeMille's  newest 
screen  "find,"  has  been  placed  under  long 
term  contract  by  Paramount  according  to  an 
announcement  today  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first 
vice  president  of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation,  in  charge  of  production. 

The  contract  is  in  recognition  of  the  bril- 
liant work  done  by  Miss  Reynolds  in  the 
leading  feminine  role  in  De  Mille's  newest 
production. 

if.      %  if. 

Edith  Wharton's  Pultizer  prize  winning 
novel,  "The  Age  of  Innocence"  is  being  rap- 
idly whipped  into  production  at  the  Warner 
Bros.  West  Coast  studio  with  a  cast  of  ex- 
ceptional players. 

Beverly  Dawn,  who  recently  signed  a  War- 
ner contract,  is  co-starring  with  Elliott  Dex- 
ter, thereby  making  a  combination  of  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  experienced  leads 
in  motion  pictures. 

#  #  * 

George  Fitzmaurice,  whose  production  of 
"Tarnish"  is  scheduled  for  early  fall  release 
by  First  National,  is  minus  one  vacation 
trip  to  Del  Monte.  The  forthcoming  depart- 
ure of  Samuel  Goldwyn,  with  whom  Fitz- 
maurice is  associated,  for  New  York  and 
Europe  is  responsible  for  the  director's 
change  of  plans. 

Tom  Forman  who  has  just  completed 
"Roaring  Rails,"  starring  Harry  Carey,  has 
been  retained  by  Hunt  Stromberg  to  direct 
Carey  in  his  next  production  "The  Man 
From  Texas." 

if       if  if. 

No  fewer  than  four  Italian  Counts,  three 
Marquises,  and  two  Princes  are  paying  court 
to  the  charming  Kathleen  Key,  who  is  in 
Rome  playing  the  part  of  Tirzah  in  the  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn  production  of  "Ben  Hur,"  which 
is  being  made  under  the  direction  of  Fred 
Niblo.  There  is  a  current  belief  in  Rome 
that  Miss  Key  will  return  to  Hollywood  with 
one  of  the  three  aforementioned  titles. 

+    ♦  ♦ 

"As  Man  Desires"  is  the  title  which  has 
been  selected  by  First  National  for  its  pic- 
turization  of  Gene  Wright's  novel  of  India 
Called  "Pandora  La  Croix."  This  picture 
is  now  ready  to  go  into  production  under 
the  direction  of  Irving  Cummings.  The  lead- 
ing roles  will  be  played  by  Milton  Sills, 
Viola  Dana  and  Wallace  Beery. 

Robert  Edeson  who  has  an  enviable  record 
both  as  a  screen  star  and  a  legitimate  stage 
actor  has  been  cast  for  the  part  of  the  rail- 
road supervisor  in  "Blood  and  Steel,"  the 
new  Desmond-Homes  feature  now  being 
filmed  on  the  Independent  lot. 

if      if  if. 

Ray  Foster  has  just  completed  the  second 
issue  of  his  new  single  reel  series  to  be 
known  at  "Celebritypes,"  in  which  "famous 
people  as  you  seldom  see  them"  will  be 
shown.  "Celebritypes"  should  prove  especial- 
ly interesting  to  those  who  have  wanted  to 
see,  intimately,  such  well  known  personages. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Are  More  Theatres  Needed? 

EXHIBITORS  who  remain  on  the  fence  in  the 
face  of  the  block-booking  controversy  may 
do  well  to  consider  this  question: 
If  independent  distributors  are  forced  into  the 
building  of  theatres  in  key  centers  in  order  to 
secure  first-run  showings  for  their  product,  what 
will  be  the  eventual  effect  on  the  small  houses, 
both  in  and  out  of  these  centers? 

It  is  generally  admitted  that,  with  a  few  excep- 
tions adequately  accounted  for  by  local  conditions, 
there  are  now  plenty  of  theatres  to  take  care  of  all 
of  the  public  that  thus  far  has  been  sold  on 
motion  pictures.  It  is  decidedly  hard  to  find 
any  place  where  the  public  is  being  turned  away 
for  lack  of  seating  capacity. 

As  the  industry  develops  and  its  product  im- 
proves, there  will  be  need  of  more  theatres  and, 
eventually,  motion  picture  houses  doubtless  will 
divide  into  classes,  according  to  the  patronage 
sought.  That  this  is  something  to  come  in  the 
fairly  distant  future,  rather  than  as  an  early  out- 
growth of  disagreements  between  distributors 
seems  probable. 

On  any  other  basis,  a  substantia]  increase  in 
the  number  of  houses  in  the  key  cities  may  be 
expected  to  lead  into  new  varieties  of  competition 
that  will  be  hurtful  to  all  classes  of  exhibitors. 
And  it  is  certain  that  the  distributors  will  gain 
nothing  by  pursuing  tactics  certain  to  react  against 
themselves. 

No  one  need  worry  about  difficulties  that  con- 
front newcomers  in  the  distribution  of  pictures, 
as  far  as  those  difficulties  will  tend  to  discourage 
wildcat  ventures  of  one  sort  or  another.  But 
as  to  those  who  are  now  established  in  the  busi- 
ness as  producers  and  distributors,  an  open  door 
policy  will  benefit  the  entire  industry.  They  have 
a  right  to  take  all  reasonable  steps  to  protect  them- 
selves in  the  marketing  of  what  they  produce.  If 
they  are  driven  into  the  theatre  business,  the  blame 
for  any  resulting  over-capacity  will  rest  on  those 
who  were  so  unwise  as  to  try  to  close  the  door  to 
the  market.  In  the  long  run  it  can  not  be  done. 


* 


Cynicism  Cures  Nothing 

BECAUSE  certain  producers  show  a  disposi- 
tion to  indulge  in  questionable  methods, 
because  an  occasional  press-book  contains 
objectional  exploitation  suggestions,  there  is  a  dis- 


position in  some  quarters  to  sneer  at  the  whole 
idea  of  keeping  a  clean  house  in  this  business. 

A  cynical  pose  may  be  pleasing  to  a  certain 
type  of  ego,  but  it  accomplishes  no  good  for 
anyone. 

When  there  is  so  much  to  be  done,  so  much 
need  of  honest  co-operation,  it  might  be  well  to 
put  aside  the  knowing  looks  and  the  sly  smiles — 
to  get  down  to  business  and  help  create  a  definite 
sentiment  throughout  the  industry.  That  is  the 
only  thing  which  will  bring  results. 

Some  men  will  break  their  pledges  openly. 
Others  will  dodge  an  issue  for  profit.  But  none 
will  intentionally  flout  public  opinion  for  the  sake 
of  a  money  loss.  When  this  industry  formulates 
definitely  and  irrevocably  its  own  opinion  on  these 
questions,  it  will  cany  public  opinion  with  it.  It 
Avill  then  have  a  clean  house. 

But  the  professional  cynics  will  have  no  part 
in  the  job. 

*   *  * 

The  Phonofilm  in  Politics 

THE  possibilities  of  the  Phonofilm  as  a  political 
instrument  were  interestingly  demonstrated 
in  a  showing  at  the  Rivoli  theatre,  New 
York,  this  week,  presenting  President  Coolidge 
and  candidates  Davis  and  La  Follette  in  brief  cam- 
paign talks. 

As  a  basis  for  comparison  of  personalities,  these 
pictures  are  bound  to  attract  much  attention.  It 
is  evident,  however,  that  such  reproduction  of  the 
speech  of  an  individual  does  not  always  produce 
the  exact  impression  which  might  be  gained  from 
seeing  and  hearing  the  speaker. 

To  a  considerable  extent  this  fault,  if  it  is  a 
fault,  may  be  corrected  by  improvement  in  loud- 
speaking  apparatus  which  will  minimize  the  nasal 
distortion  of  voices  which  already  have  too  much 
nasal  quality.  It  seems  that  some  voices,  partic- 
ularly those  that  are  full  but  without  excessive  res- 
onance, come  through  the  reproduction  process 
unimpaired,  while  others  largely  lose  their  human 
characteristics  and  thereby  their  appeal. 

Perhaps  a  voice  test  as  well  as  a  screen  test  will 
be  essentials  with  the  national  politician  of  the  near 
future. 

One  thing  is  certain,  however.  The  Phonofilm 
goes  a  long  step  beyond  radio  as  a  political  instru- 
ment. It  is  something  to  be  reckoned  with  in  a 
broad  way  in  future  campaigns  and  Avith  some  im- 
provements that  will  come  out  of  experimentation 
it  should  become  an  important  factor  in  motion 
picture  entertainment. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  29 


'SINNERS  IN  SILK' 

LIVELY  JAZZ  FILM 

Clever   Direction,    Brilliant  Settings 
Make  Likely  Box  Office  Asset 

•SINNERS  IN  SILK.'  Metro-Goldwyn 
Photoplay.  Author,  Benjamin  Glazer,  Di- 
rector, Hobart  Henley.  Length,  5,750  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Merrill    Adolphe  Menjou 

Penelope  Stevens    Eleanor  Boardman 

Brock  Farley   Conrad  Nagel 

Dr.    Eustace    Jean  Hersholt 

Bates    Edward  Connelly 

Mrs.    Stevens    Hedda  Hopper 

Bowers    John  Patrick 

Ynez    Miss  Dupont 

Sir  Donald  Ramsey    Frank  Elliott 

Merrill,  middle-aged  and  sickly,  undergoes  treat- 
ment which  rejuvenates  him.  Returning  from 
Europe  he  is  attracted  by  Penelope  Stevens,  young 
and  pretty.  He  visits  her  at  home  and  attends  a 
jazz  party,  afterwards  persuading  her  to  see  him 
at  his  apartment.  Finding  that  she  is  merely 
flirting  and  enjoying  life  without  going  beyond 
decent  limits,  thereupon  Merrill  gives  her  a  lec- 
ture. Brock  Farley,  a  youth  in  love  with  the  girl, 
brings  Merrill  a  letter  from  which  he  learns  that 
Brock  is  his  son.  He  resigns  Penelope  to  Brock 
and  leads  the  simple  life  for  the  future. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

JAZZ,  jazz  and  still  more  jazz,  wild  social 
activities,  bathing  parties,  heavy  drinking 
and  love-making  unlimited  are  jammed  gen- 
erously into  this  film,  which  provides  amus- 
ing entertainment,  will  please  a  majority  of 
movie  patrons,  is  perhaps  better  suited  to 
the  needs  of  large,  than  small  communities, 
but  at  the  same  time  avoids  anything  too 
brash  in  the  line  of  risque  situations. 

The  picture  is  well  directed,  Hobart  Hen- 
ley having  shown  good  judgment  in  steering 
clear  of  stuff  which  might  offend  the  moral- 
ists, while  providing  snappy  action,  luxuri- 
ous settings,  brilliant  backgrounds  and  a 
wealth  of  colorful  atmosphere. 

And  by  the  way,  the  scene  in  which  Merrill 
decoys  Penelope  to  his  apartment  and  for  a 
while  deports  himself  as  a  regular  melodra- 
matic villain,  is  probably  the  best  in  the  film 
because  of  its  original  handling  and  the  ex- 
cellent acting  of  Adolphe  Menjou  and  Elea- 
nor Boardman.  Incidentally  there's  a  vein 
of  irony  running  through  this  episode  which 
removes  it  out  of  the  conventionally  the- 
atrical class,  and  an  unexpected  twist  is  neat- 
ly given  the  plot  when  it  transpires  that 
Penelope's  most  devoted  young  lover  is 
really  the  son  of  her  "rebuilt"  admirer. 

The  bathing  pool  scenes  aboard  the  ocean 
liner  and  jazz  festivities  are  beautifully 
staged,  better  photography  could  not  be  de- 
sired, and  even  if  the  narrative  may  appear 
a  trifle  light  and  unconvincing  in  spots,  its 
giddy  romance  and  whirl  of  gaiety  can 
scarcely  fail  to  entertain  the  on-lookers. 

Adolphe  Menjou  gives  a  masterly  per- 
formance as  Merrill,  his  transition  from  a 
worn-out  elderly-looking  roue  to  a  dark- 
haired,  youthful  chap  is  oddly  impressive, 
and  his  power  of  suggesting  subtle  sarcasm 
has  never  been  demonstrated  to  better  ad- 
vantage than  when  he  lectures  Penelope  for 
the  good  of  her  soul  and  moralizes  on  the 
dangers  of  "playing  with  fire."  Eleanor 
Boardman  is  a  truly  pert  and  wondrously 
pretty  flapper  in  the  role  of  Penelope,  and 
the  supporting  cast  does  excellent  work. 

There's  an  array  of  star  talent  which  can 
be  advantageously  utilized  in  exploiting  this 
picture.  Besides  Menjou  and  Miss  Board- 
man,  the  names  of  Conrad  Nagel,  Jean  Her- 
sholt, Hedda  Hopper,  Miss  Dupont  and 
Frank  Elliott  possess  advertising  value.  The 
title  has  drawing  power  and  you  can  play 
up  the  jazz  stuff  heavily. 


'OPEN  ALL  NIGHT' 

BRISK  AND  BREEZY 

Snappy,  Sparkling  French  Farce  Com- 
edy Should  Prove  Big  Attraction 

'OPEN  ALL  NIGHT.'  Paramount  Photo- 
play. Author,  Paul  Morand.  Director, 
Paul  Bern,  Length,  5,671  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Edmond  Duverne    Adolphe  Menjou 

Therese   Duverne    Viola  Dana 

Lea    . .   Jetta  Goudal 

Igor    Raymond  Griffith 

Petit   Mathieu    Maurice  B.  Flynn 

Isabelle   Fevre    Gale  Henry 

Von   De  Hoven    Jack  Giddings 

Bibendum    Charles  Puffy 

Therese  Duverne,  wearies  of  Edmond,  her  easy- 
going, polished  hubby,  longs  for  caveman  love, 
thinks  she  has  found  it  in  the  athletic  person  of 
champion  bicycle  rider  Mathieu.  Meanwhile  Edmond 
becomes  friendly  with  Mathieu's  girl,  Lea.  A  clash 
between  Therese  and  Lea  over  Mathieu  occurs. 
Therese  promises  to  elope  with  Mathieu  when  he 
wins  the  big  race  at  the  Winter  Circus  next  day. 
But  he  falls  and  loses.  Therese  also  loses  her 
sudden  passion  for  him,  while  Lea  is  reconciled  to 
the  beaten  rider.  Edmond  shows  a  flash  of  temper 
which  stuns  Therese,  and  she  becomes  convinced 
her  husband  is  quite  caveman  enough  for  .her. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 
A  LIVELY  French  comedy  with  lots  of 
snap  and  sparkle  about  it,  gingery,  but 
not  risque,  "Open  All  Night"  speeds  along  at 
a  topping  pace  from  beginning  to  end,  is 
most  amusing  and  has  all  the  earmarks  of  a 
successful  box  office  attraction  which  ought 
to  do  well  at  any  theatre. 

The  farcical  atmosphere  predominates,  but 
at  that  there's  quite  a  bit  of  drama  in  this 
tale  of  the  wilful  young  wife  who  allowed 
her  fancy  to  stray  in  the  direction  of  a  big 
athlete  who  shaped  up  like  a  modern  cave- 
man, just  because  her  hubby's  courtesy  and 
polish  palled  upon  her. 

The  plot  is  built  around  that  great  sport- 
ing event,  the  International  Six  Day  Bicycle 
Race  held  in  the  Winter  Circus,  Paris,  the 
filming  of  which  provides  a  series  of  un- 
equalled thrills  and  balances  nicely  the  brisk, 
breezy  comedy  situations  with  which  the  pic- 
ture abounds.  The  love  affair  between  Lea 
and  Mathieu,  their  quarrel  and  the  row 
which  takes  place  when  Lea  sees  Therese 
mixing  up  with  her  champion  rider  all  are 
scenes  charged  with  pep  and  farcical  humor, 
but  undoubtedly  the  real  hit  of  the  feature 
is  when  Mathieu,  loses  the  race,  thereby  win- 
ning back  his  lady-love,  while  Therese  turns 
to  the  husband  who  suddenly  proves  himself 
her  master. 

Much  of  the  film's  interest  depends  on  the 
clever  characterizations  furnished  by  the 
leading  players,  and  in  this  connection  a 
world  of  credit  is  due  the  brilliant  work  of 
Adolphe  Menjou  as  the  aristocratic,  suave 
Duverne ;  Jetta  Goudal,  as  Lea ;  Viola  Dana, 
as  Therese ;  and  Lefty  Flynn,  in  the  role  of 
athlete  Mathieu.  Raymond  Griffith  also  con- 
tributes a  notable  portrayal  of  Igor,  who 
comes  from  Hollywood  to  France  for  the 
purpose  of  absorbing  atmosphere  which  will 
enable  him  to  present  the  silent  drama  with 
a  new  species  of  love  sheik. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  fine  photography, 
with  the  highlight  of  the  gay  French  capital 
set  forth  in  bold  relief,  exteriors  and  in- 
teriors are  beautifully  filmed  and  excellent 
lighting  prevails. 

Bicycle  window  tie-ups  are  naturally  sug- 
gested in  exploiting  this  picture,  the  sports 
will  be  attracted  by  the  mention  of  the  six 
day  championship  affair,  for  the  rest,  you 
can  praise  the  film's  unadulterated  fun  and 
twisted  romance,  while  featuring  the  work 
of  Menjou,  Viola  Dana,  Jetta  Goudal,  Ray- 
mond Griffith  and  Lefty  Flynn. 


'SINNERS  IN  HEAVEN' 

HAS  SCENIC  CHARM 

Not  a  Record  Breaker,  But  Should 
Yield  Exhibitor  Reasonable  Profits 

'SINNERS  IN  HEAVEN.'  Paramount 
Photoplay.  Author,  Clive  Arden.  Director 
Alan  Crosland.  Length,  6,768  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Barbara  Stockley    Bebe  Daniels 

Alan    Croft    Richard  Dix 

Hugh   Rochedale    Holmes  Herbert 

Mrs.   Madge  Fields    Florence  Billings 

Native   Girl    Betty  Hilburn 

Native  Chief    Montague  Love 

Barbara  Stockley,  British  girl,  is  persuaded  by 
her  friend,  Mrs.  Fields  to  accompany  the  latter's 
brother,  Alan  Croft,  aviator,  on  a  round-the-world 
flight.  They  are  caught  in  a  south-sea  typhoon  and 
wrecked  on  a  tropical  island  inhabited  by  savages. 
Alan  makes  the  natives  believe  he  is  a  god.  He  and 
Barbara,  realizing  they  are  in  love  with  each  other, 
go  through  a  marriage  ceremony  of  their  own  and 
acknowledge  the  relationship  of  husband  and  wife. 
An  aeroplane  appears,  Barbara  is  rescued,  but  Alan 
wounded  by  a  native  is  left  for  dead.  Barbara  returns 
home  to  face  unfavorable  criticism  of  her  uncon- 
ventional marriage.  But  Alan  turns  up  and  they 
renew  their  vows. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 
''THIS  picture  offers  a  good  drawing  title, 
exquisite  scenic  effects,  some  decisive 
thrills  and  all  in  all,  classes  as  pretty  fair  en- 
tertainment. It  isn't  likely  to  break  any  box 
office  records  but  should  make  a  reasonable 
profit  for  any  exhibitor  booking  it. 

The  public  is  getting  rather  familiar  with 
plots  where  hero  and  heroine  are  wrecked 
on  a  tropical  isle  and  have  a  tough  time 
fighting  off  mutual  transports  of  physical 
passion,  but  if  in  some  respects  "Sinners  in 
Heaven"  follows  a  well-known  trail,  on  the 
other  hand  its  romance  is  cleverly  fashioned 
and  develops  a  streak  of  originality. 

For,  so  far  as  we  know,  this  is  the  first 
time  on  record  that  screen  lovers,  lacking 
the  benefit  of  clergy,  resolved  to  carry  out  a 
marriage  ceremony  on  their  own  account  and 
pronounced  themselves  husband  and  wife 
in  the  sight  of  God. 

At  all  events,  the  adventures  of  Barbara 
Stockley  and  Alan  Croft  in  a  savage  clime 
are  sufficiently  exciting  and  colorful  to  keep 
interest  in  the  film  alive  to  its  close.  And 
there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  its  artistic  beauty. 
The  exteriors  were  taken  in  the  West  In- 
dies and  the  views  thus  acquired  are  aglow 
with  the  flaming  glamor  of  the  tropics,  in 
fact  the  photography's  radiant  charm  can 
scarcely  be  exaggerated  in  words. 

A  big  punch  is  achieved  in  the  storm 
scene  when  the  plane  is  wrecked  and  Bar- 
bara and  Alan  are  the  sole  survivors  of 
those  who  started  on  a  round-the-world 
flight.  Then  follows  Alan's  tricking  of  the 
natives  into  the  belief  that  he  is  a  god,  the 
ripening  of  love  and  marriage  extraordinary 
between  the  pair,  the  fight  against  the  sav- 
ages when  they  realize  that  the  hero  is  only 
a  man  after  all,  and  an  elegant  thrill  when 
the  relief  aeroplane  appears  and  carries  off 
Barbara  in  triumph.  Of  course  Alan,  though 
left  for  dead,  shows  up  later  in  England. 

Bebe  Daniels  does  very  satisfactory  work 
in  the  heroine  role,  being  quite  equal  to  its 
emotional  demands,  besides,  looking  very 
cute  and  appealing.  Richard  Dix  makes  an 
agreeable  impression  as  the  dare-devil  avi- 
ator lover,  Mantague  Love  is  a  sufficiently 
terrifying  cannibal  chief,  Betty  Hilburn 
shows  to  good  advantage  in  a  native  girl 
part  and  the  support  is  adequate. 

You  can  exploit  this  as  strong  in  scenic 
beauty,  offering  a  colorful  romance,  thrills 
and  some  very  novel  situations.  Bebe  Dan- 
iels, Richard  Dix  and  Montague  Love  should 
be  featured. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


WESTERN  WITH 

HUMOROUS  APPEAL 

'Rainbow  Rangers'  Stresses  Comic  Re- 
lief Which  Outweighs  Dramatic 
Sequences 

'RAINBOW  RANGERS.'  Goodman-Sheldon 
Photoplay.  Released  by  Wm.  Steiner.  Au- 
thor, Not  Credited.  Director,  Forrest  Shel- 
don. Length,  5,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Buck  Adams   Pete  Morrison 

Rose   Warner   Peggy  Montgomery 

Manuel  Lopez  Lew  Meehan 

Anteater  Jake   Eddie  Dennis 

Deacon  Slim   Nelson  McDowell 

English    Charlie   Milburn  Morante 

Barbecue   Sam   Martin  Turner 

Luke  Warner   L.  S.  McKee 

Frank    Owens   Victor  Allan 

Tilly   Rae  Hampton 

Rose  Warner  and  her  father  are  attacked  and 
taken  captive  by  a  gang  of  outlaws.  They  are  res- 
oued  by  a  band  of  rangers  headed  by  Buck  Adams, 
who  appears  just  when  Rose  is  at  the  mercy  of  the 
bandits.  A  series  of  more  or  less  wild  adventures 
is  staged,  with  several  savage  rights  taking  place 
between  Adams'  men  and  the  desperadoes.  Buck 
and  Rose  fall  in  love,  and  finally  he  wins  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

HPHIS  is  a  Western  comedy-drama  which 
differs  somewhat  from  the  stereotyped 
type  of  pictures  dealing  with  wild  adventure 
in  the  "wide  open  spaces"  in  that  its  comic 
appeal  outweighs  the  melodramatic  trend. 
While  not  likely  to  fill  the  entertainment  de- 
mands of  high-class  audiences,  it  should  do 
well  as  part  of  a  double-feature  day  pro- 
gram or  wherever  the  bill  is  frequently 
changed. 

So  far  as  fast  riding  stunts  and  spectacular 
scraps  are  concerned  "The  Rainbow  Rang- 
ers" is  quite  up  to  the  standard  set  by  the 
deeds  performed  in  slashing  style. 

But  the  comedy  note  provails,  for  these 
colorful  rangers  headed  by  Buck  Adams  who 
got  on  the  trail  of  the  bad  guys  who  capture 
Rose  Warner  and  her  papa,  are  a  dis- 
tinctly merry  crew,  including  in  their  varie- 
gated ranks  a  former  clergyman,  A  Brit- 
ish chappie,  a  negro  cook  and  other  types 
that  don't  usually  figure  in  frontier  tales. 

So  it  follows  that  even  "in  the  midst  of 
alarms"  and  go-as-you-please  combats  these 
funny  fellows  are  perpetually  pulling  some 
diverting  gags  which  tend  to  lighten  the  haze 
of  adventure  and  make  matters  assume  a 
strictly  humorous  aspect.  Which  is  just  as 
well,  for  the  sake  of  a  little  variety  in  pro- 
ducing Western  tales. 

Buck  and  his  happy  crowd  always  turn  up 
when  they  are  badly  wanted  to  aid  beauty 
and  old  age  in  dire  distress,  there  are  three 
pitched  battles  between  the  opposing  forces, 
and  each  is  staged  with  considerable  dash 
and  tremendous  vigor  by  the  combatants. 
Also,  there  are  some  single-handled  fights 
not  to  be  despised  by  admirers  of  the  "red- 
blooded"  stuff.  The  comedy  lets  up  suffici- 
ently to  allow  of  a  romance  developing  be- 
tween Buck  and  heroine  Rose  near  the  close, 
and  a  satisfactory  climax  is  achieved. 

Pete  Morrison  plays  Buck  in  a  good- 
natured  careless  way  that  has  something  very 
attractive  about  it.  There  is  a  refreshing 
lack  of  strained  effort  in  his  performance 
which  one  does  not  often  find  in  the  work  of 
hard-riding  gents  cast  for  this  sort  of  role, 
you  can't  help  liking  him  and  wishing  him 
luck  all  the  way  through.  Peggy  Montgom- 
ery registers  very  effectively  as  Rose  War- 
ner. She  is  a  remarkably  good-looking 
young  person  possessed  of  considerable  dra- 
matic ability,  whose  talent  and  magnetic  per- 
sonality augur  well  for  her  screen  future. 

The  photography  includes  a  number  of 
exceptionally  fine  exterior  shots,  showing 
enough  from  a  scenic  standpoint  to  merit 
mention  in  your  exploitation.  Pete  Morrison 
is  worth  featuring,  none  of  the  other  play- 
ers is  well-known,  but  you  can  lay  stress 
on  the  fact  that  this  Westerner  is  out  of 
the  ordinary  because  it  offers  comedy  of  an 
unusual  brand. 


SUSPENSE  GRIPS  IN 

'IT  IS  THE  LAW' 

Unique  Murder   Mystery  Melodrama 
Should  Draw  the  Crowds  Anywhere 

'IT  IS  THE  LAW.'  Fox  Photoplay,  Adapted 
From  Stage  Play  By  Elmer  Rice.  Director, 
I.  Gordon  Edwards.  Length,  6,895  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Albert  Woodruff   Arthur  Hohl 

"Sniffer"   Arthur  Hohl 

Justin   Victor   Herbert  Hayes 

Ruth  Allen   Mimi  Palmeri 

Inspector  Dolan   George  Lessey 

Travers   Robert  Young 

Lillian    Allen   Florence  Dixon 

Cummings   ,  Byron  Douglas 

Bernice   :  De  Sascia  Mooers 

Harley   Byron  Russell 

Albert  Woodruff  and  Justin  Victor  are  rivals  for 
the  hand  of  Ruth  Allen.  She  weds  Victor.  Wood- 
ruff plans  revenge.  He  dupes  a  drug  fiend  who 
resembles  him  strongly  into  taking  his  place,  shoots 
and  kills  him  and  makes  it  appear  that  he  is  the 
victim,  with  Victor  the  assassin.  The  latter  is 
tried  and  sentenced  to  prison,  but  released  after  a 
period  of  five  years.  Meanwhile  Woodruff  returns 
from  Europe,  still  intent  upon  winning  Ruth.  But 
Victor  meets  and  slays  his  betrayer.  Tried  for  the 
killing  he  is  given  liberty  because  the  law  holds 
that  a  man  cannot  twice  be  convicted  for  the  same 
crime. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

A  MURDER  mystery  melodrama  of 
marked  originality,  "It  is  the  Law"  had 
an  extraordinary  successful  run  as  a  stage 
attraction  and  there  is  every  reason  for  be- 
lieving that  the  silver  sheet  version  will  score 
heavily  as  popular  entertainment  wherever  it 
is  shown.  Director  J.  Gordon  Edwards  has 
handled  his  material  with  rare  craftmanship 
and  a  keen  sense  of  the  story's  absorbing 
values.  Frankly  melodramatic,  the  situations 
are  "put  over"  with  such  compelling  force 
and  smoothness  that  the  most  exciting  se- 
quences convince  while  they  thrill. 

Based  upon  a  legal  technicality  that  a  de- 
fendant cannot  be  twice  tried  for  the  same 
offense,  an  intensely  dramatic  surprise  is 
sprung  at  the  close,  when  Justin  Victor,  hav- 
ing killed  a  man  who  was  the  cause  of  send- 
ing him  to  jail  for  a  crime  he  didn't  com- 
mit, is  turned  loose  in  court  as  a  result  of 
the  judge's  ruling  that  he  must  not  again  be 
put  in  jeopardy  of  his  life. 

And,  naturally,  one  is  glad  to  see  him 
freed,  for  sympathy  piles  up  for  Victor  and 
his  long-suffering  wife  from  the  moment 
when  the  malignant  Woodruff  plots  success- 
fully against  the  man  who  won  and  married 
Ruth  Allen.  The  suspense  begins  right  at 
this  point  and  never  slackens  its  grip  on  the 
spectators  up  to  the  excellently  staged  and 
impressive  climax. 

There  is  a  great  situation  where  Wood- 
ruff forces  his  drug-crazed  double  to  pose 
for  him,  another  when  the  luckless  duplicate 
is  slain ;  but  for  that  matter  the  picture  is 
fairly  crammed  with  exciting  episodes,  nor 
is  the  interest  lessened  by  the  fact  that  the 
on-lookers  are  hep  to  the  mystery's  secret, 
while  the  leading  characters  are  mostly  un- 
aware of  the  devilment  accomplished  by  the 
sinister  Mr.  Woodruff.  This  is  a  new  de- 
parture from  the  usual  mystery  melodra- 
ma formula. 

The  work  of  Authur  Hohl  in  the  leading 
roles  of  Woodruff  and  "Sniffer"  stands  out 
as  a  remarkably  vivid  and  artistic  dual  char- 
acterization. He  registers  as  the  very  in- 
carnation of  unstrained  malice,  a  marvelous 
bit  of  pantomime  which  should  go  far  toward 
establishing  his  reputation  as  a  leading  light 
of  the  screen.  Mimi  Palmeri,  as  Ruth,  and 
Herbert  Heyes  as  Justin  Victor,  give  excel- 
lent performances. 

You  can  boost  this  as  one  of  the  most 
vividly  appealing  melodramas  of  the  season, 
with  a  murder  mystery  and  romance  angle 
sure  to  keep  the  spectators  on  the  keen  edge 
of  anticipation  from  start  to  finish.  Feature 
Arthur  Hohl's  work,  which  is  certain  to 
make  a  hit  with  the  fans,  mention  Mimi  Pal- 
meri, Herbert  Heyes  and  George  Lessey. 


'ANOTHER  SCANDAL' 

OFFERS  SEX  LURE 

Film  Has  Strong  Sensual  Appeal,  Un- 
fit for  Family  Trade 

'ANOTHER  SCANDAL.'  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corp.  (Hodkinson)  Author,  Cos- 
mo Hamilton,  Director,  E.  H.  Griffith. 
Length,  7,322  Feet; 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Beatrix   Lois  Wilson 

Pelham   Franklin   Holmes  Herbert 

Malcolm   Fraser   Ralph  Bunker 

May  Beamish   Flora  Le  Breton 

Valentine  Beamish   Ralph  W.  Chambers 

Elizabeth   Mackenzie   Hedda  Hopper 

Brownie   Zeffie  Tilbury 

Mitchell   Burrows   Bigelow  Cooper 

Alec  Greenwood   Alan  Simpson 

'Arry  'Arris   Harry  Grippe 

Just  before  her  baby  is  born  Beatrix  Franklin 
induces  her  husband,  Pelham,  to  take  a  yachting 
cruise.  While  on  the  trip  Pelham  becomes  friendly 
with  May  Beamish,  a  young  English  woman,  dis- 
satisfied with  her  husband  and  who  tries  to  ensnare 
him.  A  quarrel  between  Beatrix  and  Pelham  re- 
sults. The  latter  goes  to  stay  in  his  New  York 
apartment  and  relieves  his  loneliness  by  taking  May 
around.  May's  husband,  Valentine,  arrives.  May 
persuades  him  to  allow  her  to  compromise  Pelham 
so  that  the  latter  will  be  divorced  by  Beatrix.  Bea- 
trix makes  her  appearance  in  Pelham's  flat  just  in 
time  to  spoil  May's  plan  of  having  a  detective 
catch  her  with  Pelham  and  obtain  evidence.  Pel- 
ham and  Beatrix  are  reconciled. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

CEX  appeal  runs  rampant  throughout  this 
^  piceure.  It  is  well  directed,  cleverly 
acted  and  no  doubt  in  certain  localities  will 
make  money  for  the  exhibitor.  On  the  other 
hand  it  is  equally  certain  to  provoke  hostile 
criticism  in  many  quarters.  ■ 

For  juvenile  audiences  or  the  select  family 
trade  "Another  Scandal"  ranks  as  impossible 
entertainment.  Whether  an  exhibitor  should 
book  it  or  not  can  only  be  answered  through 
the  medium  of  his  knowledge  of  his  patrons' 
tastes  in  such  matters. 

Director  E.  H.  Griffith  is  liberal  with  his 
footage  when  it  comes  to  elaborating  risque 
scenes,  starting  in  early  by  giving  some  re- 
markably candid  views  of  the  adventures, 
May  Beamish,  in  nightgown  array  and  gen- 
erally speaking,  keeping  the  sensual  strings 
toned  to  concert  pitch,  ending  in  what  you 
might  call  a  full  orchestral  swell,  when  the 
lady  in  question  does  a  daring  disrobing  act 
before  occupying  the  bed  of  the  chap  she  is 
trying  to  compromise.  . 

Flora  Le  Breton,  a  British  player,  fills  the 
role  of  May  Beamish,  possesses  physical 
charms  of  peculiarly  voluptuous  type,  all  the 
more  striking  because  of  her  frequent  lack 
of  concealing  garments,  and  plays  the  part 
with  seductive  grace,  mingled  with  impetuous 
fire.  She  is,  in  fact,  a  flapper  whose  fasci- 
nations few  will  deny,  and  an  actress  of  no 
mean  ability. 

Lois  Wilson  is  exceedingly  sweet  and  at- 
tractive as  the  wife  Beatrix,  whose  inbred 
loyalty  to  her  husband  leads  her  to  rescue 
him  from  the  vamp's  clutches  at  the  eleventh 
hour.  One  of  the  best  scenes  is  that  in  which 
Beatrix  quarrels  with  Pelham  and  deliber- 
ately sets  out  to  revenge  herself  by  accepting 
attentions  from  a  "bad  egg"  whom  she  knows 
he  dislikes.  Of  course,  the  big  punch  is  ad- 
ministered by  Beatrix'  entry  into  the  room 
where  May  has  cinched  her  husband,  there- 
by spoiling  the  former's  little  game. 

Holmes  Herbert  has  a  rather  colorless  role 
as  Pelham,  but  does  commendable  work  and 
the  support  is  smooth  and  well  balanced. 
The  photography  offers  some  exteremely 
pretty  exteriors  and  interiors,  the  Florida 
scenery  being  particularly  charming. 

Tie-ups  with  book  stores  on  Cosmo  Ham- 
ilton's novel  from  which  the  film  is  adapted 
should  figure  in  exploiting  it.  Play  up  Lois 
Wilson,  she  has  a  strong  following,  and  you 
might  work  up  interest  in  Flora  Le  Breton, 
as  an  English  stage  beauty,  making  her  de- 
but in  an  American  picture. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  31 


III  The  <BiG[  Little  Feature 


Educational  Announces 
Increased  Program 

While  production  activity  for  some 
time  has  been  at  a  fast  pace  at  the 
Fine  Arts  Studio  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  Lloyd  Hamilton,  Juvenile  and 
Cameo  Comedies  are  produced  for 
Educational,  a  further  increase  in  the 
program  of  these  units  has  just  been 
planned. 

The  new  series  of  Mermaid  Come- 
dies under  way  for  1924-1925  was  or- 
iginally planned  to  number  thirteen, 
but,  according  to  a  statement  just  is- 
sued by  E.  W.  Hammons,  president  of 
Educational  Film  Exchanges,  Inc.,  the 
demand  for  these  fast-action  laugh 
makers  has  been  so  great  that  it  has 
been  found  advisable  to  increase  this 
number  to  eighteen. 

The  first  of  these  eighteen  Jack 
White  Productions  will  be  released  the 
first  week  in  September.  It  is  called 
"Wild  Game,"  and  features  Lige  Con- 
ley  in  a  rapid-fire  comedy  directed  by 
Norman  Taurog.  The  second  subject, 
titled  "Crime  "Crushers,"  also  directed 
by  Taurog,  is  rapidly  nearing  comple- 
tion. 

Leading  Circuits  Book 

Dempsey  Pictures 

Fred  C.  Quimby,  sales  manager  for 
Short  Product  for  the  Universal  Pic- 
tures Corporation,  reports  exceptional 
success  with  the  Jack  Dempsey  "Fight 
and  Win"  series  of  two-reelers.  One 
of  the  surprising  features  of  the  sale 
of  these  unusual  short  subjects  is  the 
extent  to  which  they  are  being  booked 
by  the  largest  theatre  circuits  in  the 
country. 

On  top  of  the  recent  sale  of  the  series 
of  ten  two-reelers  to  the  entire  chain  of 
Famous  Players  houses  in  Canada,  Uni- 
versal reports  bookings  on  the  Dempsey 
pictures  by  the  following  big  circuits : 
Stanley  Mastbaum  circuit  of  Philadel- 
phia; the  Sanger  Amusements  of  New 
Orleans ;  the  Pantages  Vaudeville  cir- 
cuit of  the  west  coast ;  the  Asher  Broth- 
ers circuit  of  Chicago;  the  Lubliner  & 
Trintz  circuit  of  Chicago,  and  the  West 
Coast  Theatres,  Inc. 

The  fact  that  the  big  circuits  have 
sewed  up  the  Dempsey  pictures  is  re- 
garded by  the  Universal  sales  executives 
as  proof  positive  of  the  high  box-office 
value  of  the  series. 


In  "Sweet  Daddy"  for  Pathe,  Charky 
Chase  had  the  delightful  occupation  of  be- 
ing chaperone  to  a  sophisticated  Miss  from 
the    city,    much    to    Charley's  chagrin. 

Quimby  announces  a  large  list  of  big 
theatres  which  have  booked  the  Demp- 
sey series. 

*    *  * 

"Uncle's  Reward"  for  Buddy 

Edward  I.  Luddy,  Century  comedy 
director,  has  started  production  on  an- 
other picture  starring  Buddy  Mes- 
singer.  This  picture  is  tentatively  titled 
"Uncle's  Reward"  and  features  Hil- 
liard  Karr  in  a  supporting  role. 


SHORTS 

nBSERVING  exhibitors 
^  have  found  that  good 
shorts  are  as  important  on 
their  programs  as  good  fea- 
tures are,  because  there  are 
many  patrons  who  find  the 
short  subjects  the  most  enter- 
taining part  of  the  program. 

Newsreels,  especially  in 
many  out  of  the  way  places 
furnish  the  surrounding  coun- 
tryside with  the  news  of  what 
is  going  on;  the  comedies, 
their  only  change  from  the 
drab  routine  of  their  lives. 

It  is  equally  important  there- 
fore, that  careful  selection  be 
made  of  all  short  items  for  the 
screen  just  as  it  is  necessary  to 
choose  big  features  judiciously. 

Watch  the  columns  of  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review  for  sugges- 
tions, and  read  our  criticisms  of 
short  subjects  as  released  each 
week. 


New  Short  Product 
Managers 

Two  more  promotions  have  been 
made  in  the  Universal  sales  department. 
Two  new  Exchange  Short  product 
managers  have  been  created,  according 
to  the  plan  announced  last  week  by 
Fred  C.  Quimby,  general  sales  manager 
for  Short  Product. 

The  new  Short  Product  executives 
are  A.  L.  Sugerman,  of  the  Cincinnati 
Exchange,  and  John  Mednikow,  of  the 
Chicago  Exchange.  Sugerman  is  one 
of  the  veteran  employes  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Exchange,  and  is  well  known 
among  the  exhibitors  of  that  territory. 
Mednikow  has  an  enviable  record  in  the 
film  selling  game,  and  is  an  authority 
on  Short  Product. 

*  *  * 

Wanda  Wiley  Falls 
From  Horse 

Wanda  Wiley,  Century  star,  was 
thrown  from  her  horse  the  other  day 
and  is  now  in  the  hospital  where  it  is 
expected  she  will  have  to  remain  for 
at  least  two  weeks. 

Miss  Wiley  was  riding  her  mount  in 
a  scene  for  "Oh  Duty,"  her  latest  star- 
ring vehicle  for  Century,  when  it  be- 
came frightened  by  the  noise  of  a  big 
wind  machine  on  a  nearby  set,  and 
bolted,  throwing  the  young  star  to  the 
ground  and  injuring  her  so  painfully 
it  was  found  necessary  to  rush  her  to 
the  hospital. 

*  *  * 
Comedy  Star  and  Extra 

in  Fistic  'Accident* 

Lige  Conley,  star  in  Educational- 
Mermaid  Comedies,  is  carrying  his 
left  hand  in  a  bandage,  and  an  extra 
is  nursing  a  swollen  jaw  just  because 
the  extra  was  a  poor  judge  of  dis- 
tance. 

Norman  Taurog  was  shooting  a 
scene  for  a  new  Mermaid  Comedy 
titled  "Crime  Crushers,"  in  which  Con- 
ley  takes  the  part  of  an  amateur  de- 
tective. Conley,  entering  an  under- 
world dive  to  rescue  his  sweetheart, 
had  "knocked  out"  several  "thugs"  and 
was  preparing  to  dispose  of  the  last 
one. 

The  distance  was  chalked  off,  so 
that  the  extra  could  appear  to  take 
Conley's  blow  without  being  hurt. 

But  just  as  Lige  swung  a  pretty 
"haymaker,"  the  extra  stepped  a  little 
too  close,  and  he  caught  the  blow  full 
on  his  jaw.  When  he  came  to,  he 
started  to  explain  that  the  next  time 
he  would  be  more  careful  and  not 
come  too  close. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


News  Reels  in  Brief 

International  News  No.  75 :  Off  San 
Francisco,  Cal. — Plane  shot  from  warship  in 
fleet  maneuvers.  San  Jose,  Cal. — Speed  re- 
cords in  dirt  track  auto  race.  Ralph  De  Pal- 
ma  wins  in  contest  over  perilous  course. 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J. — Queen  of  bathing  girls 
chosen  in  beauty  pageant.  Miss  Ruth  Mal- 
colmson,  of  Philadelphia,  crowned  as  Miss 
America,  succeeding  H.  R.  H.  Kitty  Campbell. 
Sacramento,  California — Long-haired  queens 
only  reign  at  this  show.  Seven-foot  crop  of 
blond  tresses  displayed  at  gathering  of  foes 
of  bobbed  locks.  Jamaica,  N.  Y. — Cops' 
dare-devil  riding  thrills  great  crowds.  Rodeo 
stunts  outdone  in  bluecoats'  annual  field  day. 
Baltimore,  Md. — Thousands  see  statue  of 
Lafayette  unveiled.  President  Coolidge 
speaks  at  impressive  ceremonies  in  honor  of 
French  hero.  Berkely,  Cal. — College  boys 
answer  the  call  of  the  wild.  Yearly  brawl 
shows  'em  in  great  form  for  fall  studies. 
Friederichshaf en,  Germany. — ZR3  ready  for 
trip  to  U.  S.  after  fine  trial  flight.  Latest 
and  greatest  Zeppelin  built  for  Uncle  Sam 
makes  fine  showing  in  first  sky  journey. 
Boston,  Mass. — International  presents  Ameri- 
ca's welcome  to  the  world  fliers. 

Kinograms  No.  5013:  President  greets 
the  world  fliers — Washington — Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Coolidge  go  to  Boiling  Field  to  welcome  the 
globe-circlers.  After  four  hours'  wait,  due 
to  fliers'  forced  landing  in  Maryland,  the 
President  and  Secretaries  Weeks  and  Hughes 
give  them  greeting.  Metropolis  welcomes  our 
champion  scouts — New  York — Jamboree 
Troop,  winners  in  Copenhagen  contests, 
officially  greeted  at  City  Hall.  Richard 
makes  good  on  Davis  cup  team — Philadelphia 
.- — Young  star  on  U.  S.  team  defeats  Wood 
of  Australia  in  trophy  play.  General  Persh- 
ing greets  successor — Washington — Comman- 
der of  A.  E.  F.  retires  and  Maj.  Gen.  Hines 
becomes  Chief  of  Staff.  12  year  old  sailor 
is  oldest  in  race — Fishers  Is.,  Conn. — Lads 
and  lassies  sail  their  boats  like  real  tars. 
Blue  blooded  dogs  seek  blue  ribbons — West- 
bury,  L.  I. — Society  turns  out  for  open  air 
show  to  which  Prince  of  Wales  was  invited. 
Spot,  champion,  does  his  stuff — Rochester, 
N.  Y. — Premier  sheep  dog  of  England  here 
for  exhibition  at  big  fair.  Fair  ballet  maids 
take  to  the  wilds — South  Haven,  Mich. — 
Serge  Oukrainsky  and  his  corps  of  dancers 
begin  season's  training.  Lumberjacks  meet 
for  National  title — Eau  Clair,  Wis. — Indian 
and  white  experts  do  amazing  stunts  in  log- 
rolling contest. 

Fox  News,  Vol.  5.  No.  101:  Belmont 
Park — Mother  Goose,  Whitney  stable  2- 
year-old,  wins  the  historic  Futurity  in  a 
field  of  29  entrants.  Garden  City,  L.  I. — 
America's  golf  stars  retain    the  Walker 


Cup,  defeating  English  team  in  6  of  8 
single  matches.  New  York  City — Peter  J. 
Brady,  labor  leader  and  president  of  the 
Federation  Bank,  returns  from  Europe. 
Phialdelphia — Davis  Cup  stars  in  U.  S. 
■ — Australians,  Patterson  and  O'Hara- 
Wood,  lose  to  Tilden  and  Johnson.  Sharps- 
burg,  Md. — Civil  War  veterans  see  U.  S. 
Marines  reenact  the  famous  battle  of  An- 
tietam  with  modern  weapons.  Chicago^ 
111. — North  Sides  gets  a  jolt  as  old  stone 
water  crib  in  Lake  Michigan,  a  menace  to 
navigation,  is  blown  up.  America  and 
England  compete  at  Polo  for  International 
Cup  at  Meadowbrook  Field.  Society's 
most  brilliant  throng  gathers  to  see  the 
foremost  horsemen  of  the  two  continents 
battle  for  supremacy.  Prince  of  Wales, 
guest  of  honor,  visits  paddock  to  cheer  his 
countrymen. 

*    *  * 

Gee  Whiz,  Genevieve 

Pathe  2  reels 

Jubilo  is  a  tramp — and  meets  up  with 
another  son  of  rest  in  a  small  town.  His 
companion  has  an  idea  and  sends  him  to 
the.  drugstore  of  the  town  with  a  request 
for  the  best  small-pox  remedy,  and  they 
are  thus  fed  and  housed  for  five  weeks. 
In  the  meantime  seeking  the  chance  of 
food  for  the  future,  the  companion  tells 
Jubilo  that  he  has  a  sister  who  owns  a 
restaurant.  The  sister  is  a  widow  and  might 
marry  Jubilo  and  thereby  assure  his  suste- 
nance at  least.  He  agrees  and  they  go  to  the 
town  where  Genevieve,  the  sister,  has  her 
food  emporium.  Though  she  has  buried 
three  husbands  she  undertakes  the  fourth 
and  Jubilo  is  the  victim. 


Will  Rogers  proves  he  is  a  true  artist 
when  it  comes  to  comedy.  In  the  part  of 
the  tramp  Jubilo,  he  brings  to  the  screen 
a  real  knowledge  of  what  will  make  the 
public  laugh.  There  is  no  sham  or  near- 
comedy.  But  the  old  fashioned  laugh  pro- 
voking ability  so  seldom  found  today  on 
the  screen. 

This  is  the  thirteenth  picture  of  the 
series  that  Will  Rogers  has  made  for 
Pathe.  Many  exhibitors  would  doubtless 
like  to  see  another  group  following  this — 
for  these  last  were  generally  successful 
everywhere. 

The  small-pox  scare  that  they  throw  into 
the  town  causes  quite  some  commotion 
and  many  funny  situations.  The  colored 
porter  gives  a  good  contribution  to  the 
general  fun. 


The  scheme  of  the  tramps  to  get  three 
meals  a  day  and  the  certainty  of  a  home, 
through  the  stranger  marrying  the  other's 
sister,  is  interesting — even  though  Gene- 
vieve is  impossible.  She  is  fat,  over  forty, 
and  not  so  fair. 

An  intelligent  member  of  the  cast  is 
Jubilo's  dog,  for  whom  he  marries  in  or- 
der to  make  a  home  for  him.  However 
when  he  sees  his  master  married  to  Gene- 
vieve, he  makes  a  rapid  exit  heading  for 
the  freight  train  leaving  town. 

In  every  respect  this  is  an  audience  pic- 
ture and  the  Follies  comedian  deserves 
every  appreciation  extended  to  him  either 
in  the  form  of  laughs  or  applause.  Surely 
the  picture-going  public  will  want  to  see 
this  picture  and  the  exhibitor  wishing  to 
satisfy  his  particular  part  of  that  public 
will  book  "Gee  Whiz,  Genevieve." 

^    ^  * 

Sittin'  Pretty 

Pathe  1  reel 

Charley  Chase,  impersonating  an  officer 
in  the  uniform  of  his  sweetheart's  father, 
is  dragged  to  the  station  house  by  a  thief 
caught  stealing  his  car.  Just  as  they  ar- 
rive, a  hurry  call  comes  in  that  a  lunatic 
is  at  large  and  has  barricaded  himself,  and 
all  the  police  of  the  station  are  sent  down. 
While  rushing  out,  they  take  Charley 
along.  When  at  the  scene  of  the  disturb- 
ance, Charley  steps  on  an  iron  hoop  and 
is  forced  to  jump  forward  just  when  the 
captain  asks  for  volunteers.  He  is  sent  in, 
pacifies  the  lunatic,  and  thus  captures  him. 
However  he  makes  his  disappearance 
quickly,  but  as  the  captain  has  noticed  the 
officer's  shield  number  he  conveys  the 
award  to  Charley's  prospective  father-in- 
law,  and  Charley  gets  the  girl. 


All  the  needed  elements  of  a  good  com- 
edy are  in  "Sittin'  Pretty,"  which  though 
short,  has  many  laughs.  There  is  an  in- 
genious scene  where  Charley  stands  on 
one  side  of  a  mirrored  door  and  the  luna- 
tic on  the  other.  Charley  swings  back  the 
mirror  and  imitates  every  move  of  the 
crazy  man  just  as  if  the  mirror  were  there 
— until  the  lunatic  is  so  enraged  that  he 
butts  his  head  against  the  glass  which  has 
been  swung  back  in  time  thus  making  the 
capture  comparatively  easy. 

As  an  exploitable  comedy  there  is  little 
in  the  story  to  advertise,  but  the  name  of 
Charley  Case  has  quite  a  following  among 
comedy  fans.  Even  though  "Sittin'  Pretty" 
is  a  one  reeler,  yet  laughs  enough  abound 
to  make  the  exhibitor  feel  safe  in  booking 
this  comedy. 

H<  ^ 

Should  Landlords  Live? 

Pathe  2  reels 

Arthur  Stone  is  clerk  in  a  small  town  gen- 
eral store  and  feels  the  urge  for  the  city  and 
more  room  to  move  around  in.  His  uncle  in 
the  city  welcomes  him  and  gives  him  employ- 
ment as  rent  collector.  However  his  lack  of 
success  in  this  direction  together  with  too 
much  city  sends  him  back  to  his  small  town 
clerkship,  sadder  but  wiser. 

Hailed  by  Hal  Roach  as  a  star  'find,'  Ar- 
thur Stone  makes  his  first  appearance  in  a 
new  series  of  comedies.  Stone  has  been  se- 
cured from  the  ranks  of  vaudeville,  and  has 
all  his  screen  future  ahead  of  him. 


"Should  Landlords  Live?"  is  a  fast  moving 
comedy,  but  has  nothing  new  in  it,  nor  does 
Arthur  Stone  lend  it  anything  beyond  what 
scores  of  other  comedians  might  in  the  same 


An  example  of  the  progress  of  short  subjects  from  the  position  of  "filler"  to  the 
rank  of  big  little  features.  George  Washington  taking  the  oath  of  office  as  first 
President  of  the  United  States.  A  scene  from  "Alexander  Hamilton,"  one  of  the 
"Chronicles  of  America"  produced  by  Yale  University  Press  and  distributed  by  Pathe. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  33 


situation.  Yet  even  so,  there  still  remains 
the  fact  that  this  two  reeler  has  many  laughs 
even  if  the  slapstick  follows  conventional 
lines. 

On  the  whole,  for  its  amusing  scenes  this 
picture  would  be  safe  booking  from  the  ex- 
hibitors standpoint,  yet  it  is  not  any  more 
to  be  desired  than  dozens  of  others.  The 
advertising  would  necessitate  much  consid- 
eration, for  the  star  is  unknown  to  screen 
fans,  though  in  some  centers  is  known  for 
his  past  vaudeville  associations. 

Short  Change 

Educational  2  reels 

Oswald  Overton  is  chief  teller  in  the  First 
National  Bank,  and  is  planning  to  leave  for 
his  annual  fishing  trip.  The  Bank  has  re- 
ceived an  urgent  telegram  from  its  branch  to 
send  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  stop  the  run  on 
the  branch.  The  messenger  is  dispatched 
and  while  saying  goodbye  to  Oswald  the  trav- 
elling bags  are  mixed — and  many  unlooked 
for  complications  thereby  arise.  When  Os- 
wald discovers  the  contents  of  his  bag,  he  has 
already  reached  his  destination,  but  takes  the 
first  train  back  home.  In  getting  the  money 
back  to  the  bank  he  is  frustrated  many  times 
by  thugs  and  tough  characters,  yet  finally 
restores  the  money  to  the  bank's  vault,  and 
wins  for  his  reward  the  president's  daughter. 

Walter  Hiers  plays  the  part  of  Oswald 
Overton,  and  does  so  splendidly.  He  will 
surely  "get  over"  big  in  this  comedy,  for  he 
has  that  comedy  manner  so  well  sought  for 
on  the  screen.  He  can  look  so  simple  and 
stupid ;  merely  looking  at  his  fat  moon  face 
makes  one  laugh. 

The  story  is  good  and  interspersed  with 
interesting  comedy.  The  scene  where  he  is 
aboard  the  train  and  has  as  his  seat  compan- 
ion a  mischievous  child,  who  steals  his  pock- 
etbook  and  ticket  throwing  them  out  the 
window,  gives  him  an  excellent  opportunity. 

If  we  were  an  exhibitor  we  would  adver- 
tise this  comedy  regardless  what  the  feature 
we  were  showing  might  be,  for  the  feature 
of  the  bill  would  doubtless  turn  out  to  be 
Walter  Hiers. 

When  Walter  Hiers,  stout  though  he  be, 
stuffs  the  numerous  packages  of  money  in  his 
shirt  front  and  walks  through  the  streets, 
thinking  that  it  will  be  unnoticed,  he  is  a 
scream — and  this  by  the  way  would  be  a  good 
street  ballyhoo  for  exploitation  purposes. 

Bright  Lights 

Educational  2  reels 

Bobby  Vernon  and  his  chum  follow  two 
attractive  girls  in  a  motor,  along  the  country 
road.  They  take  the  wrong  road  and  land 
in  the  lake.  A  neighboring  farmer's  wife 
gives  them  fresh  clothes  and  they  stay  in 
town  and  take  in  the  Barn  dance.  The  girls 
are  also  there  and  one  of  them  invites  Bobby 
to  call  on  her  in  the  city  where  she  is  a 
dancer  in  a  cabaret.  Bobby  comes  to  town 
but  retains  his  country  style  of  clothing  and 
in  visiting  the  girl  gets  into  many  scrapes. 
However,  he  is  persistent  and  wins  the  girl. 

Bobby  Vernon  in  'Bright  Lights'  is  a  good 
comedy  to  book,  for  while  it  is  the  old  fash- 
ioned slapstick  and  hokum,  yet  it  is  all  nicely 
balanced  and  the  situations  laughable. 

Though  a  city  chap,  his  ducking  in  the  lake 
causes  him  to  put  on  the  only  available  cloth- 
ing which  consists  of  a  typically  'country' 
type  outfit  of  apparel. 

The  girl  is  of  the  quite  sophisticated  type 
and  teases  him  into  visiting  her. 


He  even  interrupts  the  cabaret  perform- 
ance and  the  manager  calls  the  police.  Then 
he  dons  the  costume  of  the  girls  in  the  chorus 
and  looks  screamingly  funny  and  acts  the 
same  way. 

Though  the  cabaret  manager  puts  him  out 
several  times  he  makes  good  his  return  each 
time. 

.  The  sets  are  elaborate,  and  the  comedy  as 
a  whole,  worth  while  entertainment. 

*  *  * 

Her  Boy  Friend 

Educational  2  reels 

Larry  Semon  is  the  son  of  the  chief  of 
police  in  a  small  town  that  is  infested  with 
bootleggers,  who  ply  their  trade  without  re- 
gard to  national  law  or  local  authorities. 

The  main  law  breaking  institution  is  the 
Dragem-Inn  run  by  "Slim"  Chance,  and  his 
silent  partner  "The  Killer  Kid." 

They  are  both  much  wanted  by  the  police, 
but  are  wily  enough  to  keep  out  of  the 
law's  grasp.  Iva  Method  is  a  young  woman 
detective,  who  goes  to  the  cafe  seeking  evi- 
dence ;  wh'le  silting  at  a  table  she  is  recog- 
nized by  Slim  as  a  member  of  the  police 
force.  She  is  promptly  but  quietly  kid- 
napped and  taken  to  a  room  in  the  attic, 
where  Larry  later  rescues  her. 

He  doesn't  marry  her  however,  tor  the 
lady  is  already  married  to  the  chief  detec- 
tive. 

*  *  * 

Low  Bridge 

Universal-Century  2  reels 

Young  Buddy  during  a  motor  ride  with 
his  sweetheart  is  taunted  by  h  s  hated  rival, 
who  tells  the  girl  that  he  has  not  alone  a 
fancier  auto  than  Buddy,  but  a  swift  yacht 
that  is  at  her  disposal  whenever  she  would 
a-sailing  go. 

Little  dark-skinned  Bubbles,  chauffeur  to 
Buddy,  speaks  up  seeing  that  this  boast  has 
made  an  impression  on  the  young  lady,  and 
tells  her  that  Buddy  has  the  finest  yacht  on 
the  lake.  As  Buddy  has  no  yacht  he  is  rath- 
er surprised  at  the  boast.  However  as  Mar- 
tha takes  the  boast  ser  ously  and  expresses 
a  willingness  to  take  the  ride,  Buddy  and 
Bubbles  must  set  about  at  once  the  construc- 
tion of  the  yacht. 

This   they  accomplish  in    Buddy's  bath- 


room, though  the  filling  of  the  room  with 
water  for  the  trial  spin,  and  the  subsequent 
deluge  of  the  rest  of  the  house,  get  Buddy 
and  Bubbles  into  a  deal  of  trouble. 


Here's    a    perfectly    enjoyable  comedy. 

There  is  an  interest  more  or  less  general 
in  juvenile  comedies  that  should  be  capital- 
ized by  exhibitors.  While  we  do  not  wish 
to  make  specific  comparisons  between  this 
company  of  juvenile  actors  and  others,  yet 
we  find  that  there  is  many  a  good  laugh 
in  Buddy  Messinger's  comedies. 

The  scene  where  he  builds  the  boat  in 
his  home  is  great,  as  are  the  previous  scenes 
of  the  way  he  gets  his  rival  arrested  for 
speeding  and  sent  to  jail. 

Buddy  is  quite  a  natural  young  actor  and 
his  plump  good  natured  personality  simply 
bubbles  with  mischief  and  innocent,  harm- 
less pranks. 

"Low  Bridge"  is  a  good  comedy  to  book, 
for  it  will  have  the  audience  laughing  and 
leave  them  with  a  satisfied  sort  of  feeling. 

Exploitation  may  take  the  form  of  a  street 
bally.  This  might  consist  of  a  small  steam 
launch  on  wheels,  presided  over  by  two 
youths  in  sailor  costume — one  of  them  a  dark 
skinned  sailor  lad  to  emulate  Bubbles — should 
attract  wide  attention. 


There  is  much  action  in  this  picture  but 
with  it  all  the  comedy  is  light  and  rather  of 
a  farce  type  than  a  pure  comedy. 

It  is  interesting  withal.  The  scenes  where 
Larry  and  the  Chief  of  detectives  dress  lip 
in  disguise  consisting  of  whiskey  boxes  and 
fit  themselves  into  the  scenery  where  case 
upon  case  of  similar  boxes  are  piled  thus 
avoiding  detection,  is  ingenious  indeed. 

Larry  Semon  has  a  new  method  that  is 
better  we  think  than  the  old  slap  stick  stuff 
he  formerly  pulled.  In  "Her  Boy  Friend," 
he  is  deft  and  indirect  rather  than  sharply 
direct — and  the  resultant  effect,  is  enhanced, 
giving  the  picture  both  balance  and  body. 

Larry  Semon  is  a  well  known  enough 
name  to  feature,  but  Alma  Bennet  and  Doro- 
thy Dwan  are  both  known  for  previous  hits. 
The  Bootlegger  end  of  the  story  lends  itself 
excellently  for  ballyhoo  exploitation. 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


WHEN  YOU  PLAY 

'Monsieur  Beaucaire' 

Your  Theatre  May  Assume  the  Atmosphere  of  the  Pompadour 

Period  Without  Great  Expense 


TO  help  a  picture,  advertising  must 
be  as  much  in  keeping  with  the 
picture  itself  as  the  music  score 
that  is  written  around  it.  And  because 
Famous  Players  have  spent  a  huge  for- 
tune to  make  "Monsieur  Beaucaire"  ar- 
tistically perfect,  and  have  succeeded 
so  amply  in  this  direction,  the  first 
thought  concerning  the  exploitation  of 
the  picture  should  be  along  lines 
suggesting  the  dignity  of  Rudolph  Val- 
entino in  "Monsieur  Beaucaire." 

Because  of  the  gorgeous  costumes, 
it  might  be  suggested  that  you  try  a 
costume  dance  with  a  loving  cup  as 
prize,  but  this  is  very  difficult  and  the 
response  is  not  likely  to  be  as  certain 
as  if  you  stage  a  public  dance  contest 
at  one  of  the  local  halls, 
or  hotels  and  offer  as  a 
prize  a  silver  "Monsieur 
Beaucaire"    cup,  stating 
when  you  make  the  prize 
offer  that   the    cup  was 
purchased    by  Rudolph 
Valentino  and  that  a  let- 
ter from  the  star  will  ac- 
company  the   award  of 
the  cup.  You  can  arrange 
for  the  cup,  and  if  you 
feel  that  it  will  help  to 
have  a  letter  written  from 
the    star    to    make  the 
award    more  attractive, 
write  to  Claude  Saunders, 
Director  of  the  Division 
of  Exploitation  for  Para- 
mount, who  will  see  that 
a  letter    from  Rudolph 
Valentino  reaches  you  in 
time  to  present  with  the  cherished  prize. 

SUCH  a  dance  might  be  made  a  lucky 
number  contest  or  a  legitimate  com- 
petitive event  with  elimination  contests 
for  six  nights  before  the  prize  is 
awarded.  The  way  to  eliminate  is  to 
hold  out  about  fifteen  couples  each 
night  for  the  final  evening  so  that  you 
are  sure  of  a  crowd  the  night  that  the 
prize  is  awarded. 

Such  a  contest  was  held  with  excel- 
lent results  by  Howard  Waugh,  man- 
ager of  Loew's  Palace  Theatre,  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee. 


In  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Edward  L.  Hy- 
man,  Managing  Director  of  the 
Mark  Strand  Theatre,  broke  a  hard  and 
fast  rule  when  he  had  the  big  Brook- 
lyn Strand  Symphony  Orchestra  in 
Louis  XV  costumes. 

The  musicians  wore  dark  velvet  coats 
with  ruffles  and  lace,  while  the  conduc- 
tor of  the  orchestra  was  a  striking  fig- 
ure in  white  satin  set  off  with  gold 
brocade.  The  costumes  were  so  attrac- 
tive and  were  worn  so  well  by  the 
musicians  that  the  audiences  were  com- 
pletely delighted  with  the  change. 

HYMAN'S  reason  for  costuming  the 
men,  however,  was  to  preserve  a 
single  note  of  harmony  in  the  dressing 


(""•  OSTUMED  ush- 
ers  and  similar 
stunts  are  not  neces- 
sary to  the  creation 
of  atmosphere.  Bor- 
rowed paintings  of 
appropriate  scenes, 
bits  of  brocade  o  r 
pieces  of  tapestry 
will  prove  equally  ef- 
fective. And  these 
may  be  secured  gra- 
tis if  you  accord  the 
lender  the  courtesy  of 
a  card.  There  is  no 
reason  why  you  should 
not  have  a  waiting 
list  of  the  town's 
merchants  ready  to 
dress  your  lobby  and 
foyer  in  exchange  for 
the  valuable  advertis- 
ing they  will  receive. 


of  his  set  where  he  staged  what  was 
probably  the  finest  prologue  this  picture 
has  ever  been  given  by  any  theatre. 

In  many  of  the  theatres,  we  find  that 
the  service  staff  has  been  costumed, 
and  while  the  effect  is  very  good,  if  the 
costumes  are  chosen  with  care  and  worn 
with  taste,  it  is  not  a  suggestion  that 
every  manager  will  readily  pick  up. 

"Red  Red  Rose,"  the  song  written  by 
Mel  Shauer  for  this  picture,  which 
forms  the  theme  of  the  prepared  music 
score  is  another  avenue  for  dignified 
publicity. 

At  Grauman's  Metropolitan  in  Los 
Angeles,  Al  Kaufman  had  a  booth  in 
the  lobby;  the  first  booth  of  any  kind 
that  has  ever  been  used  in  that  theatre, 
with  three  salesmen  doing  a  wonderful 
business  selling  copies  of  the  song. 

THE  local  manager  for  the  Empire 
Music  company  paid  for  the  booth 
and  the  salaries  of  the  three  agents  who 
were  on  duty  during  the  two  weeks 
that  the  picture  was  at  that  theatre. 

This  is  probably  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  motion  picture  theatre  busi- 
ness that  a  booth  of  this  kind  has  been 
erected  in  the  lobby  of  a  regular  exhi- 
bition house. 

Florists  should  form  partners  in  a 
cooperative  arrangement  that  will  per- 
mit the  theatre  to  give  every  lady  pa- 
tron on  the  opening  night  a  flower  or 
a  small  bunch  of  flowers  with  a  small 
card  attached  stating  that  the  flowers 
are  the  compliments  of  Valentino. 

Many  of  the  Paramount  Exploiteers 
in  handling  engagements,  were  called 
upon  to  get  out  special  mailing  litera- 
t  u  r  e.    Most    of    them    hit    on  the 
idea    for    the    mailing    envelope  or 
the  front  of  a  mailing  folder:  "The 
Perfect    Lover    is    Back."  One 
exploiteer      used  the 
idea  for  a  folder  and 
on  the  inside  page  had 
a  description  of  Valen- 
tino   a    la  Bertillion: 
Height,   weight,  com- 
plexion,   i  d  e  n  tifying 
marks,  etc.     In  some 
places  this  may  be  ef- 
f  e  c  t  i  v  e  exploitation. 


FREE  WINDOWS^ 

to  make  bigger  profits 

bigger 


JOSEPH   M.  SCHENCK  prtstnls 


fcy  RUDOLF  BESIER  and  MAY  ED1NCTON 
Ixutdon  Iht  SAM  H.  HARRIS  play  'SECRETS 

Mrtcttd  by    FRANK  BORIAGE 


JOSEPH  M.  SCHENCK  prtstnts 


NORMA 
TALMADGE 


*y  RUDOLF  BESIER.  and  MAY  EDINGTON 
based  on  tht  SAM  H.  HARRIS  play  'SECRETS 

dincttdby    FRANK  BORZAGE 


WINDOWS-thousands  of 
them  made  available  for  you 

o<v-> 


FREE  WINDOWS^ 

to  make  bigger  profits 

bigget 


JOSEPH   M.  SCHENCK  presents 


by  RUDOLF  BESIER  and  MAY  EDINCTON 
bajcdon  the  SAM  H.  HARRIS  plu, 'SECRETS 

directed  by    FRANK  BORZAGE 


?H  M.  SCHENCK  presents 


NORMA 
TALMADGE 


6y  RUDOLF  BESIER  and  MAY  EDINGTON 
basrdontht  SAM  H.  HARRIS /j/oy 'SECRETS 

directed  by    FRANK  BORZAGE 


WI NDOWS  h  thousands  of 
them  made  available  for  you 


September  27,  1924 


Page  37 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
^^^^^^^^^^ 


Turn  Window  Shoppers 
Into  Movie  Patrons  and 
You  Fear  no  Competition 


Constructive  Incentives  for 


nd  Local  Merchants 


When  You  Have  "Secrets' 

TELL  THE  TOWN 

Let  Tie-Up  Windows  Tell  When  You  Will  Show  the  Picture 
and  the  Box-Office  Will  Take  Care  of  Itself 


FIRST  NATIONAL'S  "Secrets" 
is  a  screen  classic.  It  will  surely 
make  friends  for  your  theatre. 
But  it  is  essential  that  you  let  folks 
know  when  they  are  to  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  enjoying  this  masterpiece.  If 
you  will  do  this,  "Secrets"  will  enable 
you  to  ascertain  just  how  many  people 
your  theatre  will  accomodate.  For  you 
will  play  capacity — sure. 

This  photo-drama  is  replete  with 
beauty  and  dignity,  and  is  ideal  from 
the  point  of  exploitation  through  win- 
dow displays.  A  circus-type  bally 
would  be  almost  injurious,  but  artistic 
under-glass  advertising  will  benefit  the 
presentation  and  also   the  merchants. 


The  Story 

Norma  Talmadge  is  the  star, 
gene  O'Brien  is  her  support, 
action  covers  four 
periods  in  their 
lives.  First  they  are 
shown  as  lovers  in 
1865;  then  as  a 
youthful  pioneer 
couple  in  the  West 
of  1870.  This  epi- 
sode is  followed  by 
a  picturization  of 
them  and  their 
children  in  1888; 
and  finally  they  ap- 
pear in  the  seventh 
age  in  the  year 
1923 — still  lovers. 

The  various  per- 
iod costumes  offer 
exceptional  oppor- 
tunities for  win- 
do  w  s  comparing 
the  styles  —  both 
masculine  and 
feminine  —  during 
the  times  coveredby 
the  picture.  These 


Eu- 
The 


will  prove  of  enormous  interest,  and 
the  displays  themselves  may  be  made 
actual  artistic  creations. 

Selling  the  Idea 

In  "selling"  the  window  tie-up  idea 
to  the  merchants  controlling  the  win- 
dows you  wish  to  secure,  bear  in  mind 
that  you  are  actually  doing  them  a  fa- 
vor in  presenting  a  chance  to  associate 
their  shops  and  their  merchandise  with 
a  star  such  as  Norma  Talmadge,  a 
company  such  as  First  National,  and 
a  photo-classic  such  as  "Secrets." 

The  connection  will  be  worth  actual 
dollars  and  cents  to  them,  and  you  are 
offering  it  gratis,  asking  only  their  co- 
operation in  a  publicity  campaign  that 
will  justify  itself  in  sales. 

It  may  seem  a  far  cry  from  the 
products  of  1865  to  those  of  1924,  but 


This  is  a  "Secrets"  window  that  did  big  business  for  the  Circle  Theatre,  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  and  the  L.  S.  Ayres  &  Company  department  store,  during  the  run  of  the 
First  National  picture.  The  window  card  starts  off:  "The  Costumes  Which  in 
'Secrets'  Mark  the  Passing  of  a  Lifetime."    The  window  attracted  large  crowds. 


a  moment's  thought  will  convince  you 
of  the  utter  charm  and  individuality 
which  you  may  put  in  every  window 
ad  of  your  showing. 

Tie-Up  Thoughts 

For  instance,  can  you  think  of  any- 
thing that  will  attract  more  attention 
than  a  comparison  of  the  old  bicycle 
and  its  six  foot  front  wheel  with  the 
modern  motorcycle — or  the  mile-a-min- 
ute  speedster? 

Sporting  goods  stores  may  be  inter- 
ested in  displaying  the  antiquated  fire 
arms  of  the  Civil  War  period  with  the 
high-powered  weapons  of  today. 

Two  Angles 

There  are  just  two  angles  to  the 
National  Tie-Up  on  "Secrets."  One 
is  that  of  making  comparisons  of  all 
sorts  showing  the 
difference  between 
1865  and  1924. 
The  other  is  a  gen- 
eral tie-up  with 
beauty. 

"Secrets"  is  a 
pastel  of  lavender 
and  old  lace,  and  it 
fits  in  admirably 
with  any  product 
having  anything  to 
do  with  beauty  and 
sentiment. 

Building  on  a 
foundation  of  com- 
parison and  beauty 
you  can  tie-up 
every  window  you 
desire.  Each  will 
point  the  way  to 
your  box  -  office, 
and  your  stills,  dis- 
play material,  and 
window  cards  will 
help  the  merchants. 


I 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


These  Stills  from  First  National's 
"Secrets" — Nos.  54  and  38 — are  typical 
of  the  1865  sequences.  They  depict  the 
elopement.  Note  tie-ups  with  traveling 
bags,  bicycles,  flowers,  and  clothing. 


The  beauty  of  First  Na- 
tional's "Secrets,"  and  the 
opportunity  for  compari- 
son between  old  and  new 
fashions,  and  methods,  pre- 
sent countless  chances  for 
unique  window  tie-ups  all 
over  town. 


Window  Displays  For 


SECRETS 


Will  Build  Business 


First  National's  heart  drama,  "Secrets,"  with  Norma  Talmadge  and  Eugene  O'Brien  play 
ing  the  leading  roles,  will  prove  to  be  one  of  the  season  s  biggest  box-office  win- 
ners.   It  will  pay  you  to  exert  every  ounce  of  your  showmanslip 
,  ability  for  your  presentation  of  this  great  feature. 


Sept:  rubor  27.  1 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


After  You  Book  the  Picture 


'age 


39 


Quaint  Windows  in  Old  Fashioned  Treatments  Will  Be 
Sufficiently  "Different'''  to  Attract  Attention 


WHEN  you 
know  vour 
"  Secrets  " 
olavdates,  and  have 
arranged  for  the 
best  windows  in 
town,  write  imme- 
diately to  the  Re- 
view. Plainly  state 
your  show  dates, 
and  specify  how 
many  sets  of  dis- 
play material  you 
will  require  on 
each  National  Tie- 
Up. 

Each  of  the  na- 
tional advertisers 
listed  weekly  in 
this  section  are 
full}'  awake  to  the 
great  business 
building  potential- 
ities of  the  win- 
dow display  tie-up 
idea.    And  each  is 

pledged  to  accord  you  the  fullest  meas- 
ure of  co-operation  in  the  work  of  mu- 
tual exploitation. 

Not  only  will  you  be  promptly  in  re- 
ceipt of  the  display  material,  but  in 
many  cases  you  will  receive  suggestions 
and  information  which  will  prove  of 
very  material  aid  in  selling  tickets  for 
your  show  as  well  as  merchandise  for 
your  dealer  friend. 

Local  Tie-Ups 

In  your  town  there  are  doubtless 
many  shops  that  enjoy  great  prestige 
locally.  They  may  be  tea-rooms,  con- 
fectioners, shoe  stores,  florists,  or  other 
types,  but  they  are  identified  with  the 
town  and  its  people.  They  are  per- 
haps points  of  congregation — meeting 
places — for  the  inhabitants. 

And  while  these  places  are  in  no 
sense  national  in  character,  there  win- 
dow cooperation  will  aid  you  immense- 
ly, and  the  shops  will  also  gain  associ- 
ation with  your  theatre  and  its  attrac- 
tions. 

Building  Good  Will 

In  tying  up  with  these  local  estab- 
lishments for  the  purpose  of  increasing 
sales  of  their  merchandise  and  your 
theatre  tickets,  you  will  be  also  building 
a  foundation  of  friendship  for  yourself 
and  your  showhouse. 

They  will  gain  through  the  associa- 
tion. And  so  will  you.  So  by  all  means 
get  every  local  tie-up  in  town  for  your 
shows.   And  start  in  "Secrets." 


Quite  expressive  of  the  beautiful 
settings  of  "Secrets"  the  First  Na- 
tional feature,  is  this  still  which 
will  greatly  augment  any  decora- 
tive window  display. 

Book  Shops 

"Secrets"  deals  with  the  diary  of  a 
wife.  In  this  closely  guarded  book  she 
writes  the  "Secrets"  of  her  life.  There 
is  therefore  an  opportunity  for  the  lo- 
cal book  shop  or  stationer  to  put  on  a 
special  drive  on  the  sale  of  diaries. 
Stills  from  the  picture  will  help  him, 
and  the  window  display  plus  your 
"Secrets"  window  card  will  make  them 
all  want  to  see  the  picture. 

Leather  Goods 

In  the  elopement  scene,  and  in  other 
sequences,  old  fashioned  traveling  bags 
appear.  These  stills,  together  with  an 
attractive  window  display,  and  a  clever 
card,  are  going  to  help  the  dealer  to 
sell  his  goods.  And  you  will  get  one 
more  window  to  point  the  way  to  the 
box-office. 

Safety  Vaults 

See  the  bank.  Get  it  to  boost  your 
show  in  connection  with  a  campaign 
for  the  rental  of  safety  deposit  vaults. 
The  thought  may  be  something  along 
the  line  of  keeping  "Secrets"  safe  in  de- 
posit boxes. 

The  idea  may  be  worked  out  to  mu- 
tual benefit,  and  you  will  make  a  closer 
friend  of  your  banker  by  showing  that 
you  have  his  interests  at  heart  in  offer- 


ing him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  work 
with  you  on  a  prop- 
osition when  the 
bank  may  benefit. 

Millinery 

From  girlhood  to 
old  age  women 
wear  hats.  Milli- 
nery is  one  of  fem- 
ininity's chief  con- 
cerns. And  "Se- 
crets" offers  amaz- 
ing possibilities  in 
arranging  millinery 
windows  of  un- 
usual appeal  and 
interest. 

The  picture  shows 
Norma  Talmadge, 
and  other  women, 
adorned  with  the 
creations  of  the 
different  periods 
covered  in  the  ac- 
comparison  of  these 
styles  with  the  modern  models  will  help 
the  show — and  the  milliner. 


tion.    And  a 


If  there  is  a  real  clever  milliner  in 
town,  it  is  entirely  possible  to  start  a 
new  style  by  creating  a  "Secrets"  hat, 
by  adapting  one  of  the  decidedly  fetch- 
ing old  time  styles  to  1924  require- 
ments. 

Shoe  Shops 

Dainty  displays  of  slippers,  stockings, 
shoe  buckles,  and  kindred  products  to- 
gether with  appropriate  stills  from  "Se- 
crets" will  also  arrest  the  gaze  of  pe- 
destrians. Again  the  comparison  of 
styles  may  be  exploited  for  the  benefit 
of  your  show,  and  your  tie-up  partner's 
business. 

Modistes 

Perhaps  the  very  best  windows  for 
"Secrets"  will  be  those  of  dressmakers 
or  department  stores.  In  these  the 
change  in  fashion  may  be  clearly  shown 
in  an  interesting  way. 

That  effective  windows  may  be  ar- 
ranged in  such  a  tie-up  has  been  demon- 
strated. In  fact,  one  "Secrets"  win- 
dow showing  the  antiquated  costumes 
of  the  bygone  years,  was  in  such  de- 
mand that  several  of  the  largest  New 
York  department  stores  clamored  for 
it.  And  a  "Secrets"  window  was  a  fea- 
ture in  each  of  these  establishments  for 
many  weeks. 


Page  40 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade 


Review 


One  of  many  stills  indi- 
cating the  beauty  and  ro- 
mance to  be  found  in 
First  National's  "Se- 
crets." No.  51  shows 
Norma  Talmadge  and 
Eugene  O'Brien  in  the 
fashion  of  1865.  They 
are  about  to  elope,  start- 
ing together  through  the 
life  that  was  to  give  them 
so    many  "Secrets." 


You  remember  the  heavy,  odd,  anti- 
quated jewelry  of  your  grandmother's 
time.  It  is  prominently  featured  in 
the  early  sequences  of  "Secrets."  These 
stills  will  enable  you  to  arrange  with  a 
jeweler  for  a  special  display  of  old 
fashioned  jewelry  in  comparison  with 
up-to-the-minute  settings.  The  result 
will  be  more  business  for  the  box-office. 

Florists 

Even  if  there  were  not  a  single  still 
with  flowers  showing,  "Secrets"  would 
nevertheless  offer  a  fine  tie-up  with 
blooms  and  blossoms.  The  atmos- 
phere of  the  picture  is  that  of  an  old 
fashioned  garden— 
a  sort  of  "rosemary 
for  remembrance" 
atmosphere  that  is 
always  fascinating. 

However,  there 
are  plenty  of  appro- 
priate stills  for  a 
florist's  window,  and 
the  best  in  town  will 
be  glad  of  the 
chance  to  t  i  e-u  p 
with  your  attraction. 
Flowers  have  con- 
veyed the  "Secrets" 
of  lovers  one  to  the 
other  for  countless 
centuries.  And  "if 
this  window  display 
fails  to  bring  busi- 
ness to  the  lobby 
and  to  the  bud-sell- 
er, it  is  because 
there  are  no  lovers 
in  your  fair  city. 

Music 

You  have  a 
double-barreled  song 


tie-up  for  "Secrets."  One  is  "Mem- 
ory Lane,"  an  appealing  ballad  that 
gained  instant  popularity,  and  the  other 
is  "Secrets"  which  is  no  less  beautiful 
or  appropriate. 

The  latter  is  dedicated  to  Miss  Tal- 
madge, and  bears  her  picture  in  cos- 
tume on  its  cover.  Both  have  been 
featured  with  great  success  in  prologs 
and  presentations. 


Your  music  dealer  will  do  well  to  in- 
crease his  stock  of  both  sheet  music 
and  records  during  your  showing,  for 
there  will  surely  be  an  extra  demand. 
He,  in  turn,  will  help  you  by  stressing 
the  songs  and  through  window  tie-ups. 


There  were  "vamps"  in  those  days,  too.  Still  No.  71  shows  one  who  tries  unsuc- 
cessfully to  win  the  heroine's  husband  in  First  National's  "Secrets."    Note  the  tie-ups 

with  clothes,  jewels  and  flowers. 


Beauty  Shops 

All  recipes  for  beauty  are  "Secrets." 
And  thus  you  are  provided  with  an 
idea  for  window  cards  on  your  beauty 
shop  tie-ups.  Stills  of  the  star,  Norma 
Talmadge,  may  be  associated  with  any 
beautifier,  cosmetic,  or  other  product 
calculated  to  enhance  feminine  charms. 
And  the  lure  of  Miss  Talmadge's  beau- 
ty will  sell  the  goods  and  bring  folks 
to  the  theatre. 

The  idea  of  comparison  of  styles 
may  also  be  used  in  hair  dressing  es- 
tablishments— even  though  bobbed  hair 
wasn't  quite  the  vogue  in  1865.  A 
clever  hairdresser  may  well  be  able  to 
establish  a  new  style 
— a  "Secrets"  coif- 
fure. 

Furnishers 

Styles  change  in 
furniture  as  well  as 
in  c  1  o  i  h  ing  and 
other  things.  And  a 
window  comparing 
the  now  ludicrous 
furnishings  of  a 
home  fifi:y  years 
ago,  with  the  mod- 
ern idea  of  comfort 
and  beauty  will  at- 
tract the  crowd. 

There  are  doubt- 
less stores  in  you*" 
vicinity  that  have 
been  in  business 
during  the  ;ime  cov- 
ered in  the  picture, 
and  a  display  cf  old 
ledgers,  old  furni- 
ture— anything  old 
will  impress  the  pub- 
lic wi^h  the  solidity 
of  the  institution. 


i 


September  27,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  41 


Breaking  the  Records  With  'Secrets' 


Get  Behind  This  Big  Picture  With  Every  Ounce  of  Shoivmanship 
You  Possess — It  Will  Be  One  of  Your 
Box  Office  Successes 


Biggest 


THERE  are  a 
n  u  m  ber  of 
ideas  that  will 
help  your  "Secrets" 
showing.  But  you 
must  be  careful  in 
the  type  of  bally 
you  use.  The  pic- 
ttct-e  is  a  thing  of 
dignity  and  beauty 
and  should  not  be 
exploited  in  the 
same  manner  in 
which  you  might  ad- 
vertise a  farce. 

However,  some 
eye  attracting  stunts 
will  work  out  well, 
and  these  few  sug- 
gestions will  doubt- 
less bring  many 
others  to  mind. 

Driving  Bally 

Secure  an  old  time 
"open  face"  car- 
riage, or  coach  if 
possible.  Dress  a  man  and  a  woman  in 
the  fashion  of  1865,  fix  the  coachman 
up  likewise  and  have  the  rig  drive 
through  the  streets  of  the  city.  It  may 
arouse  greater  speculation  if  you  repeat 
the  stunt  for  several  days  without  any 
signs  referring  to  "Secrets." 

If  you  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  ap- 
parel of  the  time  mentioned,  you  can 
surely  secure  some  clothing  typical  of 
the  1888  episode.  And  these  habili- 
ments will  be  sufficiently  different  from 
the  modern  style  to  attract  attention 
wherever  they  appear. 

Pedestrians 

Another  idea  along  the  same  lines 
would  be  to  have  two  girls  or  a  man 
and  a  girl  dressed  in  period  clothes, 
walk  through  the  streets.  She  might 
carry  a  paioiol  on  wh'ch  your  "Se- 
crets" announcement  would  appear 
when  it  was  opened. 

If  you  cared  to  secure  three  or  four 
couples  you  could  feature  the  costumes 
of  each  period  in  the  action  of  the 
photoplay. 

Bicycles 

If  there  is  one  of  the  old  high 
wheeled  "bikes"  in  town,  by  all  means 
resurrect  it,  and  get  some  one  who  can 
ride  the  thing  to  wheel  about  town. 

You  can  even  attract  attention  by 
advertising  for  such  a  bicycle  in  the 


Window  displays  using  still  No.  106 
may  tie-up  with  guns,  hardware  and 
sporting  goods.  There  is  a  wealth  of 
attraction-getting  value  in  this  dra- 
matic moment  of  First  National's 
"Secrets." 

papers.  And  can  create  further  interest 
by  advertising  a  couple  of  weeks  before 
opening  for  old  fashioned  costumes, 
and  so  on. 

Title  Stunts 

The  title  "Secrets"  gives  you  a  fine 
chance  to  use  throwaways. 

There  may  be  "Secrets"  of  wealth, 
health  or  happiness.  In  fact  any  kind 
of  "Secrets."  You  might  tell  your  pa- 
trons "Secrets"  a  week  or  two  before 
opening  through  the  distribution  of  en- 
velopes marked  "Personal"  or  "Pri- 
vate." Inside  ask  them  if  they  can 
fceep  "Secrets" — or  if  they  have  "Se- 
crets"— or  if  they  like  "Secrets,"  and 
tell  them  confidentially  that  you  are  go- 
ing to  have  Norma  Talmadge's  really 
great  picture  at  your  theatre. 

Photographs 

Offer  prizes  for  old  fashioned  photo- 
graphs showing  the  towns  folks  in  the 
old  postures  and  costumes  affected  in 
the  good  old  days.  Select  the  best, 
and  print  them  with  your  "Secrets"  ad, 
inviting  the  folks  in  the  picture  to  be 
your  guests. 

You  might  arrange  to  have  these  old 


time  pictures  dis- 
played in  the  lobby, 
and  if  your  friends 
don't  object,  put  up 
signs  something 
about  "This  is  how 
Banker  Jones  looked 
at  the  time  Mary 
married  John  Carl- 
ton in  "Secrets." 

Newspapers 

There  are  a  hun- 
dred different  ways 
the  newspapers  can 
help  your  show  and 
increase  their  circu- 
lation in  connection 
with  "Secrets." 

Letters  from  read- 
ers on  the  question 
of  whether  or  not 
married  folks  should 
have  "Secrets"  from 
one  another  —  the 
same  idea  on  wheth- 
er or  not  it  is  a  fact  that  everyone  does 
have  "Secrets."  Letters  on  how  much 
a  wife  should  stand  for  from  her  hus- 
band— where  her  loyalty  should  end,  if 
at  all. 

Then  there  may  be  articles  on  "Se- 
crets" of  success,  or  of  happy  mar- 
riage, or  of  any  one  of  a  limitless  num- 
ber of  things.  Get  together  with  the 
newspaper  boys.  They  will  help  you 
by  helping  themselves. 

Split-a-Page 

Don't  overlook  the  publicity  your 
theatre  and  its  attraction  may  get 
through  combining  the  merchants  of 
the  town  on  the  co-operative  advertis- 
ing idea. 

Your  merchant  friends  can  feature 
"Secrets"  of  right  buying — "Secrets" 
of  economy — and  each  of  the  split-a- 
page  men  will  receive  the  benefit  accru- 
ing from  a  full  page  smash  at  a  mere 
fraction  of  the  cost.  Better  than  all — 
your  theatre  will  profit  from  the  pub- 
licity each  individual  ad  will  give  it. 

Prologs 

Effective  prologs  may  be  staged  in- 
expensively for  "Secrets."  Just  a 
scrim  and  a  man  and  girl  in  period 
costumes.  The  song  "Secrets,"  or 
"Memory  Lane,"  well  rendered,  and 
the  proper  atmosphere  is  created. 

More  elaborate  prologs  may  be  eas- 


Page  42 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ily  arranged,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any 
would  prove  better  suited  to  the  pic- 
ture than  the  singing  of  one  of  these 
songs  in  the  proper  setting. 

The  value  of  the  prolog  has  been 
demonstrated  by  master  showmen 
everywhere,  and  if  it  is  at  all  possible 
you  should  stage  one  for  "Secrets." 
You  may  combine  the  prolog  idea  with 
advertising  by  advertising  for  local 
talent  to  use  in  this  connection.  Select 
the  best  team  and  feature  them  in  your 
ads. 

The  monetary  outlay  will  come  back 
several  times  because  of  the  interest 
aroused  in  the  local  entertainers. 

Presentation 

Why  not  arrange  with  some  store  to 
supply  costumes  for  your  usherettes 
during  the  showing  of  "Secrets" ?  It 
would  seem  that  some  enterprising  cos- 
tumer  or  merchant  would  be  glad  to 
co-operate  in  this  manner  for  the  sake 
of  the  publicity  accruing  to  his  estab- 
lishment. 

Costumed  ushers  will  most  certain- 


ly help  your  presentation,  and  -  it  is 
urged  that  you  make  every  effort  in 
this  regard.  "Secrets"  is  a  really  big 
picture,  and  your  showing  should  be 
one  of  the  biggest  financial  successes  of 
the  season.  All  that  is  needed  to  make 
it  so  is  a  bit  of  showmanship  on  your 
part. 

Give  a  thought  to  your  lobby,  also. 
And  remember  the  two  exploitation 
angles  of  the  picture.  One  is  its  con- 
summate beauty.  The  other  the  idea 
of  comparing  old  products  of  any  sort 
with  the  1924  variety. 

Word  Contest 

Another  good  contest  is  the  "scram- 
bled letters"  idea.  Simply  supply  the 
letters  contained  in  the  title  of  the  pic- 
ture and  Miss  Talmadge's  name.  Prizes 
may  be  awarded  to  the  contestants  fig- 
uring out  the  largest  number  of  words 
that  may  be  evolved  from  the  letters. 

Get  newspaper  co-operation  on  this 
one  too.  It  has  never  failed  to  arouse 
interest,  and  the  interest  reacts  at  the 
pay-box  in  dollars  and  cents.  Get  be- 
hind "Secrets."    You  can  cash  in  big. 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

fHE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos,"  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 


220  West  42nd  Street 


New  York  City 


National  Tie-Up  Windows   Now  Available 


"SECRETS" 

160 — Gage    Hats   Milliners 

159 — Cappi   Perfume   Druggists 

158 — Criss-Cross    Bassieres    ....Women's  Wear 

157 — Fashionette    Hairnets   Druggists 

1 56 — Amami    Shampoo   Druggists 

155 — Fownes   Gloves   Women's  Wear 

154— Bluebird   Pearls   Jewelers 

153 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear   ...Women's  Wear 

"WHAT  SHALL  I  DO?" 

1 52 — Chex   Druggists 

151 — Regent    Pearls   Jewelers 

1 50 — Bordens  Milk   Groceries 

149 — Pebeco   Druggists 

148 — Kleinerts  Products   Infants'  Wear 

147 — Old   English  Lavender   Druggists 

146 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners.  .  Infants'  Wear 

145 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"VANITY'S  PRICE" 
144 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...Women's  Wear 

143 — Djer-Kiss   Powder   Druggists 

142 — Fashionette    Hairnets   Druggists 

141 — Pebeco   Toothpaste   Druggists 

140 — Cappi   Perfume   Druggists 

139 — Amami  Shampoo   Druggists 

138 — Delicia    Lashbrow   Druggists 

137 — Chex   Druggists 

136 — Bluebird    Pearls    ....Jewelers 

"SIREN  OF  SEVILLE" 

135 — La  Supreme    Pearls   Jewelers 

134 — Delicia    Lipsticks   Drug  Stores 

133 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ..Women's  Wear 
132 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres    ....Women's  Wear 

131 — Djer-Kiss    Powder   Drug  Stores 

130 — Cappi   Perfume   Drug  Stores 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
129 — Kleinerts   Bathing   Caps   ..Women's  Wear 

128 — Hollywood  Hats   ..Hat  Shdps 

127— G.  G.  G.  Clothes   Clothiers 

126 — Thermo  Vests   Sport  Goods 

1*25 — Gropper    Knit    Ties   Haberdashers 

124 — Fownes    Gloves   Men's  Wear 

123 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

"NEVER   SAY  DIE" 

122 — Vogue   Clothes   Clothiers 

121 — Society  Club  Hats   Hat  Shops 

120 — Rit   Druggists 

119 — Wahl  Pens   Dept.  Stores 

"HER  OWN  FREE  WILL" 
118 — Her  Own  Free  Will  Story   ...Book  Shops 

117 — La   Supreme   Pearls   Jewelers 

116 — Vanity  Fair  Underwear  ...Women's  Wear 

115 — Delicia   Lipstick   Beauty*  Shops 

114 — Delica-Brow   Beauty  Shops 

113 — Fashionette  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"INTO  THE  NET" 

112 — G.  G.  G.  Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

111 — Hollywood    Hats   Hat  Shops 


110 — Gropper  Knit  Ties  Haberdashers 

109 — El  Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

108 — Pebeco  Dentrifice   Drug  Stores 

"THE  ARAB" 

107 — Temple  of  Allah  Incense  Drug  Stores 

106 — The  Arab  Song  Music  Stores 

105 — Gouraud*s  Oriental   Cream. ...  Drug  Stores 

104 — Sanka    Coffee  Grocers 

103 — Ramses  Perfumes  Drug  Stores 

102 — Gulbenkian's  Rugs   House  Furnishers 

"FIRST  NATIONAL"  TIE-UPS 
101 — Ashes  of  Vengeance   Book   ...Book  Shops 
100 — Ashes  of  Vengeance  Song   ...Music  Shops 

99 — Boy  of   Mine   Song   Music  Shops 

98 — Ponjola    Book   Book  Shops 

"97 — Penrod   Clothes   Clothing  Stores 

96 — Sure-Fit    Caps   Hat  Shops 

95 — Kleanet   Hairnets   Beauty  Shops 

94 — Propper   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"CAPTAIN  JANUARY" 

93 — Baby  Peggy  Story   Book   Book  Stores 

92 — Security  Blanket  Fasteners  Children's  Wear 
91 — Baby  Peggy   Stationery   ..Stationery  Stores 

90 — Westphal's    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

89 — Junior  Coats  and  Suits  ....Children's  Wear 

88 — Wayne   Knit  Socks   Children's  Wear 

87 — Kummel  Juvenile  Dresses  ..Children's  Wear 

86 — BaLy   Peggy   Dolls   Toy  Shops 

85 — Baby   Peggy    Underwear    .  .  Children's  Wear 

84 — Baby   Peggy   Hats   Millinery 

83 — Baby  Peggy  Handkerchiefs  Children's  Wear 

"FAMOUS"  TIE-UPS 

82 — Garcia  Grande  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

81 — Triumph  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

80 — Kleanet   Drug  Stores 

7,9 — Berklet    Knit   Ties   Haberdashers 

78 — Aubry    Sisters   Beauty  Shop 

77 — Coro    Pearls   Jeweler 

76 — Chex   Drug  Store 

"SHOOTING  OF  DAN  McGRfiW" 
75 — Vanity   Fair  Underwear   ....  Women's  Wear 

74 — Djer-Kiss   Compacts   Drug  Stores 

73 — Victor  Record   (No.  55218)    ..Music  Stores 

72 — Richelieu    Pearls   Jewelers 

71 — Amami    Shampoo   Drug  Stores 

70 — Fashionette   Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

"SHERLOCK,  JR." 

69 — Fownes   Gloves   Haberdashers 

68 — Djer-K'ss  Compacts   Drug  Stores 

67 — Melto   Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

66 — Gage    Hats   Milliners 

65 — Regent    Pearls  Jewelers 

64— El   Producto  Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

63 — Pebeco  Tooth   Paste   Drug  Stores 

"MIAMI" 

62 — Gotham  Gold   Stripe  Women's  Wear 

61 — Rigaud's   Talcum   Drug  Stores 

60 — Vogue  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

59 — Cappi    Perfume   Drug  Store 

58 — Chappel-Harms    (Miami)    ....Music  Stores 


57 — Kleinert  Bathing  Caps  Women's  Wear 

56 — Jantzen  Swimming  Suits    . .  Women's  Wear 
"BOY  OF  FLANDERS" 

55 — Jackie  Coogan   Confectioners 

54 — Ingersoll    Watches   Jeweleis 

53 — Jackie   Coogan  Chocolates  Confectioners 

52 — Borden's    Milk   Grocers 

51 — Jackie  Coogan  Hats   Hat  Shops 

50 — Grosset  &   Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"THE    SEA  HAWK" 

49 — Tudor    Silverware   Jewelers 

48— Blue   Bird   Pearls   Jewelers 

47 — Van   Raalte  Apparel   Women's  Wear 

46 — Fownes  Gloves   Haberdashers 

45 — Conde  Cosmetics   Drug  Stores 

44 — Bonnie  B  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

43 — Old    English    Lavender   Drug  Stores 

42 — Mystikum  Perfume   Drug  Stores 

41 — Jack    Mills    Music   Music  Stores 

40 — Grossett  &  Dunlap   Book  Dealers 

"MISSING  DAUGHTERS" 

3B — Gordon   Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

38 — Forest  Mills  Underwear  ....Women's  Wear 

37 — Omar    Pearls   Jewelers 

36 — Pebeco  Tooth   Paste   Drug  Stores 

35 — Criss-Cross   Brassieres   Women  s  Wear 

34 — Gage  Hats   Milliners 

33 — Wonderstoen  Hair  Eraser   Drug  Stores 

"PERFECT  FLAPPER" 

32 — El    Producto   Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

31 — Winx  Lash  Nourishment  ....Drug  Stores 
30 — Wonderstoen   Hair  Eraser   ....Drug  Stores 

2fl—  Hygienol   Powder   Puffs   Drug  Stores 

28 — Melto   Reducing   Cream   Drug  Stores 

"27 — Vanity    Fair   Frocks   Women's  Wear 

26 — Pert  Rouge   Drug  Stores 

25 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

24 — Djer-Kiss   Products   Drug  Stores 

23 — Regent  Pearls   Women's  Wear 

22 — Frances  Faire  Frocks   Drug  Stores 

"CHECHAHCOS" 

20 — La   Palina    Cigars   Cigar  Stores 

19 — Thermo   Sport   Coats   Men's  Clothing 

18 — Sterno  Canned  Heat   Drug  Stores 

17 — Borden's   Condensed  Milk   Grocers 

16 — Zepherized  Knit  Underwear  Women's  Wear 
15 — Auto   Vacuum   Freezer    .  . . .  Housefurnishing 

"RECOIL" 

14 — Chinwah    Perfumes   Drug  Stores 

13 — Nemo   Corsets   Women's  Wear 

12 — Venida  Hair  Nets   Drug  Stores 

11 — Boncilla   Beauty  Clay   Drug  Stores 

10 — Deltah    Pearls   Jewelers 

9 — Inecto   Hair  Tint   Drug  Stores 

8 — Onyx  Hosiery   Women's  Wear 

"BEAU  BRUMMEL" 

7 — Sta-shape  Hats   Hat  Shops 

6 — Vivaudou   Drug  Stores 

5 — Mineralava   Drug  Stores 

4 — Sampson   Dress   Jewelry   Jewelers 

3 — Personality  Clothes   Men's  Clothing 

2 — Fashionknit  Ties   Haberdashers 

1 — Glove  Industries   Women's  Wear 


Name 
Theatre 


Town 
State 


Tie-Up  Numbers 
Play  Dates  .... 


September  27.  1924 


NATIONAL 


g5E5H5H52SH525H52S25H5H5H525H5H5H5H52S2S25HSH5S5252525H52525H525E525HS25E5H525E5H5H525E5 


SECTION 


Page  43 


*)1 


Selling  "Secrets 


through  "AMAMI"  Shampoo  window 
displays  assures  your  theatre  and  our 
dealers  of  big  business.  Write  your  play- 
dates  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  and  get 
window  display  material  by  return  mail. 


"Secrets" 
"Vanity"s  Price" 
"Shooting   of   Dan  McGrew 


owneS 

LOVES 

—  the  Standard 
of  Style — here 
and  abroad. 


Write  your  playdates  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 
for  this  "Secrets"  tie-up. 


o: 

Q 

o 


ocao 


o 

D 

o 


o 

a 

o 


1^  ATIONAL  T  i  e- 
Ups  for  "Secrets," 
"Vanity's  Price,"  and 
"The  Sea  Hawk." 
Write  your  playdates 
to  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review,  and  don't 
neglect  to  state  how 
many  sets  of  display 
material  you  require 
for  your  showing  of 
"Secrets"  or  other 
"Bluebird"      tie  -  ups. 


>  "Secrets"  and  "Bluebirds"  Bring 
Box-Office  Happiness 


o 

n 

o 


There  is  sure  pay-box  happiness  for  you  in  the 
tie-up  between  "Secrets"  and  "Bluebird  Pearls." 
Send  today  for  our  new  eight  color  shadow-box 
window  display  material.  It  has  proven  a  winner 
on  other  tie-ups,  and  wilr  help  make  your  showing 
of    "Secrets"   an    unprecedented    financial  success. 


THE  HENSHAL  COMPANY,  INC. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


O 

n 

o 


OE30I 


IOE 


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How  to 
KEEP  "SECRETS" 

Overtime 


If  you  want  "Secrets"  held  over 
at  your  theatre,  by  popular  demand, 
take  full  advantage  of  the  co-opera- 
tion Vanity  Fair  is  ready  to  extend 
for  your  showing   of   the  picture. 

Vanity  Fair  windows  attract 
crowds  everywhere,  and  our  dis- 
plays have  proven  their  sales  ability 
— both  for  your  show  and  our  deal- 
ers.    Write  today  for  this  tie-up. 

Specify  your  playdates  to  the  Review 
State  number  of  windows 


Page  44 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


£5H5H5E5S5ZSS525E5H5S5S52S25E5EW5Z5^ 


THE  special 
Fashionette  dis- 
play material  is  now 
available  o  n  Na- 
tional Tie-Ups  with 
your  showing  of 
"The  Shooting  of 
Dan  M  c  G  r  e  w," 
"Her  Own  Free 
Will,"  and  "Van- 
ity's Price,"  beside 
big  window  cam- 
paign for  "Secrets." 


dashi 


lonette 

Invisible  HAIR  NETS 


WELL  ARRANGED  HAIR  IS  ALWAYS  PRETTY 


YOU  don't  need  blond  curls  to  be 
known  as  a  woman  with  pretty  hair. 
Choose  the  style  of  coiffure  most  becoming  to 
your  face;  arrange  it  carefully;  protect  it  with 
a  Fashionette,  and  its  trim  smartness  will 
win  you  many  a  compliment  on  your  hair. 

Fashionettes  match  every  shade 
of  hair  and  are  made  in  shapes 
that  preserve  the  naturalness  of 
eveiy  style  of  coiffure. 


Q>loriial©£Xiality 


Write 
Your 
Playdates 


on 


'Secrets"  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


FA  S  HIONETTE 
Hairnets  have 
disclosed  to  Amer- 
ican women  the 
beauty  "Secrets"  of 
just  how  to  keep 
unruly  tresses  al- 
ways under  control. 
They  are  the  bril- 
liant jewels  that  so 
a  c  c  e  n  t  u  ate  the 
charm  of  feminin- 
ity's crowning  glory. 


J 


66 


SECRETS" 


VOUR  Fashionette  display  material  and  stills  from  "Secrets"   will  attract  attention  from  every  window  shopper  in  your  town. 

Write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  the  day  you  know  your  playdates.  We  promise  the  kind  of  co-operation  that  will  mean  big 
sales  for  our  dealers  and  increased  patronage  for  your  theatre.     Indicate    the    number    of    window    display    sets    you  require. 


C'  APPI  products  and  displays  afford  you  an 
opportunity  to  tie-up  with  the  best  mer- 
chants in  your  city  for  your  showing  of 
"Secrets."  A  window  full  of  beauty  and  charm 
is  the  rule  wherever  Cappi  products  are  shown. 

Let  us  know  through  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  how  many  display  sets 
you  require,  and  remember  that  each 
Cappi    window    increases  patronage. 

This  National  Tie-Up  may  also  be  had  for 
your  showing  of  the  photoplays  "Vanity's 
Price,"     "Miami,"  and  "The  Siren  of  Seville." 


CHERAMY,  INC. 

New  York 

Write  Your  Playdates  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Revietv 


*  


Don't  Miss  This 

chance  to  in- 
terest  every 
woman  in  your 
showing  of  "Se- 
crets" by  taking 
advantage  of  the 
co-operation  w  e 
offer  in  staging  a 
mutual  publicity 
campaign  tnrough 
our  dealers  win- 
dows. Write  your 
playdates  to  Ex- 
hibitors Trade  Re- 
view and  get  this 

Big 

National  Tie-Up 


A  WONDERFUL  op- 
portunity  to  tie-up  the 
town  by  co-operating  with 
Gage  dealers  for  your 
showing     o  f  "Secrets." 

Write  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  at  once  stating 
your  playdates  and  dis- 
plays planned.  You  can 
guarantee  yourself  capac- 
ity business  by  advertis- 
i  n  g  your  attraction 
through    Gage  windows. 

You  can  tie-up  Gage  on 
"M  i  s  s  ing  Daughters" 
and    "Sherlock,  Jr." 


i 


Sorset-^tassieres 


JOSEPH   M.  SCHENCK  prtsinis 


Sign  the  coupons  ~Get  the 
displays     the  windows  are 


waiting 


iy  RUDOLF  BESIER  and  MAY  ED1NCTON 
button  llu  SAM  H.  HARRIS  plaif 'SECRETS 

AVtfM  *y    FRANK  BORZAGE 


It's  a  showmans  go  getter 
cjhese  displays  increase  its 

(Value,! 


JOSEPH   M.  SCHENCK  presents 

NORMA 
TALMADGE 


by  RUDOLF  BESIER  end  MAY  EDINGTON 
based  on  the  SAM  H.  HARRIS  play  'SECRETS 

directed  by    FRANK  BORZAGE 


September  27,  1924 


Page  47 


Showmanship  in  the  Studio 

By  V.  T.  MORRIS 

Publicity  Director  of  B.  P.  Schulberg  Productions,  Inc. 


THE  man  who  said  that  exploita- 
tion is  eighty  percent  of  the  pic- 
ture's success,  didn't  tell  the  whole 
story.  He  forgot  to  say  that  the  pic- 
ture is  eighty  percent  of  the  exploita- 
tion's success. 

Real  showmanship  does  not  consist 
in  an  exploitation  expert  sitting  at  his 
desk  three  thousand  miles  from  the 
studio  and  formulating  new  and  fan- 
tastic ideas  to  seize  the  public's  atten- 
tion. Nor  does  real  showmanship  con- 
stitute an  exhibitor  taking  some  unin- 
spiring title  with  whose  story  he  is  un- 
acquainted and  working  out  stunts  to 
arouse  the  interest  of  his  customers. 

Showmanship  should — and  success- 
ful showmanship  always  does —  begin 
about  a  year  before  the  picture's  re- 
lease. It  begins  when  the  producer  sits 
down  with  his  associates  and  plans  his 
future  program.  Good  exploitation 
lies  as  much  in  the  choice  of  a  story 
as  it  does  in  the  decoration  of  a  lobby 
front. 

The  producer  of  great  box-office  at- 
tractions is  one  who  doesn't  leave  the 
exploitation  job  to  his  advertising  de- 
partment or  to  the  exhibitor.  He 
takes  the  showman's  angle  throughout 
the  entire  course  of  production. 

EXHIBITORS  have  always  found 
pictures  from  the  Schulberg  studio 
easy  to  work  with  in  devising  exploita- 
tion. This  is  directly  attributable  to 
the  fact  that  B.  P.  Schulberg  himself 
was  one  of  the  foremost  advertising 
men  in  the  industry  before  he  became 
a  producer.  Consequently,  he  has  car- 
ried the  exploitation  viewpoint  along 
with  him  to  the  studio. 

Mr.  Schulberg  is  a  strong  advocate 
of  the  box-office  title, — a  title  that 
catches  the  eye  either  because  of  its 
own  phrasing  or  because  of  the  popu- 
larity of  the  book  or  play  it  represents. 
His  list  of  titles  for  this  season  is  one 
that  in  every  case  makes  the  exhibitor's 
job  easy.  "The  Breath  of  Scandal," 
'The  Triflers,"  "My  Lady's  Lips," 
"Frivolity,"  "The  Mansion  of  Aching 
Hearts"  are  all  titles  that  arrest  atten- 
tion and  immediately  suggest  innumer- 
able ways  of  exploitation. 
^  Belasco's  play  "The  Boomerang," 
Chamberlain's  widely  read  book  "White 
Man"  and  Zona  Gale's  novel,  "Faint 
Perfume,"  offer  no  less  valuable  box- 
office  titles  because  these  properties 
were  known  by  everyone  in  their  origi- 
nal versions.  They  are  valuable  to  the 
box-office  just  as  "Black  Oxen"  or 
"The  Virginian"  proved   their  power. 

And  following  the  choice  of  story 
and  title  Mr.  Schulbe  rg  carries  the  same 
showman's  discernment  into  the  subse- 
quent stages  of  the  picture's  making. 


The  selection  of  the  cast  in  his  opinion 
is  the  greatest  single  factor  in  making 
the  picture  attractive  to  the  public.  He 
claims  that  the  fans'  first  inquiry  is 
"Who's  in  it?"  and  that  consequently 
the  cast  stands  to  them  as  indicative 
of  the  production's  entertainment  value. 


FOR  "The  Breath  of  Scandal,"  for 
instance,  his  first  release  this  year, 
seven  players  all  of  whom  have  played 
leads  in  big  productions,  were  gathered 
together  for  the  first  time  into  one  pic- 
ture- They  are  Lou  Tellegen,  Betty 
Blythe,  Patsy  Ruth  Miller,  Forrest 
Stanley,  Jack  Mulhall,  Phyllis  Haver 
and  Myrtle  Stedman.  These  names, 
because  they  are  such  a  tremendous 
selling  asset  to  exhibitors  are  played  up 
strong  on  all  advertising  for  the  pro- 
duction and  are  given  a  special  exploi- 
tation significance  on  "twenty-fours." 


What  Advertising 
' Sells'  the  Picture? 

By  GRACE  M.  ADAIR 

West  Coast  Representative,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


IN  the  past  three  months  an  inter- 
esting competition  has  been  going  on 
in  the  theatrical  advertising  field  of 
Los  Angeles.  It  began  at  the  same 
time  a  new  force  entered  the  field  to 
bat  for  Sid  Grauman's  "Egyptian  The- 
atre," in  Hollywood.  The  advertising 
for  this  celebrated  playhouse  suddenly 
took  on  an  unusually  quiet,  repressed 
dignity;  an  inpressive  style  in  keeping 
with  the  exceptional  calibre  of  the 
"Egytian."  The  same  force  handled 
the  opening  of  Douglas  Fairbanks' 
"The  Thief  of  Bagdad"  in  a  manner  be- 
fitting the  announcement   of   a  king. 

Now  the  peculiar,  or  rather  revolu- 
tionary, thing  about  this  is  that  the 
'Egyptian'  has  broken  all  previous  rec- 
ords since  this  radical  departure  from 
the  usual  theatrical  advertising.  It  is 
said  that  the  business  done  at  this  the- 
atre in  the  past  two  months  has  never 
been  equalled  in  the  annals  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry. 

In  all  advertising  and  publicity  sent 
out  by  the  'Egyptian  Theatre'  in  its  ad- 
vance campaign  on  "The  Thief  of  Bag- 


dad" there  was  nothing  flagrant,  blat- 
ant, braggadocio,  or  cheap.  The  ads 
were  set  us  in  dignified  style  with  no 
prominent  display  of  either  the  star  or 
the  picture.  And — this  is  most  inter- 
esting— despite  the  fact  that  none  of 
the  newspaper  ads  or  publicity  an- 
nounced that  "all  the  stars  would  be 
there"  at  the  premiere,  it  is  now  history 
that  the  opening  was  the  most  brilliant 
in  the  history  of  the  West.  More  real 
stars  of  the  celluloid  world  were  in  at- 
tendance than  is  usually  recorded. 

THIS  fact  in  view  of  another's  the- 
atre's announcement  a  few  weeks 
later  that  "all  the  stars  would  be  there" 
and  its  consequent  "flop"  seems  to  vin- 
dicate the  "Egyptian"  Theatre's  policy 
of  dignity,  truth,  and  modesty  in  adver- 
tisements. 

On  this  page  is  a  reproduction  of  an 
advertisement  during  the  seventh  week 
of  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad,"  when  the 
"Egyptian"  was  still  selling  "S.  R.  O." 
for  beauty,  love,  romance  and  advent- 
ure to  capacity  houses. 


Advertisement  typical  of  the  Grauman  Egyptian  Theatre  campaign  used  during  the 
showing  of  United  Artists'  feature  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad"  with  Douglas  Fairbanks. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR  AND 
JESSE  L.LASKY  PRESENT  A 

JAMES  CRUZE 


production  m\/  ^*\f  " 

with  BETTY  COM  PSON 


The  boys  are  all  finding  "The  Enemy  Sex" 
one  of  the  tip-toppers  of  the  Famous  Forty 
successes.  Ben  L.  Morris,  Temple  theatre, 
Bellaire,  O..  played  it  and  writes  to  Exhibi- 
tors Herald:  "Settings  excellent  and  Betty 
Compson  got  a  nice  fat  part.  It  is  the  type  of 
picture  that  pleases  the  movie  fans."  Other 
exhibitors  are  even  more  flattering  in  their 
praise  than  Mr.  Morris. 


Here  are  some  newspaper  opinions:  "James 
Cruze  has  built  a  fine  picture" — (N.  Y.  Daily 
News ) .  "A  most  agreeable  film.  Far  above 
the  average.  One  of  the  best  pictures  we 
have  seen  in  weeks,  and  its  humor  will  be 
appreciated"  —  (N.  Y.  Times ) .  "It  is 
THERE.  Betty  Compson  recreates  her  act- 
ing she  did  in  'The  Miracle  Man'  — (Motion 
Picture  News).  Better  book  this  one;  the 
folks  will  enjoy  it. 


Screen  play  by  Walter  Woods  and  Harvey  Thew.    From  the  novel  "The  Salamander"  by  Owen  Johnson. 


Page  49 


September  27,  1924 

IjUillHIM   Illlllllllllllllllllllll  I  Illllllllllllllll  Illl  illlllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIII  IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIII  IIIIIIIIIIHIlllllllHlillllllllllllllllllll 

|  %ied  and  Proved  Pictures 

ilOHIIIIIilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ 

How  Can  You  Take  the  Risk  Out 

of  Your  Business  ? 


By  Following  the  Lead  of  Audience  Approval- 
Though  in  Other  Cities 


-Even 


WHAT  is  the  rule,  by  which  to 
measure  in  advance  the  public's 
reception  of  a  picture? 
Or,  rather — perhaps  the  question 
should  be  put  this  way :  Is  there  a  rule, 
which,  in  application,  would  eliminate 
all  risk  from  the  motion  picture  exhib- 
itor's business? 

Showmen  of  long  standing  are  al- 
most unanimous  in  negative  replies. 

There  is  no  way  to  anticipate  the 
public's  acceptance,  just  as  "there  is 
no  royal  road  to  learning,"  as  Shakes- 
peare said  these  many  years  ago. 

Critics,  it  is  true,  will  sit  through  the 
premiere  and  write  a  critique  of  the 
play  or  picture.  They  invariably  write 
their  own  opinions.  The  only  guidance 
they  can  give,  is  whether  or  not  they 
liked  what  they  saw. 

They  can  talk  at  length  and  breadth 
and  say  the  production  is  something 
that  the  public  should  like  or  not.  But 
how  many,  many  times  have  their  pre- 
dictions failed  the  managers?  How 
often  were  they  wide  of  the  mark? 
Frequently,  indeed. 

And,  then,  the  public  is  a  rare  bird. 
Never  twice  the  same.     Easily  led 
like  sheep  to  slaughter,  on  the  one  oc- 
casion— and  as  hard  to  budge  as  Mis- 
souri mules,  upon  another. 

And  too,  they  are  accused  of  being 
easily  beguiled  by  sensational  advertis- 
ing and  exploitation.  Maybe  they  are, 
but  the  greatest  success  in  screen  pro- 
ductions are  not  always  the  ones  bla- 
tantly advertised.  They  simply  had  the 
quality  of  merit,  and  the  folks  came 
trooping  down  to  see  the  grand  show, 
— and  told  their  friends  to  see  it  too. 

THEATRES  are  judged  by  the  pic- 
tures they  show — not  only  by  the 
patrons  they  hold,  and  justification  for 
showing  "Tried  and  Proved"  pictures 
lies  usually  in  the  general  satisfaction 
they  create  with  the  audiences. 

These  pictures  if  even  shown  once 
in  a  while,  will  give  your  patrons  just 
so  many  occasions  to  be  pleased  with 
the  entertainment  fare  you  provide. 

We  can't  all  live  in  "key"  cities.  Our 
audiences  can't  all  be "  metropolitan 
audiences.  Our  tastes  can't  all  be  alike. 


By  JERRY  GOULD 

If  they  were  there'd  be  few  small 
towns,  and  no  small  theatres. 

This  diversity  of  audiences,  tastes, 
and  even  communities  in  general, 
makes  the  exhibitor's  problem  a  local 
one  in  many  respects. 

Proven  box-office  winners  are  facts, 
not  theory,  and  there  is  no  better  guide 
than  the  box-office.  Sousa,  bandmaster 
extraordinary  and  a  universally  known 
figure,  once  remarked  that  "movies 
speak  an  international  language." 

TY7  HAT  the  public  in  California  has 
liked  the  New  York  public  at 
large,  under  similar  circumstances,  will 
also  like.  The  small  town  and  the  large 
town  folk  are  really  sisters  and  broth- 
ers, and  their  mass-tastes  are  similar  in 
many  respects. 

The  pictures  that  have  "gone  big"  in 
five  hundred  towns  will  make  good  with 
you,  and  that's  what  is  meant  by  the 
"Tried  and  Proved"  policy  of  picture 
programs. 

Bring  to  your  screen  some  real,  good 
story.  See  how  rapidly  your  audience 
takes  to  it.  Regardless  of  what  its  first 
lelease  date  was, — it  is  a  first-run  pic- 
ture if  you  run  it  for  the  first  time  in 
your  town. 


The  other  publics'  seal  of  approval, 
should  be  sufficient  guide  as  to  its  local 
acceptance — yet,  as  we  said  before,  it 
has  no  set  rule. 

PICTURES  with  4,000  successful 
showings  to  their  credit  (and  many 
have  even  more)  would  obviously  show 
less  risk  for  any  exhibitor,  than  an  un- 
tried and  virgin  product. 

This  is  so  because  there's  this  in 
common  with  all  cities  and  communities 
— what  has  done  well  nationally,  will 
do  well  locally.  It  requires  no  stretch 
of  imagination  for  the  exhibitor  to 
realize  that  a  picture  that  has  pleased 
so  many  thousands  of  audiences  would 
make  a  like  impression  on  his  audience. 

It  is  only  an  infrequent  example, 
where  a  picture  of  some  special  appeal 
has  found  for  itself  only  just  such 
communities  where  it  will  be  accept- 
able— without  also  finding  ready  oppo- 
sition in  perhaps  even  more  towns. 

As  this  opposition  to  unwholesome 
pictures  is  a  fundamental  trait  in  all 
American  cities,  it  is  very  likely  indeed 
that  no  picture  meeting  this  opposition 
can  survive,  nor  can  in  fact  ever  live 
through  the  mill  to  become  a  "Tried 
and  Proved"  picture — and  that  is  the 
only  guide  we  know  to  eliminate  risk 
from  the  exhibitors'  business. 


ibef  <31o*  THa  u 


When  the  Vitagraph  feature,  "Let  Not  Man  Put  Asunder"  was  run  at  the 
Jewel  Theatre,  Beaumont,  Texas,  this  display  attracted  a  record  audience. 


Page  50 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


THERE  is  great  need  today  for 
some  consistent  movement  on  the 
part  of  theatres  to  advertise 
themselves  throughout  their  particular 
countryside.  In  this  way  the  name  of 
the  house  may  be  well  established  in 
the  minds  of  the  theatregoers  without 
especial  regard  to  the  current  showing. 

While  it  is  at  all  times  advisable  to 
keep  the  public  informed  as  to  the  pic- 
ture that  is  being  presented,  yet  this  is 
incidental  in  many  cases  to  the  need  for 
the  general  exploitation  of  the  theatre 
and  its  offerings  week  in  and  week  out. 

Something  along  this  line  has  been 
done  by  one  of  the  theatres  in  Eugene, 
Ore.  Extensively  distributed  along  the 
public  highways  of  the  section,  are  dis- 
tinctive signs  to  bring  the  theatre  to  the 
attention  of  possible  patrons. 

These  signs  are  somewhat  similar  to 
the  electric  sign  that  decorates  the  front 
of  the  theatre,  whose  title,  by  the  way, 
is  "Rex." 

The  advertising  sign  on  the  house 
consists  of  a  large  crown  outlined  in 
electric  lights.  Duplicating  this  same 
decorative  scheme  but  raised  on  fifteen 
foot  poles  is  the  crown  surmounted  by 
a  maltese  cross.  Painted  across  the 
whole  is  the  slogan,  "The  Sign  of  a 
Good  Show." 

Such  advertising  is  sure  to  have  its 
tangible  results  in  the  form  of  increas- 
ed patronage  through  the  direct  pub- 
licity the  theatre  receives — and  when 
pictures  are  advertised  in  addition  there 
is  simply  the  additional  urge  to  view 
the  specific  presentation,  or  production 
being  shown. 

*    *  * 

'Babbittville'  Realtors 

When  a  flashing  24-sheet  stand  plant- 
ed on  location,  announced  to  the  world, 
last  week,  that  George  F.  Babbitt  was 
ready  to  sell  lots  in  the  new  town  of 
"Babbittville,"  and  a  real-estate  office 
was  erected  for  business,  the  surround- 
ing country  flocked  to  "Babbittville"  to 
hear  the  news. 

Innocent  of  any  intent  other  than 
getting  set  on  location  to  shoot  the  real- 
estate  scenes  in  the  Warner  production 
"Babbitt,"  Harry  Beaumont,  directing 
this  scene  version  of  Sinclair  Lewis' 
novel,  was  bewildered  at  the  resulting 
publicity. 

From  an  adjoining  tract  came  two 
enterprising  agents  who,  fearing  com- 
petition, rushed  over  to  inquire  who  this 
Babbitt  was,  what  the  proposition 
meant,  and  "whoinell  ever  heard  of 
'Babbittville.'  " 

Cameraman  David  Abel,  who  happen- 


ed to  be  leaning  in  the  doorway  of  the 
"Babbittville"  headquarters,  was  hard 
put  to  it  to  explain  the  situation,  but 
when  others  began  to  arrive  on  the 
scene,  he  decided  to  capitalize  this  un- 
usual opportunity  for  publicity. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  onlookers,  he 
went  through  the  action  of  closing  a 
deal  for  several  "Babbittville"  lots. 
Prospective  customers  came  over  to  Mr. 
Beaumont,  addressing  him  as  "Mr.  Bab- 
bitt," and  sought  detailed  information. 

After  a  while,  as  the  entire  company 
came  on  the  lot,  it  was  explained  that 
the  whole  outfit  was  just  one  of  the 
scenes  that  would  appear  in  the  motion 
picture  "Babbitt." 

*  *  * 

Blows  Fog  Horn  for 
'Anna  Christie' 

A  clever  way  of  getting  attention 
centered  on  your  showing  on  "Anna 
Christie"  is  to  secure  permission  from 
the  city  authorities  to  mount  a  large 
searchlight  and  a  fog  horn  on  the  top 
of  your  theatre  building  or  some  nearby 
high  place.  Play  the  searchlights  over 
the  crowds  at  night  and  blow  the  fog 
horn.  You  will  find  you  will  get  almost 
immediate  attention  and  you  are  at  the 
same  time  suggesting  the  ship  atmos- 
phere which  is  such  an  integral  part 
of  the  picture. 

*  *  * 

Unique  Display  Features 
"Flowing  Gold" 

To  gain  more  than  mere  attention  of 
the  townsfolk,  the  manager  of  Madi- 
son Theatre,  Peoria,  111.,  arranged  an 
outdoor  display  in  front  of  his  theatre 
during  the  showing  of  "Flowing  Gold." 

The  co-operation  of  an  oil  company 
was  secured^  for  the  subject  of  the  title 
is  really  petroleum,  —  and  large  iron 
containers  of  gasoline  were  placed 
close  to  the  curb,  the  full  length  of  the 
theatre  building. 

On  each  can  were  painted  in  large 
dimensions,  a  letter  of  the  film's  title, 
so  that  the  entire  name  "Flowing 
Gold"  could  be  spelled  out  from  the 
street.  Posters  were  placed  on  stands 
at  either  end  and  the  announcement 
could  be  read  from  all  sides. 

Hence  a  real  tie-up  and  an  appro- 
priate one. 

Publicity  From  Contest 

Resemblance  to  stars  is  a  common 
occurrence,  and  nearlv  every  city  has  its 
quota  of  beauties  who  are  considered 


Nashville's  leading  store  extended  real  co- 
operation during  the  showing  of  First  Na- 
tional's "Those  Who  Dance."  Posters 
throughout  the  store  tied  up  with  the  film. 

to  closely  follow  in  facial  features 
some  well  known  screen  actress  or 
other. 

Contests  seeking  out  such  remark- 
able likenesses  are  not  new  nor 
are  they  original — but  the  publicity  that 
one  theatre  received  through  the  ar- 
rangement of  a  star-resemblance  con- 
test is  noteworthy. 

Two  weeks  prior  to  the  run  of 
"Lilies  of  the  Field"  which  featured 
Corinne  Griffith,  a  two  column  photo- 
graph of  the  star  was  run  in  the  daily 
newspapers  of  Des  Moines.  The  con- 
test and  prizes  were  announced,  and 
articles  and  photographs  appeared  daily 
thereafter  in  its  columns  until  the  con- 
test closed  with  the  opening  of  the 
picture. 

In  all,  the  newspapers  published  fif- 
teen portraits  of  the  star. 

A  Party 

"The  Nervous  Wreck,"  which  is  be- 
ing serialized  in  Scripps  papers  in  the 
Northwest  at  this  time,  furnished  the 
background  for  a  clever  stunt  at  Neil 
&  Allender's  "Casino"  theatre,  Spo- 
kane, during  the  run  of  "Excitement." 

An  invitation  was  extended  by  "The 
Nervous  Wreck"  for  the  fifteen  win- 
ners of  the  contest:  "The  Most  Ex- 
citing Moment  I  Ever  Had,"  to  an 
"Excitement  Party"  at  the  Casino.  Re- 
sponse was  excellent. 

*    *  * 

Stop — Go 

A  very  clever  "Signal  Tower"  lobby 
arranged  by  Manager  James  Clemmer, 
of  the  "Columbia,"  Seattle,  helped  to 
make  the  second  week's  holdover  of 
the  picture  a  necessity.  A  huge  signal 
was  mounted  atop  the  marquee,  and  at 
each  corner,  clear  out  at  the  curb,  on 
the  street  level,  smaller  towers  also 
carrying  the  automatic  light  shifts  com- 
pleted the  effect. 


September  27,  1(>24 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  51 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Universal 

THE  ABYSMAL  BRUTE — 5,845  Book- 
ings. Caveman  Romance.  Reviewed  March 
8.  BECAUSE  Jack  London  has  told  a  story 
with  forcefulness  and  conviction  that  has 
gained  the  picture  unbelievable  success. 

BAVU— 5,157  Bookings.  Foreign  Intrigue. 
Reviewed  Jan.  26.  BECAUSE  there  is  al- 
ways fascination  in  Continental  tales,  and 
this  interesting  play  deals  with  political 
scheming  in  Russia. 

THE  FLAME  OF  LIFE— 5809  Bookings. 
Mine  Tragedy.  Reviewed  March  15.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  a  thriller  that  really  thrills  and 
it  has  found  many  an  audience  on  the  edge 
of  its  seats  and  breathless  when  the  final 
scene  had  been  concluded. 

SPORTING  YOUTH— 4,162  Bookings. 
Younger  Set  Story.  Reviewed  Feb.  16. 
BECAUSE  Reginald  Denny  appears  in  this 
dazzling  speed  picture  of  young  America 
stepping  on  the  gas. 

THE  STORM— Over  8,500  Bookings.  Tri- 
angle Melodrama.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outsanding  box- 
office  pictures,  and  continues  to  break  book- 
ing records. 

BAVU — Released  May  7,  1923.  Booked 
3  928  times.  Foreign  Intrigue.  Reviewed 
January  6.  BECAUSE  there  is  a  vague 
for  Russian  entertainment  in  this  country  and 
the  story  is  a  fascinating  one. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR— Released 
June  4,  1923.  Booked  4,241  times.  Baseball 
Romance.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
baseball  fans  throughout  the  country  will  eat 
it  up  and  it's  a  sure  money-maker. 

\  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— Released 
September  17,  1923.  Booked  2,410  times. 
Child  Love.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
the  story  is  one  that  goes  straight  to  the 
hearts  of  every  home  loving  audience. 

MERRY-GO-ROUND  —  War  Romance. 
Reviewed  January  19.  BECAUSE  it  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  pictures  of  1923  and 
has  a  wonderful  box  office  record. 

DARLING  OF  NEW  YORK  -  3,881 
Bookings.  Child  Story.  Reviewed  Nov.  10. 
BECAUSE  Baby  Peggy  has  a  great  support- 
ing cast,  and  the  picture  itself  is  a  charming 
combination  of  sunshine  and  shadow. 

FOOLS  HIGHWAY— 3,194  Bookings. 
Lights  and  Loves  of  New  York.  Reviewed 
Mar.  29.  BECAUSE  Mary  Philbin  shines 
as  a  great  star,  and  because  the  story  shows 
New  York  in  the  good  old,  bad  old  days. 

Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 


THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA — A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  of  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  woman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 
age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT— One  of  the  biggest 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

EAST  IS  WEST— A  big  dramatic  photo- 
play made  from  the  sensational  stage  hit. 
BECAUSE  it  has  the  heart  interest,  the  hu- 
mor, romance  and  deft  characterization  that 
the  public  loves,  and  is  acted  with  fine  feeling 
by  Constance  Talmadge. 

ASHES  OF  VENGEANCE— One  of  the 
finest  mediaeval  pictures  ever  made.  Review- 
ed in  October.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  love  ro- 
mance that  everyone  hailed  as  "great"  and 
which  shows  Norma  Talmadge's  complete 
mastery  of  screen  acting. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNING 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22. 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Remodel  Strand,  Birmingham 

The  Strand  theatre,  one  of  the  leading 
motion  picture  houses  of  Birmingham,  will 
be  remodelled  throughout  and  a  new  organ 
will  be  installed,  work  to  begin  on  August 
18th. 

Included  in  the  improvements  contem- 
plated in  this  theatre  are  the  changing  of 
the  entire  lighting  system,  new  seats,  drap- 
eries and  decorations.  New  foyer  improve- 
ments will  be  made  and  a  new  screen  will 
be  installed.  The  screen  will  be  placed  sev- 
eral feet  back  in  a  shadow  box. 

The  pipe  organ  that  will  be  installed  is 
about  twice  the  size  of  the  one  now  in  use. 
It  has  been  used  in  the  Cohen  Theatre  in 
New  York  city  for  the  last  six  months  in 
connection  with  the  special  engagement  of 
"The  Ten  Commandments." 

"A  feature  of  the  remodelling  of  this  thea- 
tre will  be  the  fact  that  all  work  will  be 
handled  after  it  closes  in  the  evening,  and 
it  will  be  practically  impossible  for  anyone 
to  tell  that  workmen  are  actually  busy  on 
the  job,"  says  L.  R.  Towns,  manager. 

#  *  # 

Name  Committees 

"A  feature  of  the  remodelling  of  this  thea- 
Theatre  Owners  of  Washington  was  held 
recently  at  which  time  committees  were  ap- 
pointed on  arrangements  for  the  annual  con- 
vention November  11  and  12,  and  a  special 
committee  to  invite  Senator  Dill  and  Senator 
Jones,  as  well  as  other  public  men  who  are 
in  a  position  to  discuss  the  various  phases 
of  the  industry,  to  speak  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing. A  large  number  of  membership  appli- 
cations was  voted  upon. 

*  *  * 

Kansas  Theatre  Opens 

The  Waldo-Westmoreland  Theatre,  Sev- 
enty-fifth Street  and  Washington  Avenue, 
Kansas  City,  opened  its  doors  as  the  city's 
newest   suburban   house,   Sunday.     A  new 


$10,000  Hope-Jones  organ  has  been  installed 
and  W.  C.  Gum,  manager,  plans  to  augment 
his  programs  frequently  with  musical  spe- 
cialties. The  late  feature,  "Cytherea,"  was 
the  opening  picture.    The  house  seats  800. 

"It  is  only  two  self-evident  that  patrons 
of  today  want  music  just  about  as  much  as 
they  do  good  pictures,"  said  Mr.  Gum.  "It 
is  more  expensive  to  include  musical  special- 
ties on  a  program,  but  if  your  patrons  pay 
for  it — why  not?  I  have  seen  too  many  in- 
stances where  a  new  theatre  sprang  up  in  a 
neighborhood,  included  musical  features  on 
its  program  and  grabbed  all  the  business." 

#    #  # 

Unexpected  Service  Request 

Walter  F.  Davis,  managing  director  of 
the  Metropolitan  Theatre,  Winnipeg,  was 
literally  called  upon  to  live  up  to  his  motto 
of  "Service  to  the  Public,"  which  he  had 
been  preaching  extensively,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  request  from  an  out-of-town  patron 
to  go  to  a  nearby  store  and  make  the  pur- 
chase of  two  desired  shirts  which  were  to 
be  sent  to  the  man  by  return  post.  Mr. 
Davis  complied  with  the  request,  particularly 
as  the  applicant  had  pointed  out  that  he 
could  not  come  into  the  city  to  attend  the 
Metropolitan  until  he  had  secured  a  new 
shirt  or  two  to  wear. 

%    ^  ^ 

Leon  Mumford  Promoted 

Leon  O.  Mumford,  who  for  the  past  two 
and  one  half  years  has  been  General  Manager 
of  Joseph  Stern's  Tivoli  Theatre,  Newark, 
N.  J.,  in  which  position  there  was  combined 
the  responsibilities  usually  assigned  to  houre 
manager,  publicity  manager,  production  man- 
ager and  managing  director  is  now  "Special 
Representative"  of  the  Joseph  Stern's  The- 
atrical Enterprises,  the  duties  of  which  are  to 
improve,  build  up  the  clientele,  and  increase 
the  receipts  of  theatres  operated  by  the  Stern 
interests  that  already  are  a  profitable  success. 
His  present  location  is  at  the  Castle  Theatre 


in  the  Irvington  section  of  Greater  Newark, 
having  been  transferred  there  the  early  part 
of  September  from  the  Tivoli  Theatre  in 
Roseville-Newark,  N.  J. 

*  * 

Friedman  Returns 

Michael  Friedman,  former  manager  of  the 
Albany  theatre  in  Schenectady,  and  who  re- 
signed a  few  weeks  ago  and  left  for  the 
Coast,  is  once  more  back  in  the  Electric 
City.  It  is  understood  that  Mr.  Friedman 
will  again  associate  himself  with  William 
Shirley  in  the  management  of  the  theatres 
operated  by  the  company  of  which  Mr.  Shir- 
ley is  managing  director. 

*  *  * 

'America'  Draws  Well 

For  the  second  time  this  year,  a  picture 
has  the  distinction  of  being  held  for  the 
second  week  at  the  Leland  in  Albany.  Some 
months  ago,  "Three  Weeks"  played  to  such 
exceptional  business  at  the  Leland,  that  Os- 
car Perrin,  manager  of  the  house,  held  the 
picture  for  a  second  week.  During  the  past 
week,  "America"  drew  such  crowds  that  Mr. 
Perrin  also  held  the  picture  over  for  another 
six  days. 

*  *  % 

Montreal  Tax  Report 

An  interim  report  for  the  first  eight 
months  of  the  1924  calendar  year  covering 
the  amusement  tax  returns  in  the  City  of 
Montreal  shows  that  the  local  theatres  have 
been  better  patronized  this  year  than  for  the 
corresponding  period  of  1923. 

The  amusement  tax  returns  from  Montreal 
theatres,  all  but  one  of  which  are  cinema 
houses,  are  more  than  maintaining  the  record 
of  the  previous  year,  according  to  the  civic 
department.  From  January  1  to  September  1, 
the  total  revenue  through  the  admission  tax 
in  Montreal  proper  amounted  to  $409,200,  this 
being  an  increase  of  $14,429  as  compared  with 
last  year,  the  total  for  the  first  eight  months 
of  1923  being  $394,771. 

The  Quebec  amusement  tax  is  collected  on 
a  10  per  cent  basis  which  means  that  the 
people  of  Montreal  spent  over  $4,000,000  for 
amusement  at  the  local  theatres  in  the  eight 
months. 

One  half  of  the  tax  collected  in  Montreal 
is  given  to  the  Quebec  Provincial  Govern- 
ment and  the  half  which  is  retained  is  de- 
voted in  its  entirety  by  the  city  to  charitable 
objects,  such  as  hospitals,  relief  institutions 
and  other  similar  organizations. 

^    $    t  fl 

Perrine  Doing  Publicity 

Fred  Perrine  is  listed  as  Editor  and  A.  C. 
Raleigh  as  advertising  manager  with  a  good- 
ly share  of  the  editorial  work,  of  Screenland, 
Seattle's  popular  fan  magazine  distributed 
by  Jensen  &  Von  Herberg  interests  here.  J. 
W.  Sayre,  former  editor,  is  handling  full 
publicity  and  exploitation  for  the  Colliseum 
and  Liberty  theatres. 

*  *  * 

Woodcock  Breaks  Into  Print 

Charles  Woodcock,  resident  manager  of 
the  Strand  Theatre,  South  Paris,  Maine,  has 
broken  into  print  in  the  Lewiston  Evening 
Journal  with  his  picture  'n'everything. 

The  news  article  gives  a  brief  history  of 
Mr.  Woodcock  and  says  many  flowery  things 
concerning  his  ability,  which  was  already 
known  by  those  who  have  come  in  contact 
with  him. 

The  story  was  well  deserved  for  he  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive  picture  theatre  men 
in  his  part  of  the  state. 


September  27,  1924 


Page  53 


Equipment  Notes 


FLOOR  SCRUBBERS 

With  the  new  improved  machine  for 
washing  floors,  one  person  can  cover 
more  territory  in  a  given  time  that  half 
a  dozen  hand  workers  and  do  the  job 
more  efficiently. 

The  new  machines  are  operated  elec- 
trically and  are  handled  by  one  person. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  machines 
and  each  is  excellent  for  its  own  par- 
ticular work.  The  small  portable  one 
with  brush  attachments  is  probably  the 
best  for  the  medium  sized  theatre  and 
can  be  operated  at  a  moderate  cost. 

With  these  machines  the  theatre  can 
be  cleaned  more  often  with  less  effort 
and  cleanliness  in  your  theatre  means 
additional  patronage. 

4;      ^  ^ 

SIDEWALK  SPOT 

Why  let  your  sidewalk  go  to  waste 
when  you  can  throw  a  perfectly  good 
advertisement  there  by  the  use  of  a 
spotlight  and  a  painted  slide? 

There  are  several  small  spots  that 
can  be  used  for  this  purpose.  They  can 
be  hidden  in  some  obscure  corner  of 
the  lobby  and  will  throw  the  spot  di- 
rectly on  the  sidewalk  with  the  thea- 
tre's message. 

The  spot  cannot  fail  to  attract  atten- 
tion and  the  cost  of  operation  is  ex- 
tremely low.  The  cost  of  the  spot- 
lights is  but  a  few  dollars  and  will 
prove  a  good  investment. 

*  *  * 

AERZONATOR 

There  is  always  a  musty  odor  about 
a  theatre  in  which  the  manager  does 
not  take  the  trouble  to  have  proper 
ventilation  and  disinfectants.  This  can 
all  be  avoided  by  the  use  of  a  new  sys- 
tem of  purifying  the  air. 

There  is  a  simple  disinfector  manu- 
factured that  requires  practically  no 
care  and  yet  acts  in  an  efficient  man- 
ner. The  product  is  a  small  steel  con- 
tainer which  can  be  hung  on  the  walls 
in  inconspicuous  places  and  will  do 
their  work  day  and  night. 

There  are  small  blocks  of  disinfect- 
ant made  for  the  machines.  The 
blocks  are  placed  in  containers  and. 
then  send  the  disinfectant  throughout 
the  theatre  and  counteract  all  odors  and 
at  the  same  time  kill  germs. 

*  #  # 

COMB  MACHINES 

There  is  a  vending  machine  on  the 
market  that  should  prove  a  wonderful 
addition  to  the  rest  room  of  every 
theatre.  The  machine  looks  very  much 
like  the  ordinary  gum  vending  machine 
but  its  use  is  to  sell  combs. 

The  machines  operates  for  one  cent 
and  aside  from  the  convenience  to  your 
patrons,  it  should  bring  in  a  small  rev- 


enue. The  combs  are  cheap  and  are 
not  made  for  durability,  yet  they  are 
efficient  and  will  do  all  that  is  ex- 
pected of  them. 

*   *  * 

MONEY  BAGS 

The  old  family  sock,  as  a  means  to 
carry  money  to  the  bank  is  rapidly  go- 
ing out  of  fashion.  Modern  times  have 
put  the  sock  back  to  its  original  use  and 
substantial  money  bags  are  now  used  in 
their  stead. 

No  theatre  is  completely  equipped 
unless  it  has  a  number  of  strong,  well 
made  money  bags  to  be  used  in  caring 
for  the  day's  receipts,  in  taking  them 
to  the  bank  or  placing  them  in  the  safe. 

There  are  many  manufacturers  of 
money  bags  and  they  will  be  pleased  to 
send  a  sample  or  catalog  of  their 
products. 


Projection  Hints 


■By  WESLEY  TROUT. 


About  Ordering  Projection  Lenses 

There  are  many  exhibitors  and  pro- 
jectionists that  do  not  know  just  what 
data  to  give  when  ordering  a  new  pro- 
jection lens.  Now  in  ordering  your 
lens  you  should  always  give  the  follow- 
ing data:  (A)  The  width  of  the  pic- 
ture that  you  want  to  project  and  the 
distance  from  the  screen  to  the  aper- 
ture of  your  projector.  Now  if  your 
lens  is  above  the  center  of  screen  ap- 
preciably the  latter  measurement  should 
be  midway  between  top  and  bottom  of 
picture.  (A)  State  the  make  of  your 
projector.  (C)  Be  sure  and  specify 
lenses  with  or  without  the  jackets.  (D) 
If  you  want  two  lenses  you  should 
state  as  to  whether  you  want  them 
matched  or  not.  Now  if  you  want  the 
lenses  matched  and  your  projectors  are 
new,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  give  the 
width  of  the  aperture,  but  if  your  pro- 
jectors happen  to  be  very  old  it  will  be 
found  best  to  have  the  exact  width  of 
the  aperture,  which  you  can  measure 
with  a  micrometer  caliper.  This  is  very 
important  if  one  of  your  machines  hap- 
pens to  be  new  and  the  other  one  old. 
This  way  you  will  get  the  same  size 
picture  from  each  machine  on  your 
screen. 

The  standard  projection  lenses  range 
in  focal  length  from  2  to  8-inch  E.  F. 
are  carried  in  stock  by  most  all  manu- 
facturers of  lenses- 

The  Equivalent  Focus  and 
Picture  Size 

The  width  of  a  picture  any  lenses 
will  project  at  a  given  distance  is  very 
dependent  upon  the  E.  F.  of  your  lens. 


Now  the  shorter  the  E.  F.  of  a  projec- 
tion lens  the  wider  the  picture  will  be 
at  a  given  distance  of  projection,  thus: 
A  4-inch  E.  F.  projection  lens  will  al- 
ways project  a  much  wider  picture  at 
sixty  feet  or  so  than  will  a  projection 
lens  of  a  5-inch  E.  F. 

Pin  Ejector 

A  very  unusual  device  is  the  Pin 
Ejector  Fixture  which  pushes  the  pins 
out  of  the  sprocket  and  replaces 
them  without  any  injury  to  the  star 
wheel  as  is  often  the  case  when  you 
drive  the  pins  out  of  the  old  style  star 
wheel.  The  star  wheel  shaft  itself  has 
been  increased  in  diameter  to  %  of 
inch  giving  it  a  great  additional 
strength. 

One  of  the  great  troubles  the  pro- 
jectionist frequently  encountered  in  in- 
termittent movements  is  the  loosening 
of  the  fly  wheel.  However,  in  this 
new  intermittent  movement,  a  provision 
for  the  elimination  of  the  end  shake 
without  resorting  to  the  dismantling  of 
any  of  the  parts  of  the  intermittent 
movement,  has  been  made  through  a 
positive  lock  on  the  flywheel  itself.  This 
operation  can  be  performed  simply- 
through  the  use  of  a  screw  driver. 

The  movement  is  well  built  and 
should  be  installed  on  all  the  old  style 
Simplexes  in  order  to  secure  a  much 
better  picture  from  your  movement. 
This  new  movement  will  greatly  im- 
prove your  projection  and  you  will 
have  much  less  trouble  with  it.  The 
old  style  single  bearing  movement  star 
wheel  shaft  is  entirely  too  easily 
SPRUNG  when  installing  a  new 
sprocket.  The  movement  is  sold  at  a 
very  reasonable  price  and  can  be  in- 
stalled very  easily  by  most  any  pro- 
jectionist in  a  few  minutes  time.  The 
parts  are  sold  very  reasonable  for  this 
movement  and  will  no  doubt  outlast 
the  old  style  movements. 

Cleaning  Your  Projection  Lens 

It  is  very  essential  to  secure  best  re- 
sults that  the  surfaces  of  your  pro- 
jection lens  be  kept  scrupulously  clean 
at  all  times.  Oil  on  the  surface  of  a 
projection  lens  will  cause  a  very  ser- 
ious loss  of  definition  in  your  picture, 
and  even  the  very  faintest,  almost  im- 
perceptible finger  mark,  will  do  the 
very  same  thing,  of  course  in  a  much 
•  lesser  degree.  It  is  very  important  that 
the  surfaces  of  your  projection  ma- 
chine lenses  be  kept  perfectly  clean 
and  very  highly  polished  to  secure  the 
best  in  projection. 

There  are  now  several  patent  prep- 
arations on  the  market  for  cleaning 
lenses,  some  of  which  are  very  good. 
I  believe,  however,  that  all  the  mod- 
ern projectionist  needs  to  keep  his 
lenses  in  first  class  condition  is  a  half 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PROJECTION  HINTS 

(Continued) 

pint  of  wood — or  denatured  alcohol,  di- 
luted with  a  half  pint  of  clean  water. 
This  combination  will  fill  a  pint  bottle, 
will  cost  you  very  little,  and  if  you  use 
it  economically  lasts  for  a  very  long 
time.  It  is  much  better  than  some  of 
the  lens  cleaning  preparations  now  on 
the  market. 

*  *  * 
Bronze  Bearings 

Bronze  bearings  are  used  for  the  new 
mechanism  which  can  be  replaced 
whenever  they  become  worn  by  simply 
removing  three  screws  on  each  bear- 
ing. These,  bearings  are  used  for  the 
cam  and  fly  wheel  shaft.  The  bronze 
bearings  for  the  star  wheelshaft  are 
readily  removed  so  that  new  bushings 
can  be  very  easily  installed. 

Something  new  in  the  designing  of 
the  Simplex  intermittent  movement  is 
the  double  bearings  for  the  star  wheel 
shaft.  This  is  a  great  improvement  and 
one  badly  needed.  This  double  bearing 
adds  greatly  to  the  strength  of  that  part 
of  the  mechanism.  And  of  equally  un- 
usualness  in  design,  is  the  fact  that  no 
eccentric  bushings  •  are  employed  for 
adjusting  the  cam  to  the  star  wheel. 
This  justment  of  the  star  wheel  is  made 
by  rotating  the  entire  cover  on  a  fixed 
pivot  which  method  provides  for  a 
quick  and  accurate  adjustment  without 
any  danger  of  injuring  any  of  the  in- 
terior units.  Now  to  make  the  ad- 
justment it  is  simply  necessary  to  have 
the  mechanism  in  a  specified  position, 
then  to  loosen  up  three  screws  and  al- 
low the  weight  of  the  cover  to  make 
its  own  adjustment.    Very  simple,  eh? 

Due  to  the  fact  that  no  eccentric 
bushings  are  used,  the  shield  on  the 
sprocket,  which  functions  to  prevent 
by  chance,  the  film  winding  up  around 
the  sprocket,  is  always  the  same  dis- 
tance from  sprocket  shaft  in  all  posi- 
tions of  frame. 

*  *  * 

Carbon  Saver  Worth  While 

There  a  device  on  the  market  designed 
to  save  your  carbons,  made  of  a  metal  that 
will  stand  a  great  amount  of  heat,  will  not 
corrode  and  sells  for  a  very  nominal  sum. 
The  Miller  adapter  holds  all  sizes  of  Silver- 
Tips  and  Hold-Arcs  and  is  also  sold  for 
a  nominal  sum  on  a  money-back  guarantee. 


NEW  EQUIPMENT 

WILL  BRING 

NEW  BUSINESS 

Follow  the  Equipment  Section 
and  Classified  Opportunities  in 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Classified  Opportunities 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howell*  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Ave.;  New  York 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


lEMPIREj 

In** 


N  aw  York's  newest  and  most 
beautifully  furnished  hotel - 
.accomodating  1034- Quests 

Broadway  at  63- Street. 

ROOM  WITH  PRIVATE  DATH- 
$350 

k  ALL  OUTSIDE  ROOMS  . 


54- ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  S32» 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


Regular  Display 

Rates  are 

charged 

on  all  Classified 

Display 

Ad-lets. 

Local 

Films 

MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


For  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,   N.  Y. 


REAL  BARGAINS  IN  SUPPLIES. — POWERS 
&  SIMPLEX  Intermittent  Sprockets,  new,  guaran- 
teed, each  $3.95 ;  Edison  and  Motiograph  Intermit- 
tent Sprockets,  new  guaranteed,  each  $4.10.  Powers, 
Edison,  Motiograph  and  Simplex  Takeup  and  Feed 
Sprockets,  new,  each  $2.88.  Sent  anywhere  in  the 
U.  S.  Postage  Paid.  CASH  WITH  ORDER. 
Baird  Rewinder,  complete,  each  $7.22.  Edison  Film 
Mender,  each  $3.  Sun  Ray  Condensers,  Piano  Con- 
vex, any  focus,  each  $1.25;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
any  focus,  each  $1.50.  Postage  Paid.  W. 
TROUT,  P.  O.  Box  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 
CASH  WITH  ALL  ORDERS.  (THIS  IS  MY 
COMPLETE  LIST  OF  SUPPLIES.) 


Wanted 


"USED"  35  M/M  SAFETY  FILM.  Large  quan- 
tities.    A.   B.  Cummings,  Attleboro,  Mass. 


At  Liberty 


CAMERAMAN  desires  change  Oct.  1st.  Have 
complete  outfit  including  Goerz  effects,  also  car,  18 
years  on  movies  (also  lab.)  Will  consider  position 
with  reliable  firm  only,  prefer  industrial  work,  ad- 
dress, CAMERAMAN,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review. 


Mailing  Lists 

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Will  help  you  increase  sales 
Send  for  FKKE  catalog  giving 
countsand  prices  on  classified  names 
of  your  best  prospective  customers— 
National,  State,  Xocal—  Individuals, 


Professions,  Business  Firms, 

C\C\Of  Guaranteed   C  c*  , 
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WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT  .  TWENTY-  EI6HT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 


U5T>CKETrn^«^LsDff 

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'    CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  T"^  best  tor  the  least  money       quickest  delivery       correctness  suASANrrtD 


The  two  words — 

"EASTMAN" 

and 
"KODAK" 

— in  black  letters  in  the  film  margin, 
identify  the  release  print  on  Eastman 
Positive  Film,  the  film  that  carries 
quality  from  studio  to  screen. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


3382  Women  disappeared  in  New  York  City  last /ear! 

That's  {he  {heme  of  {he  amazing 


THE 


WITH 


Edna  Murphy  and  Jack  Mulhall 

From  the  story  by 

Richard  E.  En  right 

Commissioner  of  Police,  New  York  City 


When  ha-de  you  seen  such  enthusiastic 
revjiebus  on  any  production? 


"A.  Serial  Triumph" 

"__Pathe  has  scored  another  serial  triumph.  This  serial  has 
more  than  the  usual  amount  of  pep,  action,  suspense  and  thrills. 
A  story  decidedly  different  from  the  general  run.  The  interest 
is  held  tensely  with  plenty  of  drama  and  melodramatic  thrills." 
— M.  P.  World. 

"An  Actual  Thriller" 

'  "Into  the  Net"  will  bring  them  into  your  theatre.  The  streakin 
action  and  suspense  identified  with  the  first  episode  is  main- 
tained right  up  to  the  final  fade-out  of  the  10th  episode." — Exhib- 
itors Trade  Review.    ... 

"Oozes  Intrigue  at  Et>ery  fore" 

"  'Into  the  Net'  oozes  intrigue  at  every  pore.  Highly  exciting, 
fast  moving." — Morning  Telegraph. 

" Ejccitemcnt  "Reaches  FetJer  Heat" 

"Catches  attention  the  first  minute  and  holds  it  constantly.  .  .  Ex- 
citement reaches  fever  heat.  It's  the  best  thing  in  this  sort  of 
serial  seen  in  many  a  day.  Give  this  to  your  excitement  lovers. 
They'll  yell  for  more." — Film  Daily 

See  it  for  yourself.    You'll  helie-Oe  your  obnn  eyes! 

Produced  by  Malcolm  Strauss  Novelized  by  Sinclair  Gluck 

_f  t  „  ,  r-  p.  E 


National  Tie-Ups  for  "The  Navigator 


Oracle  REVIEW 

We  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


Watch  for  it — 
Coming  soon — 
One  of  the  greatest1 

of  Paramount's 
Famous  40  


WILLIAM  de  MILLE'S 

"THE  FAST  SET 


and  that's  saying  something! 


AT  LAST 

READY  FOR 
IMMEDIATE  RELEASE 

.  C.  &  R.  C.  BROMHEAD 

present 


I  xlii/ 

SIONATE 


ADVENTURE" 

from  the  novel  by 
FRANK  STAYTON 

starring 

ALICE  JOYCE 

with 

MARJORIE  DAW  and  CLIVE  BROOK 
A  GAINSBOROUGH  PICTURE 

Directed  By 

Graham  Cutts 

Distributed  By 

SELZNICK 

Distributing  Corporation 


Adapted  by  Beu- 
lah  Marie  Dix 
and  Bertram 
Millhauser  from 
the  Ladies  Home 
Journal  serial 
and  novel  by 
Margaretta 
Tuttle. 


CECIL 
DeMILLE'S 

PRODUCTION 


FEET  of  CLAY 


WITH 

ROD  LA  ROCQUE 
VERA  REYNOLDS 
RICARDO  CORTEZ 

JULIA  FAYE 
THEODORE  KOSLOFF 
ROBERT  EDESON 
VICTOR  VARCONI 


PARAMOUNT 
PICTURE 


"""PHE  screen's  greatest  show- 
man's  greatest  picture  — 
that's  "Feet  of  Clay".  We've 
seen  it.  We  know.  So  will 
you.  See  it  at  your  exchange 
as  soon  as  possible.  An  ultra- 
modern dramatic  romance  with 
gorgeous  settings,  bewitching 
girls,  tremendous  climaxes  and 
a  finish  no  audience  will  ever 
forget.  A  perfect  box-office 
picture. 


Cecil  B.  DeMille's 
"Feet  Of  Clay" 

is  one  of 

Paramount' s 
Famous  Forty 


ANNEIi 


SCREEN  ART  DISTRIBUTORS 


Big  Little 
Box-Office 
Features 


Big  Little 
Box-Office 
Features 


Guaranteed  Short  Subjects 

That  Will  Play  First  Run  Theatres 
for  the  Independent  Market 

Read  the  Screen  Contents  of  the  Good  News  Below  for  the  Exhibitor  and  the  Independent  Exchange 
Man!     Bright,    Quick-Moving,    Fun   Packed   Comedies   Intermingled  with    Dramatic   Feeturettes  That 
Will  Fit  in  and  Enhance  the   Value  of  Any  Program. 

World's  Distribution  Rights  Controlled  By 

Screen  Art  Distributors 


1600  N.  Highland  Ave., 
Hollywood,  Calif. 


135  West  44th  St., 
New  York  City 


12 — Kahn    Kid  Komedies 

soon  as  you  play  "Saturday"  the  first 
release  of  this  series  you  will  realize  how 
these  komedies  bubble  over  with  all  the  en- 
thusiasm of  youth.  Fast  stories  chock  full  of 
side-splitting  gags.  When  your  audience  sees 
it  you  will  not  be  able  to  keep  them  awa" 
from  the  balance  of  this  Kid  Komedy  series. 


12 — Love  Shy 
Comedies 

rTHE  funniest  of  all  two- 
reelers  you  will  see  in 
the  first  release,  "Peggy 
the  Vamp,"  the  introduc- 
tion of  an  entirely  new 
character  to  the  silver 
sheet — the  Love  Shy  Boy! 
The  girls  are  strong  for 
him  and  he  is  strong  for 
the  girls — well,  you  know. 


12 — Arthur  Maude 
Productions 

JJERE  is  a  series  built  for  the  finest  thea- 
tres in  America.  Like  the  first  release, 
"The  Mother,"  each  of  the  twelve  is  a  gem 
inspired  by  the  world's  most  famous  paint- 
ings— written  and  directed  by  Arthur  Maude. 
Teeming  with  artistic  value  they  establish  a 
new  era  in  the  world  of  big  little  features. 


12 — Of  Another 

New  Series 

g  OON  to  be  announced — 
still  another  series  of 
fast  moving  comedies  that 
will  not  only  be  different 
but  sincerely  distinctive. 
We  assure  you  that  they 
will  make  the  independents 
gasp  with  amazement  be- 
cause of  their  exploitation 
possibilities   for  exhibitors. 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors  Review   Publishing   Corporation.     Executive,  Editorial  Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City.  Subscription 
$2.00   year.     Entered  as   second-class  matter,  Aug.   25,    1922,   at    postofEce  at   East   Stroudsburg,   Pa.,   under  act  of   March  3,1879. 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  C O RPORATIOJST 


^jelene  (Radwick 

"Trouping  with  Ellen 

THE  stage  and  the  life  of  the  people  "behind  the 
scenes"  have  a  lure  and  fascination  that  is  irresistible. 
When  contrasted  with  the  butterfly  existence  of  the 
exquisite  society  debutante,  the  highlights  of  dramatic 
contrast  are  intensified  and  quickened. 

In  "Trouping  With  Ellen"  beautiful  Helene  Chadwick 
plays  the  role  of  a  chorus  girl  who,  renounces  the  luxury 
of  a  perfumed  society  boudoir  for  grease  paint  and  a 
Broadway  dressing  room.  "Trouping  With  Ellen"  is  an 
adaptation  of  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  story  by  Earl 
Derr  Biggers,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  fiction 

written  by  that  popular  author, 
J\  *J        whose  "Seven    Keys   to  Bald- 


pate"  was  a  literary  and 
dramatic  sensation. 

Miss  Chadwick,  who, 
prior  to  her  debut  as  a 
screen  actress,  was  the 
most  photographed  girl 
in    America,  being 

known  as  "The  Girl  on        "    — — ' 

the    Magazine  Cover," 

"The  Harrison  Fisher  Girl"  and  "The  Perfect  Type  of 
Beautiful  American  Womanhood,"  has  earned  an  en- 
viable position  on  the  screen. 

T.  Hayes  Hunter,  who  directed  "Earthbound,"  directs 
Miss  Chadwick  in  "Trouping  With  Ellen." 


Jfer  Own  Free  Will" 


Here  is  a  gripping  drama  of  a  masterful  man 
and  a  headstrong  yet  warm-hearted' woman — and 
the  great  conflict  of  their  wills. 

Destiny  weaves  her  thread  in  a  strange  and 
powerful  manner  in  this  gripping  photoplay, 
and  the  denouement  is  unexpected  and  startling. 

"Her  Own  Free  Will"  is  the  screen  version  of 
the  story  by  Ethel  M.  Dell,  directed  by  Paul 
Scardon. 


A  few  of  the 
distinguished  cast 


Alluring  Helene  as  NAN  EVERARD, 
tantalizes  her  husband. 


Produced  by  EASTERN  PRODUCTIONS,  Inc. 


Foreign  Distributor:  Wm.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


Page  6 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


don't  be  just 
a  SILENT  WATCHER, 

when  it  comes  to  bool\jnP 


FRANK  LLOYD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 

presents 

^SILENT  WATCHER 

with 

GLENN  HUNTER     BESSIE  LOVE 

adapted  from  MARY  ROBERT'S  RIENHART'S  "THE  ALTER  ON  THE  HILL 

Directed  by  FRANK  LLOYD 


If  you  do  you'll  be  sorcy  /  It's  a 
wonder/  Frank  Lloyd  has  done 
it  again  /  It  sizzles  with  box~ 
office  power. 

Again/~and  again/~and  again/ 
were  showing  you  that  the 
greatest  buy  m  the  world  is  a 

FIRST  NATIONAL  CONTRACT 


October  4,  1924 


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~~DlISMSMIJIMS[Sjra^ 


Page  7 


i 


EXHIBITORS 

Vmde  REVIEW v 

9he  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Before  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  K'ews  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 

CONTENTS 

October  4,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Exploit  Your  Theatre   10 

Create  Desire  For  Picture    11 

Editorials   34 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Allied  State  Convention    12 

Associated  Winners  7   13 

Mayer- Loew  Confer      13 

Fannie  Brice  Considering    14 

Metro-Goldwyn  Activities    15 

Union  Halts  Theatre  Operation  .   16 

Valentino  To  Produce  On  Coast    17 

Albany  Film  Board  Shake-Up    18 

Alice  Joyce  Returns  To  Ftlms    19 

Lasky  Announces  New  Casts   20 

Samuel  Goldwyn  In  New  York    21 

F.  B.  O.  Releases  Five    22 

Brandt  Replies  To  Critics    23 

Independents  Progressing   25 

New  Officers  For  Merit    27 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

"Meddling  Women"   Frontispiece 

"The  Navigator"    56 

"Revelation"    66 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Independent  Section    25 

Production  Highlights    32 

Box-Office  Reviews    37 

Big  Little  Features    40 

Exhibitors  Round  Table    44 

Showmanship    47 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures    49 

National  Tie-Up  Section    53 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building.  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg.  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
53;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


mSS  IN  THE  All) 


f 


S' 


TATION  E.  T.  R. 

45  W.  45th  Street, 
New   York,  broad- 
casting a  few  old  truths 
which  you,  perhaps,  have 
forgotten  or  overlooked. 
They  are  bits  of  philos- 
k  ophy  that  have  helped 
others.    Maybe  they  will 
)  help  you.  Read  and  heed. 


Yesterday  and  its  errors  have  gone 
forever.  But  Today  and  its  tasks  are 
here,  and  Tomorrow  glitters  with  gold- 
en opportunity.  Plan  for  the  future,  act 
in  the  present,  but  don't  brood  about 
the  past. 


Men  of  action  err.  The  man  who 
never  makes  a  mistake  never  accom- 
plishes anything.  The  main  idea  is  not 
to  make  the  same  mistake  twice. 


When  you  make  a  mistake  admit 
your  error.  Alibis  injure  character. 
Don't  be  ashamed  of  an  honest  error. 
Remember  there  is  but  one  Omni- 
potence. 


None  of  us  is  perfect,  but  we  may 
all  strive  toward  perfection.  To  do 
so  costs  nothing.  And  while  the 
goal  is  unattainable,  improvement  is 
always  possible. 


Be  constant.  Concentrate  all  your 
energy  on  the  accomplishment  of  one 
purpose.  Scattered  forces  are  futile, 
but  mass  attacks  must  win. 


Do  one  thing  at  a  time.  Tackle 
life's  problems  one  by  one  and  they 
may  be  mastered.  Men  may  move 
mountains  stone  by  stone. 


Laugh.  Particularly  when  you  are  pretty 
well  battered  up  mentally  or  physically.  Re- 
member you  can  laugh  off  anything  but  a 
straight- jacket. 


Keep  both  brain  and  body  keenly 
alive.  Exercise  both  so  that  you  may 
be  always  fit  to  fight.  Avoid  anything 
that  will  impair  your  power,  or  make 
you  less  a  man. 


I 


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Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Lionel  Barrymore  and  Sigrid 
Holmquist  as  Edwin  and  Grace 
Ainsworth,  embrace  each  other  in 
domestic  felicity  as   in   real  life. 


Here,  Edwin  Ainsworth,  infatuated 
with  Madeline,  the  role  played  by 
Dagmar  Godowsky,  provides  true 
dramatic  emohasis    to    the  story- 


'Meddling  WomerL 


Lionel  Barrymore,  Stage  and  Screen  Star  of 
International  Repute,  Featured  Player 
in  Chadwick  Pictures  Corpor- 
ation Recent  Production 


SEP  29  1924.    \  ^ 


EXHIBITORS 

(fade  REVIEW 

QJf  jfatittetf  &per  of  the  Motion  ftctun  Industrf 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 

Allied  State  Organizations  plan  expansion  at  representative  convention  in  Topeka, 
Kansas. 

Kansas  M.  P.  T.  O.  merge  with  Western  Missouri  and  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  organizations. 
Labor  Unions  Halt  Operation  of  Theatres  in  Oswego  and  Syracuse,  New  York. 

Valentino  picture  will  he  made  on  West  Coast  according  to  contract  between  J.  D.  Williams,  of  Ritz 
Pictures,  and  M.  C.  Levee,  of  United  Studios. 

Lee  Ochs'  "Piccadilly"  Theatre  opens  with  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  "Barbara  Frietchie." 

Julius  and  Abe  Stern,  of  Century  Comedies,  return  from  Europe  aboard  ss  "Mauretania." 

New  "Inspiration  Pictures"  organized  to  handle  B  arthelmess  product. 

Sam  Grand  and  Harry  Asher  resign  from  Grand-  Asher.    Benjamin  Schwalb  elected  President. 

Samuel  Goldwyn  in  New  York  seeking  "different"  ideas  for  future  productions. 

Michigan  M.  P.  T.  O.  opposes  Kunsky  proposed  b  ooking  organization  for  Detroit. 

American  representative  of  Berlin  Ufa  denies  intention  of  opening  theatres  to  secure  first  run  pres- 
entations. 

Louis  Mayer  and  Marcus  Loew  in  New  York  co  nference. 

Associated  Exhibitors  pay  out  $3,000  prize  mone  y  to  David  Copperfield  school  boy  essay  winners. 
Rex  Ingram  will  direct  Blasco  Ibanez'  "Mare  Nos  trum"  for  Metro-Goldwyn. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Exploit  Your  Theatre 


There's  Nothing  Like 
Good  Inside  Information 
In   the  Show  Business 


From  the  Inside 


EXPLOITATION  is  thought  of 
seldom,  if  ever,  as  showman- 
ship, even  though  the  two  are  so 
closely  linked  that  it  is  hard  to  find  the 
margin  that  divides  them.  No  famous 
showman  since  Barnum  has  been  a  bet- 
ter showman  than  he  was  an  exploiteer. 
In  fact,  his  showmanship  value  was 
measured  by  his  ability  to  exploit  his' 
product,  even  though  unconsciously. 

Especially  is  this  true  in  this  modern 
"pack-em-in"  day,  when  that  old 
"word-of-mouth"  gag  we  used  to  hear 
about  seems  to  be  slipping  into  the  dis- 
card. No  matter  how  good  the  show, 
they  don't  flatten  out  that  beaten  path 
to  the  door  unless  the  exploitation  has 
been  as  good  as  the  attraction,  and  in 
many  instances  better.  In  fact,  it  has 
been  proven  in  many  instances  that  a 
product  which  would  have  run  along  in 
an  average  way  has  been  made  into  a 
big  thing — a  sensation  —  by  the  right 
showman  who  delved  into  his  exploita- 
tion thoughts  for  the  right  medicine. 

DY  no  means  is  all  this  exploitation 
of  the  sensational  sort,  nor  is  all 
of  it  done  outdoors.  Some  of  the  most 
worth  while  boosting,  of  the  steady, 
consistent,  type,  has  been  worked  right 
in  the  theatre  itself,  even  finding  its 
way  into  the  programs  as  they  are  un- 
folded before  the  audiences.  This,  in 
my  opinion,  is  what  not  only  builds 
business  but  holds  it  after  it  is  won. 

The  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand  Theatre, 
which  upon  its  completion  five  years 
ago  was  but  a  building,  a  magnificent 
shell,  even  though  with  a  name  that 
meant  much,  has  been  nurtured  into  an 
institution  of  national  importance  by  a 
showman  whose  sense  of  exploitation 
is  as  broad  and  as  deep  and  as  logical 
as  any  of  which  I  know. 

17  DWARD  L.  HYMAN.  managing 
■M  director,  now  rounding  out  his 
fifth  year  at  this  theatre,  makes  every 
exploitation  move  count.  I  might  say 
that  he  makes  every  move  count  for 
exploitation,  for  there  is  not  an  opera- 
tion in  the  proper  conduct  of  the  thea- 
tre that  is  not  considered  from  the 
salesmanship  angle  as  well  as  all  other 
viewpoints. 

For  this  reason  much  of  the  success 
of  Hyman  may  be  traced  to  this  show- 
man's policy  of  exploiting  the  house 
and  the  programs  jointly  and  from  the 
"inside"  as  well  as  the  outside. 


By  LEE  S.  FERGUSON 

Director  of  Publicity,  Brooklyn  Mark 
Strand  Theatre 

The  most  recent  example  of  exploi- 
tation at  the  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand 
was  the  presentation  of  Valentino's 
picture,  "Monsieur  Beaucaire." 

THIS  production,  costing  plenty  of 
money  and  running  a  full  two  hours, 
would  at  the  average  theatre  be  put  on 


Lee  S.  Ferguson,  while  one  of  the  young- 
est men  in  the  business,  has  had  experience 
covering  the  exploitation  and  management 
of  big  engagements,  indefinite  runs  and 
the    directing    management    of  theatres. 

"cold"  or  at  best  with  a  singer  or  a 
dancer.  Despite  the  heavy  cost,  and 
facing  the  hottest  and  dryest  weather 
of  the  year,  Hyman  stepped  out  to  put 
on  the  biggest  and  richest  prologue  ever 
seen  with  a  picture  in  Brooklyn. 

While  not  costing  as  much  as  the  pic- 
ture, the  prologue  dipped  into  the  cash 
box  with  a  heavy  hand,  but  it  was 
worth  it.  Worth  it  in  satisfaction,  in 
new  customers,  in  keeping  faith  with 
old  customers,  in  the  resulting  gossip 
about  town,  and  in  many  other  ways. 

For  this  presentation  the  whole  or- 
chestra stage  and  small  stage  had  to  be 
remodeled,  redecorated  and  redraped. 

The  scenic  artists,  the  carpenters,  the 
electricians,  the  florist,  the  costumiers, 
the  wig  maker  and  many  others  had 
to  make  up  all  new  stuff  for  this  show. 


Hyman  even  costumed  the  members 
of  the  orchestra  in  the  period,  and  then 
had  special  arrangements  and  orches- 
trations of  the  prologue  selections  and 
the  score  made  up  so  as  to  accent  that 
fact.  This  was  all  exploitation,  no 
matter  by  what  name  you  call  it,  and 
exploitation  that  could  be  cashed  in  on 
and  which  will  not  live  for  only  a  day 
but  will  continue  to  be  worth  some- 
thing to  the  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand  for 
a  long  time  to  come. 

ANOTHER  policy  which  has  proved 
good  exploitation  is  the  method  of 
not  seating  any  patrons  while  musical  or 
stage  numbers  are  going  on.  A  system 
of  tapes,  holding  about  500  standees, 
is  placed  behind  the  marble  wall  back 
of  the  orchestra  seats.  Into  these 
tapes  are  sent  the  people  who  enter 
during  a  musical  number.  It  not  alone 
gives  class  and  tone,  but  it  wins  a 
grateful  thought  from  those  already 
seated. 

There  is  no  stepping  on  toes,  no 
shuffling  of  feet,  no  dropping  of  wraps, 
no  annoyance  and  no  disturbance  in  the 
aisles  or  among  the  seated  rows.  All 
may  hear  the  music  in  silence  and  com- 
fort. What  if  a  customer  with  a 
grouch,  herded  into  the  tapes  to  stand 
until  the  number  is  finished,  makes  a 
kick  ?  He  is  handled  politely,  but  firm- 
ly, and  in  a  pinch  is  told  he  may  sit  in 
a  rear  seat  until  after  the  number.  He 
appears  dissatisfied,  but  at  the  same 
time  he  gains  respect  and  admiration 
for  the  house.  And  the  fact  that  he 
had  to  stand  gives  him  a  topic  of  con- 
versation among  his  friends,  and  they 
in  turn  begin  to  think  of  the  Brooklyn 
Mark  Strand  as  a  "real"  theatre  and 
not  just  a  movie. 

IN  the  same  category  may  be  placed 
the  thousand  and  one  things  that  go 
to  make  up  the  "service"  of  the  thea- 
tre to  the  public.  This  embraces  the 
training  of  ushers  and  attendants,  tak- 
ing care  of  sick  persons,  the  handling 
of  lost  and  found  articles,  providing 
books  of  tickets  so  patrons  may  avoid 
standing  in  line  at  the  window,  com- 
plaints settled  without  arguments,  and 
many  other  things. 

Hyman's  shows  are  the  most  ad- 
vanced type  of  photoplay-music  presen- 
tation seen  anywhere  in  the  country, 
and  of  this  anyone  who  visits  the  thea- 
tre is  firmly  convinced. 


October  4,  1924  Page  11 

Create  a  Desire  for  Your  Picture — 

And  the  Public  Will  Be  There 


By  VIVIAN  M.  MOSES 

Director,  Publicity  and  Advertising,  Fox  Film  Corporation 


To  Exhibitors,  seeking  a  word 
of  definition  concerning  Show- 
manship, Vivian  Moses  presents 
a  few  pithy  ideas.  Read  what 
this  veteran  publicity  origi- 
nator has  to  say  concerning 
your  own  Box  Office  appeal. 


Vivian  M.  Moses,  Director  of  Publicity 
and  Advertising  for  Fox  Film  Corporation, 
has  carefully  studied  the  exhibitor's  pub- 
licity problems  from  the  box-office  angle. 


THOSE  of  us  who  are  employed 
in  the  business  of  purveying  pub- 
licity are  only  too  frequently  apt 
to  forget  the  purpose  for  which  pub- 
licity is  desirable.  For  publicity,  in  it- 
self, is  not  necessarily  the  summon 
bonum  after  which  we  are  striving  and 
toward  which  we  expend  so  much 
thought  and  such  an  outlay  of  finance. 

Publicity  in  our  profession  must  be 
the  handmaiden  to  showmanship.  In 
this  capacity  it  is  priceless ;  otherwise 
it  is  not  only  valueless  but  frequently 
hurtful. 

This  is  merely  a  negative  way  of 
stating  the  positive  quality  of  show- 
manship. The  two  things — showman- 
ship and  publicity — are.  indeed,  closely 
related,  and  each  when  properly  exer- 
cised, supplements  the  other.  Unwise- 
ly used,  however,  publicity  can  hamper 
showmanship  and  is  even  capable  of  de- 
stroying it. 

The  true  definition  of  showmanship 
— without  any  attempt  to  find  phrases 
— would  be — the  art  of  appealing  to 
the  public  in  such  a  manner  as  to  create 
a  belief  in  the  entertainment  value  of  a 
show.  To  this  definition  true  show- 
manship always  conforms  no  matter 
what  may  be  its  support  or  through 
what  channel  it  may  be  exercised.  Un- 
fortunately, publicity  has,  in  notable 
instances,  not  only  entirely  ignored  this 


essential  quality  in  showmanship  but 
has,  in  its  consequences,  actually 
created  the  opposite  effect  in  the  minds 
of  the  public. 

LET  us  always  remember  that  show- 
manship must  create  desire — that 
sort  of  desire  which  pays  at  the  box- 
office.  The  true  showman  never  loses 
sight  of  the  ultimate  thing  to  be  at- 
tained— success  at  the  pay-box.  We 
may  lay  out  an  elaborate  campaign  of 
publicity  over  a  period  of  months,  with 
a  great  expenditure  of  ingenuity  and 
forethought  and  with  a  large  layout  of 
money;  we  might  obtain  columns  and 
columns  of  the  publicity  for  which  we 
have  planned;  we  might  have  the  attes- 
tation of  fat  scrap  books  and  an  over- 
worked press  clipping  bureau  to  show 
for  the  success  of  our  efforts,  so  far  as 
space  filling  is  concerned. 

Yet  in  the  face  of  all  this,  the  direct 
reaction  for  the  cause  for  which  we 
have  labored  might  be  to  decrease  the 
inclination  of  the  public  to  shell  out  its 
hard-earned  cash  in  return  for  the  little 
pasteboards  which  read  "Admit  One." 
In  such  a  case  publicity,  of  a  kind,  has 
triumphed  but  showmanship  has  suf- 
fered a  knockout. 

This  is  not  farfetched;  such  things 
do  happen.  We  can  call  to  mind  more 
than  one  instance  in  which  publicity  of 


the  private  affairs  of  professional  men 
and  women — fanned  into  flame  and 
kept  glowing — in  the  belief  that  it  was 
good  publicity — has  resulted  in  actually 
destroying  for  the  time  being  the  draw- 
ing power  of  the  artists  concerned,  and 
has,  in  instances,  necessitated  their 
temporary  retirement  from  the  scene  of 
action.  These  cases  are  common  and 
more  than  one  such  instance  will  oc- 
cur to  every  reader  of  this  article. 

SHOWMANSHIP  is  a  wise  physi- 
cian who  always  feels  the  pulse  of 
public  reaction.  Showmanship  is  never 
vicious.  Dealing  out  hokum  and  bunk- 
um, exaggeration  and  manipulation — - 
showmanship  yet  has  a  genial  and  lov- 
able nature.  The  hoax  is  ever  accom- 
panied by  a  wink  which  kills  the  sting. 
Showmanship  is  a  faker  if  need  be,  but 
a  lovable  faker.  Showmanship  never 
injures,  never  vituperates,  never  loses 
its  temper;  good  nature  and  a  keen 
sense  of  humor  are  its  twin  faces. 

And,  finally,  showmanship  is  a  good 
banker.  He  never  forgets  that  the 
troupe  has  to  eat,  that  the  bills  have 
to  be  paid,  that  the  engagement  has  to 
close  with  an  entry  on  the  right  side  of 
the  ledger.  In  everything  that  he  does, 
showmanship  keeps  this  in  mind — red 
ink  is  a  good  color  for  sign  board  and 
show  cards,  but  it  is  a  bad  color  for  the 
showman's  ledger. 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Allied  State  Organizations 
Hold  Active  Conventions 


Steffes  and  Ritchie  Re-Elected — Kansas  Body  Merged  With 
Western  Missouri  and  Kansas  City. 

By  Wire  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ON  September,  22-23,  at  the  Hotel 
Kansan,  Topeka,  Kansas,  the  Al- 
lied State  Organizations  held 
their  annual  convention.  Only  two  of 
the  Allied  States  lacked  representation, 
Western  Missouri  and  Kansas  being 
especially  strong  in  the  matter  of  dele- 
gates. 

The  absent  members  were  Col.  H. 
Varener,  of  North  Carolina,  and  H.  M. 
Ritchie,  of  Michigan.  Among  the  rep- 
resentatives were  S.  W.  Neall,  Indiana  ; 
E.  P.  Smith,  Iowa;  Al  Steffes,  Minne- 
sota; Charles  H.  Darrell,  Minnesota; 
W.  J.  Miller,  Chicago;  H.  C.  Cole, 
Texas;  R.  R.  Biechele,  Kansas;  Chas. 
Nathan,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Steffes  had  announced  that  he 
would  not  be  a  candidate  for  re-elec- 
tion as  Chairman  of  the  organization. 
He  was  prevailed  upon  to  alter  this  de- 
cision, however,  and  was  re-elected. 
Moreover,  the  Allied  by-laws  were 
changed  so  that  Mr.  Steffes  will  serve 
for  a  year  instead  of  the  sixty  days 
formerly  prescribed. 

There  was  no  uncertainty  in  the  tone 
of  his  opening  address.  With  charac- 
teristic vigor  he  declared :  "Gentlemen, 
we  are  drifting  along  in  somewhat  hap- 
hazard fashion.  We  must  progress  or 
disband.  That's  the  football.  Kick  it 
around  the  room." 


THE  enthusiastic  reception  of 
Steffes'  remarks  left  no  doubt  as 
to  the  sentiment  of  the  convention 
Charles  Nathan,  of  Illinois,  took  ex- 
ception to  the  "Haphazard"  portion  of 
Mr.  Steffes  speech.  He  pointed  out 
the  comparative  youth  of  the  organiza- 
tion, and  the  progress  it  has  already 
made. 

The  next  speaker  was  S.  W.  Neall, 
of  Indiana.  He  agreed  with  the  re- 
marks of  both  previous  speakers,  con- 
cluding his  speech  with  the  assertion 
that  to  accomplish  its  purpose  Allied 
must  continue  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
a  strong  national  organization  by  fur- 
thering the  development  of  strong  state 
bodies. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "we  can  pur- 
sue one  of  two  policies.  We  can  go  to 
various  states,  as  we  have  been  doing, 
to  further  development,  or  we  can  call 
a  National  convention,  and  so  ascertain 
whether  or  not  the  exhibitors  of  Ameri- 


ca are  waiting  to  enter  a  non-political 
organization.  If  they  are  not — then 
we  are  'all  wet.' 

I  am  going  to  oppose  other  meetings 
of  Allied  in  states  that  are  already 
among  our  members.  Future  meetings 
should  be  held  in  states  not  included  in 
our  membership.  We  must  expand. 
Let  us  find  out  where  we  stand.  We 
cannot  travel  in  a  circle." 

Mr.  Neall  favored  Seattle  as' the  next 
convention  city. 

Mr.  Steffes  read  a  telegram  from 
Will  Hays.  Mr.  Hays  acknowledged 
advise  of  the  appointment  of  R.  R. 
Biechele,  of  Kansas,  as  Allied  repre- 
sentative to  attend  a  conference  on  the 
uniform  contract  question.  Mr.  Hays 
expressed  sincere  regrets  at  his  inability 
to  be  present  at  the  convention. 

BECAUSE  of   a   decision  of  the 
Film  Board,  no  exchange  repre- 
sentatives were  present.   This  being  the 
first  time  they  have  been  absent. 

A  motion  was  passed  to  assess  each 
body  within  Allied  in  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  dollars.  This  will  provide  a 
fund  of  some  eight  hundred  dollars 
which  will  be  kept  on  hand  in  the  treas- 
ury to  defray  expenses  of  Allied  rep- 
resentatives to  conferences  and  meet- 
ings. The  chairman  was  given  the 
power  to  reassess  each  organization 
from  time  to  time  in  order  that  the 
fund  be  maintained. 

It  was  also  decided  that  Allied  will 
not  be  bound  by  any  action  or  agree- 
ment made  by  Mr.  Biechele  as  their 
representative  at  the  Hays  conference 
on  uniform  contracts.  The  organiza- 
tion will  receive  his  report  and  act  upon 
the  matter  in  its  own  behalf. 

Along  with  the  Allied  meeting  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
Kansas  held  the  most  active  conven- 
tion in  its  history.  The  body  merged 
with  Western  Missouri  and  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  and  in  ten  minutes  more 
than  seven  thousand  dollars  was  sub- 
scribed to  a  special  fund  for  the  newly 
merged  Missouri-Kansas  body. 

.  The  Kansas  end  of  the  convention 
was  replete  with  action  from  the  open- 
ing by  Major  Earl  Akers,  of  Topeka, 
until  the  closing  talk  by  Supreme  Court 
Justice  Richard  J.  Hopkins,  of  the 
Kansas  Supreme  Court. 


MEMBERS  of  the  Allied  took  the 
floor  and  virtually  beat  organiza- 
tion into  the  heads  of  exhibitors,  many 
of  whom  were  attending  their  first  con- 
vention. 

A  committee  was  formed  for  the 
drafting  of  resolutions  merging  the 
bodies.  It  consisted  of  four  members 
from  Western  Missouri,  four  from 
Kansas,  and  Mr.  Cole,  of  Texas,  as  the 
odd  member.  Mr.  Biechele,  of  Kan- 
sas, continues  as  President  of  the 
merged  body,  but  seven  new  directors 
from  Missouri  were  added  to  the  Board 
of  Executives. 

These  are :  Charles  Sears,  Nevada ; 
W.  P.  Cuff,  Chillicothe;  S.  E.  Wilhoit, 
Springfield ;  R.  Finklestein,  Kansas 
City;  Jay  Means,  Kansas  City;  Jack 
Truitt,  Sedalia,  and  Hugh  Gardner, 
Neosho.  Twenty-five  percent  of  dues 
from  each  state  will  be  credited  to  a 
special  fund  to  be  used  by  a  research 
and  promotion  committee  in  legislative 
work. 

Resolutions  deploring  the  waste  in 
productions,  urging  a  higher  physical 
standard  in  theatre  operation,  and  com- 
bined effort  to  obtain  the  repeal  of  the 
copyright  act,  were  passed,  together 
with  one  demanding  the  aid  of  produc- 
ers in  lowering  film  rentals. 

*    *  * 

GLORIA  GIVEN  OVATION 
IN  PARIS 

One  of  the  largest  press  receptions 
held  in  Paris  was  given  Gloria  Swan- 
son,  according  to  cable  dispatches  re- 
ceived by  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation  when  she  entertained  more 
than  eighty  representatives  of  French, 
British  and  American  newspapers  in 
the  salons  of  the  royal  suite  at  the  Hotel 
Crillon. 

Miss  Swanson,  who  is  in  Paris  to 
play  the  title  role  in  the  Paramount 
production  of  Sardou's  play  "Madame 
Sans-Gene,"  was  hostess  to  the  Chief 
correspondents  of  practically  every 
English  and  American  paper  that  has 
offices  in  Paris,  and  also  to  the  editors 
of  all  the  Paris  dailies. 

The  French  editors  were  especially 
enthusiastic  and  expressed  the  belief 
that  no  better  choice  could  be  made  for 
the  role  of  Madame  Sans-Gene. 


October  4,  1924 

Winners  Chosen 

$3000  Prize  Awards  Announc- 
ed for  School  Essay  Contest 

After  several  months  of  untiring  en- 
deavor on  the  part  of  a  number  of 
prominent  men  and  women  chosen  to 
act  as  judges  in  its  "David  Copperfield" 
prize  essay  contest,  Associated  Exhib- 
itors finally  announces  the  winners.  The 
contest  was  advertised  in  the  Saturday 
Evening  Post  and  was  open  to  public 
and  private  schools.  Its  purpose  was 
to  interest  pupils,  teachers  and  parents 
in  the  better  type  of  motion  picture 
such  as  "David  Copperfield"  adapted 
from  Dickens'  famous  masterpiece. 

According  to  the  rules  of  the  con- 
test, the  contestants  were  divided  into 
two  groups.  Group  (1)  consisting  of 
pupils  12  years  of  age  and  under  were 
required  to  write  essays  of  five  hundred 
words  or  less  on  the  subject:  "The 
Characters  I  like  best  in  'David  Cop- 
perfield' and  Why."  Group  (2)  made 
up  of  pupils  thirteen  years  and  over 
were  obliged  to  write  their  essays  on : 
"What  Scenes  and  Characters  I  should 
like  to  see  included  in  a  7-reel  Motion 
Picture  of  'David  Copperfield.'  " 

The  winners  of  the  first  awards  of 
one  hundred  dollars  in  group  "The 
Characters  I  like  Best  in  'David  Cop- 
perfield' is  Minerva  Moore,  of  La 
Grange,  Mo.,  aged  eleven  years. 

Winners  of  the  four  twenty-five  dol- 
lar prizes  in  the  same  group  are :  Mas- 
ter Ashton  Allen,  Lotta  Grading  School, 
Lotta,  S.  C.  (Age  10)  ;  Master  John 
Bennett,  Troy  High  School,  Troy, 
Tenn.  (Age  11)  ;  Miss  Eleanor  Miller, 
49  Kenilworth  Ave.,  Detroit,  Mich. 
(Age  12)  ;  Master  Hugh  B.  Crawford, 
Normal  &  Highland  Av.,  Montclair,  N. 
J.  (Age  8). 

The  schools  with  the  highest  number 
of  prize-winning  pupils  according  to 
their  number,  and  winning  awards  to- 
taling $1000  are:  Beall  Ave.  School— 
Wooster,  Ohio.  First  prize  $500.00; 
Lafayette  High  School— Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Second  prize  $300.00 ;  Hanover  School 
I; — Hanover,  Mont.  Public  School  170 — 
New  York  City  tie  for  Third  Prize.  As 
both  the  latter  two  schools  have  an 
equal  number  of  winning  pupils  the 
prize  of  $200.  will  be  divided  between 
the  two. 

*    *  * 

UFA  DENIES  BUILDING 

Emphatic  denial  of  statement  pub- 
lished in  the  newspapers  to  the  effect 
that  Ufa,  the  big  association  of  Con- 
tinental film  producing  units,  plans  to 
secure  its  own  theatres  in  this  country 
to  exhibit  Ufa  productions,  has  been 
issued    by    Frederick  Wynne-Jones, 

;  American  representative  of  Ufa. 

"I  cannot  make  it  too  plain  that  Ufa 

|  in  sending  "Siegfried"  "Faust"  "Cin- 


Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  with  Watterson 
R.    Rothacker     discussing     "The  Lost 
World"    script    now    in  production 
und**"    i.he    First    National  banner. 


derella"  and  its  other  pictures  to 
America  intends  to  exhibit  them  in  the 
motion  picture  theatres,  and  to  deal  di- 
rectly with  the  established  exhibitors 
of  the  United  States. 

"It  most  certainly  does  not  contem- 
plate building  any  theatres  here. 

"The  visit  of  Eric  Pommer,  men- 
tioned in  the  published  stories  in  con- 
nection with  the  mythical  theatre  build- 
ing project,  is  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
attending  the  American  premiere  of 
"Siegfried,"  the  film  production  of  the 
love-legend  of  the  old  Norse  sagas  and 
Wagnerian  opera,  which  will  be  the 
first  Ufa  production  to  be  offered  here. 

"To  repeat  a  statement  I  have  made 
several  times — Ufa  does  not  contem- 
plate producing  any  pictures  in  Ameri- 
ca. It  plans  to  send  its  biggest  and 
best  pictures  here  to  be  shown  in  the 
regular  motion  picture  houses,  and  it 
will  aim  to  cooperate  in  every  possible 
way  with  American  exhibitors." 

COSTUMES  IMPORTED 
FOR  'BEN  HUR' 

More  than  six  months  have  been 
spent  in  assembling  10,000  costumes  for 
the  picturizatron  of  General  Lew  Wal- 
lace's novel  and  stage  play,  "Ben  Hur," 
which  is  being  directed  by  Fred  Niblo 
for  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Pic- 
tures Corporation.  The  costumes  were 
imported  from'  Germany,  and  are 
housed  here  in  what  is  declared  to  be 
the  finest  and  best  equipped  wardrobe 
ever  constructed  for  this  purpose. 

It  covers  over  1000  square  feet  of 
ground.  An  example  of  the  efficiency 
with  which  the  thousands  of  players 
are  equipped  is  that  4,000  extras  used 
in  a  mob  scene  depicting  Jerusalem 
during  the  first  century  were  ready  for 
action  within  one  and  three  quarter 
hours  after  their  arrival  at  the  studio. 

Among  the  thousands  of  costumes 
are  those  for  Greeks,  Arabs,  Assyrians, 
Romans,  Light  and  Heavy  Infantry, 
Numidian  horsemen  and  slaves. 


Page  13 

Mayer-Loew  Meet 

Officials  Meet  to  Discuss 
Plan  and  Plays 

Louis  B.  Mayer,  vice-president  and 
the  producing  head  of  Metro-Goldwyn 
Distributing  Corporation,  has  extended 
the  tiine  of  his  visit  in  New  York, 
where  he  is  in  conference  with  Marcus 
Loew  and  other  Metro-Goldwyn  execu- 
tives. Mr.  Mayer,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Mayer  and  his  daughters,  Irene 
and  Edith,  will  sail  shortly  for  Europe, 
the  date  of  their  departure  not  definitely 
set. 

Mr.  Mayer  is  paying  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  current  dramatic  offerings  in 
the  city,  with  a  view  to  securing  addi- 
tional material  for  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  production,  and  possibly  to  find 
a  new  "face"  or  two  for  the  screen 
from  among  Broadway  productions. 

The  producer,  stated  that  closer  con- 
tact between  the  public  and  the  men 
who  make  pictures  was  the  most  im- 
portant factor  entering  into  the  prob- 
lems of  the  industry  at  present,  and  that 
this  contact  could  only  be  made  through 
the  medium  of  the  exhibitor. 

"The  exhibitor  is  in  closer  touch  with 
the  public  than  producers  can  ever  be, 
and  on  him  we  must  depend  to  maintain 
the  contact  which  is  essential  if  we  are 
to  make  successful  box  office  pictures. 
The  difficulty  in  making  pictures  would 
be  simplified  if  all  we  had  to  do  was 
keep  abreast  of  the  current  public  taste, 
but  we  must  keep  ahead  of  it,  antici- 
pating what  the  public  will  want,  not 
todav.  but  tomorrow  and  the  day  after 
tomorrow. 

"That  is  one  trouble  with  many  pic- 
tures made  at  present.  Thev  follow  the 
pattern  of  each  exceptionally  successful 
production  which  comes  along,  that  is 
different  from  the  others  that  preceded 
it.  This  continues  until  another  picture 
of  a  different  pattern  scores  a  success, 
and  starts  a  new  vogue  in  releases.  But 
it  is  seldom  that  these  follow-up  pic- 
tures duplicate  the  success  of  the  orig- 
inal one  that  inspired  them. 

"It  is  the  problem  in  finding  the  new, 
the  'different'  in  picture  material  to 
achieve  the  success  that  others  try  to 
duplicate,  which  keeps  us  on  our  toes 
continually. 

"We  are  making  innovations  in  Me- 
tro-Goldwyn-Meyer  pictures  this  season 
that  we  believe  will  show  such  box-of- 
fice strength  they  will  start  new  vogues 
in  films.  At  the  same  time  however  we 
are  taking  care  that  there  are  plenty  of 
productions  on  our  schedule  which  we 
know  fully  the  value  of,  which  are  in 
a  sense  tried-and-true  pictures  even  be- 
fore they  have  actually  gone  into  pro- 
duction. 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


METRO  MAY  STAR 
FANNY  BRICE 

Fanny  Brice  whose  antics  on  the 
stage  have  furnished  entertainment  for 
millions  of  people,  is  the  latest  foot- 
light  to  consider  a  motion  picture  debut. 

Miss  Brice  has  been  a  frequent  visi- 
tor at  the  M'etro-Goldwyn-Mayer  stu- 
dio during  the  past  week,  and  she  and 
Harry  Rapf,  studio  executive  have  been 
talking  over  the  prospects  of  her  mak- 
ing one  picture. 

Rumors  have  it  that  Miss  Brice  will 
star  in  "The  Wife,"  an  adaptation  of 
Adela  Rogers  St.  John's  story  "Mag- 
gie" and  that  Frank  Borzage  will  di- 
rect. 

Miss  Brice  admits  she  is  interested  in 
appearing  before  the  camera  and  that 
she  thinks  "The  Wife"  is  the  one  story 
that  she  would  care  to  do.  Harry  Rapf 
admits  he  would  like  to  have  Miss 
Brice  for  "The  Wife",  and  that  he 
thinks  she  would  be  equally  as  success- 
ful on  the  screen  as  on  the  stage.  Frank 
Borzage  has  completed  the  direction  of 
Norma  Talmadge's  latest  picture  and 
admits  that  he  is  to  start  work  at  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn-Mayer  very  soon  and  that 
his  first  story  probably  will  be  "The 
Wife." 

So  the  woman  whom  the  people  of 
America  have  proclaimed  as  their  lead- 
ing comic  may  soon  be  facing  the  mo- 
tion picture  camera  transferring  her 
funny  antics  to  the  celluloid. 

#  #  * 

ESTABROOK  TO  PRODUCE 
"THE  ADVENTURESS  SEX" 

Associated  Exhibitors  announces  the 
opening  of  production  activities  at  the 
Tec-Art  Studios,  New  York,  for  its 
forthcoming  Howard  Estabrook  fea- 
ture, "Thcr  Adventuress  Sex"  based  on 
an  original  story  from  the  pen  of  Ham- 
ilton Mannon. 

"The  Adventuress  Sex"  is  to  follow 
closely  on  the  success  of  Estabrook's 
"The  Price  of  a  Party"  and  will  be  di- 
rected by  Charles  Gyblin.  The  cast  will 
be  announced  next  week. 

*  *  * 

ESCHMANN  MONTH 
IN  FULL  SWING 

The  Eschmanu  Month  sales  drive  of 
the  First  National  selling  organization 
will  without  doubt  be  most  successful. 
The  drive  is  already  in  full  swing,  hav- 
ing started  on  September  14.  It  will 
continue  till  November  8.  The  mone- 
tary rewards  are  not  the  primary  cause 
of  the  enthusiasm,  which  is  due  to  the 
desire  of  the  sales  force  to  show  its  ap- 
preciation of  the  able  manner  in  which 
the  distribution  department  has  func- 
tioned under  the  leadership  of  E.  A. 
Eschmann. 

Many  prominent  exhibitors  have 
promised  to  play  as  many  First  Nation- 


al pictures  as  possible  during  the  sales 
contest. 

H.  H.  Buxbaum,  Manager  of  the 
Eastern  District,  and  New  York 
Branch  Manager,  gave  a  dinner  at  the 
newly  opened  Roosevelt  Hotel.  Mr. 
Eschmann  was  present  as  well  as  Rich- 
ard A.  Rowland,  General  Manager  of 
First  National,  also  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr., 
W.  J.  Morgan,  S.  W.  Hatch,  and  Chas. 
M.  Steel,  associates  of  Mr.  Eschmann's 
who  organized  the  sales  drive  as  a  com- 
pliment to  his  leadership. 

Sales  meetings  to  perfect  organized 
team  work  for  the  drive  in  all  Districts 
and  Branches  have  been  held  the  past 
week  or  are  being  held  this  week. 

"SANS-GENE"  BEGUN 

Gloria  Swanson,  who  sailed  in  the 
same  suite  on  the  Berengaria  which  the 
Prince  of  Wales  occupied,  has  arrived 
in  Paris,  and  active  preparations  have 
started  for  the  filming  of  the  Para- 
mount production  of  "Madame  Sans- 
Gene." 

The  Cinema  studios,  at  Joinville, 
near  Paris,  have  been  leased,  and  a 
crew  of  men  is  busy  installing  Ameri- 
can equipment.  Under  the  direction  of 
Major  C.  H.  Bell,  O.  B.  E.,  general 
manager  of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
studio  in  London,  a  large  staff  of 
French  experts  is  already  at  work. 

Miss  Swanson  will  be  the  only 
American  in  the  cast  of  the  Sardou 
play.  She  will  be  supported  by  some 
sixty  French  players.  It  was  deemed 
advisable  by  the  Paramount  officials  to 


Two  notables  were  snapped  at  the  United 
Studios  when  Joseph  M.  Schenk,  president 
of  Motion  Picture  Producers,  and  Lou  E. 
Holland,  president  of  the  Associated  Ad- 
vertisers   of    the    World,    met  recently. 


engage  French  actors  because  the  pic- 
ture is  so  essentially  French  in  spirit 
and  atmosphere. 

Charles  De  Roche,  will  play  Lefe- 
bvre,  the  husband  of  Madame  Sans- 
Gene.  Napoleon  will  be  portrayed  by 
Emile  Drain,  of  the  Comedies  Fran- 
chise. 

The  Fine  Arts  Ministry  of  the 
French  Government  has  granted  per- 
mission for  the  use  of  many  historical 
locations  for  backgrounds  for  many 
scenes,  and  in  so  doing,  stipulated  that 
the  director  be  a  Frenchman.  So  the 
production  has  been  placed  in  the 
capable  hands  of  Leonne  Perret.  The 
scenario  is  by  Forrest  Halsey,  who  did 
the  script  for  "Monsieur  Beaucaire." 

*  *  * 

'THE  SECOND  CHANCE' 
FOR  BARBARA  LA  MARR 

Following  a  careful  digest  of  all 
available  stage  plays  and  novels  as  a 
starring  vehicle  for  Barbara  La  Marr, 
Sawyer-Lubin  have  announced  the  pur- 
chase of  "The  Second  Chance"  by  Mrs. 
Wilson  Woodrow,  from  W.  J.  Watt. 

"The  Second  Chance"  will  be  the  sec- 
ond of  the  series  of  starring  pictures 
being  made  for  First  National  release 
by  Sawyer-Lubin,  following  "Sandra," 
recently  completed  under  the  direction 
of  Arthur  H.  Sawyer. 

It  is  further  stated  that  Mr.  Sawyer 
will  personally  direct  Miss  La  Marr  in 
the  Wilson  Woodrow  novel,  which  will 
be  placed  in  production  some  time  dur- 
ing the  month  of  October  in  New  York 
City. 

*  *  * 

'TEN  COMMANDMENTS' 
SETS  RECORD 

All  Berlin  is  paying  tribute  to  one  pj: 
the  greatest  exploitation  campaigns 
ever  launched  on  behalf  of  a  motion 
picture  in  Germany  by  trying  to  obtain 
admission  to  the  Grosse  Schauspielhaus 
theatre,  where  "The  Ten  Command- 
ments" has  been  shattering  box-office 
records  since  August  21. 

Since  the  opening  night,  when  the 
great  theatre  seating  approximately 
5,000  was  packed  with  celebrities  anx- 
ious to  welcome  Cecil  B.  DeMille's 
masterpiece,  thousands  have  been 
turned  away  and  there  seems  to  be  no 
limit  to  the  demand  for  seats. 

No  greater  welcome  has  ever  been 
given  a  motion  picture  in  any  city  than 
that  extended  to  "The  Ten  Command- 
ments" in  Berlin,  according  to  film  men 
who  were  in  attendance  at  the  history- 
making  premiers. 

The  thunderous  applause  which 
greeted  the  series  of  climaxes  in  the 
DeMille  epic  is  expected  to  reach  every 
corner  of  Germany,  as  theatrical  men 
estimate  that  this  Paramount  picture 
will  play  to  the  greatest  gross  business 
ever  enjoyed  by  a  screen  play  in  Ger- 
many. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  IS 


Metro-Goldwyn  Studios 
Show  Great  Activity 

Nine  Companies  at  Work  at  the  Studio, 
and  Two  Producing  Units  Busy  A  broad 


WITH  LOIUS  B.  MAYER  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion operations,  production 
work  at  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
Studio  is  swinging  along  at  a  rapid, 
healthy  pace.  Between  preparing 
cutting  and  actual  shooting  nine  com- 
panies are  now  at  work  at  the  studio, 
and  two  companies  are  working  on  pic- 
tures in  Europe. 

That  the  fall  season  is  going  to  be 
an  exceptionally  busy  one  at  the  Cul- 
ver City  plant  is  evidenced  by  the  fact 
that  deals  have  been  consummated  re- 
cently for  the  purchase  of  a  number  of 
new  books  and  plays,  with  negotiations 
for  further  film  material  under  way  in 
New  York. 

In  his  announcement  of  the  vehicles 
for  immediate  production,  Mr.  Mayer 
said:  "Irving  G.  Thalberg  is  in  daily 
conference  with  Erich  von  Stroheim 
regarding  the  making  of  "The  Merry 
Widow"  with  Mae  Murray  as  the  star. 
Shooting  will  be  started  as  soon  as  the 
script  is  ready  and  the  perfect  artist 
has  been  found  for  the  role  of  Danilo. 

"Mr.  Thalberg  has  selected  'The 
Wife  of  the  Centaur'  by  Cyril  Hume 
for  King  Vidor's  next  production  and 
is  now  working  with  the  director  on  the 
casting  with  a  view  of  getting  the  pic- 
ture started  the  first  of  next  week. 

"Harry  Rapf  is  busy  on  a  series  of 
productions  which  will  be  started  in  the 
very  near  future.  Among  the  first  of 
these  will  be  'The  Summons'  by  Cath- 
erine Newlin  Burt,  with  Robert  G. 
Vignola  directing,  and  'The  Square 
Peg,'  by  Lewis  Beach  which  Hobart 
Henley  will  make. 

"As  Robert  Z.  Leonard's  next  pic- 
ture, he  has  chosen  'Cheaper  to 
Marry,'  an  adaptation  of  Samuel 
Shipman's  play,  the  screen  version  of 
which  is  now  being  written. 

"Among  the  pictures  being  made 
ready  for  presentation  are :  Elinor 
Glyn's  'His  Hour,'  directed  by  King 
Vidor  and  now  being  titled  by  the  au- 
thor: 'Mrs.  Paramor,'  by  Louis  Joseph 
Vance,  which  Robert  C.  Vignola  di- 
rected and  is  cutting:  'One  Night  in 
Rome,'  made  by  Clarence  Badger  with 
Laurette  Taylor  as  the  star :  'Circe  the 
Enchantress,'  a  Mae  Murray  produc- 
tion directed  by  Robert  Z.  Leonard : 


'He  Who  Gets  Slapped,'  recently  com- 
pleted by  Victor  Seastrom  and  now  be- 
ing edited ;  and  'The  Silent  Accuser,' 
an  unusual  picture  with  a  police  dog, 
Peter  the  Great,  as  one  of  the  principal 
features.  It  was  directed  by  Chester 
Franklin. 

"The  excellent  progress  being  made 
on  'The  Great  Divide'  promises  to 
make  that  picture  even  exceed  the  high 
standard  we  had  set  for  it. 

"Monta  Bell  has  just  completed 
'The  Snob,'  based  on  Helen  Martin's 
novel,  and  is  now  busy  on  the  cutting 
and  titling. 

"We  have  two  companies  working  at 
present  in  Europe.  Marshall  Nielan's 
unit  is  one  with  London  as  its  back- 
ground. He  is  making  'The  Sporting 
Venus,'  from  a  story  of  Gerald  Beau- 
mont. The  production  of  'Ben-Hur' 
is  going  forward  steadily  in  Rome  un- 
der Fred  Niblo's  direction.  May  Mc- 
Avoy  has  just  been  engaged  for  the  im- 
portant role  of  Esther  and  will  leave 
for  abroad  shortly." 

OTTAWA  HAS  LARGEST 
PICTURE  THEATRE 

The  City  of  Ottawa  has  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  unique  moving  picture 
palaces  in  the  whole  world,  this  being 


the  large  new  Auditorium  of  the  Can- 
adian Capital,  seating  11,000  persons. 
The  big  structure  has  been  adapted  for 
the  presentation  of  pictures  and  a  series 
of  outstanding  attractions  has  been 
booked  almost  continuously  for  coming 
months,  the  first  production.  "Dorothy 
Vernon  of  Haddon  Hall,"  starring 
Mary  Pickford,  playing  an  engagement 
of  one  week  starting  September  22.  j 

Several  unusual  features  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Auditorium  presentations 
is  that  music  is  provided  by  the  regi- 
mental band  of  The  Governor-General's 
Foot  Guards,  Ottawa,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Lieut.  J.  T.  Brown,  conductor- 
Musical  scores  for  the  pictures  are  be- 
ing used  by  this  military  band  which, 
is  one  of  the  best  in  Canada,  has  a  per- 
sonnel of  52  musicians.  Another  in- 
teresting fact  is  that  only  one  per- 
formance is  held  daily,  this  being  (the 
one  evening  show  which  starts  at  8,:30' 
o'clock.  Prices  of  admission  do  hot 
range  as  high  as  the  admission  charges 
for  the  same  features  in  other  cities, 
the  idea  being  that  the  immense  seating 
capacity  in  the  Ottawa  structure  justi- 
fies a  popular  price  sale. 

*    *  * 

METRO-GOLDWYN  HAS 
NEW  HOUSE  ORGAN 

The  Metro-Goldwyn  "Loew-Down," 
new  house  organ  of  the  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer organization  has  made  its 
initial  appearance  with  the  September 
issue.  Printed  in  two  colors,  and  at- 
tractively made  up,  the  Loew-Down  is 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  every  unit 
concerned  in  the  production  and  distri- 
bution of  Metro-Goldwyn-  pictures. 

The  current  issue  contains  a  portrait 
of  Marcus  Loew  upon  the  cover,  and 
it  is  profusely  illustrated.  R.  W.  Bare- 
more,  assistant  to  J.  E.  D.  Meador,  is 
editor  of  the  new  publication,  which 
will  be  issued  semi-monthly. 


PI 


"Tea  for  Seven,"  should  be  the  title  of  this  snapshot — Robert  Vignola,  Director  for 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  entertains  at  tea  Mme.  Ten  Katsu,  and  her  troupe  of  Jap- 
anese girl  dancers.  Mr.  Vignola  has  completed  his  latest  production,  "Mrs.  Paramor.'* 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Buster  Keaton,  saying  it  with  flowers  presents  a  corsage  of  expensive  posies  to 
Kathrine  McGuire,  in  "The   Navigator,"  a  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production. 


LABOR  UNION  HALTS 
THEATRE  OPERATION 

In  two  places,  at  least,  in  New  York 
State  trouble  developed  during  the  past 
week  between  owners  of  motion  pic- 
ture theatres  and  members  of  unions. 

The  more  serious  situation  was  in 
Oswego  where  differences  between  the 
Shine  interests,  operating  four  houses 
in  that  city  and  representatives  of  the 
Union  resulted  in  the  houses  being 
picketed  during  the  fore  part  of  the 
week. 

While  the  trouble  is  said  to  have  had 
its  inception  over  wages  to  be  paid  a 
stage  carpenter  at  the  Richardson  the- 
atre, one  of  the  Shine  houses,  it  also 
involved  the  motion  picture  operators. 

Different  wages  have  been  paid  the 
operators  in  the  houses  in  Oswego, 
wages  running  from  $25  to  $35  a  week. 
The  Union,  it  is  said,  demanded  the 
same  rate  at  all  houses.  It  is  expected 
that  the  trouble  will  be  adjusted  with- 
out any  great  delay. 

In  Syracuse  the  trouble  came  about 
through  demands  on  the  part  of  musi- 
cians in  the  motion  picture  theatres  for 
more  money.  The  two  factions  reached 
an  agreement  a  week  or  so  ago,  how- 
ever, each  conceding  certain  things. 

It  was  supposed  that  everything  had 
been  smoothed  out,  but  some  of  the 
theatres  balked  at  signing  the  agree- 
ment, saying  that  it  had  been  the  un- 
derstanding that  the  agreement  Was  *o 
run  for  two  years  rather  than  one. 

Things  became  so  acute  last  Sunday 
that  the  orchestras  were  summarily 
withdrawn  from  two  of  the  theatres  in 
the  city,  and  now  the  men  are  wonder- 
ing to  whom  they  are  to  look  for  their 
pay  for  Sunday's  work.  The  question 
of  the  length  of  the  agreement  was 


threshed  out  during  the  week  and 
finally  settled,  the  wage  and  working 
agreements  being  signed  by  all  parties 
concerned  on  Thursday. 

*    *  * 

EXHIBITOR  ARRANGES 
UNUSUAL  OCT.  BOOKINGS 

Fred  C.  Quimby,  sales  manager  of 
short  product  for  Universal  who  is  di- 
rector of  the  Universal-Lichtman 
Month  Sales  Drive  being  conducted  by 
Universal  as  a  tribute  to  the  work  of 
Al  Lichtman,  sales  manager  for  that 
concern,  reports  that  the  Regent  Thea- 
tre of  Newcastle,  Pa.,  has  come  through 
with  extraordinary  Universal  bookings 
for  Lichtman  Month,  giving  twenty- 
two  out  of  twenty-six  playdates  to  that 
firm's  pictures. 

Among  the  pictures  which  the  Regent 
will  show  during  October  (Lichtman 
Month)  are  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre 
Dame,"  "Wine,"  "The  Night  Message," 
"Broadway  or  Bust,"  "The  Turmoil," 
"The  Dancing  Cheat,"  six  Century 
Comedies  and  two  of  the  Jack-Demp- 
sey  "Fight  and  Win"  series. 

Quimby  also  reports  that  many  other 
exhibitors  are  considering  unusual 
bookings  of  Universal  pictures  during 
October,  as  an  appreciate  of  the  "fair 
play"  dealings  accorded  to  them  by  Al 
Lichtman. 

*    *  * 

CECIL  B.  DEMILLE  TO  FILM 
'THE  GOLDEN  BED' 

Cecil  B.  DeMille  has  returned  to 
Hollywood  to  start  preparation  on  his 
new  Paramount  picture  "The  Golden 
Bed." 

The  novel  by  Wallace  Irwin  has  been 
prepared  as  a  screen  play  by  Jeanie 
Macpherson. 


SUCCESSFUL  RUN  OF 
'CAPT.  BLOOD'  CONTINUES 

The  triumph  already  achieved  by 
"Captain  Blood"  in  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago was  repeated  in  Los  Angeles  last 
Saturday,  when  the  super-special  pic- 
turizing  the  Rafael  Sabatini  novel 
opened  its  western  premiere  run  at  the 
Rialto  Theatre. 

Reports  from  the  motion  picture 
capital  state  that  a  packed  house  ac- 
claimed the  picture  at  the  opening 
showing  and  that  large  audiences,  al- 
ways enthusiastic,  have  continued  the 
rule  throughout  the  week.  The  news- 
paper reviewers,  too,  joined  in  a  unani- 
mous chorus  of  approval. 

With  this  engagement  in  progress, 
"Captain  Blood"  is  an  outstanding  at- 
traction in  the  East,  the  Middle  West, 
and  in  California,  at  the  three  centers 
regarded  as  of  greatest  import  to  ex- 
hibitors. The  world  premiere  at  the 
Astor  Theatre,  New  York,  is  now  clos- 
ing its  third  week,  while  the  Chicago 
run,  at  Jones,  Lmick  &  Schaefer's 
Orpheum,  on  State  street,  is  concluding 
its  second.  In  each  of  these  cities  the 
picture  was  off  to  an  extraordinary 
start,  with  the  theatre  crowded  and 
critics  declaring  it  one  of  the  screen 
sensations  of  the  year. 

Officials  of  Vitagraph  are  jubilant 
over  the  returns  from  Los  Angeles, 
which  coupled  with  the  experiences  in 
the  East  and  Middle  West,  appear  to 
"make  it  unanimous."  The  first  public 
"make  it  unanimous."  The  Rialto 
ranks  high  among  Los  Angeles  picture 
houses  of  the  first  class,  with  a  reputa- 
tion for  exhibiting  only  offerings  of  the 
finest  quality. 

*    *  * 

'FOLLIES  GIRL'  IS 
'CHORUS  LADY' 

For  some  unaccountable  reason — 
possibly  as  a  surprise  for  the  exhibitors 
— the  Regal  Pictures  Corporation  now 
announces  that  the  first  starring  vehicle 
for  Margaret  Livingston,  heretofore 
called  "The  Follies  Girl,"  is  the  famous 
James  Forbes  play  "The  Chorus  Lady" 
in  which  Rose  Stahl  created  a  furore 
on  the  New  York  speaking  stage.  ■ 

"The  Chorus  Lady"  has  been  listed 
for  release  by  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation  and  is  now  in  production 
at  the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studio  under  the 
working  title  of  "The  Follies  Girl." 
Ralph  Ince  is  directing  with  Alan  Ros- 
coe,  Virginia  Lee  Corbin,  Lloyd  In- 
graham,  Lillian  Elliott,  Philo  M'cCul- 
lough,  Mervyn  Leroy  and  Eve  Southern 
in  the  supporting  cast. 

The  film  rights  were  purchased  from 
Famous  Plavers  by  Regal  Pictures,  Inc., 
and  now  that  the  masquerading  title 
of  "The  Follies  Girl"  has  been  re- 
moved, the  screen  will  shortly  see  a 
new  picturization  of  this  famous  story 
of  New  York  theatrical  life  under  its 
original  title  of  "The  Chorus  Lady." 


October  4,  1924 


Page  17 


Valentino  To  Produce  in 
Los  Angeles 

Contract  for  West  Coast  Production  Signed 


NEW  YORK  loses  Rudolph  Val- 
entino through  a  contract  signed 
last  week  whereby  the  "sheik" 
will  transfer  his  producing  activities  to 
Hollywood  in  the  near  future. 

Arrangements  which  will  bring  the 
production  of  Valentino's  pictures  to 
Los  Angeles  were  completed  when  J.  D. 
Williams,  President  of  the  Ritz  Carlton 
Pictures,  which  organization  has  Ru- 
dolph under  contract,  and  M.  C.  Levee, 
President  of  the  United  Studios,  signed 
the  dotted  line. 

"We  came  out  here  with  the  decision 
to  transfer  our  producing  activities  to 
Los  Angeles  and  after  the  entire  field 
was  inspected  by  S.  George  Ullman,  our 
production  manager,  we  selected  the 
United  Studios  as  the  ideal  studio  for 
our  purpose,"  said  Mr.  Williams. 

Work  on  the  picture  will  be  started 
the  early  part  of  November,  according 
to  Mr.  Williams.  The  initial  story  will 
be  an  adaptation  by  June  Mathis,  of  a 
book,  the  title  of  which  is  being  kept  a 
secret  and  which  will  be  published 
simultaneously  with  the  release  of  the 
film.  William  C.  Menzies  has  been  en- 
gaged as  art  director. 

Valentino  is  at  present  abroad  en- 
gaged in  the  selection  of  costumes  and 
materials  which  will  be  used  in  his 
forthcoming  production,  the  first  fol- 
lowing the  consummation  of  his  con- 
tract with  Famous  Players-Lasky.  Mr. 


Williams  and  Mr.  Ullman  will  leave 
here  Saturday  for  New  York  where 
they  will  meet  the  "sheik"  and  arrange 
for  the  transfer  of  their  producing 
company  to  Hollywood. 

The  signing  of  the  Valentino  contract 
is  one  of  the  biggest  coups  in  the  local 
him  producing  world.  Arrangements 
for  the  handling  of  producing  facilities 
for  this  company  will  be  started  today 
at  the  United  Studios. 


OLCOTT  TO  MAKE 
'SALOME  OF  TENEMENTS' 

Sidney  Olcott's  first  picture  for  Para- 
mount under  his  new  contract  will  be 
"Salome  of  the  Tenements,"  a  story  of 
contemporary  life  in  New  York's 
Ghetto  by  Anzia  Yezierska.  The  pro- 
duction will  be  made  in  the  Famous 
Players  studio  at  Astoria,  L.  I.,  next 
month. 

Mr.  Olcott  is  planning  a  faithful 
production  cf  this  powerful  novel  in 
screen  form.  He  has  been  spending 
much  time  on  the  lower  east  side  of 
New .  York  studying  the  characters 
which  are  depicted  in  the  book,  and 
elaborate  plans  are  now  being  made  at 
Paramount's  eastern  studio  for  the 
filming  of  the  picture  which  will  be 
started  early  in  October.  So  far  no 
members  of  the  cast  have  been  chosen. 


They're  welcoming  "Gentleman  Jim"  Corbett,  former  heavyweight  boxer 
who  recently  visited  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  studio.  The  reception  com- 
mittee consists  of  Robert  G.  Vignola,  Pauline  Fredericks  and  Mae  Busch. 


The  trade  journal  they  all  follow— the  Ex- 
hibitors Trade  Review— Left  to  right, 
Steve  Roberts,  Lige  Conley,  Norman 
Taurog  and  Jack  White,  all  of  the  well 
known     Educational-Mermaid  comedies. 

SECOND  LOEW-METRO 
BALL 

Unusually  elaborate  plans  are  being 
made  for  the  second  annual  ball  of  the 
Loew-Metro  Club,  made  up  of  the 
members  of  the  Loew,  Metro-Goldwyn 
and  Louis  B.  Mayer  organizations, 
which  is  to  be  held  at  the  Hotel  Astor, 
New  York  City,  on  the  evening  of  Sat- 
urday, November  1. 

Among  the  earliest  to  promise  to  en- 
tertain the  club  members  and  their 
guests  are  the  famous  Ziegfeld 
"Follies"  girls,  George  White  and  his 
"Scandals"  company,  Eddie  Cantor  and 
Mary  Eaton  of  "Kid  Boots"  f  ame  and 
it  is  quite  possible  that  Fred  Stone  and 
his  daughter,  Dorothy,  stars  of  "Step- 
ping Stones,"  will  be  on  hand. 

Colonel  Jasper  Ewing  Brady,  presi- 
dent of  the  Loew-Metro  Club  for  his 
second  term  of  office,  is  perfecting 
plans  for  the  affair  and  promises  it  will 
outshine  the  annual  ball  held  last  year. 
The  first  of  these  annual  Loew-Metro 
balls  proved  the  outstanding  event  in 
theatrical  circles  last  winter.  All  indi- 
cations, therefore,  seem  to  assure  the 
biggest  and  greatest  event  of  its  kind 
ever  held. 

N.  T.  Granlund,  of  Lowe's  Inc.,  will 
be  in  charge  of  the  hundreds  of  well 
known  professionals  who  have  signified 
their  intention  of  being  present. 
"Granny"  has  several  original  stunts  up 
his  sleeve. 

The  Second  Annual  Ball  of  the 
Loew-Metro  Club  will  not  be  confined 
to  members  alone.  Outsiders  will  be 
welcome  and  tickets  may  be  obtained  by 
applying  to  Col.  Brady  at  1540  Broad- 
way. 

*    *  * 

F.  B.  0.  PROMOTES 
GUS  MEYERS 

Gus  Meyers,  who  has  been  with 
F.  B.  O.  since  its  inception  over  two 
and  one  half  years  ago,  and  formerly 
with  Equity  Pictures,  succeeds  Al  Boas- 
berg  in  the  Sales  Promotion  Depart- 
ment. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


4THE  IRON  HORSE' 
CAPTURES  NEW  YORK 

Ranking  first  on  the  list  of  Broadway 
motion  pictures  for  the  current  season 
is  "The  Iron  Horse,"  a  William  Fox 
production  of  the  transcontinental  rail- 
road builders  in  the  early  sixties.  The 
picture  is  now  in  its  fourth  week  and 
there  is  every  indication  that  it  will 
play  to  capacity  in  New  York  for  an- 
other year. 

The  phenomenal  success  of  "The 
Iron  Horse"  has  placed  John  Ford 
among  the  foremost  American  direct- 
ors. 

George  O'Brien,  a  comparative  new- 
comer in  the  screen  world,  has  the  lead- 
ing role  and  is  scoring  a  tremendous  hit. 
Madge  Bellamy,  in  the  principal  fem- 
inine part,  is  making  a  marked  impres- 
sion as  the  romantic  girl  of  the  early 
west  who  fought  side  by  side  with  the 
rail  layers  as  they  progressed  day  by 
day  against  hostile  Indians,  imposing 
mountains  and  the  vast  reaches  of  the 
desert. 

"The  Iron  Horse"  received  the  most 
elaborate  exploitation  ever  known  to 
Broadway.  Broadside  newspaper  ad- 
vertising, the  largest  bdl  board  stands 
ever  printed,  sky-writing  airplanes  and 
night  fliers  which  startled  blase  New 
York  with  ten  foot  electric  letters  an- 
nouncing the  picture,  all  combined  to 
arouse  metropolitan  curiosity.  The  pic- 
ture itself,  did  the  rest.  After  the  pre- 
mier, the  critics  were  unanimous  in 
their  opinions  that  it  is  the  outstanding 
picture  of  the  camera. 

SELLING  PLANS  ON 
'SUNDOWN' 

Earl  Hudson's  production  on  the 
western  epic,  "Sundown,"  which  Harry 
O.  Hoyt  and  Lawrence  Trimble  di- 
rected for  First  National,  will  soon  be 
ready  for  release. 

Selling  plans  on  this  big  Special  are 
now  being  perfected  and  will  be  an- 
nounced to  the  industry  within  a  short 
time.  This  is  the  photoplay  which  was 
built  up  to  take  advantage  of  the  big 
cattle  drive  in  which  the  cattle  barons 
of  the  Southwest  drove  their  immense 


herds  to  the  still  open  ranges  of 
Mexico. 

"Those  Who  Judge"  is  based  on  the 
popular  novel  by  Margery  Land  May, 
entitled  "Such  As  Sit  In  Judgment," 
which  has  had  a  wide  sale  in  both  the 
United  States  and  England.  It  is  a 
society  melodrama  with  an  unusually 
powerful  plot. 

Lou  Tellegen  will  play  opposite  Miss 
Miller.  The  balance  of  the  cast  as  com- 
pleted, includes :  Mary  Thurman,  Flora 
Le  Breton,  Edmund  Breese,  Coit  Al- 
bertson,  Walter  Miller  and  Cornelius 
Keefe. 

*  *  * 

ALBANY  FILM  BOARD 
HAKEUP 

A  big  shake  up  occurred  last  week  in 
the  officers  of  the  Albany  Film  Board 
of  Trade.  J.  H  Maclntyre,  local  man- 
ager for  Famous  Players,  was  elected 
to  the  presidency,  succeeding  Robert 
Bendell.  Howard  Morgan,  manager 
for  Educational  here,  was  elected  vice- 
president,  while  G.  A.  Woodward,  Fox 
exchange  manager,  succeeded  himself 
as  treasurer  of  the  organization.  Miss 
Jane  Halloren  will  remain  as  secretary. 
The  makeup  of  the  various  boards  and 
committees  will  be  announced  next 
week.  One  commendable  feature  of 
the  Board  in  its  reorganized  form  will 
be  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
be  headed  by  Charles  Stombaugh  to 
handle  the  publicity. 

*  *  * 

BOASBERG  RESIGNS 

Al  Boasberg,  of  the  Sales  Promotion 
Department  who  has  been  with  F.  B.  O. 
since  its  inception  two  and  one-half 
years  ago,  resigned  last  week,  to  con- 
tinue writing  plays  and  sketches,  at 
which  he  has  been  very  successful  in 
the  past. 

*  *  * 

FEINMAN  GOES  TO  PHIL  A. 

Al  Feinman  of  the  Universal  exploi- 
tation department,  has  been  assigned 
by  Jerome  Beatty,  Universal  Director 
of  Exploitation,  to  take  over  Universal 
exploitation  in  the  Philadelphia  terri- 
tory. * 


Photographed  at  their  first  session,  Paramount's  European  advisory  board  con- 
solidates the  various  activities  of  the  company  abroad.  The  Director  of  the  foreign 
department  is  E.  E.  Shauer  who  is    Director    of   the    Paris   office    of  Paramount. 


MISS  VIDOR  TO  ATTEND 
PICCADILLY  OPENING 

In  response  to  the  invitation  of  Lee 
A.  Ochs,  managing  director  of  the  new 
Piccadilly  Theatre,  Florence  Vidor 
attended  the  gala  opening  of  the  thea- 
tre on  September  26th. 

Miss  Vidor  is  the  star  in  the  Thos. 
Ince  production,  "Barbara  Frietchie"" 
that  will  be  the  initial  presentation  at 
the  Piccadilly,  that  has  been  formally 
opened  to  an  invited  audience  on  Sep- 
tember 26th,  with  elaborate  ceremonies 
befitting  the  inauguration  of  a  new  mo- 
tion picture  palace  on  New  York's 
great  white  way. 

M  iss  Vidor  will  leave  Los  Angeles 
shortly,  and  if  the  present  plans  are  car- 
ried through  she  will  meet  Julia  Mar- 
low,  the  original  "Barbara  Frietchie"  of 
the  Clyde  Fitch  play,  at  the  theatre's 
opening,  as  it  is  expected  that  the  fam- 
ous stage  star  will  be  present  to  wit- 
ness Miss  Vidor's  screen  interpretation 
part  she  made  famous  on  the  dramatic 
stage. 


HAL  ROACH  REBUILDING 
DAMAGED  STUDIOS 

Work  on  a  bigger  and  more  expen- 
sive indoor  stage  than  that  destroyed 
by  fire  early  in  July  at  the  Hal  Roach 
Studios,  Culver  City,  has  been  started 
under  the  supervision  of  Hal  Roach 
and  Warren  Doane,  General  Manager 
of  the  Hal  Roach  Studios. 

The  replacement  of  this  building  and 
several  permanent  outdoor  sets  which 
were  lost  in  the  blaze  that  for  a  time 
threatened  the  entire  film  plant,  is  only 
part  of  the  ambitious  production  pro- 
gram by  which  Hal  Roach  plans  to 
maintain  his  eminent  position  in  the 
comedy  producing  field. 

Coupled  with  the  reconstruction,  Mr. 
Roach  is  also  strengthening  the  person- 
nel of  his  organization.  Roy  Clements, 
veteran  director,  who  co-directed  with 
Mr.  Roach  in  the  making  of  "White 
Sheep,"  a  six-reel  comedy  drama  fea- 
turing Glenn  Tryon  and  Blanche  M'e- 
haffey,  has  returned  to  the  studios  and 
will  be  with  the  unit  making  a  series 
of  two  reel  comedies  featuring  these 
same  two  players.  Fred  Guiol  and  Al- 
bert Austin  are  the  other  members  of 
this  directing  staff. 

*    *  * 

'BORDER  LEGION'  ALMOST 
READY  FOR  RELEASE 

Zane  Grey's"  "The  Border  Legion," 
which  was  directed  by  William  Howard 
in  the  Northwestern  mountains  is  now 
undergoing  the  final  process  of  cutting 
and  titling  in  the  Paramount  laboratory. 
Antonio  Moreno,  Helene  Chadwick, 
Rockcliffe  Fellowes,  Charles  Ogle,  and 
Gibson  Howland  head  the  cast  in  this 
picture  which  was  prepared  for  the 
screen  by  George  C.  Hull. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  19 


BREATH  OF  SCANDAL' 
READY  FOR  RELEASE 

"The  wise  exhibitor  looks  for  three 
elements  in  a  picture  he  wants  to  sell 
his  patrons,"  is  the  opinion  expressed 
by  J.  G.  Bachmann  who  heads  the  dis- 
tributing office  of  B.  P.  Schulberg  Pro- 
ductions which  will  release  nine  Pre- 
ferred Pictures  during  the  new  season. 

"A  story  with  advertising  value,  a 
good  box-office  title  and  a  cast  of  play- 
ers the  fans  know  are  the  requisites 
which  the  real  showman  seeks  in  book- 
ing an  attraction  for  his  house,"  Mr. 
Bachmann  continues.  "These  are  ideally 
supplied  in  'The  Breath  of  Scandal,' 
Mr.  Schulberg's  new  Gasnier  produc- 
tion which  is  now  ready  for  release. 

"When  he  purchased  this  story  by 
Edwin  Balmer,  not  only  were  we  im- 
pressed with  the  drama  furnished  by 
the  plot  but  we  also  took  into  consid- 
eration the  fact  that  its  wide  circula- 
tion would  be  a  tremendous  aid  to  the- 
aterowners  who  exploited  it. 

*  *  * 

'PETER  PAN'  TO  BE  MADE 
IN  COAST  STUDIOS 

"Peter  Pan"  will  be  made  in  the 
Paramount  West  Coast  studio,  Jesse  L. 
Lasky,  first  vice  president  in  charge  of 
production  of  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation  has  announced.  Earlier 
plans  called  for  the  making  of  the  pic- 
ture in  the  company's  Long  Island 
studio. 

Production  will  start  immediately 
after  the  return  to  Hollywood  of  Her- 
bert Brenon,  who  recently  sailed  from 
England  following  extended  confer- 
ences with  Sir  James  M.  Barrie.  Willis 
Goldbeck,  the  scenarist,  is  returning 
with  him. 

*  *  * 

THREE  RELEASES  FOR 
WARNER  DISTRIBUTORS 

Warner  Bros,  distributors  through- 
out the  country  are  receiving  the  first 
three  releases  of  the  1924-25  product 
which  are  Ernst  Lubitsch's  "Three  Wo- 
men," Rin-Tin-Tin  in  "Find  Your 
Man,"  and  Monte  Blue  and  Marie  Pre- 
vost  in  "The  Eover  of  Camille." 

Each  one  of  these  first  three  has  so 
much  special  "kick"  from  the  exhib- 
itor's standpoint  that  playdates  through- 
out the  country  have  already  been  set 
through  the  various  distributors. 

*  *  * 

'BUCK'  JONES  STARTS 
ANOTHER  FOR  FOX 

Following  the  completion  of  "Win- 
ner Take  All,"  the  screen  version  of 
Larry  Evan's  story,  "Buck"  Jones  has 
started  production  on  his  next  picture 


at  the  William  Fox  West  Coast  Stu- 
dios. It  is  "The  Man  Who  Played 
Square,"  a  story  by  William  Wallace 
Cook.  Al  Santell  is  directing  the  west- 
ern star  in  his  latest  picture. 

Wanda  Hawley  has  been  signed  for 
the  leading  feminine  iole.  Ben  Hend- 
ricks, Jr.,  is  cast  as  the  heavy. 

PARAMOUNT  STARTS 
MEXICAN  DRIVE 

A  special  two  months  drive  for  Para- 
mount pictures,  the  first  of  its  kind  to 
be  held  in  Mexico,  was  begun  Septem- 
ber 1,  according  to  an  announcement 
received  by  Joseph  H.  Seidelman,  as- 
sistant manager  of  the  foreign  depart- 
ment of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation.  The  campaign  is  being 
conducted  by  William  C.  Winship  and 
his  staff  from  the  Paramount  offices  in 
Mexico  City.  Some  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  recent  Paramount  successes 
will  be  released  during  the  celebration. 


ALICE  JOYCE  RETURNS 
TO  SCREEN 

There's  good  news  for  the  motion 
picture  industry  in  the  announcement 
just  made  by  D.  P.  Schulberg,  producer 
of  Preferred  Pictures  that  Alice  Joyce 
will  return  to  the  screen.  She  has  al- 
ready packed  a  dozen  trunks  and  left 
New  York  for  Hollywood  where  her 
first  Schulberg  picture,  "White  Man," 
from  George  Agnew  Chamberlain's 
novel  is  to  be  started  this  week. 

Although  young  in  years,  Alice  Joyce 
pioneered  in  making  motion  pictures  as 
leading  player  for  Kalen  and  Vita- 
graph.  Her  early  successes  under  these 
auspices  included  "The  Third  Degree," 
"Within  the  Law,"  "Her  Lord  and 
Master,"  and  "The  Sporting  Duchess." 

*    *  * 

THREE  FOR  WARNER 

Warner  Bros,  have  determined  the 
location  of  three  links  in  their  Key  City 
chain. 


Flora  Le  Breton,  whose  dramatic  abilities  displayed  in  Cranfield  and  Clark's  recent 
production,  "A  Soul's  Awakening,"  assure  British  pictures  a  better  reception,  accord- 
ing to  the  opinion  of  America's  trade  critics  who  recently  reviewed  this  production. 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Laura  La  Plante  and  Reginald  Denny  hastily  bidding  each  other  adieu  in  a  dramatic 
moment    from    Universal- Jewel's    "The    Fast    Worker,"    soon    to    be  released. 

New  Casts  Announced  by  Lask) 

Coming  Productions  to  Have 
Unusually  Strong  Personel 


WLLIAM  DE  MILLE  has  en- 
aged  one  of  the  strongest  casts 
of  recent  film  productions  for 
"Locked  Doors,"  Clara  Beranger's 
story,  which  he  will  produce  as 
his  next  Paramount  picture.  The 
cast  was  announced  recently  by  Jesse  L. 
Lasky.  Betty  Compson,  Theodore 
Voneltz,  Robert  Edeson,  Theodore 
Roberts  and  Kathlyn  Williams  are  the 
principal  players  in  the  production.  Mr. 
de  Mille  will  begin  actual  filming  of 
this  production  in  about  a  week. 

Constance  Bennett,  who  recently 
made  such  an  impression  with  her  work 
in  "Cytherea"  and  "What's  Wrong 
with  the  Woman,"  has  been  signed  to 
play  the  leading  feminine  role  in  Zane 
Grey's  "Code  of  the  West,"  which  Wil- 
liam Howard  will  direct  for  Para- 
mount according  to  an  announcement 
made  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky.  Constance 
Bennett,  who  is  the  daughter  of  Richard 
Bennett,  was  trained  for  a  career  as  a 
dancer  and  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful. She  arrived  in  Hollywood 
September  16.  Production  of  "Code 
of  the  West"  began  September  22 
upon  the  location  selected  by  Zane  Grey 
himself. 

Wallace  Beery,  one  of  the  screen's 
foremost  character  actors  will  appear  in 
a  strong  role  in  Victor  Fleming's  forth- 
coming production  for  Paramount, 
"The  River  Boat,"  Mr.  Lasky  an- 
nounces. "The  River  Boat"  is  a  story 
of  the  California  gold  rush  of  '49.  It 


was  suggested  by  an  original  story 
written  by  Charles  E.  Whittaker.  Wal- 
lace Beery  leaped  into  fame  some  years 
ago  as  a  German  submarine  commander 
in  "Behind  the  Door."  His  work  in 
"Robin  Hood,"  Pola  Negri's  "The 
Spanish  Dancer,"  "The  Four  Horse- 
men of  the  Apocalypse,"  "The  Sea 
Hawk,"  and  many  other  important  pro- 
ductions has  made  him  one  of  the  out- 
standing figures  of  the  silver  screen. 


The  Prince  of  Wales  and  Jerry  Fraenkel, 
International  News  cameraman,  and  a 
"camera  review"  arranged  with  the  Prince. 


PATHE  LAUNCHES  NEW 
SERIAL 

The  announcement  of  the  release  of 
the  last  chapter  of  the  Patheserial  "In- 
to the  Net"  is  followed  closely  by  word 
from  the  Pathe  organization  to  the  ef- 
fect that  it  will  launch  early  in  October 
the  initial  episode  of  its  latest  chapter 
production  entitled  "Ten  Scars  Make 
a  Man." 

The  story  was  especially  written  for 
the  screen  by  Philip  Barry. 

C.  W.  Patton,  producer  of  this  serial, 
displayed  keen  judgment  in  his  choos- 
ing of  the  cast  for  this  production, 
which  is  headed  by  Allene  Ray. 

*  *  * 

SCHULBERG  ANNOUNCES 
NEW  PICTURES 

B.  P.  Schulberg  announced  this  week 
the  order  in  which  he  will  produce  the 
nine  Preferred  Pictures  to  be  released 
during  1924-25. 

With  "The  Breath  of  Scandal"  com- 
pleted and  ready  for  release,  work  has 
already  started  on  the  next  Gasnier 
production,  "The  Triflers." 

Third  on  the  Schulberg  program  will, 
be  the  Belasco  play,  "The  Boomerang," 
by  Winched  Smith  and  Victor  Mapes. 
It  is  a  toss-up  between  George  Agnew 
Chamberlain's  "White  Man"  and  Royal 
A.  Baker's  "When  a  Woman  Reaches 
Forty"  for  the  fourth  place  on  the 
schedule. 

However,  "Faint  Perfume"  by  Zona 
Gale  and  "My  Lady's  Lips"  by  Eve 
Unsell,  will  be  sixth  and  seventh.  An- 
other will  be  a  production  based  on  the 
song,  "The  Mansion  of  Aching  Hearts" 
by  Harry  Von  Tilzer  and  Arthur  J. 
Lamb. 

"Frivolity,"  an  original  screen  story 
by  Larry  Evans,  will  complete  this 
year's  allotment  of  Preferred  Pictures. 

*  *  * 

WARNERS'  NEW  PICTURES 
BOOKED  ON  BROADWAY 

The  first  of  the  Warner  Bros,  1924- 
25  product  is  about  to  break  on  Broad- 
way. Through  the  Apollo  Exchange, 
Inc.,  distributors  of  the  Warner  Bros, 
product  for  New  York  state  and 
Northern  New  Jersey,  Ernst  Lubitsch's 
"Three  Women"  has  been  booked  to 
open  at  the  Strand  early  in  October 
with  Rin-Tin-Tin  in  "Find  Your  Man" 
playing  B.  F.  Keith's  Broadway  theatre 

Both  of  these  initial  New  York  book- 
ings have  been  given  special  considera- 
tion both  by  the  Warner  interests  and 
the  exhibitors  who  are  on  the  other  side 
of  the  contract  with  the  result  that  the 
Warner  season  on  Broadway  ought  to 
open  with  a  bang. 


October  4,  1924 

Goldwyn  in  N.  Y. 

Seeking  Ideas  for  New 
Productions 

CAMUEL  GOLDWYN  who  arrived 
>J  in  New  York  from  Hollywood  on 
Monday,  comes  this  time  on  a  spec- 
ial mission.  The  producer  is  in  quest 
of  what  he  calls  new  central  ideas  for 
bis  future  productions. 

During  his  visit  to  New  York,  Mr. 
Goldwyn  will  also  close  for  some  books, 
plays  and  short  stories.  Primarily,' 
however,  Mr.  Goldwyn  will  be  recep- 
tive to  basic  ideas  around  which  he  can 
build  distinctive  and  out  of  the  ordinary 
photoplays  or  which  can  be  injected 
into  adaptations  of  novels  and  plays 
without  changing  the  plot  yet  heighten- 
ing the  interest. 

"By  this  plan  I  hope  to  draw  to  the 
photoplay  a  type  of  mind  alive  with 
ideas,  yet  not  skilled  in  dramatic  tech- 
nique," says  Mr.  Goldwyn.  "I  have 
found  that  in  this  business  like  any 
other,  ideas  are  dollars,  and  I  am  will- 
ing to  pay  for  any  such  central  dra- 
matic situations  which  I  consider  of 
value  for  my  future  productions.  The 
idea's  the  thing!  These  need  not  be 
in  novel,  play  or  story  form.  I  am  in- 
terested in  the  idea." 

_  Mr.  Goldwyn's  future  plans  call  for 
his  most  ambitious  program  since  his 
advent  as  an  independent  producer  two 
years  ago.  George  Fitzmaurice's  next 
production  which  follows  "Tarnish" 
will  be  an  adaptation  of  Leonard  Mar- 
rick's  novel  "The  Worldlings"  and  will 
appear  on  the  screen  some  time  in  Janu- 
ary as  "A  Thief  in  Paradise." 

Another  "Potash  and  Perlmutter" 
picture,  to  follow  "In  Hollywood  with 
Potash  and  Perlmutter"  is  also  planned, 
which  will  make  the  third  of  this  series, 
now  considered  an  Institution  of 
Laughter. 

While  here  Mr.  Goldwyn  will  see  the 
New  York  premieres  of  his  two  latest 
pictures,  the  George  Fitzmaurice  pro- 
duction "Tarnish"  and  "In  Hollywood 
with  Potash  and  Perlmutter."  His  stay 
in  New  York  will  be  indefinite  and  he 
may  be  addressed  at  383  Madison  Ave- 
nue. 

*    *  * 

WEST  POINT  HELPS 
BARTHELMESS 

The  West  Point  and  army  atmos- 
phere _  in  Richard  Barthelmess'  new  In- 
spiration picture  for  First  National  re- 
lease, "Classmates,"  is  going  to  be 
strictly  accurate  if  the  West  Point  au- 
thorities know  the  atmosphere  of  the 
)lace. 

They  have  placed  the  entire  resources 
'  the  Academy  at  the  disposal  of  Mr. 
Jarthelmess  and  his  director,  John  S 
-Obertson.     The   Superintendent  has 
■etailed  the  Adjutant  of  the  institution 


The  Vamp  and  her  'bosses' — Betty  Blythe, 
George  Sidney  and  Alex  Carr,  in  First 
National's      "Potash     and  Perlmutter." 

to  oversee  the  military  details  of  the 
production. 

Not  only  was  the  Adjutant  with  the 
company  while  it  was  taking  the  West 
Point  sequences  on  the  company's  two 
trips  to  the  Academy,  but  he  was  given 
leave  of  absence  to  come  to  New  York 
and  be  present  while  the  more  intimate 
West  Point  sequences,  interiors,  scenes 
within  and  just  outside  the  tents  in 
which  the  cadets  live  during  the  sum- 
mer time,  were  being  photographed. 

"The  Military  Academy  is  backing 
the  production  with  all  its  might  and 
main,"  said  the  Adjutant  when  inter- 
viewed, "in  order  that  the  West  Point 
atmosphere  may  be  entirely  correct. 
Not  only  was  I  detailed  to  work  with 
Mr.  Barthelmess,  Mr-  Robertson  and 
their  technical  staff  on  behalf  of  the 
Academy,  but  the  continuity  was  care- 
fully  studied   and   suggestions  made 


Page  21 

which  corrected  some  of  the  military 
details  that  were  somewhat  in  error. 
The  completed  photoplay  is  going  to  be 
true  to  West  Point  and  army  life  and  a 
most  engrossing  entertainment  be- 
sides." 

*    *  * 

ROTHSTEIN  PLANS  BIG 
STUNTS 

Nat  G.  Rothstein,  director  of  pub- 
licity, advertising  and  exploitation  at 
F.  B.  O.  is  planning  an  unusually  ex- 
tensive, high-powered  exploitation  cam- 
paign in  connection  with  "Life's  Great- 
est Game,"  Emory  Johnson's  latest  pro- 
duction for  release  through  that  com- 
pany. 

"Life's  Greatest  Game"  will  be  ex- 
ploited on  a  larger  scale  than  were  "In 
the  Name  of  the  Law,"  "The  Third 
Alarm,"  "Westbound  Limited,"  "The 
Mailman"  and  "The  Spirit  of  the 
U.  S.  A." 

"Life's  Greatest  Game"  will  be  dedi- 
cated to  the  Baseball  League  of  each 
city  in  which  it  is  shown,  thus  assuring 
the  exhibitor  of  co-operation  and  help 
from  all  baseball  fans  when  the  produc- 
tion is  booked. 

Babe  Ruth  has  promised  his  services 
in  connection  with  exploiting  the  pic- 
ture, while  many  tie-ups  have  already 
been  affected.  One  of  the  "stunts"  Nat 
Rothstein  is  contemplating  is  a  huge 
baseball,  fully  six  feet  in  diameter, 
which  will  be  inscribed  by  prominent 
baseball  officials,  to  be  rolled  from  Los 
Angeles  to  New  York,  which  will  take 
in  all  the  key  cities  en  route. 

"Life's  Greatest  Game"  will  have  a 
Broadway  showing  at  B.  S.  Moss' 
Cameo  Theatre,  where  it  will  open 
shortly  for  an  extended  engagement. 


Vitagraph  gives  life  to  a  real  story  in  "The  Clean  Heart,"  in  which  they  have 
starred  Percy  Marmont  and  Marguerite  de  la  Motte,  in  a  quaint  setting  of  England. 


Page  22 

F.  B.  0.  Releases  Five  New 

Productions 


FIVE  special  productions  are  sched- 
uled for  October  release  by  F.  B. 
O.,  with  Emory  Johnson's  latest, 
"Life's  Greatest  Game,"  heading  the 
list.  "Life's  Greatest  Game"  opens 
shortly  in  New  York. 

Next  on  the  list  comes  'The  Stran- 
ger from  Nowhere,"  a  tentative  title, 
which  will  soon  be  changed.  This  is 
the  first  Harry  Garson  production, 
starring  Maurice  B.  (Lefty)  Flynn. 
His  leading  lady  is  Gloria  Grey.  The 
film  is  set  for  October  5  release. 

On  October  12,  "Broken  Laws," 
Mrs.  Wallace  Reid's  production,  will 
be  shown.  This  is  the  first  picture  Mrs. 
Reid  has  made  following  "Human 
Wreckage."  "Broken  Laws"  is  being 
sponsored  by  Women's  Clubs  through- 
out the  United  States,  and  the  exploita- 
tion campaign  to  be  waged  by  F.  B.  O. 
will  be  bigger  than  that  for  "Human 
Wreckage." 

"The  Prude,"  which  is  the  first  of 
the  Gothic  Pictures  to  star  Evelyn 
Brent,  British  screen  star,  is  set  for 
October  19  release.  Miss  Brent  will  be 
directed  by  Tod  Browning,  who  did 
much  to  bring  Priscilla  Dean  to  the 
heights. 

The  third  Carlos  production,  starring 
Richard  Talmadge,  as  yet  unnamed,  is 
set  for  October  26  release.  This  will 
be  a  rapid-fire  comedy  drama,  in  which 
Talmadge  performs  more  than  his  share 
of  stunts.  Mr.  Talmadge  has  entirely 
recovered   from   his   recent  accident, 


which  he  incurred  while  filming  "Step- 
ping Lively." 

Two  chapters  of  "The  Go-Getters" 
series,  co-starring  Alberta  Vaughn  and 
George  O'Hara,  are  set  for  October  re- 
lease. Number  three,  "And  Never  the 
Trains  Shall  Meet,"  on  October  13  and 
number  four,  "A  Kick  for  Cinderella," 
will  be  released  on  October  27. 

BROADWAY  SHOWING 
FOR  "ROMOLA" 

Arrangements  between  Metro-Gold- 
wyn  and  Inspiration  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  "Romola"  have  been  completed, 
and  exploitation  plans  for  a  Broadway 
premiere  are  already  in  execution. 

*    *  * 

'NEVER  SAY  DIE'  FOR 
'LEVIATHAN' 

The  U.  S.  Shipping  Board  has  signed 
a  contract  for  "Never  Say  Die,"  Doug- 
las MacLean's  comedy,  and  the  first 
print  was  assigned  to  the  S.S.  Levia- 
than. 

Among  the  many  notables  who  will 
have  a  chance  to  laugh  at  the  comic 
antics  of  Douglas  MacLean  was  the 
party  of  Jackie  Coogan,  who  sailed  on 
the  Leviathan  on  his  European  relief 
trip. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Preview 


Lionel  Barrymore's  coming  Chadwick  pro- 
duction "Meddling  Women"  gives  the  star 
excellent  opportunities   for    dramatic  de- 
lineation   of    the    role    he  assays. 


BARTHELMESS  SELECTS 
HIS  WIFE  AS  LEAD 

Richard  Barthelmess  has  engaged 
Mary  Hay  his  wife  as  leading  woman 
for  his  next  production,  "New  Toys," 
for  First  National  release. 

"New  Toys"  will  mark  Mary  Hay's 
return  to  the  screen  for  the  first  time 
since  David  Griffith's  "Way  Down 
East,"  in  which  Mr.  Barthelmess  was 
leading  man  and  Miss  Hay  played  a 
prominent  role.  It  was  during  the  film- 
ing of  "Way  Down  East"  that  Miss 
Hay  and  Mr.  Barthlemess  were  mar- 
ried. Since  her  marriage  she  has  pro- 
gressed steadily  with  her  stage  career 
and  she  has  been  conspicuous  in  many 
Broadway  successes.  Last  season  she 
was  a  hit  in  "Mary  Jane  McKane." 

jfc        3)5  * 

FIRST  NAT'L  INCREASES 
SMALL  TOWN  SALES 

Great  improvement  in  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  as  its  affects  the  small 
town  is  reported  by  First  National  Pic- 
tures, Inc.,  which  states  that  the  sales 
of  its  previous  season's  product  has 
greatly  increased  during  the  past  few 
months  in  the  smaller  towns — the  bul- 
wark of  this  business. 

This  increase  is  corroborative  evi- 
dence of  the  validity  of  the  prediction 
of  a  prosperous  new  season  made  a, 
short  time  ago,  basing  the  prophecy  on 
the  biggest  August  sales  for  current 
product  in  the  history  of  the  company, 
and  the  very  optimistic  reports  brought 
to  the  home  office  by  its  branch  man- 
agers. 

"This  is  due  mainly  to  the  exceptional 
merit  of  the  1923-24  product  and  of  the 
new  pictures  now  being  released  by 
First  National,  together  with  the  in- 
creasing prosperity  of  the  country  as  a 
whole,"  said  E.  A.  Eschmann.  "Our 
salesmen  have  found  the  exhibitors  in  i 
the  small  town  in  an  unusually  attentive 
frame  of  mind  when  they  call  upon 
them;  often  they  go  after  the  pictures 


Jacqueline  Logan,  popular  artiste,  descending  the  staircase  in  the  youthful  manner — 
in  Producer's  Distributing  Corporation's  recent  production  "The  House  of  Youth," 
adapted  from  the  novel  by  Maude  Radford  Warren. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  23 


they  want  with  more  avidity  than  they 
have  displayed  in  several  seasons. 

"More  sales  at  slightly  better  prices 
in  the  small  towns  is,  to  my  mind,  one 
of  the  best  indications  that  the  new  sea-  . 
son  will  be  productive  of  more  revenue 
to  the  producer  and  increased  box  office 
receipts  to  the  exhibitor  than  was  the 
case  during  the  last  two  or  three  sea- 
sons. We  are  convinced  that  the  mar- 
ket among  the  small  town  exhibitors  is 
going  to  be  better  this  season  than  ever 
before  in  our  history." 

*    *  * 

RICARDO  CORTEZ  IN 
NEW  YORK 

Ricardo  Cortez,  who  has  one  of  the 
principal  roles  in  Cecil  B.  DeMille's 
production  "Feet  of  Clay,"  has  ar- 
rived in  New  York  from  Hollywood. 

Cortez  came  tc  New  York  to  ap- 
pear in  another  Paramount  picture 
"Argentine  Love"  which  will  be 
made  at  the  Paramount  Long  Island 
studio,  and  which  will  form  the  sec- 
ond Paramount  starring  vehicle  for 
Bebe  Daniels. 

In  addition  to  DeMille's  "Feet  of 
Clay,"  now  being  exhibited,  Ri- 
cardo Cortez  will  soon  be  seen  in 
James  Cruze's  latest  production  "The 
City  that  Never  Sleeps." 

INGRAM  TO  PICTURE 
IBANEZ'  NOVEL 

Rex  Ingram,  master  director  of  the 
films,  will  leave  for  Paris  within  a 
month  with  his  own  production  unit  to 
make  for  Metro-Goldwyn  release,  a 
screen  version  of  Blasco  Ibanez'  novel, 
"Mare  Nostrum." 

Ingram,  who  has  been  in  virtual  re- 
tirement since  his  return  from  North 
Africa  where  he  filmed  "The  Arab"', 
has  recovered  from  the  illness  which 
forced  him  to  give  up  his  screen  activ- 
ities. 

For  some  time  he  has  a  number  of 
novels  under  consideration  for  his  next 
production  for  Metro-Goldwyn  release, 
finally  determining  on  the  Ibanez  novel, 
"Mare  Nostrum."  It  was  Ibanez'  "The 
Four  Horsemen  of  the  Apocalypse" 
that  first  brought  Rex  Ingram  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  world. 

Mr.  Ingram  has  already  begun  to  en- 
gage members  of  his  company.  Willis 
Goldbeck,  who  adapted  "Scaramouche" 
to  the  screen  will  work  with  the  director 
on  the  adaptation  and  continuity  of 
"Mare  Nostrum,"  and  will  accompany 
the  Ingram  unit  abroad.  "Mare  Nos- 
trum," however,  will  be  the  biggest  task 
he  has  undertaken. 

The  exterior  scenes  will  be  filmed  in 
France  and  Spain,  on  the  actual  loca- 
tions described  by  the  author  in  the 
novel.  "Mare  Nostrum,"  which  is 
translated  "Our  Sea,"  is  a  modern  storj 
treating  of  intrigue  and  revenge. 


Joe  Brandt  Replies  To  Criticisms 

Says  Independent  Pictures  Deliver  the  Goods 


IN  a  recently  published  report  of  a 
letter  from  a  "prominent  salesman" 
in  the  Chicago  territory,  it  is  stated 
that  the  independent  producer  has  not 
the  ghost  of  a  chance. 

That  all  sounds  very  pessimistic  and 
convincing  but  is  not  entirely  the  case. 

It  is  true  that  the  independent  pic- 
tures do  not  have  much  chance  in  Chi- 
cago for  a  first-run  but  it  has  been 
known  to  happen.  That  territory  is 
largely  controlled  by  two  circuits  which 
are  in  turn  interested  in  large  producing 
companies. 

The  exhibitors  up  town  have  the  idea 
that  they  can  only  show  the  pictures 
which  have  had  a  first  run  downtown. 
In  this  they  are  in  line  to  get  themselves 


thoroughly  block-booked  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  good  independent  pictures 
which  are  money  makers  as  the  books 
of  only  too  many  exhibitors  will  show. 

The  big  producer-distributor  firms  do 
a  great  deal  of  national  advertising  to 
make  names  for  their  pictures  and 
stars.    This  means  high  rentals. 

What  do  the  chain  theatre  men  care? 

They  get  it  both  ways.  If  the  rental 
is  high  the  money  comes  back  to  them 
in  the  form  of  their  interest  in  the  pro- 
ducing company.  When  the  independ- 
ent exhibitor  takes  on  a  block  of  pic- 
tures just  to  get  a  second  run  on  a  few 
well  advertised  features  he  gets  out  at 
the  small  end  of  the  horn. 


Rex  Ingram  during  the  production  in  North  Africa  of  Metro's  feature  "The  Arab" 
gratified  an  ambition  when  he  appeared  in  Shiek  costume  and  allowed  the  cameraman 

to  record  his  so-called  disguise. 


PRESENTS 


THE  FOOLISH 
VIRGIN 


BY 


THOMAS  DIXON 


FEATURING 


ELAINE 
HAMMER  STEIN 


A  good  picture  is  always  a 
successful  picture.  A 
successful   picture  has  three 
basic  elements   which  make 
for  Box  Office  results. 

In  THE  FOOLISH  VIRGIN  these  elements  are  com- 
bined in  their  proper  relation  to  make  an  incomparable 
production. 

STORY— Thomas  Dixon  wrote  THE  FOOLISH  VIR- 
GIN. The  published  novel  was  read  by  millions  in  the 
course  of  its  National  Circulation. 

STARS — Miss  Hammerstein  has  a  well  established,  solid 
public.  She  is  liked  by  all  for  her  work.  Robert  Fraser, 
called  the  screen's  greatest  lover  by  Pola  Negri,  is  well 
fitted  to  play  with  Elaine  Hammerstein  by  his  acknowl- 
edged successes  in  the  past. 

DIRECTOR— George  W.  Hill's  reputation  for  fine  pic- 
tures is  built  on  the  sure  ability  to  harmonize  STORY 
and  STARS. 

CAST — Gladys  Brockwell,  Phyllis  Haver,  Lloyd  Whitlock, 
Irene  Hunt,  Howard  Truesdell,  Jack  Henderson,  Roscoe 
Karns,  Oliver  Cross,  Ed  Borman  and  "Spec"  O'Donnell. 

A  COLUMBIA  PRODUCTION 


ROOM 
80  6 


16  0  0 

Broadway 


'■ 


October  4,  1924 


Page  25 


Wth  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


THE  courageous  and  inspiring  struggle  of  the 
freedom,  is  neither  thoroughly  appreciated,  n 
battle  is  a  band  of  practical  picture  produce 
season  in  a  sincere  purpose  to  create  worthwhile 
of  our  far  flung  population.  A  wide  variety,  wi 
director  and  production  value,  is  now  available,  th 
every  type  of  exhibitor  catering  to  every  sort  of  a 
announcements  of  these  productions  and  their  pro 
Enterprise. 


real  independents  for  existence  and  for  screen 
or  understood.  Standing  in  the  front  line  of  the 
rs  and  distributors,  whose  every  effort  is  bent  this 
entertainment,  catering  to  the  many  diverse  tastes 
th  every  element  of  popular  appeal  in  Story,  star, 
rough  Independent  Producers  and  Exchanges  for 
udience.  To  devote  a  definite  space  to  news  and 
ducers  and  distributors,  is  a  laudable  Trade  Paper 


I.  E.  CHADWICK,  Pres.,  I.  M.  P.  P.  D.  A. 


The  Season's  Indications  Show 
Independent's  Progressing 

The  Position  of  the\  Independents  in  the  Motion  Picture 
Industry,  Described  and  Discussed 

By  JOE  BRANDT 


WHILE  the  season  is  still  too 
young  to  secure  accurate  figures 
as  to  the  status  of  the  Indepen- 
dents, nevertheless,  the  indications  are 
that  the  Independents  will  receive  a 
fair  amount  of  patronage  from  exhibi- 
tors throughout  the  country. 

All  of  the  Independent  producers 
who  laid  the  plans  for  their  productions 
did  so  during  the  month  of  May  of  this 
year,  and  in  order  to  convince  the  ex- 
hibitors that  they  were  sincere  in  their 
desire  to  produce  the  number  of  pic- 
tures that  were  required,  all  of  the  In- 
dependents started  working  during  the 
month  of  June  and  by  September  had 
completed  one-third  of  their  program 

The  response  to  the  sales  campaigns 
of  the  Independents  did  not  during  the 
month  of  August,  show  that  the  exhibi- 
tors were  going  to  give  their  full  sup- 
port to  the  Independents,  but  the  figures 
that  have  been  gathered  since  August 
15th  show  that  those  Independents  who 
have  meritorious  product  to  offer  have 
succeeded  in  piling  up  a  great  volume 
of  business. 

The  great  question  which  the  Inde- 
pendents have  had  to  face  is  as  to 
whether  or  not  to  sacrifice  a  good  story 
in  order  to  satisfy  the  apparent  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  exhibitors  to  secure 
a  big  name  in  the  cast  and  the  produc- 
ers have  compromised  by  not  sacri- 
ficing their  stories  and  securing  the  best 
available  stars  to  play  the  parts  that 
were  called  for  in  the  script. 


EVERY  Independent  Producer  is  ex- 
pending the  greatest  amount  of  en- 
ergy possible  to  put  into  the  pictures 
the  qualities  that  are  essential  for  box 
office  successes,  saving  neither  time  nor 
money  to  make  this  an  accomplished 
fact. 

This  season  has  seen  a  greater  con- 
certed effort  on  the  part  of  the  Inde- 
pendent producers  to  merchandise  their 
pictures  through  the  trade  papers,  and 
otherwise  a  campaign  having  been  laid 
out  by  each  producer  that  will  run 
throughout  the  season,  and  the  elimina- 
tion of  the  spasmodic  advertising  that 
has  been  done  heretofore.  The  inten- 
tion of  the  Independent  producer  being 
to  carry  a  series  ,  of  ads  during  the  en- 
tire season  to  assist  as  far  as  possible 
the  exchanges  in  selling  the  product  and 
keeping  it  before  the  exhibitors.  This 
is  a  great  step  towards  the  standard- 
ization of  Independent  product. 

WITH  one-third  of  the  product  fin- 
ished by  most  Independents,  one- 
third  practically  in  work,  and  one-third 
in  such  shape  that  there  is  no  chance 
for  a  slip-up,  the  Independents  thus 
showing  greater  strength  than  they  have 
ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  busi- 
ness. This,  coupled  with  the  merchan- 
dising plan  and  the  exploitation  pro- 
gram which  will  be  carried  out  by  the 
Independents,  puts  the  Independent  in 
a  position  where  the  exhibitor  can  ab- 
solutely rely  upon  the  promises  that 


have  been  made  to  deliver  the  number 
of  pictures  which  each  Independent 
producer  agreed  to  do  during  this  sea- 
son. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  the  working 
plan  that  is  laid  out  by  the  Independent 
producers  and  distributors  Association, 
and  this  Association  is  watching  zeal- 
ously the  efforts  of  every  producer  and 
will  spare  no  effort  to  route  out  the  pro- 
ducer who  makes  wild  statements  and 
false  promises  or  who  starts  on  a  shoe- 
string bankroll  and  an  imaginary  pro- 
gram and  classes  himself  as  an  "Inde- 
pendent" producer. 

THERE  has  been  no  attempt  on  the 
part  of  any  Independent  producer 
this  year  to  go  out  and  make  pictures 
which  are  supposed  to  cost  fabulous 
sums  nor  has  any  information  been  giv- 
en out  that  any  pictures  with  the  names 
of  stars  under  contract  by  other  proj 
ducers  will  be  used. 

The  spirit  of  co-operation  between 
the  Independent  producers  has  been 
such  that  every  man  has  given  his 
promise  to  talk  as  little  as  possible  and 
do  as  much  as  he  can  towards  stabiliz- 
ing the  Independent  market.  With  this 
thought  in  view  every  Independent  pro- 
ducer in  the  Association  has  set  out  to 
make  a  series  of  pictures  that  have  real 
commerical  value,  produced  on  a  basis 
that  will  enable  the  producer  to  put 
forth  meritorious  and  well-dressed 
products  but  still  keep  within  produc- 
tion cost  so  that  the  exhibitor  will  not 
have  to  pay  an  inflated  price  and  thus 
pay  for  the  error  of  his  ways  in  insist- 
ing upon  millions  of  dollars  being 
thrown  away  lavishly  in  order  to  satis- 
fy a  false  appetite  of  tremendously  big 
sets,  over-dressed  pictures,  and  top-- 
heavy casts. 

THE  Independent  producers  believe 
that  a  well-dressed  picture  with 
carefully  selected  performers  who  can 
carry  out  the  parts  called  for  in  good 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


stories,  is  a  more  commercial  proposi- 
tion than  "going  wild"  on  production 
cast. 

When  the  season  started  certain 
banks  were  skeptical  about  advancing 
money  to  the  Independent  producers, 
but  the  returns  on  the  investment  of 
the  Independent  producers  to  date  have 
shown  to  the  banks  that  this  branch  of 
the  business  is  standardized  and  that  a 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 

If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of     Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in  : 
A  Series  of     Q    Daring  Deeds 


ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex 
change  handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St. 


New  York  City 


sufficient  return  can  be  received  by  the 
Independent  producers  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  in  a  great  many  cities  they 
were  locked  out  of  first  runs. 

The  panic  that  was  stirred  up  at  the 
starting  of  the  season  by  some  of  the 
big  National  distributors  in  asking  in- 
flated prices  for  their  product  and  us- 
ing one  or  two  specials  to  whip  in  line 
a  series  of  other  pictures  is  over,  and 
even  these  companies  have  come  down 
to  a  basis  where  they  realize  that  they 
cannot  choke  the  exhibitor  with  a  lot  of 
product  that  may  not  be  commercial 
and  which  was  produced  on  a  factory 
plan  because  stars  were  under  contract. 

The  Independents  have  a  place  in  the 
'Sun'  of  the  motion  picture  industry  and 
it  is  evident  from  the  efforts  they  have 
put  forth  this  year  that  when  the  season 
is  over  -the  Independents  will  have  rea- 
son to  feel  that  the  exhibitors  will  give 
sufficient  patronage  to  make  it  possible 
for  the  Independents  next  year  to  in- 
crease the  number  of  pictures  made 
and  still  keep  up  to  the  standard  of 
quality  necessary  to  bring  the  money 
into  the  box  office,  and  show  a  profit  to 
the  exhibitor. 

*      ❖  * 

ARROW  CLOSES  WITH 
WHITMAN  BENNETT 

Some  weeks  ago,  W.  E.  Shallenberg- 
er  closed  a  contract  with  Whitman  Ben- 
nett for  a  series  of  special  features  to 
be  distributed  by  Arrow  Film  Corpora- 
tion. 

The  first  picture  under  this  contract 
is  "The  Lost  Chord,"  based  on  Sir 
Arthur  Sullivan's  world  famous  song. 
It  is  now  completed. 

Dr.  Shallenberger  said:  "While  Mr. 
Bennett  has  made  many  notably  suc- 
cessful pictures,  "The  Lost  Chord"  will 
probably  stand  out  as  his  biggest  pic- 
ture. If  I  could  get  six  or  eight  pic- 
tures a  year  equal  to  "The  Lost  Chord," 
I  would  be  perfectly  satisfied.  It  is  a 
pleasure  to  handle  fine,  clean  pictures 
of  this  kind. 

"Mr.  Bennett  and  I  have  selected 
stories,  casts  and  directors  for  this 
series  which  I  feel  will  rank  with  any 
productions  to  be  released  this  season." 


SEMON  STARTS  'WIZARD' 
FOR  CHADWICK 

An  important  announcement  in  the 
industry  this  week,  is  that  emanating 
from  Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation, 
to  the  effect  that  Larry  Semon  has  be- 
gun a  feature  length  production  of 
"The  Wizard  of  Oz,"  a  story  that  has 
long  been  considered  one  of  the  most 
valuable  theatrical  properties  in  the 
world. 

The  entire  west  coast  force  and  tech- 
nical facilities  of  the  Company  have 
been  drafted  to  assist  Semon  in  this 
production,  so  that  it  may  be  completed 
in  time  to  be  exhibited  during  the  holi- 
day season. 

"The  Wizard  of  Oz"  was  Fred 
Stone's  great  stage  success.  Subse- 
quent to  its  production  some  years  back 
at  the  old  Park  Theatre,  New  York, 
now  the  Cosmopolitan,  its  popularity 
grew  almost  to  the  proportions  of  a  na- 
tional institution. 

Mr.  Stone  and  "The  Wizard  of  Oz" 
remained  on  Broadway  for  nearly  two 
years,  and  then  started  a  tour  of  the 
country,  which  lasted  five  years.  At 
the  same  time  another  "Wizard  of  Oz" 
company  was  touring  the  country,  so 
that  for  a  period  of  seven  years  with- 
out intermission,  two  "Wizard  of  Oz" 
companies  kept  the  American  people  in 
high  glee. 


BILL  CODY'S  FOURTH 

"The  Fighting  Sheriff"  has  been  de- 
cided upon  as  the  title  for  the  fourth 
of  the  series  of  eight  westerns  which 
Bill  Cody  is  making  for  Independent 

Pictures  Corporation. 


Jkemedic  Music 


IS  FURNISHED  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner   Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


Cue  ^She.e.t> 


ELLIOTT  DEXTER 
WILTON  LACKAYE 
SEENA  OWEN 
HENRY  HULL 
IRMA  HARRISON 
ARTHUR  DONALDSON 

paul  McAllister  in 
"FOR  WOMAN'S 
FAVOR" 

Photographed  in  Natural  Color 
Based  on  the  Immortal  Story 

THE  FALCON 
By  BOCCACIO 

Produced  by 
Lund  Productions,  Inc. 

,'f/'*rt?in(ti!  bp,  / 
LEE-  BRADFORD  corporation  |L!  ' ' 


October  4,  1924 


Page  27 


'Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


C.  B.  C.  SIGNS  DOTY 

Joe  Brandt  announces  another  for- 
ward step  in  the  up-building  of  his  or- 
ganization. 

A  wire  from  the  west  Coast  confirms 
the  signing  of  Douglas  Doty  for  the 
editing  of  stories  and  writing  of  con- 
tinuities. 

Mr.  Doty  is  responsible  for  many 
short  stories  and  continuities,  notably 


CjasasasBEsasHSHsasasssasHSHsasasESHsasasHSHSSSHsasasas?^' 
The  Greatest  Money-Mak- 
ing Series  in  the  Inde- 
pendent   Market    To-day ! 

GET  THEM  NOW  ! 

C.  C.  BURR  presents 

JOHN  N9 
HINEX 


NEARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.   C.    Burr,     Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following: 
EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.  R.-l,  Sea-2,  Dal-3, 
Chi-4. 


"Broadway  After  Dark."  He  is  also 
known  for  his  connection  with  the  "Pal- 
mer Photoplay  Corp. 

He  has  been  in  the  editorial  field  for 
many  years  having  edited  the  Century 
magazine  for  about  three  years  as  well 
as  being  editor  of  the  Cosmopolitan 
magazine. 

He  has  been  engaged  in  screen 
work,  heading  the  scenario  depart- 
ments for  Universal,  Famous  Players 
and  many  other  producers  as  well. 

With  this  addition  and  the  recent  ac- 
quisition of  Walter  Anthony  to  write 
titles,  C.  B.  C.  is  gradually  gathering 
unto  itself  a  studio  and  scenario  or- 
ganization that  will  insure  a  consistent- 
ly high  grade  of  production  for  the 
coming  season. 


NEW  OFFICERS  FOR  MERIT 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  the  Merit  Film  Corporation, 
held  September  20,  Harry  H.  Thomas, 
Manager,  was  elected  Vice-President 
and  General  Manager  of  the  Corpora- 
tion, and  a  member  of  its  Board  of 
Directors. 

The  Merit  Film  Corporation  releases 
the  product  of  many  of  the  big  inde- 
pendents, among  which  are  productions 
of  the  Arrow  Film  Corporation  and 
Lowell  Productions,  throughout  New 
York  and  northern  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Thomas  is  one  of  the  best  known 
film  executives  in  the  industry. 

He  has  been  in  the  editorial  field  for 
many  years  having  edited  the  Century 
magazine  for  about  three  years,  as  well 
as  being  editor  of  the  Cosmopolitan 
Magazine. 

Following  his  election  as  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Mr.  Thomas  declared  that  he 
would  prepare  plans  to  broaden  and 
extend  the  activities  of  the  Merit  Film 
Corporation  so  that  its  product  would 
receive  100%  distribution  throughout 
the  territory. 

*    *  * 

RUTH  MILLER  AT 
WORK  FOR  BANNER 

With  the  arrival  of  Patsy  Ruth  Mil- 
ler from  the  Coast,  production  work  on 
"Those  Who  Judge,"  the  third  of  the 
Banner  Big  4  series  directed  by  Burton 
King,  was  begun  early  this  week  at  the 
Whitmen  Bennett  studios  in  Yonkers, 
according  to  an  announcement  by 
George  H.  Davis  and  Samuel  J.  Bris- 
kin,  directing  heads  of  the  Banner  or- 
ganization. 


SAX  REPORTS  SALES 

Sam  Sax,  President  and  General 
Manager  of  Dumas  Film  Corporation, 
who  distribute  the  Gotham  Productions, 
reports  the  following  contracts  closed 
for  the  series  of  six  Gotham  Produc- 
tions— H.  Lieber  Co.,  Indianapolis,  for 
state  of  Indiana,  Celebrated  Players 
Film  Corp.  of  Milwaukee  for  State  of 
Wisconsin,  Big  Feature  Rights  Corp. 
of  Louisville  for  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee. 


r 

m 
m 

I 


IgHSSEHaiEII 


1 


IS 


1 


Watch  This  Space 
Next  Week 

For  the  Reason  Why  It  is  Generally 
Conceded  That  the  Pennant  Holders 
of  the  1924-25  Independent  Season 
are : 

The  Chadwick  9 

Consisting  of: 
1. 

THE  FIRE  PATROL 

A  Hunt  Stromberg  Production 
With  Madge  Bellamy,  Johnny  Harron 
Anna  Q.  Nilsson,  Bull  Montana 
Now  Being  Released. 


LIONEL  BARRYMORE 

in 

MEDDLING  WOMEN 

With    Sigrid   Holmquist,  Dagmar 
Godowsky,  and  a  Brilliant  Cast 
Now   Being  Released 

3. 

THE  PAINTED  FLAPPER 

With  James  Kirk  wood   and  Pauline 
Garon 
Now  Being  Released 
4. 

LIONEL  BARRYMORE 

in 

I  AM  THE  MAN 

Available    in  October 
5. 

THE  TOM  BOY 

With   Dorothy   Devore   and  Herbert 
Rawlinson 
Directed   by  David  Kirkland 

6. 

SUNSHINE  OF  PARADISE 
ALLEY 

From   the  Famous  Stage  Play  by 
Denman  Thompson 

7. 

THIRD  LIONEL  BARRYMORE 
SPECIAL 

Title   to    be  announced 
8. 

THE  STREET  SINGER 

A  Truly  Brilliant  Story 
With  a  Cast  of  Sparkling  Names 


ROMANCE  OF  AN  ACTRESS 

by  JLangdon  McCormack 
Author   of   "The  Storm" 
A  Hunt  Stromberg  Production 


1 


ra 
H 


1 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieiv 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


'TOMBOY'  CAST  COM- 
PRISES MANY  STARS 

Dorothy  Devore,  Herbert  Rawlinson, 
Helen  Lynch,  Harry  Gribbon,  Bert 
Roach,  and  Lottie  Williams,  have  been 
selected  for  the  principal  roles  in  "The 
Tomboy,"  the  fifth  production  in  the 
Chadwick  unit  of  nine  for  this  season's 
Independent  market. 

According   to   announcement  from 


Coming! 

"JUST  MARY" 

(WORKING  TITLE) 
With  Kenneth  Harlan, 
Stella  Day  and  Mary  Thurman 

— o — 

"THE  STREET  OF  TEARS" 

With  Tom  Santschi  and 
Marguerite  Clayton 

"TRAIL  DUST" 

With  David  Dunbar 

6  Metropolitan  Melodramas 

With  George  Larkin 

6  Harry  J.  Brown 
Productions 

With  Reed  Howes 


4  Big  Melodramas 

(To  Be  Announced  Later) 

— o — 

6  "O'HARA  OF  THE 
MOUNTED" 

Northwest  Police  Series 

— o — 

"BATTLING  BREWSTER" 

The  Wonder  Serial 
In  15  Thrilling  Episodes 


723  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City 


Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation  this 
week,  "The  Tomboy"  is  expected  to  go 
into  active  production  within  the  next 
several  days,  under  the  direction  of 
David  Kirkland,  famous  in  the  indus- 
try as  the  producer  of  many  Constance 
Talmadge  pictures. 

Mr.  Kirkland  expects  to  complete 
"The  Tomboy"  for  the  holiday  season. 


LUMAS  STUDIO 
ACTIVITY 

Of  special  interest  to  the  Independent 
Exchange  men  throughout  the  country 
for  the  past  two  months  has  been  the 
unusual  activities  of  the  Lumas  Film 
Corporation,  who  distribute  the  Goth- 
am Productions. 

Mr.  Sam  Sax,  the  active  head  of  the 
Lumas  Corporation  in  New  York,  and 
James  P.  Hogan,  who  is  producing  and 
directing  the  series  of  Six  Gotham  Pro- 
ductions on  the  West  Coast,  are  both 
going  ahead  on  high  speed,  and  al- 
though they  are  far  ahead  of  their 
schedule  release  dates,  they  do  not  in- 
tend to  let  up  on  production. 

James  P.  Hogan  is  responsible  for 
the  statement  that  by  the  latter  part  of 
January  all  of  the  series  of  six  pro- 
ductions planned  for  1924-25  will  have 
been  completed  and  prints  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  various  independent 
exchanges  throughout  the  country. 

In  a  statement  issued  by  Mr.  Sax,  he 
said,  "We  are  shooting  as  fast  as  we 
possibly  can  without  sacrificing  our 
high  standard  of  excellence  in  produc- 
tion. This  will  mean  that  my  six  pic- 
tures will  be  completed,  edited  and 
ready  for  delivery  at  least  two  months 
before  the  release  date  of  the  last  of 
the  series.  "Unmarried  Wives"  the  first 
of  the  series,  has  already  been  released 
and  the  second  of  the  series,  "Black 
Lightning"  has  just  been  previewed  at 
the  Strand  Theatre,  Pasadena,  Califor- 
nia." 

*    *  * 

BRANDT  REPORTS 
HEAVY  BOOKINGS 

Joe  Brandt  may  be  seen  wearing  a 
broad  smile  since  the  reports  from  his 
various  exchanges  have  been  coming  in 
on  the  bookings  for  his  Columbia  and 
Perfection  Series.  One  exchange  alone, 
the  H.  Lieber  Co.,  of  Indianapolis,  re- 
ports the  following.  On  the  whole 
series  .of  Columbia ;  Blackstone,  So. 
Bend ;  Liberty,  Terre  Haute  ;  Pantheon, 
Vincennes ;  Roosevelt,  Indianapolis ; 
Paramount,  Logansport ;  Cort,  Deca- 
tur ;  Victory,  Kokomo ;  Pantheon,  Ham- 
mond; Grand,  Gary;  Wysor-Grand, 
Muncie ;    on    the    whole  Perfection 


series ;  Starland,  Michigan  City ;  Vau- 
delle,  Muncie ;  Lyric,  Lafayette ;  Gem, 
Gary ;  Grand,  Kokomo ;  Strand,  Vin- 
cennes ;  Roosevelt,  Indianapolis ;  Para- 
mount, Logansport;  Baby  Grand,  El- 
wood  ;  Grand,  Cambridge  City ;  Gem, 
Lawrenceburg ;  Rex,  Montezuma ; 
Crystal,  Portland;  Orpheum,  Ham- 
mond; Royal,  Garrett;  Creighton,  Ft. 
Wayne;  Colonial,  Ft.  Wayne. 

*  *  * 

WEISS  BROTHERS'  STATE 
RIGHT  SALES 

Among  the  independent  market  sales 
made  by  Louis  Weiss,  Artclass  execu- 
tive, on  his  current  transcontinental  trip 
in  the  interest  of  the  Weiss  Brothers' 
Artclass  product  are  the  following: 

"The  Deerslayers,"  a  five-reeler  of 
outdoor  life  dedicated  to  the  Boy 
Scouts  of  America,  to  R.  G.  Hill  En- 
terprises, of  Pittsburgh,  for  Ohio  and 
Kentucky.  "The  Woman  Who  Be- 
lieved," six  reel  society  drama,  to  R.  G. 
Hill,  Enterprises,  of  Pittsburgh,  for 
Western  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia, 
Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Michigan.  "Tense 
Moments  from  Famous  Plays  and 
Great  Authors,"  comprising  18  two 
reelers,  to  E.  E.  Anderson  of  Quality 
Films,  Los  Angeles,  California,  for 
California,  Arizona,  Nevada  and 
Hawaiian  Islands. 

*  *  * 

MAX  ASHER  RETURNS 
TO  SCREEN 

Max  Asher,  the  comedian,  who 
originally  started  in  Keystone  comedies 
and  has  been  playing  comedy  and  farce 
parts  ever  since,  has  signed  with  Inde- 
pendent Pictures  Corp.  to  appear  in 
prominent  comedy  roles. 

His  career  dates  back  to  his  early  en- 
trance into  the  People's  stock  in  Oak- 
land, Cal.,  where  he  appeared  in  musi- 
cal comedies  with  Louis  and  Kale.  In 
1912  he  started  with  Keystone,  went  to 
Universal  and  Vitagraph,  and  finally 
landed  with  Hodkinson.  After  he  fin- 
ished his  work  with  this  concern  he  re- 
tired from  the  screen,  but  he  is  now  to 
reappear  as  a  featured  player  with 
Jesse  J.  Goldburg. 

*  *  * 

SECOND  RAYHART  SERIES 

Robert  Horner  announced  this  week 
completion  of  the  second  of  a  series  of 
six  George  Larkin  pictures  to  be  re- 
leased by  Rayart  Pictures  Corporation. 

The  second  picture  which  has  been 
produced  under  the  working  title  of 
"The  Pell  Street  Mystery"  features  in 
addition  to  George  Larkin,  Ollie  Kirby, 
Jack  Richardson,  Pauline  Curley  and 
Louise  Lester. 


October  4.  1924 


Page  29 


'With  The  Independent  Distridutors 


MERIT  SECURES  RAYART 
FOR  NEW  YORK 

An  Independent  contract  closed  in 
the  eastern  territory  during  the  current 
season  was  concluded  this  week  be- 
tween Merit  Film  Corp.  and  Rayart 
Pictures  Corporation. 

The  contract  gives  to  the  Merit  Film 
Corp.  the  first  group  of  pictures  to  be 
distributed  under  the  Rayart  banner. 

Commenting  on  the  deal,  Mr. 
Thomas  said,  "We  have  screened  the 
first  Rayart  Productions  and  we  feel 
greatly  elated  in  having  secured  the 
New  York  distribution  on  their  prod- 
uct. We  are  especially  pleased  with 
the  production  and  star  value  of  these 
first  productions. 

'We  feel  confident  that  if  Rayart  can 
keep  up  to  the  standard  that  they  have 
established  in  these  first  releases,  that 
they  are  going  to  be  one  of  the  fore- 
most distributors  of  Independent  pic- 
tures and  therefore  we  are  very  happy 
to  feel  that  this  product  will  go  thru 
the  Merit  Exchange." 

*   *  * 

BANNER  PRODUCTIONS 
NEARLY  COMPLETED 

Production  work  on  "Those  Who 
Judge,"  featuring  Patsy  Ruth  Miller 
and  Lou  Tellegen,  the  third  of  the  Ban- 
ner "Big  4  Series,"  directed  by  Burton 
King,  is  fast  nearing  completion. 

Camera  work  will  be  completed  at 
the  Whitman  Bennett  studios  in  Yon- 
kers  some  time  next  week,  it  is  ex- 


Three 
Independent 
Aces 

Everyone  Handling  Them  Is  Finan- 
cially Happy— There   MUST  Be  a 
Reason!    Ask  Any  of  Them! 


»1 


"Lily  of  the  Alley 

All  Star  Cast 

"Strangling  Threads 

Starring  Alma  Taylor 

"A  Soul's  Awakening 

Starring  Flora  LeBreton 

Alert  showmen  will  do  well  to  get  in  imme- 
diate touch  with  the  nearest  of  the  following 

EXCHANGES 
(See  Key  Number  References  on  Exchange 
List  in  Editorial  Columns  of  This  Section) 
Bos-2,    Chi-2,    Cin-2,    Cle-2,    Det-2,  Mil-2, 

N  Y-2,  Phi-2,  Pit-2. 
State   Right   Exchanges   Interested  in  Open 
Territory,   Communicate  With 

Cranf ield  &  Clark ,Inc 

729  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City 


pected,  and  editing  and  titling  will  then 
be  rushed  in  anticipation  of  the  pic 
ture's  release  early  in  November. 

Besides  Patsy  Ruth  Miller  and  Lou 
Tellegen,  the  cast  which  is  all  star  in 
character,  includes :  Mary  Thurman, 
Flora  Le  Breton,  Edmund  Breese,  Coit 
Albertson,  Walter  Miller  and  Cornelius 
Keef  e. 

RECENT  ARROW  SALES 

Masterpieces  Film  Attractions,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  has  secured  the  "Pinto 
Pete"  Stunt  Series  for  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, Southern  New  Jersey  and 
Delaware. 

Consolidated  Amusement  Co.,  Ltd., 
Honolulu,  has  secured  the  big  Arrow 
Chapter-play  "Days  of  '49"  for  the 
Hawaiian  Islands. 

Arthur  Bromberg,  Progress  Pictures, 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  has  taken  the  following: 
"Gambling  Wives"  for  Texas;  Eddie 
Lyons  Comedies  for  Georgia,  Florida, 
Alabama,  Tennessee  and  Texas ;  Broad- 
way and  Mirthquake  Comedies  for 
Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  and  Ten- 
nessee; Cruelywed  Comedies  for  Geor- 
gia, Florida,  Alabama,  Louisanna,  Mis- 
sissippi and  Texas;  Speed  Comedies 
for  Georgia,  Florida  and  Alabama. 

Merit  Film  Corporation  secured  the 
new  Chapter-play  "Riders  of  the 
Plains"  for  Greater  New  York  and 
Northern  New  Jersey  as  well  as  the 
"Pinto  Pete"  Stunt  Series  for  the  same 
territory. 

*  *  * 

"THE  RIGHT  LADY" 
COMPLETED 

"The  Right  Lady/'  a  Marlborough 
production  featuring  Leon  Leo,  with 
Alice  Lake,  Mary  Thurman,  Henry 
Sedley,  Cornelius  Keefe,  Maurice  Cos- 
tello  and  Tyrone  Power  has  been  com- 
pleted and  is  ready  for  screening.  It 
is  the  first  of  a  series  of  six  and  was 
produced  under  the  working  title  "The 
Law  and  the  Lady,"  under  direction  of 
John  McCleuchon.  It  is  to  be  dis- 
tributed on  the  independent  market  by 
the  Aywon  Film  Corporation,  Nathan 
Hirsch,  president. 

*  *  * 

CHANGES  IN  GRAND- 
ASHER 

Samuel  V.  Grand  and  Harry  Asher 
are  no  longer  connected  with  the 
Grand-Asher  Distributing  Corporation 
in  any  capacity,  Grand  having  resigned 
at  a  director's  meeting  held  yesterday, 
September  16  and  Asher  having  re- 
signed in  August. 

The  executive  offices  of  the  company 
have  been  transferred  to  Boston. 


DOROTHY  CLEVELAND 
WITH  RAYART 

Dorothy  V.  Cleveland,  well-known 
writer  of  publicity  and  advertising  has 
become  affiliated  with  Rayart  Pictures 
Corporation,  of  which  W.  Ray  John- 
ston is  President,  as  Director  of  Pub- 
licity and  Advertising. 


Steauty- 


'ccuracy 


8 

Reasons 
Why 

Columbia 
Productions 

Are  Box  Office  Pullers 

A  PLAN — rigidly  executed 

AUTHORS — four  novelists 

four  journalist* 

BOOKS  well  known  stories 

ready-made  audiences 

STARS — Box  Office  Names 

DIRECTORS  men  with  records 

for  success 

PHOTOGRAPHERS — the  best 
in  the  craft 

MONEY — Every    dollar  spent 
shows  on  the  screen 

THE  PRODUCERS  INTEG- 
RITY and  a  hand  picked  or- 
ganization. 


Titles  That  Mean  Money 
The  Foolish  Virgin 
The  Price  She  Paid 
Fighting  the  Flames 
A  Fool  and  His  Money 
After  Business  Hours 
One  Glorious  Night 
Who  Cares 
The  Midnight  Express 

BOOK  THEM  NOW 

Columbia  Productions 


1600  Broadway 
Room  806 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


GRIFFITH  STARRING  FOR 
INDEPENDENT 

Raymond  Griffith,  screen  star  and 
scenarist  who  has  appeared  in  star 
leads  for  First  National,  Universal, 
Goldwyn  and  several  of  the  indepen- 
dent concerns  is  now  starring  in  the 
first  five  reel  comedy  ever  made  by 
Jesse  J.  Goldburg  of  the  Independent 
Pictures  Corporation. 

Griffith  is  one  of  the  few  real  troop- 
ers today,  having  been  on  the  stage 
since  he  was  five  years  old.  Early  in 
life  he  toured  with  Fanny  Davenport 
and  appeared  also  with  John  Mason  in 
"The  Witching  Hour." 

Great  things  were  looked  for  from 
him  in  the  legitimate  stage  profession 
when  an  unfortunate  accident  which 
partially  lost  for  him  the  use  of  his  vo- 
cal cords,  cut  short  his  career. 

When  he  found  he  could  speak  only 
in  a  low  whisper  he  turned  to  the  silent 
drama  where  in  a  short  time  he  made  a 
name  for  himself  appearing  in  such  out- 
standing successes  as  Universal's 
"White  Tiger,"  Paramount's  "Dawn  of 
a  Tomorrow,"  Goldwyn's  "Red  Lights" 
and  many  others. 

Griffith  has  the  light  touch  and  the 
keen  sense  of  humor  of  a  native  come- 
dian. 

This  subtle  attribute  enables  him 
to  put  a  delicate,  unusual  note  into 
even  gangster  and  crook  roles,  and  es- 
pecially fits  him  for  such  comedy  parts 
as  the  one  for  which  he  is  cast  in 
"When  Winter  Went." 

As  the  frozen  hall  room  boarder  he 
sets  a  fast  comedy  pace  and  he  con- 
tinues to  gallop  through  .five  reels  never 
once  slowing  up  his  remarkable  speed. 

The  picture  was  directed  by  Reggie 
Morris  who  proved  himself  entirely 
capable.  *    *  * 

THEMATIC  'CUES' 
100%  AVAILABLE 

Exhibitors  will  be  glad  to  learn  that 
Thematic  Cue  Sheets  are  now  avail- 
able on  all  big  productions. 

M.  J.  Mintz,  the  inventor  of  this  in- 
dispensable music  aid,  has  been  success- 


ful in  convincing  all  the  producing  com- 
panies of  the  value  of  his  accessory. 

The  Thematic  Cue  Sheets  will  be 
hailed  with  joy  by  organists  or  orches- 
tra leaders  and  are  just  as  much  a  part 
of  presentation  and  exploitation  equip- 
ment of  any  kind  of  the  material  on 
hand  at  the  exchanges. 

Be  sure  that  you  secure  the  cue 
sheets  when  you  book  the  picture. 


RAYART  STARS  HOWES 

Harry  J.  Brown  Productions,  headed 
by  Harry  Joe  Brown,  West  Coast  In- 
dependent producer,  started  shooting 
last  week  on  the  first  of  a  group  of  six 
special  productions  starring  Reed 
Howes,  original  inspiration  for  the  Ley- 
endecker  painting  of  the  Arrow  Collar 
Man. 


Where  To  Book  Them  I 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,   N.  Y. 
Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2   Creole  Enterprises,    (See   New  Orleans  Ad- 
dress). 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American    Feature    Film    Co.,    37  Piedmont 
Street. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,   257   Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi— 1  Celebrated    Players    Corp.,    810    S.  Wabash 
Ave. 

Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard     Film     Service,     Broadway  Film 
Bldg. 

Cin — 2  R.  G.   Hill  Enterprises,   (See  Pittsburg  Ad- 
dress). 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617   Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 2  R.    G.     Hill     Enterprises,     (See  Pittsburgh 
Add.) 

Cle— 3  Skirboll  Gold   Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern   States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,    Film  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  5104  Broadway. 

DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det — 1  Standard   Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Celebrated  Players   Corp.,   144  W.  Vermont 

st.  ■ 

Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
K.  C. — 1  Independent  Film  Co.,  117  West  17th  St. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  Ark. 
L.  R. — 1  Homestate   Film   Co.,   1114   W.  Markham 
Street 


LOS  ANGELES,  Cal. 
L.  A. — 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive 
Street. 

MILWAUKEE,  Wis. 
Mil— 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic    Film    Attractions    (See    Chicago  Ad- 
dress) 

Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min — 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 
N.  O. — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga 
Street. 

N.  O. — 2  Creole   Enterprises,   Inc.,  1401  Tulana  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
N.  Y. — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,  729-7th  Ave. 
N.  Y. — 2  A-l  Film  Exchange,  7'29-7th  Ave. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty   Films   Inc.,    1514    Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street. 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,   1318  Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 
Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
S.  L.  C. — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
S.  F. — All-Star  Features  Dist.,  209  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
S.  L. — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,  15  Richmond  St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash — 1  Trio    Productions,    926    N.    Jersey  Ave., 
N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS,   N.   Y.  CITY 
F.  R. — 1  Simmons-Kahn  Enterprises,  !220  West  42nd 
Street 


Says  Joe  Brandt: 

This  season  has  seen  a  greater  concerted  effort  on 
the  part  of  the  Independent  producers  to  merchan- 
dise their  picture  through  the  trade  papers,  and  other- 
wise, a  campaign  having  been  laid  out  by  each  pro- 
ducer that  will  run  throughout  the  season,  and  the 


elimination  of  the  spasmodic  advertising  that  has 
been  done  heretofore.  The  intention  of  the  Inde- 
pendent producer  being  to  carry  a  series  of  ads  during 
the  entire  season  to  assist  as  far  as  possible  the  ex- 
changes in  selling  the  product  and  keeping  it  before 
the  exhibitors.  This  is  a  great  step  towards  the 
standardization  of  Independent  product. 


October  4.  1924 


Page  31 


A.  M.  P.  A.  INVESTIGATES 
RADIO  REVIEWS 

Broadcasting  of  radio  reviews  of 
moving  pictures  is  being  investigated 
by  the  Associated  Motion  Picture  Ad- 
vertisers, Inc.,  following  recent  alleged 
unfairness  displayed  by  certain  New 
York  newspaper  critics  who  have  ar- 
ranged with  big  eastern  stations  to  send 
out  their  reviews  by  wireless. 

The  matter  was  brought  up  at  the 
first  meeting  of  the  new  regime  of  the 
A.  M.  P.  A.,  when  the  newly  elected 
officers,  headed  by  President  A.  M. 
Botsford,  officially  took  up  their  re- 
sponsibilities and  committee  appoint- 
ments for  the  year  were  made. 

A.  M.  Botsford,  newly  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.,  was  directed 
in  a  motion  passed  by  the  members  to 
appoint  a  committee  to  make  a  thor- 
ough investigation  of  the  matter  and  to 
report  back  with  recommendations  as 
to  what  may  be  done  in  the  interests 
of  the  public  as  a  whole  as  well  as  the 
motion  picture  industry. 

The  officers  of  the  new  administra- 
tion who  went  in  with  President  Bots- 
ford at  Thursday's  meeting  were  :  Vice 
president,  Charles  W.  Barrell ;  secre- 
tary, Walter  Eberhardt;  Treasurer, 
Glendon  Allvine. 

The  new  board  of  directors  includes 
the  four  officers  plus  Charles  Einfeid, 
Irving  Green,  James  Loughborough, 
Edward  McNamee  and  Lon  Young.  At 
the  board's  first  meeting  they  elected  an 
advisoiy  council  consisting  of  Jerome 
Beatty,  Arthur  Brilant,  John  Flinn, 
Paul  Gulick  and  C.  L.  Yearsley. 

At  the  Thursday  meeting  an  election 
was  held  which  placed  Edward  Mc- 
Namee and  Charles  Einfeid  on  the  fi- 
nance committee,  which  under  the  con- 
stitution and  by-laws  of  the  A.  M.  P. 
A.  is  automatically  headed  by  the  presi- 
dent, with  the  secretary  and  treasurer 
as  the  other  members. 

President  Botsford  announced  his 
appointments  on  five  committees  for 
the  ensuing  year  as  follows: 

Auditing — Julian  Solomon,  chair- 
man ;  Hopp  Hadley  and  Fred  Baer. 

Publicity — W.  E.  Mulligan,  chair- 
man; Edward  L.  Klein  and  L-  H. 
Mitchell. 

Entertainment — Harry  Reichenbach, 
chairman ;  Russell  Holman,  Melville  A. 
Shauer,  Tom  Wiley,  the  past  president, 
the  board  of  directors  and  the  advisory 
council. 

Speakers — Bert  Adler,  chairman,  and 
AValter  Eberhardt. 

Art  —  Vincent  Trotta,  chairman  ; 
Harry  Lewis,  Karoly  Grosz,  Hal 
Phyffe  and  C.  L.  Yearsley. 

Morris  Ryskind  formally  took  over 
the  A.  M.  P.  A.  Bulletin  as  managing 
editor,  with  Bert  Adler  as  business 
manager. 

Harry  Reichenbach  took  up  the  reins 


as  National  Chancellor  of  the  U.  S. 
Chamber  of  Commerce. 

President  Botsford  has  not  yet  made 
his  appointments  to  the  membership 
committee. 

*    *  * 

PRODUCERS  DISTR.  CORP. 
RE-DIVISION  BRANCHES 

Producers  Distributing  Corporation 
has  made  a  new  division  of  its  ex- 
changes sub-dividing  the  central  group 
of  branch  offices  into  two  divisions  to 
be  known  as  the  Mid-West  Division 
and  the  Central  Division. 

The  Central  Division  will  hereafter 
consist  of  the  exchanges  at  Cleveland, 
Cincinnati,  Detroit  and  Indianapolis. 

The  Mid-West  Division  will  embrace 
the  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City, 
Omaha  and  Minneapolis  Branches. 

Mr.  Cecil  Maberry,  who  has  been 
Central  Division  Manager,  has  been 
made  Mid-West  Division  Manager,  and 
Robert  Cotton  has  been  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  new  Central  Division. 

Mr.  Cotton  has  been  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  special  representative  of 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation  in 
the  Cleveland  territory  and  is  well 
known  in  film  sales  circles.  He  was 
formerly  associated  with  the  World 
Film,  Fox  and  Vitagraph  Companies. 


Samuel  Goldwyn  producer  of  First  Na- 
tional pictures  signs  Ronald  Colman  lead- 
ing screen  actor  to  a  five  year  contract. 

GOLDWYN  SIGNS 
COLEMAN 

Ronald  Colman,  who  won  recognition 
by  his  characterization  of  the  young 
soldier  in  "The  White  Sister,"  has 
signed  a  five  year  contract  with  Samuel 
Goldwyn.  Goldwyn  and  Fitzmaurice 
chose  him  for  the  leading  male  role  in 
the  George  Fitzmaurice  production, 
"Tarnish."  Colman  will  also  play  the 
leading  role  in  the  forthcoming  Fitz- 
maurice production  not  as  yet  titled. 


ED.  HOPCRAFT  TAKES 
KNOCKERS  TO  TASK 

Ed.  M.  Hopcraft,  general  sales  man- 
ager for  Cranfield  &  Clarke,  just  back 
from  an  extensive  sales  trip  which  took 
him  to  the  west  coast,  issued  a  state- 
ment in  which  he  takes  to  task  the  so- 
called  knockers  in  the  Independent  field. 
In  part,  Ed.  Hopcraft  says :  "It  is  in- 
variably the  rule  when  a  State  Right 
man  comes  back  from  a  sales  trip  he 
will  relate  of  the  miserable  financial 
conditions  in  the  Independent  market 
he  found  in  the  territories  he  traveled 
through.  His  only  optimistic  observa- 
tions are  that  he  believes  that  the  cotton 
crop  and  the  corn  fields  are  going  to  get 
an  even  break  this  year. 

"Contrary  to  the  general  rule,  in 
making  up  my  reports,  I  am  glad  to  say 
that  I  have  found  conditions  as  a  whole 
in  the  Middle  West  very  favorable  in- 
deed. Especially  the  Chicago  and  sur- 
rounding territory  are  on  a  better  and 
more  sound  basis  than  ever  before  in 
many  moons.  I  have  been  told  by  both 
exchangemen  and  exhibitors  alike  that 
they  had  no  summer  this  year  to  talk 
about  at  all. 

"I  saw  the  building  of  many  new 
theatres,  which  surely  bodes  well  for 
the  future  of  film  conditions  in  general 
in  this  territory.  These  new  houses 
will  open  up  the  market  for  more  pic- 
tures and  create  a  larger  field  for  the 
Independents  to  sell  their  wares.  This 
is  only  one  of  the  many  encouraging 
signs  of  progress  in  my  many  cheering 
observations. 

"Another  thing  I  noticed  is  that  there 
is  no  prejudice  nor  lack  of  enthusiasm 
towards  British  made  pictures.  In 
fact,  all  of  the  franchise  holders  dis- 
tributing the  Cranfield  &  Clarke  prod- 
ucts are  reporting  that  they  are  more 
than  thriving  with  their  current  re- 
leases. 

"I  want  to  add  that  Cranfield  & 
Clarke  will  shortly  make  an  important 
announcement  of  three  big  specials 
they  have  just  acquired  and  which  will 
soon  be  ready  for  release." 

KEENAN  TO  STAR 

Frank  Keenan,  star  of  stage  and 
screen,  has  been  signed  by  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer,  to  star  in  the  screen  ver- 
sion of  George  Beaumont's  story, 
"Dixie,"  which  appeared  recently  in  one 
of  the  national  magazines.  It  is  a  color- 
ful story  dealing  with  the  early  days  in 
the  South.  Keenan  will  again  be  given 
the  opportunity  to  portray  the  part  of 
the  stern  old  southern  gentleman.  It 
was  in  "The  Coward"  that  Keenan 
scored  his  initial  screen  success  in  the 
role  of  the  old  southern  colonel. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


William  Beaudine,  who  directed  "Cor- 
nered," has  recently  finished  directing  the 
Warner  Bros,  screen  version  of  Harriet  T. 
Comstock's  popular  novel  "The  Narrow- 
Street"  starring  Matt  Moore  and  Dorothy 
Devore. 

*  *  * 

Dorothy  Devore  the  Warner  Brothers 
star  is  a  composer  in  her  spare  time.  Her 
latest  piece  is  "Hot  Stuff",  and  will  soon 
be  published.  At  present  she  is  working  on 
another  titled  "Hail  and  Farewell." 

*  *  * 

Darryl  Francis  Zanuck,  who  prepared  the 
script  on  "Find  Your  Man"  and  Owen 
Davis'  "The  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea",  is  adapt- 
ing Pearl  Keating's  "The  Broadway  Butter- 
fly" at  the  Warner  Brothers  studio. 

*  *  * 

Matt  Moore,  who  recently  starred  with 
Dorothy  Devore  in  "The  Narrow  Street",  a 
Warner  Brothers  Classic,  has  been  signed 
by  Warner  Brothers  to  portray  Neil  Her- 
bert in  the  film  version  of  Willa  Cather's 
most  celebrated  novel  "A  Lost  Lady." 

*  *  * 

Mrs.  Charles  G.  Craig  who  is  playing 
Granny  Mingott  in  the  Warner  Brothers 
screen  version  of  Edith  Wharton's  prize 
winning  novel  "The  Age  of  Innocence,"  is 
a  cousin  to  Ex-President  of  the  United 
States  Buchanan. 

William  Beaudine  has  been  signed  to  di- 
rect the  Warner  Brothers  screen  adaptation 
of  Owen  Davis'  "How  Baxter  Butted  in" 
with  Willard  Louis  in  the  title  role. 

Production  has  been  started  at  the  William 
Fox  West  Coast  Studios  on  "The  Star  Dust 
Trail,"  the  fourth  of  the  star  series  attrac- 
tions to  be  made  this  year  with  Shirley 
Mason.  This  is  an  original  story  by  Fred- 
erick and  Fanny  Hatton,  who  will  contribute 
several  big  stories  for  the  new  Fox  special 
productions  this  year. 

$   $  $ 

"Paul  Jones,  Jr.,"  the  fourth  of  the  two- 
reel  comedies  to  be  made  from  the  Van  Bib- 
ber stories  of  Richard  Harding  Davis,  is 
now  in  production  at  the  William  Fox  West 
Coast  studios.  George  Marshall,  who  is 
directing  the  series,  is  now  at  Balboa  Beach, 
California,  with  his  company  taking  the 
yachting  scenes  for  this  picture. 

*  *  * 

Scott  Dunlap  will  start  casting  for  the  pro- 
duction of  "One  Glorious  Night."  This  pic- 
ture will  be  the  fourth  of  the  Columbia 
Series  of  eight  to  be  made  by  C.  B.  C.  The 
story  was  written  by  Charles  McArthur,  a 
feature  writer  for  the  Hearst  Syndicate  Ser- 
vice. 

Elaine  Hammerstein  has  been  chosen  for 
the  lead  in  this  picture. 

,•  -   j.v,  *   *  * 

Clifford  Smith,  Universal  director  of  the 
last  ten  Jack  Hoxie  Westerns,  and  who  di- 
rected more  than  forty  popular  Bill  Hart 
Westerns,  is  seriously  ill  at  Lone  Pine,  Cal., 
where  he  has  been  on  location  with  his  Jack 
Hoxie  unit. 


When  Pirates  Sailed  The  Ocean  Blue— 
they  left  behind  a  romance  for  Vitagraph 
to  film.  President  Albert  E.  Smith,  J. 
Warren  Kerrigan,  and  director  David 
Smith   conferring   over    "Captain  Blood." 

Sets  of  stills  arriving  at  C.  B.  C.  offices  an- 
nounces the  early  completion  of  their  Co- 
lumbia Picture,  "The  Midnight  Express," 
featuring  Elaine  Hammerstein.  According 
to  the  West  Coast  Studios  the  negative  will 
be  on  its  way  early  this  week. 

*  *  # 

Word  comes  from  Universal  City  that  the 
Hoot  Gibson  unit  of  the  Universal  Pictures 
Corporation  on  location  at  Pendleton,  Ore., 
for  "Let  'Er  Buck,"  is  well  ahead  of  sched- 
ule on  production  in  spite  of  a  solid  week 
of  rain. 

*  *  * 

Edmund  Lowe,  who  will  be  presented  in 
seven  William  Fox  star  series  productions 
this  season,  has  started  work  at  the  West 
Coast  studios  in  his  second  picture,  "The 
Brass  Bowl,"  by  Louis  Joseph  Vance. 

^  % 

"Oh,  You  Tony !"  a  special  production  with 
Tom  Mix  in  the  leading  role  and  a  Sun- 
shine Comedy,  "The  Divine  Fool,"  are  an- 
nounced for  release  by  Fox  Film  Corpora- 
tion. 

s|:     H;  sj£ 

Tom  Mix  as  the  Western  graduate  of  a 
school  of  etiquette  and  Tony,  the  Wonder 
Horse,  will  be  seen  in  new  roles  in  the  la- 
test Mix  production  which  was  directed  by 
J.  G.  Blystone. 

if:     $  $ 

"Roaring  Rails,"  the  fourth  production  in 
the  series  of  Hunt  Stromberg  offerings  star- 
ring Harry  Carey,  was  given  its  pre-ship- 
ment  tryout  at  the  Roosevelt  Theatre  in  Los 
Angeles  last  week  and  according  to  reports 
it  was  acclaimed  the  best  thing  that  the 
popular  Western  star  has  done  to  date. 
^    h=  ^ 

Word  comes  from  Universal  City  that 
Barbara  Bedford  was  engaged  by  Universal 
for  an  important  role  in  "Jazz  Parents,"  the 
new  Jewel  production  starring  May  McAvoy, 
now  being  made  at  Universal  City.  William 
A.  Seiter  is  the  director. 

"Reckless  Romance,"  Al  Christie's  second 
big  feature  length  comedy  for  release 
through  Producers  Distributing  Corporation, 
is  now  in  its  final  stages  of  production  and 
the  finished  picture  will  be  ready  for  ship- 
ment cast  well  in  advance  of  the  time  sched- 
ule for  its  completion. 


With  the  script  department  augmented  by 
several  new  consultants,  work  of  final  re- 
vision of  the  scenario  of  "The  Phantom  of 
the  Opera,"  Universal's  forthcoming  starring 
vehicle  for  Lon  Chaney  has  been  commenced, 
following  a  conference  over  the  first  com- 
pleted draft  attended  by  Julius  Bernheim, 
general  manager  of  Universal  City,  Ben 
Zeidman,  his  assistant  and  Rupert  Julian, 
the  director. 

Fred  Niblo  has  predicted  that  Ramon  No- 
varro's  work  in  "Ben  Hur"  will  achieve  for 
him  a  popularity  unexampled  in  the  history 
of  the  screen.  This  prognostication  has  come 
from  Director  Niblo  after  making  tests  of 
Novarro  in  scenes  of  the  Lew  Wallace 
classic,  upon  which  he  is  hard  at  work  in 
Rome. 

*  *  * 

Hobart  Henley  has  finished  "So  This  is 
Marriage,"  the  Carey  Wilson  story  produced 
for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  from  an  adapta- 
tion made  by  John  Lynch  and  Alice  D.  G. 
Miller  with  Conrad  Nagel  and  Eleanor 
Boardman  in  the  leading  roles.  Nagel  is 
consequently  enjoying  his  first  vacation  in 
sixteen  months. 

*  *  * 

"Be  Yourself,"  Edward  I.  Luddy's  newest 
directorial  effort  for  Century  Comedies,  will 
be  adorned  by  what  is  said  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  collection  of  costumes  ever  seen  in 
a  two-reel  comedy. 

These  costumes  will  be  worn  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  famous  Century  Follies  Girls, 
who  will  be  a  featured  part  of  the  cast. 

*  H=  * 

The  cast  of  the  fifth  Hunt  Stromberg  pro- 
duction starring  Harry  Carey  was  completed 
this  week  and  work  on  the  picture  "The 
Man  From  Texas"  is  now  under  way  at  the 
Carey  ranch  at  Newhall,  California,  under 
Tom  Forman's  direction. 

When  King  Vidor  takes  up  the  megaphone 
on  "Wife  of  the  Centaur,"  Cyril  Hume's 
startling  novel,  John  Gilbert,  Eleanor  Board- 
man  and  Aileen  Pringle  will  make  their  next 
appearance  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 

*  *  * 

Robert  G.  Vignola  is  to  produce  "The 
Summons,"  a  story  by  Katherine  Newlin 
Burt,  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Mrs.  Burt 
is  the  author  of  "The  Branding  Iron,"  the 
novel  picturized  by  Reginald  Barker,  and  of 
"Hidden  Creek"  and  "The  Red  Lady."  Vig- 
nola is  already  in  conference  with  the  au- 
thor and  has  ambitious  plans  for  surpassing 
even  "Mrs.  Paramour,"  the  picture  he  has 
just  completed  from  the  Louis  Joseph  Vance 
novel. 

jjfi  .% "  '% 

Production  on  Bebe  Daniels'  first  starring 
picture  for  Paramount,  "Dangerous  Money," 
has  been  completed  at  the  company's  Eastern 
studio,  under  the  direction  of  Frank  Turtle. 

*  *  * 

Marshall  Neilan,  who  recently  arrived 
from  abroad  with  his  wife,  Blanche  Sweet, 
has  returned  with  Miss  Sweet  to  California. 

The  Neilans  have  been  working  in  England 
and  on  the  Continent  on  "The  Sporting 
Venus,"  a  story  by  Gerald  Beaumont  with 


October  4,  1924 


Page  33 


Miss  Sweet  and  Lew  Vody  ir  the  leading 
roles.  Work  will  soon  begin  on  Metro- 
Goldwyn's  next  Marshall  Ncilan  production, 
a?  yet  unannounced. 

*  *  * 

Rights  to  Bennie  Leonard's  series  of  six 
two  reel  features  entitled  "Flying  Fists"  are 
rapidly  being  disposed  of  to  the  leading  in- 
dependent exchanges  of  the  country.  The 
"Flying  Fists"  campaign  is  developing  with  a 
rapidity  which  a  tribute  to  the  sales  value 
of  Leonard's  name  and  the  selling  ability  of 
Henry  Ginsberg,  who  is  handling  them  terri- 
torially. 

*  *  * 

Gertrude  Olmsted,  but  recently  elevated 
to  the  ranks  of  motion  picture  stardom, 
shines  forth  particularly  bright  in  Emory 
Johnson's  latest  F.  B.  O.  production,  "Life's 
Greatest  Game,"  which  Miss  Olmsted  has 
one  of  the  best  roles  of  her  career. 

The  Samuel  Shipman  stage  success, 
"Cheaper  to  Marry,"  purchased  during  its 
Broadway  run  by  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 
will  be  Robert  Z.  Leonard's  next  production 
for  that  company. 

*  *  * 

Ida  Waterman,  well  known  actress  of  the 
stage  and  screen, 1  has  been  selected  by  Di- 
mitri  Buckowetzki  for  the  role  of  the  Prin- 
cess Beatrice,  the  intriguing  mother  of  "The 
Swan,"  which  is  to  star  Elsie  Ferguson  in 
the  Paramount  screen  version  of  the  suc- 
cessful Molnar  play. 

*  ^  ^ 

Jacqueline  Logan  will  be  Richard  Dix 
leading  woman  in  his  newest  Paramount  pic- 
ture, "A  Man  Must  Live,"  to  be  made  at  the 
Long  Island  studio  under  Paul  Sloane's  di- 
rection. 

*  *  * 

Miss  Logan  recently  appeared  in  the  lead- 
ing feminine  role  opposite  Mr.  Dix  in  his 
first  starring  picture  for  Paramount,  "Man- 
hattan." 

*  *  * 

Aileen  Pringle  has  returned  to  the  coast 
after  a  short  visit  in  New  York  before  be- 
ginning work  in  Culver  City  on  Cyril 
Hume's  "The  Wife  of  the  Centaur,"  in  which 
!  she  is  to  play  with  John  Gilbert  and  Eleanor 
Boardman. 

*  *  * 

Hobart  Henley  has  been  selected  to  direct 
a  forthcoming  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  pro- 
duction of  "The  Square  Peg,"  the  drama  by 
Lewis  Beach  which  played  successfully  on 
Broadway  last  season.  Beach  is  author  also 
of  "The  Goose  Hangs  High,"  and  is  one  of 
a  group  of  American  playwrights  who 
startled  Broadway  some  time  ago  by  organ- 
izing The  Dramatists'  Theatre,  Inc.,  for  the 
production  of  their  own  plays. 

*  *  * 

John  Russell  has  completed  the  scenario 
of  "Argentine  Love,"  an  original  story  by 
Vincente  Blasco  Ibanez  which  is  to  go  into 
production  soon  at  the  Paramount  Long 
Island  studio,  with  Bebe  Daniels  and  Ricardo 
Cortez  in  the  featured  roles. 

*  *  * 

"Dangerous  Pleasure"  an  Independent  Pic- 
tures Corp.  production  starring  Dorothy  Re- 
vier,  Sheldon  Lewis,  Theodore  Lorch,  Niles 
Welch  and  Neely  Edwards  and  directed  by 
Harry  Revier,  is  to  have  its  premier  in 
Springfield,  Mass.,  where  it  has  been  booked 
for  a  week's  run  starting  September  21. 


Bert  Roach,  who  for  several  years  has 
been  featured  in  Universal  one-reel  comedies, 
has  moved  his  paint  box  together  with  his 
trick  beard  and  hat  over  to  the  Century 
studios  in  Hollywood.  Bert  is  noted  for  his 
particularly  humorous  portrayal  of  the  hobo 
comedian  and  has  made  quite  a  name  for 
himself  in  the  last  three  years  in  this  role 
with  Neely  Edwards. 

*    *  * 

Fred  Thomson,  F.  B.  O.'s  popular  West- 
ern star,  is  confined  to  his  bed  with  a  badly 


In  Fencing  Costume — Bebe  Daniels  has 
some  gracefully  delightful  moments  in  Para- 
mount's  production  "Dangerous  Money." 


fractured  thigh  and  other  injuries  sustained 
while  filming  a  thrill  scene  in  his  latest  pic- 
ture, titled  "Thurdering  Hoofs." 

*  *  * 

In  keeping  with  the  change  of  policy 
adopted  by  the  Pathe  Review,  it  is  announced 
this  week  that  the  second  series  of  feature- 
length  subjects  to  be  released  in  chapter 
form  will  be  "Keep  Fit." 

%    %  % 

Samuel  Goldwyn  announces  that  he  has 
just  signed  a  contract  with  Ronald  Colman 
to  appear  under  his  banner  for  five  years. 
Colman  sprang  to  over  night  fame  in  his 
first  picture  appearance  in  "The  White  Sis- 
ter" and  has  just  completed  work  in  the 
Samuel  Goldwyn-George  Fitzmaurice  pro- 
duction "Tarnish,"  released  by  First  Na- 
tional. Colman  was  also  loaned  to  Con- 
stance Talmadge  by  Mr.  Goldwyn  for  her 
picture  "Heart  Trouble." 

*  ^  * 

Gasnier  has  been  named  as  the  director 
of  B.  P.  Schulberg's  next  production,  "White 
Man,"  a  Preferred  Picture  for  fall  release 
by  B.  P.  Schulberg  Productions.  In  under- 
taking the  screen  version  of  this  popular 
novel  by  George  Agnew  Chamberlain,  Gas- 
nier will  temporarily  forsake  the  society 
type  picture  for  which  he  is  best  known  to 
give  his  attention  to  a  thrilling  adventure 
plot  told  against  jungle  backgrounds. 

*  %  ^ 

Percy  Marmont  will  play  opposite  Mrs. 
Wallace  Reid  in  "Broken  Laws,"  with  Ram- 
say Wallace  a  close  second  in  the  cast.  The 
other  players  include  Jacqueline  Saunders, 
Arthur  Rankin,  Virginia  Lee  Corbin,  Ter- 
ence (Pat)  Moore  and  Jane  Wray. 


Tod  Browning,  director  of  some  of  the 
biggest  box-office  hits  in  the  history  of  the 
film  industry,  has  been  engaged  by  B.  P. 
Fineman,  general  manager  of  F.  B.  O.'s  west 
coast  studios,  to  direct  Evelyn  Brent  in  the 
first  of  her  new  starring  vehicles,  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Gothic  Pictures  for  F.  B.  O.  re- 
lease. 

*  *  * 

Berkeley  University  has  lost'  another  stu- 
dent and  the  cinema  firmament  has  acquired 
a  new  star.  More  specifically,  Hazel  Holt, 
just  eighteen  and  unusually  pretty,  has  given 
up  her  education  at  Berkeley  University 
where  she  was  to  enter  her  junior  year  this 
fall,  and  is  to  cast  her  lot  with  the  motion 
picture  folks,  having  been  chosen  by  Jesse  J. 
Goldburg  to  play  the  lead  opposite  Bill  Cody 
in  the  third  of  the  Bill  Cody  series  of  eight 
pictures. 

*  *  * 

Another  beauty  from  Ziegfeld  Follies,  has 
entered  motion  pictures.  Helen  Lee  Worth- 
ing, the  outstanding  beauty  and  dancer  of 
last  season's  Follies,  has  been  signed  for 
the  role  of  "Wanda"  in  Elsie  Ferguson's 
Paramount  picture,  "The  Swan,"  to  be  pro- 
duced by  Dimitri  Buchowetzki  at  the  Long 
Island  studio. 

*  *  * 

The  title  of  Maurice  B.  (Lefty)  Flynn's 
first  production  for  F.  B.  O.  has  been 
changed  from  "The  Forgotten  City"  to  "The 
Stranger  from  Nowhere." 

%    ^  ^ 

Plans  for  "The  Fnanioa  of  the  Opera,"  the 
super-production  which  Universal  heads  say 
will  outdo  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame," 
are  being  speeded  up  at  Universal  City, 
Camera  work  will  begin  in  the  near  future — 
just  as  soon  as  Rupert  Julian,  who  is  to  di- 
rect the  Universal  masterpiece,  has  selected 
a  few  more  of  the  players  who  will  sup- 
port the  star,  Lon  Chaney. 

*  •  *  * 

Active  building  preparation  for  the  most 
elaborate  unit  of  motion  picture  sets  in  the 
annals  of  the  screen  started  this  week  at 
Universal  City  with  the  receipt  of  175,000 
feet  of  lumber  in  one  delivery — the  largest 
single  delivery  in  the  history  of  Los  Angeles 
county.  Forty  trucks,  worth  $185,000  were 
required  to  haul  the  shipment. 

Al  Lichtman,  general  manager  of  ex- 
changes for  the  Universal  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, announces  that  Universal  in  addition  to 
the  regular  Jewel  and  Western  feature  pro- 
ductions scheduled  for  release  in  September, 
will  put  out  a  Universal  Special  during  the 
current  month. 

*  *  * 

Thelma  Morgan,  socially  prominent  as 
Thelma  Morgan  Converse,  and  twin  sister 
of  Mrs.  Reginald  Vanderbilt,  has  finally  com- 
pleted her  film  apprenticeship  and  has  won 
a  prominent  role  in  a  feature  picture.  She 
was  engaged  for  Hobart  Henley's  production 
of  "So  This  is  Marriage,"  which  is  being 
made  at  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Studio. 

*  *  * 

The  greatest  reception  ever  given  an 
American  motion  picture  in  Germany  was 
accorded  "The  Ten  Commandments"  at 
its  premier  at  the  Schauspielhaus  in  Ber- 
lin on  Tuesday  evening,  August  2,  accord- 
ing to  cable  reports  received  by  Joseph  H. 
Seidelman,  assistant  manager  of  the  for- 
eign department  of  the  Famous  Players- 
Lasky  Corporation. 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


M      Editorial  ■ 


Golf  Is  Good  Business 

OCCASIONALLY  it  happens  that  someone, 
somewhere,  suffers  a  severe  dislocation  of 
temperament  through  an  effort  to  transact 
important  business  on  a  day  when  the  film  industry 
in  engaged  in  business  of  far  greater  importance — 
a  golf  tournament.  This  week  it  happened  in 
New  York.  At  other  times  it  happens  in  other 
centers  where  film  folks  congregate. 

In  any  case,  there's  no  use  complaining  about  it. 
An  affair  such  as  the  Film  Golf  Tournament 
creates  more  good  will  in  a  day  than  could  be  gen- 
erated in  a  month  by  any  other  process.  If  the 
golfers  have  a  good  time  in  the  bargain,  it  just 
can't  be  helped. 

*    *  * 

A  New  Aid  to  the  Exhibitor 

WITH  this  issue  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  in- 
augurates a  department  devoted  to  the 
activities  of  the  independent  distributors, 
through  which  it  will  be  possible  for  exhibitors  to 
keep  fully  informed  on  the  large  amount  of  good 
product  which  is  coming  along  through  independ- 
ent channels. 

It  is  good  business  for  every  exhibitor,  however 
situated,  to  give  careful  consideration  to  all  of  the 
available  product.  The  independents  are  offering 
many  pictures  of  unquestionable  box-office  value. 
They  have  to  their  credit  a  number  of  the  outstand- 
ing successes  among  recent  releases.  They  are  on 
their  mettle  to  justify  their  place  in  the  business 
by  merit — by  delivering  pictures  that  will  please 
the  public  and  that  will  afford  the  exhibitor  an 
opportunity  to  earn  a  fair  profit. 

Consolidation  of  the  news  of  independent  ac- 
tivities into  a  department  should  prove  a  real  serv- 
ice to  the  exhibitor,  affording  as  it  will  an  oppor- 
tunity to  keep  in  touch  with  production  plans  and 
with  current  and  coming  productions  obtainable 
on  the  staterights  market. 

In  this  connection  a  key-list  of  important  inde- 
pendent exchanges  is  published  as  a  part  of  the 
Independent  Section.  The  exchanges  listed  are 
designated  by  a  simple  code  which  will  facilitate 
references  to  the  local  distributors  handling  each 
important  independent  production.  To  a  large 
extent  the  use  of  this  key-list  will  simplify  the 


booking  process  by  providing  specific  information 
as  to  where  a  picture  may  be  obtained  in  any 
territory. 

.  3(5"  ■Sjf 

Mr.  Steffes  Talks  Facts 

WHEN  Chairman  Steffes,  of  the  Allied  States 
organizations  told  exhibitors  meeting  at 
Topeka,  Kan.,  this  week  that  they  are 
facing  a  choice  between  two  courses,  to  progress 
or  to  disband,  he  put  the  issue  squarely.  There 
can  not  be  any  middle  ground  for  any  organization 
serving  the  film  industry,  until  such  time  as  the 
machinery  of  the  business  become  adequate  to 
handle  the  problems  that  are  arising  day  by  day. 

Just  how  the  exhibitors  may  best  work  out  their 
organization  problems  is  something  that  they  will 
have  to  decide  for  themselves.  Given  a  reason- 
able amount  of  time,  they  are  perfectly  competent. 
But  it  is  true  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  brethren 
fail  to  realize  the  importance,  in  dollars,  of  the 
right  kind  of  business  organization.  It's  a  diffi- 
cult subject  to  preach  attractively.  But  results 
will  come  only  by  hammering  at  it  untiringly,  until 
the  practical  advanage  of  united  effort  are  more 
widely  understood.  Putting  the  whole  subject  on 
the  basis  of  profit  is  the  shortest  cut  to  results. 

Stimulating  Interest  in  Shorts 

ANNOUNCEMENT  was  made  this  week  that 
Dr.  Hugo  Riesenfeld,  Managing  Director 
of  the  Rivoli  and  Rialto  Theatres,  New 
York,  will  offer  a  gold  medal  annually  for  the  best 
short  subject,  the  winning  picture  to  be  selected 
by  a  committee  of  exhibitors  representing  various 
sections  of  the  country.  The  initial  prize  will 
cover  the  period  from  Sept.  1,  1924,  to  Oct.  30, 
1925.  Entries  will  be  limited  to  pictures  under 
3,000  feet  in  length,  with  comedies  and  news  reels 
excluded. 

The  obvious  purpose  of  such  a  contest  is  to  lend 
added  interest  to  the  production  of  short  features 
that  now  are  produced  in  very  limited  number. 
Thus  Dr.  Riesenfeld  calls  forceful  attention  to 
Avhat  seems  to  be  a  distinct  opportunity  for  pro- 
ducers and,  also,  offers  the  definite  suggestion  that 
exhibitors  generally  may  well  pay  greater  attention 
to  the  selection  of  the  "Big  Little  Features." 


yale  University  Press 


presents 


DIXIE 


One  of  the  Chronicle*  of  America,  Series 

^/ls  stirring  as  the  song! 


When  the  bands  play  "Dixie"  the  crowds  get  up  and  cheer. 

You  have  enthusiasm  ready-made  when  you  show  this  picture. 
With  orchestra,  organ  or  piano  playing  the  immortal  song,  and  with 
the  picture  as  stirring  as  the  song  you  have  a  real  chance. 

Here's  the  Old  South  before  the  war,  during  the  war  and  at  the 
end  of  the  war.  Here  are  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  the  idol  of  the  South, 
and  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant,  the  great  Northern  leader,  true  to  life,  just  as 
they  were.   Here  are  pathos,  heroism,  self  sacrifice,  thrills. 

You  couldn't  ask  for  a  better  drama  or  a  better  tie-up. 


NET" 


itiiih 


written  by  'RICHA'RD  E.  EJVRIGHT 

Commissioner  of  "Police.  JSfebv  &orK 

Edna  Murphy  and  JacK.  Mulhalt 


Here  are  just  a  _fete>  of  the  big  ones  tvho  ha*Oe 
boo Red  this  dashing,  startling  police  serial: 


Southern  Enterprises 
Newman's,  Kansas  City 
Missouri,  St.  Louis 
Balaban  and  Katz 
Lubliner  and  Trinz 
Wilmer  and  Vincent 
Saenger  Circuit.  New  Orleans 
Skouras  Bros.,  St.  Louis 
Stanley  Chambers'  Orpheum,  Wichita 
Keith's  Victory,  Providence 
Empire,  Syracuse 
State  New  Bedford 
Abe  Goodside's  Capitol,  Springfield, 
Mass. 

Abe  Goodside's  Strand,  Portland,  Me. 
Poli's  Bridgeport 
Rialto,  So.  Norwalk 
Garden,  Waterbury 

It's  a  clean 


Goldberg's  Empress,  Muse  and  Prin- 
cess, Omaha 
Alamo,  Indianapolis 
Palace,  Danville,  111. 
Lindo,  Freeport,  111. 
Court  Theatre,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Marcy,  Brooklyn 

Sidney  Cohen's  Empire,  Tremont  and 

North  Star,  New  York 
Pantheon,  N.  Y. 
Blenheim,  N.  Y. 
Bennison,  N.  Y. 
Superior,  N.  Y. 
Richmond,  Stapleton,  N.  Y. 
Regent,  N.  Y. 
Yost  Circuit,  N.  Y. 
Benson,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Stadium,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Ballantine,  New  York 

-up.    Are  you  in  on  it? 


U.  S.,  New  York 
Schuyler,  New  York 
Odeon,  New  York 
Douglass,  New  York 
Utica,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Central,  Cedarhurst,  N.  Y. 
New,  Rockaway,  N.  Y. 
Rivoli,  Rockaway,  N.  Y. 
Orpheum,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 
Movies,  N.  Y. 
Drury  Lane,  N.  Y. 
York,  N.  Y. 
Pastime,  N.  Y. 
72nd  Street,  N.  Y. 
Windsor,  N.  Y. 
Village,  N.  Y. 
Ideal,  N.  Y. 
Morningside,  N.  Y. 
Forum,  N.  Y. 


Jfo-Oelized  by 
Sinclair  ClacK. 

"Directed  by 
Ceo,  B.  Sett* 


Pafh£serial 


"Produced  by 
Malcolm  StraajJ 


October  4,  1924 


Page  37 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


RURAL  ENGLAND  STORY 
INTERESTINGLY  PLAYED 

I  itagraph  Handles  This  Hutchinson 
Story  in  Excellent  Manner 

•THE  CLEAN  HEART.'  Vitagraph  Photo- 
play. From  the  story  by  A.  S.  M.  Hutch- 
inson. Director  J.  Stuart  Blackton.  Length 
8,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Philip    Wriford   Percy  Marmont 

Puddlebox   Otis  Harlan 

Essie  Bickers   Marguerite  de  la  Motte 

Philip  Wriford,  an  editor  and  author,  suffers  a 
nervous  breakdown  from  overwork.  He  wanders  into 
the  country  half  insane.  He  is  picked  up  by  Pud- 
dlebox, a  tramp,  who  invites  him  to  join  in  a  wan- 
dering trip.  Wriford  accompanies  Puddlebox  and 
regains  his  health.  In  a  reckless  moment  Philip 
jumps  from  a  cliff  and  breaks  his  legs.  Puddlebox 
in  an  attempt  to  rescue  him  from  the  tide  gives  up 
his  life.  Philip  awakens  in  a  hospital  where  Essie 
Bickers  is  a  nurse.  He  falls  in  love  with  her  but 
fears  to  marry  lest  it  tie  him  down.  He  leaves  her 
but  after  a  year  returns  and  marries  her. 

B\  Len  Morgan. 

m 

'"PHE  scene  of  this  picture  is  laid  in  rural 
England  and  is  far  away  from  the  cab- 
aret and  ballroom  scenes  of  most  pictures 
and  is  therefore  a  relief.  It  is  clean,  whole- 
some, human,  entertainment  and  should 
have  a  strong  box-office  appeal. 

The  story  is  rather  unusual  and  for  those 
who  are  not  familiar  with  the  ending,  it 
should  hold  the  suspense  to  the  last  flash. 
Interest  is  well  sustained  and  the  continu- 
ity excellent,  although  there  seems  to  be  a 
few  too  many  captions. 

There  are  many  dramatic  scenes  that 
give  the  picture  weight.  The  scene  in 
which  Puddleb  ox,  the  faithful,  gives  up  his 
life  for  his  friend  is  well  done  and  proves 
Otis  Harlan  to  be  an  actor  of  ability. 

Marguerite  de  la  Motte  does  a  fine  bit  of 
emotional  acting  in  the  scene  where  Mar- 
mont asks  her  to  run  away  with  him  but 
without  the  formality  of  a  marriage  cere- 
mony. Miss  de  la  Motte  is  well  cast  in 
this  picture  and  carries  a  great  appeal. 

Percy  Marmont  bears  the  heavy  part  of 
the  picture.  He  is  the  foundation  and  pil- 
lars. The  story  is  almost  a  biography  and 
all  characters  incidental  to  the  editor- 
writer. 

This  is  not  the  type  of  story  to  stir  one 
with  excitement  but  its  depth  of  thought 
will  take  it  over  in  good  shape.  The  di- 
rector has  given  many  deft  touches  that 
help  the  picture  greatly  and  kept  it  from 
being  just  ordinary. 

There  are  several  spots  in  which  the 
production  seems  to  drag  but  these  are 
remedied  before  one  really  discovers  what 
it  is  all  about. 

The  English  scenes  are  excellent.  The 
little  villages,  with  their  immaculate  neat- 
ness; and  the  taverns,  with  the  peuter  ale 
mugs  are  true  to  life.  No  details  have  been 
overlooked  to  make  this  an  interesting  and 
entertaining  picture. 

The  author  A.  S.  M.  Hutchinson  has  a 
large  following  in  this  country  and  it 
would  be  well  to  use  his  name  in  advertis- 
ing. Percy  Marmont  and  Marguerite  de  la 
Motte  have  many  fan  friends  who  will  be 
attracted  by  proper  exploitation. 

Advertise  this  as  a  clean,  wholesome 
production  which  is  safe  for  any  member 
of  the  family  to  witness. 


MEIGHAN  WILL  DRAW 

FOR  "THE  ALASKAN" 

Popular  Star  Carries  Northern  'Wes- 
tern  on  His  Shoulders 

'THE  ALASKAN.'  A.  Paramount  Picture. 
Author,  James  Oliver  Curwood,  Scenario, 
Willis  Goldbeck.  Director,  Heruert  Bren-^ 
on.    Length  6,757  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Alan    Holt  Thomas  Meighan 

Mary  Standish   Estelle  Taylor 

Rossland   John  Sainpolis 

Keok   Anna  May  Wong 

"Stampede"   Smi'h   Frank  Campeau 

John  Graham   Alphonz  Ethier 

Tautuk   Maurice  Cannon 

Alan  Holt,  Alaskan  bred,  loves  the  North.  He 
journeys  to  Washington  in  a  vain  attempt  to  secure 
legislation  pro*ecting  Alaska  and  Alaskans  from  the 
octopus  of  "big  business"  in  the  form  of  John  Gra- 
ham and  his  cohorts.  Returning,  he  meets  and 
loves  Mary,  who  turns  out  to  be  Graham's  "wife- 
in-name-only."  Alan  and  Mary  stick  together  arid 
route  the  forces  of  evil. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

WHETHER  this„picture  is  up  to  the  high 
standard  expected  from  a  Meighan- 
Brenon-Paramount  combination  is  open  to 
question,  but  big  names  and  a  good  title 
will  enable  you  to  gross  satisfactorily  with 
"The  Alarkan."  It  has  broken  attendance 
records  at  the  Rivoli  Theatre,  New  York. 

The  photoplay  is  a  picturization  of  James 
Oliver  Curwood's  popular  novel,  and  thus 
will  reap  the  benefit  of  having  a  ready-made 
audience  of  fiction  readers  awaiting  it. 
Thomas  Meighan  is  a  great  fan  favorite, 
and  audiences  have  learned  to  expect  good 
pictures  when  Herbert  Brenon  directs. 

The  photography  and  lighting  are  excellent, 
and  the  most  pleasing  feature  of  the  picture 
is  the  scenic  background.  It  was  filmed  in 
the  Canadian  north  and  there  are  many  shots 
of  nature's  eye-filling  grandeur  and  beauty. 

The  action  starts  well  with  the  villain 
dynamiting  the  grave  of  Alan's  mother  to 
make  way  for  a  ditch  which  he  is  construct- 
ing. In  accomplishing  this  dastardly  stroke 
he  also  kills  the  hero's  father.  Thus  begins 
a  strife  with  Alan  that  rages  from  legal 
combat  before  a  Senate  Committee  at  the 
Capitol  to  physical  conflict  in  the  Northern 
wilds. 

The  continuity  is  difficult,  and  it  is  not 
easy  to  follow  the  slender  thread  of  the  tale. 
The  picture  is  not  rich  in  story  value,  and 
padding  has  been  resorted  to  in  order  that 
the  film  might  attain  feature  length.  Much 
emphasis  has  been  placed  on  details,  rather 
than  the  development  of  plot  and  situation. 

However,  there  is  a  wealth  of  physical  ac- 
tion, Indians,  ranchmen,  fast  riding,  fights 
and  gun-play  which  should  satisfy  the  most 
devoted  lovers  of  Westerns.  And  as  their 
name  is  legion,  no  difficulty  should  be  ex- 
perienced in  securing  satisfactory  patronage 
for  your  showing. 

Meighan  does  all  he  can  with  what  the  di- 
rector has  given  him,  and  certainly  makes  an 
appealing  figure  in  the  habiliments  of  the 
great  open  spaces.  Estelle  Taylor,  as  Mary 
Standish,  has  a  tendency  to  overact  in  her 
portrayal.  The  remainder  of  the  cast  is  en- 
tirely adequate,  with  special  mention  for 
Anna  May  Wong,  who  plays  Keok,  the 
Indian  girl. 

Meighan  has  a  great  following,  and  others 
in  the  cast  are  not  without  their  admirers. 
Play  up  the  names  of  star  and  cast.  Ex- 
ploit the  fact  that  the  film  is  an  adaptation 
of  James  Oliver  Curwood's  story.  "The 
Alaskan"  is  an  attractive  title  of  which  you 
should  make  the  most,  and  the  theme  lends 
itcelf  readily  to  alluring  lobbies,  prologs  and 
ballyG. 


BUFFALO  BILL,  JR.  HAS 

ACTION  AND  THRILLS 

'FAST  AND  FEARLESS,'  Artclass  Pic- 
tures Corp.  Directed  by  Richard  Thorpe. 
Length,  4,600  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Lightning  Bill   Lewis   Buffalo   Bill,  Jr. 

Mary  Brown   Jean  Arthur 

Judge    Brown  William  Turner 

Pedro  Gomez   ...  .  .  .'.Y.'.  .......  ....  George  Magrill 

Captain   Duerta   Julian  Rievro 

Bill  Lewis  is  appointed  Deputy  Sheriff  to  go 
after  Gomez,  a  Mexican  bandit,  and  his  gang,  who 
have  made  several  successful  hauls  at  a  small  border 
town,  the  bank  being  its  main  objective.  Judge 
Brown  owns  the  bank,  and  Bill,  as  prospective  son- 
in-law  is  anxious  to  prove  his  courage  and  worth, 
Gomez  attempts  to  kidnap  Mary  Brown,  Bill's 
fiancee,  but  is  captured.  However  his  gang  free 
their  leader.  Later,  Bill  again  going  after  the  ban- 
dits, comes  upon  Captain  Duerta  of  the  Mexican 
Rurales  in  battle  with  the  gang.  He  aids  the  cap- 
tain, and  together  after  much  fighting  they  capture 
Gomez.  Bill  marries  Mary  the  next  day  as  origin- 
ally scheduled. 

By  R.  E.  COPELAND 

PAST  AND  FEARLESS"  is  a  fair  pic- 
ture  as  stories  go,  though  it  will  doubt- 
less provide  sufficiently  satisfactory  e  .ter- 
tainment  on  the  average  program.  There 
is  nothing  exceptionally  novel  about  the 
plot,  nor  ingenious  about  its  unfolding  on 
the  screen,  but  there's  enough  action  back 
of  it  all  to  give  the  picture  the  desired  mo- 
mentum. 

At  any  rate  there  is  in  this  film  for  the 
showman  a  regular  Western,  suitable  for 
any  program,  with  the  especial  addition  of 
Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  who  gives  a  good  account 
of  himself,  and  whose  presence  increases  the 
box-office  value  of  the  picture. 

There  is  a  general  appeal  in  all  Wes- 
terns. So  many  folks  like  them.  In  com- 
munities where  this  trend  is  sufficiently  ap- 
parent _  to  the  exhibitor,  the  booking  of 
this   picture  will   find   audience  approval. 

There  is  the  usual  quota  of  riding,  gun 
play,  and  Mexican  atmosphere  in  some  of  the 
scenes  to  attract.  What  little  love  making 
there  is  will  give  sufficiently  romantic 
color  to  the  story  to  enlarge  its  scope  of 
pleased  patrons. 

The  picture  has  some  interesting  out 
door  scenes,  and  shows  a  part  of  the  coun- 
try where  pleasing  vistas  and  broad 
stretches  of  plans  lend  good  background. 

The  capture  of  Gomez,  and  his  later 
release  by  his  gang  affords  some  thrills, 
but  we  think  the  more  interesting  period 
is  when  Captain  Dureta  and  Bill  are  be- 
seiged  in  the  small  town,  and  sharpshoot- 
ers line  up  at  every  doorway  awaiting  their 
attempt  at  escape.  Bill's  earlier  ruse,  when 
he  finds  the  Captain  surrounded  by  the 
bandits  is  quite  interesting.  He  gives  the 
bandits  the  impression  that  the  rescuing 
force  is  larger  than  it  really  is,  for  with 
the  aid  of  his  horse  to  pull  the  triggers  of 
two  guns,  while  he  also  shoots  away  from 
several  places  between  rocks  and  boulders, 
they  are  scared  off. 

Cowboy  types  of  costumed  riders  to- 
gether with  a  sprinkling  of  Mexican  types 
would  be  good  street  ballyhoo,  and  the  ad- 
vertising of  the  looting  of  the  bank  by  the 
bandits,  should  secure  rather  wide  pub- 
licity. Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  too,  is  a  name  that 
especially  well  lends  itself  to  advertising 
purposes,  for  everyone  knew  and  remem- 
bers the  original  possessor  of  that  name. 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SPEEDY  FARCE  COMEDY 

FOR  ANY  HOUSE 

'The  Fast   Worker    Has    No  Dull 
Moments 

'THE  FAST  WORKER.'  Universal-Jewel 
Photoplay.  Adapted  from  George  Barr 
McCutcheon's  Novel,  "Husbands  of  Edith." 
Director,  William  A.  Setter,  Length,  6,896 

Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Brock   t  Reginald  Denny 

Connie   Laura  La  Plante 

Edith   Ethel  Grey  Terry 

Toodles   Muriel    Frances  Dana 

Freddy   Lee  Moran 

Roxbury   Richard  Tucker 

Mrs.    Rodney   Margaret  Campbell 

Kate  Rodney   Betty  Morrisey 

Nurse   Mildred  Vincent 

Mr.   Rodney   John  Steppling 

Mr.  O'Dell  Carney   T.  D.  Crittenden 

Roxbury  Metcroft,  wishing  to  wage  a  _  financial 
war  in  New  York  incognito,  persuades  his  young 
friend  Terry  Brock,  to  assume  his  identity  and  go 
to  Catalina  on  a  vacation.  Roxbury  is  a  family  man, 
his  friend  is  single,  and  Terry  finds  that  he  must 
pose  as  husband  of  Roxbury's  wife,  Edith,  as  well 
as  father  to  their  small  daughter.  Edith's  sister  ac- 
companies them  on  the  trip  and  Terry  falls  in  love 
with  her.  Gossips  at  the  resort  discover  this,  a 
scandal  breaks,  which  forces  an  investigation  by  the 
hotel  management.  After  many  wild  adventures 
Terry  escapes  from  his  troubles  and  wins  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

A RATTLING  farce  comedy,  full  of  gin- 
ger and  fast  action,  without  a  dull  mo- 
ment in  the  whole  seven  reels,  "The 
Fast  Worker"  registers  as  one  of  the  best 
laugh-makers  turned  out  under  the  Jewel 
brand.  It's  a  good  audience  picture,  fit  for 
any  house  and  sure  to  swell  the  box-office 
receipts. 

It  is  not  often  that  you  run  across  a  com- 
edy with  so  many  trenchant  thrills  packed 
in  along  with  the  humor  stuff.  Of  course  the 
plot  won't  stand  severe  analyzing,  it's  the 
kind  of  thing  that's  merely  meant  to  amuse 
and  not  to  be  taken  seriously  at  any  stage. 
But  it's  mighty  enjoyable  entertainment,  just 
the  same. 

The  fun  starts  bright  and  early  aboard  the 
train,  with  the  hero  getting  into  all  sorts  of 
dizzy  complications  in  dining  car  and  com- 
partment, as  he  plays  the,  to  him,  unfamiliar 
part  of  hubby  and  papa.  By  falling  in  love 
with  the  wife's  sister  he  tangles  matters  up 
all  the  more,  and  when  they  arrive  in  Cali- 
fornia and  take  up  quarters  at  a  hotel,  the 
good-natured  Brock's  difficulties  increase 
enormously. 

Director  William  A.  Seiter  deserves  hearty 
congratulations  on  his  skill  in  handling  the 
fantastic  situations  which  arise  as  a  result 
of  the  hero's  assumption  of  his  married  pal's 
Identity.  None  of  these  is  suggestive  in  the 
slightest  degree,  in  fact  the  entire  comedy  is 
as  clean  and  wholesome  at  it  is  amusing. 
There  is  never  a  hitch  in  the  action,  perfect 
continuity  is  developed  and  maintained  from 
the  first  to  the  final  reel. 

Some  of  the  best  scenes  are  those  dealing 
with  the  annoyances  to  which  Brock  is  sub- 
'  jected  by  his  supposed  little  daughter,  a 
properly  impish  being,  who  works  overtime 
making  things  lively  for  him.  The  picture 
winds  up  with  an  auto  chase  which  is  fairly 
loaded  with  pungent  thrills,  and  a  happy 
climax  is  attained. 

The  photography  includes  some  beautiful 
■Catalina  Island  views  and  other  striking  ex- 
teriors, the  interiors  are  well  filmed,  deep 
sets  being  utilized  with  good  effect  and  ex- 
cellent lighting  prevails. 

Reginald  Denny  has  never  appeared  to 
better  advantage  than  in  the  role  of  Brock, 
Laura  La  Plante  is  a  most  bewitching  hero- 
ine and  Ethel  Grey  Terry  plays  the  wife  in 
capable  fashion.  The  support  is  all  that 
could  be  desired. 

You  can  exploit  this  as  a  farce  comedy  of 
the  finest  calibre.  Play  up  Reginald  Denny, 
Laura  La  Plante  and  Ethel  Grey  Terry, 
and  stress  the  complications  arising  in  the 
case  of  a  single  youth  passing  himself  off 
as  a  married  man. 


'FEET  OF  CLAY'  A 

BRILLIANT  SPECTACLE 

Typical  Cecil  De  Mille   Film    Is  an 
Artistic  Delight 

'FEET  OF  CLAY.'  Paramount  Photoplay. 
Author,  Margaret  Tuttle.  Director,  Cecil 
B.  deMille.    Length  9,746  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Amy  Loring   Vera  Reynolds 

Kerry   Harlan   Rod   La  Rocque 

Tong  Channing   Ricardo  Cortez 

Dr.  Fergus  i^ansell   Robeit  Edeson 

Bertha  Lansell   Ju™a  Faye 

Bendick   Theodo.e  Kosloff 

Bookkeeper   Victor  Varconi 

Kerry  Harlan,  young  efficiency  engineer,  and  Tony 
Channing,  wealthy  idler,  are  rivals  for  the  hand 
of  Amy  Loring.  Kerry's  foot  is  injured  by  a  shark 
at  a  beach  resort.  Amy  marries  him,  and  as  he  is 
unable  to  work,  gets  a  job  as  mannikin  in  a  mo- 
diste emporium.  While  Amy  is  away,  Bertha  Lan- 
sell, wife  of  Kerry's  doctor,  makes  advances  to  him, 
falls  from  a  window  ledge  and  is  killed.  Tony  takes 
advantage  of  the  ensuing  scandal  to  try  to  win 
Amy,  but  she  remains  true  to  Kerry.  Kerry  tries 
to  commit  suicide  with  gas  and  Amy  also  attempts 
to  take  her  own  life,  but  both  are  saved  and  find 
happiness  together. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

AN  up-to-date  society  drama  filmed  with 
scant  regard  for  expense,  a  typical  Ce- 
cil B.  De  Mille  picture,  spectacular  in  the 
extreme,  aflame  with  gorgeous  settings  and 
offering  an  intensely  interesting  plot,  "Feet 
of  Clay"  should  prove  a  great  box-office 
asset  for  big  and  little  houses  alike. 

Viewed  from  the  artistic  standpoint  this 
feature  certainly  deserves  to  be  ranked  in 
the  100  per  cent  class.  The  opening  views 
of  Catalina  Island,  with  aquaplane  races 
and  speed  boats,  girls  riding  surf-boards 
and  all  the  glow  and  glitter  of  festive  life 
at  that  fashionable  watering  resort,  are 
great  scenic  stuff  and  a  big  thrill  is  put 
over  when  the  shark  attacks  the  hero,  and 
his  rival. 

The  society  ball  is  as  unique  and  bril- 
liant an  episode  as  the  screen  has  ever 
known.  Mr.  De  Mille  gives  full  play  to 
his  fancy  here  with  colorful  results  and  the 
women  folk  are  sure  to  enthuse  over  this 
vivid  display  of  handsome  gowns  and 
beautiful  backgrounds.  Also,  they  cannot 
fail  to  exclaim  rapturously  at  the  sight  of 
the  mannikins  in  the  fashion  show,  another 
sequence  warranted  to  captivate  the  femi- 
nine imagination. 

However,  the  director  has  not  sacrificed 
his  story  value  to  the  merely  spectacular, 
for  this  theme  of  the  young  wife  who 
nearly  loses  her  husband  through  her  de- 
votion to  pleasure  is  neatly  worked  out  in 
a  series  of  situations  which  are  remark- 
able for  perfect  continuity  and  heart  ap- 
peal. The  plot  not  only  points  a  good 
moral  but  contains  a  little  of  everything 
in  the  way  of  bright  entertainment,  jazzy 
interludes,  melodramatic  punch  and  love- 
making  of  the  most  ardent  description. 

The  scene  where  Dr.  Lansell  suspects 
the  presence  of  his  wife  in  Kerry's  apart- 
ment, demands  that  he  produce  her  and 
later  finds  her  dead  in  the  courtyard  below, 
where  she  has  fallen  from  the  window  ledge, 
is  tragically  effective,  and  there  is  a  world 
of  pathos  in  the  outlining  of  Harlan's  at- 
tempt at  suicide,  when  Amy  seeks  to  join 
him.  Both  are  saved,  but  by  a  narrow 
margin,  and  the  climax,  showing  the  jour- 
ney of  the  erring  souls  through  the  shades 
of  death,  finally  winning  their  way  back  to 
life,  is  fantastically  impressive. 

Altogether  "Feet  of  Clay"  is  unique  en- 
tertainment and  a  credit  to  all  concerned 
in  its  production.  Vera  Reynolds  is  charm- 
ing and  appealing  in  the  role  of  Amy  Lor- 
ing, Rod  La  Rocque  plays  the  part  of 
Kerry  Harlan  with  dramatic  force  and 
vigor,  Ricardo  Cortez,  as  Channing,  and 
Robert  Edeson,  as  Dr.  Fergus  Lansell, 
Julia  Faye,  as  Bertha,  all  give  excellent 
performances  and  the  support  is  adequate. 

You  can  probably  arrange  a  tie-up  with 
modiste  stores  on  a  fashion  parade. 


'THREE  WOMEN'  IS 

REALISTIC  TRIUMPH 

Strong  Domestic  Drama  Should  Make 
Money  for  Any  Exhibitor 

'THREE  WOMEN.'  Warner  Bros.  Photo- 
play. Author,  K.  Kraley.  Director,  Ernst 
Lubitsch.    Length,  8,200  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jeanne  Wilton   May  McAvoy 

Mabel  Wilton   Pauline  Frederick 

Harriet   Marie  Prevost 

Edmund  Lamont   Lew  Cody 

Fred  Armstrong   Pierre  Gendron 

Mrs.   Armstrong   Mary  Carr 

Fred's    Pal   Raymond  McKee 

Harvey  Craig  Willard  Louis 

Being  broke,  Edmund  Lamont  proposes  to  wed 
Mabel  Wilton,  wealthy  widow.  But  he  becomes  in- 
fatuated with  her  pretty  daughter  Jeanne  and  mar- 
ries the  latter,  meanwhile  carrying  on  a  clandestine 
love  affair  with  Harriet.  Lamont  refuses  to  release 
Jeanne  and  is  shot  and  killed  by  Mrs.  Wilton.  The 
latter  is  tried  and  acquitted.  Jeanne  and  Armstrong, 
a  young  doctor,  are  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

A FINE  box-cffice  attraction  which  should 
make  money  for  the  exhibitor  wherever 
it  is  booked!  This  picture  reveals  Ernst 
Lubitsch  at  his  best  in  the  directorial  field. 
It  is  elaborately  mounted  and  staged,  the 
settings  and  photography  are  perfect  and  the 
entire  production  registers  as  a  society 
drama  of  absorbing  interest,  alive  with  "pep" 
from  start  to  finish. 

There  are  some  very  fine  touches  of  hu- 
man nature  in  this  story,  delicately  handled, 
tense  with  emotional  force -and  thoroughly 
logical.  In  point  of  construction  and  de- 
velopment of  plot  values,  we  are  inclined  to 
consider  "Three  Women"  well  nigh  fault- 
less. While  its  appeal  is  solely  for  adults, 
there  isn't  the  slightest  suggestion  of  coarse- 
ness in  evidence.  Sensational  scenes  there 
are  in  plenty,  but  shaped  with  such  discretion 
as  to  leave  no  opening  for  attack  by  any 
save  the  ultra-prudish. 

The  narrative  begins  with  some  excellent 
comedy  atmosphere,  the  dramatic  interest 
deepening  as  the  reels  unfold.  We  see  the 
unscrupulous  Lamont,  handsome  and  de- 
bonair, a  real  "squire  of  dames,"  winning  the 
affections  of  Mabel  Wilton,  the  rich  young 
widow,  whom  he  abandons  for  her  daughter, 
meanwhile  carrying  on  an  illicit  love  affair 
with  Harriett,  a  dashing  specimen  of  the 
flapper  genus. 

Suspense  grows  in  volume  as  the  story  de- 
velops, working  up  to  a  really  tremendous 
scene,  when  Mrs.  Wilton,  discovering  that 
Lamont  is  involved  with  a  third  woman,  as 
well  as  having  betrayed  her  and  her  daugh- 
ter, shoots  him  dead.  She  is  duly  tried  and 
acquitted  by  a  jury,  and  it  is  needless  to  say 
that  one's  sympathies  are  with  the  defendant 
from  beginning  to  end.  Jeanne  finds  happi- 
ness with  a  youthful  physician  named  Fred 
Armstrong  and  the  picture  finishes  on  a 
cheerful  note,  with  all  domestic  tangles  sat- 
isfactorily smoothed  out. 

The  opening  scenes  of  a  cha'rity  carnival 
are  replete  with  color  and  gorgeous  light- 
ing. Mr.  Lubitsch  is  truly  an  artist  when 
it  comes  to  handling  crowds  and  his  "group- 
ing" effects  are  marvels  of  fine  technique. 
Exteriors  and  interiors  are  filmed  beauti- 
fully, in  fact  the  camera  work  throughout 
could  not  be  improved  in  any  detail. 

May  McAvoy  gives  a  wonderful  perform- 
ance as  heroine  Jeanne,  Pauline  Frederick 
shares  drimatic  honors  with  the  star  in  her 
powerfully  emotional  portrayal  of  Jeanne's 
mother,  Marie  Prevost  plays  the  third  wo- 
man with  brilliant  effect  and  Lew  Cody 
scores  heavily  in  the  many-sided  character 
of  the  philandering  Lamont.  Excellent  sup- 
port is  given  the  principals  by  other  mem- 
bers of  the  cast. 

This  feature  has  an  especial  appeal  for 
women  patrons,  a  fact  which  you  should 
stress  in  your  exploitation.  Play  up  May 
McAvoy,  Pauline  Frederick,  Marie  Prevost 
and  Lew  Cody,  each  of  whom  has  a  strong 
fan-following. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  39 


SOCIETY  DRAMA  HAS 

AUDIENCE  APPEAL 

'Her  Own  Free  WilV  a   Winning  At- 
traction for  All  Theatres 

'HER  OWN  FREE  WILL.'  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corp.  Photoplay.  Author,  Ethel 
M.  Dell.  Director,  Paul  Scardon.  Length, 
5,959  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Nan  Everard   Helene  Chadwick 

Peter  Craddock   Holmes  Herbert 

Jerry  Lister   Allan  Simpson 

Mona    Everard   Violet  Mersereau 

Nan  Everard  contracts  a  loveless  marriage  with 
Peter  Craddock  in  order  to  assist  her  father  finan- 
cially. They  start  oil  a  trip  to  South  America. 
They  meet  with  an  automobile  accident  in  which 
Nan  is  injured.  He  proceeds  on  his  journey,  leaving 
Nan  behind.  She  becomes  involved  with  Jerry 
Lister,  a  former  suitor,  and  refuses  to  rejoin  her 
husband.  Craddock  returns  to  find  her  in  Jerry's 
company.  Nan  goes  to  a  hunting  lodge  with  Jerry 
with  the  intention  of  forcing  Craddock  to  seek  a 
divorce.  He  arrives  at  the  lodge  in  the  nick  of 
time  to  save  her  from  assault  by  her  companion. 
Nan  realizes  that  she  really  loves  her  husband  and 
they  are  reconciled. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A WELL  directed,  handsomely  photo- 
graphed society  drama,  "Her  Own 
Free  Will"  possesses  unfailing  audience 
appeal  and  should  serve  as  a  highly  satis- 
factory box-office  asset  for  all  classes  of 
theatres. 

The  picture  introduces  Helene  Chadwick 
as  a  star  in  her  own  right,  after  having 
played  many  important  roles  in  other  fea- 
tures by  virtue  of  which  she  has  won  many 
admirers.  That  she  is  in  every  way  wor- 
thy of  her  elevation  to  the  ranks  of  star- 
dom is  clearly  proved  by  the  leading  lady's 
successful  portrayal  of  Nan  Everard,  the 
self-willed,  impetuous  heroine  of  the  tale. 

It  is  the  story  of  a  girl  capable  of  self- 
sacrifice,  yet  peculiarly  obstinate  and  de- 
termined to  have  her  own  way  regardless 
of  consequences.  Marrying  Peter  Chad- 
dock  for  purely  practical  reasons,  she  finds 
that  her  hubby  is  no  weakling  and  a  con- 
flict of  wills  ensues,  with  Peter  coming  off 
victor  in  the  long  run. 

The  plot  is  well  worked  up,  admirable 
continuity  being  preserved,  the  settings  are 
elaborate-,  the  interiors  being  marvels  of 
luxuriousness,  there  are  many  charming 
exteriors  and  exquisite  lighting  effects  dis- 
tinguish the  entire  production. 

From  the  start  a  good  deal  of  sympathy 
for  the  husband  is  engendered.  He  is  very 
much  man  and  strikes  one  as  a  decent  sort 
of  chap,  while  the  stubborn  Nan  creates  a 
rather  irritating  impression  at  first.  Yet, 
wilful  as  she  is,  she  radiates  charm  and 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
Peter's  unswerving  determination  to  win 
her  by  hook  or  crook.  A  well  staged  auto 
wreck  is  put  over  in  the  opening  reel 
which  is  sufficiently  thrilling,  and  from 
then  on  the  action  moves  at  a  lively  clip. 

The  dance  at  the  club  is  a  colorful  epi- 
sode in  which  the  heroine  outshines  all  her 
feminine  contemporaries  and  wears  a  crea- 
tion of  the  dressmaker's  art  which  is  sure 
to  bring  gasps  of  admiration  from  the 
women  folks.  In  fact,  Miss  Chadwick's 
handsome  gowns  are  greatly  in  evidence 
all  through  the  film. 

Nan  becomes  involved  with  a  youthful 
admirer,  Jerry  Lister,  demands  a  separation 
from  Peter  and  is  refused  in  no  uncertain 
terms,  this  being  one  of  the  "big  punch" 
situations.  Later,  Peter  follows  her  to  the 
hunting  lodge,  arriving  in  time  to  protect 
her  from  Jerry's  too  amorous  advances, 
thrashes  the  latter  soundly,  and  compells 
Nan  to  adimit  that  she  loved  him  all  the 
time.    A  snappy  and  satisfactory  climax. 

Helene  Chadwick  is  excellent  in  the 
tense  emotional  scenes  which  fall  to  her 
share,  Holmes  Herbert  plays  Peter  Crad- 
dock in  forceful,  clean-cut  style. 

Play  up  Helen  Chadwick  in  exploiting 
this  one.    She  has  a  strong  following. 


CROOK  DRAMA  HAS 

FINE  MYSTERY  ANGLE 

'Cornered?   Strong   in   Suspense  and 
Should  Please  Any  Audience 

'CORNERED.'  Warner  Brothers  Photo- 
play. Adapted  From  Stage  Play  by  Dod- 
son  Mitchell  and  Zelda  Sears.  Director, 
William  Beaudine.    Length,  6,400  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Mary  Brennan   Marie  Prevost 

Margaret   Waring   Marie  Prevost 

Jerry   Rockliffe  Fellowes 

Nick   .•  Raymond  Hatton 

George    Wells  John  Roche 

l^ola   Mulvaney   Cissy  Fitzgerald 

Mrs.   Wells   Vera  Lewis 

Brewster   George  Pearce 

Mrs.    Webster   Ruth  Dwyer 

Updike   Wilfred  Lucas 

Mary  Brennan  is  induced  by  two  crooks  to  pose 
as  heiress  Margaret  Waring,  whom  she  strongly  re- 
sembles. During  Miss  Waring's  absence  Mary  im- 
personates her  at  the  latter's  home.  Just  as  thev 
are  about  to  rob  the  safe  Miss  Waring  unexpectedly 
returns.  She  is  shot  by  one  of  the  crooks,  who 
both  get  away.  Miss  Waring  remains  unconscious. 
Mary  has  fallen  in  love  with  George  Wells,  a  friend 
of  the  heiress,  who  returns  her  affection.  Mary 
bluffs  an  investigating  detective  into  believing  that 
she  is  Miss  Waring.  George  knows  the  truth,  but 
keeps  the  secret.  After  many  complications  it  tran- 
spires that  Mary  is  Miss  Waring's  twin  sister, 
lost  in  childhood.  Matters  are  straightened  out  and 
George  wins  Mary. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A  S  the  stage  play  "Cornered"  had  a  long 
■Q-  and  successful  run  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  screen  version 
will  prove  a  strong  drawing  card  and  lu- 
crative box-office  asset  for  any  theatre 
where  it  is  shown. 

A  well  directed  crook  play  with  a  fas- 
cinating mystery  angle  can  always  be  de- 
pended on  to  please  the  average  movie 
audience  and  Mr.  Beaudine  and  his  cast 
of  talented  players  have  put  this  picture 
across  in  workmanlike  style,  piling  the 
suspense  sky-high  in  a  surge  of  swift  melo- 
dramatic action,  continually  gathering 
strength  and  speed  and  culminating  in  a 
climax  with  dynamic  surprises. 

There's  nothing  obvious  about  the  story. 
From  first  to  last  you  are  kept  guessing 
as  to  what  is  coming  next  and  the  solu- 
tion of  the  mystery  enveloping  the  hero- 
ine's career  is  cleverly  concealed  right  up 
to  the  finish.  A  startling  and  remarkably 
well  staged  situation  is  that  in  which  the 
heiress  returns  unexpectedly  home,  to  be 
confronted  by  her  double  and  shot  by  one 
of  the  crooks  engaged  in  robbing  the  safe. 
From  then  on,  one  thrill  succeeds  another 
as  the  resourceful  Mary  matches  her  wits 
against  the  astute  detective  investigating 
the  trouble  at  the  Waring  home. 

Further  complications  are  caused  by  the 
introduction  of  the  love  affair  which 
springs  up  between  Mary  and  George 
Wells,  a  friend  of  the  woman  she  is  im- 
personating, and  one  of  the  feature's  big 
moments  is  the  discovery  by  Wells  that 
Mary  is  an  imposter.  But  realizing  that 
he  is  in  love  with  her  anyway,  George 
lies  like  a  gentleman,  follows  the  impulses 
of  his  heart,  and  all  comes  right  in  the 
long  run. 

The  photography  throughout  is  excel- 
lent, exteriors  and  interiors  are  splendidly 
filmed  and  superb  lighting  prevails.  Marie 
Prevost  plays  the  dual  role  of  Mary  Bren- 
nan and  Miss  Waring  like  the  finished  ar- 
tiste that  she  is,  a  really  fine  performance. 
John  Roache  is  a  most  likeable  lover, 
Rockliffe  Fellowes  and  Raymond  Hat- 
ton  are  immense  as  the  two  designing 
crooks  and  Wilfred  Lucas  registers  as  an 
unusually  canny  sleuth  in  the  part  of  de- 
tective Updike. 

You  can  advertise  this  as  a  crook  melo- 
drama and  your  patrons  will  O.  K.  your 
judgment.  Play  up  Marie  Prevost,  Rock- 
liffe Fellowes,  Raymond  Hatton,  John 
Roche  and  Wilfred  Lucas,  all  of  whom 
have  a  strong  fan  following. 


WILL  SERVE  FOR 

PROGRAM  ATTRACTION 

'Measure  of  a  Man  Offers  Lively  Ac- 
tion But  Weak  Plot 

'MEASURE  OF  A  MAN.'  Universal  Pho- 
toplay. Author,  Norman  Duncan.  Direc- 
tor, Arthur  Rosson.    Length,  4,979  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

John    Fairmeadow   William  Desmond 

Jack  Flack   Albert  Smith 

Pale  Peter   Francis  Ford 

Clare   Marin  Sais 

Donald   Bobby  Gordon 

Pattie  Batch   Mary  McAllister 

John  Fairmeadow,  formerly  a  drunkard  and  derelict 
of  New  York  slums,  reforms.  He  becomes  a  lay- 
preacher  and  lands  in  a  Western  lumber  icamp.  As  a 
righting  parson  he  makes  a  hit  with  the  tough  crowd 
and  carries  on  a  movement  for  temperance.  A 
woman  betrayed  by  Jack  Flack  drowns  herself. 
Flack  then  pays  attention  to  an  orphan  girl  in  whom 
Fairmeadow  is  interested.  Fairmeadow  rescues  the 
girl  from  Flack,  at  the  cost  of  a  fight  in  which  he 
worsts  the  villain  and  the  body  of  the  drowned 
woman  is  recovered.  The  latter's  husband  kills 
Flack.     Fairmeadow  and  the  girl  are  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

HIS  picture  will  serve  as  a  program 
attraction  where  a  daily  change  of  bill 
is  scheduled.  It  is  hardly  strong  enough 
to  stand  the  test  of  a  longer  run.  There 
is  plenty  of  melodramatic  action,  but  the 
plot  on  the  whole  is  weak  and  unconvinc- 
ing. 

Director  Rosson  seems  to  have  bent  all 
his  energies  toward  stressing  the  slam-bang 
physical  appeal,  without  caring  whether 
the  situations  appear  logical  or  not.  The 
result  is  a  feature  which  may  please  pa- 
trons who  are  satisfied  with  five  reels  of  a 
more  or  less  hectic  struggle  between  rank 
villainy  and  uncompromising  virtue,  with 
virtue  winning  the  race  by  a  city  block,  as 
is  usual  in  such  cases. 

The  combat  episodes  register  well,  and 
there  are  many  of  them.  Never  has  the 
screen  exploited  a  scrapping  parson  who 
can  use  his  fists  to  such  flaring  advantage 
as  does  the  broad-shouldered,  hard-hitting 
hero  of  this  tale.  By  help  of  his  athletic 
prowess  John  Fairmeadow  thoroughly  con- 
vinces the  lumber  camp  that  he  can  fight 
with  even  more  energy  than  he  can  preach, 
and  consequently  he  whips  'em  all  into 
line  for  a  bold  offensive  against  the 
Demon  Rum,  which  scores  a  decisive  vic- 
tory. 

The  manner  in  which  the  lumberjacks 
abandon  the  whiskey  route  for  the  straight 
water  course  is  more  diverting  than  con- 
vincing, but  fits  in  well  enough  with  the 
balance  of  the  story.  The  director  might 
have  spared  the  smearing-on  of  realism  in 
the  scene  where  the  dead  woman's  body  is 
dragged  out  of  the  dismal  swamp.  A 
corpse,  at  the  best  of  times  is  no  pleasant 
sight,  and  in  this  particular  instance  the 
sad,  slimy  remains  of  the  saloonkeeper's 
spouse  loom  up  hideously  before  the  cam- 
era, leaving  a  peculiarly  disagreeable  im- 
pression behind. 

There  are  some  remarkably  fine  back- 
grounds, the  photography  throughout  is  of 
excellent  quality,  both  closeups  and  long 
shots  being  filmed  with  artistic  skill.  May- 
be some  folks  will  be  able  to  draw  a  moral 
from  the  picture,  but  the  crusade  against 
the  evils  of  strong  drink  is  after  all  merely 
a  side  issue  in  the  narrative's  general 
trend. 

William  Desmond  certainly  earns  his 
salary  in  the  leading  role  of  John  Fair- 
meadow. He  is  always  on  deck,  busier 
than  a  hornet,  staging  scraps  and  rescues 
with  redoubtable  vigor. 

Bill  this  as  a  lively-moving  melo,  stress 
the  point  that  a  man  is  never  down 
and  out  so  badly  that  he  can't  make 
a  come-back.  Play  up  William  Desmond 
as  the  feature. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Biq^  Little  Feature 


FOUR  two  reel  comedies  of  wide- 
ly differing  natures  form  the 
backbone  of  Educational  releas- 
ing schedule  for  October.  These  come- 
dies will  present  such  stars  as  Walter 
Hiers,  Lige  Conley,  Al.  St.  John  and 
Jack  McHugh  in  typical  roles.  Four 
single  reel  comedies  and  novelties  will 
complete  the  program  for  the  month. 

Walter  Hiers  will  make  his  appear- 
ance this  month  in  the  first  of  the  Wal- 
ter Hiers  Comedies 
made  under  the  con- 
tract negotiated  this 
summer  between  the 
rotund  star  and  Edu- 
cational Film  Ex- 
changes, Inc. 

This  comedy, 
"Short  Change,"  will 
be  the  two  reel  re- 
leased for  the  first 
week  of  October.  It 
has  already  had  pre- 
releases showing  in 
several  representative 
theatres,  and  reviews 
and  reports  show  that 
Educational  has  add- 
ed a  valuable  series  to  its  1924-25  pro- 
gram. 

Lige  Conley  will  be  seen  in  "Fast  and 
Furious,"  a  Mermaid  Comedy,  released 
during  the  second  week  of  the  month. 
This  comedy  presents  some  very  thrill- 
ing stunts  in  the  way  of  railway 
smashes  and  narrow  escapes  which  put 
it  distinctly  in  the  comedy-thriller  class. 

Conley  is  supported  by  Ruth  Hiatt, 
Otto  Fries  and  other  well  known  Mer- 
maid comedians,  under  the  direction  of 
Norman  Taurog.  The  single  reel  re- 
lease for  this  week  will  be  "Desert 
Blues,"  with  Cliff  Bowes  and  Virginia 
Vance  in  the  leading  roles. 

"Jim"  Jeffries,  one  time  heavy-weight 
boxing  champion  of  the  world,  has  de- 
cided to  emulate  Jack  Dempsey  and 
Benny  Leonard,  present  champions  in 
the  heavy  and  lightweight  divisions, 
and  will  enter  motion  pictures. 

Jeffries  will  appear  in  the  next  Ed- 
ucational-Larry Semon  Special  Com- 
edy, "Kid  Speed,"  which  will  go  into 
production  in  Los  Angeles  immediately. 
The  one-time  champion  will  be  seen  as 
the  village  blacksmith  in  support  of 
Larry  Semon. 

*    *  * 

Pathe  Releases  "Death  Ray" 
Film 

The  discovery  of  a  death-dealing 
electrical  ray  that  has  astounded  the 
world  has  been  produced  in  pictures 
and  will  be  released  by  Pathe  in  two 
reels. 

Recently  newspapers  over  the  world 


turned  over  page  upon  page  of  publicity 
to  the  discovery  made  by  Dr.  H.  Grin- 
dell  Mathews  of  the  "Death  Ray."  This 
ray  or  stream  of  energy  carries  ac- 
tually an  electric  current  through  the 
air  that  would,  when  developed,  be  able 
to  demolish  armies.  The  production 
which  the  Pathe  Exchanges,  Inc.,  will 
release  consists  of  two  reels  of  material 
taken  in  the  laboratory  of  the  famous 
inventor  and  in  the  field.     The  field 


SHORTS 


Every  foot  on  your  screen  program  must  sell  prestige  for 
your  House.  Each  feature,  long  or  short,  can  build  good 
will  or  otherwise.  Give  the  short  subjects  careful  con- 
sideration and  sufficient  publicity  and  you  will  soon  see 
that  they  carry  a  large  part  of  the  burden  in  attracting 
patronage  to  your  theatre. 


Raymond  McKee  Featured 

Mack  Sennett  has  reversed  the  order 
of  things.  In  the  past,  it  has  been  the 
custom  for  feature-length  producers  to 
seek  talent  in  the  comedy  field,  but  this 
time  Mack  Sennett  has  recruited  his 
talent  from  the  producer  of  feature- 
length  dramas  in  placing  Raymond  Mc- 
Kee in  the  principal  role  of  one  of  his 
latest  productions.  Under  the  super- 
vision of  F.  Richard 
Jones,  Ralph  Ceder 
will  direct  McKee 
who  will  be  support- 
ed by  Billy  Bevan 
and  Alice  Day. 
*    *  * 


work  was  done  with  the  aid  of  the 
British  Government,  English  troops  be- 
ing used  in  the  demonstration. 

Grindell  Mathews  demonstrates  in 
this  remarkable  film  that  he  can  kill  a 
rat  with  the  "Death  Ray"  at  a  distance 
of  over  sixty  feet,  proving  that  even 
in  its  undeveloped  state  the  ray  has  the 
power  of  conducting  an  enormous  cur- 
rent. 

The  repulsing  of  an  air  raid  by 
means  of  the  "Death  Ray"  is  also 
shown  while  considerable  footage  is  de- 
voted to  the  actual  development  of  the 
invention  from  its  inception. 

It  was  during  Grindell  Mathews  re- 
cent visit  of  America  that  the  film  was 

obtained  for  American  distribution. 
*    *  * 

New  Comedy  for  Stan  Laurel 

Word  has  just  reached  the  New 
York  offices  of  the  Selznick  Distribut- 
ing Corporation  of  the  completion  on 
the  coast  of  a  feature  comedy,  called 
"Monsieur  Don't  Care,"  which  is  billed 
as  marking  "the  return  to  the  screen  of 
Rhubarb  Vaseline" 

This  is  the  latest  of  the  Stan  Laurel 
comedies,  with  that  famous  fun-maker 
taking  the  part  of  Vaselino.  Percy 
Pembroke  directed  the  picture  and  Joe 
Rock  produced  and  supervised  it  for 
Standard  Cinema  Corporation,  which 
will  release  it  through  the  Selznick  or- 
ganization. Much  more  than  the  usual 
amount  of  expenditure  and  time  have 
been  taken  in  the  making  of  "Monsieur 
Don't  Care,"  it  is  reported  by  the  pro- 
ducer. 


Hiers  Starts 

New  Comedy 

After  select  ing 
Duane  Thompson  to 
play  the  leading  femi- 
nine role  in  his  sec- 
ond independent  pro- 
duction, Walter  Hiers 
has  started  filming  a 
travesty  on  reducing, 
under  the  direction  of  Scott  Sidney. 
The  entire  series  of  Walter  Hiers 
comedies  will  be  made  at  the  Christie 
studios  and  will  be  released  through 
Educational. 

*  *  * 

Christie  Units  Busy 

Four  huge  comedy  sets  are  utilizing 
all  the  available  space  on  the  Christie 
comedy  lot  at  the  present  time. 

Two  Christie  comedy  units,  headed 
by  Neal  Burns  and  Jimmie  Adams  re- 
spectively, have  started  production  on 
adjoining  sets.  The  Walter  Hiers  unit, 
engaged  in  filming  a  comedy  with  fat 
men,  is  threatening  to  crowd  the  Bob- 
by Vernon  company  out  into  the  street. 

Scott  Sidney,  Harold  Beaudine,  Gil 
Pratt  and  Archie  Mayo  are  engaged  in 

directing  the  four  companies. 

*  *  * 

Marion  Harlan  with  Vernon 

Bobby  Vernon  has  added  another 
leading  lady  to  his  company.  The  new 
star  is  Marion  Harlan,  well  known  in 
picture-land. 

This  will  be  Miss  Harlan's  second 
appearance  on  the  Educational  pro- 
gram. 

*  *  * 

Campbell  New  Director 

William  Campbell,  one  of  the  best 
known  directors  of  children  and  ani- 
mals in  comedy,  will  direct  future  Edu- 
cational-Juvenile Comedies.  He  is  al- 
ready at  work  directing  Jack  McHughr 
in  his  first  comedy  in  this  connection. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  41 


"History  of  Fashions'  in 
Pathe  Review 

The  third  of  the  series  of  feature- 
length  subjects  to  be  released  in  chap- 
ter form  by  the  Pathe  Review  under 
its  new  policy  will  be  "The  History  of 
Fashions." 

Unlike  the  other  two  subjects  this 
feature  will  have  a  distinctly  feminine 
appeal  as  it  traces  the  development  of 
fashion  from  primitive  times  up  to  to- 
day. It  was  produced  entirely  under 
the  supervision  of  Maurice  Kellerman 
of  the  Pathe  camera  staff. 

"The  History  of  Fashions"  has  been 
divided  into  four  chapters,  the  first  of 
which  will  be  released  in  Pathe  Re- 
view No.  43  on  Oct.  26.  It  starts  with 
the  tiger  skin  which  was  the  "piece  de 
resistance"  of  the  cave  woman  and  ends 
with  what  our  flappers  consider  the 
latest  thing  in  clothes.  The  modern 
costumes  were  designed  and  executed 
by  Mme.  Geo,  couturiere  to  Queen 
Marie  of  Roumania,  and  considered 
one  of  the  great  fashion  dictators  in 
Paris.  She  came  to  America  especially 
to  supervise  the  modern  chapter  of 
"The  History  of  Fashions." 

The  other  costumes  in  the  produc- 
tions were  made  from  illustrations  and 
cuts  found  in  old  French  costume 
books,  and  also  from  paintings. 

This  feature,  although  distinctly 
feminine,  should  prove  of  interest  to 
the  people  interested  in  dress  manu- 
facture and  costume  designing. 

*    *  * 

Riesenfeld  Features  Phonofilms 

Dr.  Hugo  Riesenfeld,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  Rivoli  and  Rialto  The- 
atres in  New  York,  is  making  a  big 
feature  this  week  of  the  DeForest 
Phonofilms  in  which  three  presidental 
candidates,  Coolidge,  Davis  and  La  Fol- 
lette  are  shown  and  heard. 

Although  the  DeForest  Corporation 
made  the  three  pictures  with  the  expec- 
tation that  they  be  played  during  three 
consecutive  weeks,  Dr.  Riesenfeld  de- 
cided to  run  them  all  together.  Thus, 
for  the  first  time  in  history,  three  presi- 
dential candidates  are  being  seen  and 
heard  simultaneously  from  the  same 
platform,  presenting  the  issue  of  the 
campaign. 

Dr.  Riesenfeld  considered  these 
Phonofilms  of  such  importance,  that  he 
ran  special  advertisements  in  the  news- 
papers, over  his  own  name,  commend- 
ing them  and  advising  the  public  to  see 
and  hear  them. 

A  tie-up  was  arranged  with  the  New 
York  world  which  newspaper  arranged 
to  take  a  straw-vote  of  every  audience 
during  the  engagement  on  the  prefer- 
ence of  those  present  for  the  presiden- 
cy. The  World  is  devoting  much  space 
this  week  to  announcing  the  results. 


Neal  Burns,  in  Educational's  "Court  Plas- 
ter" has  an    interview    with    the  copper. 


Talley  Denies  Consolidation 

"A  more  ridiculous,  impractical  and 
vicious  proposal  for  the  operation  of 
news  reels  than  that  of  an  'Associated 
Screen  News'  as  reported  and  published 
in  the  press,  has  never  been  advanced. 
The  idea  could  only  have  emanated 
from  an  enemy  of  the  industry,  because 
its  adoption  would  lead  to  only  one 
thing — the  disintegration  and  death  of 
the  news  reel."  says  Truman  H.  Talley, 
Director-in-Chief  of  Fox  News. 

"So  far  as  Fox  News  is  concerned, 
it  has  had  no  part  and  will  take  no  part 
in  any  such  fantastic  and  suicidal  ne- 
gotiations. Publication  of  the  name  of 
Fox  News  as  one  of  the  news  reels 
about  to  be  'brought  together  in  a  com- 
mon field  of  understanding'  was  made 
without  the  knowledge  and  authority 
of  Fox  News,  and  to  such  publica- 
tion the  most  vigorous  denial  possible 
is  given  herewith. 

"The  millions  of  friends  which  Fox 
News  has  throughout  America  and 
the  world  may  count  upon  it  to  remain 
aloof  from  any  such  enterprise,  if  in 


When  Captain  Bacardi  gets  his— in  "Wan- 
dering Waistlines."  A  Mack  Sennett 
comedy,    released    t  h  r  o  u  g  h  Pathe. 


reality  there  is  any  such  enterprise  un- 
der way." 

*    *  * 

Mermaid  Comedies  Increased 
For  Coming  Season 

At  least  one  popular  comedy  star 
besides  Lige  Conley  will  be  seen  in  the 
Mermaid  series  this  year,  and  perhaps 
more.  It  is  likely  that  these  stars  will 
include  one  of  the  best  known  of  wo- 
men comedy  stars,  an  actress  whose 
name  is  a  big  box-office  asset  every- 
where. 

White  is  completing  plans  for  the 
enlarged  Mermaid  program,  and  prob- 
ably will  have  two  separate  units 
working  on  this  group  of  two-reel  sub- 
jects in  a  short  time. 

"No  group  of  fast-action  comedies 
has  ever  proved  more  popular  with  ex- 
hibitors than  the  Mermaid  Comedies," 
said  Mr.  Hammons  in  discussing  the 
greater  Mermaid  plans.  "For  four 
years  they  have  been  steadily  increas- 
ing in  favor  with  showmen  because  of 
their  never  failing  laugh-getting  quali- 
ties and  their  fast  action  and  thrills. 
Each  season  in  the  past  the  series  of 
Mermaids  has  numbered  either  twelve 
or  thirteen.  But  this  year  when  it  be- 
came known  that  the  new  Mermaid 
plans  called  for  thirteen  pictures,  we 
had  such  a  flood  of  requests  from  ex- 
hibitors everywhere  for  more  of  these 
pictures  that  we  had  to  change  our 
plans  to  meet  this  theatre  demand. 

"The  Mermaid  Comedies  will  all  be 
supervised  by  Jack  White,  and  if  his 
many  duties  permit,  it  is  probable  that 
some  of  them  will  be  personally  di- 
rected by  him." 

*  *  * 

Bowes  Out  for  a  While 

Cliff  Bowes,  leading  man  in  Educa- 
tional-Cameo Comedies,  broke  a  finger 
of  his  right  hand  last  week  while  doing 
stunts  in  a  picture.  The  accident  will 
keep  the  comedian  from  in  front  of  a 
camera  for  about  a  month. 

Phil  Dunham  will  appear  in  Cameo 
Comedies  with  Virginia  Vance  during 
the  time  Cliff's  finger  is  in  splints. 

*  *  * 

Lucile  Hutton  In  Century 

Comedy 

Lucile  Hutton  is  working  on  her 
second  production  of  this  season  for 
Century  Comedies.  Her  first  was 
"Uncle's  Reward,"  in  which  Buddy 
Messinger  is  starred  supported  by  Hil- 
liard  Karr  and  Lillian  Worth. 

"Be  Yourself"  is  the  title  of  the  sec- 
ond and  Bert  Roach  is  the  featured 
member  of  the  cast.  Besides  Miss 
Hutton  and  Roach,  the  cast  includes  Al 
Alt  and  the  famous  Century  Follies 
Girls  headed  by  Bessie  Welsh.  Ed- 
ward I.  Luddy  is  directing. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Lost  Dog 

Pathe  2  reels 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spat  and  brother  Am- 
brose, decide  to  try  hotel  life  for  a  while. 
They  have  a  dog  which  they  want  to 
smuggle  into  the  hotel  though  there  is  a 
strict  rule  against  dogs.  They  evade  the 
house  detective  for  a  while  but  later  he 
seems  to  sense  the  presence  of  the  dog 
and  seeks  to  put  it  out.  The  dog  is  lost. 
Later  a  lion,  let  loose,  frightens  the  whole 
hotel,  roaming  at  will.  The  picture  ends 
with  the  little  dog  seemingly  chasing  the 
lion  away. 

This  is  another  one  of  the  Spat  family 
productions,  and  while  the  action  is  con- 
tinuous, the  theme  is  not  necessarily  a 
happy  vehicle  for  this  aggregation.  We 
have  seen  them  far  funnier  than  they  ap- 
pear in  "Lost  Dog." 

However,  just  as  every  silver  lining  has 
a  cloud — or  the  reverse — so  this  picture 
has  some  outstanding  highlights  that  cover 
up  its  general  lack  of  brilliance. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  funniest  seconds  in 
any  comedy  is  that  where  the  house  detec- 
tive of  the  hotel  tries  to  shoo  off  the 
loose  lion,  by  conspicuously  displaying  his 
authority  as  vested  in  him  and  his  badge. 

The  fade-out  too  is  sufficiently  ridicu- 
lous to  be  funny — when  the  little  white 
poodle  dog  barks  and  chases  the  man- 
eating  lion  away  from  the  hotel. 

There  are  many  who  have  followed  the 
various  forerunners  among  the  Spat  come- 
dies and  have  liked  them  sufficiently  well 
to  like  anything  they  offer  in  a  picture. 

Children  are  observed  to  enjoy  the  slap- 
stick quarrels  between  the  Mr.  and  Mrs., 
yet,  by  itself,  we  wouldn't  say  that  this 


particular  two  reeler  has  very  much  to 
offer  the  exhibitor. 

*    *  * 

Wandering  Waistlines 

Pathe  2  reels 

The  hand  of  a  beautiful  young  miss  is 
sought  by  two  deadly  rivals,  who  enter 
into  a  tug  of  war  for  her  favor.  One 
nearly  proves  successful,  but  instead  goes 
over  the  edge  of  a  cliff.  They  continue 
however,  and  train  for  a  regular  fight  sn 
the  squared  ring.  During  a  scrim- 
mage in  canoes  for  the  girl,  one  of 
them  falls  overboard,  and  is  rescued  by 
the  grizzled  sea  captain,  Captain  Bacardi. 
He  elects  himself  Billy's  trainer.  At  the 
last  moment,  they  change  their  plans  and 
the  captain  is  to  meet  both  as  opponents. 
They  both  lose. 

Billy  Bevan  and  Sid  Smith  have  an  ex- 
cellent comedy  in  "Wandering  Waistlines" 
and  indeed  make  as  much  with  it  as  they 
can. 

Many  laughs  punctuate  the  picture- 
throughout,  for  there  is  an  element  of 
simple  stupidity  about  Billy  Bevan  that 
invites  the  laughter.  Madeline  Hurlock  is 
in  the  cast  and  proves,  as  usual,  highly 
decorative  for  the  lady  is  remarkably  at- 
tractive and  fits  the  role  of  vamp  excel- 
lently. 

There  are  many  scenes  in  the  comedy 
that  provoke  more  than  an  ordinary 
chuckle.  When  Sid  Smith  falls  off  the 
cliff,  his  umbrella  parachute  saves  him  an 
awful  bump;  the  prize  fight  scene,  too, 
lends  a  lot  of  action  and  comedy.  Then 
there  is  the  moment  when  a  bear  chases 
Sid  into  the  steam  room  of  Billy's  quar- 
ters.   When  he  first  arrives  he's  a  normal 


good  sized  bear.  Later  after  a  treatment 
in  the  steam  bath,  he  comes  out  a  shrunk- 
en little  bundle  of  fur  very  much  like  a 
cub. 

There  is  worth-while  booking  incentive 
in  this  comedy,  and  with  the  various  ex- 
ploitation possibilities  should  prove  good 
judgment  in  booking.  The  trio  of  names 
in  the  cast  alone  will  bring  the  audiences 
down. 

*  *  * 

Rip  Van  Winkle 

Universal  2  Reels 

Rip,  constantly  tired,  and  lazy,  quarrels 
with  his  wife,  and  with  his  dog  and  gun  goes 
off  to  the  mountains.  There  he  helps  a 
dwarf  roll  a  keg  up  hill,  and  partakes  in 
their  game  of  bowls  later.  He  drinks  some 
of  their  beer  and  goes  to  sleep.  He  awakes 
twenty  years  later  and  on  his  return  to 
his  home  finds  his  children  all  grown 
adults — though  his  wife  has  retained  her 
youth. 

This  two  reeler  is  another  of  the  Hysteri- 
cal History  series,  and  brings  to  the  screen 
some  of  the  popular  legends  about  the 
mythical  character,  Rip. 

Though  greatly  exaggerated  and  bur- 
lesqued most  of  the  elements  of  the  com- 
mon belief  in  the  myth  are  retained,  and 
Charles  Dudley,  playing  the  title  role  does 
it  rather  well  considering. 

The  surprise  of  the  dwarfs  disappearing 
suddenly  into  the  nowhere  is  a  good  bit — 
but  the  funniest  moment  is  just  before  the 
fade-out  when  he  again  meets  his  children 
and  finds  how  they  have  grown. 

These  Hysterical  Histories  are  as  they 
run  rather  fair  comedy,  and  should  be  safe 
booking  for  the  average  house. 

*  *  * 

The  Trouble  Fixer 

Century-Universal  2  Reels 

The  newly  married  pair  travel  off  to 
California  to  build  a  home  on  a  lot  they 
received  for  a  present.  Temporarily,  they 
live  in  a  tent  and  meet  many  difficulties. 
Later  they  have  their  house  completed  and 
are  living  next  door  to  an  old  friend  of 
the  groom's.  The  friend's  father  arrives 
and  thinking  him  to  be  married  wishes  to 
meet  the  wife.  The  bride  next  door  aids 
the  joke  and  poses  as  the  wife.  Later  her 
husband's  uncle  arrives  and  asks  to  see  the 
baby.  They  "borrow"  a  baby  from  a  near- 
by carriage — only  to  find  it  a  dusky  infant. 
In  the  ensuing  difficulties  many  alibis  are 
given.  Even  to  the  passing  herself  off  as 
twins,  does  the  little  bride  stick  manfully 
to  the  task,  until  all  ends  serenely. 

"The  Trouble  Fixer"  has  a  great  many 
complications  that  seem  to  tax  the  fol- 
lower to  the  utmost.  Yet  it  does  this: 
It  gives  Wanda  Wiley  a  real  opportunity 
to  act  funny.  Her  embarrassment  at  being 
found  out  that  she  is  one — and  not  twins — 
is  a  nicely  repressed  bit.  While  as  an 
acrobat  she  hurdles  the  fence  between  the 
homes  with  the  speed  and  precision  of  an 
experienced  athlete. 

There  is  a  funny  mix-up  when  the  baby 
is  asked  for  and  can't  possibly  be  delivered 
— until  Wanda  takes  one  from  a  nearby 
baby  carriage.  Of  course  it  had  to  be  a 
colored  baby  that  she  took  to  show  the 
uncle. 

For  a  feminine  comedian  we  believe 
Wanda  Wiley  will  soon  rank  high,  though 
right  now,  she  rather  is  trying  herself  out 
on  the  screen  but  finding  the  poise  and 
needed  self-confidence,  her  comedies  ought 
to  prove  popular  with  the  adults  and  chil- 
dren both. 


"Should  Landlord's  Live" — is  a  question  well  studied  and  only  Arthur  Stone,  the 
Pathecomedy  star  knows  the  correct  answer.  Here  he  is  trying  to  collect  the  rent 
from    the    flapper    though    dad    seems    ready    to    kill    cn    sight    the  intruder. 


October  4.  1924 


Page  43 


Desert  Blues 


Educational 


1  reel 


Cliff  Bowes,  a  sailor  roaming  the  desert 
of  Egypt  on  a  camel,  comes  upon  the  tent 
of  Professor  Newton  and  his  daughter.  In 
the  neighborhood  is  the  palace  of  Chief 
Alababa,  who  kidnaps  the  girl.  Cliff  with 
the  help  of  three  other  sailors  rescues  the 
miss  to  the  chagrin  and  undoing  of  the 
Chief. 

There  are  some  comedians  who  look  so 
funny  that  is  isn't  difficult  to  get  a  laugh 
out  of  an  audience  by  just  appearing 
natural.  Cliff  Bowes  is  one  of  these  fel- 
lows; when  to  look  simple  takes  no  par- 
ticular intelligence. 

No  particular  stress  is  laid  on  the  "gags" 
in  the  captions  of  this  picture,  nor  would 
one  call  the  action  particularly  humorous — 
though  there  is  just  sufficient  comedy  to 
call  forth  a  scattering  battery  of  laughs — 
though  they  be  fleeting  and  momentary. 

The  palace  of  the  Chief  Alababa,  is  built 
to  resemble  King  Tut's  tomb,  and  there 
are  round  mummies  about  the  place.  The 
mummies  and  the  Professor's  colored  valet 
lend  some  good  moments.  Virginia  Vance 
as  the  daughter  and  the  kidnapped  miss,  is 
adequately  decorative. 

Briefly  the  booking  of  this  comedy 
would  not  prove  disastrous  for  the  exhibi- 
tor, but  frankly  we  have  seen  many  fun- 
nier one  reelers. 

*  *  * 

Court  Plaster 

Christie- Educational  2  reels 

Nullan  Voyd,  a  young  law  clerk,  is  giv- 
en a  summons  to  serve  upon  Doctor 
Brush,  who  is  needed  as  a  witness  in  legal 
action.  The  doctor  has  no  time  to  go  to 
court  and  is  successful  in  evading  service. 
However,  the  process  server  finally 
etherizes  the  doctor  and  brings  him  to 
court  in  time  for  the  case.  But,  all  this 
is  without  avail,  for  the  Judge  and  the 
doctor  are  good  friends,  and  court  is  ad- 
journed to  allow  them  to  play  a  round 
of  golf. 

Neal  Burns,  as  the  law  clerk,  has  a  good 
role  and  makes  the  most  of  it.  He  is  a 
truly  presistent  laugh  creating  summons 
server,  and  though  thrown  out  of  the  hos- 
pital where  he  follows  the  doctor,  sent 
down  the  laundry  chute,  chased  by  police- 
men, and  such,  he  still  sticks  to  his  avowed 
design.  He  knows  he  has  his  job  in  the 
balance — and  is  careful  not  to  loose  it. 

Many  interesting  flashes  of  hospital  ac- 
tivity are  shown  and  the  greater  portion 
of  the  picture  is  centered  about  Neal's  at- 
tempt to  serve  the  paper  on  the  doctor — 
regardless  of  the  doctor's  pending  opera- 
tions. Nevertheless,  after  many  attempts 
to  steer  clear  of  the  policemen,  and  finally 
by  going  into  the  operating  room  in  place 
of  another  patient,  he  secures  a  can  of 
ether  and  a  spray,  using  them  to  good  ad- 
vantage to  bring  the  evading  doctor  to  the 
court  where  he  is  awaited. 

There  are  so  many  laughs  in  this  com- 
edy that  it  would  be  good  business  indeed 
for  any  exhibitor  to  show  "Court  Plaster" 
on  his  screen.  The  public  will  like  it  es- 
pecially as  they  all  have  a  horror  for  the 
hospital,  and  this  picture  seems  to  take 
the  edge  off  that  popular  feeling. 

*  *  * 

News  Reels  in  Brief 

Fox  News,  Vol.  5  No.  102:  Elk  Hills, 
Cal. — Navy  Secretary  Wilbur  inspects  oil 
field  that  led  to  resignation  of  his  prede- 
cessor, Denby,  Chicago,  111. — Future  stage 
stars  in  the  making  —  girls  from  4  to  8 


in  4  two-reel 
Larry  Semon 
Special  Comedies 

BOBBY  VERNON 

in  6  two-reel 
Bobby  Vernon  Comedies 

LIGE  CONLEY 

RUTH  HIATT 

and  others 
in  18  two-reel 
Mermaid  Comedies 

JACK  McHUGH 

and  a  host  of  lovable  kids 
in  6  two-reel 
Juvenile  Comedies 


years  of  age  are 
t  a  u  gh  t  graceful 
dancing.  America, 
the  Polo  cup  from 
Britain  at  Mead- 
owbrook,  L.I.  wins 
Sacramento,  Cal. — 
You  may  not  be- 
lieve it,  but  some 
women  still  wear 
their  hair  long,  130 
compete  for  prize. 
Groome,  Utah.  — ■ 
Please  pass  the 
salt !  Here  it  is, 
'resh  from  Mother 
Earth  gathered  at 
rate  of  30,000  tons 
a  year.  Yukon 
River  —  Reindeer 
meat  for  U.  S. 
narket — vast  Alas- 
kan herds  are 
rounded  up  in  the 
frozen  wasteland. 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. — 
Tilly  Brooks,  sea- 
son's  unbeaten 
trotting  horse, 
wins  $10,000  stake 
at  New  York 
State  Fair. 

International 
News.  No..  78: 
Meaciow  Brook,  L. 
I.  —  Prince  of 
Wales  in  farewell 
public  appearance 
as  U.  S.  team 
clinches  polo  cup 
in  second  and  de- 
ciding contest.  St. 
Paul.  —  Enormous 
crowds  cheer  Le- 
gion veterans  on 
parade.  Thousands 

who  fought  in  the  World  War  march  at  na- 
tional convention.  London  Eng. — "Big  Ben" 
of  London  has  his  face  cleaned.  Daring 
workers  risk  death  to  give  world's  biggest 
clock  much-needed  re-touching.  Boston, 
Mass. — Stern  tests  open  new  college  season. 
The  idea  seems  to  be  that  if  the  boys  live 
through  these  "try-outs"  study  should  seem 
easy.  Taft,  Cal. — Navy  chief  inspects  vast 
oil  reserves.  Secretary  Wilbur  studies  Elk 
Hill  fields  to  make  sure  of  supply  for  fleet. 
Ellensburg,  Wash. — Wild  steers  on  rampage, 
battle  champion  cowboys.  Daring  bulldoggers 
thrown  and  mangled  in  Northwest's  biggest 
rodeo.  Friederichshafen,  Germany. — Inter- 
national news  presents  a  ride  in  the  ZR3 
newest  giant  of  the  skies.  Remarkable  film 
record  of  first  voyage  aboard  dirigible  just 
completed  for  America — photographed  by 
Captain  Ariel  Varget. 

Kinogeam  No.  5015  New  York  Edition  : 
The  Legion  Marches  in  Convention  Parade — 
Minneapolis — Great  review  of  veterans  led 
by  'Commander  Quinn  and  Gen.  Chas.  G. 
Dawes.  Chicago  Welcomes  the  World 
Fliers — Enormous  crowd  of  people  gives 
globe-circlers  wild  greeting  as  they  end  an- 
other stage  of  trip.  Culture  Item  from  the 
Hub — Boston. — Sophomores  at  Northwestern 
show  freshmen  secrets  of  higher  education. 
Republican  Greece  has  Regal  Visitor — Pir- 
aeus— Ras  Taffari,  the  Regent  of  Abyssina, 
arrives  for  visit  at  the  Greek  capitol.  Nootsie 
Likes  Meows  as  Well  as  Bow  wows  Aire- 
dale, lacking  family  of  her  own  adopts  kit- 
tens and  gives  them  good  care.  Blazing  Oil 
Tanks  Bring  Death  and  Ruin — Monterey, 
Cal. — Set  afire,  by  lightning,  gigantic  tanks 
burst ;  six  die,  many  are  hurt.  Navy  Sec- 
retary Sees  Oil  Fields — Bakersfield,  Cal. — ■ 
Mr.  Wilbur  makes  investigation  tour  of 
Naval  oil  reserves.  Removes  Kinks  From 
Gridiron  Warriors — Newton,  Mass. — Major 
Frank  Cavanaugh  puts  Boston  College  can- 
didates through  novel  paces.  The  Prince 
Drinks  from  our  Polo  Cup — Westbury,  N. 


The  Greatest  Line-up 

of  Comedy  Stars 
Ever  Brought  Together 

LARRY  SEMON       LLOYD  HAMILTON 


in  6  two-reel 
Hamilton  Comedies 

WALTER  HIERS 

in  6  two-reel 
Walter  Hiers  Comedies 

AL  ST.  JOHN 

AND  OTHERS 

in  6  two-reel 
Tuxedo  Comedies 

CLIFF  BOWES 

and 

VIRGINIA  VANCE 

in  24  one-reel 
Cameo  Comedies 


JIMMIE  ADAMS  and  NEAL  BURNS 

in  10  two-reel  Christie  Comedies 

AND  FOR  NOVELTY- 

12  one-reel  j3  one-reel 

LYMAN  H.  HOWE'S  EARL  HURD 

HODGE-PODGE  CARTOON  COMEDIES 

KINOGRAMS 

the  news  reel  built  like  a  newspaper.  Issued  twice  a  week. 


'THE  SPICE  OF  THE  PROGRAM" 


Y.- — His  Royal  Highness  attends  second 
match  and  sees  America  clinch  trophy. 

Pathe  News  No.  77 :  New  York  City. — 
One  guess  as  to  what's  it  all  about! — Yes, 
it's  just  a  few  thousand  Americans  in  lower 
Broadway,  trying  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  1.  Windows,  street  posts, 
trolley  cars — every  point  of  vantage  is 
jammed.  2.  lust  imagine  the  cameraman  in 
this  crowd — and  all  they  saw  was  the 
Prince's  car !  Meadow  Brook,  N.  Y. — 
American  polo  champion  gain  !  Historic  Hur- 
lingham  Cup,  international  trophy,  is  won 
for  another  3  years  as  U.  S.  defeats  British 
in  second  game,  14-5.  In  The  Limelight- 
San  Francisco,  Cal. — Navy  completes  $150,- 
000  relief  map  of  California  for  defense 
use — with  the  "Pacific  Fleet"  at  his  finger 
tips  Sec.  Wilbur  can  reach  any  part  of  the 
coast.  New  York  City. — Admiral  Magruder 
says  farewell  to  Lt.  Locatelli — daring  Italian 
flier,  whom  he  rescued  off  Greenland,  sails 
for  home.  Buffalo,  N.  Y. — You  need  not  be 
an  expert  to  hit  the  bull's  eye  with  the 
"flash  -  light  gun" — S.  Cottrell,  inventor, 
shows  how  bullet  follows  ray  of  light. 
Boston,  Mass. — Northwestern  University  un- 
derclassmen have  a  "flag  scrap"  with  lots  of 
scrap — and  a  rope  pull  with  inspiration  a- 
plenty.  Philadelphia,  Pa. — "Miss  America" 
welcomed  home !  City  officials  greet  Miss 
Ruth  Malcomson,  returning  victorious  from 
national  beauty  contes't.  Bunceton,  Mo. — 35,- 
000  greet  Davis  at  mammoth  barbecue — 
people  throng  to  see  Democratic  nominee 
for  President  on  campaign  tour.  Friederich- 
shafen, Germany. — ZR3  meets  prolonged 
tests  in  its  second  flight — giant  dirigible, 
built  for  the  U.  S.  Navy,  responds  perfectly 
in  8-hr.  trip.  Wembley,  England. — Flying 
hoofs  and  cowboy  brawn  invade  again 
England  for  the  first  time !  Pathe  News  pre- 
sents exclusive  pictures  of  America's  great 
Western  sport  featured  at  the  British  Em- 
pire Exposition.  Afton,  Iowa. — Freight 
wreck  ties  up  traffic  on  Burlington  Railroad. 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Dallas  Argument 

In  Dallas,  Texas,  a  settlement  has  been 
made  with  11  down-town  houses  the  larger 
ones  granting  an  increase  of  $5.00  per  week. 
The  Capitol,  Old  Mill  and  Jefferson  stands 
on  increase  of  $2.50.  Other  down-town 
houses  renew  the  old  contract.  For  the 
neighborhood  houses  a  demand  was  made 
for  an  increase  of  $3.00  per  week.  The 
managers  refused  this  and  are  making  an 
effort  to  go  open  shop.  Before  an  operator 
can  go  into  a  booth  in  Dallas  he  must  have 
a  permit  which  is  supposed  to  be  granted 
upon  examination.  All  applications  for  per- 
mits have  been  refused  so  far.  The  sale 
for  the  down-town  houses  is  $50.00  for  the 
better  houses  and  $40  for  the  smaller  ones. 
The  six  day  clause  which  the  operators 
first  asked  for  has  been  eliminated. 

*  *  * 

Policeman  Praised 

Patrolman  James  H.  O'Gorman,  Page 
Boulevard  District,  who  routed  two  would- 
be  robbers  at  William  Goldman's  Kings 
Theatre  and  Garden  on  Monday,  September 
8,  saving  the  Saturday  and  Sunday  receipts 
of  the  house,  has  been  promoted  to  detec- 
tive sergeant  by  the  Board  of  Police  Com- 
missioners as  an  acknowledgment  of  his 
bravery. 

Although  he  was  shot  in  the  hand  by  a 
bullet  from  one  of  the  bandits'  guns,  the 
leaden  ball  knocking  the  plucky  officer's  own 
pistol  from  his  hand,  rendering  the  weapon 
useless,  O'Gorman  battled  on  with  his  night 
stick  and  forced  the  robber  pair  to  flee. 

*  *  * 

Frank  Tabler  Promoted 

Frank  Tabler  has  been  made  general  man- 
ager for  the  Superior  Theatres  Corporation, 
operating  company  for  Hector  M.  E.  Pas- 
zemoglu's  theatres,  the  Congress,  Delmar, 
Criterior,  Plaza  and  Yale.  Tabler  was  St. 
Louis  manager  for  the  old  General  Film 
Corporation,  and  is  very  well  known  in  this 
territory. 


Stevenson  Expanding 

S.  S.  Stevenson,  of  Henderson,  North 
Carolina  is  attracting  much  attention  through- 
out the  Southeastern  territory  by  his  rapid 
acquisition  of  theatres  under  his  policy 
announced  a  year  ago  of  opening  a  string 
of  houses  at  very  low  popular  prices  in  the 
principal  towns  of  the  Carolinas,  and  watch- 
ing him  rapidly  expand,  theatre  and  exchange 
men  are  almost  unanimous  in  admitting  that 
his  announced  policy  is  sound. 

*  *  * 

Albany  Section  Good 

With  exhibitors  even  going  so  far  as  to 
admit  it,  business  at  the  theatres  in  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  as  well  as  the  entire  section,  has  been 
bang  up  this  summer  and  shows  no  signs  of 
a  let  up.  All  of  which  explains  why  Abe 
Stone,  operating  the  Arbor  Hill  and  the 
Delaware  theatres  in  Albany  appeared  last 
week  with  a  new  Jewett  car,  and  while  Harry 
Hellman  of  the  Royal  is  content  with  a 
Cadillac. 

%     *K  ^ 

Costly  Fires 

Fire  destroyed  two  motion  picture  theatres 
in  the  Kansas  City  territory  this  week.  Three 
small  explosions  preceded  a  fire  which  de- 
stroyed the  Vine  Street  theatre,  owned  by 
George  Costo,  Monday,  while  the  Jefferson 
theatre  building,  one  of  the  largest  down- 
town structures  in  Coffeyville,  Kas,  was 
gutted.  The  flames  appeared  to  have  started 
'in  the  balcony  of  the  theatre.  The  theatre 
was  constructed  about  twenty  years  ago.  The 
damage  was  estimated  at  $50,000. 

*  *  * 

No  Albany  Concerts 

In  all  probability  there  will  be  no  symphony 
concerts  on  Saturday  mornings  at  the  Mark 
Strand  theatre  in  Albany  this  coming  winter. 
While  the  decision  to  do  away  with  such 
concerts  by  the  orchestra  is  not  as  yet  final, 
the  fact  that  the  concerts  failed  to  attract 
as  heavily  as  expected  last  spring  is  said  to 
justify  the  management  on  its  decision.  It 
is  also  said  that  soloists  at  the  Troy  and  the 


Mark  Strand  theatres  may  be  dispensed  with 
this  winter,  leaving  the  picture  and  the  or- 
chestra to  provide  the  entertainment. 

Mayfield  Opens 

The  Mayfield  theatre,  a  new  suburban 
house  of  Kansas  City,  located  at  Seventy- 
first  street  and  Prospect  avenue,  opened  its 
doors  last  week  with  a  showing  of  "Between 
Friends,"  a  Vitagraph  production.  The  house 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  700.  It  is  operated 
by  the  Mayfield  Theatre  Company. 

*  *  * 

Mrs.  Knorr  Promoted 

Mrs.  Fred  Knorr  has  been  made  assistant 
manager  and  booker  of  the  F.  B.  O.  ex- 
change in  this  city.  The  promotion  comes  as 
a  recognition  of  the  excellent  service  Mrs. 
Knorr  has  given.  The  sales  staff  was  aug- 
mented last  week  by  F.  E.  Duffy  and  L.  V. 
Rozelle. 

*  *  * 

New  First  Run  Policy  House 

The  Albany  Theatre,  in  Albany,  N.  Y., 
started  in  last  week  as  a  first  run  house.  It 
is  owned  and  operated  by  Samuel  Suckno. 
The  house  will  compete  with  three  other  first 
run  theatres  in  the  city  and  all  located  within 
two  or  three  blocks  of  Mr.  Suckno's  house. 

*  *  * 

Vaudeville  For  State 

The  State  Theatre  in  Utica,  which  has 
been  a  picture  house  has  gone  over  to  vaude- 
ville this  fall. 

Jfc       ^  ^ 

Augello  Expected  Back 

John  Augello,  owner  of  the  Family  Thea- 
tre in  Utica  is  expected  back  early  in  Oc- 
tober from  a  three  months'  trip  abroad. 

•{c      s|c  sjc 

Annual  Outing  Planned 

There  will  be  a  big  crowd  on  hand  at  the 
first  annual  outing  and  clambake  of  the  Al- 
bany Film  Board  of  Trade  and  the  film  sales- 
mens'  association  on  Saturday  afternoon,  Oc- 
tober 4.  The  affair  is  to  take  place  at  Stop 
26  on  the  Schenectady  road. 

Many  exhibitors  will  be  on  hand.  During 
the  afternoon  there  will  be  a  baseball  game 
and  other  events. 

*  *  * 

Addresses  Albany  Film  Board 

Sol  Rogers  of  the  Hays  organization  spoke 
last  week  in  Albany  at  a  luncheon  of  the 
Film  Board  of  Trade  of  that  city.  In  the 
course  of  his  talk  Mr.  Rogers  declared  that 
the  sooner  the  crooked  film  manager  and  the 
crooked  salesmen  were  forced  out  of  the 
business  the  better  it  would  be  for  all  parties 
concerned. 

*  *  * 

Named  Chairman 

Charles  Stombaugh,  manager  of  the  Pathe 
exchange  in  Albany,  has  just  been  named  as 
chairman  of  the  publicity  committee  of  the 
Film  Board  of  Trade  of  that  city.  Mr.  Stom- 
baugh was  a  former  resident  of  Minneapolis. 

Features  Booked 

The  Strand  theatre  in  Massena  announces 
that  it  will  run  super-specials  on  Thursday 
and  Friday  of  each  week,  and  includes  in  the 
list  such  pictures  as  "The  Covered  Wagon," 
"Sea  Hawk,"  "Secrets,"  "The  Ten  Command- 
ments," "Abraham  Lincoln"  and  "Peter 
Pan." 


October  4,  1924 


Page  45 


Construction  Retarded 

A  three  weeks'  delay  in  the  delivery  of 
steel  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  the 
theatre  which  William  Benton  is  erecting  at 
the  present  time  in  Plattsburg  will  probably 
result  in  the  house  not  opening  much  before 
the  fore  part  of  December.  The  theatre  is  a 
large  one  and  is  said  to  be  particularly  beau- 
tiful in  its  interior  decoration. 

*     *  * 

Sunday  Closing  Fight  Continues 

Sam  Bullock  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  con- 
tinues to  give  much  of  his  valuable  time 
to  Ohio  exhibitors  in  their  long  fight 
against  the  Sunday  closing  which  is  being 
furthered  by  the  Lord's  Day  Alliance. 

*  *  * 

Ushers  to  Cooperate 

Ushers  at  the  Mark  Strand  theatre  in  Al- 
bany have  been  asked  to  cooperate  with  the 
management  in  preventing  smoking  from  now 
on  in  the  ladies'  room.  Herman  Vineberg, 
manager  of  the  theatre,  in  a  set  of  rules  for 
ushers,  posted  during  the  past  week,  has 
placed  hi;,  ban  on  manicuring  and  gum  chew- 
ing by  his  ushers.  Violation  of  the  rules  is 
punishable  by  from  one  to  three  days'  sus- 
pension. The  ushers  have  been  asked  not  to 
indulge  in  giggling  nor  to  lean  against  their 
stations  while  on  duty,  and  also  to  prevent 
patrons  from  loud  talking  or  from  spooning 
and  to  report  anyone  seen  changing  their 
seats  more  than  twice  during  a  show.  Mr. 
Vineberg  informed  the  ushers  that  in  his  be- 
lief, the  general  public  rebels  more  against 
discourtesy  and  inattention  on  the  part  of 
ushers  than  against  the  program  itself. 

Olympia  Theatre  Opens 

The  new  Liberty  theatre,  Olympia,  Wash., 
was  formally  opened  on  August  30.  It  is 
equipped  with  full  stage  and  all  necessary 
appointments  for  roadshows  as  well  as  pic- 
tures. Ackerman  &  Harris  vaudeville  and 
pictures  have  been  scheduled.  The  house  is 
under  direction  of  Jensen  &  Von  Herberg, 
and  under  direct  management  of  the  Moore 
Amusement  Co.,  of  Tacoma.  J.  William 
Houck,  who  has  had  considerable  experience 
in  opening  houses,  was  on  hand  to  preside 
over  the  opening  program.  Dancing  was  en- 
joyed on  the  stage,  after  the  show  had  closed. 

*  *  * 
Increase  Admissions 

Advanced  admission  prices  have  just  been 
announced  by  the  management  of  the  Mis- 
souri Theatre,  Grand  boulevard  and  Lucas 
avenue,  St.  Louis'  Paramount  first-run  thea- 
tre.   The  schedule  is  now  in  effect. 

The  new  prices  are :  Night  prices — adults, 
rear  mezzanine  floor,  50  cents ;  lower  floor 
and  front  mezzanine  seats,  65  cents ;  loge 
boxes,  85  cents ;  children,  25  cents.  Matinees 
except  Saturdays  and  Sundays  and  holidays, 
adults,  35  cents;  children,  15  cents.  Satur- 
day matinees — adults,  50  cents.  Sunday 
matinee  same  schedule  as  at  night. 

*  #  * 

Aid  Defense  Plans 

The  theatres  in  Albany,  Troy  and  Schenec- 
tady played  their  part  in  the  Defense  Day 
program  the  past  week  by  responding  to  the 
suggestion  for  the  mayors  that  every  busi- 
ness place  decorate.  Practically  all  of  the 
downtown  houses  responded  while  the 
Lincoln  in  Troy,  going  a  bit  further,  was  one 
of  the  finest  decorated  blocks  in  the  Collar 
City. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Gyp  Artist  Arrested 

The  police  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  have  ap- 
prehended Harry  J.  Murray  wanted  in  St. 
Louis  for  passing  an  alleged  forged  check 
for  $92  on  the  management  of  Hotel  Jef- 
ferson in  this  city,  and  another  forged  check 
for  $210   on   the    Scruggs-Vandervoort  & 


Barney  Dry  Goods  Company,  a  leading  de- 
partment store. 

Murray  is  alleged  to  have  registered  at 
Hotel  Jefferson  several  weeks  ago,  posing 
as  the  advance  agent  for  The  Thief  of  Bag- 
dad which  opened  a  St.  Louis  first-run  in 
St.  Louis  at  the  American  Theatre  three 
weeks  ago.  (It  is  now  in  the  third  week.) 
He  was  lavish  in  his  conversation  and  also 


Sam  Bullock,  Executive  Secretary, 
Cleveland,  Ohio  M.  P.  T.  O.,  active- 
ly opposing  the  Lord's  Day  Alliance. 


with  "passes"  and  then  is  alleged  to  have 
presented  a  check  for  $92  purporting  to  bear 
the  signature  of  the  treasurer  for  the  Doug- 
las Fairbanks  pictures  Corporation,  Holly- 
wood, Cal. 

Before  the  check  was  cleared  by  the  bank 
he  checked  out  for  Memphis,  Tenn.,  and 
from  there  went  to  New  Orleans.  He  was 
traced  to  the  Crescent  City  by  his  trunk. 

%L  ^ 

Rohhers  Fail 

Burglars  who  broke  into  the  Pageant 
Theatre,  5851  Delmar  boulevard,  St.  Louis, 
on  Monday,  September  8,  failed  in  their  ef- 
forts to  open  the  safe  containing  the  Satur- 
day and  Sunday  receipts  of  the  theatre. 
They  broke  off  the  combination  but  the  inner 
door  proved  too  stout  for  them.  The  Pa- 
geant is  operated  by  the  St.  Louis  Amuse- 
ment Company. 

*    *  * 

Thieves  Busy 

Thieves  entered  the  offices  of  Greater 
Features,  Inc.,  Seattle,  Wash.,  last  Thursday 
night,  by  breaking  open  a  rear  door  and  a 
second  door  into  the  main  offices.  They 
dragged  the  safe  into  a  rear  office,  broke 
off  the  combination,  and  scattered  the  con- 
tents about,  obtaining  only  about  $7.50  petty 
cash.  There  were  about  $3,500  in  checks, 
some  of  which  fluttered  into  a  liquid  spilled 
or  emptied  out  by  the  thieves,  which  police 
believe  to  have  been  nitro-glycerin,  to  be 
used  in  case  they  could  not  open  the  safe 
without ;  as  the  fluid  took  all  the  color  out 
of  the  paper  wherever  it  touched.  Police 
believe  the  robbery  an  attempt  to  secure 
valuable  papers,  as  two  ten  dollar  bills  which 
were  among  the  checks,  were  not  taken. 

j(s      sfc  s(c 

W.  L.  Flint,  who  recently  placed  the  man- 
agement of  the  American,  Arlington,  Wash., 
in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Queenie  Batchelder, 
is  remodeling  the  Gem,  which  seats  300.  The 
Gem  will  play  a  good  feature  policy  with 
special  attention  to  lobby  trim. 


Round  Table  Briefs 

Jack  Roth,  manager  of  the  Liberty  theatre, 
Kansas  City,  lost  no  time  in  obtaining  pub- 
licity on  the  fact  that  the  Pathe  reel,  show- 
ing the  arrival  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  was 
brought  to  Kansas  City  by  airplane.  And  the 
result  was  profitable  at  the  box  office. 

*  *  * 

Thomas  L.  Taaffe  has  been  appointed  new 
manager  of  the  Globe  theatre,  Kansas  City, 
by  Louis  Oppenstein,  owner.  Mr.  Taaffe 
was  with  the  Century  theatre,  Kansas  City, 
for  six  years  and  formerly  was  an  amusement 
park  manager  in  Kansas  City.  The  old  pol- 
icy of  the  Globe,  serials  and  first  runs,  will 
be  continued,  Mr.  Taaffe  said. 

*  *  * 

A  new  Independent  film  company,  known 
as  the  Independent  Film  Company,  has  been 
organized  in  Kansas  City  with  Joe  Silver- 
man, former  city  salesman  for  F.  B.  O.,  and 
a  veteran  in  the  industry.  The  new  ex- 
change will  handle  the  Chadwick  Pictures 
Corp.,  product. 

*  *  * 

A  word  of  caution,  pertaining  to  the  ful- 
fillment of  contracts  by  exhibitors  when  re- 
opening theatres,  has  been  issued  by  the 
Kansas  City  film  board  of  Trade,  through 
"Duke"  Wellington,  secretary. 

*  *  * 

The  fact  that  Miss  Fay  Lanphier,  who  re- 
cently was  crowned  "Queen  of  Beauty"  at 
Santa  Cruz,  had  long  hair  was  all  that  was 
necessary  for  the  Liberty  and  Isis  theatres, 
Kansas  City,  where  she  made  personal  ap- 
pearances last  week,  to  obtain  some  valuable 
publicity,  which  was  reflected  at  the  box  of- 
fice. 

*  *  * 

A  junior  orpheum  booking  office  was 
opened  in  Kansas  City  last  week  with  "Jolly" 
Jones,  formerly  with  the  A.  H.  Blank  or- 
ganization in  Omaha,  as  manager.  The  of- 
fice in  Kansas  City  will  serve  Missouri  and 
Kansas  territories,  formerly  handled  in  Chi- 
cago. 

*  *  * 

R.  L.  Ruggles,  formerly  of  Chehalis, 
Wash.,  is  now  manager  of  the  Liberty,  Kelso, 
Wash.    J.  D.  Praggastis  is  owner. 

*  *  * 

Louis  Rosenberg  of  De  Luxe,  is  back  from 
his  honeymoon  in  Southern  California,  and 
has  settled  down  to  work  again.  His  exhib- 
itor friends  are  glad  to  see  that  Louis  has 
at  least  one  foot  on  the  ground  again,  and 
predict  a  return  to  normal. 

*  *  * 

"Little"  Joe  St.  Peter  of  the  Rose  theatre, 
Everett,  Wash.,  is  president  of  the  State  As- 
sociation of  Elks  of  Washington.  He  has 
been  busy  presiding  over  the  twentieth  an- 
nual convention  held  in  Bellingham  this 
week. 

*  % 

Fire  destroyed  $900  worth  of  films  and 
$1,500  worth  of  moving  picture  machinery  in 
the  Gem  Theatre  at  Abiline,  Texas. 

*  *  * 

The  Grand  Theatre,  Shawneetown,  111.,  is 
now  under  the  management  of  Grade  Frields. 
He  intends  to  play  first  run  pictures. 

*  *  * 

Another  house  of  this  nature  is  also 
talked  of  as  becoming  a  picture  house.  It 
is  the  Temple,  Lewiston,  Idaho.  The  stock 
company  which  has  been  there  for  the  sum- 
mer, has  closed  its  engagement  and  gone  to 
the  Auditorium,  Spokane. 

Fred  Mercy,  manager  of  the  Jensen  & 
VonHerberg  interests  in  Yakima,  Wash., 
was  injured  when  the  automobile  in  which 
he  was  riding,  skidded  on  a  wet  pavement, 
hurling  the  machine  into  a  telephone  pole. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trad 2  Review 


Out-of-town  exhibitors  seen  along  Picture 
Row  in  St.  Louis  the  past  week  included : 
Charley  Barber,  Tilden,  111.;  Mrs.  I.  W. 
Rodgers,  Cairo,  111. ;  Oscar  Hoseman,  Pull- 
man Theatre,  Chaffee,  Mo. ;  Jim  Reilly,  Prin- 
cess Theatre,  Alton,  111. ;  Bill  Karstatter,  Co- 
lumbia Theatre,  Columbia,  Mo. ;  N.  C.  Par- 
sons Shelbina,  Mo. ;  Leo  Berstine,  Capitol 
Theatre,  Springfield,  III;  H.  E.  Hoch,  Bar- 
telso,  111 : ;  and  Tom  Reed,  Duquoin,  111. 

*  *  * 

C.  E.  Barber  of  Tilden,  111.,  has  returned 
from  a  visit  to  Hollywood  and  other  points 
on  the  West  Coast.  He  was  gone  about 
two  months. 

*  *  * 

Miss  Bernice  Vocale,  an  inspector  for  the 
local  F.  B.  O.  exchange  is  a  patient  at 
Robert  Koch  Sanitarium,  Koch,  Mo.  She 
suffered  a  breakdown  several  weeks  ago,  and 
it  is  believed  that  the  fresh  air  and  sunshine 
and  good  food  to  be  obtained  at  the  hos- 
pital will  help  her. 

*  *  * 

The  Photoplay  Theatre,  Bluffs,  III,  has 
been  taken  over  by  J.  C.  Welch,  owner-man- 
ager of  the  Rialto  Theatre,  Jacksonville,  111. 

*  *  * 

Jos.  Lynman,  of  the  Princess  Theatre, 
Whitehall,  111.,  has  returned  from  the  Ki- 
wanis  convention  held  in  Galesburg,  111. 

*  *  * 

Among  out-of-town  exhibitors  seen  along 
Kansas  City's  film  row  last  week  were:  W. 
S.  Wilkinson,  Royal,  Hoisington,  Kas. ;  C. 
Terry,  Capitol  Theatre,  Grain  Valley,  Mo. ; 
J.  D.  Wineland,  Empress  Theatre,  Webb 
City,  Mo. ;  H.  Blackwell,  Best  Theatre,  Hen- 
rietta, Mo. ;  Phil  Krieger,  Starberry,  Mo. ; 
E.  W.  McClelland,  Rex  Theatre,  Oilman 
City,  Mo. ;  H.  Thimming,  Stanley  Swan's 
Strand  Theatre,  Salina,  Kas. 

*  *  * 

It  is  reported  that  Putman,  Texas,  opened 
its  new  picture  theatre  a  few  weeks  ago  to 
a  dandy  business. 

*  #  * 

G.  W.  Lloyd  has  recently  opened  his  new 
cinema  theatre  at  Paris.,  Ark. 

$    $  $ 

A  new  motion  picture  theatre  is  now  un- 
der construction  at  Stamford,  Tex. 

^      ^  sjs 

C.  J.  Kremer  has  leased  the  Raabe  Opera 
House  at  Stanton,  Neb.,  and  will  conduct  a 
motion  picture  show  in  same  at  an  early 
date. 

*  *  * 

J.  W.  Davis  has  purchased  the  Jewel  The- 
atre, Doniphan,  Neb.,  and  will  operate  a  first 
class  motion  picture  show. 

The  Strand  Theatre,  a  motion  picture 
house,  at  Stamps,  Ark.,  has  been  destroyed 
by  fire.    It  may  be  rebuilt  at  an  early  date. 

D.  Swanson  is  now  sole  owner  of  the  Isis 
Theatre  at  Holdredge,  Nebr. 

^  ^ 

The  Independent  Film  Service  Co.  Inc., 
will  establish  an  exchange  in  Oklahoma 
City  in  the  very  near  future,  is  the  announce- 
ment of  J.  W.  Williams,  president  of  the 
Corporation. 

M.  S.  White  has  opened  a  poster  house 
for  theatre  advertising  over  the  Phil  Pierce 
Music  Co.,  on  Commerce  Street,  Dallas,  Tex. 
He  will  buy  and  sell  posters  on  all  pictures. 

*  *  * 

A  new  theatre  will  be  opened  at  Lancaster, 
Texas,  in  the  near  future. 

*  *  * 

The  Irving  Theatre  at  Irving,  Texas,  was 
opened  last  week,  to  pleased  capacity  busi- 
ness. 


Manager  Arlidge,  of  Lyric  Theatre  at 
Garland,  Texas,  has  taker,  over  the  Wylie 
Theatre  at  Wylie,  Texas,  and  will  operate 
both  shows. 

<    *  * 

Fred  Cullimore,  recently  with  Goldwyn, 
has  accepted  a  position  with  sales  department 

of  Educational  Pictures  at  Dallas,  Texas. 

*    *  * 

C.  M.  (Pap)  Jagers,  formerly  with  Edu- 
cational Film  Exchange  at  Oklahoma  City, 
has  accepted  appointment  as  salesman  for 
Mid-West  Film  Exchange  at  Dallas,  Texas. 

Robbers  overpowered  Earl  Settle,  Manager 
of  the  Capitol  Theatre  at  Oklahoma  City, 
Okla.,  Sunday  night  and  took  $800.00  in  cur- 
rency from  the  safe  and  made  their  escape, 
leaving  no  clew  as  to  their  identity.  Offi- 
cers are  making  an  investigation. 

Manager  Wm.  Hartford  of  the  Portola 
Theatre,  West  Seattle,  has  announced  a  big 
premiere  opening,  the  occasion  being  the 
formal  dedication  of  a  giant  pipe  organ 
which  has  just  been  installed.  Miss  Adaline 
Kirkman  of  Spokane  will  occupy  the  console. 

*  *  * 

E.  A.  Babcock  will  open  a  new  400  seat 
house  in  Ashland,  Oregon,  this  week. 

*  *  * 

Joe  St.  Peter,  prominent  Everett,  Wash., 
citizen  and  past  president  of  the  state  Elks, 
is  a  Republican  candidate  for  State  Senator 
from  his  district. 

*  *  * 

The  Marlow  theatre  and  the  Antlers,  both 
of  Helena,  Mont.,  have  consolidated.  The 
Antlers  is  owned  by  W.  B.  Hartwig,  and  the 
Marlow  by  the  Ansonia  Amusement  Co. 
which  also  owns  the  Ansonia  in  Butte. 

Hugh  McCredie  of  Portland  has  plans  for 
a  $65,000  suburban  house  and  store  building. 
The  theatre  will  be  of  Italian  architecture 
and  will  seat  750.  It  will  be  of  concrete 
construction  with  tile  and  stucco  exterior. 
Edward  Miller  is  architect. 

*  *  * 

John  Danz  is  said  to  have  bought  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Oak,  at  First  Ave.,  and 


Madison  Street,  Seattle.  The  Oak  was 
formerly  owned  by  H.  A.  Beal.  It  is  a  fam- 
ily vaudeville  and  musical  comedy  house. 
Motion  pictures  are  a  part  of  the  program, 

*  *  * 

The  Star  Theatre,  Leonard,  Mo.,  h?s  been 
taken  over  by  Joe  Vallier. 

There  is  considerable  talk  of  the  Tacoma 
Theatre,  Tacoma,  Wash.,  going  over  to  pic- 
tures this  Fall.  The  house  is  being  exten- 
sively renovated.  It  has  always  been  a  le- 
gitimate theatre. 

*  *  * 

Among  the  out-of-town  exhibitors  in  Kan- 
sas City  exchanges  last  week  were:  Thomas  : 
Brown,  Hippodrome,  Leavenworth,  Kas. ;  G. 
L.  Hopper,  Orpheum  theatre,  Topeka,  Kas. : 
O.  H.  Gregg,  American  theatre,  Sedan,  Kas. : 
W.  M.  Hubble,  Hubble    theatre.  Trenton 
Mo. ;  C.  R.  Wilson,  Liberty  theatre,  Liberty 
Mo. ;  Thomas  McClure,  Winfield,  Kas. ;  C 
A.  Rehm,  Majestic  theatre,  Baxter  Springs.  ' 
Kas.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Wagner,  Inde- 
pendence, Kas.;  C.  M.  Pattee,  Pattee  thea- 
tre,   Lawrence,    Kas. ;    Air    .and    Mrs.  H. 
Christian,  Byers  theatre,  Excelsior  Springs, 
Mo.;  Lee  Gunnison,  Atchison,  Kas. 

*  *  w. 

Orpheum  vaudeville  reopens  in  Seattle  Au- 
gust 17.  According  to  Manager  Carl  Reiter 
the  house  has  been  done  over  extensively  j 
and  a  number  of  innovations  will  be  offered 
patrons.  The  complete  staff  from  last  sea- 
son has  been  retained. 

*  *  * 

G.  E.  Matthews  of  the  Grand  Theatre  at 
Portland,  Ore.,  expects  to  open  his  new 
theatre  at  an  early  date.  Work  is  being 
rushed  rapidly,  on  the  new  house  now  un- 
der construction.  Will  be  modern  through- 
out. 

*  *  * 

George  Herpick,  of  the  Winter  Garden 
Theatre,  Seattle,  Wash.,  leaves  this  week  for 
New  Jersey  where  he  will  spend  a  couple  of 
months  visiting  his  folks.  Mrs.  Herpick 
goes  with  him. 


Two  headliners  in  this  group — Jack  Dempsey  welcomes  prize  winning  Universal 
salesmen  to  New  York.  Left  to  right — H.  N.  Hooper,  Montreal,  Jack  Dempsey, 
Dinky  Dean,  child  screen  star,  S.  C.  Simpson,  Jacksonville,  Frank  le  Due,  Montreal. 


(h  rober  4.  1924 


Page  47 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Some  Essentials  of  Success 


THAT  the  motion  picture  has  pro- 
duced a  new  showmanship  is  ap- 
parent. In  every  city — there  are 
theatres  which  are  the  last  word  in  ele- 
gance and  efficiency  in  operation. 

In  contrast  to  the  individual  efforts 
of  the  theatrical  showman  of  old  we 
find  that  in  each  large  modern  theatre 
the  operation  depends  upon  an  organ- 
ization consisting  of  men  who  special- 
ize in  their  particular  work. 

The  high  standards  of  this  new  show- 
manship have  brought  recognition  to 
the  motion  picture.  These  theatres 
are  recognized  as  being  an  impor- 
tant part  of  the  civic  life  of  their 
communities,  and  the  men  who  oper- 
ate them  are  recognized  citizens  of 
excellent  standing  in  the  community. 

THERE  is  not  a  motion  picture 
theatre  anywhere,  no  matter  how 
small  the  town,  that  cannot  profit  by 
studying  the  operation  of  these  large 
de  luxe  theatres.  Every  man  who 
operates  a  motion  picture  theatre 
has  an  obligation,  not  only  to  him- 
self, but  to  the  entire  industry. 

It  is  important  that  exhibitors 
everywhere  take  an  active  interest  in 
the  public  life  of  their  community. 
There  should  be  theatre  men  on  the 
roster  of  every  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, Rotary,  Kiwanis  and  other 
public  spirited  clubs  or  organizations. 

If  the  motion  picture  is  to  com- 
mand the  respect  and  support  of  all 
the  good  citizens,  every  theatre 
manager  must  realize  the  tremen- 
dous responsibility  that  is  his  in  help- 
ing to  maintain  its  highest  ideals. 

A  great  portion  of  the  public  judge 
a  motion  picture  through  its  adver- 
tising. Therefore  the  real  showman 
realizes  that  the  advertising  his  thea- 
tre does  should  tell  the  public  what 
kind  of  a  theatre  he  operates. 

The  advertising  of  a  theatre  is  its 
mouthpiece. 

He  surely  will  be  careful  not  to  over- 
advertise,  or  to  exaggerate,  because  he 
will  not  cherish  the  idea  that  people  re- 
fer to  his  theatre  as  a  lie.  When  a  the- 
atre manager  exaggerates  in  his  adver- 
tising he  cannot  expect  his  patrons  to 
believe  him  a  second  time.  He  is  not 
building  good  will.  Advertising  is 
more  forceful  and  has  a  tone  of  sin- 
cerity and  enthusiasm  only  when  based 
on  truth.  There  is  no  room  for  mis- 
representation in  modern  showmanship. 

P.  T-  Barnum  is  quoted  as  saying, 
"The  public  like  to  be  humbugged."  As 


As  Specified  by  HAROLD  B.  FRANKLIN 

Director  of  Theatres,  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation 


a  matter  of  fact,  Barnum  himself  did 
not  actually  believe  that,  because  he 
always  gave  more  than  he  advertised. 

MOTION  picture  theatres  through- 
out the  country  are  distinguished 
because  of  the  quality  of  their  service. 
The  word  "courtesy"  applied  to  these 
theatres  really  means  something.  No 


r>  A  R  NUM 

didn't  believe 
it.  And  Barnum 
was  right.  He  said: 
"The  public  likes 
to  be  fooled" — but 
he  always  gave 
them  "the  biggest 
show  on  earth." 
They  got  more  for  their  money  than  they 
expected.  You  can  fool  your  patrons 
once.  But  the  last  laugh  will  be  theirs. 
And  the  joke  will  be  your  box-office  re- 
ceipts. Play  fair.  It  pays.  Harold  B. 
Franklin    says    so.      And    he  knows. 


modern  showmen  can  under-rate  the 
advantage  of  courtesy  in  theatre  ser- 
vice. A  smiling  cashier,  a  courteous 
doorman,  obliging  ushers,  put  the  pa- 
tron in  a  better  frame  of  mind  to  en- 
joy the  show. 

An  efficient  staff  of  employees  lends 
character  to  any  theatre,  and  is  a  de- 
cided asset.  Real  entertainment  is 
possible  only  in  an  atmosphere  of  cheer- 
fulness, and  no  other  business  depends 
so  vitally  for  its  success  upon  the  touch 
of  personal  service  as  does  the  motion 
picture  theatre. 

The  importance  of  a  quality  service 
is  so  great  that  no  theatre  is  small 
enough  to  overlook  it.  A  theatre  em- 
ploying ten  attaches  can  have  as  good 


service  as  a  theatre  employing  one  hun- 
dred. A  theatre's  reputation  for  per- 
fect service  depends  greatly  upon  the 
efficiency  of  its  employees,  because  the 
patron  forms  his  judgment  of  the  man- 
agement through  his  contact  with 
these  attaches. 

It  is  well  for  every  manager  to  make 
his  employees  realize  just  how  much 
the  patrons'  pleasure  depends  upon 
what  he  or  she  can  do,  for  then  their 
work  cannot  help  but  be  taken  up 
with  greater  enthusiasm. 

The  motion  picture  theatre  has 
probably  contributed  more  than  any 
other  agency  in  bringing  to  the  peo- 
ple a  better  appreciation  of  good 
music.  The  large  de  luxe  theatres 
have  attracted  some  of  the  most 
talented  musicians  of  the  country, 
and  these  have  developed  the  syn- 
chronizing of  music  and  pictures  to 
a  fine  art.  These  large  theatres  have 
naturally  exerted  an  influence  for 
much  good  on  the  theatres  in  the 
smaller  community,  so  it  is  general- 
ly admitted  now  that  no  theatre 
should  be  without  good  music. 

No  theatre  need  be  without  good 
music,  no  matter  how  small.  The 
wise  showmen  will  find  that  the  pub- 
lic prefers  one  good  organist  to  an 
orchestra  that  is  mediocre. 

All  showmanship,  in  the  final  an- 
alysis, is  based  on  bringing  together 
the  different  elements  that  make  an 
all-round  entertainment.  It  does 
not  require  exceptional  showman- 
ship to  do  an  enormous  business 
with  an  enormous  picture.  "The 
Covered  W  a  g  o  n"  and  Harold 
Lloyd's  productions,  for  example,  are 
showmanproof . 

These  would  attract  mobs  in  a  tent. 

M Y  idea  of  a  showman  is  one  who 
will  make  people  feel  he  always 
gives  them  a  consistently  good  show  at 
his  theatre.  It  is  not  good  showmanship 
to  sell  a  show  that  costs  one  dollar  for 
seventy-five  cents.  After  all,  the  test 
of  the  showman  is  the  bank  balance. 

The  future  development  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  will  be  with  the 
motion  picture.  Not  with  borrowed 
talent  from  the  stage.  And  as  the  mo- 
tion picture  becomes  greater,  so  will 
showmanship  present  greater  oppor- 
tunity for  men  of  vision  and  ability. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


4 


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James  Cruze's 

PRODU  CTION 

*TH  E  COVERED  WAGON* 

IS  ONE  OF 

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PRODUCED   BY  FAMOUS    PLAYERS  -  LASKY  CORP. 


October  4,  1924 

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Page  49 


|iiimiiimimiiiiimiiiimmimiimiimmmmmmiiiiiiiimiiiiiiim 

I  %ied  and  Proved  Pictures  : 

iiiiHimimiiimimiiiimiimmiimmiimiiiiim 


They  Did  It  Even  In  New  York 


Where  They  Say  They  Have  the 
Hardest  Audiences  to  Please 


IN  the  Broadway  theatres,  now  and 
again,  they  bring  back  to  the  stage 
old  plays,  which  some  time  or  other 
have  been  successful. 

True,  they  bill  them  as  revivals,  and 
say  "By  Public  Request"  yet  to  date 
no  one  has  stepped  forward  acknowl- 
edging the  making  of  the  request. 

The  return  of  plays  five,  ten  and 
even  twenty  years  old  is  hailed  by  many 
as  an  occasion.  Yet  of  late  so  many 
such  revivals  have  been  made  that  it 
has  become  quite  a  common  occurrence. 
At  the  present  time,  "Fashion"  revived 
from  a  period  of  the  late  70's,  offers 
an  outstanding  example. 

If  then  this  practice  holds  good  in 
the  realm  of  the  theatre,  why  shouldn't 
it  be  equally  advisable  in  the  motion 
picture  world.  Particularly  when 
more  material  exists  readily  available 
for  any  who  wish  it. 

The  answer  is,  that  it  is  advisable. 
Further,  many  exhibitors  are  regularly 
cashing  in  on  it. 

You'd  think  that  the  big  town,  first- 
run  picture  houses  would  be  the  last 
place  in  the  world  to  get  the  right  angle 
on  such  revivals  of  old  pictures.  Yet 
even  they,  do  the  unexpected. 

TV/Ti  have  asked  the  opinions  of  sev- 
"  eral  of  the  leading  figures  among 
the  New  York  theatre  directors.  We 
have  sought  actual  figures,  and  atten- 
dance totals — and  we  were  somewhat 
surprised  at  the  results  of  our  in- 
quiries. 

At  the  Capitol  Theatre,  New  York, 
we  learned  that  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion revivals  of  pictures  were  suc- 
cessfully brought  to  their  screen.  For 
example,  after  five  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  premiere  of  "The  Birth  of  a 
Nation,"  they  again  showed  this  fea- 
ture film.    It  was  received  with  accla- 


mation— and  they  were  obliged  to  hold 
it  over  for  a  second  week,  and  during 
its  entire  stay  at  the  Capitol  tremen- 
dous record-breaking  audiences  filled 
the  house  daily. 

AT  another  time,  the  Pola  Negri  pic- 
ture "Passion,"  the  first  American 
screen  appearance  of  this  star,  was  re- 
vived. When  first  booked,  it  was  run 
for  two  weeks.  A  year  later  it  brought 
enthusiastic  approval  for  the  entire 
week  of  its  second  screening. 

What  proved  to  be  possibly  one  of 
this  theatre's  greatest  accomplish- 
ments in  the  line  of  showmanship,  was 
the  revival  of  Charlie  Chaplin's 
"Shoulder  Arms."  One  may  truly  say, 
that  the  whole  city  of  New  York  again 
went  to  see  this  funny  comedy.  And, 
they  all  paid  the  regular  admission, 
too. 

At  the  Rialto  Theatre,  it  was  recalled 
that  revivals  of  pictures  were  brought 
about,  perhaps  more  through  insistent 
demand  on  the  part  of  patrons,  than 
house  policy. 


At  one  time,  they  staged  a  week  of 
revivals  at  this  theatre.  Each  day  some 
other  picture  was  presented,  with  all 
the  accessories  that  originally  accom- 
panied the  showing. 

It  was  called  "Paramount  Festival 
Week,"  and  the  theatre  played  to  re- 
sponsive audiences  indeed.  The  crowd 
waited  for  tickets  for  hours  in  the 
mornings  before  the  house  opened,  and 
the  lines  extended  round  the  corner 
and  down  the  street. 


IN  every  city  some  theatre  can  well 
emulate  the  examples  of  what  the 
New  York  City  houses  do,  though  of 
course  it  is  not  advisable  to  overdo  it. 

While  too  frequent  showings  of  Festi- 
val Week  would  have  spoiled  the  ef- 
fect for  the  Rialto,  yet  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted the  whole  experiment  proved  the 
box-office  value  of  bringing  to  the  sil- 
ver sheet  pictures  with  good  stories  and 
prominent  stars — even  though  the  pic- 
ture had  been  shown  previously. 

This  revival  idea  is  simply  the  "Tried 
and  Proved"  plan  with  fixings. 


During  the  local  showing  of  Metro- Goldwyn's  feature,  "The  Arab"  at  Loew's 
Columbia,  Washington,  D.  C,  an  extensive  window  tie-up  was  arranged  in  con- 
nection with  the  book  stores  of  the  town. 


a„e50  TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 

STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Clever  Novelty 

When  the  Chadwick  production 
"The  Fire  Patrol"  was  booked  into  the 
"Mission"  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  the 
management  realizing  that  they  had  an 
unusual  picture,  decided  to  do  some 
out  of  the  ordinary  advertising. 

A  boat-shaped  automobile  was  secur- 
ed and  signs  arranged  to  let  the  world 
know  that  "The  Fire  Patrol"  was  com- 
ing to  the  "Mission"  and  in  addition  to 
this  arrangements  were  made  whereby 
the  fire  chief  accompanied  the  "boat" 
and  gave  a  series  of  short  talks.  The 
"boat"  was  equipped  with  a  radio  and 
the  results  of  this  clever  exploitation 
showed  at  the  box  office. 

*    *  * 

Hunchback  In  Paree 

While  fifteen  other  pictures  have 
been  shown  by  three  competitors,  "The 
Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame"  continued 
at  the  Marivaux  Theatre  in  Paris.  Ex- 
ploiteer  Joe  Weil  did  the  trick.  He 
worked  through  the  schools  and  the 
newspapers  to  a  greater  extent  than  was 
ever  known  in  France. 

Even  French  magazines  came 
through  in  good  shape  with  free  space 
for  the  picture.  The  Marivaux  put  up 
an  elaborate  front,  cut-outs,  and  fea- 
tured an  oil  painting  the  size  of  a 
24-sheet. 


Cut  Outs 

Manager  Frank  Steffy  of  the  Coli- 
seum Theatre,  Seattle,  got  an  excellent 
display  for  his  commodious  lobby 
through  an  extensive  use  of  cut-outs 
from  the  posters  for  First  National's 
"A  Self-Made  Failure,"  when  that 
comedy  was  screened  in  the  Coast  city. 

He  made  full  and  very  effective  use 
of  the  trim-figured  bathing  girls  fea- 
tured on  the  paper.  The  bathing  girls 
and  other  cut-out  figures  were  used  in 
the  shadow  boxes  at  the  left  and  right 
of  the  lobby.  They  attracted  much  at- 
tention, feminine  as  well  as  masculine. 
The  title  of  the  picture,  on  each  side  of 
the  box  office,  was  made  in  cut-out  let- 
ters highly  illuminated.  The  color 
scheme  was  very  attractive. 

*    *  * 

Making  Posters  Serve  as  Aprons 

At  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.,  an  outing  was 
arranged  by  an  organization  of  picnick- 
ers, and  the  wide  awake  theatre  man- 
ager learned  of  the  affair  in  time  to 
capitalize  it  to  his  advantage. 

He  furnished  the  aprons  worn  by  the 
waiters  who  served  the  fifteen  hundred 
participants — and  these  aprons  carried 
the  announcement  of  the  showing  in  his 
theatre  of  "When  a  Man's  a  Man." 
They  were  practically  the  usual  one- 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


sheet  posters  which  he  had  had  made 
into  aprons. 

Not  only  did  the  members  of  the  out- 
ing learn  of  the  showing  of  the  film  in 
this  way,  but  the  stunt  was  given  wide 
publicity  in  the  daily  newspapers  with 
both  story  and  photograph. 

*  *  * 

Marathon  Race 

The  manager  of  the  Dreamland  the- 
atre, at  Akron,  Ohio,  put  over  a  stunt 
which  in  addition  to  being  very  inex- 
pensive, was  most  effective  in  drawing 
patrons  to  see  Jack  Dempsey  in  his 
"Fight  and  Win"  series. 

The  stunt  was  a  regular  marathon 
race  held  under  the  auspices  of  the 
theatre  and  a  sporting  goods  store.  En- 
trants were  classified  in  two  groups : 
Boys  between  10  and  14  and  boys  be- 
tween 14  and  18. 

Preliminary  runs  were  held  and  later 
a  final  in  which  the  ten  winners  of  the 
entrants  registered  at  the  store  and 
were  given  heralds  in  which  were  the 
series  of  "How  to  Fight  if  You  Have 
To"  articles  by  Jack  Dempsey,  written 
especially  for  the  youth  of  the  country. 

Prizes  were  Dempsey  medals  and 
various  sporting  articles  such  as  bats, 
balls,  gloves,  Dempsey  letters  and  pho- 
tographs of  the  champ.  The  sporting 
goods  store  devoted  one  of  their  win- 
dows to  a  display.  The  stunt  landed 
in  all  the  newspapers  and  a  corking 

good  attendance  at  the  theatre  resulted. 

*  *  * 

Brings  'Em  In 

When  it  comes  to  getting  them  into 
your  theatre,  the  auto  tag  stunt  is  still 
doing  the  trick,  according  to  reports 
from  Houston,  Texas,  where  "The 
Signal  Tower"  showed  at  the  "Rialto" 
theatre. 

The  cards  tied  to  the  steering  wheels 
were  printed  in  black  on  a  bright  red 
background,  and  contained  a  list  of 
ironic  don'ts  which  ended  with :  "Don't 
miss  'The  Signal  Tower,'  let  the  other 
fellow  do  it,"  followed  by  the  theatre 
and  dates  of  the  showing. 

The  management  of  the  theatre  re- 
ported that  the  stunt  pulled  well.  The 
cost  is  very  little  and  distribution  eas- 
ily accomplished. 

*  *  * 

Atmosphere 

LeRoy  Johnson,  "Liberty"  theatre, 
Seattle,  provided  cool  atmosphere  dur- 
ing his  run  of  "The  Chechahcos"  that 
fairly  drew  people  in  off  the  hot  streets 
and  made  them  shiver  with  the  sudden 
cold. 

The  lobby  was  attractive  in  itself, 
but  the  foyer  was  the  masterpiece.  It 
was  completely  banked  with  small  fir 
trees,  whitewashed,  to  give  clever  sem- 
blance of  snow  laden  boughs. 

These  were  hung  with  cotton  icicles. 
Blue  electric  lights  in  the  beautiful 
crystal  foyer  lanterns,  cast  a  cold  snow 
light  over  all.    The  cost  was  negligible. 


Here's  how  they  put  over  a  real  tie-up  in  Ohio.    The  Star  Baking  Company  coop- 
erated with  Loew's  State  Theatre  in  Cleveland,  during  the  showing  of  Mietro- 
Goldwyn's  feature    picture    "Bread."    3500    miniature    loaves    were  distributed. 


October  4,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  51 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Reco  rds 


Universal 

THE  ABYSMAL  BRUTE— 5,845  Book- 
ings. Caveman  Romance.  Reviewed  March 
8.  BECAUSE  Jack  London  has  told  a  story 
with  forcefulness  and  conviction  that  has 
gained  the  picture  unbelievable  success. 

BAVU — 5,157  Bookings.  Foreign  Intrigue. 
Reviewed  Jan.  26.  BECAUSE  there  is  al- 
ways fascination  in  Continental  tales,  and 
this  interesting  play  deals  with  political 
scheming  in  Russia. 

THE  FLAME  OF  LIFE— 5809  Bookings. 
Mine  Tragedy.  Reviewed  March  15.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  a  thriller  that  really  thrills  and 
it  has  found  many  an  audience  on  the  edge 
of  its  seats  and  breathless  when  the  final 
scene  had  been  concluded. 

SPORTING  YOUTH-4,162  Bookings. 
Younger  Set  Story.  Reviewed  Feb.  16. 
BECAUSE  Reginald  Denny  appears  in  this 
dazzling  speed  picture  of  young  America 
stepping  on  the  gas. 

THE  STORM— Over  8,500  Bookings.  Tri- 
angle Melodrama.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outsanding  box- 
office  pictures,  and  continues  to  break  book- 
ing records. 

BAVU— Released  May  7,  1923.  Booked 
3,928  times.  Foreign  Intrigue.  Reviewed 
January  6.  BECAUSE  there  is  a  vague 
for  Russian  entertainment  in  this  country  and 
the  story  is  a  fascinating  one. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR— Released 
June  4,  1923.  Booked  4,241  times.  Baseball 
Romance.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
baseball  fans  throughout  the  country  will  eat 
it  up  and  it's  a  sure  money-maker. 

A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— Released 
September  17,  1923.  Booked  2,410  times. 
Child  Love.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
the  story  is  one  that  goes  straight  to  the 
hearts  of  every  home  loving  audience. 

MERRY-GO-ROUND  —  War  Romance. 
Reviewed  January  19.  BECAUSE  it  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  pictures  of  1923  and 
has  a  wonderful  box  office  record. 

DARLING  OF  NEW  YORK  —  3,881 
Bookings.  Child  Story.  Reviewed  Nov.  10. 
BECAUSE  Baby  Peggy  has  a  great  support- 
ing cast,  and  the  picture  itself  is  a  charming 
combination  of  sunshine  and  shadow. 

FOOLS  HIGHWAY— 3,194  Bookings. 
Lights  and  Loves  of  New  York.  Reviewed 
Mar.  29.  BECAUSE  Mary  Philbin  shines 
as  a  great  star,  and  because  the  story  shows 
New  York  in  the  good  old,  bad  old  days. 

Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 


THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD — Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA— A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  of  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  -voman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 
age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT— One  of  the  bigg  ,t 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

EAST  IS  WEST— A  big  dramatic  photo- 
play made  from  the  sensational  stage  hit. 
BECAUSE  it  has  the  heart  interest,  the  hu- 
mor, romance  and  deft  characterization  that 
the  public  loves,  and  is  acted  with  fine  feeling 
by  Constance  Talmadge. 

ASHES  OF  VENGEANCE— One  of  the 
finest  mediaeval  pictures  ever  made.  Review- 
ed in  October.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  love  ro- 
mance that  everyone  hailed  as  "great"  and 
which  shows  Norma  Talmadge's  complete 
mastery  of  screen  acting. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNING 
—Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22. 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Exploitation  Ideas 

Showmen  Publicity  Schemes  That 
Build  Up  Big  Audiences 


HUNDREDS  of  merchants  window 
tie-ups,  in  all  sections  of  the  city 
were  arranged  in  connection 
with  the  New  York  showing  of  "Bab- 
bitt," the  Warner  Brothers  classic  of 
the  screen,  from  the  novel  of  Sinclair 
Lewis  of  the  same  name.  This  co-op- 
erative advertising  campaign  included 
windows  attractively  dressed  with 
signs,  pictures  of  the  stars  in  the  pic- 
ture and  articles  of  merchandise, 
including  books,  jewelry,  automobiles, 
sporting  goods,  clothing,  shoes,  radio 
sets,  and  perfumes. 

The  Studebaker  automobile  agencies 
on  Broadway  gave  their  entire  windows 
for  life  size  cut-outs  of  Carmel  Myers 
and  Willard  Louis  tying  up  with  their 
cars.  These  two  windows  were  so  at- 
tractively dressed  with  the  new  Twin 
Six  touring  car  and  stills  from  the  pic- 
ture that  all  during  the  day  people 
gathered  in  crowds  before  them. 

The  windows  of  six  Liggetts  Drug 
stores,  on  the  most  congested  corners 
of  the  city,  all  displayed  illustrated 
copies  of  "Babbitt"  with  a  number  of 
pictures  from  the  production. 

Of  all  the  stores  that  co-operated  in 
this  extensive  tie-up  particular  mention 
must  be  made  of  Studebaker  Motors, 
Ligget  Davegas  sport  shop,  Wurlitzer 
music  stores,  Landay's,  Gray's  drug 
store,  Trivers  clothing  shop,  Russek's 
Millinery,  Capitol  jewelry,  Gibraltar 
baggage,  Gropper  baggage,  Palais  Royal 
Shop,  Coin  De  Paris,  Inc.,  Rova  Radio 
Shop,  Radio  Shaks,  and  the  Liberty 


Radio  Corporation.  In  addition,  some 
90  or  more  windows  carried  signs  and 
pictures  mentioning  the  Rivoli  theatre. 

*  *  * 

MORE  SUMMONSES 

"Smiling  Jimmy"  Powers,  manager 
of  the  Bijou  at  New  Haven,  framed  a 
"summons,"  bearing  a  red  seal  and 
rather  legal-looking  type,  and  used  it 
as  a  herald  to  put  over  Paramount's 
"Bluff."  He  served  the  "summons"  on 
hundreds  of  automobiles  parked  down- 
town, then  stood  back  and  watched  the 
expression  of  the  drivers  when  they 
read  it. 

Jim  Flynn  and  Pat  Malloy,  two  of  the 
city's  best  traffic  officers,  finally  picked 
up  one  of  the  summons  and  hastened 
down  to  the  Bijou  and  begged  the  man- 
ager to  let  them  serve  them.  They  per- 
formed the  job  in  a  very  dignified  man- 
ner and  got  a  laugh  every  time.  They 
were  really  helping  Powers  to  put  it 
over,  without  realizing  the  fact. 

It  was  particularly  noticed  however 
that  none  of  those  receiving  the  sum- 
mons threw  it  away  but  placed  it  in  his 
pocket  with  the  apparent  intention  of 
serving  it  on  someone  else ;  and  so  an 
endless  chain  was  forged. 

*  *  * 

POSTAL  TIE-UP 

Uncle  Sam  is  contributing  to  the  vast 
exploitation  campaign  which  Vitagraph 
is  now  planning  for  "Captain  Blood," 
the  picturization  of  Rafael  Sabatini's 
novel. 


The  government  has  just  issued 
a  new  one  cent  stamp  in  honor  of 
the  Huguenot-Walloon  Tercentenary, 
which  marks  the  landing  of  these  new 
world  adventurers  on  American  soil  in 
1624. 

The  government  engraving  shows  one 
of  the  17th  century  galleons  similar  to 
that  used  by  the  buccaneers  of  the 
Spanish  Main  and  which  Captain  Blood 
Commanded  as  the  flagship  of  his  pirate 
fleet.  Vitagraph  purchased  a  million 
one  cent  stamps  and  is  using  them  on 
all  mail  dealing  with  this  picture. 

EXPLOITATION  BOOKLET 

First  National  Pictures,  Inc.,  has  just 
issued  a  forty-one  page  booklet  on  spe- 
cial advance  exploitation  for  "The  Sea 
Hawk!'  It  contains  exploitation  ma- 
terial which  the  exhibitor  will  find  of 
great  value  in  getting  the  picture  prop- 
erly before  his  public. 

Many  of  the  ideas  and  stunts  con- 
tained in  the  booklet  have  been  tried 
out  and  found  successful  in  "The  Sea 
Hawk"  showings.  Hundreds  of  others 
are  new  and  are  offered  as  suggestions 
that  lend  themselves  to  local  adapta- 
tion. 

All  phases  of  exploitation  are  con- 
sidered in  the  booklet  so  that  the  ex- 
hibitor in  the  small  town  and  the  large 
city  alike  may  find  what  he  needs.  Most 
of  the  stunts  outlined  are  inexpensive. 
Some  of  them  will  necessitate  a  little 
expenditure  but  the  results  are  worth 
while. 

Exhibitors  showing  "The  Sea  Hawk" 
should  pay  especial  attention  to  the  tie- 
ups  with  various  nationally  advertised 
products  which  are  listed  in  the  book- 
let and  to  the  commercial  tie-up  possi- 
bilities of  a  long  list  of  stills.  The 
street  ballyhoos  and  the  ideas  advanced 
for  the  decoration  of  the  lobby  form  a 
valuable  part  of  the  book. 


There  are  ways  and  ways  to  exploit  pictures  through  tie-ups.  This  shows  one  effective  manner  of  selling  books  and 
tickets  to  photoplays.   The  display  made  hosts  of  patrons  for  United  Artists'  "Dorothy  Vernon  of  Haddon  Hall." 


BUSTER 

WON 


7a, 


IIL 


/""LIMB  aboard  this 
^— '  schooner  of  hilarity ! 
Buster  (Record  Buster) 
Keaton  has  accounted  for 
thousands  of  laughs  in 
packed  picture  theatres.  Roll 
them  all  into  one ;  then 
you'll  have  some  idea  of 
the  howling  fun  qualities  in 
this  great  comedy. 


Presented  by 

JOSEPH  M.SCHENCK 

directed  by 
DONALD  CRISP 

Story  by 
JEAN  HAVEZ 
JOSEPH  MITCHELL 
CLYDE  BRUCKMAN 


CO  OPERATION 


TAKE  an  audience  slant  at  the  24-sheet  that  adorns 
the  top  of  this  page.  Metro-Goldwyn  got  the 
most  famous  comic  artist  in  America,  John 
Held,  Jr.,  to  make  the  posters  on  Buster  Keaton's 
great  fun  fest  "The  Navigator."  Every  one  of  them 
is  a  laugh  guarantee.  And  Metro-Goldwyn  has  ar- 
ranged a  number  of  national  tie-ups  for  this  tower- 
ing attraction  that  spell  the  last  word  in  money-get- 
ting picture  promotion.  "The  Navigator"  is  one  of 
the  funniest  pictures  ever  made.  The  co-operation 
you  get  to  put  over  this  big  special  production  will 
gladden  the  heart  of  every  showman  in  the  country. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  55 


NATION 


SECTION 


The  Navigator 
Box-Office 


Tosses  You  A 
'Laugh-Buoy' 


Buster  Keaton  Steers  Straight  Course  for 


WHEN  you  show  "The  Naviga- 
tor" you  are  offering  your  pa- 
trons the  commodity  which  the 
world  wants.  You  are  selling  laughter. 
Not  smirks,  or  sly  smiles,  but  good, 
clean  gales  of  merriment  that  will  find 
an  echo  in  the  box-office  receipts. 

Just  tell  the  town  the  treat  you  have 
for  it,  and  there  will  be  no  cause  to 
worry  over  the  pay-box  gross.  Tell 
your  patrons  to  come  and  bring  their 
families,  for  Buster  Keaton,  the  dole- 1 
ful  comedian,  has  arrived  with  a  whole 
ship  load  of  laughter — enough  to  go 
round. 

The  Story 

Buster,  the  "sap"  of  his  family  tree, 
suddenly  determines  to  get  married.  He 
purchases  two  tickets  for  a  lengthy  hon- 
eymoon cruise,  makes  all  his  arrange- 
ments, and  then  sallies  forth  to  propose 
to  the  girl  across  the  street.  He  takes 
his  limousine  for  the  journey. 

Of  course,  she  refuses  him,  and  he 
determines  to  take  the  honeymoon  trip 
by  himself.  And  that  is  where  the  fun 
begins. 

He  blunders  aboard  the  wrong  ship. 
It  is  "The  Navigator,"  and  has  been 
purchased  by  a  little  country  constantly 
torn  by  internal  warfare.  A  band  of 
revolutionists  consider  it  their  patriotic 
duty  to  cut  the  steamer  adrift,  per- 
mitting it  to  float  down  the  tide  to  de- 
struction. 

A  Derelict 

Meantime,  Betsy,  the  girl,  accompan- 
ies her  father,  a  ship-broker,  to  the  pier 
where  "The  Navigator"  lies.  He  is 
promptly  seized  and  bound  bv  the  revo- 


Capacity  Business 

lutionists.  Betsy,  hearing  his  cry,  runs 
down  the  dock  and  aboard  the 
vessel  just  at  it  veers  away  from  its 
moorings  and  starts  downstream. 

Thus  it  happens  that  Buster  and 
Betsy  are  adrift  on  the  otherwise  de- 
serted ship.  Neither  knows  of  the 
other's  presence,  and  for  some  time 
they  manage  to  miss  meeting  one  an- 
other. Finally,  however,  Buster  falls 
down  an  air  shaft  into  the  lap  of  his 
beloved,  and  they  begin  their  adven- 
tures together. 

Varied  Adventures 

Betsy  is  as  helpless  as  Buster.  And 
they  have  a  terrible  time.  They  make 
coffee  with  sea  water,  attempt  to  boil 
eggs  in  immense  caldrons,  open  the 


canned  goods  with  an  axe,  and  accom- 
plish a  hundred  other  ridiculous  feats 
everyone  of  which  is  good  for  a  laugh. 

Then  the  ship  runs  aground  near  a 
cannibal  island,  and  springs  a  leak.  Bus- 
ter dons  a  diving  suit  and  does  the  deep 
sea  act  among  devil-fish  and  other  ma- 
rine monsters.  The  cannibals  board  the 
vessel,  sever  the  air  line,  and  carry  Bet- 
sy ashore. 

From  the  Sea 

However,  they  quickly  release  her, 
when   Buster  walks  nut  nf  thp  sea  in 


the  diver's  suit,  making  a  truly  terrible 
figure.  He  takes  Betsy  in  his  arms, 
walks  back  into  the  ocean,  she  seats 
herself  comfortably  upon  him,  and  pad- 
dles him  back  to  "The  Navigator." 

The  cannibal  forces  rally,  but  are  re- 
pelled by  Buster's  use  of  a  loc  of  sky- 
rockets. Eventually  the  vessel  sinks, 
and  the  couple  are  in  desperate  straits. 
Their  frail  raft  sinks  beneath  them- — 
the  cannibals  are  approaching  from  all 
sides — all  seems  lost,  when  suddenly  a 
submarine  arises  under  their  feet,  and 
rescues  them. 

Rollicking  Comedy 

Such  is  the  story  told  in  the  picture. 
And  it  is  good  for  an  S.  R.  O.  wherever 
folks  love  laughter. 

There  is  just  one  thing  that  you  must 
do.  That  is  let  them  know  that  Bus- 
ter, and  Betsy,  and  "The  Navigator" 
have  arrived  at  your  playhouse. 

This  will  not  be  difficult  for  there  are 
as  many,  and  as  varied,  exploitation 
angles  as  there  are  laughs. 

Sales  at  Sight 

As  soon  as  you  book  the  picture, 
make  arrangements  with  dealers  on  the 
National  Tie-Ups.  Then  write  to  the 
Review  giving  your  playdates  and  in- 
dicating the  number  of  sets  of  win- 
dow display  material  you  will  require 
on  each  nationally  advertised  article. 
These  windows  will  make  sales  at  sight 
— both  for  you  and  for  your  dealer- 
partner.  Play  windows  to  show,  and 
you'll  cash  tickets  at  the  pay-box. 

In  addition  to  the  national  material 
supplied  in  this  section,  there  are  a  host 
of  local  tie-ups  that  are  confined  strict- 

\\7  tn  tVif*  hnmp  tr»wn 


Page  56 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade.  Review 


Buster  Keaton 

Pilots  Box-Office  Winner 


in  Metro-Goldwyn's 
'The  Navigator' 


There  are  lots  of 
fire-works  in  this 
Metro-Goldwyn  film. 
It  is  a  showmanship 
Fourth  of  July. 


Buster's  love  affair  fails  to 
prosper  in  "The  Navigator's" 
early  sequences,  but  the  final 
fadeout  leaves  him  happy  as 
it  will  your  audience. 


The  only  thing  Bus- 
ter and  Betty  can 
cook  up  is  trouble. 
Metro  -  Goldwyn's 
"The  Navigator" 
shows  them  getting 
in  and  out  of  lots  of 
hot  water. 


Buster  poses  in  lat- 
est submarine  styles 
in  Metro-Goldwyn's 
laugh  picture  "The 
Navigator." 


Captain,  cook  and 
crew — Buster  is  the 
whole  works  aboard 
the  good  ship  "Navi- 
gator" in  the  Metro- 
Goldwyn  picture. 


October  4,  1924 


NATIONAL  CT^Jftfj 


Sip 


SECTION 


Page  57 


Line  Up  the  Town    What  They  sefc— They  Buy. 

#  Exploit  Your  Show 

ThrOUgh  Tie-UpS  Through  Many  Windows 


BUSTER  KEATON,  the  lugubri- 
ous laugh  maker,  would  poll  a 
heavy  vote  if  he  ever  ran  for 
office.  He  has  a  host  of  admirers,  and 
every  one  of  them  will  stop  to  look  at 
window  displays  where  stills  of  him  are 
featured.  And  more  than  that — these 
window  shoppers  will  give  preference 
to  the  articles  thus  advertised  under 
glass,  and  will  not  miss  an  opportunity 
to  see  their  favorite  at  your  theatre. 

National  Tie-Ups 

Six  big  national  manufacturers  of 
nationally  advertised  products  are  right 
in  line  to  stage  a  big  co-operative  mer- 
chandising campaign  with  you.  Each 
has  a  wealth  of  attractive  window  dis- 
play material  which  will  be  forwarded 
to  you  in  desired  quantities.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  advise  the  Review  regard- 
ing the  amount  of  material  you  want, 
and  the  dates  upon  which  "The  Navi- 
gator" will  play  your  house. 

Hats 

One  of  the  big  laughs  in  "The  Navi- 
gator" is  caused  by  Buster  promenad- 
ing the  decks  in  a  variety  of  hats.  No 
sooner  does  he  don  one  than  it  is  swept 
unceremoniously  from  his  head  by 
ocean  breezes.  He  never  hesitates  in 
his  deck-march,  however,  but  merely 
reaches  into  his  cabin  for  another 
headpiece. 

There  are  stills  showing  him  in  every 
sort  of  hat  from  straw  to  "topper,"  and 
these  pictures  will  give  you  material  f  or 
a  tie-up  with  some  of  the  town's  most 
prominent  windows. 

In  connection  with  this  possibility, 
the  National  Tie-Up  section  has  se- 
cured you  the  co-operation  of  the  fam- 


You  can  start  plenty  of  exploita- 
tion fireworks  for  your  showing  of 
Metro-Goldwyn's  big  comedy 
number  "The  Navigator."  Still 
No.  90  may  secure  you  many  nov- 
elty windows  if  tied-up  with 
dealers'  display  material  and  clever 
window  cards  selling  their  goods 
and   tickets   for   your  attraction. 


ous  "Society  Club"  hat  manufacturers. 
A  line  to  the  Review,  and  display  ma- 
terial will  be  promptly  forwarded. 

Clothes 

In  the  early  sequences  Buster  ap- 
pears in  several  sorts  of  immaculate  at- 
tire. The  revolutionists  also  are  dress- 
ers de  luxe,  and  there  are  lots  of  pic- 
tures showing  just  what  "the  well 
dressed  man  will  wear." 

For  the  men's  clothing  tie-up  the 
makers  of  the  "G.  G.  G."  line  offer 
their  assistance.  Their  window  display 
material  is  at  your  service.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  indicate  the  number  of 
sets  you  want,  and  give  advice  as  to 
your  "Navigator"  playdates. 

Canned  Goods 

There  are  a  number  of  extremely 
laughable  scenes  in  which  the  young 
couple  prepare  meals  of  tinned  foods. 
Moreover,  the  value  of  such  products 
in  emergencies  and  for  convenience 
may  be  easily  stressed  by  the  use  of 
clever  window  cards. 

There    are    several    products  with 
which  you  may  tie-up  local  food  pur- 
veyors, but  the   National  Tie- 
Up  on  canned  goods  is  with 
"Borden's"    world  known 


product,  preserved  milk.  This  com- 
modity is  in  universal  use,  and  win- 
dows of  "Borden's"  display  material, 
plus  stills  from  the  picture,  and  window 
cards,  will  increase  business  for  you 
and  your  tie-up  partners. 

Heat 

Buster  tries  vainly  to  build  a  fire 
aboard  "The  Navigator"  in  order  to 
prepare  food.  There  are  numerous  pic- 
tures showing  his  efforts.  How  simple 
his  problem  would  have  been  had  there 
been  "Sterno"  canned  heat  in  the  ship's 
culinary  equipment ! 

With  this  thought  in  mind,  the  manu- 
facturers of  the  product  offer  their 
whole-hearted  aid  in  boosting  business 
for  your  show  and  their  dealers  through 
attention-gripping  window  displays.  All 
you  have  to  do  is  to  send  for  the  dis- 
play material. 

Hair  Nets 

Katherine  McGuire,  the  really  beau- 
tiful girl  who  plays  opposite  Buster  in 
"The  Navigator"  has  a  difficult  time  in 
managing  her  golden  tresses.  If  she 
had  known  that  she  was  in  for  an  ocean 
voyage  when  she  boarded  the  deserted 
ship,  she  most  assuredly  would  have 
carried  a  liberal  supply  of  hairnets. 
And  without  doubt  she  would  have  se- 
lected "Venidas" — for  they  "rule  the 
waves." 

The  "  Venida"  people  have  some  very 
attractive  window  dressings,  and  they 
are  yours  for  the  asking.  Just  write 
the  Review  how  many  "Venida"  win- 
dows you  have  arranged  for,  and  don't 


Just  before  the  trouble  began.  This  is  Buster  going  aboard  the  wrong  ship.  Still 
No.  48  offers  tie-ups  with  motor-cars,  accessories,  clothing,  baggage,  lap  robes,  and 
a  variety    of    windows    for    Metro-Goldwyn's    laugh-producer    "The  Navigator." 


Page  58 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  first  meal  prepared  by  "The  Navigator"  castaways  was  not  so  good,  but  still 
No.  154  offers  a  tie-up  with  cutlery  and  utensils  for  Metro-Goldwyn's  production. 


forget  to  mention  your  "Navigator" 
playdates. 

Hair  Tonic 

It  so  happens  that  the  entire  cast  of 
the  picture  are  well  gifted  in  the  matter 
of  hirsute  adornment.  Even  the  can- 
nibals have  the  latest  cannibal  bob. 

You  may  secure  any  number  of 
good,  live,  action  stills  that  will  enable 
you  to  secure  windows  from  barbers, 
beauty  shops  and  druggists. 

Westphal's  "Auxiliator"  has  been  se- 
lected in  this  regard  as  being  one  of 
the  best  known  and  most  popular  of 
these  products.--  The  manufacturers 
have  attractive  window  display  material 
and  will  do  all  in  their  power  to  assist 
you  in  a  publicity  campaign  for  profit. 

Local  Tie-Ups 

In  addition  to  the  six  big  National 
Tie-Ups  there  are  lots  of  others  through 
which  you  may  secure  the  cooperation 
of  merchants  in  local  tie-up  windows. 

In  every  town  there  are  shops  that 
are  closely  identified  with  the  history  of 
the  city.  They  are  institutions,  part  and 
parcel  of  the  daily  life  of  the  city. 

You  cannot  afford  to  overlook  the 
immense  value  to  your  theatre  of  an 
association  with  these  concerns,  and  a 
few  suggestions  along  these  lines,  will 
doubtless  bring  to  mind  others. 

Shoe  Shops 

Buster  Keaton  properly  shod  is  one 
thing.  But  Buster  in  the  ridiculous 
shoes  he  wears  "in  character"  is  an- 
other. There  are  stills  showing  him 
both  ways.  And  one  shows  him  in  the 
act  of  discarding  the  comedy  shoes. 

Doubtless  this  was  because  he  had 
discovered  the  sort  of  footwear  sold 
by  the  shoe  shop  with  which  you  tie-up. 
And  the  other  stills  will  show  how  he 
looks  in  the  local  product. 

Middy  Blouses 

When  Betsy  boards  "The  Navigator" 
she  is  clad  in  evening  wear,  but  this 
filmy  clothing  is  soon  destroyed  and 
during  the  remainder  of  the  picture  she 


is  clad  exclusively  in  white  "middies." 

Thus  you  have  an  opportunity  to 
boost  "middy"  sales  for  the  local  stores, 
while  their  windows  help  ticket  sales 
for  you. 

Women's  Wear 

Stills  of  the  heroine  may  be  used  in 
connection  with  displays  of  women's 
apparel.  Gowns,  shoes,  stockings, 
wraps,  jewels — may  be  tied-up  with 
your  attraction. 

Beauty  shops  may  also  be  enlisted  in 
your  publicity  campaign,  and  Betsy's 
distinctive  hairdress  will  secure  the  co- 
operation of  the  bob  specialists. 

Opticians 

Buster  features  prominently  with 
spy-glasses,  binoculars,  and  other  sea- 
going eye-aids.  Stills  showing  him 
peering  through  them  should  be  suffici- 
ent to  secure  aid  from  the  local  dealers 
carrying  these  commodities. 

Window  cards  advising  folks  to  have 
their  eyes  examined  so  they  will  not 
miss  seeing  every  bit  of  "The  Navi- 
gator" will  have  the  desired  effect. 
Rubber  Goods 

The  shots  showing  terrific  storms — 
rain,  hail,  thunder  and  lightning  should 


be  used  in  dressing  windows  displaying 
rubbers,  rain  coats,  umbrellas,  etc. 

Buster  and  Betsy  are  entirely  un- 
prepared for  the  torrential  downpour 
they  encounter,  and  one  may  tell  from 
their  facial  expressions  that  they  are 
both  devoutly  wishing  for  the  very  sort 
of  rainy  day  wearing  apparel  that  your 
dealer  friend  is  pushing. 

Hardware 

On  board  ship  there  is  everything 
from  ropes  to  anchors.  And  the  best 
part  is  that  there  are  a  number  of  stills 
from  the  picture  showing  6uch  articles. 
Cutlery,  cooking  utensils,  stoves,  rope, 
sharpening  appliances,  tools  of  various 
sorts, — in  fact  everything  that  is  han- 
dled by  ship  chandlers  or  hardware 
dealers  has  found  a  place  in  the  picture. 

Don't  overlook  this  opportunity  to 
secure  a  class  of  windows  which  are 
seldom  logically  tied-up  with  motion 
pictures.  They  will  secure  new  patron- 
age for  you,  new  customers  for  the 
hardware  folks. 

Others 

These  suggestions  for  local  windows 
will  be  sufficient  to  show  you  the  pos- 
sibilities. In  addition  there  are  many 
other  types  which  you  may  secure.  For 
instance,  the  cannibal  islands  are  tropi- 
cal. There  are  monkeys  and  parrots, 
cocoanuts  and  bananas,  palm  trees  and 
so  on.  Plenty  of  material  for  window 
displays. 

Capacity  Business 

There  are  enough  logical  tie-ups  in 
"The  Navigator"  to  clinch  every  win- 
dow in  town.  The  picture  is  a  high- 
ranking  comedy,  the  exploitation  pos- 
sibilities are  a  hundred  percent,  so  you 
have  only  yourself  to  blame  if  you  miss 
doing  capacity  business  for  every  single 
showing  of  the  film. 

Follow  up  the  local  tie-ups  just  as 
earnestly  as  you  do  those  with  national 
manufacturers.  Every  one  of  the  win- 
dows through  which  you  advertise  your 
theatre  and  its  attractions  will  make 
you  more  friends — and  more  money. 


Another  tie-up  still  (No.  222)  for  "The  Navigator"  may  he  used  for  hardware 
windows,  "middy"  dealers,  coal  and  stove  merchants,  and  others  on  Metro's  picture. 


October  4,  1<)24 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Pa^e  59 


Buster's  cot  aboard  "The 
Navigator"  could  scarce 
termed  'a  bed  of  roses,' 
but  still  No.  154  will  en- 
able you  to  tie-up  with 
house  furnishers  and  mer- 
chants in  similar  enter- 
prises for  your  showing  of 
the   Metro-Goldwyn  comedy. 


Travel 

You  may  tie-up  with  travel  bureaus 
with  stills  showing  the  tropical  loveli- 
ness of  the  palm-fringed  isles  to  which 
"The  Navigator"  drifts.  And  there  are 
any  number  of  pictures  which  will  se- 
cure you  windows  from  steamship 
agents. 

Shops  selling  articles  used  en  voyage 
may  also  be  enlisted  in  behalf  of  your 
picture's  overwhelming  success.  There 
are  some  fine  stills  of  traveling  bags, 
steamer  rugs,  deck  chairs — and  all  the 
paraphernalia  associated  with  thoughts 
of  journeying. 


A  cigarette  tie-up  that  will  help  secure  the 
tobacconist's  window  for  your  showing  of 
Metro-Goldwyn's    film    "The  Navigator." 
Still  No.  60. 


Tobacco 

As  "The  Navigator"  naturally  smacks 
of  the  sea,  you  have  an  abundance  of 
stills  showing  both  Buster  and  Betsy  in 
nautical  attire.  There  are  various 
brands  of  tobacco  having  seafaring 
folks  as  trade-marks.  For  instance, 
there  is  "Navy"  cut  plug,  "Players" 
cigarettes,  and  others. 

Still  No.  60  is  only  one  of  several 
which  will  attract  additional  business 
for  the  brands  of  smokes  your  dealer 
wishes  to  sell,  and  at  the  same  time  send 
folks  to  your  show. 

Fruit  Dealers 

In  the  stills  showing  the  cannibal 
islands,  cocoanut  palm  trees  figure 
prominently.  As,  indeed,  do  the  cocoa- 
nuts  themselves.  For  Buster  repels 
boarders  by  hurling  these  tough-skinned 
fruits  at  his  enemies.  This  works  well 
until  a  diminutive  monkey,  copying 
his  own  action,  lays  Buster  low  with  a 
well  directed  shot. 

Yes,  they  have  bananas,  also.  And 
they,  too,  show  in  the  stills.  A  most 
attractive  window  may  be  arranged 
with  a  skilfull  combination  of  the  deal- 
ers' produce,  your  Stills  and  window 
cards.  It  will  be  distinctive.  And  it 
will  attract  attention. 

House  Furnishings 

There  are  some  fine  interior  shots  of 
the  handsomely  appointed  residences  of 
both  Buster  and  Betty — and  there  are 
some  really  humorous  pictures  of  scenes 
aboard  "The  Navigator." 

Still  No.  154  is  one  of  the  latter.  A 


card  explaining  that  no  such  accident 
can  happen  with  Soanso's  beds,  will  ac- 
complish its  purpose  for  both  your 
theatre  and  the  store. 

There  are  stills  showing  beautiful 
furniture,  draperies,  even  bath  fixtures, 
and  every  incident  should  enable  you 
to  secure  additional  windows  through 
which  to  boost  your  product. 

Florists 

Betsy  is  a  flower-like  sort  of  girl,  and 
in  doing  his  brief  courting  Buster  'says 
it  with  flowers'  quite  frequently.  There 
are  stills  of  him  doing  so.    And  they 


Still  No.  153  is  one  of  several  which  may 
be  utilized  to  tie-up  Metro-Goldwyn's  "The 
Navigator"  with  nardware  merchants  or 
canned  goods  dealers. 


Page  60 


NATIONAL  ragO 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Will 

Bring  Cash  Customers 

Ounces  of  Showmanship  that  Will  Bring  Pounds 
of  Patronage  for  "The  Navigator" 


GO  the  limit  on  bally  and  hurrah 
when  you  play  "The  Navigator." 
It  is  a  comedy — a  screamingly 
funny  one,  too — and  any  stunt  that  will 
get  attention,  any  idea  that  will  bring  a 
smile,  is  quite  in  keeping  with  the  spirit 
of  the  film.  Dignity  is  not  necessary. 
The  circus  stuff  will  go. 

Cannibals 

If  you  want  a  real  circus  bally,  why 
not  have  a  regular  old-fashioned  wild 
man  caged  in  the  lobby,  or  featured  in 
a  street  bally.  A  sign,  or  a  barker,  may 
explain  that  he  is  the  cannibal  chief 
captured  by  Buster  Keaton  when  "The 
Navigator"  was 
attacked  in  the 
South  Sea 
Islands. 

The  stunt 
would  be  inex- 
pensive and  ef- 
fective. Wild- 
men  are  easily 
secured,  and 
you  may  do 
your  own  spiel- 
ing. You  will 
be  sure  of  a; 
crowd,  and  a 
laugh  and  an  in- 
creased sale  of 
tickets. 

Sailors 

.  A  street  bally 
of  a  man  and 
girl  clad  in  nau- 
tical togs  ala 
Buster  and 
Betsy,  and  bear- 
ing explanatory 
signs,  will  at- 
tract attention. 
One  of  them  might  carry  a  life-buoy 
marked  "Navigator." 

Throwaways  of  paper  life-buoys 
would  be  unusual  and  interest-arousing. 
Or  you  might  have  them  distribute 
mere  slivers  of  wood,  each  of  which 
would  bear  a  tag  explaining  that  this 
was  one  of  the  bits  of  "The  Navi- 
gator's" mast  to  which  Betsy  and  Bus- 
ter were  clinging  when  rescued. 

Ship 

A  more  elaborate  bally  may  be  ar- 
ranged by  having  an  automobile  fixed 
up  as  a  boat,  mast,  sail  and  all.    A  man 


Some  feat  to  shoe  feet  like  these!  A 
footwear  window  would  be  incomplete 
without  still  No.  152  from  "The  Navi- 
gator."   A  Metro-Goldwyn,  of  course. 


representing  Buster,  may  drive  about 
town,  while  the  girl,  Betsy,  is  in  the 
rear  of  the  boat  distributing  circulars. 

All  you  need  to  make  your  driver 
look  like  Keaton  is  a  replica  of  his 
funny  hat.  Mark  the  vessel  "The 
Navigator."  The  motor-car  may  be 
disguised  by  means  of  canvas.  This 
tie-up  may  help  to  secure  a  car. 

Lobby 

"The  Navigator"  gives  you  every 
chance  in  the  world  to  decorate  a  real 
showmanship  lobby  at  slight  expense. 
There  are  several  ways  to  do  it. 

One  is  to  emulate  the  sea  atmosphere. 

Have  the  ushers 
and  ticket  tak- 
ers appropriate-' 
ly  dressed.  Have 
a  ship's  bell  toll- 
ing, or  an  an- 
chor in  evidence, 
secure  all  the 
articles  you  can 
that  savor  of 
ships  or  ship- 
ping. Coils  of 
rope — a  parrot 
—any  of  the 
m  a  n  y  things 
popularly  con- 
nected with  ves- 
sels and  sailors 
will  suffice. 

Another  way 
would  be  the 
cannibal  island 
atmosphere.  A 
few  palms,  co- 
coanuts,  banan- 
as, parrots,  mon- 
keys, and  simi- 
lar tropical 
things  will  do 
the  trick.  There  should  be  but  trifling- 
expense,  as  arrangements  may  be  made 
with  dealers  for  loans  of  the  articles 
used  in  exchange  for  a  card  or  slide. 

Prologs 

Sea  prologs  will  help  your  presenta-  ■ 
tion.    You  will  be  able- to  think  of  lots 
of  new  ones — er^-to- ring  in-one- of  the 
old  ones  that  has  not  been  utilized. 

It  need  be  nothing  elaborate.  A  good 
bass  singer  rendering  "Asleep  in  the 
Deep,"  or  a  quartette  singing  a  sailor's 
chantey  is  enough.  The  idea  is  to  es- 
tablish the  atmosphere  of  the  picture. 


Buster  looks  in  vain  for  a  showman 
who  can't  make  money  with  Metro- 
Goldwyn's  "The  Navigator,"  and 
offers  an  optical  goods  tie-up  with 
Still  No.  105. 


Passes 

You  might  offer  one  free  pass  to 
each  of  the  first  ten  men  who  present 
Naval  discharge  papers  at  your  box- 
office  at  each  performance. 

Print  the  names  of  the  men  who  have 
been  your  guests.  This  will  add  inter- 
est, and  will  bring  others  into  the  box- 
office  line-up. 

Another  idea  would  be  to  advertise 
free  admission  to  every  sailor  in  uni- 
form. But  this  one  would  scarcely 
prove  profitable  if  your  showhouse  is 
situated  at  Newport  News  or  some 
other  Naval  station. 

Exhibitors'  Aid 

Don't  forget  that  Metro-Goldwyn's 
Supplements,  commonly  called  press 
books,  are  crammed  full  of  exploitation 
advice  emanating  from  the'  fertile  brain 


You  will  have  to  be  as  sound  asleep 
as  Buster  is  in  still  No.  107,  if  you 
fail  to  cheer  for  a  box-office  picture 
such  as  Metro-Goldwyn's  "Naviga- 
tor." 


October  4,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  61 


of  Eddie  Bonns,  Metro's  exploiteer  ex- 
jtraordinary. 

The  suggestions  contained  ,  in  the 
Supplement  are  always  practical,  inex- 
pensive, and  effective.  They  cover 
every  question  that  may  arise  in  the 
showman's  mind,  and  give  the  logical 


money-making  answer. 


Any  exhibitor  who  misses  the  one 
prepared  to  assist  him  in  his  showing  of 
"The  Navigator"  has  either  too  much 
money  or  too  little  showmanship  sense, 
for  he  is  simply  tossing  sure  coin  over 
his  shoulder.  Get  the  Supplement  by 
all  means.    Read  it  and  heed  it. 

Laugh  Contest 

Advertise  that  you  will  present  a 
prize  to  any  man  or  woman  who  can 
see  "The  Navigator"  without  laughing. 
You  can  break  into  the  papers  by 
'framing'  a  winner  of  this  prize. 

Secure  a  picture  of  the  most  sorrow- 
ful, or  grumpy  individual  imaginable, 
and  run  it  with  the  caption  that  this  is 
the  only  person  who  didn't  laugh.  You 
might  follow  this  with  a  story  that  the 
reason  he  didn't  do  so  was  because  he 
had  lockjaw. 

Or  you  may  say  that  some  one  tried 
to  win  the  prize  by  ringing  in  a  wooden 
Indian.  Get  folks  laughing  and  they 
will  come  to  see  your  show,  and  be 
friends  of  vour  theatre  ever  after. 


Looks  like  a  loud-speaker,  but  it  is  the 
ventilator  down  which  Buster  falls  into 
his  sweetheart's  arms  in  one  of  the  many 
funny  situations  in  Metro-Goldwyn's  "The 
Navigator." 

Rain  Insurance 

An  old  idea — but  a  good  one — is  this 
thought  of  insuring  your  patrons 
against  rain  on  your  opening  night.  Of 
course  you  gamble,  too — but  you  also 
increase  advance  sales  immensely. 

The  thought  is  that  you  sell  tickets 
for  the  opening  in  advance  with  the 
understanding  that  if  it  rains  between 
certain  hours  opening  night,  the  tickets 
will  be  good  the  following  night,  and 
in  addition  to  this  the  purchasers  are 


It  was  surely  a  rough  night  aboard  "The  Navigator,"  but  still  No.  237  will  help 
business  for  you  and  the  steamer  rug  dealer  with  whom  you  tie-up  on  Buster 

Keaton's  big  Metro-Goldwyn  comedy. 


entitled  to  free  tickets  for  next  week's 
show.  If  you  work  this  one,  don't 
neglect  to  advertise  it  prominently,  and 
get  some  editorial  comment  from  the 
paper  as  well. 

The  Kids 

This  is  a  picture  that  the  kids  will 
enjoy  as  well  as  the  grown-ups.  Give 
them  a  special  play  in  your  advertising. 
Arrange  special  Saturday  morning 
matinees,  or  special  shows  after  school 
hours. 

Get  in  touch  with  the  school  teachers 
and  offer  them  passes.  Arrange  with 
them  to  give  free  admission  to  the  kid 
in  each  class  who  does  the  best  work 
during  the  week  of  your  showing — or 
the  week  preceeding  it. 

Run  a  "family  night"  where  the 
whole  family  may  secure  admission  for 
a  stipulated  price.  But  make  sure  that 
there  aren't  too  many  families  in  town 
who  are  blessed  with  fifteen  or  twenty 
youngsters. 

Resemblance 

Resemblance  contests  are  common. 
But  they  often  prove  to  be  winners  of 
patronage,  and  therefore  cannot  be  en- 
tirely neglected  or  forgotten.  Kathrine 
McGuire  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  popular  screen  artists,  and  there 
are  dozens  of  girls  in  every  town  who 
have  been  told  they  have  her  eyes,  or 
nose,  or  chin. 

Get  them  all  to  send  photographs  of 
themselves.  Get  the  photos  printed  in 
the  paper;  display  them  in  your  lobby, 
and  hold  a  voting  contest  on  which  girl 
looks  most  like  Kathrine.  The  winner 
gets  a  prize  of  a  season  pass,  or  an 
autographed  photograph  of  Miss  Mc- 
Guire, or  both. 


Publicity 

There  are  any  number  of  guarantees 
you  may  give  your  patrons,  including 
the  antiquated  stunt  of  offering  money 
back  without  question  to  anyone  who 
will  call  at  the  office  and  say  the  show 
was  unenjoyable. 

If  anyone  has  the  temerity  to  take 
advantage  of  the  offer,  secure  a  signed 
statement  as  to  why  the  show  was  un- 
satisfactory, and  print  it  next  day.  Ask 
the  others  if  they  agree,  and  you  will 
receive  a  host  of  letters  telling  you 
how  much  other  patrons  enjoyed  "The 
Navigator." 


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WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co*,  Inc 


228  West  42nd  Street 


New  York  City 


Page  62 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


National  Advertisers  Offer  You 
Windows  For  'The  Navigator' 


D 

o 


IOC 


IOE 


aoi 


n 

o 


D 


AS  soon  as  you  book  the  picture  call  on 
the  dealers  carrying  these  nationally 
known  articles.  Arrange  for  as  many 
windows  as  you  can  use.  The  merchants  will 
be  glad  to  co-operate. 

When  you  know  your  playdates  write  to 
the  Review  stating  when  you  will  show  the 
picture,  and  how  many  sets  of  window  dis- 
play material  you  will  require  on  each  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  product. 


IOE 


IOE 


D 


D 

o 


II 


SOCIETY  CLUB  HATS 

WILL  help  you  do  bigger  business  on  "The  Navigator." 
We  promise  hundred  percent  co-operation  in  a  cam- 
paign to  sell  your  product  and  ours  through  our  dealers' 
windows. 


FRANK  KATZ  HAT  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


STERNO  CANNED  HEAT 
KNOWN  EVERYWHERE 
USED  EVERYWHERE 

OUR  product  is  a  household  word  from  coast  to  coast. 
We  will  both  benefit  by  Exhibitors  Trade  Review's 
National  Tie-Up  merchandising  plan.  Our  dealers  will  be 
glad  to  work  with  you  on  "The  Navigator." 

S.  STERNAU  &  CO. 
INCORPORATED 
NEW  YORK 


G.  G.  G. 


The  Main  Line 


Write  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  as 
soon  as  you  know  your  playdates  on 
"The  Navigator." 

G.  G.  G.  Clothes  are  nationally  known  and  nationally  ad- 
vertised.   By  helping  one  another  through  National  Tie- 
Ups,  we  will  help  ourselves. 

WM.  P.  GOLDMAN  &  BROS.,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


P5 


BORDEN'S  "Eagle  Brand"  has  been 
advertised  nationally  for  many  years. 
Motion  picture  exhibitors  working  with  our 
dealers  on  other  National  Tie-Up  pictures 
have  reaped  the  benefit  of  our  advertising. 
You  may  do  the  same  when  you  show  "The 
Navigator." 

THE  BORDEN  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


PAUL  WESTPHAL  is  anxious  to  co-oper- 
ate with  every  showman  who  books  "The 
Navigator."  Westphal's  Auxiliator  windows 
will  increase  patronage  for  the  many  dealers 
handling  our  product,  and  will  prove  a  big 
business  boon  for  your  theatre.  Don't  miss 
this  National  Tie-Up. 

PAUL  WESTPHAL  NEW  YORK 


VENIDA  HAIR  NETS  and  "The  Navi- 
gator"— a  combination  that  cannot  be 
beaten.  Venida-Navigator  window  displays 
will  attract  crowds  on  rainy  days  and  block 
traffic  in  clear  weather.  They  mean  more 
money  for  you  and  for  our  dealers. 

THE  REISER  COMPANY,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


JOSEPH  M  SCHENCK 

presen  ts 

USTER 

Keaton 


Directed  by 

DONALD  CRISP 

Story  by 

JEAN  HAVEZ 
JOSEPH  MITCHELL 
CLYDE  BRUCKMAN 


\fouVe  never  seen 

a  Funnier  Picture  - 


HERE'S  where  the  phrase  "split  your  sides  laughing" 
gets  in  its  best  work.  Buster  has  made  a  picture 
that's  the  last  gasp  in  screen  entertainment.  "The 
Navigator"  takes  its  place  at  the  head  of  them  all.  Ex- 
hibitors have  a  truly  giant  attraction  coming  to  them.  It's 
going  to  keep  a  lot  of  people  standing  in  line  in  front  of 
your  box-office.  But  once  they  get  inside  they'll  thank  you 
for  the  greatest  show  you've  ever  screened.  Take  a  tip — 
book   "The  Navigator"  and  get  the  profits  first. 


look 

at  this  section! 

next  week  ! 

for  the  flock  of  money 
making  window  dis  ~ 

plays  on  screens  great- 
est picture  of  Heal 

American  fife  <v 


IHiMitk'iiMii 


FRANK  LLOTD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 


presents 


^SILENT  WATCHER 

with 

GLENN  HUNTER     BESSIE  LOVE 

HOBART  BOSWORTH 
adapted. from  MART  ROBERTS  RIENHART'S  "THE  ALTAR  ON  THE  HILL," 

Directed  by  FRANK  LLOYD 


W 

A  3ixAt  Hatiottdl  Picture 


Page  66 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


MONTE  BLUE  is  an 
1  artist  —  you  can  tell 
that  by  his  smock — and 
Viola  Dana  is  his  model, 
Joline,  who  seems  id  be  in 
for  a  rough  time.  This  is 
one  of  the  exciting  incidents 
in  Metro's  '''Revelation." 
In  the  oval  above  Viola  is 
caring  for  a  destitute  in- 
fant, a  bit  which  arouses 
real  heart  interest. 


A  BOVE  is  Viola  in  one 
of  the  attractive  poses 
she  assumes  as  model  to 
artist  Monte  Blue  in  Met- 
ro's "Revelation,"  in  which 
Lew  Cody  and  Marjorie 
Daw  are  featured  members 
of  the  all  star  cast.  And 
in  the  circle  below  is  Viola 
posing  as  a  Madonna.  She 
looks  quite  different  from 
the  wild  little  model  of  the 
Montmatre  studios. 


All  Star  Aggregation  in  Metro's  "Revelation 

In  the  photoplay  adaptation  of  "The  Rosebush  of  a  Thousand  Years"  Viola 
Dana,  Monte  Rlue,  Marjorie  Daw  and  Lew  Cody  are  featured  players. 


October  4,  1924 


Page  67 


Equipment  Notes 


USHERS'  SIGNS 

There  is  a  new  invention  on  the  mar- 
ket that  should  be  in  use  in  every  thea- 
tre. It  is  a  small  electric  flashlight 
with  an  attachment  that  will  indicate 
the  number  of  vacant  seats  in  a  sec- 
tion. With  this  useful  flash  an  usher 
can  walk  down  the  aisle  and  flash  the 
number  of  seats  to  the  standees  in  the 
rear  that  number  can  be  seated. 

The  customary  method  of  the  usher 
indicating  the  number  of  seats  by  hold- 
ing up  the  required  number  of  fingers 
is  not  a  howling  success  as  in  many 
cases  the  number  is  not  visible  in  a 
semi-darkened  theatre. 

The  light  has  a  disk  over  the  front. 
The  disk  has  five  holes  through  which 
the  light  can  filter  and  it  will  indicate 
any  number  from  one  to  five. 


BOOTH  GLASS 

Now  is  the  time  to  fix  up  the  ticket 
booth  against  cold  weather.  Heavy 
plate  glass  should  be  used  as  a  protec- 
tion against  the  cold  and  the  opening 
should  have  some  sort  of  a  protection 
to  keep  the  cashier  from  constant 
draughts. 

Glass  companies  will  make  the  glass 
in  any  shape  desired  and  will  do  the 
job  in  such  a  manner  that  it  will  add 
beauty  to  the  booth  and  combine  utility 
as  well. 

All  openings  should  have  a  sliding 
panel  for  protection.  The  usual  va- 
riety is  a  glass  with  a  semi-circular 
opening  in  the  bottom  through  which 
coin  and  tickets  are  passed  and  another 
round  opening  through  which  the 
patron  can  announce  the  number  of 
tickets. 


SCREEN  PAINT 

Get  out  the  old  paint  brush  and  give 
your  screen  a  coat  of  good  screen  paint 
and  your  patrons  will  notice  the  big  im- 
provement in  the  pictures. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  screen 
paint  on  the  market  and  any  one  of 
them  will  give  good  results. 


The  paint  is  quick  drying  and  can 
be  applied  by  anyone  and  good  results 
can  be  obtained. 

The  paint  not  only  preserves  the 
screen  but  uses  less  light  in  projection 
and  clearer  pictures  and  less  eye  strain 
result. 

*    *  * 

FRAME  ROLLERS 

if  you  are  using  large  frames  for 
lobby  display,  you  can  make  life  easier 
for  yourself  or  the  porter  by  having 
your  carpenter,  or  your  handy-man 
place  small  rollers  on  the  bottom  of  the 
frame  so  it  can  be  rolled  instead  of 
carried. 

The  rollers  can  be  of  the  variety  that 
is  used  in  heavy  furniture  which  swing 
in  any  direction. 

The  rollers  should  be  placed  only  on 
the  frame  and  the  back  rest  will  act  as 
a  brake  to  keep  the  frame  from  sliding 
when  placed  in  position. 

The  cost  of  this  would  be  almost 
nothing  and  yet  it  will  save  time  and 
patience  of  those  who  are  compelled  to 
push  the  frames  around  the  lobby  day 
after  day. 


CAMERA 

No  modern  theatre  is  complete  with- 
out a  good  camera  listed  in  the  equip- 
ment. It  has  many  uses  for  the  ex- 
hibitor and  will  soon  pay  for  itself. 

It  can  be  used  in  taking  photos  of 
window  displays  and  tieups  of  produc- 
tions that  have  played  at  the  theatre. 
It  can  be  used  to  photograph  crowds 
lined  up  at  the  box  office  on  big  occa- 
sions. These  pictures  can  be  used  for 
advertising  purposes  and  used  for 
future  references. 

You  can  also  tieup  local  news  events 
with  pictures  and  thus  make  a  closer 
tie  with  the  patrons. 

The  average  camera  does  not  require 
an  expert  to  operate  it  and  it  will  last 
a  life  time  with  ordinary  care. 

Photos  of  local  news  events  placed 
in  a  frame  in  the  lobby  will  attract 
crowds  and  if  the  pictures  are  changed 


at  frequent  intervals  the  public  will  be- 
come accustomed  to  stopping  in  the 
lobby  and  this  will  build  a  large  patron- 
age for  the  theatre. 


Projection  Hints 

— By  WESLEY  TROUT  


About  Shutters 

The  projectionist  should  always  use  a 
two  wing  shutter  on  60  cycles  and  not 
three  wing  shutters,  unless  the  speed 
of  projection  be  such  as  will  preclude 
the  possibility  of  the  shutter  blades  and 
alterations  of  the  A.  C.  Current  get- 
ting into  synchronism.  The  best  policy 
is  for  the  projectionist  to  always  use 
the  two  wing  shutter  on  A.  C.  at  all 
times  to  get  the  most  light  and  best  re- 
sults. 

*   *  * 
Film  Menders 

The  General  Machine  Company,  New 
York  City,  is  putting  out  a  new  film 
mender  that  is  fool-proof  in  every  re- 
spect. Good  film  cement  will,  of 
course,  weld  films,  but  if  the  alignment 
of  the  film  ends  is  poor  the  very  best 
weld  must  fail,  due  to  interference 
with  the  sprocket  teeth  of  the  film.  The 
pilot  system  of  the  General  Film  Mend- 
er locates  the  film  ends  accurately  and 
produces  a  good  lasting  splice  that  will 
go  through  the  machine  without  break- 
ing. Hand  made  splices  are  some  times 
very  poorly  made  and  when  they  are 
run  through  the  projection  machines 
the  sprocket  holes  do  not  fit  the  sprock- 
et correctly  and  will  run  off  and  cause 
a  stop  or  break  right  in  the  middle  of 
the  show.  These  unnecessary  stops  can 
be  very  much  avoided  by  making  good 
splices  with  a  film  mender.  If  you  do 
make  them  by  hand  you  should  be  very 
careful  that  the  sprocket  holes  match. 
Be  sure  and  scrape  the  film  on  both 
sides  to  make  a  good  patch  that  will 
not  give  you  trouble  and  make  a  lot  of 
noise  every  time  it  goes  through  the 
machine. 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT 

J^CUSTTcKETfi 

/  352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE  \U 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


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ROLL  fR^uRPVoEND)  FOLDED 

—TICKETS— 


BEST  EOK  TNf  LEAST  MONEY 


QUiCMSr  DlllVLRY 


CORRECTNESS  GUAfUN IU.D 


Page  68 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Classified  Opportunities 


5» 


PerDa 


^  and  upward  ^ 

ia  one  reason  for  the  rapidly 
growing  popularity  of  the 
Hotel  Martinique. 

Another  is  the  consistent 
economy  of  the  entire  estab- 
lishment. Here  you  may  enjoy 
a  Club  Breakfast  at  45c,  con- 
sisting of  Fruit  or  Cereal,  Bacon 
and  Egg,  and  Rolls  and  Coffee 
—  Special  Luncheon  and  Din- 
ners of  superior  quality  are  also 
served  at  the  most  moderate 
possible  prices. 

No  location  can  be  possibly 
more  convenient  than  that  of 
the  Martinique.  One  block 
from  the  Pennsylvania  Station 
(via  enclosed  subway)  — Nine 
blocks  from  Grand  Central  — 
one  block  from  the  greatest 
and  best  Shops  of  the  City- 
half  a  dozen  blocks  from  the 
Opera  and  the  leading  Theatres 
— and  directly  connected  with 
the  Subway  to  any  part  of  the 
\^Citj  you 


J 

£  Hotel  > 

Martinique 

(Affiliated  with  J/otel  XAlpin 

Bioadway~32-/&33-St& 

^  NEW  YORK 

A.  E.Sm&eton.cManagen 

Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  sale? 

Send  for  FREE  catalog  giving 
counts  and  prlcesonclasalfied  names 
of  yourbest  prospective  customera— 
National.  State,  Local-Indlvfdaajk 
.Professions,  Business  Firma. 

99%  by  refund  of  J  *"each 


676N 
OthSt 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 


For  Sale  by 


HowelU  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Av«.;  N«:  York 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


S2SHS2SHSr5r52S2SHS2S3SS5SES2S2SHSr5HS25SSH52SHSr5252W 

If  You  Want  Your 
"Wants"  Filled 
Use 

Classified  Opportunities 


Added  Attractions 


lEMPlREl 


New  York's  newest  and  most 
beautifully  furnished  hotel- 
^accomodating  1034  Quests 

Broadway  at  63- Street. 

ROOM  WITH  PRIVATE  DATH- 
v  ALL  OUTSIDE  ROOMS  J 


!Botel5|ari>ma 

54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $39S 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


%  BOOK  "MAKING  MOVIES"  * 

*  On  and  Off  Stage  Exhibition  That  Will  Make 

*  YOUR  THEATRE  A  BEE-HIVE  % 

*  * 

<&  A  movie  picture  made  right  on  your  stage  in  ^ 

•I*  front  of  your  audience,   produced  with  local  ,j, 

4*  players  and  scenes  one  week,  and  shown  next.  ^, 

•i»  For  details  write   Box   1053,   Trade  Review. 


Hotel  Accommodations 


LASSIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.     Cash  with  copy 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


F or  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,   N.  Y. 

GREATLY  REDUCED  PRICES  ON  THEATRE 
SUPPLIES— Slide  ink,  all  colors,  oz.  bottle  22 
cents — Bull  Dog  Film  Cement,  oz.  23  cents ;  Pint 
$1.22 — Powers,  Simplex  &  Motiograph  Oil,  gal. 
$1.48— Small  Bottle  Oil  3Sc— Radio  Mat  Slides,  box 
50,  $1.38 — Condensers,  any  make,  any  focus,  guar- 
anteed, Piano,  each  $1.23;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55 — Powers,  Simplex,  each  $4.22 — Edison, 
Motiograph,  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each  $3.95 — 
Takeup  and  Feed  sprockets  for  any  of  the  above 
machines,  each  $2.79 — We  pay  the  postage  on  all 
Parts  for  Powers,  Edison,  Motiograph,  Simplex 
Order  from  regular  catalogues.  Machine  belting  at 
a  big  discount.  Flat  Belts  for  any  of  the  above 
machines,  each  68  cents — Cinephor  Lenses  at  a  dis- 
count, Spot  Lamps,  Mazda  Equipments,  Curtains. 
Baird  Rewind,  Complete,  each  $7.22 — Send  for  com- 
plete lists,  etc.  WE  PAY  POSTAGE  ON  ALL 
ORDERS  OVER  $10.00.  INSTANT  SHIP- 
MENTS.—W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
AMARILLO,  TEXAS.  (Cash  with  all  orders  or 
C.  O.  D.)     Strictly  Mail  Order  House. 


WE    REPAIR   ALL   MAKES   OF  MACHINES. 

Send  for  prices.  Expert  Workman.  _  Instant  Ser- 
vice. Most  reasonable  repair  shop  in  the  U.  S. 
— W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY,  AMARIL- 
LO, TEXAS.  We  ship  supplies  any  place  in  the 
U.  S.  or  Canada. 


At  Liberty 


A    FIRST-CLASS    THEATRE    ORGANIST  who 

works  for  the  interest  of  the  house;  fine  large 
library  ;  twelve  years'  experience ;  wire  or  write ;  will 
go  anywhere.  Organist,  8021  Melrose  Ave.,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

CONCERT  THEATRE  ORGANIST 

Now  playing  Wurlitzer  Hope-Jones,  desiring  to 
make  a  change ;  would  like  to  hear  from  theatre 
managers  desiring  the  services  of  a  modern  picture 
performer  of  the  highest  caliber;  excellent  references 
furnished  upon  request ;  nothing  considered  after 
November  1st.  Address,  Organist,  442  H  St.,- 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Wanted 


SALESMAN  wanted  to  sell  pipe  organs  to  theatres 
and  private  residences ;  must  reside  in  New  York 
or  vicinity ;  must  be  a  business  closer,  full  of  push 
and  pep;  best  personality,  between  21-35  years  of 
age ;  if  you  have  sales  ability,  experience  unneces- 
sary, extraordinary  opportunity;  this  is  a  straight 
commission  propostioin.  Box  2,  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review. 


The  film  that  carries  quality 
from  studio  to  screen — 


EASTMAN 
POSITIVE  FILM 

— has  the  identification  "Eastman" 
"Kodak"  in  black  letters  in  the 
transparent  margin.    Look  for  it. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


The  Silent  Watcher 


EXH I B I  TORS 

CTrade  REVIEW 

%e  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Ticture  Industry 


"qA  whale  of  an 
audience  picture 
that  will  get 
top  money  everywhere 


99 


—  Variety 


Cecil  B.  De  Mille's 

TEET  OF  CLAY" 


One  of  The  Famous  40  Paramount  Pictures 


Vice  20  cents 


In  This  Issue:  THE  MODERN  THEATRE 


October  11,  1924 


HERE'S  THE  LIST  OF  WURLITZER  BRANCHES: 


CINCINNATI 

121  East  Fourth  St. 
NEW  YORK 

120  W.  42nd  St. 
CHICAGO 

329  S.  Wabash  Ave. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 
250  Stockton  St. 

LOS  ANGELES 

607  W.  Seventh  St. 

CLEVELAND 

1017  Euclid  Ave. 


PHILADELPHIA 

1031  Chestnut  St. 
PITTSBRUGH 

615  Liberty  Ave 
BUFFALO 

674  Main  St. 


DETROIT 

339  State 
ST.  LOUIS 

1006  Olive 
KANSAS  CITY 
1114  McGee  St. 


St. 
St. 


MAIL 
THE 
COUPON 
TO  THE 
NEAREST 
BRANCH 


Send  information,  about  Wurlitzer 
Unit  Organs: 

Theatre  . 

Capacity  ___  

Name   .  

Address  


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


FlorenceMdor 

J--*r~"ffll  Vroc/uctions 


Miss  \Pidor  arrives  at  thestudio 
for  work,  on  the  first  <jf  her 
series  9/  special  REGfll  PRODUCTIONS 


FLORENCE  VIDOR,  the  per- 
1-  sonification  of  feminine  charm, 
reaches  the  height  of  her  dramatic 
career  in  the  Thomas  H.  Ince  Pro- 
duction "Barbara  Frietchie"  from 
the  Clyde  Fitch  play  and  ' '  The  Mir- 
age" from  Edgar  Selwyn's  sensa- 
tional drama.  A  Regal  Production. 


Florence 


Directed  by  Lambert  Hillyer 
Adapted  by 
Frances  Marion  and  C.  Gardner 

Sullivan 
from  Edgar  Selwyn's  successful 
stage  play 


Miss  Vidor  was  never  more  beau- 
tiful nor  more  wholesomely  allur- 
ing, and  the  power  of  her  dramatic 
portrayals  in  these  two  impressive 

productions  surpass  everything  else  in  her  entire  career. 

In  the  title  role  of  "Barbara  Frietchie"  in  the  quaint  settings 
of  Civil  War  days  she  is  a  vision  of  fragrant  loveliness,  ro- 
mance and  heroism.    The  sincerit}r  of  her  acting  gives  life  and 
reality  to  the  story,  and  even  the  great  Julia  Marlowe,  aided  by 
her  marvelous  voice,  who  played  the  part  on  the  speaking  stage,  is 
equalled  by  the  silent,  dynamic  portrayal  of  Miss  Vidor. 

Mr.  Ince  could  not  have  made  a  more  fortunate  choice  of  a  star  for 
this  stirring  historical  romance  than  the  selection  of  Florence  Vidor. 
She  is  ideally  suited  to  the  part,  and  her  popularity  is  worthy  of  the 
importance  of  the  role. 

"The  Mirage"  signalizes  another  dramatic  triumph  for  Miss  Vidor. 
In  this  powerful  drama  she  portrays  the  role  of  a  woman  re-born  with 
a  mastery  of  emotion  unequalled  in  the  silent  dramatic  art.  The  play 
itself  is  rated  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  modern  dramas,  ranking  in 
power  with  "Paid  in  Full"  and  "The  Easiest  Way,"  and  the  artistry 
with  which  Miss  Vidor  has  invested  it  on  the  screen  is  superb  in  real- 
ism and  finesse. 

Foreign  Distributor:  Wm.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


SEASON  1924-25 — THIRTY  FIRST-RUN  PICTURES 


"The  spectacular  appeal,  the  romantic  interest,  Miss 
Pickford's  characterization,  the  magnificent  settings, 
give  'Dorothy  Vernon'  a  drawing  power  for  big  and 
little  houses  everywhere.  It  is  her  triumph  of  triumphs." 

— Laurence  Reid,  Critic  for  Motion  Picture  News. 


dorochy  veRfion 

of  HftDDOI?  HRLL 


'jfrom  the  romantic  novel  by  Charles  r7ila/or  ~   r    Gdapted  by  (^XValdemar  ryoun£ 

ft  m&RSHwx  neiLM?  produc^iou? 

J^hotography  by  Charles  SZosher 


Now  Booking 

UNITED  ARTISTS  CORPORATION 


Published   weekly   by   Exhibitors   Review   Publishing   Corporation.     Executive,  Editorial   Offices  45   West  45th  St.,   New  York  City.  Subscription 


lMf^/wd;ffory  of* Cove  and  J2om<mce 
by  ROBERT ■  W.  CHAMBERS 


"  'America'  is  the  best  picture  ever  made;  the  best  play  ever  staged.  It  sets  a 
new  standard  in  the  picture  play  as  high  and  commanding  as  'The  Birth  of  a 
Nation'  set  in  its  day." 

— Quinn  Martin,  in  the  New  York  World 


PROTECTINC 

A  Message  of  Vital 

rtance  to  Eveiy 
an  in  the 


IGHTSf 


Below  are  reproduced  in  part  three  clauses  from 
the^pon tract  between  Warner  Bros,  and  all  its  distri- 
butors which  specifically  provides  that  Warner  Pic- 
tures are  to  be  sold  separately  and  independent  of 
all  other  product. 

Salesmen  selling  Warner  Pictures  are  warned 
against  the  violation  of  any  of  these  provisions,  all  of 
which  will  be  rigidly  enforced. 

Exhibitors  are  requested  to  report  direct  to  Warner 
Bros.,  1600  Broadway,  N.  Y.,  any  attempt  on  the  part 
of  any  salesman  or  any  Exchange  to  force  the  sale  of 
other  pictures  along  with  the  product  of  Warner  Brers. 


(X.)  *  *  it  is  expressly  agreed  that  if  the  distributor  is 
distributing  certain  motion  pictures  not  produced  by  Warner 
Brothers,  then  the  distribution  of  motion  pictures  produced  by 
"Warner  Brothers  shall  be  segregated  from  all  other  business 
conducted  by  the  Distributor. 


(X.-E.)  *  *  That  the  booking  and  renting  of  said  mo- 
tion pictures  to  exhibitors  shall  be  solicited  by  salesmen  who 
are  employed  to  handle  and  exploit  the  motion  pictures  pro- 
duced by  Warner  Brothers  alone. 


(XX.)  It  is  expressly  understood  and  agreed  that  in  the 
event  of  the  violation  of  any  of  the  conditions  set  forth  in  this 
agreement,  this  agreement  shall  forthwith  terminate  at  the  op- 
tion of  the  Producer  (Warner  Bros.) 


eason  1974-75 

Rin-Tin-Tin  in  "Find[ 

Your  Man" 
"The  Lover  of  Camille" 

("Deburau") 
"The  Age  of  Innocence" 
"Recompense"  {Sequel 
to  "Simon  Called  Peter") 
"The  Dark  Swan" 
"The  Eleventh  Virgin" 
"A  Lost  Lady" 
"Eve's  Lover" 
"This  Woman" 
"The  Narrow  Street" 
"The  Dear  Pretender" 
Rin-Tin-Tin  in  "The 
Lighthouse  by  the  Sea" 
Ernst  Lubitsch's 

"Three  Women" 
"How  Baxter  Butted  In" 
"My  Wife  and  I'h 
"Broadway  Butterfly" 
"The  Bridge  of  Sighs" 
Second  Ernst  Lubitsch 
Production 

Rin-Tin-Tin  Production 
"The  Man  Without 
a  Conscience" 


without  batting  an 
eyelash  --we  want  to 
proclaim  to  every^ 
exhibitor  in  the  Jr 
world  that  we  have 
just  seen  tJit 


Edwin  Carewe 


iresents 


MADONNA/^  STREETS 


Adapted  from  W.  B.  MAXWELL'S  "THE  RAGGED  MESSENGER!' 
Directed  by  EDWIN  CAREWE 


and  believe  it  to  be  one  of 
the  greatest  heart  drip 
ping  audience  dramas 
the  screen  has  ever  seen 


THE  FIRST  NATIONAL  CONTRACT'" 

the  wise  showman's  protection 


October  1L  1924 


Page  7 


SKHSSISailKSllI^ 


EXHIBITORS 

(trade  REVIEW 

9fo  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Victure  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  Kews  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 

CONTENTS 

October  11,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Eddie  Bonns  Makes  a  Promise  '.   10 

Carl  Laemmi.e  Urges  International  Tongue   11 

Moving  Pictures  Beyond  Books   12 

Editorials  ?  ......  . .  32 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Breaking  In  on  Broadway   13 

Saginaw  Preparing   14 

Selznick  Plans  Reorganized    15 

First  National  Sales  Drive    15 

Picture  Leaders  Honor  Glass   16 

Screen  Advertisers  Meet   17 

St.  Regis  Pictures  Enters  Field   18 

Five  Metro-Goldwyn  Releases   19 

Lloyd  and  Valentino  for  Famous  Players   20 

Western  Merger  Completed   21 

Fleming  Production  Open  Offices    23 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

Barbara  Frietchie   Frontspiece 

The  Silent  Watcher  . . .  44 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Independent    Section   23 

Production  Highlights   30 

Box  Office  Reviews    34 

Eig  Little  Features   37 

Exhibitors  Round  Table   58 

Showmanship   40 

Tried  and  Proved  Pictures    55 

National  Tie-Up  Section    43 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe.  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building.  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2;  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


ftoS'S  EN  DIE  All} 


STATION  E.  T,  R., 
45  W.  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting some  self  evi- 
dent truths  that  you 
may  find  worth  while 
remembering.  Some  one 
may  apply  to  yourself. 


There  are  always  some  people  who 
spend  their  lives  saying  "It  can't  be 
done,"  and  they  are  constantly  being 
surprised  by  finding  that  somebody  is 


doing  it. 


If  you  will  put  your  shoulder  to  the 
wheel  you  will  never  find  yourself  with 
your  back  against  the  well-known  wall. 


While  you  are  wasting  time  com- 
plaining of  your  lack  of  opportunities, 
vou  are  missing  the  chance  to  grasp 
those  that  you  have  on  every  side. 


Do  not  wonder  whether  you  will 
fail,  but  keep  thinking  of  just  how 
big  your  success  is  going  to  be. 


//  you  are  down  in  your  luck,  put  a 
P  before  the  L,  and  watch  things  grow 
better  for  you  "every  day  in  every  way." 


Roosevelt,  the  Great  American, 
said :  "There  has  never  yet  been  a 
man  in  our  history  who  led  a  life  of 
pf»se,  v-'hose  name  is  worth  remem- 
bering." T.  R.'b  name  will   never  die. 


//  you  wish  to  improve  conditions  a  good 
way  to  start  is  by  improving  yourself.  Im- 
provement, like  charity  begins  at  home. 


The  best  cure  for  worry  is  work.  A 
pup  keeps  so  busy  he  forgets  he  has 
fleas. 


SsjgllKiaiBgllig^ 


aigsiisiiaisiisiiaE 


>f>  n  <i;  m  m  „_,,_,  „  „ 


m 

[K 

s 


31 


1 
H 
M 


3 


Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Barbara  Frietchie' 

ence  Vidor  Is  a  Captivating  Heroine  in  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  s  Historical 
Drama  of  Civil  War  Days 


<>cr 

cv 

©C1B6268^6 

EXHIBITORS 

9ra<fe  REVIEW 

%t  Busbies  Jhper  of the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 

May  11  to  14  inclusive  have  been  definitely  settled  upon  as  the  date  for  the  M.  P.  T.  0. 
A.  convention  to  be  held  in  Milwaukee  in  1925. 

Musicians,  stage  hands,  mechanics  and  operators  in  Cincinnati  have  been  granted  an  increase  ranging 
from  5  to  7  per  cent. 

J.  H.  Mclntyre  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Albany  Film  Board  of  Trade. 

F.  Mordaunt  Hall,  motion  picture  critic  of  the  New  York  Times,  has  abandoned  his  plans  to  go  to 
London  to  do  publicity  for  the  Capitol  the  atre,  now  being  built. 

The  opening  of  Loew's  new  State  Theatre  in  St.  Louis  has  revived  night  life  in  the  downtown  district. 

Motion  pictures  will  supplement  text  books  in  the  teaching  of  Latin,  science,  history  and  geography 
in  Kansas  City  schools. 

Michigan  M.  P.  T.  O.  prepares  to  battle  block  booking  at  the  annual  meeting  to  be  held  in  Saginaw. 

Unless  the  "Thief  of  Bagdad"  can  find  a  new  home  soon,  it  will  close  its  Broadway  run  which  has  ex- 
tended 32  weeks. 

A  price  cut  war  is  predicted  in  St.  Louis  following  the  cut  from  65  to  50  cents  by  the  Delmonte. 

It  is  understood  that  final  papers  are  about  to  be  signed  for  the  combining  the  total  resources  of  the 
national  Film  Laboratory  at  Hudson  Heights,  N.  J.,  and  the  Claremont  Laboratory  in  the 
Bronx,  New  York 

F.  B.  O.  has  signed  a  contract  for  the  erection  of  an  18  story  building  at  1556  Broadway,  New  York. 
The  building  will  include  a  600  seat  theatre. 

Southern  Enterprises,  Inc.,  a  subsidiary  of  Famous  Players  will  build  theatres  in  Atlanta,  two  in 
Greenville,  S.  C,  Miami,  Tampa  and  St.  Petersburg,  Fla. 

The  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers  held  their  annual  convention  on  September  29  to  October 
3,  at  Chicago. 

Although  an  ordinance  prohibits  Sunday  pictures  in  Little  Rock,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  is  launch- 
ing a  movement  to  legalize  the  showing  of  pictures  on  the  Sabbeth. 

Dallas,  Tex.,  operators  who  have  been  on  strike  since  August  24  are  rapidly  replaced  by  non-union 
men. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Eddie  Bonns  Makes  a  Promise 
To  America's  Showmen 

Metro-Goldwyn  Exploitation  Director  Promises  Exhibitors  To 

Fill  Their  Showmanship  Needs 


IT'S  like  this,"  explained  Eddie 
Bonns  as  he  signed  the  last  of  an 
enormous  pile  of  mail,  "I  know 
the  exhibitors.  Practically  all  of  them. 
I've  made  it  a  point  to  personally  dis- 
cuss with  them  their  exploitation  needs. 
I  know  what  they  want,  what  they  need 
in  their  business.  And  Pm  going  to 
give  it  to  them." 

There  is  scarcely  a  showman  in  the 
business  who  doesn't  know  Eddie 
Bonns.  If  they  haven't  experienced  the 
magnetism  of  his  hearty  hand  shake, 
and  visioned  the  breadth  of  his  smile, 
they  at  least  are  familiar  with  him 
through  his  accomplishments  in  their 
behalf.  For  Eddie  is  one  of  the  boys 
of  whom  it  has  been  said:  "By  their 
deeds  shall  ye  know  them." 

One  of  Bonns  pet  aversions  is  the 
old  fashioned,  stereotyped,  waste-of- 
printers-ink,  called  the  "press  sheet." 
And  in  his  many  wide  swings  about  the 
country's  showmanship  circle,  he  found 
that  he  was  able  to  number  himself 
among  the  great  majority  of  showmen. 

The  '  'press  sheet"  has  fallen  into  dis- 
repute. And  yet  there  was  a  loud  cry 
among  exhibitors  for  a  really  construc- 
tive showmanship  accessory  to  lend  aid 
in  getting  the  last  possible  dollar's 
worth  from  every  picture  booked. 
Bonns  thought  it  over.  Thought  hard. 
And  decided  that  at  least  so  far  as 
Metro  -  Goldwyn  pictures  were  con- 
cerned, every  single  exhibitor  who 
booked  a  film  should  receive  the  hun- 
dred percent  exploitation  co-operation 
to  which  he  was  entitled. 

THUS  came  into  being  the  now 
famous  "Yellow  Supplements," 
compiled  by  Bonns,  and  issued  by  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn. Each  of  these  is  literally 
jammed  with  ideas  that  are  practical, 
inexpensive  and  result  producing.  Sup- 
pose two  exhibitors  booked  the  same 
picture  under  identical  circumstances. 
Suppose  again  that  one  sat  back  and 
did  the  usual  cut-and-dried  things,  and 
the  other  followed  the  Bonns  plan  in 
Metro's  "Yellow  Supplement."  It  is  a 
safe  bet  that  the  exhibitor  displaying 
the  ounce  of  showmanship  worth  neces- 
sary to  follow  the  ideas  carefully  and 
simply  explained  in  the  "yellow"  would 
do  double  the  other's  business  at  the 
box-office. 

There  are  no  ifs,  ands  or  buts  about 
it.  The  alleged  showman  who  neglects 
reading  and  heeding  every  Bonns  sug- 


gestion will  be  left  as  far  behind  as 
Zev  left  Papyrus.  There  won't  even 
be  any  second  money. 

Just  for  instance,  stop  for  an  instant 
and  consider  the  supplement  on  "The 
Arab."  It  is  one  of  the  latest  to  ap- 
pear, and  is  causing  more  exhibitor  en- 
thusiasm than  any  promotional  aid  we 
have  recently  heard  of. 

The  supplement  consists  of  a  100 
page  outline  of  a  complete  campaign  for 
the  Metro  picture.  It  is  applicable  to  all 


Eddie  Bonns,  Metro-Goldwyn  Exploitation 
Chief,  who  promises  to  give  exhibitors  real 
showmanship    aid    to    fill    their  needs. 


classes  of  theatres,  and  makes  the 
showman  who  invests  in  the  film  abso- 
lutely certain  of  box-office  dividends. 

THERE  are  pages  and  pages  of  sug- 
gestions carefully  worked  out.  They 
are  all  feasible — all  easy  to  execute — all 
inexpensive — and  each  of  them  will 
register  a  dead  center  bulls-eye  in  pay- 
box results. 

Under  the  caption  "Posters"  a 
thoughtful  analysis  is  given  which  will 
enable  even  the  most  inexperienced  to 
get  maximum  results  from  lithos  and 
other  accessories  —  whether  they  be 
used  in  lobby  treatment  or  bill-posting. 

So  that  the  local  showman  may  have 
an  easily  available  background  upon 
which  to  build,  there  follows  an  "Edu- 


cational Questionnaire"  containing  ex- 
ploitable information  regarding  "The 
Arab"  and  the  land  from  which  he 
hails. 

There  are  stunts  galore.  "The  Sand 
Trail"  to  your  theatre,  contests  for 
children,  a  tongue-twisted  contest  op- 
portunely appropriated  to  picture  pro- 
motion. There  are  any  number  of 
clever  tie-ups.  One  with  Dromedary 
dates,  another  with  Sanka  Coffee,  an- 
other with  a  song  hit,  and  the  records 
made  of  it. 

There  are  ideas  for  lobby-showman- 
s  h  i  p,  broadcasting  tie-ups,  puzzles, 
word  contests — a  thousand  different 
enthralling  children  of  the  Bonns  brain, 
that  would  grip  the  attention — and  box- 
office  patronage — of  a  lot  of  Esqui- 
maux for  the  showing  of  a  frozen 
North  picture  in  an  ice  house. 

JUST  to  show  you  how  completely 
the  idea  of  exhibitor  helpfulness 
has  been  worked  out,  there  is  an  attach- 
ment section  to  each  supplement.  This 
contains  the  actual,  physical  accessories 
that  are  requisite  to  the  execution  of 
any  of  the  various  stunts. 

Each  of  these  novel  and  original 
ideas  are  graphically  reproduced  so 
that  they  may  be  duplicated  locally. 
How  easy  it  has  been  made !  Take  the 
"Arab  Sectional  Color  Puzzle."  Here 
is  a  brand  new  idea  that  would  have 
been  a  money-maker  for  Sam  Lloyd. 
It  will  have  the  kids  and  the  old  folks 
sitting  up  nights  to  solve  it — and  they 
will  all  go  to  see  the  picture  when  it 
shows  at  your  theatre. 

THE  "Clock  Sticker"  is  another  time- 
ly idea  that  will  help  you  tell  'ems 
about  your  show,  and  the  dodger  cap- 
tioned "Find  the  Arab  Lost  in  the 
Oasis"  has  its  appeal.  In  addition  there 
is  a  window  strip  for  securing  the  co- 
operation of  drug  stores,  fruit  shops  and 
so  on.  A  "Good  Morning"  sticker  for 
newspapers  is  done  in  a  different  way — 
one  that  will  get  attention  for  "The 
Arab." 

There  isn't  a  showmanship  angle  that 
has  been  overlooked.  From  "kiver  to 
kiver"  the  "yellow  supplement"  is  Ex- 
ploitation with  a  capital  E. 

If  every  exhibitor  will  simply  follow 
the  "yellow"  line,  it  will  lead  him: 
straight  to  the  richest  kind  of  bank  de- 
posit of  box-office  gold.  Eddie  Bonns 
promises  this.    And  he  keeps  his  word. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  11 


Carl  Laemmle  Urges 
International  Tongue 


CARL  LAEMMLE,  president  of 
Universal  Pictures,  is  a  man  of 
ideas.  His  name  is  known  to 
millions  throughout  the  world  and  if 
his  latest  idea  works  out,  he  will  go 
down  in  history  as  having  aided  hu- 
manity in  one  of  its  most  perplexing 
problems. 

Mr.  Laemmle  has  conceived  a  plan 
to  work  out  a  universal  language,  which 
if  adopted,  might  go  far  to  eliminate 
racial  feeling  and  bring  the  peoples  of 
the  world  in  closer  relationship  and 
friendliness. 

The  following  communication  was 
sent  by  Mr.  Laemmle  to  Hon.  Ramsey 
MacDonald  and  is  worth  careful  con- 
sideration : 

Laupheim,  Wuerttemberg, 
Germany,  Sept.  8,  1924. 
From  Carl  Laemmle 
to  Hon.  Ramsey  MacDonald 
Reformation  Hall, 
Geneva,  Switzerland 
Dear  Sir: 

Allow  me  to  present  herewith  a  big 
idea,  one  that  will  do  a  great  deal 
toward  bringing  about  world  wide 
peace,  if  adopted  and  carried  out  as  it 
ought  to  be.  If  you  can  give  it  your 
attention  and  bring  it  before  the  con- 
gress of  the  League  of  Nations  as  a 
subject  to  be  considered,  and  to  be 
acted  upon  at  the  next  session  of  the 
league,  you  will  gain  years  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  world  wide  peace  and 
prosperity.  Therefore,  please  give  this 
letter  your  earnest  attention  and  if  pos- 
sible plant  the  seed  it  contains  at  the 
present  session  so  that  it  may  grow  in 
the  meantime  and  bear  fruit  at  the  next 
session  of  the  League. 

BEING  fully  cognizant  of  the  ill 
fated  and  ridiculously  impractical 
Esperanto,  I  am  advocating  a  world 
language  proposition  that  is  simple  and 
applicable,  and  if  you  follow  me 
through  with  this,  I  will  convince  you 
that  it  is  possible  and  that  I  am  right. 
The  plan  I  have  to  offer  is  one  where- 
by no  nation  will  have  to  give  up  any 
of  its  customs  and  manners  nor  its  lan- 
guage. Every  nation  can  be  itself  and 
maintain  its  institutions,  and  sacrifice 
no  part  of  its  individuality  in  any  par- 
ticular. Every  nation  can  have  and  pre- 
serve the  literature  that  belongs  to  it. 
Before  the  war,  and  before  there  was 
a  League  of  Nations,  this  plan  of  mine 
would  have  been  considered  visionary. 
But  now  we  have  a  League  of  Nations, 
and  under  such  jurisdiction  the  thing 
can  be  accomplished.  The  plan  is  a 
very  simple  one.    Here  it  is : 


That  the  League  of  Nations,  after 
due  consideration,  shall  decide  that 
school  children,  all  over  the  world, 
shall  be  obliged  to  learn  one  certain 
language  beside  their  own,  said  lan- 
guage to  be  agreed  upon  by  the  League 
and  that  language  taught  in  every  na- 


CARL  LAEMMLE 


tion  on  the  globe.  This  would  be  obliga- 
tory upon  the  school  children  and  a 
moral  obligation  upon  those  who  have 
finished  school.  This  language  should  be 
a  modern  language,  and  selected  by  vote 
of  all  the  delegates  to  the  League.  Pre- 
ferably it  should  be  a  language  that  is 
rich  in  literature,  and  one  that  is  wide- 
ly in  vogue  already. 

VERY  likely  as  you  read  this  you 
feel  the  handicap  of  a  babel  of  lan- 
guages. You  are  among  men  who  speak 
their  thoughts  and  you  cannot  under- 
stand them.  Interpreters  are  necessary. 
And  everybody  knows  the  loss  of  time 
and  thought  occasioned  by  the  use  of 
interpreters.  The  business  must  go 
very  slowly  and  ponderously.  Think 
then,  how  much  better  it  would  be  if 
every  delegate  to  the  present  session  of 
the  League  could  speak  one  common 
language.  It  would  not  only  expedite 
the  business  of  the  League  of  Nations, 
but  it  would  bring  the  delegates  closer 
together  and  make  them  as  fellow  men. 
If  not,  indeed,  as  brothers. 

The  main  trouble  with  the  world, 
and  particularly  Europe,  is  back  of 
sympathy  and  understanding.  Inter- 
communication is  the  cure  for  that.  In 
America  we  have  it  through  the  free 
application  of  the  telephone,  Ford  cars 


Offers  Plan  To  Be  Put 
Into  Practise  By  League 
of  Nations  To  Eliminate 
Confusion  of  Languages 

and  a  common  language.  The  one  big 
bond  of  sympathy  and  understanding" 
between  America  and  England  is  a 
common  language.  The  customs  and 
manners  differ  widely,  but  the  language 
is  the  same.  In  like  manner  there  is 
a  sympathy  between  Spain  and  Mexico 
on  account  of  a  common  language.  And 
there  are  many  other  paralell  cases  that 
could  be  mentioned. 

World  peace  is  not  the  only  reason 
for  the  desirability  of  a  world  lang- 
uage. World  prosperity  is  another  very 
good  reason.  With  a  common  language 
all  over  the  world,  the  business  of  the 
world  would  be  speeded  up  immeasur- 
ably. With  mechanical  means  of  com- 
munication improving  constantly,  the 
world  is  becoming  a  very  small  place. 
Too  small  for  so  many  languages. 

Radio  is  another  of  the  big  reasons 
why  there  should  be  a  common  lang- 
uage all  over  the  world.  If  one  nation 
can  listen  in  and  understand  what  in- 
terests another  nation,  it  will  be  pos- 
sible for  nations  to  understand  each 
other  better,  and  it  will  be  possible  for 
them  to  become  friends  instead  of  ene- 
mies. 

THE  United  States  of  Europe,  which 
is  often  mentioned  as  a  desirability, 
is  only  possible  through  the  adoption  of 
a  common  language.  That  is  another 
important  reason  for  the  adoption  of  a 
common  language.  The  laborious  trans- 
lations of  state  papers  and  documents 
would  be  done  away  with,  by  the  adop- 
tion of  an  official  language  throughout 
the  world,  and  all  the  nations  would  be 
on  a  common  footing  in  that  respect. 
A  Chinaman  could  understand  a  busi- 
ness letter  from  a  Spaniard.  A  Nor- 
wegian could  enjoy  the  humor  of  an 
Italian,  and  so  on,  ad  infinitum. 

There  are  minor  reasons  for  the 
adaptation  of  a  world  language.  The 
phonograph  is  one  of  them.  Records, 
like  Radio  could  be  broadcasted  all 
over  the  world  in  one  language.  Then 
there  is  the  stage.  The  best  artists 
could  visit  every  land,  to  the  delight 
and  understanding  of  everybody.  There 
would  be  more  travel  generally,  and 
fewer  border  difficulties,  which  keep 
people  from  traveling.  I  am  referring 
to  those  disagreeable  misunderstandings 
between  customs  officials  and  inoffen- 
sive travellers,  and  all  occasioned  be- 
cause they  do  not  understand  each 
other.  There  are  many  wealthy  people 
who  will  not  travel,  owing  to  the  in- 
civility of  custom  officials  who  recog- 
nize no  other  language  than  their  own. 
Then  there  is  the  moving  picture,  if 
{Continued  on  page  17) 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Moving  Pictures  Are  Beyond 
Books  and  Precepts 


OCCASIONALLY  some  one 
writes  superciliously  of  the  mov- 
ing picture  show,  of  how  cheap 
it  is,  hence  degrading  and  bad  for  the 
youth. 

Any  time  you  want  to  secure  a  rep- 
utation for  being  a  superior  person,  not 
at  all  ordinary,  but  exceedingly  fine- 
haired  and  high-bred  and  uppish,  sit 
down  and  write  contemptuously  of 
something  the  mob  likes.  The  very  fact 
that  the  multitude  loves  it  shows  it's 
naughty;  the  first  principal  of  snobbery 
is  that  what  the  multitude  likes  is  law. 

Then,  after  a  while  when  you  get 
more  sense  which,  pray  God  may  come 
soon  to  pass  ! — you  will  be  moved  to  re- 
sign your  seat  among  the  forty  immor- 
tal elect,  scratch  their  motto  out  of  your 
copy-book,  and  learn  that  the  instincts 
of  the  great  mass  of  humanity  are  more 
to  be  trusted  than  the  epigrams  of  the 
hoity-toity. 

As  for  me  and  all  the  girls  and  boys 
in  our  block,  we  do  sincerely  give 
thanks  for  the  movies. 

I  have  nothing  to  say  against  the  "le- 
git." Only,  there  are  a  lot  of  people 
who  cannot  afford  to  spend  from  $2  to 
$5,  or  even  50  cents,  on  an  evening's 
entertainment,  and  no  shame  to  them. 

But  it's  many  and  many  who  cannot 
•do  this,  and  must  fain  set  down  in  a 
little  book  even  street-car  fares,  and 
who  have  to  look  sharp  for  room  rent ; 
these  need  amusement  more  than  do 
the  residents  on  Easy  street. 

The  people  go  to  the  movies. 

Not  only  because  they  are  cheap, 
however.  There  are  some  other  things 
that  are  cheap — to  them  nobody  goes  ; 
lectures,  for  instance. 

We  go  because  the  movies  are  good. 

Their  range  of  subjects  is  high.  You 
really  absorb  a  deal  of  useful  informa- 
tion. I  never  remember  getting  any  in- 
formation to  speak  of  in  a  $5  seat. 

They  are  artistic.  You  see  real  life 
— trees  that  are  trees,  and  not  treadmill 
apparatus ;  sure  enough  water,  and  not 
waves  made  of  blue  cloth  with  stage 
hands  wallowing  under  it. 

At  a  movie  you  are  tortured  with  the 
torture  of  the  English  language.  There 
is  no  talking.  If  there's  anything  to 
say,  it's  printed.  Here  the  leading  lady 
does  not  turn  her  back  to  you  and  mut- 
ter heaven  knows  what,  nor  the  lead- 
ing man  mouth  something  no  one  can 
hear,  and  that  right  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment. You  get  all  that  is  taking  place 
and  hence  your  money's  worth,  even  if 
it  is  only  five  cents. 

If  you  go  up  in  the  gallery,  you  can 


By  DR.  FRANK  CRANE 

smoke.  Thank  heaven,  there's  one 
warm  spot  where  a  man  may  commit  his 
genial  and  soothing  sin  without  the 
housekeeper  shooing  him  out  to  the 
barn,  or  a  gentleman  in  a  soiled  white 
tie  inviting  him  to  leave. 

The  real  refined  gentry  complain  of 
the  cinema  as  being  low  and  vulgar.  I 
can  only  say  that  I  have  frequented 
film  shows  in  Rome,  Florence  and  the 
mountain  towns  of  Italy,  in  Paris  and 
French  Villages,  in  London  on  the 
Strand  and  Chepstow  on  the  Wye,  in 
Keokuk,  Saint  Jo,  French  Lick,  Chicago 
and  New  York,  and  never  saw  one  in- 
decency nor  one  picture  I  would  not 
want  my  boy  to  see.  They  may  have 
them,  but  I  missed  them. 

On  the  contrary,  I  have  seen  Dante's 
"Inferno"  and  "Tasso's  Jerusalem  De- 
livered" and  the  story  of  Moses  in 
Egypt  set  forth  in  fidelity  and  with  artis- 
tic perfection.  T  know  my  Dante  as  well 


as  the  next  non-professional  person,  and 
I  went  three  times  to  see  his  divine  com- 
edy at  the  cinema  in  Rome  (the  one  on 
the  Piazza  del  Terne),  and  got  more  vi- 
vid impressions  than  I  ever  did  from  the 
notes  of  Cassini  or  the  lectures  at  the 
Dante  Foundation  in  Florence.  And 
the  beauty  of  it  is  that  I  took  the  little 
Canavaciol  children  and  the  two  Casey 
boys  (visiting),  and  they  had  as  much 
fun  as  I ;  and  glory  be  to  the  saints ! 
that  doesn't  spoil  a  thing  for  me. 

But  it's  dark  in  the  movies,  and  the 
boys  and  girls  hold  hands  !  More  pow- 
er to  their  arms.  I  myself  when  young 
held  hands  in  church,  and  the  upshot  of 
it  was  a  girl  married  me,  and  still  has 
me,  and  may  a  like  fate  fall  on  all  young 
villains ! 

I  hope  to  see  the  day  when  there  will 
be  a  movie  in  every  school  house,  for 
I  am  sure  the)'  are  beyond  books  and 
precepts. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  13 


Breaking  In  On  Broadway 

''Piccadilly  Thronged  With  Celebrities 
On  Opening  Night 


EVERYONE  hopes  that  Lee  Ochs 
will  fill  the  "Piccadilly"  for 
every  show  as  he  did  for  the  pre- 
miere on  September  25.  And  the  odds 
are  all  in  favor  of  his  doing  so. 

There  are  1506  seats  in  this  newest 
New  York  playhouse.  And  there  were 
1507  personalities  in  attendance  at  the 
opening.  The  odd  one  was  Mr.  Ochs 
himselt,  who  viewed  his  offering  from 
a  "standee"  vantage  point. 

There  were  as  many  interested  tolks 
gathered  on  the  outside  of  the  theatre 
as  there  were  inside.  And  they  were 
future  patrons,  everyone.  Cash  cus- 
tomers, at  that.  On  opening  night  the 
performance  was  dedicatory  and  no 
tickets  were  sold. 

A  motion  picture  camera  set  up  in 
the  lobby  filmed  the  entrances  of  such 
celluloid  luminaries  as  Florence  Vidor, 
Barbara  La  Marr,  Bebe  Daniels,  Patsy 
Ruth  Miller,  the  Gish  sisters,  Dagmar 
Godowsky,  Hope  Hampton,  Elsie  Fer- 
guson, Adolphe  Menjou,  Richard  Dix, 
Tom  Meighan,  Lou  Tellegen,  Johnny 
Hines,  Faire  Binney  and  a  host  of 
others.  No  wonder  the  police  detail 
assigned  to  the  opening  had  its  hands 
full  with  the  peering  multitude. 

Notable  Gathering 

Messrs.  De  Mille,  Griffith  and  Ince 
lent  the  directorial  touch,  while  Will 
Hays,  himself,  led  a  contingent  includ- 
ing Jesse  Lasky,  Marcus  Loew,  Dan- 
iel Frohman,  Carle  Laemmic,  William 
Fox,  Adolph  Zukor,  Hiram  Abrams 
and  J.  D.  Williams. 

The  journalistic  brigade  was  cap- 
tained by  Arthur  Brisbane,  and  among 
those  in  evidence  were  William  Ran- 
dolph Hearst,  Bernarr  Macfadden, 
George  C.  Williams,  Joseph  Dannen- 
burg,  Kelcey  Allen,  Laurence  Reid, 
Robert  W.  Chambers,  Lawrence  Urh- 
bach,  Alan  Dale,  Bide  Dudley,  Dor- 


othy Herzeg,  Fay  King,  Quinn  Martin, 
Nell  Brinkley,  Alson  Smith,  Sam 
Comley,  Harriette  Underhill,  Walter 
Winchell,  Louella  Parsons,  and  a  host 
of  others. 

Perhaps  the  outstanding  feature  of 
the  evening  was  Vincent  Lopez  and 
his  "Piccadilly"  Orchestra.  When  the 
popular  maestro  and  his  bandsmen 
arose  to  view  on  the  elevator-orchestra 
pit,  he  received  a  demonstration.  And 
when  John  Hammond  appeared  at  the 
wonderful  organ  there  was  another  ful- 
some burst  of  appreciation. 

Excellent  Program 

The  ambitious  program  consisted  of 
a  Universal  short,  Captain  Hurley's 
film  of  "The  Lost  Tribe,"  an  organ 
recital  by  John  Hammond,  selections 
by  the  Lopez  aggregation,  several  vo- 
cal numbers,  and  as  a  feature,  Pro- 
ducers' Distributing  Corporation's  late 
picture  "Barbara  Frietchie,"  starring 
the  beautiful  and  accomplished  actress 
Florence  Vidor. 

The  appointments  of  the  house  ap- 
proach perfection,  and  in  beauty  it  is 
second  to  none.  Full  detials  may  be 
found  in  the  Modern  Theatre  section 
of  this  issue,  and  they  will  prove  of  in- 
tense interest  to  every  theatre  man. 

Special  praise  is  deserved  by  Gerry 
Gallagher  and  George  Morris.  Galla- 
gher is  general  director  of  the  theatre, 
while  Morris  is  house  manager.  It  is 
no  sr;->!l  task  to  prepare  an  opening 
such  «xs  the  "Pic"  staged,  and  those 
youngsters  proved  themselves  modern 
showmen  de  luxe  by  their  accomplish- 
ments. 

The  competence  and  courtesy  of  the 
staff  is  worthy  of  mention,  as  it  proves 
the  belief  of  the  "Piccadilly"  manage- 
ment in  exploiting  the  theatre  from  the 
inside  by  means  of  service  to  patrons. 


Between  scenes  in  the  filming  of  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  the  important  mem- 
bers paused  for  a  family  group.  They  are,  left  to  right,  Grace  M.  Adair,  representa- 
tive of  Exhibitors  Trade  Review,  R.  William  Neil,  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid,  Percy  Marmont. 


PARAMOUNT  BARBECUE 

The  first  Annual  Golf  Tournament 
and  Barbecue  of  the  Ptolemy  and  Plu- 
tarch Literary  Club,  limited  to  mem- 
bers of  the  Paramount  advertising  and 
Publicity  departments  was  held  at  the 
Salisbury,  L.  I.  golf  course  last  Satur- 
day with  the  barbecue  at  one  of  the 
fashionable  New  York  dining  rooms. 

Richard  Dix  was  father  and  angel  of 
the  barbecue  idea  which  was  carried 
out  in  detail  by  E.  W.  Wingart  of  the 
Paramount  studio  in  whose  chubby 
hands,  Mr.  Dix  rested  the  responsibility 
for  ordering  the  menu.  According  to 
Charles  E.  McCarthy,  Paramount  Pub- 
licity manager,  Wingart  spent  six 
months  in  Paris  after  the  armistice 
learning  all  the  French  notions  in  the 
matter  of  ordering  food  and  refresh- 
ment. Wingart's  excellent  training  on 
the  Continent  was  evident  in  the  lasting 
impression  that  this  dinner  made  on  the 
Paramount  golfers. 

Frank  Pope  and  Charles  Gartner  in 
charge  of  the  fight,  took  special  pains 
to  see  that  the  handicaps  allowed  equal- 
ized the  footing  that  the  other  golfers 
played  on  with  A.  M.  Botsford,  Para- 
mount advertising  head,  and  silver  cup 
winner  in  several  motion  picture  golf 
tournaments.  Mort.  Blumenstock  and 
Fred  Rath,  two  of  the  minority  in  the 
picture  business  who  do  not  play  the 
grand  old  game  were  the  gallery  as  they 
were  left  alone  at  the  last  minute  by  J. 
M.  Jerauld  who  grabbed  a  golf  stick 
and  paid  a  greens  fee — for  no  reason. 

This  is  how  they  teed  off.  There 
were  three  foursomes. 

In  the  first,  A.  M.  Botsford,  Frank 
Pope,  J.  M.  Jerauld  and  A.  O.  Dillen- 
beck.  In  the  second,  Frank  Grazier, 
Charles  E.  McCarthy,  E.  W.  Wingart, 
Alvin  Adams.  In  the  third,  Richard 
Dix,  Sam  Palmer,  Charles  Gartner, 
Glen  Allvine. 

In  the  Ptolemy  Plutach  golf  tourna- 
ment Charles  Gartner  of  the  publicity 
department  won  the  low  net  with  95. 
He  had  a  handicap  of  25.  Frank  Pope, 
of  the  publicity  department  won  the  low 
gross  with  a  card  of  98. 

This  annual  affair  was  one  of  the 
most  successful  gathering  ever  held, 
and  as  they  say  in  the  classics,  a  good 
time  was  had  by  all. 

HERB  CROOKER  WITH 
THEATRE  AND  DRAMA 

The  news  comes  this  week  that  Her- 
bert Crooker  has  resigned  from  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  motion  picture  de- 
partment of  The  Morning  Telegraph 
to  assume  the  post  of  Managing  Edi- 
tor of  the  publication  "Theatre  and 
Drama." 

"Theatre  and  Drama"  is  a  magazine 
devoted  to  the  activities  of  the  stage 
and  screen. 

Lleretofore  Herb  Crooker  has  been 
identified  with  motion  picture  public- 
ity work, 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Saginaw  Preparing  For 
Record  Convention 

Will  Battle  Block  Booking 


WITH  three  serious  problems  fac- 
ing the  exhibitors  of  Michigan, 
it  is  small  wonder  that  despite 
the  fact  that  reservation  cards  were 
just  mailed,  already  a  record  breaking 
attendance  at  the  coming  Convention 
at  Saginaw,  October  14  and  15  is  as- 
sured. 

The  program  for  the  Convention  this 
year  is  the  probable  reason.  Perhaps 
never  before  in  the  history  of  the  or- 
ganization has  such  a  program  been 
announced  for  an  exhibitors  Conven- 
tion. Perhaps  few  times  have  so 
many  well  known  personalities  signified 
their  intentions  of  being  present  at  the 
Michigan  Convention  with  the  result 
that  the  two  day  session  will  be  filled 
with  worth  while  material  that  will  be 
of  inestimable  value  to  theatre  own- 
ers. 

The  headliners  at  the  Convention  this 
year  will  be  a  representation  from  the 
Hays  office,  Joe  Dannenburg,  Editor 
of  Film  Daily,  Martin  G.  Quigley,  Ed- 
itor of  Exhibitor's  Herald,  Harry 
Reichenback,  known  as  the  greatest 
exploitation  man  in  the  world,  Howard 
Crane,  nationally  known  architect,  who 
has  dotted  this  country  with  beautiful 
theatres,  Senator  James  Couzens,  Con- 
gressman Robert  S.  Clancy,  A.  Gor- 
man, Editor  of  the  Saginaw  Evening 
News,  Charles  Lane,  State  Fire  Mar- 
shall. 

Some  interesting  matters  will  come 
up,  not  for  discussion  but  solution.  For 
the  past  two  years  the  Association  has 
been  trying  to  get  a  solution  to  growing 
non-theatrical    competition    and  free 


show  evils.  Having  waited  that  long, 
the  Convention  will  mark  the  announce- 
ment of  a  definite  policy  in  this  regard. 

Sunday  closing  is  growing  in  Michi- 
gan. Recently  the  theatre  owner  at 
Yale  was  imprisoned  because  he  opened 
his  theatre  on  Sunday  and  the  Sunday 
closing  matter  will  be  discussed  very 
carefully  and  plans  laid  accordingly  at 
Saginaw. 

The  block  booking  campaign  will  be 
continued.  From  every  part  of  the 
country  comes  the  persistent  report, 
that  a  determined  effort  is  being  made 
on  the  part  of  several  producing  com- 
panies to  corral  the  only  thing  of  value 
that  a  theatre  owner  has,  playdates. 
Should  this  effort  through  the  method 
of  selling  large  blocks,  become  success- 
ful, a  serious  future  faces  the  exhibitor. 

The  fact  that  the  process  is  a  pain- 
less one  is  probably  accountable  for  the 
reason  that  some  of  the  other  Produc- 
ing Companies,  despite  the  fact  that  the 
majority  of  them  know  of  the  move, 
have  themselves  made  little  effort  to 
forestall  such  a  move.  It  is  a  deplor- 
able fact  that  while  these  several  Com- 
panies are  reported  to  have  a  perfect 
understanding,  the  balance  of  the  pro- 
ducing units  in  the  field  are  all  attempt- 
ing to  play  a  lone  hand,  are  almost 
putting  their  head  in  the  ground  like  an 
ostrich  and  saying  to  themselves  "I 
can't  see  it,,  it  can  never  come?" 

With  an  over  production  of  pictures, 
the  exhibitor  today  is  in  a  wonderful 
position  to  protect  his  investment 
against  such  a  move  unless  he  allows 


the  poison  gas  propaganda  of  "low 
prices"  to  lull  him  to  sleep,  only  to 
awake  and  find  that  while  he  peacefully 
slumbered,  a  lot  of  things  had  happened 
and  that  he  is  now  surrounded  with  the 
tombstones  of  the  independents  who 
were  once  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  these 
very  companies  who  now  have  the  field 
at  least  partially  to  themselves. 

This  is  the  big  reason  why  the  cam- 
paign in  Michigan  against  block  book- 
ing will  be  continued.  It  was  and  never 
will  be  a  campaign  against  a  sales  pol- 
icy, but  is  a  campaign  for  a  darned 
good  reason — preservation  of  indepen- 
dents both  for  the  independents  and  for 
the  exhibitor. 

You  will  hear  a  lot  of  interesting 
data  and  information  at  Saginaw. 

The  program  for  Saginaw  is  a  word 
beater.  Every  detail  is  being  carefully 
worked  out  by  Charles  Carlisle,  who 
promised  the  greatest  meeting  of  all 
time  last  year,  and  is  going  to  make 
good.  Its  too  early  to  tell  the  ladies 
what  is  planned  for  them.  The  special 
edition  of  the  Michigan  Film  Review 
will  do  that.  Just  bring  them  along 
and  let  them  see  for  themselves. 

Dues  Cut  Approved 

No  dues  solicited  at  the  Convention. 
That  seems  to  have  made  a  big  hit  with 
a  lot  of  exhibitors  whose  business  has 
not  been  so  good  this  year  and  who 
cannot  afford  to  spend  a  lot  of  money 
at  the  meeting. 

Indications  are  the  largest  delegation 
of  Detroit  exhibitors  ever  in  attendance 
at  a  Convention.  Saginaw  is  on  a  paved 
road  from  Detroit  and  several  other 
key  points  in  the  State,  which  accounts 
for  a  large  number  of  theatre  owners 
driving. 

Some  apprehension  that  the  new  dues 
schedule  will  not  bring  in  the  required 
amount  of  revenue,  has  been  voiced  by 
theatre  owners.  The  Ways  and  Means 
Committee  have  gone  over  the  matter 
carefully  and  if  every  theatre  owner 
who  paid  dues  last  year  will  pay  the 
new  amount  fixed,  which  in  most  cases 
is  about  half  of  what  they  were  before, 
the  Association  will  be  able  to  carry 
on  a  diversified  program  of  activities 
next  year. 

Booking  Books  on  the  Way 

The  leather  covered  booking  books 
and  information  guides  are  on  the  press 
and  will  be  on  hand  for  those  who  at- 
tend the  Convention.  The  Association 
has  had  offers  from  exhibitors  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  to  buy  a  copy  of 
this  book.  It  is  a  book  planned  by  ex- 
hibitors for  exhibitors'  use  and  must 
not  be  confused  with  the  paper  backed 
books  filled  with  advertisments,  as 
furnished  by  the  Film  Exchanges. 
There  is  not  a  line  of  advertising  in 
the  book,  the  entire  expense  being  born 
by  the  Association  at  a  cost  of  nearly 
$3.00  a  book. 

If  you  haven't  filled  in  your  reserva- 
tion card,  do  it  when  it  arrivers. 


Director  Robert  G.  Vignola,  Herbert  Rawlinson,  Conrad  Nagel  and  Mae  Busch,  act 
as  a  reception  committee  welcoming  Mme.  Ten  Katsu  and  her  troupe  of  Japanese 
Follies  Girls  on  the  Metro-Goldwyn  set  during  the  filming  of  "Mrs  Paramor." 


October  11,  1924 


Pabe  15 


Selznick  Reorganizing  Plans 
Nearing  Completion 


MR.  W.  C.  J.  DOOLITTLE, 
President  of  Selznick  Distribut- 
ing Corporation,  has  announced 
the  completion  of  tentative  plans  for 
the  organization  of  a  new  company  to 
finance,  deal  in  and  distribute  motion 
pictures.  In  the  new  company  the  note 
holders  and  other  parties  interested  in 
the  Selznick  Distributing  Corporation 
will  receive  recognition  and  be  allowed 
to  participate.  The  company  expects 
to  start  with  $500,000  fresh  capital 
and  an  additional  $500,000  authorized ; 
and  expects  to  fund  for  ten  years  the 
existing  Selznick  notes.  It  is  expected 
that  the  new  capital  will  be  devoted 
mainly  to  financing  new  productions 
(including  prints,  accessories  and  pub- 
licity), which  productions  will  be  dis- 
tributed through  the  Selznick  organi- 
zation. 

Mr.  Doolittle  made  it  plain  that  the 
new  company  was  to  be  a  permanent 
organization,  entirely  separate  from 
any  existing  corporation,  and  that 
while  he  intended  to  use  the  Selznick 
exchanges,  there  would  be  no  binding 
arrangement  which  would  preclude  the 
company  from  utilizing  or  acquiring 
any  exchanges  that  might  become 
available  on  advantageous  terms.  He 
expressed  the  hope,  however,  that  suf- 
ficient of  the  Selznick  note  holders 
would  join  the  plan  to  make  it  feasible 
to  acquire  the  Selznick  exchanges.  The 
-new  company  will  function  under  its 
own  name  and  with  its  own  capital,  no 
matter  what  exchanges  are  used. 

While  the  new  company  was  formed 
under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Doolittle  and 
associates,  he  was  emphatic  in  saying 
that  it  must  not  be  mistaken  as  a  Selz- 
nick enterprise  in  any  shape  or  man- 
ner. It  was  formed  at  the  urgent  re- 
quest of  the  note  holders,  the  produc- 
ers, the  exhibitors  and  the  trade. 

The  note  holders  wanted  some  com- 
pany through  which  they  might  work 
out  their  situation ;  the  independent 
wanted  a  company  of  unquestioned 
financial  strength  and  probity  to  which 
they  might  safely  bring  their  .product ; 
the  exhibitors  wanted  a  company  from 
which  they  might  obtain  a  regular  flow 
of  high  class  product  without  being 
subjected  to  arbitrary  dictates  and  un- 
due prices ;  the  trade  wanted  a  regular 
customer,  which  paid  fair  prices  and 
which  was  not  tied  to,  or  under,  the 
domination  of  any  other  concern  or 
any  competitor  in  the  trade. 

To  meet  this  situation,  the  first  op- 
portunity to  subscribe  to  the  new  se- 
curities will  be  offered  to  the  Selznick 


noteholders  and  organization,  and 
thereafter  to  the  producers,  the  exhi- 
bitors and  the  trade  with  whom  Mr. 
Doolittle  and  his  organization  have 
been  regularly  doing  business. 

To  secure  the  investors,  to  obviate 
any  sudden  shifts  of  control,  and  to 
prevent  any  outside  domination  of  the 


ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  ex- 
amples of  what  organization  can 
do  in  the  sales  end  of  the  film 
industry  was  illustrated  by  the  results 
obtained  in  the  first  week  of  First  Na- 
tional's "Eschmann  Month"  sales  drive. 
The  results  from  the  entire  country 
were  94  per  cent,  of  the  quota  set  for 
the  first  week  of  the  contest.  This 
was  made  possible  by  the  cordial  ap- 
proval of  the  contest  and  its  purposes 
from  the  entire  field  and  the  spontane- 
ity with  which  District  Managers, 
Branch  Managers  and  salesmen  jump- 
ed into  the  fray. 

Under  the  leadership  of  E.  A.  Esch- 
mann, First  National's  field  force  is 
one  of  the  most  thoroughly  organized 
and  trained  bodies  of  men  in  the  in- 
dustry. They  are  ready,  at  almost  a 
moment's  notice,  for  any  feat  of  sales- 
manship demanded  of  them.  This  is 
proved  by  the  first  week  of  Eschmann 
Month — results  achieved  after  but  ten 
days'  preparation  for  what  it  is  be- 


Beautiful  Florence  Vidor  in  a  scene  from 
First  National's  "Christine  of  the  Hungry 
Heart"  in  which  this   star  surpasses  all 
her  former  screen  performances. 


company's  policies,  a  strong  voting 
trust  will  be  created,  putting  the  control 
for  ten  years,  in  the  hands  of  W.  C.  J. 
Doolittle,  Walter  Jerome  Green  and 
Mark  Hyman. 

The  personnel  of  the  new  Board  of 
Directors  has  not  been  announced,  nor 
the  names  of  the  committee  who  will 
formulate  the  plan  and  work  out  its  de- 
tails. Mr.  Doolittle  has  such  strong  as- 
surances of  support  that  he  has  no 
doubt  but  that  the  old  noteholder's  will 
fund  their  debts  and  that  the  new  finan- 
cing will  be  largely  over-subscribed. 

The  plan  of  organization  will  be 
formally  announced  next  week. 


lieved  will  prove  the  biggest  concerted 
sales  effort  in  the  history  of  the  organ- 
ization. 

The  quotas  in  the  drive  have  been 
set  high — based  on  the  biggest  record 
made  in  the  past  by  each  District  and 
Branch — and  to  come  within  6  per 
cent,  of  reaching  that  quota,  taking  the 
country  at  large,  with  such  a  short  time 
in  which  to  prepare,  is  something  that 
could  have  been  accomplished  only  by 
splendid  organization  and  by  intense 
loyalty.  The  loyalty  is  attested  by  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  field  force  for  the 
drive,  the  quickness  with  which  the 
complicated  details  are  absorbed  and 
the  zeal  that  went  into  the  selling  of 
pictures  during  the  first  week  of  the 
contest. 

The  men  are  up  on  their  toes;  they 
realize  no  obstacle  to  making  Eschmann 
Month  the  biggest  sales  drive  in  First 
National's  history  and  they  are  going 
after  business  in  a  way  which  promises 
to  achieve  records  that  would  hitherto 
have  been  regarded  as  impossible. 

*    *  * 

MICHIGAN  M.  P.  T.  O. 
OPPOSE  GROUP  BUYING 

At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Motion  Picture  The- 
atre Owners  of  Michigan  held  Sept.  17, 
1924,  after  a  careful  discussion  of  a 
proposed  booking  combination  reported 
to  now  be  in  the  process  of  formation, 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted : 

"That  from  all  information  furnished 
this  office,  being  unable  to  secure  a 
complete  copy  of  the  contract  for  con- 
sideration or  discussion,  the  Board  of 
Directors  go  on  record  as  being  op- 
posed to  any  form  of  group  buying  at 
least  until  some  plan  is  submitted  that 
seems  to  be  mutually  beneficial  to  all 
exhibitors  in  the  City  of  Detroit  and  in 
the  State  of  Michigan." 


First  National  Sales  Drive 
Exceeds  Expectations 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Picture  Leaders  Honor 
Montague  Glass 

Samuel  Goldwyn  Entertains  In  Honor  of 
"Potash"  Author 


MANY  film  notables  gathered 
in  the  Crystal  room  of  the  Ritz- 
Carlton  on  September  30.  Samuel 
Goldwyn,  with  lavish  hospitality  enter- 
tained at  a  luncheon  in  honor  of  Mon- 
tague Glass,  famous  creator  of  the  more 
famous  characters  Potash  and  Perl- 
mutter. 

From  Will  Hays  right  down  the  line 
the  picture  people  paid  spoken  tribute 
to  Glass  and  his  accomplishments.  Dr. 
Giannini,  the  motion  picture  banker 
who  is  president  of  the  East  River  Na- 
tional, acted  as  toastmaster  and  paid 
high  compliment  to  the  writer. 

Mr.  Hays  followed,  saying  that  the 
work  of  Mr.  Glass  was  perhaps  the 
very  finest  sort  of  service  to  mankind, 
and  that  the  ability  to  entertain  and 
make  folks  laugh  is  God  given. 

The  next  speaker  was  Arthur  Bris- 
bane, whose  "copy"  is  read  by  more 
people  than  that  of  any  writer.  Mr. 
Brisbane  joined  in  the  general  eulogy. 

Montague  Glass,  himself,  then  ad- 
dressed those  who  had  gathered  to  hon- 
or him.  He  said  he  didn't  take  it  all 
seriously,  but  that  he  was  just  as 
pleased  as  though  the  praise  was  all 
meant  in  earnest.  He  paid  touching 
tribute  to  Barney  Bernard,  the  com- 
edian who  originated  the  role  of  Abe 
Potash,  and  also  spoke  of  the  remark- 
able manner  in  which  Sidney  Carr  had 
seized  the  comedy  torch  when  it  slipped 
from  Bernard's  hand. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Goldwyn- 
Glass  combination  will  endure,  and  that 


the  public  and  the  exhibitors  may  re- 
ceive many  of  the  Potash  pictures.  The 
latest,  "In  Hollywood  with  Potash  and 
Perlmutter,"  is  a  ten  time  winner.  Both 
showmen  and  their  patrons  will  cheer 
for  others  as  fine. 

Besides  Will  Hays,  Arthur  Brisbane, 
and  Dr.  Giannini,  there  were  Samuel 
Goldwyn,  Dick  Rowland  of  First  Na- 
tional ;  Jesse  Lasky  and  Adolph  Zukor, 
Edwin  Carewe,  the  director ;  Jules  Eck- 
ert  Goodman,  Bertie  Namm,  Harry 
Reichenback,  J.  C.  Flinn,  E.  A.  Esch- 
man,  Paul  Bloch,  W.  C.  Howe,  William 
Johnson,  Sam  Comley,  "Danny," 
Maurice  Kann,  Louella  Parsons,  Doro- 
thy Herzog,  Mildred  Spain,  Rose  Pels- 
wick,  John  Spargo,  Mike  Levee,  Har- 
man  Brunn,  W.  C.  Pinkerton,  Joe 
Plunkett,  Jack  Lait  and  fifty  others. 
*    *  * 

TO  FIGHT  NEW  YORK 
CENSORSHIP  LAW 

That  a  strenuous  effort  will  be  made 
at  the  next  session  of  the  New  York 
Legislature  to  effect  the  repeal  of  the 
present  Motion  Picture  Censorship 
Law,  was  made  evident  through  the 
moves  put  forth  by  different  persons 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Platform  Com- 
mittee of  the  Democratic  State  Con- 
vention held  at  the  Anandaga  Hotel  in 
Syracuse  on  September  25. 

National  President  M.  J.  O'Toole  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
America  appeared  before  the  Commit- 


tee and  presented  the  wishes  and  de- 
sires of  his  Organization  as  well  as 
those  associated  with  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Industry  generally,  for  the  repeal 
of  this  law. 

Senator  James  J.  Walker  of  this 
City  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
accorded  to  Mr.  O'Toole  every 
possible  consideration  in  having  his  ob- 
jections to  the  present  law  and  his  argu- 
ments in  favor  of  its  repeal  made  a 
matter  of  official  record. 

Secretary-Treasurer  J.  M.  O'Hanlon 
of  the  New  York  State  Federation  of 
Labor  also  made  an  extended  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  repeal  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Censorship  Law.  Mr. 
O'Hanlon  declared  that  it  was  an  em- 
bargo on  free  speech  and  the  free  ex- 
pression of  the  opinions  of  the  public, 
and  as  such,  was  a  contravention  of  our 
Constitutional  right  and  should  be  abol- 
ished. 

He  declared  that  if  a  political  cen- 
sorship was  carried  to  its  logical  con- 
clusions, it  would  automatically  inhibit 
any  development  of  this  great  medium 
of  expression  as  it  would  narrow  it 
down  in  its  statements  and  visualized 
messages  to  the  mere  presentation  of 
the  opinions  which  were  agreeable  to- 
the  censors  and  in  keeping  with  their 
political  programs. 

*    *  * 

CHICAGO  FIRST  IN  WAR- 
NER THEATRE  PLAN 

Indications  are  that  the  first  city  to 
be  invaded  in  Warner  Bros,  theatre 
building  campaign  recently  announced 
will  be  Chicago. 

B.  M.  Warner,  who  left  Los  Angeles 
a  week  or  two  ago  on  a  tour  of  the 
country's  principal  cities  to  examine 
proposed  theatre  sites,  arrived  in  New 
York  City  some  days  ago  and,  after 
about  forty-eight  hours  spent  almost 
entirely  in  conference  with  New  York 
financiers,  left  again  for  the  Middle 
West.  His  plans  called  for  a  short 
visit  with  his  people  in  Youngstown,. 
O.,  a  call  on  some  people  in  Cleveland 
and  then  a  more  extended  stay  in  Chi- 
cago where  business  of  first  importance 
in  the  theatre  building  campaign  is  to 
be  transacted  within  the  next  week  or 
ten  days. 

Motley  H.  Flint,  financial  advisor  of 
■the  Warner  Bros,  organization,  arrived' 
in  New  York  with  Mr.  Warner  and 
was  a  party  to  the  New  York  confer- 
ence. H^.  was  scheduled  to  join  Mr. 
Warner  again  in  Chicago. 

From  various  critics  throughout  the 
country  word  keeps  constantly  filtering 
into  New  York  of  preliminary  steps 
which  have  already  been  taken  to  get 
the  Warner  theatres  under  way.  Con- 
ferences a  few  days  ago  in  the  Warner 
home  offices  at  1600  Broadway  attend- 
ed by  executive  representatives  of  Lub- 
liner  &  Trinz,  big  theatre  operators  in 
the  Windy  City,  had  to  do  with  the 
Chicago  plans  in  which  the  Warners- 
are  interested. 


Arthur  Sawyer,  director  of  "Sandra,"  a  Sawyer-Lubin  production,  for  First  Na- 
tional;, tells  Barbara  La  Marr  that  the  players  have  the  best  of  it  when  it  comes 

to  scenes  of  banquets. 


October    U,  1924 


Page  17 


LAEMMLE  URGES 
INTERNATIONAL  TONGUE 

(Continued  from  page  11) 

I  may  be  pardoned  for  mentioning  my 
own  particular  business.  People  com- 
ing from  other  lands  tell  me  that  the 
translations  made  from  the  original 
subtitle  in  English  are  positively  abom- 
inable. This  is  very  likely  true.  But 
I  cannot  help  it.  Not  knowing  all  the 
various  languages  on  earth,  I  am  at  the 
mercy  of  translators.  All  I  can  do  is 
shut  my  eyes  and  pray  to  the  Almighty 
to  help  them  in  their  work.  Whereas, 
if  there  were  to  be  a  universal  language 
I  know  that  Universal  pictures  would 
be  better  understood.  While  on  this 
subject  I  would  like  to  say  also  that  one 
of  the  reasons  why  the  talking  moving 
picture  has  never  been  a  commercial 
success  is  because  it  is  limited  by  lan- 
guage, and  it  never  can  be  become  a 
successful  reality  until  a  common  world 
language  is  adopted. 

It  is  probable  that  there  will  be  ob- 
jectors to  a  Universal  language.  I  can 
very  well  understand  why  interpreters 
and  guides  would  oppose  it  bitterly. 
Certain  profiteering  store  keepers  who 
sell  souvenirs  to  tourists  would  not  like 
it  at  all.  Travel  bureaus  would  object 
to  it,  as  well  as  language  teachers  and 
some  others.  But  their  reasons  would 
be  self  centered.  Foreign  language 
newspapers  and  periodicals  might  find 
fault  with  the  idea.  But  it  is  certain 
that  they  could  widen  their  scope  by 
gradually  adopting  the  universal  lang- 
uage and  thereby  have  the  world  for 
their  field,  instead  of  the  territory 
limited  to  their  particular  language. 

In  their  present  state  of  mind,  it  is 
hardly  to  be  supposed  that  the  French 
would  accept  German  as  the  universal 
language.  Neither  would  the  Germans 
accept  French.  That  would  naturally 
eliminate  German  and  French.  As  a 
compromise  measure  it  would  be  better 
not  to  adopt  any  continental  language. 
This  would  narrow  it  down  to  English 
and  Spanish.  These  are  the  most  wide- 
ly spoken  languages,  with  the  English 
having  a  richer  literature  and  probably 
wider  vogue  than  even  the  Spanish. 
For  practical  reasons,  and  not  selfish 
ones,  English  would  be  my  choice.  BvJ 
any  common  -  language  is  better  than 
none,  and  I  don't  care  whether  it  is 
Chinese  or  Scandanavian,  just  so  we 
get  it.  Let  the  votes  of  the  League  of 
Nations  decide  that. 

If  America  had  a  voice  in  the  League, 
I  would  be  addressing  this  letter  to 
the  American  delegates.  1  am  sending 
it  to  you  because  you  are  an  active  par- 
ticipant, and  because  you  understand 
the  language  in  which  I  write,  hoping 
you  will  agree  with  me  and  set  my  idea 
in  motion  before  the  League  of  Na- 
tions. I  will  be  deeply  grateful  for  any- 
thing you  may  do.    Incidentally  I  will 


Victor  Schertzinger,  director,  is  passing 
out  bread  rations  to  the  cast  during  the 
filming  of   "Bread"   for  Metro-Goldwyn. 

send  copies  of  this  letter  in  English  to 
all  delegates  to  the  League  of  Nations, 
hoping  they  will  have  is  translated. 

Sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)  CARL  LAEMMLE 

■{!        9f£  ■{» 

CONVENTION  DATES 
ARE  APPROVED 

Definite  approval  of  May  11,  12,  13. 
14  as  the  convention  dates  for  the  1925 
convention  of  the  Motion  Picture  Thea- 
tre Owners  of  America  at  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  has  been  received  at  the  National 
Headquarters  from  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Letters  indicating 
the  decision  of  the  special  convention  in 
this  relation  were  sent  to  the  Directors 
in  all  parts  of  the  country  and  the  re- 
sponse was  unanimous. 

Special  preparations  are  being  made 
for  this  big  gathering  of  Theatre  Own- 
ers and  the  officialdom  of  Wisconsin 
and  Milwaukee  will  welcome  them, 
while  the  entertainment  features  will  be 
of  a  very  extensive  character. 


FIRST  NATIONAL  SENDS 
UNITS  EAST 

Official  confirmation  has  been  forth- 
coming from  First  National  that  by  the 
middle  of  next  month  two  of  its  pro- 
ducing units  will  have  been  brought  to 
New  York  City  to  begin  work  in  the 
East. 

One  of  the  units  will  be  that  featur- 
ing Doris  Kenyon,  recently  signed  to  a 
long  term  contract  by  R.  A.  Rowland, 
General  Manager  of  First  National.  It 
is  understood  that  Miss  Kenyon  will 
start  for  New  York  immediately  upon 
the  completion,  at  the  United  Studios, 
of  "If  I  Many  Again." 

The  other  unit  coming  East  is  that 
featuring  Milton  Sills  who  has  just 
completed  work  with  Nazimova  in  Ed- 
win Carewe's  picturization  of  W.  B. 
Maxwell's  novel,  "The  Ragged  Messen- 
ger." 

Earl  Hudson,  it  is  announced,  will 
be  transferred  to  New  York  from  the 
coast  studios  where  he  has  been  in 
charge  of  all  of  First  National's  own 
productions.  He  has  been  handling  the 
Corinne  Griffith  unit,  making  First  Na- 
tional pictures  under  the  name  of  Co- 
rinne Griffith  Productions,  Inc. 

*    *    *  ■  > 

SCREEN  ADVERTISERS 
ASSOCIATION  MEETS 

Douglas  D.  Rothaker,  president  of 
the  Screen  Advertisers  Association,  an 
auxiliary  of  the  Associated  Advertising 
Clubs  of  the  World  and  composed  of 
commercial  and  industrial  film  produc- 
ers and  others  interested  in  advertising 
and  industrial  motion  pictures,  presided 
at  the  opening  session  of  the  annua! 
convention  of  the  body  held  at  Hotel] 
Statler,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  on  Thursday, 
October  3.  The  meeting  continued  on 
October  4. 


James  J.  Corbett  is  instructing  Matt  Moore  how  to  deliver  a  knockout  punch  on 
David  Butler  during  the  filming  of  "The  Narrow  Street,"  a  Warner  Bros,  production. 
Director  Beaudine  and  Willard  Louis  are  innocent  bystanders  in  this  fistic  encounter. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


St.  Regis  Pictures  Enters 
Producing  Field 

Officers  are  Well-known  Film  Men 


AFTER  almost  six  months  of  quiet- 
ly organizing  its  plans,  the  St. 
Regis  Pictures  Corporation,  upon 
the  eve  of  starting  its  initial  production, 
announces  a  line  of  activity  which 
places  it  among  the  leading  producers 
of  the  industry. 

St.  Regis  Pictures  Corporation  is  a 
new  producing  firm,  probably  the  larg- 
est single  independent  producing  organ- 
ization formed  for  Eastern  production 
since  Famous  Players  turned  to  New 
York  with  a  quota  of  its  producing 
units. 

For  its  first  year's  activity  are  an- 
nounced sixteen  feature  productions,  in- 
cluding a  series  of  pictures  to  be  made 
by  Becton  Pictures,  another  new  pro- 
ducing firm,  the  controlling  interest  in 
which  St.  Regis  has  taken  over,  as  a 
part  of  its  pre-announcement  activities. 
For  the  productions  already  planned 
$1,500,000.  has  been  made  available  by 
the  financial  interests  concerned  in  this 
new  producing  company  and  has  al- 
ready been  budgetted  for  pictures 
whose  releases  have  been  definitely 
contracted  for. 

Two  groups  of  financial  interests  are 
concerned  in  the  backing  of  this  stu- 
pendous new  enterprise.  One  is  repre- 
sented by  a  business  man  whose  hold- 
ing in  the  commercial  centers  of  New 


York  are  tremendous.  The  other  is 
headed  by  factors  in  banking  and  legal 
spheres. 

The  officers  and  active  personnel  of 
St.  Regis  are  identical.  Every  one  con- 
cerned in  the  organization  of  this  cor- 
poration will  participate  in  this  func- 
tioning. This,  in  itself,  is  an  ideal,  and 
in  many  respects,  unique  condition. 

The  officers  are  as  follows :  T. 
Carlyle  Atkins,  president,  Joseph  Klotz, 
treasurer  and  Arthur  Hoerl,  secretary. 
In  addition  to  these  Edwin  Silton, 
President  of  Becton  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, will  take  an  active  part  in  the  af- 
fairs of  St.  Regis.  One  other  mem- 
ber of  the  personnel  of  the  corporation 
is  George  V.  Hobart,  playwright  and 
author  of  note,  as  a  member  of  the 
editorial  staff. 

T.  Carlyle  Atkins  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  production  of  motion 
pictures  for  over  eight  years,  with  the 
exception  of  a  period  during  the  war 
when  he  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Marine  Corps.  He  spent  four  years 
as  assistant  to  Ralph  Ince,  during 
which  time  he  came  to  be  known  as 
"young  Ince"  and  "Ralph's  right  eye." 
Following  this  came  over  two  years  of 
supervising  production  for  Garsson  En- 
terprises. 

Joseph  Klotz  is  another  familiar  fig- 


ure in  motion  picture  circles  having 
been  connected  with  the  industry  con- 
tinuously for  almost  fifteen  years  in  the 
state  right  and  laboratory  fields.  He 
was  the  owner  of  the  former  Knicker- 
bocker Laboratories. 

Arthur  Hoerl  has  been  connected 
with  motion  pictures  since  1910.  He 
started  as  an  exhibitor  in  his  teens  and 
was  the  owner  of  a  string  of  small 
houses  and  his  experience  goes  back  to 
the  time  a  two-reeler  was  a  feature.  He 
has  served  on  the  staff  and  as  editor  cf 
trade  publications.  He  is  best  known 
in  the  trade  as  a  director  of  Advertis- 
ing and  Publicity  having  served  in  that 
capacity  for  a  number  of  years,  as  far 
back  as  the  old  Herbert  Brenon 
Film  Corporation.  He  fulfilled  that  duty 
and  was  an  executive  of  Robertson- 
Cole  Company  from  its  inception  for  a 
period  of  over  two  years  and  has  more 
recently  been  with  the  Tiffany-Truart 
Film  Corporation. 

The  initial  productions  of  St.  Regis 
will  be  made  under  contracts  for  two 
units  for  productions  to  be  supplied  to 
Associated  Exhibitors,  one,  the  Becton 
Unit,  and  the  other  a  St.  Regis  Unit. 
These  contracts  call  for  eight  pictures 
and  the  first  two  vehicles  have  already 
been  chosen.  The  first,  "The  Ultimate 
Good"  from  a  novelette  in  Everybody's 
Magazine,  by  John  C.  Brownell,  is 
ready  to  go  into  the  making.  The  sec- 
ond picture  will  be  an  adaptation  of 
Mrs.  W.  N.  Williamson's  latest  novel 
"The  Million  Dollar  Doll." 

In  the  transactions  with  Becton  Pic- 
tures Corporation  the  matters  were  in 
the  hands  of  Arthur  Friend  and  the  St. 
Regis  transactions  were  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  Adolph  Feldblum,  a  promi- 
nent attorney. 


These  men  form  the  backbone  of  the  newly  organized  producing  company,  St.  Regis  Pictures,  Inc.,  which  will  make  an  entry  in  J 
the  field  of  motion  pictures.    These  men  are  well  known  in  the  industry  and  have  past  records  of  performance.    They  are,  left  to 
right:    Edwin  Silton,  President  of  Becton  Pictures  Corporation,    who  will  produce  under  the  St.  Regis  Banner;  T.  Carlyle  Atkins, 

President  of  St.  Regis  and  Joseph  Klotz,  treasurer  of  St.  Regis  Pictures. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  19 


Five  Metro  -  Gold wyn  Films  for 
October  Release 

'Circe  the  Enchantress',  Starring  Mae  Murray, 

Heads  List 


CIRCE  THE  ENCHANTRESS," 
"The  Navigator,"  "The  Bando- 
lero," "Janice  Meredith"  and 
"Mrs.  Paramor"  are  all  scheduled  for 
release  by  Metro-Goldwyn  during  the 
month  of  October. 

"Circe  the  Enchantress"  is  the 
Blasco  Ibanez  story  written  especial- 
ly for  Mae  Murray  and  produced  by 
Robert  Z.  Leonard  from  a  script  by 
Douglas  Doty.  This  Tiffany  produc- 
tion will  be  released  on  October  6. 
James  Kirkwood  plays  opposite  Miss 
Murray,  and  heads  a  cast  that  in- 
cludes Tom  Ricketts,  Charles  Ger- 
ard, William  Haines,  Lillian  Lang- 
don  and  Gene  Cameron. 

On  October  13  Buster  Keaton's 
impatiently  awaited  new  comedy 
"The  Navigator,"  a  Joseph  M. 
Schenck  presentation,  will  be  re- 
leased. This  feature  was  directed  by 
Donald  Crisp  and  by  Keaton  from  a 
script  by  Jean  Havez,  Clyde  Bruck- 
man  and  Joseph  Mitchell.  Kathryn 
McGuire  has  the  feminine  leading 
role.  Frederick  Vroom,  Noble  John- 
son, Clarence  Burton  and  H.  M. 
Clugston  are  in  the  cast. 

Tom  Terriss'  "The  Bandolero," 
made  in  Spain  from  the  Paul  Gwynne 
novel,  will  reach  exhibitors  on  Octo- 
ber 20.  Terriss  himself  adapted  this 
work  for  the  screen.  Pedro  de  Cor- 
doba and  Renee  Adoree  head   a  cast 


that  includes  Gustav  von  Seffertitz, 
Manuel  Granado,  Gordon  Begg,  Dor- 
othy Ruth,  Arthur  Donaldson,  Maria 
Valray  and  Jose  Rueda. 

To  be  released  shortly  is  the 
Marion  Davies  starring  picture  "Jan- 
ice Meredith,"  a  Cosmopolitan  pro- 
duction directed  by  E.  Mason  Hop- 
per from  the  Paul  Leicester  Ford 
story.  Miss  Davies  heads  a  cast  that 
includes  Holbrook  Blinn,  Harrison 
Ford,  Maclyn  Arbuckle,  George  Nash 
and  Tyronne  Power. 

Robert  G.  Vignola  directed  "Mrs. 
Paramor,"  also  to  be  released  on  Oc- 
tober 27.  This  is  a  picturization  of 
the  novel  by  Louis  Joseph  Vance 
with  Pauline  Frederick  and  Conrad 
Nagel  in  the  leading  roles. 

5|C        ^  3p 

TIME  EXTENSION  ON  OLD 
THEATRE  TICKETS 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  Hays  of- 
fice the  Department  of  Internal  Rev- 
enue, at  Washington,  has  extended  the 
time  limit  for  the  use  of  old  tickets  on 
hand.  It  is  gratifying  to  exhibitors  as 
many  of  them  were  stocked  with  old 
tickets  and  the  extension  of  time  will 
save  considerable  expense. 

The  following  letter  was  received  by 
Mr.  Hays: 
Gentlemen : 

Reference  is  made  to  office  letter  of 


Sam  Wood,  director,  Dorothy  Mackaill,  and  Pat  O'Malley,  "the  Big  Three"  of  the 
Principal  Pictures  feature,  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,"  stop  a  moment  in  the 
course  of  the  filming  of  their  big  feature  picture  and  chat  over  Miss  Mackaill's  costume. 


Called  by    some    "The    American  Pola 
Negri,"  Clara  Bow  is  featured  player  in 
"Wine"    and    "This    Woman"    for  her 
consistently     excellent    dramatic  ability. 

August  27,  1924,  in  which  you  were  ad- 
vised that  this  office  was  extending  un- 
til October  1,  1924,  the  time  during 
which  tickets  printed  in  accordance  with 
the  regulations  in  effect  under  the  Rev- 
enue Act  of  1924  could  be  used. 

You  are  now  advised  that  the  time 
limit  on  the  use  of  these  tickets  has 
been  removed.  Theatre  proprietors 
having  on  hand  tickets  of  admission 
printed  in  accordance  with  the  regula- 
tions in  effect  under  the  Revenue  Act 
of  1921  showing  an  established  price  of 
50  cents  or  less,  plus  tax  thereon,  may 
continue  until  their  present  supply  is 
exhausted  to  sell  such  tickets  of  admis- 
sion without  overstamping  or  over- 
printing, for  nontaxable  admissions, 
under  the  Revenue  Act  of  1924,  pro- 
vided the  tickets  are  sold  only  at  the 
established  price  printed  thereon.  If 
sold  for  any  other  price,  they  must  be 
overprinted  or  overstamped  to  indicate 
the  true  selling  price. 

*    *  * 

O'TOOLE  OPPOSES 
DAYLIGHT  SAVING 

A  recent  medical  examination  of 
some  five  thousand  children  held  by 
the  Children's  Aid  Society  of  New 
York,  resulted  in  a  decision  that  the 
daylight  saving  schedule  has  not  proven 
beneficial. 

When  this  fact  was  called  to  the  at- 
tention of  National  President  M.  J. 
O'Toole,  of  the  M.  P.  H.  O.  A.,  he  de- 
clared himself  in  hearty  accord. 

"I  have  always  been  opposed  to  the 
absurd  notion,"  said  President  O'Toole. 
Natural  living  conditions  are  always 
best.  And  this  applies  especially  to  the 
children.  Daylight  saving  is  a  danger- 
ous fad  in  which  New  York  is  the  prin- 
cipal offender." 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Lloyd  and  Valentino 
Productions  Go  To 
Famous  Players 


CONCLUDING  one  of  the  biggest 
deals  in  motion  picture  history, 
William  R.  Fraser,  manager  of 
the  Harold  Lloyd  Corporation,  J.  D. 
Williams,  president  of  Ritz  Carlton 
Pictures  and  Sidney  R.  Kent,  general 
manager  of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Cor- 
poration, announce  signed  contracts 
whereby  Harold  Lloyd  and  Rudolph 
Valentino  will  distribute  their  produc- 
tions through  Paramount.  These  con- 
tracts were  signed  after  negotiations 
extending  over  several  months. 

Mr.  Lloyd's  arrangements  with  Fa- 
mous Players-Lasky  will  start  with  the 
conclusion  of  his  present  contract  with 
Pathe  Exchange  which  has  one  more 
picture  to  run,  following  "Hot  Water," 
which  is  to  have  its  world  premiere  in 
Los  Angeles  next  week. 

Coincident  with  the  announcement 
that  Lloyd  and  Fraser  had  affixed  their 
signatures  to  a  Famous  Players-Lasky 
contract,  Mr.  Williams  on  behalf  of 
Ritz  Carlton  Pictures  Corporation  also 
announced  that  he  had  entered  into 
an  agreement  for  the  distribution  by 
Paramount  of  the  pictures  starring  Ru- 
dolph Valentino. 

Valentino  has  just  concluded  the 
production  of  two  pictures  for  Famous 
Players-Lasky  direct  and  plans  are  now 
completed  for  his  first  picture  for  Ritz 
Carlton.  This  production  will  be 
filmed  in  Los  Angeles. 


Full  details  of  the  distributing  ar- 
rangments  between  the  representa- 
tives of  Lloyd  and  Valentino  and  f  a- 
mous Players-Lasky  are  now  being 
worked  out  and  will  be  announced  lat- 
er. 

According  to  Mr.  Fraser  there  will  be 
absolutely  no  change  in  the  production 


J.  D.  Williams,  president  of  Ritz  Carlton 
Pictures,  who  has  signed  a  contract  to  dis- 
tribute   Valentino    pictures    through  the 
Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation. 


status  of  the  Harold  Lloyd  Corpora- 
tion. Lloyd  will  continue  to  produce 
pictures  independently  as  he  did  "Girl 
Shy"  and  "Hot  Water." 

The  pictures  to  be  produced  by  both 
Lloyd  and  Valentino  for  Paramount 
are  to  be  sold  on  their  individual  mer- 
its according  to  the  parties  concerned. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Valentino  are  now  in 
Europe  selecting  the  costumes  to  be 
worn  in  the  first  Ritz  Carlton  photo- 
play which  is  to  be  an  adaptation  of 
an  original  story  by  a  famous  novelist. 
Mr.  Williams  has  concluded  all  ar- 
rangements for  the  production  in  Los 
Angeles  of  the  Valentino  feature 
which  will  be  made  on  an  elaborate 
scale. 

Lloyd  will  start  work  immediately 
on  the  last  picture  under  his  present 
contract  and  in1  view  of  the  fact  that  it 
will  take  him  from  five  to  seven  months 
to  produce  a  picture,  it  will  be  early 
Spring  of  next  year  when  he  will  start 
under  his  Famous  Players-Lasky  con- 
tract. 

In  all  probability  his  initial  Para- 
mount release  will  be  produced  in  New 
York. 

*    *  * 

PAUL  LAZARUS 
LEAVES  IMPERIAL 

The  resignation  of  Paul  N.  Lazarus, 
President  of  Imperial  Pictures  Corpo- 
ration, has  just  been  announced  by  that 
Company. 

Mr.  Lazarus  is  retiring  to  the  pub- 
lishing business,  which  he  left  eight 
years  ago  when  he  entered  the  motion 
picture  field.  He  is  moving  his  home  to 
Berkeley,  California,  and  will  join  an 
important  chain  of  retail  book  shops  in 
and  around  San  Francisco. 

The  announcement  of  Mr.  Lazarus' 
successor  as  President  of  Imperial  Pic- 
tures Corporation  will  be  made  shortly. 


OCTOBER  RELEASES  FOR 
PROD.  DIST.  CORP. 

For  the  month  of  October  Produc- 
er's Distributing  Corporation  has  three 
subjects  listed  for  release  including  the 
Thos.  H.  Ince  special  "Barbara  Friet- 
chie"  and  "The  House  of  Youth"  the 
first  of  the  Jacqueline  Logan  starring 
pictures: 

"Trouping  with  Ellen"  from  Eastern 
Productions  Inc.,  with  Helen  Chad- 
wick  in  the  stellar  role  heads  the  Oc- 
tober list  and  will  be  released  on  the 
5th.  It  is  a  story  of  theatrical  life  by 
Earl  Derr  Biggers  originally  published 
in  The  Saturday  Evening  Post  and  as  a 
literary  effort  it  was  acclaimed  one  of 
the  most  realistic  stories  ever  written 
around  the  stage  and  its  people. 

This  production  is  the  second  picture 
produced  by  Eastern  Production  and 
was  directed  by  F.  Hayes  Hunter. 

"The  House  of  Youth"  starring  Jac- 
queline Logan  is  an  adaptation  by  C. 


Gardner  Sullivan  of  Maude  Radford 
Warren's  popular  novel  of  the  same 
title.  This  is  a  Regal  Pictures  offering- 
produced  under  the  direction  of  Ralph 
Ince,  and  is  set  for  release  on  Oct.  19. 

"Barbara  Frietchie"  the  Ince  special 
that  is  being  given  a  pre-release  presen- 
tation at  the  new  Piccadilly  Theatre  in 
New  York  this  week  will  officially  be 
released  on  October  26. 

*    *  * 

CARRE  &  FRANCE  FOR 
DOUGLAS  MacLEAN 

Ben  Carre,  who  is  at  present  in 
New  York,  is  preparing  to  leave  for 
Paris.  During  his  stay  in  France  he 
will  prepare  for  the  coming  of  Douglas 
MacLean  and  his  company  who  will  go 
to  the  French  capitol  to  complete  his 
present  picture,  as  yet  untitled.  Prior 
to  leaving  the  Coast,  Ben  Carre,  served 
as  art  director  for  MacLean  on  this 
picture  which  is  to  follow  "Never  Say 
Die." 


PROMINENT  NEW  YORK 
EXHIBITOR  DIES 

William  Berinstein,  45  years  of  age, 
owning  and  operating  the  Hudson  and 
Colonial  Theatres  in  Albany,  the  Pal- 
ace in  Troy,  Van  Curler  in  Schenec- 
tady, and  the  Strand,  Lyceum  and  Ma- 
jestic Theatres  in  Elmira,  died  at  his 
home  in  New  York  City  on  Monday 
morning,  September  29. 

Mr.  Berinstein  suffered  a  nervous 
breakdown  about  five  months  ago,  and 
closely  following  the  death  of  his  wife. 

Mr.  Berinstein  was  a  resident  of  Al- 
bany until  about  three  years  ago  when 
he  moved  to  New  York  as  his  activities 
widened. 

He  first  entered  the  motion  picture 
theatre  field  as  the  owner  of  the  Hud- 
son Theatre  in  Albany.  Later  on  he  ac- 
quired the  Colonial  and  having  made  a  y 
success  of  these  two. houses,  he  added 
others  to  his  chain. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  21 


Kansas- Western  Missouri  Theatre 
Owners  Complete  Merger 

Exchange  Managers  Fail  to  Attend  Convention 


THE  Allied  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas  at 
Topeka,  Kansas,  last  week  prob- 
ably set  a  precedent,  as  far  as 
future  conventions  in  the  Kansas  City 
territory  are  concerned,  although  neith- 
er exhibitor  or  exchange  officials  will 
''commit"  themselves. 

The  exchanges,  in  declining  invita- 
tions to  the  convention,  did  so  only  in 
a  friendly  spirit.  Their  "regrets"  were 
accepted  in  a  similar  attitude  by  exhibi- 
tors, but  it  started  something.  Local 
exchanges  were  censored  by  home  of- 
fices in  New  York  for  failure  to  attend 
the  convention,  but  that  has  little  bear- 
ing upon  the  matter. 

The  smoothness  with  which  the  con- 
vention program  was  unwound,  the  ab- 
sence of  blending  one  type  of  business 
— film  purchasing  and  discussion  of  film 
— with  another — that  of  attending  to 
convention  details — proved  a  subject  of 
speculation  on  the  floor  of  the  conven- 
tion. So  successful,  financially  and 
otherwise,  was  the  convention  that  the 
subject  of  representation  at  conventions 
is  the  principal  topic  on  Kansas  City's 
movie  row  today. 

In  the  address  of  welcome,  Mayor 
Earl  Akers  of  Topeka  dropped  two 
timely  hints  to  exhibitors. 

"It  seems  important  to  me  that  thea- 
tre owners  should  have  a  better  under- 
standing with  legislative  bodies  on  their 
problems.  Misunderstanding  frequent- 
ly is  the  root  of  much  evil.  It  also  is 
important  that  exhibitors  organize,  or 
opposing  forces  will  organize  against 
them." 

THE  afternoon  session  of  the  first 
day  was  consumed  entirely  by  the 
merging  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas, 
Western  Missouri  and  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  the  completion  of  which  was  sealed 
by  the  adoption  of  a  resolution  covering 
the  merger. 

The  most  significant  address  of  the 
convention  was  that  of  Governor  Jon- 
athan Davis  of  Kansas  late  Monday  af- 
ternoon. 

"Exhibitors  and  producers  are  carry- 
ing more  responsibility  each  day  in  the 
type  of  picture  shown.  You  are  equal- 
ly as  responsible  as  ministers  or  schools. 
Your  importance  to  children  is  beyond 
estimation.  I  have  wondered  if  some 
day  we  cannot  do  without  censors. 
They  say  I  am  the  head  of  the  state 
censor  board.  Perhaps  I  am,  but  I  get 
few  complaints.  When  I  do  get  one  I 
view  the  picture  personally  before  rend- 
ering any  decision.    I  regard  myself  ws 


Huty  bound  to  exhibitors  as  I  am  to  any 
other  class  of  citizens." 

In  acknowledging  the  governor's  ad- 
dress, President  R.  R.  Biechele  of  the 
newly  merged  organization  asserted 
that  he  hoped  exhibitors  could  depend 
upon  the  governor  for  co-operation. 


EXHIBITORS  respond 
to  call  for  theatre  own- 
ers merger  and  discuss  mat- 
ters of  vital  importance  to 
the  organization.  This 
merger  will  make  the  Kan- 
sas -  Western  Missouri 
body  one  of  the  strongest 
in  the  country  and  will 
carry  great  weight  in  ob- 
taining favorable  legisla- 
tion and  fair  play  for  ex- 
hibitors. 

The  fact  that  exchange 
men  did  not  attend  the 
meeting  may  start  a  prece- 
dent in  such  gatherings.  It 
has  been  the  custom  for 
exchange  managers  to  use 
these  occasions  to  cement 
friendly  relations  between 
the  exhibitors  and  distrib- 
utors, but  the  absence  of 
the  exchange  representa- 
tives does  not  reflect  any- 
thing on  the  friendly  rela- 
tions now  existing  be- 
tween the  exchanges  and 
theatre  owners. 


"You  can  until  after  January ;  I'll 
have  my  own  fight  on  my  hands,"  the 
governor  smiled. 

PRESIDENT  H.  C.  COLE  of  the 
Texas  exhibitor  body  followed  the 
governor,  leaving  no  uncertainty  in  his 
tone  of  voice. 

"Men,  it  may  seem  a  little  cruel  to 
say  so,  but  you  haven't  any  organiza- 
tion. By  this,  I  mean  all  exhibitors ; 
not  you  individually.  We  have  just 
enough  members  to  make  us  think  we 
have  an  organization.    In  the  last  nine 


months  in  Texas  we  have  increased  our 
membership  to  325  and  have  $15,000  in 
the  treasury.  We  employed  a  real 
salesman  to  go  out  and  "sell"  organiza- 
tion. He  gets  100  percent  of  the  men 
he  sees.  You  must  have  enough  money 
in  the  treasury  to  carry  you  along  for 
a  time.  If  you  had  six  month's  salary 
for  a  salesman  I  would  almost  guaran- 
tee that  you  would  win  out." 

Then  came  Jack  Miller,  head  of  the 
Chicago  body,  who  added  even  more 
"kick"  to  the  impression  created  by  Mr. 
Cole. 

"If  you  think  you  can  run  an  organ- 
ization on  a  dime  you're  going  to  be 
badly  fooled.  We  collect  $60,000  a 
year — and  we  spend  it.  That's  the  only 
way  to  do.  To  an  exhibitor  who  seeks 
us  only  when  he  is  in  trouble,  we  tell 
him  'no.'  We  have  made  our  Chicago 
organization  hard  to  get  into  and  you 
would  be  surprised  at  the  kind  of  offers 
some  exhibitors  make  us  to  get  in." 

Glancing  about  the  room,  Chairman 
Al  Steffes  of  the  Allied,  who  followed 
Mr.  Miller  asserted : 

"This  attendance  is  a  damned  shame. 
Any  exchange  can  go  out  and  'sock'  an 
exhibitor  on  a  film,  but  it  is  a  hard  task 
to  sell  him  organization." 

Then  Mr.  Steffes  drifted  to  the  sub- 
ject of  Will  Hays. 

HAYS  is  a  smart  man  and  working 
just  as  hard  for  the  exhibitor  as  he 
is  the  producer,  for  he  realizes  that  if 
the  exhibitor  doesn't  make  money  the 
producer  can't.  Why  don't  you  put  it 
up  to  the  Kansas  City  exchanges  that 
if  they  serve  films  to  free  shows  they 
will  be  boycotted? 

"If  our  business  isn't  big  enough  to 
us  to  warrant  the  payment  of  our.organ- 
lzation  dues,  then  let's  get  out  and  make 
room  for  men  who  are  willing  Jo  pay. 
Why  point  to  the  exchanges  as  our  nat- 
ural enemies.  We  can  boyedt  ihem  and 
they  are  licked.  But  try  that  on  a  free 
show  where  there  is  a  civic  tie-up  and 
see  what  happens." 

At  the  banquet  Monday  night,  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  Ben  S.  Paulen  of  Kan- 
sas was  the  opening  speaker.  He  is  a 
candidate  for  governor. 

"During  my  entire  career  in  the  leg- 
islature I  never  yet  have  met  an  exhibi- 
tor who  was  not  fair.  You  daily  are 
moulding  public  opinion.  If  you  insist 
upon  the  kind  of  pictures  your  com- 
munity wants  the  producers  will  pro- 
duce them.  I  consider  exhibitors  as 
among  the  best  citizens  of  the  state." 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


yewember'TheFirePatmiy 


9* 


if  you  want  big  money  again* 
book  this  second  Chadwick  winner 

LIONEL  BARRYMORE 


"Meddling 
Women" 

WRJTTEN  8 DIRECTED  BY  IVAN  ABR.AMSON 


in 


ANo.l 
Supporting  Cast 

SIGRID  HOLMQ.UIST 

HUGH  THOMPSON 

IDA  DAR.LING- 

DAGMAR  GODOWSKY 

ALICE  HEGEMAN 

ANTONIO  DALGY 


Another  Lionel  Barrymore  success 
Spectator  is  gripped  from  beginning  to  end* 
The  supporting  cast  is  ANo.l 
and— 


(Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation — Seven  Reels) 

ElllOtl) 

Lionel  Bui Ti  niiTf_  udds 
-  -  hei  siifci-sb  to  his  long  list  oC  artistic  characterizations,  io 
this  instance  a  dual  role  ot  real  dramatic  power  vvhich  gives 
the  star  opportunity  to  display  his  peculiar  talents  to  "advantage. 
It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  director  that  he  kept  Mr  Barrymore  before 
the  camera  almost  constantly  during  the  unwinding  of  the  plot 

Next  lo  Mr  Barrytnore's  acting  comes  the  story  which  has  an 
unusual  us  well  as  a  surprise  ending  A  good  moral  is  put  over 
with  a  punch  and  there  isn't  the  least  doubt  hut  what  the  theme  is 
going  to  hit  a  lot  of  folks  right  between  the  eye*.  One  dramatic 
situation  steps  on  the  tail  of  the  preceding  witb  the  result  that  the 
spectator  is  gripped  from  bediming  to  end. 

The  production  is  mounted  in  an  artistic  and,  at  all  times  lavish 
anner  The  scenes  at  The  Frivolities,  a  cabaret,  come  under  the 
latter  description.  Here  there  are  some  stirring  moments  as  the 
husband,  under  the  power  of  a  fair  dancer,  gets  into  a  fight  witb 
the  male  dancing  partner  which'ends  in  his  being  struck  from  behind 
with*a  bottle  and  taking  the  count 

The  action  quicken*  toward  the  tluse  when  some  Dootlegging  ac* 
iivities  are  introduced,  serving  to  introduce  Mr   Barrymore '  in  the 
role  of  a  rum-peddling  agent     But  the  climax  in  which  the  husband 
is  supposed  to  be  killed  by  the  other  woman  just  as  be  returns 
after  everyone  has  believed  him  lo  be  drowned  and  then  the  surprise 
in  which  it  is  shown  that  all  the  events  have  happened  only  in  the 
nind  of  the  playwnter,  is  a  line  piece  of  screen  craftsmanship  and 
,vill  herp  immensely  in  putting  this  one  over 
The  supporting  cast  is  A  No.  1  and  includes  Eiignd  Holmqnist 
ho  is  an  attractive  heroine,  Dagmar  Oodowsky,  *who  is  an  ideal 
amp  type,  Hugh  Thompson  and  others     Alice  Hegeman  is  a  good 

for  Claudia,  the  gossip  and  meddler  • 
„,.  ■— ^^^^g^^^yuicd^ijawhicri  shows  cftc  unhappi- 
,,  in.    ,  ,^ R  r^^P^^^^^^BWB^^WBtal^^   women  in  the 
,»„    °1  **wa«* credit  "      wmy^*  | 

ities. 


THE  CHADWICK  Q 
ARE  THE  PENNANT- 
HOLDERS  OF  THE 

1924-25 
INDEPENDENT 

SEASON 


NOW  BEING  RELEASED  BY  THE  LEADING  INDEPENDENT  EXCHANGES  IN  THE  COUNTRY 


Foreign  Rights  Controlled  by 
Simmonds-Kann  Enterprises,  Inc.. 
220  West    42nd    Street.  AT.  Y.  C. 


iuction  An  Achievement" 


729  Seventh  Avenue, NewY0rhcuy 

I.E.  Chadwick  ,  President 


October  11,  1924 


Page  23 


Wi  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


THEY'LL  TELL  YOU  IT'S  A  WHALE  BUT  IN  REALITY  IT'S  A  WALL! 
"T  HE  "big  fellow''  has  just  dreamed  a  whale  of  a  bookin,    idea  and  he's  trying  to  lull  you  to  sleep  by  arguments 

about  how  you'll  be  protecting  yourself  by  signing  on  the  dotted  line.  But,  believe  me,  brother,  when  the  day  of 
reckoning  comes  you'll  let  a  wail  that  will  be  heard  from  coast   to  coast. 

There's  nothing  the  "big  fellow"  likes  better  than,  giving  something  for  nothing,  that  is,  in  his  dreams.  Any 
time  he  offers  something  to  help  you  he's  got  a  big  s  are  of  the  helping  figured  out  for  himself. 

Years  ago  one  of  the  "big  fellows''  started  out  to  help  the  little  fellow  and  when  he — or  they — got  through  the 
"big  fellow"  had  all  the  profits  and  the  little  a  lot  of  debts.    The  "booking  arrangement"  the  "big  fellow"  is 
trying  to  hook  you  on  is  just  one  more  step  toward  that  bug  merger  you've  been  hearing  about  so  much  lately. 

When  you  are  "hooked"  on  this  booking  plan  you'll  be  relegated  to  the  job  of  janitor  or  usher  of  your  own 
theatre  and  the  "big  fellow"  may  sell  you  a  ticket  to  your  own  show.     He's  that  generous,  you  know. 

Get  on  the  whale's  back  and  ride  him  to  death  for  he  swings  a  mean  tail.  Mean  enough  to  crush  you  when 
you   least  expect  it. 

An  owl  is  a  wise  bird  because  he  blinks  at  most  things  and  says  "hoot."  Be  a  wise  birr1  »"d  'ook  out  for 
the  whale.    Be  independent.  JOE  BRANDT 


e/3 


Fleming  Productions  Opens 
New  York  Headquarters 


Announcement  is  made  by  J.  J.  Flem- 
ing, President  of  the  J.  J.  Fleming  Pro- 
ductions, Inc.,  with  studios  at  Beaver- 
ton,  Oregon,  that  his  organization  will 
distribute  its  future  product  direct  to 
the  Independent  exchanges  and  State 
Right  buyers,  and  to  this  end  has  opened 
offices  at  723  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York, 
in  charge  of  J.  Chas.  Davis,  2nd,  who 
has  been  made  an  officer  of  the  com- 
pany and  appointed  General  Manager. 

The  first  product  to  be  released  by 
Fleming  Productions  will  be  a  series  of 
six  north  woods  dramas  featuring  Al. 
Ferguson  and  Pauline  Curley.  Two  of 
these  subjects  have  already  been  com- 
pleted and  are  now  ready  for  distribu- 
tion, viz.,  "Shackles  of  Fear"  and  "The 
Trail  of  Vengence."  Production  on  the 
third  picture  "Followed  by  Fate"  will 
be  started  immediately  upon  Mr.  Flem- 
ing's return  to  the  studio. 

Mr.  Fleming  was  in  New  York  dur- 
ing the  past  week,  at  which  time  dis- 
tribution arrangements  were  made  and 
it  is  understood  that  the  new  concern 
already  has  considerable  territory  lined 
up.  Fleming  left  on  Saturday  for  the 
home  office  of  his  organization.  It  is 
his  intention  to  stop  off  at  the  key  cities 
enroute  and  then  go  to  Hollywood 
where  he  will  assemble  his  cast  for  the 
next  production  which  he  expects  to 
get  under  way  inside  of  two  weeks. 

J.  J.  Fleming  is  well  known  to  the 
motion  picture  industry,  having  been 
production  manager  for  many  of  the 
largest  companies  and  having  a  large 
number  of  successful  pictures  to  his 
credit  as  an  Independent  producer.  It 


is  said  by  those  who  have  seen  the  first 
two  pictures,  that  they  are  of  excep- 
tional quality  and  should  prove  highly 
successful  in  the  Independent  market. 

J.  Chas.  Davis,  2nd,  who  will  have 
full  charge  of  the  distribution  as  well 
as  the  exploitation  of  these  subjects,  has 
been  for  many  years  identified  with 
the  motion  picture  industry.  He  was 
for  a  long  time  Director  of  Advertis- 
ing and  Exploitation  for  the  Arrow 
Film  Corporation  and  later  assistant  to 
the  president  of  that  organization.  He 
resigned  in  January  1924  to  go  into 
business  for  himself. 

J.  J.  Fleming  Productions,  Inc.,  is 
said  to  have  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
up-to-date  studios  in  the  country  located 
at  Beaverton,  Oregon,  a  suburb  of 
Portland.  Every  modern  convenience 
for  the  making  of  photoplays  has  been 
installed  and  Fleming  points  out  that 
the  location  is  ideal  for  picture  produc- 
tion as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the 
greatest  scenic  spots  in  America. 

'THE  SPEED  SPORTS' 
CLOSING  TERRITORY 

Territorial  sales  on  Johnny  Hines' 
latest  "The  Speed  Spook"  continue  to 
be  rapidly  disposed  of,  the  past  week 
witnessing  the  closing  of  contracts  with 
two  additional  exchanges.  The  most 
important  of  these  perhaps  is  the  sale 
of  "The  Speed  Spook"  and  the  two  oth- 
er Johnny  Hines'  features  to  come,  to 
Edwin  Silverman  of  Film  Classics  Ex- 


change of  Illinois,  the  distributors  of 
the  complete  Warner  Bros,  product. 

The  other  purchase  of  the  Johnny 
Hines'  series  was  to  R.  D.  Lewis,  1 1 14 
West  Markham  Street,  Little  Rock,  Ar- 
kansas. These  two  sales  close  the  en- 
tire middle  west  territory  on  the  Johnny 
Hines'  series.  Aside  from  these  two  ter- 
ritories the  following  exchanges  have 
already  been  sold  on  the  series : 

Greater  New  York  to  Sam  Zierler, 
Commonwealth  Film  Corporation,  729- 
7th  Ave.,  New  York  City;  Ben  Ams- 
terdam, Masterpiece  Film  Attractions, 
1329  Vine  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
New  England  States  to  American  Fea- 
ture Film  Company,  37  Piedmont 
Street,  Boston,  Mass.,  Ohio  to  Skor- 
ball  Gold  Seal  Production,  Film  Build- 
ing, Cleveland,  Ohio;  Washington,  D. 
C.  to  Trio  Productions,  916  New  Jer- 
sey Ave. ;  Wisconsin  to  Ludwig  Film 
Exchanges,  Film  Building,  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin;  North  and  South  Dakota 
and  Minnesota  to  F  &  R  Film  Com- 
pany, Loeb  Arcade  Building,  Minneapo- 
lis, Minnesota,  and  entire  foreign  rights 
to  Simmonds-Kann  Enterprise,  Inc., 
220  West  42  Street,  New  York  City. 

Pending  contracts  indicate  that  this 
total  will  be  augmented  by  at  least 
three  more  territorial  sales  on  the  com- 
plete series  this  week. 

C.  C.  Burr  is  decidedly  optimistic 
concerning  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
leading  independent  exchanges  are  ne- 
gotiating for  territories  on  this  Johnny 
Hines'  series,  and  believes  that  within 
the  next  fortnight  all  territories  will 
have  been  sold. 

This  is  primarily  due  to  the  fact  that 
"The  Speed  Spook,"  which  is  the  first 
of  the  series,  has  been  entirely  up  to 
expectations.  Nothing  will  be  spared 
to  make  the  ensuing  feature  "The  Early 
Bird"  even  bigger  and  better  than  its 
predecessor. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


FOREIGN  CONTRACT 
FOR  RAYART 

W.  Ray  Johnson,  President  of  Ray- 
art  Pictures  Corporation,  announces 
this  week  what  he  believes  to  be  the 
biggest  deal  closed  in  the  foreign  mar- 
ket in  the  past  two  years.  It  includes 
the  entire  Rayart  output  for  the  next 
two  years  and  takes  in  the  entire  for- 

i 
i 
m 


I 

1 
B 
B 
M 
M 

B 

Ik) 

H 
H 

B 

8 
si 


We  Told  You  So! 

EVERYBODY  RAVED  ABOUT  I 

B 

THE 
FIRE 
PATROL 

The  first  of  the  famous  group  for 
Independents  this  season: 

The  Chadwick  9 

FILM  DAILY: 

"The  Fire  Patrol"  spells  money,  money 
money,  right  in  the  little  old  box-office 
Dust  off  the  S.  R.  O.  sign  and  get 
ready. 

EXHIBITORS   TRADE  REVIEW: 

"The  Fire  Patrol"  is  a  genuine  hit. 
Hunt  Stromberg  has  produced  an  epic 
photoplay. .  .this  independent  production 
equals  any  picture  of  the  year  as  a  box- 
office  magnet— and  excels  most. 
VARIETY: 

An  independent  picture,  certain  to  be  a 
box-office  winner.  It  is  so  far  ahead  of 
the  average  independently  made  picture 
it  stands  out  like  a  rose  in  a  garden  of 
weeds.  It  has  everything  a  picture 
should  have  to  appeal  to  the  masses. 

MOVING  PICTURE  WORLD: 

Exhibitors  need  feel  no  hesitation  in 
welcoming  "The  Fire  Patrol,"  which 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corp.  has  screened 
from  the  stage  play  of  the  same  title 
by  Harkins  and  Barber,  and  which  is  a 
credit  to  the  independent  market. 

WID'S  WEEKLY: 

Full  of  B.  O.  values.  Go  out  of  your 
way  to  arrange  playdates  for  this  one. 

MORNING  TELEGRAPH: 

Exhibitors   will   do   well   for  themselves 
by  booking  "The  Fire  Patrol." 

N.   Y.   DAILY  NEWS: 
Sure-fire  success. 


eign  market,  giving  to  Richmount  Pic- 
tures, of  which  David  J.  Mountan  is 
President,  and  James  V.  Ritchey, 
Treasurer,  the   entire  Rayart  output. 

This  consists  for  the  first  year  of 
twelve  specials,  the  first  two  of  which 
are  "The  Street  of  Tears"  and  "Trail 
Dust,"  six  productions  starring  George 
Larkin,  the  Reed  Howe  series,  the  four 
Harry  Brown  melodramas,  twelve 
Northwestern  dramas,  and  two  Rayart 
Serials, — the  first  of  which  is  "Battling 
Brewester." 

Under  the  terms  of  the  contract, 
Richmount  Pictures,  which  have  offices 
in  London  and  Paris  as  well  as  in  New 
York,  become  the  exclusive  foreign 
agency  for  the  Rayart  organization. 


GOTHIC  TO  PRODUCE 
'PARIS  AFTER  DARK' 

In  line  with  its  policy  of  aggressive 
and  showmanly  production,  Gothic  Pro- 
ductions, headed  by  Lou  Baum  of  New 
York  who  has  established  headquarters 
at  the  F.  B.  O.  Studios  in  Hollywood, 
will  shortly  launch  a  big  melodrama 
called  "Paris  After  Dark." 

The  story  is  an  original  from  the  pen 
of  Emilie  Forst  and  recounts  the  ad- 
venture and  romances  of  a  sheltered 
society  girl  who  becomes  an  artist,  and 
finds  her  true  love  in  the  underworld  of 
Paris. 

An  all-star  cast  will  be  assembled  un- 
der the  general  direction  of  B.  P.  Fine- 
man,  F.  B.  O.'s  west  coast  production 
head. 

"Paris  After  Dark"  will  be  the  sec- 
ond of  the  series  of  big  special  Gothic 
productions  for  Film  Booking  Offices 
at  the  F.  B.  O.  coast  plant. 

"Vanity's  Price"  was  the  first  and 
judging  from  the  welcome.it  has  re- 
ceived in  many  of  the  key  centers, 
Gothic  is  off  to  a  running  start. 

Lou  Baum,  president  of  Gothic  Pro- 
ductions, has  established  headquarters 
at  the  Film  Booking  Offices  studios  in 
Hollywood,  where  all  of  the  Gothic  pro- 
dictions  will  be  made. 

Following  his  arrival  on  the  Coast 


Jhemertic  Music 


Cue  ~SAee£> 


M.J.MINTZ  R*n 


IS  FURNISHED  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


from  New  York  the  first  of  the  Evelyn 
Brent-Gothic  starring  productions  got 
under  way  with  Tod  B downing  direct- 
ing. 

Gothic,  according  to  advices  from  the 
coast,  plans  an  active  production  cam- 
paign. At  least  fifteen  big  productions 
will  be  made  under  that  banner  and  all 
will  be  distributed  through  Film  Book- 
ing Offices. 


This  new  series  of 

SCREEN 
SNAPSHOTS 


is  the  real  live   Fan   Magazine.  Personal 
glimpses  of  the  Big  Stars  at  home  and  in 
the  studio.     Something  new  and  different. 
Twice-a-month.     One  Reel. 


A  Puller,  ISot  a  Program  Filler 

Copyright  and  distributed  bv 

C.  B.  C.  Film  Sales  Corp., 
1600  Broadway  N.  Y.  City 


October  1L  ll>24 


Page  25 


'Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


CELEBRITIES  HONOR 
ALICE  JOYCE 

Telegraphic  word  from  the  coast  ad- 
vises that  a  royal  welcome  was  tendered 
Alice  Joyce  on  her  recent  arrival  in 
Los  Angeles  after  an  absence  of  ten 
years  from  the  film  capital  and  an  ab- 
sence of  two  years  from  the  screen. 

Headed  by  B.  B.  Schulberg  whose 
next  Preferred  Picture,  "White  Man" 
will  bring  Miss  Joyce  back  to  the  star 
rank,  many  of  her  former  associates 
met  her  at  the  station. 

Recognized  in  the  crowd  were  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson,  Bernard  Randall,  Eulalie 
Jensen,  Blanche  Sweet,  Marshall  Neil- 
an,  Harry  Morey,  Robert  Vignola, 
Wallace  MacDonald,  Wally  Van,  Marc 
McDermott,  Edward  Earle,  Holmes 
Herbert,  J.  Stuart  Blackton,  Larry  Se- 
mon,  Al  Kaufman,  Gasnier,  Clara  Bow, 
Kenneth  Harlan,  Harry  Garson  and 
Lefty  Flynn. 


VERY  FAST 
BANNER  OUTPUT  SELLING 

According  to  an  announcement  made 
early  this  week  by  George  H.  Davis  of 
Banner  Productions,  Inc.,  one  of  the 
most  progressive  of  the  younger  State 
Right  organizations,  territory  on  both 
the  Banner  series,  the  Banner  Big  4 
and  Ben  Verschleiser  series,  totaling 
eight  attractions  in  all,  is  rapidly  being 
closed  as  a  result  of  the  country-wide 
sales  trip  of  Samuel  J.  Briskin. 

Advices  from  Mr.  Briskin  are  most 
enthusiastic  over  the  outlook,  Mr.  Da- 
vis stated,  and  there  is  every  indica- 
tion, judging  from  the  reception  that 
Banner  productions  have  thus  far  re- 
ceived, that  all  unsold  territory  will  be 
disposed  of  before  Mr.  Briskin's  return 
to  New  York  early  in  November. 

The  B  anner  Big  4  series,  directed  by 
Burton  King,  includes  "The  Truth 
About  Women,"  and  "The  Man  With- 
out a  Heart."  These  are  com- 
pleted and  have  been  released  in  some 
territories. 

"Those  Who  Judge"  the  third  of  the 
series,  is  now  in  production  and  will 
be  ready  for  the  theatres,  November  15. 

It  is  a  society  melodrama  from  the 
novel  by  Margery  Land  May. 

"Daughters  Who  Pay,"  the  fourth 
and  last  of  the  Burton  King  features, 
is  scheduled  for  release  early  in  Jan- 
uary, 1925,  and  will  be  put  into  pro- 
duction immediately  after  the  comple- 
tion of  "Those  Who  Judge." 

The  second  Banner  series,  produced 
by  Ben  Verschleiser  on  the  Coast,  has 
as  its  initial  offering,  "Empty  Hearts," 
from  the  Metropolitan  Magazine  story 


Alice  Joyce  returns  to  the  screen  in  B.  P. 
Schulberg's  next  Preferred  Picture,  en- 
titled "White  Man,"  directed  by  Gasnier. 

by  Evelyn  Campbell,  and  features 
Clara  Bow,  John  Bowers,  Lillian  Rich. 


MANY  NEW  CONTRACTS 
FOR  C.  C.  PRODUCTS 

Rapid  stride  has  been  made  by  Ed. 
M.  Hopcraft,  general  manager  for 
Cranfield  &  Clarke,  in  selling  of  the 
territories  for  the  forthcoming  feature 
productions  of  that  company.  In  the 
few  weeks  that  Cranfield  &  Clarke  have 
begun  their  whirlwind  selling  campaign 
the  following  exchanges  have  acquired 
their  franchises  in  record  time : 

Nathan  Hirsch,  Aywon  Film  Ex- 
change, 729  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C, 
for  Greater  New  York  and  Northern 
New  Jersey. 

The  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  for  west- 
ern Pennslyvania  and  West  Virginia, 
covering  the  Pittsburgh  territory. 

The  Epic  Film  Attractions,  Edward 
Grossman,  general  manager,  808  South 
Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago,  111. 

Rex  Film  Company,  W.  S.  Whitman, 
manager,  for  the  state  of  Michigan  ex- 
cepting the  northern  peninsular. 

Cosmopolitan  Film  Company,  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  14  Piedmont  St.,  Bob  W. 
Cobe,  manager,  New  England  States. 

De  Luxe  Film  Corp.,  Tony  Luch- 
esse,  1318  Vine  St.,  Phila.,  Pa.,  for 
western  Pa.,  and  southern  New  Jersey. 


"The  Street  of  Tears,"  a  Rayart  Production,  has  an  interesting  cast  of  young 
actors,  who  depict  the  life  of  street  urchins  in  one  of  the  more  thickly  populated 
cities,  and  Tom  Santchi,  whose  police  role  gives  virility  to  that  much  maligned 
official  in  a  city's  executive  family.  Many  scenes  give  the  film  dramatic  highlights. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


'HIS  WOMAN  TO  BE  RE- 
LEASED BY  SELCO,  INC. 

Selco  Pictures  Inc.,  through  Joseph 
W.  Schlieff,  production  manager,  an- 
nounces the  signing  of  a  contract  with 
Postman  Pictures  Corporation,  whereby 
Selco  has  acquired  the  distribution 
rights  for  the  Whitman  Bennett  pic- 
ture, tentatively  titled  "His  Woman," 
on  which  Mr.  Bennett  has  just  started 


6 


"METROPOLITAN 
MELODRAMAS" 

featuring 

GEORGE  LARKIN 

with 

OLLIE  KIRBY  j 
PAULINE  CURLEY  j 
JACK  RICHARDSON 

— o — 
FIRST  RELEASE: 

"MIDNIGHT 
SECRETS" 

NOW  READY 


tAVART 
•tCTURES 


723  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City 


production  at  his  studio  at  Riverdale- 
on-Hudson,  New  York  City. 

Patsy  Ruth  Miller  has  been  engaged 
for  the  leading  feminine  role  and  David 
Powell  will  play  opposite  her.  Lawford 
Davidson,  who  did  such  good  work  as 
the  husband  in  Dove  of  Women,  will 
have  the  part  of  the  heavy  and  George 
Stewart,  Anita's  brother,  will  be  in  the 
cast.  Several  other  well  known  screen 
actresses  are  being  considered  for  the 
role  of  the  "other  woman"  and  Mr. 
Bennett  expects  to  reach  a  decision 
shortly. 

The  story  for  His  Woman  was  taken 
from  the  popular  novel,  Back  from  the 
Dead,  by  Andrew  Soutar,  the  celebrated 
author  and  playwright,  who  among  oth- 
er successes  was  responsible  for  His 
Parisian  Wife,  in  which  Elsie  Ferguson 
had  the  greatest  triumph  of  her  career. 

In  brief,  the  plot  of  His  Woman  deals 
with  the  return  from  the  war  of  an  avi- 
ator, who  had  been  reported  slain.  An 
operation  in  plastic  surgery  had  so 
changed  his  face  as  to  make  it  unrecog- 
nizable, even  by  his  own  wife,  who  had 
been  forced  by  her  unscrupulous  broth- 
er into  marrying  a  wealthy  and  brutal 
man.  Keeping  his  identity  a  secret,  the 
aviator  takes  up  his  life  again  in  the 
munity.  Many  tense  and  compelling 
scenes  lead  eventually  to  a  thoroughly 
satisfactory  and  logical  conclusion. 

Shortly  after  its  completion  "His 
Woman"  will  be  released  by  Selco 
through  the  Selznick  Distributing  Cor- 
poration. 

*   #  * 

JESSE  GOLDBURG  SIGNS 
FOREIGN  STAR 

Miss  Mariana  Moya,  an  Austrian 
actress  who  has  appeared  as  a  foremost 
star  in  the  largest  and  most  prominent 
theatres  in  Vienna,  has  come  to  Ameri- 
ca to  appear  in  pictures.  In  addition 
to  being  a  tragedian  of  note,  famed  on 
the  continent  for  her  capable  interpre- 
tation of  heavy  dramatic  roles,  Miss 
Moya  is  distinguished  as  a  woman  of 
exceptional  beauty.  Recently  she  was 
proclaimed  the  most  beautiful  woman 
in  Vienna. 

Miss  Moya  has  been  signed  by  Jesse 
J.  Goldburg  of  the  Independent  Pic- 
tures Corp.  to  play  dramatic  roles  in 
their  various  releases.  She  is  now  play- 
ing the  part  of  an  Italian  dancehall  girl 
in  "The  Outlaw  Tamer"  the  third 
Franklyn  Farnum  release,  and  will 
then  begin  work  on  the  pictures  which 
Independent  is  making  for  F.  B.  O. 
She  is  a  distinct  brunette  and  particu- 
larly suited  to  vampire  and  siren  parts. 


'THE  TOM  BOY'  FOR 
CHADWICK 

Frank  Davey,  noted  scenario  writer, 
wrote  the  scenario  for  "The  Tom  Boy," 
the  fifth  picture  in  the  Chadwick  unit 
of  nine  which  Chadwick  Pictures  Cor- 
poration is  releasing  this  season  on  the 
independent  market.  It  is  now  in  pro- 
duction on  the  coast  under  the  direction 
of  David  Kirkland. 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 

If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of    Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       BiS  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  S:ries  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Daring  Deeds 


ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St.         New  York  City 


October  11,  1924 


Page  27 


0 


H9= 


T^f/*  The  Independent  Distributors 


DOUGLAS  MacLEAN 
AT  WORK  AGAIN 

Within  the  past  week  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean,  who  has  scored  such  notable  suc- 
cesses in  "Going  Up,"  "The  Yankee 
Consul,"  and  whose  latest  picture 
"Never  Say  Die,"  is  setting  records 
everywhere  throughout  the  country, 
started  work  on  the  fourth  independent 
effort,  made  by  his  own  corporation  for 
release  through  Associated  Exhibitors. 

The  story  is  as  yet  untitled  and  has 
not  even  been  given  a  working  title.  It 
was  written  by  Raymond  Cannon  and 
gives  Doug  the  part  of  a  snappy  young 
American  with  a  Parisian  locale.  A 
portion  of  the  story  will  be  filmed  in 


Cranfield  &  Clarke 

HAVE  JUST  RELEASED 

Flora  Le  Breton 

m 

"A  Souls  Awakening" 

GET  IN  QUICK 
FOR  OPEN  TERRITORY 


Alert  showmen  will  do  well  to  get  in  imme- 
diate touch  with  the  nearest  of  the  following 

EXCHANGES 
(See  Key  Number  References  on  Exchange 
List  in  Editorial  Columns  of  This  Section) 
Bou-2,    Chi-2,    Cin-2,    Cle-E,    Dal-4,  Det-2, 
MU-2,  N  Y-2,  Phi-2,  Pit-2. 


Cranfield  &  Clarke,  Inc. 

729  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City 


mm.. 


ESTELLE  TAYLOR 

Supported  by 
TULLY  MARSHALL 
MARGARET  LANDIS 
JEAN  PERRY 
EDWARD  KIMBALL 
KATE  PRICE 
WILFRED  LUCAS 
BEN  DEELY 
KID  EAGAN 
SNITZ  EDWARDS 

In 

"Passion's  Pathway" 

WHAT  A  STAR! 
WHAT   A  CAST! 
WHAT  A  TITLE! 

LEE-BRADFORP  corporation  ,4u 

701  SeventhAve  New  York. 


Paris,  and  art  director  Ben  Carre  has 
preceded  the  balance  of  the  company 
to  France  to  make  preparatory  arrange- 
ments for  this  work. 

Ann  Cornwall  has  been  cast  for  the 
feminine  lead  and  other  equally  well- 
known  players  will  be  seen  in  the  star's 
support. 


'THE  FATAL  KISS'  IS 
COMPLETED 

The  negative  of  "The  Fatal  Kiss," 
another  of  the  Perfection  Series  of 
eight  produced  by  C.  B.  C,  has  been 
received  and  a  print  will  soon  be  ready 
for  cutting  and  editing.  The  cast  in- 
cludes Eva  Novak  and  William  Fair- 
banks supported  by  Wilfred  Lucas,  Dot 
Farley,  Bruce  Gordon,  Harry  McCoy, 
Hall  Weigle,  Frank  Clark.  The  direc- 
tion is  by  Scott  Dunlap. 


D WIGHT  CLEVELAND 
WITH  F.  B.  0 

In  line  with  F.  B.  O's  production  ex- 
pansion at  the  Hollywood  studios,  Ed- 
ward Montague,  scenario  editor,  has 
added  Dwight  Cleveland  to  his  staff. 
Mr.  Cleveland  has  long  been  associated 
with  the  motion  picture  industry  as  a 
writer  and  also  has  achieved  distinc- 
tion in  literary  fields.  Others  serving 
in  the  F.  B.  O.  script  department  are 
Enid  Hibbard  and  Betty  Roberts. 


BENNY  LEONARD  AT 
WORK  ON  NEW  SERIES 

Benny  Leonard,  world's  champion 
lightweight,  returned  to  the  motion  pic- 
ture studios  last  week  1o  make  the  final 
three  of  his  series  of  six  films  which 
are  being  released  by  Henry  Ginsberg 
under  the  title,  "Flying  Fists."  Rehears- 
als are  now  under  way,  and  actual  pro- 
duction will  be  begun  at  the  beginning 
of  next  week,  under  the  direction  of 
Lawrence  Windom,  who  also  directed 
the  first  three  of  the  series.  Sam  Hell- 
man,  whose  scenarios  and  titles  have 
been  received  with  great  enthusiasm  by 
those  who  have  seen  the  pictures,  is 
again  supplying  the  fighter  with  his 
screen  material.  Leonard's  leading 
woman  is  Alyce  Mills,  who  has  just 
completed  five  films  for  Fox. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Leonard  films 
are  rapidly  being  booked  throughout 
the  country.  Their  first  release  in  New 
York  will  be  for  a  two  week  run  at  the 
Rivoli  and  Rialto  theatres,  one  week 
in  each.    A  special  showing  for  Great- 


er New  York  and  northern  New  Jersey 
exhibitors  was  held  at  the  New  York 
roof  on  Oct.  2,  by  the  Oxford  Film 
Exchange,  729  Seventh  Avenue,  which 
is  distributing  the  series  in  this  territory. 

Henry  Ginsberg  reports  that  75  per- 
cent of  the  territory  has  been  closed  on 
the  series.  He  is  making  a  trip  through 
the  South  this  week  and  next  to  con- 
clude deals  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

r^SEEEttEKrHSEP^ 

The  sun  is  up!  The  cock 
crows!  The  dew  is  on  the 
clover!  Time  for  all  you 
wide  awake  showmen  to 
freshen  up  your  dusty  tills 
with  a  rain  of  silver ! !  THE 
EARLY  BIRD  IS  ON  THE 
WING!!! 

C.  C.  BURR  oresents 

JQHNN9 
HINEX 


MARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
'THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.   C.    Burr,    Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following: 
EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

3  N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
y.  Wash-l,  Min-2,  L.  R.-l,  Sea-2,  Dal-3, 
g     Chi-4,  Fr-1. 
rSr5r5r5Er525Er5rKr5cW5r^^ 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


'Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


"When  Winter  Went,"  a  feature  length  comedy,  produced  by  Independent,  boasts 
Raymond  Griffith  and  an  excellent  supporting  company,  enacting  a  tale  of  country 
life,  with  the  circus  day  an  important  feature  of  community  life. 


NEW  PRODUCING  COM- 
PANY ORGANIZED 

Hollywood  is  the  home  of  another 
moving  picture  concern,  which  was 
launched  on  September  12.  Articles  of 
incorporation  having  been  filed  on  that 
date  with  the  secretary  of  state  at  Sac- 
ramento, for  an  organization  to  be 
known  as  Superior  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion. 

Tref  Willson,  prominent  business 
man  from  Needles,  Calif.,  has  been  ap- 
pointed chief  executive  of  the  concern. 
Mr.  Willson  is  said  to  have  large  min- 
ing interests  in  Arizona  and  Nevada. 
The  firm  plans  to  handle  their  own  dis- 
tribution directly  from  Hollywood. 
Ethel  Gray  Walker,  who  was  named 
as  secretary-treasurer,  will  have  charge 
of  that  branch  of  the  business.  More 
than  ten  years  experience  in  the  dis- 
tributing and  film  exchange  business 
gives  her  a  suitable  background  for  her 
work. 

Los  Angeles  and  Pasadena  capitalists 
are  backing  the  corporation  which 
plans  to  produce  a  series  of  six  out- 
door, athletic,  productions  featuring 
Jean  Riley. 

*    *  * 

MARGUERITE  CLAYTON 
WITH  INDEPENDENT 

Marguerite  Clayton  who  has  been  ap- 
pearing before  the  screen  for  the  past 


eight  years  and  who  has  become  a  fa- 
vorite with  a  large  portion  of  the 
movie-going  public  through  her  appear- 
ance in  a  great  many  prominent  pic- 
tures, has  signed  a  contract  with  Jesse 
J.  Goldburg  to  appear  in  Independent 
Pictures.  Her  first  endeavor  will  be 
as  co-star  with  Franklyn  Farnum  in 
"The  Outlaw  Tamer"  the  third  of  the 
second  series  of  pictures  in  which  Far- 
num is  starring. 

Miss  Clayton  started  her  screen  ca- 
reer eight  years  ago  when  she  left  Salt 
Lake  City,  her  home  town,  and  went  to 
Chicago  to  have  a  test  made  at  the 
Essanay  Studio.  On  the  strength  of 
that  test  she  was  offered  a  contract 
and  made  features  for  that  company 
for  five  years.  Since  then  she  has  ap- 
peared in  such  successes  as  "Inside  of 
the  Cup,"  "Hit-the-Trail-Holiday," 
"Canyon  of  the  Fools,"  "The  Man  of 
the  Desert"  and  many  others. 

In  addition  to  these  successes  Miss 
Clayton  had  the  distinction  of  appear- 
ing in  the  leading  role  in  the  first  three 
reel  comedies  ever  made  in  which  pic- 
tures she  was  starred  with  Bryant 
Washburn. 


*  * 


LE  SAINT  TO  DIRECT 
'THE  THREE  KEYS' 

George  H.  Davis,  who,  with  Samuel 
J.  Briskin  directs  the  activities  of  Ban- 
ner Productions,  Inc.,  announces  that 
"The  Three  Keys,"  a  novel  by  Fred- 


eric Ormonde,  has  been  selected  for 
picturization  as  the  second  feature  of 
the  series  released  by  Banner,  produced 
by  Ben  Verschleiser,  of  which  "Empty 
Hearts,"  already  a  notable  box-office 
success,  was  the  initial  offering  . 

Edward  Le  Saint  has  been  engaged 
to  direct  the  picture  version  of  Or- 
mond's  romantic  mystery  drama  and 
casting  on  the  production  will  be  begun 
at  once.  Robert  Dillion,  the  well  known 
scenarist  formerly  and  for  many  years 
with  Pathe,  is  making  the  screen  ad- 
aptation of  the  story  and  camera  work 
will  begin  immediately  on  the  comple- 
tion of  the  script. 

*    *  * 

NEW  SERIES  OF  SCREEN 
SNAPSHOTS  READY 

C.  B.  C.  have  now  ready  for  release 
the  first  number  of  their  one-reel  short 
subject  "Screen  Snapshots."  This  sub- 
ject is  somewhat  different  from  the 
usual  run  of  shorts.  It  is  issued  in  the 
form  of  a  screen  Fan  Magazine.  It  is 
issued  twice  a  month  and  shows  inti- 
mate shots  of  all  the  big  stars  and  film 
people  at  their  studios,  at  home  and  at 
play.  The  first  number  starts  right  off 
with  all  of  the  Talmadge  wives  and 
husbands  in  one  group.  A  shot  of 
Jack  Dempsey  and  his  leading  lady,  an- 
other of  Doug  and  Mary  visiting  with 
Charlie  Chaplin.  These  snaps  are  care- 
fully selected  so  as  to  be  timely  and 
are  a  distinct  addition  to  any  program. 
They  are  not  made  up  as  fillers  and  any 
exhibitor  playing  them  can  rely  on 
them  as  pullers.  They  are  worth  ad- 
vertising as  a  distinct  feature  of  the 
program. 

*  *  * 

SELL  TEN  FEATURES 

Joe  Brandt  announces  that  C.  B.  C. 
have  consummated  the  sale  of  ten  of 
their  feature  pictures  to  the  Greater 
Features,  Inc.,  of  Seattle.  The  fea- 
tures are  "Innocence,"  "The  Marriag 
Market,"  "Forgive  and  Forget,"  "Dis 
contented  Husbands,"  "Yesterday's 
Wife,"  "Pal  O'Mine,"  "Traffic  in 
Hearts,"  "Her  Accidental  Husband," 
"Why  Women  Remarry,"  and  "The 
Barefoot  Boy." 

Special  advertising  material  and  a 
new  publicity  campaign  are  being  laid 
for  this  series  of  pictures. 

*  *  * 

FOREIGN  RIGHTS  SOLD 

C.  B.  C.  announce  that  they  have 
sold  the  foreign  rights  for  all  countries 
except  Argentine  on  their  Columbia 
Picture,  "Traffic  in  Hearts,"  to  the 
Simmonds-Kann  Enterprises  of  N.  Y. 
City. 


October  11, 


Page  29 


A  driverless  car,  speeding  about  in  the  traffic  of  New  York  City  has  given  "The 
Speed  Spook,"  a  C.  C.  Burr  production,  unusual  publicity  value  and  has  created 
widespread  attention.    The    novelty    causes     the    curious    to    stop    and  wonder. 


DETROIT  GETS  FIRST 
I.  M.  P.  P.  D.  A.  EXCHANGE 

A  committee  will  leave  shortly  for 
Detroit  to  establish  the  first  exchange 
to  be  operated  and  financed  by  the  I. 
M.  P.  P.  D.  A.  The  committee  will  ar- 
range for  office  space,  manager  and 
sales  force,  and  the  exchange  is  ex- 
pected to  be  functioning  within  a 
month. 

This  action  is  in  line  with  the  or- 
ganization's newly  announced  policy  of 
maintaining  its  own  distribution  in  ter- 
ritories now  considered  closed  to  it. 

*  *  * 

'TENSE  MOMENT'  SERIES 
TERRITORIAL  SALES 

Louis  Weiss,  Artclass  executive,  who 
is  presently  making  a  coast  to  coast 
tour  in  the  interest  of  the  Weiss 
Brothers'  Artclass  product,  last  week 
sold  to  the  Shooker  Film  Exchanges  of 
Denver,  Colorado,  territorial  rights  for 
Colorado,  Utah,  Wyoming,  New  Mexi- 
co and  Southern  Idaho  on  "Tense  Mo- 
ments from  Great  Authors  and  Famous 
Plays"  a  series  of  eighteen  single  reel 
subjects. 

Progress  Pictures,  of  St.  Louis  (Tom 
Leonard)  also  purchased  the  "Tense 
Moments  from  Great  Authors  and 
Famous  Plays"  series,  for  the  territory 
of  Eastern  Missouri,  and  Southern 
Illinois. 

*  *  * 

'FIRE  PATROL'  GETS 
IMPORTANT  BOOKINGS 

Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation  are 
in  receipt  of  advice  from  First  Graphic 
Exchanges,  Inc.,  who  are  distributing 
the  Chadwick  9  in  upper  New  York, 
that  they  have  booked  "The  Fire  Pa- 
trol" in  the  Mark  Strand  Theatre,  Al- 
bany, and  in  the  Troy  Theatre,  Troy, 
N.  Y.  The  Troy  is  also  a  Mark  Strand 
theatre. 

*  *  * 

THE  BREATH  OF  SCANDAL 
TO  PLAY  BROADWAY 

Among  the  film  fare  promised  to 
Broadway  patrons  next  month,  is  D.  P. 
Schulberg's    new    Preferred  Picture, 


"The  Breath  of  Scandal."  This  is  an 
adaptation  of  Edwin  Balmer's  story 
which  appeared  serially  in  Cosmopoli- 
tan Magazine  prior  to  its  publication  as 
a  novel.  Gasnier  directed  its  all  star 
cast  which  includes  Betty  Blythe,  Lou 
Tellegen,  Patsy  Ruth  Miller,  Forrest 
Stanley,  Jack  Mulhall,  Phyllis  Haver 
and  Myrtle  Stedman. 


EDWIN  MEYERS  WITH 
MAIDINA  PICTURES 

Edwin  Myers,  former  head  of  the 
scenario  department  of  the  Madan 
Company,  of  Calcutta,  India,  has  been 
chosen  to  take  charge  of  the  scenario 
department  of  the  newly  organized 
Maidina  Pictures,  Inc. 

Mr.  Myers  has  had  considerable  ex- 
perience in  the  motion  picture  industry 
and  has  been  very  successful  in  the 
Oriental  field. 


GASNIER  WILL  DIRECT 
NEW  TYPE  OF  STORY 

D.  P.  Schulberg  has  assigned  Gas- 
nier to  direct  the  big  screen  production 
of  George  Agnew  Chamberlain's  novel, 
"White  Man,"  which  is  now  being 
started.  This  means  that  Gasnier  will 
temporarily  desert  the  elaborate  society 
type  of  picture  for  which  he  is  famous, 
in  order  to  devote  his  attention  to  the 
filming  of  this  thrilling  out-of-door 
story  told  against  jungle  backgrounds. 


Where  To  Book  Them  I 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. 
Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl—  1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi— 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard  Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.   (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle — 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal— 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest  Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal — 4  Midwest  Film  Ex.,  2111  Moser  Av. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den— 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den— 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 

DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det—  1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 

Ind—  1  Standard  Playr's  Corp.,  144 ■  W.  Vermont  St. 
Ind— 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo 
KC— 1  Independent   Film   Co.,   117   West   17th  St. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  Ark. 
LR— 1  Homestate  Film  Co.,  1114  W.  Markham  St. 


LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 

LA— 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 

MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 

Mil — 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions    (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min — 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 

NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,   Inc.,   1401  Tulana  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

NY — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,   7"29-7th  Ave. 
NY— 2  A-l   Film   Exchange,   729-7th  Ave. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty    Films   Inc.,    1514   Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street. 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 

Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 

SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  20Q  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,  15  Richmond  St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash— 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS,   N.   Y.  CITY 
FR — 1  Simmons-Kabn    Enterprises,   220  W.  42nd  St. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


Production  is  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close 
on  "The  Brass  Bowl,"  the  second  vehicle  for 
Edmund  Lowe  since  his  promotion  to  star- 
dom under  the  William  Fox  banner.  The 
picture,  which  is  being  made  at  the  West 
Coast  Studios  of  Fox  Film  Corporation,  was 
adapted  by  Thomas  Dixon  Jr.,  from  the 
original  story  by  Louis  Joseph  Vance.  Jer- 
ome Storm  is  directing. 

jfc    ^  % 

Florence  Vidor  has  signed  a  long-term 
contract  to  star  exclusively  for  Thomas  H. 
Ince.  The  new  contract  comes  in  recognition 
of  Miss  Vidor's  wonderful  work  in  "Chris- 
tine of  the  Hungry  Heart,"  Ince's  latest  for 
First  National  release,  and  her  portrayal  of 
the  title  role  in  "Barbara  Frietchie,"  the  Ince 
production  chosen  to  open  the  Piccadilly 
Theatre,  New  York's  newest  picture  palace. 

*  *  * 

Pauline  Starke  who  plays  a  featured  role 
in  Pola  Negri's  recently  completed  starring 
picture  "Forbidden  Paradise"  has  been 
signed  to  play  the  leading  feminine  role  in 
Victor  Fleming's  production  "The  River 
Boat,"  according  to  an  announcement  made 
by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  of  Famous  Players  Las- 
ky Corporation. 

%   %  ^ 

Five  big  sacks  of  peanuts  and  twenty-five 
sacks  of  popcorn  have  arrived  at  Universal 
City — and  Minnie,  the  big  Universal  ele- 
phant, is  flapping  her  ears  in  anticipation. 

But  she's  doomed  to  disappointment — for 
they're  to  be  "props"  and  elephants  aren't 
allowed  to  eat  "props."  They're  to  furnish 
local  color  for  the  big  circus  story  "The 
Leopard's  Lair"  soon  to  be  produced  by 
Universal. 

*  *  * 

The  complete  production  unit  assembled 
by  R.  H.  Burnside  to  make  "Manhattan," 
Richard  Dix's  first  starring  picture  of  Para- 
mount has  been  taken  over  by  Paul  Sloane 
who  will  direct  Dix  in  his  second  starring 
vehicle  "A  Man  Must  Live."  This  marks 
Sloane's  debut  as  a  director  for  Paramount. 

*  *  * 

Wesley  Barry,  who  recently  signed  a  fifty- 
four  weeks'  contract  with  W.  D.  Russell  of 
Chicago,  has  started  production  on  his  first 
feature  picture,  "Battlin'  Bunyan,"  with  Paul 
Hurst  as  director. 

*  *  * 

Robert  Agnew  and  Mildred  June  have 
been  selected  to  head  an  unusual  cast  which 
will  make  "Troubles  of  a  Bride"  under  the 
direction  of  Thomas  Buckingham  at  the 
William  Fox  West  Coast  Studios.  The  pic- 
ture will  be  released  on  the  Fox  Film  Cor- 
poration program  of  special  productions  for 
the  season  of  1924-25. 

Thomas  Meighan's  next  Paramount  picture 
to  follow  his  current  production,  "Tongues 
of  Flame,"  is  to  be  "Bed  Rock"  and  Edward 
Sutherland  has  been  selected  to  direct  it, 
according  to  an  announcement  by  Jesse  L. 
Lasky,  first  vice-president  of  Famous  Play- 
efs-Lasky  Corporation  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion. The  screen  play  is  being  adapted  by 
Paul  Schofield  from  a  serial  story,  "Coming 
Through"  by  Jack  Bethea,  which  began  in 
Collier's  last  Spring. 


Percy  Hilburn  and  Wallace  Chewning, 
cameramen  on  Louis  B.  Mayer's  new  Reg- 
inald Barker  production,  "Women  Who 
Give,"  had  to  operate  their  machines  while 
standing  in  the  briny  deep  in  order  to 
get  proper  scenes. 

Douglas  Fairbanks,  Jr.,  has  signed  a  long 
term  contract  as  an  additional  member  of 
the  Paramount  stock  company.  It  was  an- 
nounced yesterday  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first 
vice-president  of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation,  in  charge  of  production. 

*  *  * 

Over  1000  fiery  Arab  horses  have  been 
brought  to  Rome,  Italy  from  the  deserts  of 
Arabia  to  take  part  in  the  filming  of  the 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production  "Ben 
Hur,"  being  made  under  the  direction  of 
Fred  Niblo. 

*  *  * 

While  one  of  the  principal  feminine  roles 
and  several  other  featured  parts  still  remain 
to  be  cast,  Cecil  B.  DeMille  today  announced 
that  Rod  La  Rocque,  Vera  Reynolds  and 
Theodore  Kosloff  are  definitely  named  for 
appearance  in  his  next  Paramount  picture. 
"The  Golden  Bed."  This  is  a  screen  play  by 
Jeanie  Macpherson  based  on  the  novel  by 
Wallace  Irwin. 

*  *  * 

With  the  selection  of  Alma  Rubens,  the 
cast  is  now  complete  for  "Stairway  of  Hope" 
the  first  of  the  "Perfect  36"  Universal  Jewel 
productions  to  be  made  for  the  coming  year. 
"Stairway  of  Hope"  is  adapted  from  the 
story,  "Miracle,"  by  Clarence  Buddington 
Kelland.    Edward  Laemmle  will  direct. 

$  3|e 

Joe  Brandt  announces  a  particularly  ex- 
cellent cast  for  "One  Glorious  Night,"  the 
fourth  in  a  series  of  eight  Columbia  Pictures. 
The  lead  is  to  be  played  by  Elaine  Ham- 
merstein  who  was  also  featured  in  "The 
Foolish  Virgin"  and  "The  Midnight  Ex- 
press," Alen  Roscoe  will  play  the  male  lead. 

*  # 

Universal  has  just  released  a  new  Western 
feature  starring  William  Desmond,  principal 
figure  in  many  Universal  features  and  seri- 
als. It  is  "Big  Timber,"  a  strong  story 
adapted  by  Wyndham  Gittens  from  "The 
Heart  of  the  North  Wind,"  a  popular  mag- 
azine story  by  Vingie  E.  Roe. 


"Dick  Turpin,"  the  fifth  Tom  Mix  Special 
scheduled  by  Fox  Film  Corporation  for  re- 
lease during  the  coming  season,  was  put 
into  production  this  week.  J.  G.  Blystone,  to 
whose  credit  belong  many  of  the  great  cow- 
boy's successful  features,  has  been  assigned 
to  the  director.  The  story  is  the  result  of  a 
collaboration  by  Don  Lee  and  Charles  Darn- 
ton,  former  New  York  newspaper  critic  and 
the  man  who  titled  "The  Iron  Horse." 

*  #  # 

Irving  Cummings,  a  popular  screen  actor 
before  he  became  a  director  of  motion  pic- 
tures, is  going  to  combine  both  activities  in 
his  first  production  for  First  National,  "As 
Man  Desires,"  from  Gene  Wright's  novel 
of  India,  "Pandora  La  Croix."  His  return  to 
acting,  however,  is  for  but  a  few  brief  scenes 
and  is  limited  to  this  one  production. 

First  the  signing  of  Raoul  Walsh,  who  di- 
rected "The  Thief  of  Bagdad,"  to  produce 
Pola  Negri's  starring  picture;  the  assembling 
of  the  entire  cast  for  "Peter  Pan"  and  the 
signing  of  William  Howard  as  a  Paramount 
director  for  a  long  term,  were  among  the 
important  announcements  made  in  Holly- 
wood by  Jesse  L.  Lasky  prior  to  his  de- 
parture for  New  York  were  the  film  execu- 
tive delayed  his  departure  to  see  the  filming 
of  the  first  sequence  of  Herbert  Brenon's 
production,  "Peter  Pan." 

*  *  * 

Edna  Murphy  has  been  chosen  for  the  part 
of  "Eleanor  Ross-Fayne,"  in  Richard  Dix's 
newest  Paramount  picture,  "A  Man  Must 
•  Live,"  which  Paul  Sloane  is  directing. 

*  *  * 

Fox  Film  Corporation  announces  that  an 
early  fall  release  date  will  be  scheduled  for 
"Darwin  Was  Right,"  a  special  production 
featuring  the  three  famous  chimpanzees,  Max, 
Moritz  and  Pep.  The  picture  is  the  first  of 
its  kind  in  that  the  principals  of  the  action 
are  these  clever  animals. 

*  *  * 

A  wire  from  the  coast  announces  that  Earl 
Kenton  has  been  signed  to  direct  the  forth- 
coming production  of  "A  Fool  and  His 
Money,"  which  will  be  the  fifth  of  the  ser- 
ies of  eight  Columbia  Pictures.  It  will  be  a 
screen  version  of  George  Barr  McCutcheon's 
novel  of  the  same  name. 

%     $  a|e 

Seema  Owen  left  for  the  coast  last  week 
where  she  will  appear  in  two  productions 
the  names  of  which  will  be  announced  later. 
Miss  Owen's  latest  pictures  is,  "I  am  the 
Man,"  in  which  she  plays  the  lead  opposite 
Lionel  Barrymore.  These  pictures  will  be 
the  first  which  Miss  Owen  has  made  on  the 
West  Coast  in  over  two  years,  as  she  has 
been  kept  busy  appearing  in  pictures  made 
on  the  East  Coast  for  sometime  past. 

a|;     $  $ 

Allan  Dawn  has  started  his  new  Para- 
mount production,  "Argentine  Love"  at  the 
Paramount  Long  Island  studio,  with  Bebe 
Daniels  and  Ricardo  Cortez  at  the  head  of 
a  strong  cast. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  31 


Marking  the  screen  debut  of  Anna  Q. 
Nilsson  as  a  "vampire"  the  Sam  E.  Rork 
production  of  "Inez  From  Hollywood,"  for 
First  National,  has  started  at  the  United 
Studios  under  the  direction  of  Alfred  E. 
Green. 

Not  only  does  this  picture  reveal  Anna  Q. 
Nilsson  in  the  entirely  different  role  of  the 
motion  picture  vampire  heroine  of  Adela 
Rogers  St.  John's  intimate  story  of  Holly- 
wood life  published  in  the  Cosmopolitan 
magazine,  but  it  offers  Lewis  Stone  one  of 
the  finest  dramatic  roles  in  his  career. 


Clarence  Brown,  with  a  company  of  play- 
ers from  Universal  City,  has  left  for  Yose- 
mite,  where  scenes  in  "Married  Hypocrites," 
his  new  production  with  Pauline  Frederick 
and  Laura  La  Plante,  will  be  filmed.  The 
company  left  on  the  Emma  Alexander  for 
San  Francisco,  in  order  to  film  ship  scenes 
depicting  the  honeymoon  of  Jane  (Pauline 
Frederick)  and  Robert  (Malcolm  Mc- 
Gregor) in  the  play.  Following  arrival  in 
San  Francisco  they  will  go  by  train  to 
Yosemite. 

r*  *    $  * 

Production  work  on  "The  Beloved  Brute," 
to  be  released  by  Vitagraph  in  the  coming 
winter,  is  now  in  its  closing  stages,  despite 
an  interruption  caused  by  forest  fires  in 
Southern  California.  With  Marguerite  de 
la  Motte,  Victor  McLaglen,  William  Russell, 
Mary  Alden,  Stuart  Holmes,  George  Ingle- 
ton,  Frank  Brownless,  Opal  Evans,  Ernest 
Adams  and  R.  C.  McLean  in  the  leading 
roles,  the  picture  promises  to  prove  a  big 
business-getter,    according    to  Vitagraph's 

predictions, 
r  *    *  * 

Howard  Rockey's  "Best-Seller,"  "This  Wo- 
man," made  into  a  photoplay  by  Warner 
Bros.,  is  ready  for  release.  Final  shots  were 
made  some  days  ago  and  the  cutting  and 
editing  is  well  along  toward  completion  at 
the  Warner  plant  in  Hollywood. 


According  to  news  just  received  from  the 
West  Coast  Studios,  the  filming  of  the  third 
of  the  second  series  of  Helen  Holmes- Wil- 
liam Desmond  pictures  has  just  been  begun 
and  is  to  be  the  most  elaborate  of  the  series. 


Through  the  assistance  of  French  govern- 
ment officials,  and  museum  directors,  many 
of  the  existing  articles  of  dress,  jewelry  and 
toilette  which  were  the  personal  properties 
of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Empress  Josephine 
and  Empress  Marie  Louise,  are  being  used 
in  "Madame  Sans-Gene"  Gloria  Swanson's 
starring  picture  for  Paramount  now  in  pro- 
duction in  Paris. 

Frank  Lloyd  has  completed  "The  Silent 
Watcher"  for  First  National,  the  first  pro- 
duction he  has  made  since  his  sensationally 
successful  Sabatini  romance,  "The  Sea 
Hawk." 

"The  Silent  Watcher"  is  in  altogether  dif- 
ferent vein  from  "The  Sea  Hawk,"  but  has 
been  produced  just  as  intelligently,  with  the 
same  dramatic  fire  and  keenness  of  human 
sympathy. 

sjc     %  -s|s 

R.  A.  Rowland,  General  Manager  of  First 
National,  who  signed  a  contract  with  June 
Mathis  on  his  recent  trip  to  the  studios  in 
Hollywood,  announces  that  her  first  contri- 
bution to  his  company's  program  will  be  a 
story  called  "Bobbed  Hair"  which  is  said 
to  offer  unusual  possibilities  in  its  chief  role. 


S.  R.  Kent,  General  Manager  of  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation,  yesterday  con- 
firmed reports  that  Paramount  would  release 
two  pictures  produced  by  Robert  T.  Kane, 
formerly  General  Manager  of  production  for 
Paramount.  The  pictures,  which  will  be 
personally  supervised  by  Mr.  Kane,  will  be 
released  in  the  next  group  of  Paramount 
productions  following  the  Famous  Forty. 

*   *  * 

Jerry  Devine,  fifteen-year-olu  office  boy  in 
Thomas  Meighan's  forthcoming  Paramount 
picture,  "Tongues  of  Flame,"  has  already 
made  his  mark  on  both  stage  and  screen. 

He  has  appeared  with  the  foremost  play- 
ers in  productions  made  by  the  leading  film 
companies.  Among  the  more  important  pic- 
tures in  which  he  has  had  parts  are  "Hush 
Money"  with  Alice  Brady,  "Sherlock 
Holmes,"  and  "Sentimental  Tommy,"  Dur- 
ing the  past  theatrical  season  he  played  with 
Lew  Fields  in  "The  Melody  Man." 

^    *  * 

"Dixie,"  the  Gerald  Beaumont  story  which 
recently  appeared  in  a  national  magazine, 
goes  into  production  this  week  at  the  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  studios  at  Culver  City  under 
the  direction  of  Reginald  Barker. 

Frank  Keenan  will  have  the  leading  role 
in  "Dixie,"  a  story  of  the  early  south  that 
will  give  Keenan  an  opportunity  to  charac- 
terize a  stern  old  Southern  gentleman. 
^    ❖  ^ 

With  the  return  of  Harold  Lloyd  to  Hol- 
lywood from  New  York,  production  manager 
John  L.  Murphy,  of  the  Lloyd  Corporation, 
has  started  the  ball  rolling  on  the  picture 
slated  to  follow  "Hot  Water"  which  the 
comedian  brought  back  East  with  him.  "Hot 
Water"  is  scheduled  to  be  released  about  the 
middle  of  November. 


More  animals  are  being  used  in  "North 
of  36"  than  in  any  other  picture  ever  pro- 
duced according  to  a  statement  by  Irvin 
Willat  who  is  directing  the  picture  for  Para- 
mount. The  live  stock  employed  on  the 
Basset  Blakely  ranch  include  4300  long  horn 
steers,  212  calves,  12  mules,  232  buffalo,  24 
deer,  12  elk,  16  dogs,  4  wild-cats  (exclusive 
of  extras)  1  wolf,  16  rabbits,  36  wild  turkeys 
and  4  rattle  snakes.  The  food  consumption 
is  twelve  tons  daily. 


Buster  Keaton  has  begun  production  of 
his  new  Metro-Goldwyn  comedy,  "Seven 
Chances,"  the  Roi  Cooper  Megrue  stage  suc- 
cess recently  purchased  by  Joseph  M. 
Schench  from  the  author  and  David  Belasco, 
who  produced  it  in  New  York.  Keaton  him- 
self is  directing  this  comedy. 


Monta  Bell  is  to  begin  production  for  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn-Mayer  of  "The  Charity  Ball," 
the  tremendously  popular  stage  success  by 
David  Belasco  and  Henry  C.  De  Mille,  on 
completing  the  cutting  and  titling  of  "The 
Snob,"  upon  which  task  he  is  now  hard  at 
work.  "The  Snob"  is  a  picturization  of  the 
novel  by  Helen  R.  Martin  which  Bell  him- 
self adapted,  produced  and  now  is  editing, 
Bell  being  one  of  the  very  few  directors  in 
the  industry  capable  of  making  "one-man 
pictures." 

t-    *  * 

Paul  Ellis  was  placed  under  contract  by 
Louis  B.  Mayer  in  New  York  last  week  for 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  pictures,  and  has  left 
for  the  company's  studios  at  Culver  City. 

^      $z  ;j; 

Pauline  Starke,  now  playing  a  featured 
role  in  Pola  Negri's  latest  starring  picture, 
"Forbidden  Paradise,"  has  been  signed  to 
play  the  leading  feminine  role  in  Victor 
Fleming's  forthcoming  production,  "The 
Devil's  Cargo,"  according  to  an  announce- 
ment made  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice- 
president  in  charge  of  production  of  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation. 

^     ^  «K 

Shooting  the  scenes  of  a  production  in  the 
order  in  which  they  will  appear  on  the  screen 
is  a  novelty  in  screen  methods  which  will 
probably  never  be  known,  but  King  Vidor 
has  done  the  nearest  thing  to  it  in  filming 
the  opening  scenes  of  "The  Wife  of  the 
Centaur"  first.  Whether  Vidor  will  continue 
to  shoot  sequences  in  the  order  they  will 
appear  upon  the  screen,  depends  upon  vari- 
ous practical  considerations. 


Alec  B.  Francis,  who  has  just  completed 
work  in  a  featured  role  in  "Jazz  Parents,"  a 
Universal  production,  has  been  signed  by 
Samuel  Goldwyn  to  play  an  important  role 
in  the  next  George  Fitzmaurice  production, 
"A  Thief  In  Paradise." 


Warner  Brothers'  Studio  on  the  coast  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  as  well  as  one 
of  the  best  equipped  studios  in  the  country.    It  is  large  enough  to  produce  any  pic- 
ture and  adds  dignity  to  the  landscape. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


m      Editorial  m 


The  Story  Should  Be  Told 

REFORM  is  a  business,  paying  large  profits. 
Unfortunately,  this  fact  is  not  so  widely 
appreciated  as  it  ought  to  be. 
Neither  do  most  people  realize  that  in  this  coun- 
try, until  we  pass  out  of  the  present  phase  of 
"democracy"  and  return  to  the  traditional  repre- 
sentative institutions  on  which  our  government 
was  built,  it  will  continue  to  be  possible  for  any 
organized  minority  of  reformers  to  put  over  almost 
anything  in  legislation  which  promises  to  yield 
its  sponsors  substantial  dividends. 

The  professional  reformers  do  not  engage  in 
labors  of  love.  They  are  after  more  tangible 
things,  all  of  which  are  convertible  into  cash. 

For  example,  many  thousands  of  jobs  under 
the  federal  government  and  several  thousands 
more  that  figure  on  the  payrolls  of  the  states  have 
been  created  by  the  reformers.  Created,  of  course, 
for  the  reformers. 

A  study  of  the  cost  of  government  in  this  coun- 
try, uninteresting  as  it  may  seem,  will  prove 
highly  illuminating  to  anyone  who  is  interested  in 
getting  at  the  motive  underlying  almost  any  re- 
form wave  of  recent  years. 

One  of  the  reasons  why  minorities  are  able  to 
accomplish  almost  anything  they  set  out  to  do  is 
the  disposition  of  the  average  American  to  agree 
that  legislation  ought  to  right  almost  any  wrong. 
It's  funny,  but  it  is  true.  If  too  many  people  are 
suffering  from  hardening  of  the  arteries,  Congress 
ought  to  do  something  about  it.  And  sooner  or 
later,  Congress  does.  Of  course  arteries  continue 
to  harden  just  the  same. 

But  always,  in  this  process,  someone  gets  hurt. 
Someone  must,  in  order  that  someone  else  may 
collect. 

And  the  hurt  always  comes  to  some  industry 
or  group  that  is  fat  enough  to  yield  liberally. 

Such,  for  instance,  as  the  motion  picture 
industry. 

There  is  such  a  thing,  however,  as  preparedness 
against  this  sort  of  holdup. 

It  lies  chiefly  in  enlisting  and  holding  public 
confidence.  In  working  close  to  the  ultimate  con- 
sumer. 

It  is  only  when  he  has  been  grossly  misinformed 
that  the  average  American  turns  against  any  de- 
cently conducted  enterprise. 

When  he  does  as  the  result  of  misinformation, 


he  will  tell  you  that  it  is  not  his  fault;  that  anyone 
who  wants  a  square  deal  from  him  ought  to  be 
enterprising  enough  to  see  that  he  gets  the  truth. 

It  must  be  admitted  that,  as  far  as  motion  pic- 
tures are  concerned,  he  has  been  fed  a  small  por- 
tion of  truth  and  a  large  portion  of  fiction. 

His  picture  of  this  industry  is  tremendously 
distorted. 

The  distortion  has  been  inspired,  in  large 
measure,  by  the  industry  itself. 

Perhaps  it's  time  to  put  a  stop  to  this  sort  of 
thing. 

It  might  be  good  business  for  this  industry  to 
spend  a  million  dollars  a  year  in  an  advertising 
campaign  that  would  tell  the  truth  about  motion 
pictures  to  all  the  people. 

A  few  moderate  salary  cuts  would  raise  the 
money  the  first  year  and  it  would  come  back  the 
second. 

Worth  thinking  about,  isn't  it? 

3(r        *3f£  ^ 

Dr.  Crane  on  the  Pictures 

IN  a  recent  number  of  Collier's  Dr.  Frank  Crane 
said   some   much   appreciated  things  about 
motion  pictures,  which  are  reprinted  in  this 
issue. 

It  is  pleasant  to  record  such  sincere  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  a  man  whose  views  are  received  with 
the  utmost  respect  by  millions. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  add  one  thing  to 
what  Dr.  Crane  has  said: 

Motion  pictures  have  provided  the  world  with 
a  dramatic  vehicle  which  accomplishes  things 
utterly  impossible  on  the  legitimate  stage. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  consider  such  recent  pic- 
tures as  "The  Iron  Horse,"  "Captain  Blood," 
"Janice  Meredith"  and  "The  Covered  Wagon"  or 
such  coming  productions  as  "Ben  Hur"  and  "The 
Last  Frontier"  to  realize  that  the  screen  has  far 
outstripped  the  stage  in  certain  phases  of  enter- 
tainment— not  merely  in  the  matter  of  huge  spec- 
tacular effects,  but  in  the  dramatic  rendition  of 
situations  that  could  not  be  handled  so  effectively 
in  any  other  type  of  presentation. 

This  is  a  thought  that  has  not  reached  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  public.    It  is  one  of  the 
themes  on  which  can  be  built  a  successful  cam-  I 
paign  for  a  larger  public,  for  a  universal  apprecia- 
tion of  motion  pictures. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  33 


Apropos  of  Nothing 


np  HE  opening  of  the  Picadilly  last  Friday  night  added 
another  to  Broadway's  collection  of  beautiful  thea- 
■*■  tres,  a  house  of  unusual  charm.  A  splendid  picture, 
"Barbara  Frietchie,"  and  the  musical  participation  of  Vin- 
cent Lopez  made  the  affair  an  event.  Lee  Ochs  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  the  result  of  his  efforts.  The  launching  of 
such  an  enterprise  is  always  an  arduous  job,  but  in  this  case 
it  had  its  distinct  compensations. 


The  London  Daily  N ews  is  worried  about  the  fate  of  Ger- 
man films.  It  seems  that  a  new  law  of  the  Reich  prohibits 
the  employment  of  children  under  3  years  of  age  in  the  pic- 
ture business.  "Who,"  asks  the  News,  "is  to  write  the  titles 
in  the  future?"  We  had  always  supposed  that  in  America 
the  qualifications  was  second  childhood. 

^^K.  %        sfc  % 

Benny  Leonard's  appearance  at  the  recent  New  York  golf 
tournament  afforded  something  of  a  surprise  to  many  of  the 
film  people.  Benny  looks  more  like  an  alert  business  man 
than  a  prizefighter.  His  nose  lacks  the  expected  slant  to 
the  north-east  and  he  has  no  vegetable  formations  for  ears. 
"Must  be  a  case  of  brains,  I  guess,"  remarked  one  execu- 
tive, "But  he  certainly  doesn't  look  like  my  idea  of  a  fighter." 


It  is  reported  that  a  prominent  distributor  had  a  strenuous 
argument  recently  with  a  New  York  barber  who  insisted  on 
block-booking  a  hair-cut  with  a  shave.    The  barber  won. 


Some  producer  is  overlooking  a  good  bet  in  not  filming  a 
cross-word  puzzle  picture  of  almost  any  sort  while  the  in- 
sanity lasts.  Bridge  and  Mah  Jongg  are  in  the  discard  for 
the  moment,  while  the  cross-word  puzzle  books  are  leading 
the  best  sellers. 

%    %  % 

Over  in  England  they  are  rather  worked  up  about  D.  W. 
Griffith's  "America,"  chiefly  because  it  follows  American- 
made  rather  than  the  English  history  books,  dealing  with 
the  Revolution.  The  difference  in  viewpoint  will  be  readily 
appreciated  by  anyone  who  has  compared  the  school  his- 
tories dealing  with  the  civil  war,  as  used  in  the  northern  and 
southern  schools.  There  are  two  sides  to  nearly  every  ar- 
gument and  the  Britishers  can  not  be  blamed  for  resenting 
slurs  that  their  own  historical  authorities  say  are  unwar- 
ranted. Any  way,  they  made  short  work  of  the  matter  by 
banning  the  film. 

It  seems  that  J.  D.  Williams  wants  advice  on  how  to  pro- 
duce pictures.  Which  brings  to  mind  the  names  of  3,276 
experts  who  will  give  him  all  he  wants,  either  free  or  for 
pay.  But  the  impression  persists  that  J.  D.  knows  his  way 
about  alone. 

*    *  * 

Probably  the  thing  most  people  remember  about  Barbara 
Frietchie  is  her  "old  gray  head."  To  find  her  young  and 
beautiful  in  the  picture  is  something  of  a  jolt  for  the  mo- 


ment, but  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  film  gains  romantic 
strength"  by  running  counter  to  Whittier's  portrayal. 


Well,  daylight  saving  has  hibernated  and  it  will  now  be 
possible  to  see  the  dark  side  of  things  without  staying  up  all 
night. 

*    *  * 

With  mobs  so  expensive,  it  seems  wasteful  that  the  pro- 
ducers don't  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  presented 
by  almost  any  first-night  on  Broadway.  The  Piccadilly  op- 
ening afforded  an  unusual  chance  for  economy. 


For  folks  who  imagine  that  in  the  good  old  days  Ameri- 
can politics  was  clean  and  pure,  Courtney  Ryley  Cooper's, 
book,  "The  Last  Frontier,"  which  Thomas  Ince  is  filming, 
offers  some  startling  disillusion.  It  tells,  as  the  picture 
probably  will,  how  in  the  period  after  the  Civil  war  there 
were  plenty  of  people  who  were  willing  to  take  a  profit  out 
of  schemes  to  keep  the  Indians  on  the  war-path,  and  how 
influence  was  busy  in  Washington  to  keep  the  federal  troops 
inactive  while  peaceable  settlers  and  workers  on  the  trans- 
continental railroad  were  raided  and  killer'  in  droves.  It's 
an  interesting  story  and  one  which  leads  *o  the  conclusion 
that,  generally  speaking,  politics  is  politics,  regardless  of 
date. 

*    *    *  :  ,  • 

Miss  C.  M.  Robinson,  who  writes  rather  unusual  criti- 
cisms for  the  Pensacola  (Fla. )  News,  thinks  Pola  Negri's 
"Men"  was  worth  while,  but  resents  the  characterization  of 
men  generally  which  the  picture  conveys.  "I  hope  the  day 
will  come,"  she  says,  "when  the  producers  will  not  feel  that 
life  and  license  are  synonymous."  Not  a  bad  bit  of  advice, 
that. 


Ptolemy  and  Plutarch !  What  a  name  ! !  Chosen  by  the 
new  golf  club  organized  in  the  Famous  P!ayers-Lasky  ad- 
vertising and  publicity  department.  Sounds  more  like  an 
adventure  in  archaeology. 


Montague  Glass  has  a  lot  of  equilibrium,  whatever  that 
is.  Sam  Goldwyn  gave  him  a  luncheon  the  other  day  at  the 
Ritz.  Arthur  Brisbane,  who  admits  he  is  the  world's  great- 
est journalist,  Dr.  Giannini,  the  film  industry's  best  banker, 
Richard  Rowland  and  various  other  celebrities,  vied  in  tell- 
ing Montague  what  a  great  man  he  is.  The  atmosphere  was: 
sticky  with  sweet  words  of  praise.  And  when  they  got' 
through,  Montague  got  up  and  smiled  and  remarked  that  he 
appreciated  it  all,  just  as  much  as  if  he  believed  they 
meant  it. 


It  begins  to  look  as  if  the  Fox  airplane  exploitation  failed 
to  deliver  on  "The  Iron  Horse."  If  the  picture  isn't  doing 
what  is  should,  as  rumor  indicates,  the  trouble  probably 
arises  from  the  title.  A  lot  of  people  seem  to  have  the  no- 
tion that  it  is  a  modern  railroad  picture.  Which  is  unfor- 
tunate, considering  that  it  is  one  of  the  year's  best  produc- 
tions, with  a  wealth  of  romantic  interest 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


OFFERS  STRAINED, 

UNCONVINCING  PLOT 

'Lend  Me  Your  Husband'  Registers  as 
Weak  Society  Drama 

'LEND  ME  YOUR  HUSBAND.'  C.  C.  Burr 
Photoplay,  Author,  Marguerite  Gove.  Di- 
rector, William  Christy  Cabanne.  Length, 
5,388  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Aline  Stockton   Doris  Kenyon 

Henry  Seton   David  Powell 

Mrs.   Seton   Dolores  Cassinelli 

Burrows  Stockton   J.  Barney  Sherry 

Jenny  MacDonald   ,  Violet  Mersereau 

Fergus  MacDonald   Burr  Mcintosh 

Robert  Towers   Connie  Keefe 

Count  Ferrari   Coit  Albertson 

Countess  Ferrari   Helen  D'Algy 

Aline  Stockton,  a  wealthy  girl,  is  engaged  to 
Robert  Towers.  Aline  mixes  with  a  fast  set  and 
loves  pleasure,  but  Robert  has  faith  in  her.  Return- 
ing from  a  trip  abroad  Aline  becomes  involved  with 
Henry  Seton,  a  married  man  of,  bad  reputation.  She 
is  innocent  of  wrong-doing,  but  Robert's  mother 
wants  the  engagement  broken  off.  Seton  makes  love 
to  Jenny  MacDonald,  a  poor  girl  and  Aline's  child- 
hood friend.  Fearing  that  Jenny's  stern  father  may 
discover  the  pair,  Aline  hastens  to  the  cottage. 
Robert  and  Jenny's  father  both  arrive.  Aline  shields 
Jenny  at  the  expense  of  her  own  reputation.  Later 
she  saves  Jenny  from  committing  suicide,  everything 
is  cleared  up  and  the  lovers  reconciled.  \ 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

THIS  picture  is  best  described  by  the 
plainfully  familiar  phrase  of— "just  an- 
other movie !"  The  title  will  probably  at- 
tract a  certain  class  of  patrons  who  look  for 
something  daring  in  the  line  of  screen  enter- 
tainment, but  they  will  be  disappointed,  for 
the  feature  offers  nothing  but  an  overdone 
and  unconvincing  scandal  plot,  with  a  "high 
society"  background  that  comes  far  closer  to 
the  edge  of  burlesque  than  the  real  thing. 

The  best  that  can  be  said  for  "Lend  Me 
Your  Husband"  is  that  it  may  get  by  in  the 
smaller  houses  where  bills  are  frequently 
changed.  It  is  not  a  film  likely  to  appeal 
favorably  to  discriminating  audiences. 

The  theme  is  not  a  pleasing  one,  nor  has 
director  Cabanne  handled  it  with  particularly 
good  judgment.  It  deals  principally  with  the 
staining  of  the  innocent  heroine's  reputation 
through  her  acquaintance  with  a  married  cad 
whose  sole  aim  in  life  appears  to  be  the  com- 
promising of  every  woman  he  meets. 

As  Alice  Stockton,  the  girl  in  the  case, 
likes  stepping  about  in  gay  company  her 
frivolous  indiscretions  provoke  much  unfa- 
vorable comment  and  the  connection  of  her 
name  with  the  sinister  Mr.  Seton  leads  to 
her  being  snubbed  by  the  members  of  her  set. 

Somehow,  you  can't  feel  much  sympathy 
for  Aline,  even  if  she  is  wrongly  accused 
and  all  through  the  picture  there  is  a  lack 
of  that  quality  of  human  interest  so  essential 
in  winning  and  holding  an  audience's  atten- 
tion. The  scene  where  Aline  defends  her 
poor  girl  chum  at  the  risk  of  still  further 
darkening  the  scandal  cloud  enshrouding  her 
has  its  dramatic  moments,  but  is  stultified 
by  an  overshadowing  sense  of  perpetual 
straining  after  theatrical  effect.  The  settings 
are  handsome,  interiors  and  exteriors  well 
filmed  and  the  lighting  is  excellent. 

Doris  Kenyon  plays  Aline  Stockton  and 
does  as  well  as  could  be  expected  with  such 
an  unsympathetic  role.  Violet  Mersereau  is 
satisfactory  in  the  part  of  the  heroine's 
chum,  Jenny;  David  Powell,  as  the  male 
vamp,  Seton,  Connie  Keefe,  as  Aline's  lover 
gives  adequate  performances  and  the  sup- 
port is  well  balanced. 

The  title  possesses  drawing  possibilities, 
but  there  is  really  little  to  be  done  in  ex- 
ploiting the  feature. 


'HIS  HOUR'  HAS 

POPULAR  APPEAL 

Elinor  Glyn  Novel  Is  Translated  Into 
Excellent  Screen  Entertainment 

'HIS  HOUR.'  Metro-Goldwyn  Photoplay. 
Author,  Elinor  Glyn.  Director,  King  Vi- 
dor.    Length,  6,300  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Tamara  Loraine   Aileen  Pringle 

Gritzko   John  Gilbert 

Princess  Ardacheff   ....Emily  Fitzroy 

Stephen  Strong   Lawrence  Grant 

Olga  GlebofT   '  Dale  Fuller 

Princess  Murieska   Carrie  Clarke  Ward 

Boris  Bertram  Grassby 

Gritzko,  a  young  Russian  prince,  celebrated  for 
his  many  feminine  conquests,  falls  in  love  with 
Tamara  Loraine,  an  English  girl,  visiting  in  Russia. 
She  is  fascinated  but  determines  not  to  yield  to  him. 
Gritzko  wounds  his  rival  in  a  duel,  thereby  winning 
the  right  to  take  Tamara  to  the  state  ball.  She 
decides  to  foil  him  by  leaving  for  home.  During 
a  snowstorm  they  take  shelter  in  Gritzko's  hunting 
lodge.  She  repulses  his  advances  He  leaves  her 
until  morning,  and  driven  to  desperation,  she  finally 
agrees  to  wed  him.  After  the  marriage  Gritzko 
offers  to  release  her,  but  Tamara  realizing  that  he 
is  sincere,   admits  her  love  for  him. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

AN  extermely  artistic  production  present- 
ing one  of  Elinor  Glyn's  exotic  ro- 
mances. "His  Hour"  fairly  vibrates  with 
colorful  action  and  tempestous  love-making 
to  a  degree  that  stamps  it  as  a  picture  with 
general  audience  appeal  and  a  good  invest- 
ment for  any  exhibitor. 

Lest  the  author's  name  might  induce  some 
showman  catering  to  the  family  trade  to  ex- 
pect a  yarn  in  which  sex  situations  are 
stressed  recklessly,  it  is  as  well  to  state  that 
on  the  whole  there  is  really  nothing  in  the 
film  likely  to  offend  his  patrons,  unless  they 
are  unusually  fastidious.  It  offers  a  sex 
theme  all  right,  but  one  far  milder  in  tone 
than  many  of  its  creator's  previous  literary 
contributions,  so  far  as  playing  hob  with  the 
moral  code  is  concerned. 

There  are  plenty  of  sensational  situations 
but,  thanks  to  the  masterly  direction  of  King 
Vidor  and  delicately  shaded  work  of  a  thor- 
oughly competent  cast  nothing  unpleasantly 
suggestive  materializes.  Also  the  serious  ten- 
sion of  the  tale  is  relieved  at  timely  mo- 
ments by  scintillating  flashes  of  comedy,  in 
fact  the  spice  of  variety  stands  out  as  one 
of  the  feature's  principal  charms. 

A  striking  contrast  is  obtained  by  the 
presentation  of  the  utterly  opposing  charac- 
teristics of  hero  and  heroine.  The  former 
registers  as  a  lover  of  the  most  ardent  brand, 
fiery,  impetuous ;  while  the  lady  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly level-headed  type,  an  extremely 
hard  problem  for  even  a  dashing,  debonair 
princeling  to  solve.  Yet  he  reaches  a  solu- 
tion, satisfactory  to  both  parties  by  employ- 
ing cave-man  methods,  although  in  the  long 
run  he  proves  to  be  a  chap  possessed  of  a 
high  sense  of  honor.  The  big  scene  is  that 
in  which  Gritzo  has  Tamara  at  his  mercy, 
when  a  veritable  storm  of  emotion  breaks 
loose,  sweeping  on  to  an  exciting  and  sur- 
prising climax. 

The  settings  are  luxurious,  the  Russian 
atmosphere  js  wonderfully  effective,  there 
are  many  beautiful  long  shots,  and  handsome 
interiors  and  good  lighting  distinguishes  the 
entire  production. 

John  Gilbert  scores  heavily  as  the  gallant 
Russian  prince,  looks  the  type  to  the  life  and 
registers  as  a  lover  whose  wiles  the  feminine 
heart  must  find  it  uncommonly  hard  to  re- 
sist. Aileen  Pringle  is  a  seductively  fasci- 
nating heroine  and  splendid  support  is  given 
the  principals  by  their  colleagues  in  the 
company. 


'BARBARA  FRIETCHIE' 

TENDERLY  APPEALING 

Clyde  Fitch  Play  Strong  in  Sentiment, 
Thrills  and  Romance 

'BARBARA  FRIETCHIE.'  Producers  Dis- 
tributing .Corp.  Photoplay.  Adapted  from 
Clyde  Fitch's  Stage  Play.  Director,  Lam- 
bert Hillyer.   Length  6,257  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Barbara  Frietchie   Florence  Vidor 

Captain  Trumbull   Edmund  Lowe 

Colonel   Frietchie   Emmett  King 

Jack  Negly  Joe  Bennett 

Arthur   Frietchie   Charles  Delaney 

Colonel  Negly   Louis  Fitzroy 

Barbara  Frietchie,  a  Southern  girl,  is  in  love  with 
Will  Trumbull,  who  joins  the  Union  forces  as  cap- 
tain when  war  breaks  out.  She  renounces  him  tem- 
porarily. Trumbull  leads  a  force  which  captures 
Frederickstown.  He  saves  Barbara's  brother  from 
being  made  prisoner.  She  promises  to  marry  him. 
Trumbull  is  wounded  and  Arthur,  Barbara's  brother, 
has  him  taken  to  his  home.  Barbara  thinks  her 
lover  is  dead.  The  Confederates  retake  Fredericks- 
town.  In  a  revulsion  of  feeling,  Barbara  waves  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  from  a  balcony  as  the  gray  troops 
pass.  She  is  wounded  by  a  jealous  suitor  and  stag- 
gers to  Trumbull's  bedside.  He  recovers  conscious- 
ness.    They  are  united  when  war  ends. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

'T'HIS  screen  version  of  Clyde  Fitch's  cele- 
brated  Civil  War  drama  is  beautifully 
photographed,  cleverly  acted  and  should 
prove  a  lucrative  box-office  asset.  In  its 
present  shape,  however,  it  is  best  suited  to 
the  needs  of  the  larger  theatres.  Curtail- 
ment of  the  opening  and  final  reels  would 
greatly  improve  the  chances  of  "Barbara 
Frietchie"  as  a  drawing  card  in  the  smaller 
houses,  whose  patrons  favor  direct  action  in 
a  story,  with  no  delay  in  getting  the  ro- 
mantic stuff  under  way,  and  a  snappy  climax. 

Lovers  of  history  and  those  with  an  ap- 
proving eye  for  artistic  effect  will  find  much 
to  commend  in  the  prologue  and  finale  tacked 
on  to  the  Fitch  play  by  director  Lambert 
Hillyer.  He  takes  us  right  from  the  land- 
ing of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  through  the  Revo- 
lution and  day  of  '49,  up  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War,  a  succession  of  admirably 
photographed  scenes.  Then  begins  the  love 
idyl  of  Southern  girl  and  Yankee  soldier,  at 
the  close  of  which  Mr.  Hillyer  presents  the 
lovers  in  old  age,  with  the  World  Conflict  in 
full  sway  and  their  offspring  marching  off 
to  fight  in  France. 

The  idea  is,  of  course,  to  strike  the  pa- 
triotic note  and  show  how  North  and  South 
are  one  again,  but  we  fancy  that  the  average 
movie  fan  will  rather  resent  the  anti-climax, 
as  opposed  to  an  ending  with  the  romance 
of  love,  youth  and  beauty  in  radiant  bloom. 

The  actual  story  is  rich  in  fine  sentiment, 
tender  appeal,  decisive  thrills  and  absolutely 
breathless  suspense.  The  battle  scenes  are 
admirably  handled  and  strikingly  impressive. 
Among  the  most  noteworthy  situations  are 
those  in  which  Barbara  defends  her  wounded 
lover  from  the  attack  of  a  half-crazed, 
jealous  suitor,  her  impassioned  appeal  in  his 
favor  to  her  stern  father,  that  in  which  she 
is  shot  when  waving  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
from  the  balcony,  and  the  pathetic  episode 
where  she  discovers  that  Captain  Trumbull 
still  lives. 

Florence  Vidor  has  never  appeared  to  bet- 
ter advantage  than  in  the  role  of  Barbara, 
she  is  wistfully  sweet  and  tremendously  ef- 
fective in  the  many  emotional  scenes  the 
role  demands.  Edmund  Lowe  adds  fresh 
lustre  to  his  screen  laurels  by  a  masterly 
performance  as  hero  Trumbull,  the  Southern 
types  are  excellent  and  the  support  faultless. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  35 


HEARTS  OF  OAK' 

VIVID  MELODRAMA 

Screen  Version  of  Heme  Play  Likely 
Box  Office  Asset 

'HEARTS  OF  OAK.'  Fox  Photoplay. 
Adopted  frain  the  Stage  Play  by  James  A. 
Heme.  Director,  John  Ford.  Length, 
6,337  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 


Terry  Dunnivan   Hobart  Bosworth 

Chrystal   Pauline  Starke 

Ned  Fairweather   Theodore  von  Eltz 

John  Owen  James  Gordon 

Grandma  Dunnivan   Jenny  Lee 

Grandpa  Dunnivan   Francis  Powers 

Terry  Dunnivan,  elderly  sea  captain,  adopts  or- 
phan Chrystal.  She  grows  to  womanhood,  loves  and 
is  loved   by    Ned    Fairweather.     The  latter  having 


gone  on  a  voyage  is  reported  missing.  After  a 
lapse  of  two  years,  believing  Ned'  to  be  dead,  Chrys- 
tal is  about  to  wed  her  guardian.  But  on  the  eve 
of  the  marriage  ceremony,  a  steamer  is  wrecked 
close  by  and  Ned  is  one  of  the  survivors.  The  cap- 
tain marries  Chrystal,  but  learning  of  the  love  be- 
tween the  young  folks,  follows  Ned,  who  is  about 
to  embark  for  the  Arctic.  Dunnivan  takes  Ned's 
place  on  the  vessel  and  dies  in  the  Arctic.  Ned 
marries  Chrystal. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

TpOR  many  years  this  good  old  James  A. 

Heme  melodrama  held  the  legitimate 
boards  with  unvarying  success,  while  audi- 
ences alternately  cheered  and  wept  in  sym- 
pathy with  its  thrills  and  pathos.  The  screen 
version  brings  the  play  up-to-date,  introduc- 
ing such  modern  touches  as  the  radio,  pre- 
serves all  the  vigor  of  the  original  plot  and 
adds  a  wealth  of  photographic  detail,  furious 
storms  at  sea,  beautiful  views  of  the  Arctic 
and  New  England,  the  whole  a  veritable  tri- 
umph of  realism. 

The  picture  may  safely  be  said  to  have  a 
general  audience  appeal.  Perhaps  some  criti- 
cal folks  may  smile  at  the  frank  simplicity 
of  its  straight  melodramatic  urge,  but  even 
these  will  probably  be  well  satisfied  with  its 
entertaining  qualities,  when  the  artistic  and 
spectacular  excellence  of  the  production  is 
taken  into  consideration.  At  any  rate,  it 
looks  to  the  writer  as  though  "Hearts  of 
Oak"  should  prove  a  lucrative  investment  for 
all  exhibitors. 

Right  from  the  beginning  the  action 
swings  into  full  speed,  Director  John  Ford 
massing  up  his  storm  and  rescue  scenes  with 
tremendous  effect.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
shots  of  Old  Ocean  in  a  fury  with  which 
this  film  abounds  are  marvels  of  camera  tech- 
nique and  strikingly  impressive.  One  can- 
not help  comparing  this  photographic  mag- 
nificence with  the  be.st  the  stage  can  do  in 
the  way  of  thundering  gales  and  devastation, 
and  acknowledging  the  latter's  limitations. 

Among  the  most  impressive  situations  are 
those  in  which  Ned  is  saved  from  the  wreck, 
that  in  which  he  tells  old  Captain  Dunnivan 
whom  Chrystal  really  loves  and  the  last  scene 
in  the  Arctic.  It  is  then  that  the  radio  is 
brought  into  play,  for  the  old  captain,  dying 
in  the  icy  wastes,  longs  to  hear  the  voices  of 
his  baby  and  wife.  Connection  is  made  be- 
tween the  North  and  the  New  England  coast 
and  "Goodbye,  Daddy,"  goes  over  space  to 
comfort  Dunnivan  in  his  last  moments.  This 
is  an  intensely  touching  episode,  staged  with 
fine  art  and  charged  with  sympathetic  appeal. 

Hobart  Bosworth  carries  off  the  main  dra- 
matic honors  by  his  powerfully  pathetic  por- 
trayal of  old  Captain  Dunnivan.  This  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  character 
sketches  Mr.  Bosworth  has  contributed  to 
filmland.  Pauline  Starke  has  a  difficult  role 
to  play  as  heroine  Chrystal,  but  is  fully  equal 
to  its  emotional  demands  and  looks  very  at- 
tractive. Theodore  von  Eltz  is  excellent  as 
Ned  Fairweather,  Chrystal's  sailor  lover; 
James  Gordon,  as  John  Owen,  Francis  Pow- 
ers, as  Grandpa  Dunnivan  and  Jenny  Lee  as 
Grandma,  render  smooth,  well  balanced  sup- 
port. 

Pauline  Starke  and  Hobart  Bosworth 
should  be  featured  in  your  exploitation, 
stress  the  melodramatic  strength  of  the  story. 


STUNTS  LEND 

SURE  FIRE  ANGLE 

Hutchison  Picture  'Turned   Up'  Pro- 
vides Thrills  and  Suspense 

•TURNED  UP,'  a  William  Steiner  Produc- 
tion. Author  Frederick  Chapin.  Director, 
James  Chapin.    Length  4,990  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Bruce  Pomroy   Charles  Hutchison 

Betty    Browne   Mary   Beth  Milford 

Paul  Gillmore   Crauford  Kent 

John   Creighton   Otto  Lederer 

Bruce  Pomroy  is  a  bank  teller  in  a  financial  insti- 
tution '  connected  with  wholesale  thefts  of  bonds. 
Paul  Giilmore,  president  of  the  bank,  to  rid  himself 
of  Bruce,  conspires  with  another  of  the  tellers  to 
take  a  large  sum  of  money  from  Pomroy's  cash  box. 
Pomroy  evades  the  detectives  and  hides  in  an  office 
which  proves  to  be  that  of  John  Creighton,  master 
mind  of  the  thieves.  Bruce  is  used  as  a  tool  to  get 
the  bonds  in  an  office  across  the  street.  Gillmore 
is  appraised  of  his  ex-employe's  whereabouts  and  has 
him  sent  to  an  old  mill  where  they  lock  him  in  a 
vault.  His  sweetheart  Betty  risks  all  to  save  him, 
and  notifies  the  police,  who  arrive  in  time  to  free 
Pomroy  and  arrest  all  the  gang.  At  the  last  mo- 
ment Pomroy  disoloses  that  he  is  a  Dept.  of  Justice 
detective. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland. 

TTNDER  the  surface  of  the  story  in  the 
y  early  reels  there  lurks  the  vague  sus- 
picion that  what  is  enacted  on  the  screen 
might  have  happened  in  everyday  life — but 
after  it  is  all  over,  there's  a  very  definite 
theory  in  your  mind  that  it  is  all  so  uncon- 
vincing. 

Thus,  though  thrills  are  present,  the  box- 
office  value  is  rather  problematical.  One 
might  say  that  average  houses  will  advan- 
tageously give  this  picture  program  room — 
for  there  are  many  of  us  who  still  seek 
thrills.  Yet,  in  other  communities,  in 
first  run  theatres,  this  is  not  the  media  de- 
sired. 

It  seems  to  have  the  elements  of  the  old 
style  melodrama  recipe  where  the  crook  is 
established  later  on  as  the  chief  detective.  It 
is  hard  to  see  the  fundamental  grain  of  like- 
lihood and  for  some  folks  that  spoils  the 
story. 

Where  pictures  of  the  crook-mystery  play 
type  are  well  received  this  picture  will  be 
found  the  equal  of  many  others,  and  should 
be  good  box-office  material. 

The  Old  Mill  scenes  have  some  of  the 
good  old  suspense  values  that  we  were 
formerly  accustomed  to  see  in  the  melo- 
drammers  of  yesteryear,  but  the  whole  thing 
ends  all  right  as  per  usual  formula. 

Charles  Hutchison  is  an  expert  acrobat 
and  athlete,  and  does  some  daring  swinging 
with  ropes  and  such  from  one  building  to 
another,  in  fine  style.  In  one  scene  when 
he  makes  his  getaway  from  the  detec- 
tives he  is  called  upon  to  ride  a  horse,  an 
auto,  and  a  motorcycle. 

His  versatility  further  includes  some  fast 
swimming,  after  the  motorcyle  he  is  riding 
runs  off  the  dock.  In  the  dramatic  sequences 
he  makes  a  pretty  good  all  round  actor  and 
perhaps  "Turned  Up"  will  gain  for  him  a 
goodly  number  of  friends. 

He  needs  no  introduction,  for  as  "Hurri- 
cane Hutch"  he  has  gone  well  over  his  in- 
troductory period  in  pictures.  His  former 
daredevil  stunts  have  placed  him  in  a 
definite  niche  in  the  public's  mind  and  his 
name  alone  is  advertising  material  enough 
for  the  average  town  and  the  average  ex- 
hibitor. 

Exploitation  angles  in  featuring  this  film 
are  many.  Miniature  Old  Mills  may  be  dis- 
tributed around  the  town  with  teaser  ads 
"See  the  scene  where  they  locked  'Hutch' 
in  a  vault,"  "Here's  Where  the  Crooks  Met" 
might  be  another.  Coils  of  rope,  with  the 
slogan:  "Hutch"  uses  this  kind  when  he 
swings  from  building  to  building."  Possibly 
some  cardboard  police  shields  "Hutch" 
wears  a  shield — even  though  he  seems  to  be 
a  "crook"  and  such  tie-ups  will  attract  suf- 
ficiently wide  attention  to  give  the  picture  a 
send-off. 


THRILLS  AND  HUMOR 

IN  TOM  MIX  FILM 

'Oh,  You  Tony,'  Novel  Westerner  with 
Big  Drawing  Possibilities 

'OH,  YOU  TONY.'  Fox  Photoplay.  Au- 
thor, Don  W.  Lee.  Director  J.  G.  Bl'y- 
stone.    Length,  6,302  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Tom  Masters   Tom  Mix 

Betty   Faine   Claire  Adams 

Mark  Langdon   Richard  Lareno 

Jim  Overton   Earle  Fox 

Blakely   Charles  K.  French 

The    Chief   Pat  Chrisman 

The  Countess  Dolores  Rouss* 

Arizona  Senator   Miles  McCarthy 

Senator's  Wife   Mathilda  Brundago 

Etiquette  Instructor   May  Wallace 

Tom  Masters  and  Betty  Faine  are  joint  owners 
of  a  ranch.  Tom  goes  to  Washington  to  promote 
an  irrigation  proposition,  not  knowing  there  is  oil  on 
his  property.  He  gets  in  with  a  fast  crowd  in 
Washington,  studies  etiquette,  is  fooled  by  a  wom- 
an, loses  money,  returns  to  the  ranch  with  guests. 
Betty  estimates  the  latter  at  their  true  value,  but 
Tom  is  unconvinced  until  he  overhears  enemies 
scheming  to  make  him  lose  a  horse  race  in  which 
Betty  is  backing  him.  He  enters  the  race,  a  steeple- 
chase crammed  with  ugly  obstacles,  but  finishes  vic- 
tor, winning  back  the  money  he  has  lost  and  Betty 
for  his  wife. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A  BREEZY  western  comedy-melodrama, 
which  will  surely  please  the  many  admir- 
ers of  Tom  Mix,  and  should  register  favor- 
ably at  the  box  office  wherever  fast-moving 
features  replete  with  humor  and  adventurous 
thrills  are  in  demand. 

The  funny  angles  in  "Oh,  You  Tony"  are 
mostly  developed  during  the  action  in  Wash- 
ington. Here  we  see  hero  Tom  Masters, 
fresh  from  the  ranch,  becoming  the  prey  of 
a  bunch  of  scheming  lobbyists  who  want  to 
gain  possession  of  his  land.  Tom  falls  for 
their  lures,  and  even  more  so  far  the  fascina- 
tion of  a  fair  siren  employed  by  his  astute 
enemies  to  lead  him  to  a  merry  dance. 

And  she  does  so  with  dire  results.  He 
takes  lessons  from  a  teacher  of  etiquette, 
spends  his  coin  as  lavishly  as  a  drunken  sail- 
or, goes  the  limit  in  acquiring  a  gorgeous 
wardrobe  and  plays  the  gentleman  generally, 
until  his  money  vanishes. 

Tom's  escapades  at  the  National  Capitol 
are  extremely  amusing,  the  comedy  through- 
out being  broadly  effective,  with  a  strong 
burlesque  tinge,  as  the  well-meaning  hero 
tries  to  get  in  line  with  the  society  crowd, 
the  whole  presenting  as  clever  a  laughing 
study  in  contrasts  as  has  ever  been  screened. 
His  Indian  servant  posing  as  an  English  but- 
ler is  a  figure  of  fun  not  easily  forgotten, 
and  the  return  to  the  ranch,  when  Tom  at- 
tempts to  introduce  "polished  manners"  at  a 
dinner  where  he  brings  the  ranchmen  and 
Washington  acquaintances  together  at  a  din- 
ner, keeps  the  humor  pot  a  boiling  in  lively 
style. 

The  big  melodramatic  punch  is  administer- 
ed in  the  steeple-chase  wTierein  Tony,  the 
wonder  steed,  carries  his  master  to  victory 
in  a  race  literally  jammed  full  of  exciting 
incident.  Horse  and  rider  perform  some 
realy  extraordinary  stunts,  sliding  down 
mountain  sides,  leaping  broken  trestles, 
plunging  through  foaming  rivers,  and  a 
smashing  climax  is  achieved.  By  winning 
this  perilous  sporting  event  Tom  not  only 
gets  the  girl  he  loves,  but  recoups  his  fallen 
fortunes,  and  so,  all  ends  happily.  The  pho- 
tography is  excellent  including  many  ex- 
quisite outdoors  shots,  and  perfect  lighting 
prevails. 

Tom  Mix,  as  the  resourceful  Masters,  is 
equally  at  home  in  the  comic  and  melodra- 
matic situations  which  fall  to  his  share,  and 
gives  a  capital  performance.  Claire  Adams  is 
a  captivating  heroine  and  splendid  support  is 
furnished  by  the  remainder  of  the  cast. 

Play  up  this  one  of  Tom  Mix's  most  amus- 
ing, as  well  as  thrilling  pictures.    Don't  for- 
get to  mention  the  feats  of  Tony,  the  four- 
footed  actor,  and  tie-up  with  beauty  parlors 
and  men's  furnishing  stores. 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


IMMORTAL  DANTE 

BROUGHT  TO  SCREEN 

Fox  Picture  Based  on  Poet's  'Inferno' 
Is  Spectacular  Production 

■DANTE'S    INFERNO.'  .Fox  Photoplay. 
Adapted  by  Edmund  Goulding.  Director, 

Henry  Otto.    Length  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dante   .  Lawson  Butt 

Virgil   Howard  Gaye 

Mortimer  Judo)   Ralph  Lewis 

Ernest  Judd  William  Scott 

Marjorie   Vernon   Pauline  Starke 

Eugene  Craig   Josef  Swickard 

Secretary    I  Lon  Poff 

Fiend   Robert  Klein 

ludd,  a  hard  hearted  millionaire  devoid  ;  of  all 
kindliness,  abuses  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact. He  has  forced  Craig  to  the  brink  of  bank- 
ruptcy. Graig  sends  Judd  a  copy  of  Dante's  "In- 
ferno," inscribing  a  curse  upon  the  fly  leaf.  Judd, 
engrossed  in  the  volume,  falls  asleep  and  dreams  of 
the  fulfillment  of  the  curse  and  eternal  punishment. 
He  awakens  changed  and  makes  amends  for  his 
heartlessness. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

H ERE  is  a  picture  with  which  you  may 
do  sensational  business,  It  is  a 
showman's  film,  literally  loaded  with  ex- 
ploitation possibilities.  Jt  possesses  double 
appeal. 

You  may  line  up  the  high-brow  lovers  of 
ancient  classics,  and  also  secure  hundred  per- 
cent attendance  from  the  rank  and  file. 

While  "Inferno"  is  frankly  spectacular, 
there  has  been  a  thread  of  modern  story  in- 
terwoven in  the  theme  which  skilfully  links 
the  fourteenth  century  allegory  with  our 
twentieth  century  existence. 

Dante  Alighieri,  the  Florentine  poet,  wrote 
"Inferno"  over  seven  hundred  years  ago.  It 
is  still  acclaimed  one  of  the  greatest  classics 
of  all  time.  About  seventy-five  years  ago 
Dore,  the  French  biblical  artist,  executed 
illustrations  for  the  book. 

It  is  upon  these  that  the  director  seems  to 
have  relied  for  inspiration  and  guidance,  as 
many  of  the  shots  are  strongly  reminiscent 
of  the  illustrations. 

The  modern  story  serves  to  introduce 
Dante  and  his  wanderings  in  Hades  through 
the  picturization  of  scenes  which  Judd  reads 
— and  dreams. 

Dante,  protected  by  Destiny,  is  guided  by 
the  shade  of  the  poet,  Virgil,  through  the 
realms  of  the  damned. 

He  witnessed  the  punishment  meted  out 
in  Hades  to  every  type  of  sinner.  Suicides 
are  rooted  to  the  ground  as  trees ;  murderers 
are  immersed  in  rivers  of  blood ;  the  ar- 
rogant are  robed  with  heavy  burdens ;  other 
sinners  are  exposed  to  fiery  hail ;  still  others 
are  cast  into  lakes  of  molten  pitch,  or  pits 
of  eternal  fire. 

As  you  may  judge,  all  this  scarcely  makes 
for  'light'  entertainment,  and  you  may  do 
well  to  leaven  your  program  with  a  comedy 
short  when  you  show  the  picture. 

Ralph  Lewis,  as  the  flinty  hearted  business 
bandit  whose  outlook  on  life  is  changed  by 
imaginings,  renders  a  fine  interpretation  of  a 
difficult  role.  William  Scott  and  Pauline 
Starke  do  fine  work,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  cast  is  perfectly  adequate. 

The  allegorical  part  of  the  picture  is  most 
impressive,  and  the  photography  and  light- 
ing are  very  fine. 

It  would  seem  that  dignified  exploitation 
may  best  suit  this  one.  It  may  be  done 
through  newspaper  cooperation  on  the  story 
of  Dante,  and  you  may  also  make  a  strong 
bid  for  church  support. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  great  chances 
for  real  sensational  ballyhoo  stuff-lobby  dec- 
orations, street  stunts  and  so  on.  A  blend- 
ing of  the  two  will  force  you  to  give  extra 
shows. 


'THE  PAINTED  LADY' 

A  STIRRING  DRAMA 

Larry  Evans'  Saturday  Post  Story  Pro- 
vides Real  Audience  Type  of  Film 

'THE  PAINTED  LADY,'  Wm.  Fox  Pro- 
duction, adapted  from  story  by  Larry 
Evans.  Director  Chester  Bennett.  Length 
6389  feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Luther  Smith  George  O'Brien 

Violet  Dorothy  Mackaill 

Captain  Sutton   Harry  T.  Morey 

Matt  Logan  Lucien  Littlefield 

Released  from  jail  for  a  robbery  of  which  she 
was  innocent  Violet  shuns  the  thought  of  return  to 
her  foster-mother's  home.  Destitute  and  starving  she 
accepts  a  passing  stranger's  offer  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing— though  the  suggestion  includes  the  usual  costs. 
Tnen  commences  her  descent  from  Virtue,  and  she 
later  attracts  the  rich  Roger  Lewis.  They  cruise 
through  the  South  Seas,  and  in  a  cafe  there  she 
meets  Luther  Smith.  He  has  had  a  row  with  his 
Captain  and  resigned  as  First  Mate  on  the  schooner 
"Vulture."  Violet  falls  in  love  with  Luther 
who,  too,  loves  her  on  sight.  She  runs  away  refus- 
ing marriage.  The  yacht  is  wrecked  in  a  typhoon 
and  Violet  is  saved  by  Captain  Sutton.  His  ad- 
vances are  repulsed  so  strongly  that  he  decided  to 
return  to  shore  and  auction  off  his  fare  for  salvage. 
Just  in  time  Luther  prevents  this — and  is  advised 
by  Matt  Logan  that  the  captain  is  the  man  who 
years  before  ruined  little  Alice,  Luther's  sister ;  re- 
venge forces  Luther's  hand  and  he  strangles  the 
captain,  saves  Violet,  and  marries  her. 

By    R.   E.  Copeland 

H\RRY  EVANS  deserves  some  credit  of 
course,  yet  the  director  has  worked  out 
what  may  be  termed  a  real  audience  picture. 
The  emotions  run  the  full  gamut  and  there 
are  such  tensely  dramatic  sequences  through- 
out the  film  that  one  wonders  where  to  start 
to  oraise. 

There's  no  doubt,  but  that  "The  Painted 
Lady"  will  ride  the  crest  of  the  waves  as  a 
successful  box-office  picture. 

The  role  of  Violet  darts  right  off  with  be- 
ing a  sympathetic  character  for  innocent  she 
serves  three  years  in  jail  for  his  foster-sis- 
ter's crime.  Later,  forced  into  the  depths 
she  still  retains  her  sweetheart  and  her 
charm.  Life  surely  has  served  Violet  a 
scurvy  trick  and  leaves  her  scarcely  a  way 
out.  At  any  rate  this  is  the  sort  of  story 
that  usually  pays  dividends  at  the  box-office. 

George  O'Brien  and  Dorotriy  Mackaill, 
fresh  from  their  earlier  laurel  winning  pro- 
ductions, "The  Iron  Horse"  and  "The  Man 
Who  Came  Back,"  and  others,  do  some  real- 
ly telling  scenes.  The  story  is  well  carpen- 
tered— the  scenario  by  Thomas  Dixon,  Jr., 
is  a  skillful  piece  of  work,  deserving  more 
than  passing  comment.- 

The  South  Sea  atmosphere  is  better  than 
what  has  been  shown  in  many  another  simi- 
lar picture  recently  and  has  the  air  of  con- 
vincing one  which  is  indeed  a  rare  compli- 
ment to  any  picture  today. 

There  is  a  thrill  when  the  "Sea  Wolf,"  as 
the  captain  of  the  Vulture  is  called,  rescues 
Violet  out  of  the  storm  lashed  waters — but 
the  real  highlight  is  that  last  big  fight. 
George  O'Brien  and  the  Captain.  Thrill 
is  too  weak  a  word  to  express  what  every 
man  will  feel  when  he  witnesses  that  row. 

There  is  a  sureness  of  performance  in 
the  work  of  George  O'Brien,  a  sort  of  cer- 
tainty in  arriving  at  the  place  he  means  to 
reach.  There's  a  sincerity  that  does  not 
overstep  the  bounds ;  that  makes  for  per- 
manence as  lasting  as  any  expression  of 
art.  Dorothy  Mackaill  possesses  that  femin- 
ine charm  not  altogether  tied  up  with  pul- 
chritude. There's  beauty  to  her  personality 
in  far  greater  measure  than  mere  beauty  of 
face  or  form,  though  she  is  not  lacking 
either.  Not  merely  decorative,  Dorothy 
Mackaill  is  productive  of  real  emotional  ex- 
pression. We  are  certain  more  wonderful 
futures  lie  before  these  stars  than  any  other 
combination  on  the  screen  today.  Harry  T. 
Morey  gives  a  sterling  rendition  of  a  diff- 
erent role. 

Exploitation  should  give  wide  publicity  to 
the  fact  that  this  is  a  Saturday  Post  story 
by  Larry  Evans.  The  names  of  the  featured 
players  are  worth  all  sorts  of  advertising — 
for  they  are  definite  box-office  magnets. 


BASEBALL  LENDS  STRONG 
BOCKGROUND  TO  FILM 

"Life's  Greatest  Game"  Reveals  Tom 
Santchi  and  Johnny  Walker  in  Vivid 
Melodrama,  with  Baseball  Atmosphere 

'LIFE'S  GREATEST  GAME,'  an  F.  B.  0. 
photoplay.  Author,  Mrs.  Emilie  Johnson. 
Director,  Emory  Johnson. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jack  Donovan   Tom  Santchi 

Mary  Donovan   Jane  Thomas 

Jack  Donovan,  Jr  Johnny  Walker 

Mike  Moran   David  Kirby 

The  great  "cub"  pitcher  Jack  Donovan,  is  taunted 
by  the  thought  that  his  wife  is  receiving  the  atten- 
tions of  Mike  Moran.  Mike  later  suggests  to  Jack  to 
"throw"  the  series  and  thereby  he  can  make  $5,000. 
To  Jack,  America's  greatest  game  cannot  be  played 
so  unfairly,  and  resents  Mike's  proposal.  Out  of 
revenge  Moran  plans  a  fictitious  note  to  Mary 
and  Jack  leaves  the  house  after  a  quarrel. 
Their  boy  grows  up  and  while  at  college  plays 
on  the  varsity  nine,  when  a  professional  base- 
ball team's  scout  suggests  the  professional  field,  and 
needing  the  money,  accepts  the  chance.  At  the 
office  of  the  big  league  team  he  meets  the  manager 
— who  he  recognizes  as  his  father.  Under  an  as- 
sumed name  he  becomes  a  recruit,  and  in  a  crucial 
game,  goes  in  to  pitch.  He  then  makes  his  knowl- 
edge known  to  his  father — and  threatens  to  throw 
the  game — but  his  sporting  instincts  revolt,  and  in- 
stead he  wins  the  game.  They  learn  that  the 
mother  is  ill  and  father  and  boy  lose  no  time  get- 
ting to  her  side,  and  a  reconciliation  follows. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

'T1  HOUGH  melodrama  at  its  fullest,  there 
J-  will  be  thousands  who  will  proclaim 
"Life's  Greatest  Game"  as  excellent  screen 
material.  There  are  many  today  who  far 
prefer  melodrama  to  anything  else  on  the 
silver  sheet — and  to  these  the  exhibitor 
should  look  for  support  when  showing  this 
picture. 

There  are  several  flaws  in  the  picture  that 
need  airing,  and  especially  the  curious  mix- 
ture of  things  belonging  to  the  present  gener- 
ation, with  those  of  the  old.  These  things 
tend  more  to  show  a  lack  of  directorial  care. 
American  audiences  are  quick  usually  to 
pick  on  these  things  mercilessly. 

For  one  thing  we  cannot  see  where  Tom 
Santchi  presents  so  little  change  in  his  per- 
sonal appearance  after  twenty  odd  years  or 
so ;  Jane  Thomas'  makeup  being  more  true 
to  character. 

We  felt  indeed  for  the  poor  struggling 
mother  cast  off  by  a  husband  who  had  only 
suspicion,  and  an  ill-meant  fictitious  note. 
We  had  keen  sympathy  for  the  man,  who 
in  the  midst  of  happiness  suddenly  feels  the 
earth  slipping  from  under  him,  taking  along 
all  that  life  itself  holds  dear  to  him.  But, 
on  second  thought  there's  the  unsettled  con- 
viction that  it  is  all  overdrawn,  and  need- 
lessly etched  in  harsh  and  garish  tones. 

There's  a  scene  that  pleased — the  early 
development  of  the  baseball  theme  where  the 
neighborhood  kids  have  as  their  guest  of 
honor  the  big  league  pitcher's  kiddie  Jackie. 

At  the  first  dispute,  they  send  for  Pitcher 
Donovan  to  settle  it.  Human  interest  plus 
dramatic  introduction  of  an  important  char- 
acter. 

In  the  small  towns  Emory  Johnson's  pic- 
tures are  hailed  as  the  "best  there  is,"  for 
he  aims  to  please  them — and  in  this  picture, 
with  the  baseball  atmosphere  added,  he 
doubtless  will  offer  an  attraction  to  many 
a  box-office  where  the  audience  demands  this 
type  of  drama. 

We  liked  the  reminiscent  old  fashioned 
scenes  where  the  gowns  and  accessories  of 
a  past  day  are  strikingly  depicted.  The  old 
high  wheeler,  the  bicycles  and  the  puff- 
sleeved  dresses  all  won  admiration.  Several 
close-ups  reveal  the  director  in  the  grand- 
stands— and  Emory  Johnson,  though  not 
listed,  gives  one  of  the  best  bits  in  the  pic- 
ture. 

The  general  appeal  of  baseball  is  so 
thoroughly  saturated  throughout  the  States 
that  little  ingenuity  is  required  to  find  adap- 
table ways  and  means  to  advertise  the  base- 
ball of  the  picture. 


October  11.  1924 


Page  37 


The  <Bk[  Little  Feature 


Sennett  Lot  Buzzing  with 
Film  Activities 

A  very  definite  schedule  of  produc- 
tion aims  for  the  Sennett  comedians, 
varying  from  slapstick  to  the  border- 
land of  drama,  has  been  outlined  by  F. 
Richard  Jones,  director-general  of  the 
Mack  Sennett  Studios. 

Five  companies  are  now  at  work, 
each  in  a  separate  and  distinct  field. 

First  of  these  is  the  Ben  Turpin  unit, 
with   the    cross-eyed    comedian  pro- 
grammed to  make  burlesque  and  sa- 
tire.  His  current  comedy,  be- 
ing directed  by  Reggie  Mor- 
ris, burlesques  "The  Virgin- 
ian" and  will  be  titled  "The 
West  Virginian."    Alice  Day 
plays    Mollie,    the  school 
teacher. 

Second  is  the  Harry  Lang- 
don  unit.  The  former  vaude- 
ville star,  under  the  direction 
of  Harry  Edwards,  is  sched- 
uled to  produce  the  "situa- 
tion" humor  of  the  lot.  His 
current  comedy  is  titled  "Feet  of 
Mud,"  with  Natalie  Kingston  playing 
the  feminine  role. 

The  Sennett  All-Star  group,  under 
direction  of  Del  Lord,  will  continue  as 
before,  with  slapstick  comedies  featur- 
ing Sid  Smith,  Vernon  Dent,  Andy 
Clyde,  Madeline  Hurlock,  J,  J:  Rich- 
ardson and  Tiny  Ward. 

Ralph  Graves  is  destined  to  produce 
"straight"  comedies.  Thelma  Hill,  the 
latest  bathing  girl  "graduate"  is  play- 
ing opposite  Graves,  with  Ed  Kennedy 
directing. 

Raymond  McKee,  Billy  Bevan  and 
Alice  Day  are  being  featured  in  come- 
dies combining  slapstick,  situation  and 
romantic  humor,  with  Ralph  Ceder 
handling  the  megaphone. 

*    *  * 

Harold  Lloyd  in 
'Hot  Water' 

Pathe  announces  this  week  that  Har- 
old Lloyd's  latest  film  comedy  "Hot 
W  ater"  will  open  at  the  Mark-Strand 
Theatre  for  a  pre-release  showing  the 
week  of  October  26th. 

Unlike  "Girl  Shy"  the  production 
"Hot  Water"  carries  no  plot  but  con- 
sists entirely  of  one  gag  after  another. 
The  question  of  how  a  New  York  audi- 
ence would  take  Lloyd's  latest  comedy 
was  settled  some  time  ago  when  the 
picture  was  screened  to  a  New  York 
audience  unannounced,  in  an  outlying 
theatre.  Harold  Lloyd,  who  was  visit- 
ing New  York  at  the  time,  was  per- 
sonally on  hand  to  hear  the  verdict  of  a 
"cold  audience"  and  confessed  himself 
more  than  pleased  with  the  results. 


Pathe  Starts  New  Serial 

George  B.  Seitz,  director,  has  started 
to  work  on  a  new  serial  for  Pathe,, 
which  is  to  be  made  in  the  East  at  the 
Universal  Studios  in  New  Jersey  and 
is  to  be  based  on  a  race  track  story 
entitled  "Galloping  Hoofs." 

Allene  Ray,  who  has  just  completed 
"Teh.  Scars  Make  A  Man,"  Pathe's  next 
serial  release,  was  brought  on  from  the 
Coast  to  carry  the  feature  role  of  the. 

production,  supported  by 
Johnnie  Walker.  In  addition 
to  Allene  Ray  and  Johnnie 
Walker,  J.  Barney  Sherry 
has  been  selected  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  cast.  The  com- 
plete cast  will  be  announced 
later. 


The  cigarette,  the  shawl  and  the  lady  complete1  the  compo- 
sition of  "The  Vamp,"  especially  as  that  lady  is  Madeline 
Hurlock,    starring    in    Mack    Sennett's    Pathe  Comedies. 


Lloyd  Ready  to 
Produce  Again 


The  cast  and  personnel  making  up 
Lloyd's  latest  picture  consists  of  Har- 
old Lloyd  as  Hubby,  Jobyna  Ralston 
as  Wifey,  Josephine  Crowell  as  Her 
Mother,  Charles  Stevenson  as  Her  Big 
Brother,  Mickey  McBan  as  Her  Little 
Brother  with  Sam  Taylor  and  Fred 
Newmeyer  on  the  directing  end. 

The  story  is  by  Sam  Taylor,  Tim 
Whelan,  John  Grey  and  Thos.  J.  Gray. 

In  addition  to  the  prerelease  showing 
at  the  N.  Y.  Strand,  "Hot  Water"  will 
open  October  11th  for  a  run  at  the 
Metropolitan  Theatre,  Los  Angeles. 
The  Rialto  Theatre  of  Los  Angeles  will 
follow  the  run  at  the  Metropolitan. 


SHORTS 


The  success  of  program- 
ming "shorts"  lies  in  the  pub- 
lic's constant  desire  for  vari- 
ety, plus  entertainment. 

Folks  like  to  laugh,  and 
comedies  stir  that  particular 
emotion,  and  a  laughing 
crowd  is  a  happy  crowd.  You 
can  depend  upon  an  assured 
patronage,  if  each  perfor- 
mance you  send  home  a 
happy  contented  —  enter- 
tained— audience. 

Select  your  shorts  judici- 
ously. They  will  build  pa- 
tronage for  you. 


With  the  return  of  Harold 
Lloyd  last  week  from  New  York,  pro- 
duction manager  John  L.  Murphy  of 
the  Lloyd  Corporation  has  started  the : 
ball  rolling  on  the  picture  slated  to  fol- 
low "Hot  Water"  which  the  comedian 
brought  back  East  with  him.  "Hot 
Water"  is  scheduled  to  be  released 
about  the  middle  of  November. 

By  the  time  Lloyd,  with  Mrs.  Lloyd, 
returns  to  Hollywood  his  scenario  staff 
will  have  the  first  fraction  of  the  new 
story  prepared  so  that  actual  shooting 
can  be  started  immediately. 

Sam  Taylor,  Ted  Wilde,  Tim  Whe- 
lan and  John  Grey,  comprising  the 
Lloyd  "gag"  staff,  are  working  on  the  : 
new  story  which  will  have  a  college  at- 
mosphere and  will  offer  Lloyd  in  a  type 
of  role  he  has  been  planning  to  portray 
for  several  years. 

Taylor,  with  Fred  Newmeyer,  will 
direct  the  offering.  Robert  A.  Golden 
will  be  assistant  director,  with  Walter 
Lundin  and  Hank  Kolher  again  per- 
forming behind  the  cameras. 

Casting  on  the  new  production  will 
be  inaugurated  within  a  few  days,  and 
the  technical  staff  of  the  Lloyd  cor- 
poration is  working  day  and  night  pre- 
paring plans  for  the  many  sets  that  the 
story  demands.  Lloyd  expects  to  de- 
vote about  six  months  to  its  filming. 


'Flvine;  Fists'  Going  Fast 

Bennie  Leonard's  series  of  fight 
films.  "Flying  Fists,"  are  being  eagerly 
launched  by  representatives  of  the 
leading  independent  exchanges  through- 
out the  country,  as  a  result  of  the 
whirlwind  campaign  executed  by  Henry 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ginsberg,  who  is  disposing  of  the  terri- 
torial rights  to  the  six  two-reel  fea- 
tures. 

Mr.  Ginsberg,  following  several  fly- 
ing trips  to  territories  in  the  east  and 
middle  west,  announced  last  week  that 
"Flying  Fists"  will  be  handled  in  sev- 
eral new  territories. 

Contracts  for  the  remaining  terri- 
tories are  pending,  and  will  be  closed. 

'U'  Releases  Serial 

The  current  week  marks  the  release 
of  a  new  Universal  chapter  play.  It 
is  "Wolves  of  the  North,"  a  serial 
drama  of  the  north  woods  fur  country, 
made  and  starred  by  William  Duncan. 

Duncan  has  made  a  number  of  very 
successful  serials  for  Universal  since 
he  changed  from  the  Vitagraph  to  the 
Universal  lot  last  year.  Among  them 
have  been  "The  Fast  Express"  and 
"The  Steel  Trail,"  railroad  dramas 
which  Universal  reports  set  new 
records  for  serial  sales  and  for  box- 
office  success. 

"Wolves  of  the  North"  was  adapted 
from  "The  Free  Trader,"  a  magazine 
story  by  Kathleen  and  Robert  Pinker- 
ton.  Duncan  plays  the  role  of  a  "free 
trader"  in  the  serial.  A  "free  trader" 
is  a  special  type  of  courageous  fur  hun- 
ter and  trapper  who  refuses  to  tie-up 
with  the  big  fur  syndicate,  chosing,  de- 
spite overwhelming  odds,  to  market  his 
ftirs  to  independent  buyers  instead. 

*    *  * 

Five  Century  Comedies 
For  October  Release 

The  first  thing  Julius  Stern  did  on 
his  return  from  abroad  this  week  was 
to  announce  the  titles  of  the  produc- 
tions to  be  released  for  October.  There 
are  five  in  all  and  among  them  are  two 
in  which  Wanda  Wiley  will  be  starred. 
There  will  be  two  starring  Buddy  Mes- 
singer  and  one  in  which  Al  Alt,  Hilliard 
Karr,  Jack  Earle  and  the  Century  Fol- 
lies Girls  will  be  featured. 


'No  Fooling' 

Educational  1  reel 

Cliff  Bowes  and  Virginia  Vance  are 
sweethearts.  Cliff  calls  on  the  girl  one  day 
and  meets  her  dad.  She  asks  him  to  auto- 
graph his  photo,  and  gives  him  a  pen  to 
use — but  the  pen  doesn't  work,  and  in  try- 
ing to  make  it  write  he  spatters  her  dad 
with  ink.  Other  mishaps  occur,  and  he  is 
ejected  from  the  Mortimer  home.  Bernice 
writes  him  that  she  will  meet  him  in  the 
park.  While  seated,  a  fur  piece  catches  on 
to  the  back  of  his  coat  and  is  later  set  on 
fire.  Half  of  his  pants  are  torn  away,  and 
he  is  surely  the  victim  of  much  embarrass- 
ment. 

There  is  little  to  the  picture  that  could 
possibly  entitle  it  to  the  term  "comedy." 
There  are  old  gags  and  few.  There  are 
trite  situations  such  as  the  exchange  the  kid 
brother  makes  in  taking  the  candy  out  of 
the  box  and  replacing  it  with  kittens.  The 
burning  fur  piece  and  the  painted  park 
benches  a're  old,  and  the  losing  of  his 
trousers  too,  may  be  said  to  have  been  old 
when  Adam  first  shared  his  ward-robe  with 
mother  Eve. 

On  the  whole  there  seems  to  the  writer 
little  of  comedy,  refreshing  enough  to  pro- 
vide this  film  with  the  necessary  positive 
assets  that  will  give  the  exhibitors  sufficient 
reason  for  booking. 

Cliff  Bowes  is  simple  enough — and  Vir- 
ginia Vance  has  for  some  time  contributed 
her  decorative  screen  presence  to  these  com- 
edies— but  this  story  is  so  thin  and  the  situ- 
ations so  unnecessary  that  even  with  them  in 
it  there  is  little  to  be  said  in  the  way  of 
praise. 

Us   &  ♦ 

'Snappy  Eyes' 

Century-Universal  2  reels 

A  country  miss  having  two  suitors — one 
a  simple  rustic  lad,  the  other  a  slick  city- 
feller — chooses  the  polished  metropolitan 
chap  with  whom  to  while  away  her  hours. 
The  country  lover  is  jealous,  and  informs 
the  girl's  dad  she  is  going  around  with  the 
city  chap.  The  father  sends  her  off  to  a 
boarding  school  to  rid  her  of  the  city  swain, 
though  he  follows.  They  are  about  to  leave 
the  school  to  be  married,  but  before  the  min- 
ister accomplishes  this,  the  country  boy,  who 
has  followed  with  the  urban  fellow's  wife, 
interferes,  and  all  ends  well. 

Wanda  Wiley  cute  and  vivacious  lends  the 
role  of  country  lass  in  straw  bonnet  and 
overalls  quite  a  deal  of  personal  charm.  She 


has  pretty  teeth  and  takes  pains  all  the  time 
she  is  acting  to  give  you  the  impression  that 
this  is  not  a  comedy  but  a  dental  ad  sign. 
Further  she  has  eyes — they  are  sharp  and 
snappy  as  the  title.  But,  why  does  she  blink, 
so  continuously? 

Aside  from  these  correctable  limitations 
we  think  that  Wanda  will  soon  improve  her 
business,  and  then  we  expect  to  see  big  pos- 
sibilities in  Wanda  and  her  comedy  films. 

On  the  whole  the  comedy  is  rather  good, 
and  worth  booking,  for  there  is  enough  to 
it  to  make  a  good  program  item.  Many  ex- 
hibitors find  a  feminine  comedienne  a  good 
change  from  the  usual  half-baked  masculine 
comedians,  whose  pictures  are  constantly 
losing  in  their  box-office  values. 

As  Wanda  Wiley  is  not  sufficiently  known 
as  yet  to  the  fans,  more  than  the  usual  ex- 
ploitation is  needed  to  put  this  comedy  across 
as  an  attraction,  but  we  believe  that  as  the 
audience  will  be  so  satisfied  with  this  new- 
comer that  we  consider  her  worth  the  cost 
of  this  advertising. 

She  seems  to  show  sufficient  ability,  and 
soon  we  all  will  hear  of  her  big  successes 
in  comedy  roles. 

*    *  * 

'Hello  'Frisco' 

Universal  1  reel 

Slim  Summerville,  and  his  pal  Bobby  Dunn 
seek  jobs  with  a  moving  picture  outfit  as 
extras.  They  are  not  needed  however,  but 
on  the  resignation  suddenly  of  one  of  the 
firm's  cameramen  they  are  taken  on  and  giv- 
en a  camera  and  the  assignment  to  go  to 
San  Francisco  to  cover  the  Motion  Picture 
Ball.  Though  the  camera  gives  Slim  con- 
siderable trouble  they  catch  the  screen  stars 
and  start  home — but  later  find  the  camera 
was  not  loaded  with  film.  They  return  with 
nothing  to  show  but  a  damaged  camera. 

On  the  whole,  this  is  nothing  short  of  a 
nice  bit  of  publicity  for  the  screen  artists — 
nearly  all  of  whom  are  Universal  stars — 
but  yet  there  is  one  laugh  that  should  be 
given  due  credit. 

While  Slim  and  his  assistant-and-pal  are 
standing  at  the  crest  of  a  rather  steep  hill, 
attempting  to  load  their  camera  with  film, 
the  entire  roll  slips  from  the  assistant's 
hands  and  careens  joyously  down  the  hill 
unwinding  as  it  goes.  Though  they  give 
chase  after  it,  they  arrive  too  late  to  check 
either  its  career  or  its  momentum.  Tired 
and  anxiously  facing  the  terrible  job  of  re- 
winding the  film,  they  arrive  at  its  last  foot — 
only  to  find  that  a  careless  smoker  has 
dropped  a  lighted  match  on  the  celluloid 
strip.  They  must  retrace  their  steps,  this 
time  up-hill  following  the  flaming  and  smok- 
ing film,  now  quite  beyond  salvage. 

Some  of  the  stars  that  they  meet  at  the 
station  include  Antonia  Moreno,  Wanda 
Wiley,  Bebe  Daniels,  Jackie  Coogan,  Lew 
Cody,  Barbara  La  Marr  and  Norman  Kerry. 

While  it  may  be  booked  for  the  interest 
that  young  folks  have  in  seeing  screen  stars 
at  close  range  and  informally,  as  a  comedy 
there  is  nothing  to  "Hello  'Frisco"  that  should 
make  an  exhibitor  go  out  of  his  way  to  get. 
Yet  there  can  be  built  around  just  such  a 
film,  a  great  sensational  ad  campaign,  selling 
the  "all-star  cast"  to  the  fan  public. 

For  this,  much  advertising  money  and  ex- 
ploitation time  must  be  devoted.  Window 
displays  with  the  photos  of  the  stars  should 
attract  attention. 


As  "The  Hansom  Cabman,"  Harry  Langdon  impersonates  a  surviving 
member  of  a  fast  disappearing  race — the  cabby.  Pathe  has  produced  a 
two-reeler  chock-full  of  fun  featuring   Langdon,   the   star  performer. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  39 


Tast  and  Furious' 


Educational 


2  reels 


The  demonstrator  of  hot  cakes  in  a  west- 
ern general  store,  Lige  Conley  is  also  gen- 
eral all  round  clerk.  The  store's  manager 
is  an  untrustworthy  fellow  who  holds  up 
the  owner  and  takes  the  day's  receipts  and 
with  his  gang  runs  away.  Lige  and  the  col- 
ored porter  pursue,  and  after  many  narrow 
escapes  from  near-death  and  almost-injury, 
Lige  emerges  victorious  and  the  crooks  go 
to  jail. 

Practically  the  entire  action  is  both  "fast 
and  furious,"  yet  after  it's  all  over  there's 
been  more  rapid  fire  activity  than  rapid  fire 
comedy  and  surprisingly  little  in  the  way  of 
laughter-creating  material. 

To  our  mind  the  captions  conveyed  nothing 
worth  while  in  new  gags,  nor  did  the  situa- 
tions present  anything  especially  desirable  in 
a  comedy  way. 

Lige  has  a  face  that  only  an  actor  could 
capitalize — and  we  are  fearing  that  even  Lige 
must  do  better  work  than  in  "Fast  and  Fur- 
ious" to  properly  capitalize  his  abilities. 

To  say  that  this  comedy  is  fair  would  be 
putting  the  matter  too  generally,  yet  we  find 
nothing  but  negative  reactions  to  our  analy- 
sis, when  we  try  to  line  up  the  highlights 
of  comedy  in  the  picture. 

The  early  sequences  and  later  the  chase 
on  motorcycle  and  freight  car  and  the  ulti- 
mate exit  of  the  crooks  by  way  of  the  patrol 
wagon,  is,  as  we  said  before,  just  fast  and 
furious,  but  not  highly  funny,  as  we  ex- 
pected to  see. 

Yet,  if  we  were  an  exhibitor,  we  would 
book  this  picture,  because  the  Lige  Conley 
following  is  large  and  worth  playing  to. 
Other  comedies  Lige  will  make  will  no 
doubt  be  better  fun  than  this,  yet  there  is 
enough  action  in  this  to  make  rather  a  safe 
venture.  However,  much  pressure  in  exploi- 
tation must  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  name 
of  the  featured  character  for  therein  alone 
lies  the  success  or  failure  of  the  screening 
of  this  comedy. 

*    *  * 

News  Reels  in  Brief 

International  News  No.  79:  Los  An- 
geles, Cal. — Football  players  train  on  giant 
"roulette  wheel."  Lincoln  High  School 
coach  finds  novel  way  to  keep  his  eye  con- 
stantly on  candidates  for  team.  Syosset, 
Long  Island — Prince  of  Wales  departing  sur- 
renders to  cameraman.  His  Royal  Highness 
capitulates  after  two  weeks  of  dodging  and 
poses  for  International  News.  Monterey, 
Cal. — Vast  oil  blaze  conquered  as  town  faces 
destruction.  $3,000,000  fire  finally  halted  af- 
ter 12  tanks  explode  and  many  homes  burn. 
New  York  City — Interesting  snapshots  from 
the^  news  of  the  day.  "Fighting  Bob"  La 
Foilette  progressive  candidate  for  President 
and  Samuel  Gompers,  labor  chief,  hold  a 
confab  on  the  campaign.  1.  Southampton, 
England — Jackie  Coogan,  boy  film  star,  gets 
the  "freedom  of  the  city"  on  his  arrival  in 
England.  2.  San  Diego,  Cal. — Secretary  of 
the  Navy  Wilbur  reviews  future  gobs  in  novel 
parade  formations.  3.  New  York  City — 
An  imposing  church  spectacle  marks 
the  cornerstone  laying  of  Our  Lady 
of  Refuge  Church  with  Cardinal  Hayes 
officiating.  4.  Mohegan  Island,  Me.— Donald 
MacMillan,  intrepid  explorer,  arrives  home 
after  15  months'  study  of  ice  conditions  in 
the  Polar  regions.  5.  A  couple  of  blue  foxes 
for  pets.  6.  Island  Children  present  floral 
trophies  to  Explorer  MacMillan.  7.  Cheered 
by  home-town  folks  at  Wiscasset.  8.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C— Marines  invade  the  White 
House  and  the  President  looks  on  with  en- 
tire   approval.    9.  Chicago,  III— Thousands 


Exhibitors  Herald  says: 


a 


hear  John  W. 
Davis,  Democrat 
candidate  for 
P  r  e  s  i  d  ent,  de- 
nounce Republi- 
can rule.  10. 
Chicago.  111.  — 
An  army  of 
school  children 
stage  a  great  cir- 
cus of  many 
"rings."  11.  Mus- 
kogee, Okla.  — 
Oklahoma  gives 
America's  round- 
the-world  flyers 
a  royal  welcome. 
12.  Historic 
planes.  13.  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. — 
One  hundred 
thousand  parade 
in  honor  of  the 
650th  anniversary 
of  the  Holy 
Name  Society.  14. 
The  New  York 
police  contingent 
2500  strong.  15. 
Cardinal  O'Con- 
nel  reviews  the 
mighty  proces- 
sion. San  Fran- 
cisco. Cal. — The 
world's  first  aer- 
ial "spooners." 
Dare  -  devil  Al 
Wilson  and  beau- 
t  i  f  u  1  Virginia 
Fair  discover  an 
effective  way  to 
avoid  annoyance 
i  n  sentimental 
moments. 

Pathe  News 
No.  78:  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. — 100,000  march  in  great  parade 
of  Holy  Name  Societies — delegations  from 
every  state  carry  standards  in  impressing  re- 
view. Wiscassett,  Maine. — MacMillian  back 
from  a  frozen  north !  Explorers  party  returns 
on  the  schooner  Bowdoin  after  15  months  in 
the  Artie  wilderness.  New  York  City — Sen. 
La  Foilette  lauds  loyalty  of  German-Ameri- 
cans— throng  cheers  "Fighting  Bob,"  Inde- 
pendent Presidential  candidate,  as  guest  of 
Steuben  Society.  In  the  Limelight,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. — President  reviews  the  marines 
Ox.  ihe  White  House  grounds — Fifth  Regi- 
ment, returning  from  maneuvers,  visits  the 
capitol.  1.  Canterbury,  England — Celebrate 
700th  anniversary  of  Franciscian  friars  in 
England — monks  march  in  memorial  proces- 
sion to  historic  monastery.  2.  Berkeley,  Cal. 
— Chinese  youngsters  adopt  "blackface  art" 
— world's  only  Chinese  minstrel  troupe  rev- 
els in  a  liberal  coating  of  burnt  cork.  3. 
"Swanee  River"  as  it  was  never  sung  before 
Allenstein,  Germany — Famous  German  war 
generals  celebrate  10th  anniversary  of  the 
battle  of  Tannenberg — Hindenburg  (left)  in- 
spects Prussian  regiment  named  after  him. 
Gallup,  New  Mexico — Inter-Tribal  Indian 
Ceremonial  a  gala  revue  of  native  American 
customs — hundreds  of  braves  rally  to  uphold 
old  traditions.  Syosset,  N.  Y. — Prince  of 
Wales  a  movie  star  for  ten  minutes !  After 
trying  for  weeks  to  film  him  at  his  leisure, 
we  get  word  everything  is  ready  and  we  en- 
ter the  Burden  estate  driveway.  New  York 
City  (Local) — Brings  favorable  report  from 
Wembley  Exposition — Jules  E.  Mastbaum, 
Quaker  City's  envoy,  cites  great  possibilities 
for  1926  Philadelphia  celebration.  1.  Mr. 
Mastbaum  and  his  family  aboard  the  S.  S. 
Majestic  arriving  in  N.  Y.  2.  A  letter  of  wel- 
come from  Mayor  Kendrick,  of  Philadelphia 
The  First  Continental  Congress  Meets  Again 
— Philadelphia  —  Washington,  Adams  and 
others  impersonated  on  150th  anniversary  of 
meeting.  T.  R.  Second  Nominated  for  Gover- 


<£wui  Semen 


SPECIAL  COMEDIES 


*  '■  \ 

ort  subject  j 
footages  is_y 


LARRY    SEMON'S   return    to   the  shoi 
lengths  after  a  sojourn  in  the  feature 
something  to  be  grateful  for.   His  hold  upon  the  public 
is  a  firm  one  and  the  public  knows  him  as  a  short  sub- 


ject star.  They  like  him  that  way  and  now  they  are  to 
have  him  that  way.  And  in  all  probability  they  will  pay 
just  as  much  to  see  him  in  a  short  subject  as  they  would 
to  see  him  in  a  feature.  His  name  in  lights  is  a  magnet 
and  his  short  subjects  can  be  combined  with  the  features 
of  stars  whose  feature  drawing  power  is  known  to  pro- 
duce an  attraction  power  equal  to  that  of  a  double 
feature  and  probably  greater  because  free  of  the  double 
bill's  unsatisfactory  aspects. 


HER  BOY  FRIEND 
KID  SPEED" 


nor  of  New  York — Rochester,  N.  Y. — Re- 
publicans select  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt  to 
head  party  ticket  in  state.  Broadway  of  1924 
Sees  Bike  of  1884— New  York  —  Fred  St. 
Onge  on  high  wheel  of  vintage  of  forty 
years  ago  creates  a  sensation.  With  Only 
One.  Arm  He  Builds  Odd  Boats — Wareham, 
Mass. — James  E.  Marvillo,  despite  his  handi- 
cap, constructs  craft  of  queer  types.  Wm. 
G.  McAdoo  to  Help  J.  W.  Davis  in  Cam- 
paign— New  York — Former  Secretary  of 
Treasury  pledges  aid  to  the  Democratic 
Presidential  nominee.  Father  Neptune  Holds 
Court  at  the  Equator — In  the  Pacific— Crew 
of  the  Santa  Ana,  enacting  sea  king  and  his 
retinue,  "come  aboard."  Crash!  High  Tower 
Takes  Hard  Tumble — San  Francisco — Col- 
umn of  Progress,  sole  remaining  relic  of 
1915  exposition,  is  razed.  Learn  Woodcraft 
From  Real  Expert — Ernest  Thompson  Seton, 
famous  naturalist  and  writer  of  animal 
stories  at  Greenwich,  Conn.,  home.  Sub- 
marines Off  for  Two  Years  in  Orient — San 
Francisco — The  Canopus,  tender  and  all  of 
Pacific  Fleet  subs  are  ordered  to  the  Far 
East. 

Kinograms  No.  5016 :  Meadow  Brook,  N. 
Y. — Prince  of  Wales  leaves  for  Canada; 
Chicago  —  Fifteen  thousand  hear  Davis 
speak ;  New  York — Move  three  billion  dol- 
lars through  streets  to  new  bank  building; 
New  York — Heroes  of  baseball  fight  during 
last  week  of  tightest  pennant  race ;  San 
Francisco  —  Old  exposition  tower  is  sent 
down  with  crash ;  New  York — Babies  hold 
center  of  stage  at  Coney  Island;  Wiscassett, 
Me. — Explorer  Donald  MacMillan  returns 
from  frozen  north;  Washington  —  Holy 
Name  Society  parades,  thousands  hear  Cool- 
idge  speak. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Let's  Tell  the  World 


So  the  Knowledge  Will  Pay  Box  Office  Dividends 


By  LESLIE  G.  SCHAUMANN 

Director  of  Publicity,  C.  B.  C.  Film  Sales  Corp. 


AN  advertising  man,  well  exper- 
ienced, once  went  to  a  theatre 
owner  and  applied  for  the  vacan- 
cy in  the  publicity  and  exploitation  de- 
partment. He  was  turned  down  because 
the  theatre  owner  wanted  a  publicity 
man  and  not  an  advertising  man 
who  campaigned  for  the  sale  of, 
beds  and  lawn  mowers.  He  was  hav- 
ing some  trouble  getting  his  theatre 
filled.  He  had  plenty  of  good  pic- 
tures but  no  one  seemed  to  know 
anything  about  him,  his  theatre  or 
his  pictures.  His  bills  for  adver- 
tising accessories  were  big  enough 
to  justify  some  results,  but  the  re- 
sults were  not  forthcoming.  He 
called  in  an  expert  in  this  line  and 
found  the  trouble  and,  remedied  it. 
It  is  a  common  trouble.  The  rem- 
edy is  not  difficult  nor  mysterious. 

There  are  certain  basic  principles 
in  the  advertising  business.  These' 
are  applied  in  the  sale  of  anything 
that  is  made  and  sold  no  matter 
what  the  nature  of  the  article.  The 
exhibitor  has  pictures  to  sell.  Pic- 
tures in  the  form  of  entertainment. 
Pictures  are  wrapped  up  in  a  bun-, 
die  of  program  Consisting  of  music, 
prologue  and  all  the  rest  of  it. 

WHEN  an  advertising  man  is 
called  in  to  promote  the  sale  of 
.any  article  or  commodity  the  first 
thing  he-  does  is  to  find  out  who 
will  buy  what   he   wants  to  sell. 
Then  he  goes  about   to    find  out 
where  the  people  are  who  will  buy  and 
how  to  reach  them  with  the  lowest  cost. 
After  that  he  decides  just  how  to  go 
about  it. 

That  is  just  what  the  exhibitor  wants 
to  do.  It  is  essential  for  you  to  know 
just  what  part  of  the  community  it  is 
possible  for,  you  to  draw  your  audience 
from.  If  you  are  the  only  show  house 
in  town  the  problem  is  greatly  simpli- 
fied. If  you  are. not;  it  is  necessary  to 
confine  your  efforts  to  your  neighbor- 
hood. There  is  no  need  of  telling  about 
your  picture  in  Chicago  if  your  theatre 


is  in  New  York.  If  you  are  in  an 
Irish  neighborhood  you  would  not  ad- 
vertise in  a  Polish  paper.  Find  out 
what  paper  does  reach  most  of  your 
people.  Put  your  announcements  in 
that.    Do  not  shoot  your  whole  bolt 


Who'll  Buy  My  Violets? 

The  exhibitor  has  something  to 
sell.  The  way  to  sell  it  can  be  told 
by  any  advertising  man.  Find  out 
where  your  market  is  and  how  big 
it  is  and  then  lay  out  your  work 
accordingly.  There  is  no  mystery 
about  it.  Just  common-sense  appli- 
cation of  well  known  principles 
which  merchants  employ  every  day. 


at  once.  A  half  page  or  page  spread 
in  a  daily  paper  only  appears  once,  but 
a  small  ad  placed  in  the  same  place 
over  a  period  of  time  will  constantly 
remind  them  that  a  good  picture  which 
they  should  see  will  be  at  your  theatre. 

Then  too,  people  are  greatly  gov- 
erned by  habit.  When  they  want  to 
find  out  what  is  playing  on  that  partic- 
ular day  they  have  to  look  in  the  space 
that  you  have  reserved  for  yourself  and 
know  just  where  to  find  it.  This  sort 
of  thing  applies  of  course  to  your  rou- 
tine advertising  which  is  very  important. 


Change  copy.  Dress  up  your  ad.  Have 
it  set  in  attractive  type.  Use  cuts  that 
every  press  sheet  has  listed. 


NEXT  is  the  window  card.  The  card 
can  be  and  is  frequently  mis-used. 
Try  to  get  it  in  better  type  of  win- 
dow where  it  will  be  noticed  and 
not  allowed  to  become  soiled.  Make 
them  work  for  you.  Window  cards 
poorly  placed  and  thrown  about  in- 
discriminately are  just  so  much 
wasted  money  and  do  not  reflect 
well  upon  you.  Remember  that 
the  great  portion  of  your  audience 
is  found  among  the  women.  The 
men  come  home  at  night  and  are 
told  that  such  and  such  a  picture 
is  playing  and  that  the  rest  of  the 
family  would  like  to  see  it.  Sell 
the  women  your  picture  and  your 
theatre  and  they  will  bring  the  men 
soon  enough.  Your  cards  are  much 
more  effective  when  placed  where 
the  women  come  to  purchase. 

The  poster  is  a  problem  in  itself. 
It  has  a  cost  in  its  purchase  and  in 
its  placement.  Again,  do  not  post 
your  bills  except  in  the  territory 
from  which  your  audience  will 
come.  It  is  necessary  to  use  some 
judgment  about  what  size  poster 
will  do  the  best  work.  When  peo- 
ple pass  very  close  to  a  board  a 
small  three  sheet  stands  much  more 
chance  of  being  read  than  the  great 
big  spreads.  Where  people  have  a 
chance  to  stand  or  pass  at  a  distance 
the   larger  poster  gets   in   its  work. 


THE  various  other  mediums  such  as 
heralds  and  material  sent  by  mail 
offer  tremendous  possibilities  for  de- 
velopment. There  is  not  a  single  method 
which  is  used  by  the  modern  advertis- 
ing agency  which  is  not  adaptable  to 
the  use  of  the  exhibitor.  Remember 
you  have  something  to  sell.  You  must 
find  out  where  and  to  whom  you  may 
best  sell  it.  There  is  no  great  mystery, 
nothing  which  does  not  come  under  the 
heading  of  ordinary  common  sense. 


>:<^:;:*:}v;:><*:' 


Backing  tip  the 

greatest  drama 
of  the  real 

American  home 
ever  produced. 


FRANK  LLOTD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 


w 


presents 


^SILENT 
WATCHER 


GLENN  HUNTER     BESSIE  LOVE 

HO  BART  BOS  WORTH 
ddapted from  MARY  ROBERTS  RIENH ART'S  "THE  ALTAR  ON  THE  HILL" 

Directed  by  FRANK  LLOTD 


A  Jir/>t  national  Picture 


Gjtu  producer  of  "The 
Sea  HawK  made  it  / 


III 

ptil 

H  I  - ; 
■ 


m 

MX 

111 
111 


anal  Aefe  made 
another  smash- 
ing success  in 
the 


FRANK  LLOTD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 


presents 


^"SILENT 
WATCHER 


GLENN  HUNTER     BESSIE  LOVE 

HO  BART  BOS  WORTH 
adapted  from  MARY  ROBERTS  RIENHART'S  "THE  ALTAR  ON  THE  HILL" 

Directed  by  FRANK  LLOYD 


m  \ 


A  3xr>6t  National  Picture 


NATION 


SECTION 


Here's  a  Birthday  Present 
From  First  National! 


CIRCUMSTANTIAL  evidence ! 
How  many  innocent  men  have 
passed  through  the  'little  green 
door'  for  the  last  time  because  of  it! 
And  yet — what  would  you  do  if  you 
were  on  the  jury? 

For  weeks  the  boy  had  been  going 
back  stage  to  Lily  Elliott — Lily  of  the 
Ball.  And  he  had  a  sweet  little  wife 
at  home,  too.  Lily  lived  in  a  luxurious 
apartment  far  beyond  the  financial 
reach  of  a  soubrette.  And  the  lease 
was  in  the  boy's  name.  That  was  the 
situation  when — 

Tragedy 

One  night  they  found  Lily  shot  to 
death.  Pathetically  crumpled  in  her 
dearly  purchased  finery.  The  death 
dealing  bit  of  blue  steel  lay  on  the  floor. 
And  this  gun  was  registered  in  the  boy's 
name. 

Headquarters  said  it  was  a  cinch. 
The  blue-clad  arm  of  the  law  reached 
into  Joe's  little  home  and  wrenched  him 


from  his  wife's  arms.  She  pleaded  for 
the  one  word  from  him  which  would 


9 
• 

WHY  PLAY 

around  with  pictures  of  doubt- 
ful box-office  value  when 
you  have 

1.  Author 

 Mary  Roberts 

Rinehart 

2.  Director. 

 Frank  Lloyd 

3.  Cast. .  .<j 

■  Glenn  Hunter 
Bessie  Love 
Hobart  Bosworth 
Gertrude  Astor 

^Alma  Bennett 

4.  Company 

 First  National 

four  guarantees  of  a  big  gross 
with 

THE  SILENT  WATCHER 

9 
• 

have  strengthened  her  confidence.  And 
he  was  silent. 


They  know  how  to  make  a  man  talk 
when  they  get  him  "down  town."  Joe 
got  the  "third  degree."  You  know  what 
that  means.  No  sleep,  no  food,  no  wat- 
er— just  the  merciless,  brutal,  pounding 
of  questions,  the  harsh  insistence  upon 
guilt,  the  cajolery  and  threats  alternate- 
ly employed  to  coax  a  confession.  Joe 
was  silent.  And  that  silence  was  damn- 
ing. 

Of  course,  he  couldn't  have  stood  it 
much  longer — he  would  have  gone  mad. 
Something  developed.  It  seemed  that 
the  girl  had  killed  herself  accidentally. 
The  boy  was  released. 

Broken 

With  body  broken  and  reason  totter- 
ing he  went  home.  Home — to  what  ? 
Mary,  his  wife,  with  bursting  heart, 
had  gone.  He  was  alone.  He  searched 
for  her.  There  was  so  much  to  say. 
So  many  things  to  tell  her.  He  could 
talk  now.    He  could  explain. 

Then  the  cause  of   all  the  trouble 


Stilly  No.  68  from  "The  Silent  Watcher,"  First  National's  big  human  interest  picture  drama,  shows  Alma  Bennett  as  Lily  Elliott, 
the  "vamp"  who  almost  brought  ruin  to  three  lives  and  lost  her  own.   The  still  may  be  used  as  atmosphere  or  in  connection  with 
window  displays  featuring  various  sorts  of  commodities,  shown  in  prominent  retail  shop-windows  of  your  town. 


Page  44 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Just  a  human  interest  shot  from 
"The  Silent  Watcher"  which  may 
be  used  in  a  wide  variety  of  ways 
as  material  for  attention-compell- 
ing window  displays.  Bessie  Love, 
the  heroine  of  this  First  National 
heart-drama,  contributes  one  of 
her  best  character  interpretations 
in  the  role  of  Mary  Roberts,  the 
loyal    wife    of    a    loyal  husband. 


'The 
Silent 
Watcher' 


First  National's  big 
picture  adapted  from 
Mary  Roberts  Rhine- 
hart's  Saturday  Even- 
ing Post  story,  directed 
by  Frank  Lloyd,  of 
"Sea  Hawk"  fame,  and 
including  in  its  cast 
such  celluloid  celebri- 
ties as  Glenn  Hunter, 
Bessie  Love,  Hobart 
Bosworth,  Alma  Ben- 
nett and  Gerturde  As- 
ter. It  will  be  a  real 
box-office  treat  for  ex- 
hibitors everywhere. 


Still  No.  71  will  certainly  help 
business  for  your  showing  of  First 
National's  "The  Silent  Watcher." 
Used  in  window  displays  it  will 
sell  merchandise  for  piano  dealers, 
music  stores,  record  shops,  shoe 
merchants,  modistes,  jewelers, 
beauty  parlors,  and  others  with 
whom  you  may  tie-up  for  your 
showing. 


Glenn  Hunter,  as  Joe 
Roberts,  and  Hobart 
Bosworth,  as  Senator 
John  Steele,  attain 
great  dramatic  heights 
in  "The  Silent  Watch- 
er." This  still  No.  1, 
shows  the  Senator  and 
his  loyal  secretary. 
Note  the  many  possi- 
bilities of  the  still  for 
use  in  tying  up  a  wide 
variety  of  products  in 
window   displays  that 


October  U,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  45 


A  specially  posed  still  of  Glenn  Hunter, 
who  tops  the  all  star  cast  in  First  Na- 
tional's big  production  "The  Silent  Watch- 
er" It  will  secure  the  cooperation  of 
men's  furnishing  establishments  for  your 
showing  of  the  picture. 

came  to  the  rescue.  Real  amends  for 
the  soul  torturing  anguish  of  those 
weeks  could  never  be  made.  But  what 
could  be  done  was  done.  Mary  was 
found.  She  learned  the  truth.  And 
once  again  Joe's  home  was  happy. 

Explanation 

But  what  of  that  lease?  What  of 
the  gun?  What  of  the  visits  to  the 
dead  girl?  What  of  all  the  mass  of 
circumstance  that  pointed  toward  the 
dread  chair? 

Well,  Joe  worked  for  John  Steele,  a 
big  man — candidate  for  the  Senate 
The  boy  was  his  secretary — had  been 
with  him  for  years — and  worshipped 
him.  Steele's  wife  had  lost  interest. 
He  was  left  much  to  his  own  devises. 
Then  he  met  one  who  lifted  the  lone- 
someness  right  out  of  his  life.  She  was 
Lily  Elliott. 

Scandal 

It  wasn't  quite  sporting  for  him  to 
use  Joe.  But  a  man  in  public  life  must 
be  careful.  Steele  was — and  Joe  suf- 
fered. It  was  for  his  "Chief"  that  the 
boy  signed  his  name  to  Lily's  lease.  It 
was  for  him  also  that  Joe  procured  the 
weapon  that  cost  her  life — and  threat- 


ened his.  And  it  was  to  carry  Steele's 
messages  that,  he  had  seen  so  much  of 
the  show  girl.  Then  when  tragedy 
stalked  into  the  life-drama,  Joe  had  still 
remained  loyal  to  the  man  who  had 
done  so  much  for.  him. 

Loyalty 

That  is  the  story.  A  heart-gripping 
lesson  in  loyalty.  Profit  by  it.  Your 
"boss"  is  your  theatre  Be  loyal  to  it. 
Get  behind  "The  Silent  Watcher"  and 
pound  it  across.  You  have  all  the 
"makings." 

Mary  Roberts  Rhinehart,  the  big- 
time  author,  has  written  a  wonderful 
story.  Frank  Lloyd  has  put  into  the 
picture  the  same  stuff  with  which  he 
endowed  "The  Sea  Hawk."  And  what 
a  cast!  Read  'em  and  leap — with  joy! 
And  furthermore — it's  an  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  National  Tie-Up  Pic- 
ture. Besides — it's  a  First  National  Pic- 
ture. So  now  it's  up  to  you.  Be  loyal 
to  your  theatre. 

Publicity 

There  are  a  dozen  different  ways  in 
which  you  can  let  folks  know  that  you 
are  playing  "The  Silent  Watcher." 

First  and  foremost  of  these  is  the 
idea  of  advertising  through  window 
displays — the  National  Tie-Up  with 
world  famous  products.  Then  follow 
the  local  tie-ups,  newspaper  stories,  the 
proper  use  of  paper,  ballyhoos,  contests, 
and  a  host  of  others. 

You  may  even  enlist  the  assistance 
and  cooperation  of  the  local  clergy,  for 
who  can  think  of  a  finer  sermon  subject 
than  "The  Silent  Watcher?"  The  idea 
of  loyalty,  so  strongly 
brought  out  in  the  picture, 
is  another  angle  which  you 
must  not  overlook. 


One  of  many  specially  posed  National 
Tie-Up  stills  of  Miss  Bessie  Love,  who 
plays  the  feminine  lead  in  "The  Silent 
Watcher,"  First  National's  release.  Fur- 
riers, department  stores,  and  others  may 
use    this    picture    in    window  displays. 


Everyone  connected  with  this  produc- 
tion has  done  his  share  to  make  it  a 
great  overwhelming  success.  All 
that  remains  is  for  you  to  get  be- 
hind it  with  all  the  energy  and  in- 
genuity at  your  command. 


This  is  Still  No.  20  from  First  National's  true  to  life  photodrama  "The  Silent 
Watcher."  It  shows  a  flash  from  the  musical  revue  in  which  Alma  Bennett,  the 
"vamp"  in  the  picture,  was  leading  woman.  There  are  many  tie-up  possibilities 
aside  from  the  mere  creation  of  "atmosphere."  Costumers,  dancing  schools,  and 
purveyors  of  women's  wear  will  be  interested  in  this  attractive  window  display. 


Page  46 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Special  Tie-Up  Stills 
Will  Get  'Watcher'  Windows 


Pictures  Posed  to  Display  Nationally  Known   Products  Will 
Secure  Publicity  for  Your  Showing 


THE  SILENT  WATCHER"  is  a 
corking  good  picture.  It  has 
everything  necessary  to  please 
the  patrons  of  your  theatre.  It  will  send 
them  out  satisfied.  And  that  means  they 
will  come  back  next  week.  This  First 
National  is  a  goodwill  builder  of  high 
order.  But  before  they  can  leave  satis- 
field  it  is  necessary  that  they  make  their 
pay-box  deposits  and  enter  your  show- 
house. 

The  Showman's  Angle 

Let  us  consider  "The  Silent  Watcher" 
from  an  exploitation  angle,  and  see  just 
how  many  different  ways  there  are  in 
which  you  can  bring  'em  in. 

There  is  not  a  merchant  in  your  town 
who  will  not  be  proud  to  have  his  wares 
displayed  in  association  with  such  com- 
pany. Think  what  you  are  offering 
your  local  shop  keepers.  An  opportun- 
ity to  cooperate  with  an  organization 
like  First  National.  A  chance  to  tie-up 
with  Glenn  Hunter,  Bessie  Love,  Ho- 
bart  Bosworth — all  national  characters. 

Remember  that  these  prominent  per- 
sonalities are  known  by  thousands  of 


Here  is  Alma  Bennett,  who  plays  the 
"vamp"  role  in  First  National's  picture, 
"The  Silent  Watcher."  The  still  is  No. 
41  and  may  be  used  advantageously  in  tie- 
ups  with  dealers  handling  many  different 
articles.  For  instance,  flowers,  jewels, 
novelty  cigarette  holders,  cigarettes, 
women's  gowns  and  many  other  articles. 


admirers  who  have  no  idea  what  the 
Prince  of  Wales'  first  name  may  be,  or 
his  last  one  either  for  that  matter. 
Glenn  Hunter  is  the  idol  of  a  host  of 
folks  who  can't  pronounce  LaFollette 
correctly — and  don't  care. 
And  don't  think  for  a 
minute  that  Bessie  Love 
won't  attract  more  atten- 
tion than  Charlie  Bryan 
anywhere  at  all. 

So  when  you  step  into 
a  merchant's  shop  to  talk 
over  window  display  plans 
for  your  showing  of  "The 
Silent  Watcher"  don't  en- 
ter as  a  suppliant 
with  hat  in  hand. 
You    have  come 
with  a  first  class 
50-50  proposition 
that  will  do  your 
tie-up  friends  just 
as  much  good  as 
will  be  derived  by 
your  theatre. 

Say  so.  And  say 
so  in  a  manner  that 
carries  conviction. 
For  what  you  say 

is  true.  And  has  been  proven  true  in 
every  one  of  the  thousands  of  shop 
windows  that  have  pointed  the  way 
to  box-office  since  the  Review  inaugur- 
ated the  National  Tie-Up. 


it  secure  a  window  for  "The  Silent 
Watcher?"  We'll  say  it  will!  And  will 
it  help  business  for  your  dealer  friend 
as  well  as  for  your  show  ?  The  answer 
is  the  same. 

There  are  other  stills  of 
Miss  Love  in  furs,  and 
each  of  them  means  cold 
cash  in  your  pocket,  and 
additional  business  for 
your  window  partner. 


The  "Vamp" 


This  is  Still  No.  140  showing  Glenn  Hun- 
ter enjoying  a  really  good  cigar.  Without 
doubt  it  is  the  brand  that  you  wish  to 
tie-up  with  your  showing  of  First  Na- 
tional's "The  Silent  Watcher."  Big  busi- 
ness will  come  to  you  and  the  dealers 
with  whom  you  tie-up  on  window  dis- 
plays during  the  period  of  your  showing. 


Specials 

In  "The  Silent  Watcher"  you  are 
particularly  fortunate  in  having  a  varied 
collection  of  specially  posed  stills  at 
your  disposal.  You  may  procure  a  host 
of  good  looking  photographs  showing 
Hunter  actually  smoking  a  certain 
brand  of  cigarettes,  really  enjoying  a 
nationally  known  brand  of  coffee,  and 
so  on. 

And  Miss  Love  is  shown  in  specially 
posed  stills  which  will  enable  you  to  se- 
cure windows  from  every  sort  of  mer- 
chant from  furrier  to  house  furnisher. 
Hobart  Bosworth,  too,  will  act  as  a 
silent  salesman  for  your  show,  enabling 
you  to  set  up  through  window  displays 
many  sign  posts  directing  traffic  to  your 
lobby. 

Samples 

Consider,  please,  the  still  showing 
Miss  Love  posed  as  a  mannequin,  and 
admiring  the  beauties  of  the  marvellous 
garment  in  which  she  is  swathed.  Will 


There  is  a  'vamp  in 
"The  Silent  Watcher." 
is  Alma  Bennett, 
Some  'vamp'  too ! 
Look  at  still  No. 
115,  and  visualize 
the  possibilities  of 
an  artistic  window 
display  of  the  beau- 
tiful Spanish 
shawls  that  have 
crashed  into  such 
amazing  universal 
popularity.  1 

Alma  will  cer- 
tainly sell  shawls 
for  your  merchant, 
and  tickets  for  yuur  show.  Or  con- 
sider this  still  in  connection  with  a  jew- 
eler's display  of  pearls.  There  are 
many  other  attention-gripping  pictures 
which  may  be  used  in  tie-ups  with  a 
wide  variety  of  products. 

Men's  Clothes 

There  are  any  number  of  stills  show- 
ing Hobart  Bosworth  and  Glenn  Hun- 
ter in  different  sorts  of  clothing.  They 
appear  in  evening  wear,  in  sport  clothes, 
riding  togs,  business  suits,  and  so  on. 

In  this  connection  there  are  some 
specially  posed  stills  which  may  be  used 
in  clothing  tie-ups  or  in  window  dis- 
plays of  haberdashery.  Incidentally  the 
clothes  worn  in  some  of  the  stills  by 
Glenn  Hunter  are  "Personality" 
Clothes.  You  are  thus  supplied  with  a 
direct  tie-up  with  the  merchant  hand- 
ling that  product  in  your  town. 

Musical 

Still  No.  71  and  others  of  the  same 
order  give  you  wonderful  material  to 
show  the  music  store  man  when  ar- 
ranging for  this  window.  The  picture 
shows  two  of  the  girls  at  a  piano  look- 
ing over  the  song  "Darling." 


October  11,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  47 


This  still  may  also  be  used  in  win- 
dows displaying  womens'  apparel,  for 
both  the  girls  are  beautifully  clad.  In 
many  cases  stills  that  are  of  greater  im- 
portance for  tie-ups  with  some  particu- 
lar merchandise  may  be  used  with  al- 
most equal  effectiveness  for  other  kinds 
of  window  displays.  Thus  one  picture 
may  appear  in  a  dozen  different  win- 
dows and  be  a  quite  logical  tie-up  with 
as  many  different  kinds  of  products. 

Girls 

As  the  story  tells  of  the  'affair'  of 
Steele  with  the  soubrette  of  a  musical 
show,  there  are  naturally  quite  a  few 
stills  of  the  ballet  in  action,  and  some 
beautiful  tableaux  in  which  a  number 
of  the  chorus  of  Lily's  show  appear. 

These  stills  will  prove  eye-attractors 
wherever  shown.  And  they  form  good 
atmosphere  in  any  window. 

The  pictures  referred  to,  such  as  still 
No.  68,  will  prove  especially  appropri- 
ate for  costumers'  windows,  beauty 
shop  tie-ups,  and  store  windows  dis- 
playing womens'  wear  such  as  lingerie 
or  stockings. 

Manicures 

Stills  like  No.  8  will  give  you  a 
chance  to  secure  a  lot  of  diversified 
publicity.  The  picture  shows  Alma  Ben- 
nett buffing  her  nails.  And  Hobart 
Bosworth,  in  evening  clothes,  is  stand- 
ing beside  her. 

Therefore  you  may  use  the  picture 
in  connection  with  mens'  wear  as  well 
as  for  more  purely  feminine  tie-ups. 
The  picture  will  pull  business  for  mani- 
cure sets,  nail  polishes  such  as  Cutex, 
and  so  on. 

Moreover,  this  picture  in  a  barber 


Still  No.  58  offers  many  opportunities  to 
tie-up  your  showing  of  First  National's 
"The  Silent  Watcher"  in  window  displays 
of  various  products.  For  instance,  you 
may  secure  cooperation  from  dealers  in 
gowns,  hosiery,  jewelry,  cosmetics,  and 
other  articles  possessing  feminine  appeal. 


shop  window  where  manicuring  is  done, 
or  in  a  manicure  parlor,  will  help  busi- 
ness for  your  tie-up  partner  and  your 
theatre.  And  while  speaking  of  the 
manicure  girls,  remember  that  they  talk 
to  a  great  number  of  people  every  day. 

Jewelry 

The  girls  in  the  production  are  lav- 
ishly bejewelled.  And  there  are  many 
special  poses  showing  the  adornments 
to  advantage.  These  will  help  you  with 
your  jeweler's  windows. 

There  is  a  still  of  Bessie  Love  ad- 
miring her  wrist-watch,  and  it  will  help 
your  tie-up  merchant  in  selling  these 
cherished  bits  of  platinum,  while 
boosting  attendance  at  your  show. 

Still  No.  58  will  be  useful  for  a  tie- 
up  with  pearls.    One  girl  is  displaying 


This  picture  of  Hobart  Bosworth,  Still 
No.  100  from  First  National's  "The  Silent 
Watcher"  may  be  used  for  window  dis- 
plays featuring  hats,  clothing,  haher- 
dashery,  cigars,  or  almost  any  article  of 
masculine  attire.  Bosworth  gives  a  fine 
characterization  as  Senator    John  Steele. 

a  string  of  these  jewels  to  her  friend's 
admiring  gaze.  The  picture  also  shows 
a  beautiful  pearl  head-dress  and  brace- 
lets of  the  same  gems,  as  well  as 
dresses,  shoes,  stockings  and  so  on. 

Monarch  Products 

There  are  various  specially  posed 
stills  of  Glen  Hunter  in  obvious  appre- 
ciation of  the  merits  of  "Monarch" 
brand  merchandise.  One  shows  him 
with  several  cans  of  tinned  fruits  all 
plainly  marked  with  the  trade  name. 

Another  shows  Hunter  looking  over 
tins  of  "Monarch"  brand  tea  and  cof- 
fee. These  will  prove  of  great  value 
to  you  in  arranging  windows  with  every 
merchant  who  handles  any  or  all  of 
the  "Monarch"  products.  "Monarch" 
windows  will  build  business  for  you, 


A  fine  tie-up  for  dress-clothes,  gowns, 
jewels,  beauty  parlors,  and  especially 
manicure  sets,  nail  polishes,  and  so  forth, 
is  offered  in  this  Still  No.  8  from  First 
National's  picture  "The  Silent  Watcher." 
Secure  every  possible  window  to  tell 
about  your  showing  of  this  sensational 
box-office  drama. 

and  your  dealer  friends  will  sell  more 
of  this  brand  than  ever  before. 

Cigars 

Still  No.  140  shows  Glenn  indulging 
himself  in  a  'perfecto.'  It  is  not  hard 
to  tell  that  he  is  enjoying  his  smoke  to 
the  utmost.  Use  this  one  on  cigar 
store  tie-ups  and  you  will  make  friends 
of  every  tobacconist  in  your  town. 

It  is  useless  to  deny  or  belittle  the 
lure  of  the  'movies,'  or  the  value  of 
motion  picture  stills  in  connection  with 
displays  of  merchandise.  Folks  will 
stop  every  time  to  look  at  pictures  from 
a  picture  drama,  or  photographs  of 
stars. 

In  making  use  of  the  National  Tie- 
Up  idea  you  are  capitalizing  this  fact, 
and  the  more  windows  you  secure,  the 
bigger  will  be  the  box-office  returns  for 
your  attraction. 


One  of  many  specially  posed  stills  which 
will  enable  you  to  make  exceptionally  fine 
tie-ups  with  local  merchants  for  your 
showing  of  the  First  National  picture 
"The  Silent  Watcher."  The  picture  is  of 
Glenn  Hunter  helping  your  dealer  friend 
sell  Monarch  brand  tea  and  coffee. 


Page  48 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Three  corking  good  posters  for  use  on 
First     National's     "The  Silent 
Watcher."    They  are  good  ex- 
amples of   the   other  paper 
which  will  help  you  make 
your  showing  of  the  pic- 
ture a  real  event  in 
your  city. 


Household  Goods 

Stills  such  as  No.  38  may  be  used  in 
a  variety  of  ways.  For  instance  Miss 
Love's  simple  house  dress  should  help 
any  merchant  who  is  running  a  sale  of 
similar  articles,  or  the  materials  used 
in  making  them. 

Then  there  is  a  dairy  tie-up,  and  a 
very  logical  connection  with  other  com- 
modities of  everyday  life.  This  type 
of  still  also  abounds  in  human  interest. 
Situations  are  depicted  which  are  famil- 
iar to  everyone,  and  folks  are  interested 
in  seeing  famous  actors  in  circum- 
stances with  which  they  themselves  are 
familiar. 

Refrigerators 

With  a  view  to  National  Tie-Ups, 
special  stills  have  been  posed  showing 
Miss  Love  using  the  latest  type  of  re- 
frigerator. This  is  in  truth  a  made-to- 
order  tie-up,  and  any  showmen  who 
misses  the  advantage  to  be  gained  in 
utilizing  it  will  lose  a  worth  while  per- 
centage of  available  business. 

The  particular  type  of  refrigerator 
in  the  picture  is  the  product  of  the 
Northern  Refrigerator  Company,  and 
the  name  of  the  article  is  the  "Glacier 
Sanitary"  refrigerator. 

Cooking  Appliances 

With  other  specially  posed  stills  you 
may  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  lo- 
cal lighting  and  heating  company,  and 
also  tie-up  with  merchants  selling  gas 
ranges  or  other  cooking  appliances. 

Miss  Love  has  been  posed  to  show 
just  how  much  housework  may  be  sim- 
plified by  the  use  of  these  articles.  Such 


11 


FRANK  LIOYD  PRODUCTIONS ,  inc. 

^SILENT  WATCHER 

GLENN  HUNTER  'BESSIE  LOVE 

ka  HOBAftT  80SWORTM 

.  oineCTta  by  man*  iloyo 

0  '.. 


tie-ups  will  have  great  appeal  for  the 
feminine  inhabitants  of  your  city. 

Cooperation 

In  this  section  you  will  list  the  na- 
tional manufacturers  of  nationally 
known  advertised  products  who  have 
been  selected  to  work  with  you  on  "The 
Silent  Watcher." 

Each  of  them  is  ready  and  anxious 
to  aid  in  exploiting  your  attraction  in 
conjunction  with  their  product.  They 
are  convinced  of  the  benefits  to  be  mu- 
tually derived  from  the  joint  publicity 
campaign  made  possible  through  Na- 
tional Tie-Ups. 

As  soon  as  you  know  your  playdates 


write  to  Exhibitor's  Trade  Review 
for  the  desired  number  of  display  sets 
on  each  of  these  national  products.  Se- 
cure as  many  windows  as  possible  for 
each  will  mean  more  patronage  for  you. 

Local  Tie-Ups 

Don't  overlook  the  value  of  tie-ups 
of  a  purely  local  nature.  There  are 
many  shops  in  your  town  that  do  not 
handle  nationally  distributed  merchan- 
dise. Yet  they  are  institutions  so  far 
as  your  public  is  concerned. 

Utilize  their  windows  in  a  big  mutual 
exploitation  campaign  to  increase  the 
volume  of  business  for  both  you  and 
them.  Form  a  regular  National  Tie- 
Up  club  as  a  part  of  the  local  Chamber 
of  Commerce. 

Get  the  constructive  cooperation  of 
the  best  men  in  town  to  boost  the  town, 
boost  their  sales,  and  boost  your  show 
through  window  displays. 

Posters 

First  National  has  put  out  some  ex- 
ceptionally attractive  paper  for  "The 
Silent  Watcher."  Get  plenty  of  it  and 
conduct  a  real  showmanship  campaign 
in  this  sort  of  advertising. 

Get  your  tie-up  merchants  to  feature 
lithos  in  the  windows,  or  perhaps  to 
mount  some  to  be  used  as  backgrounds 
for  interior  displays. 

The  theme  of  the  story  is  thrilling, 
and  the  posters  issued  by  First  Nation- 
al carry  the  thought  contained  in  the 
photoplay.  The  accompanying  illustra- 
tion shows  a  few  of  the  posters  which 
will  bring  additional  patronage  when 
you  play  the  picture. 


October  1L  1924 


National 


section 


Page  49 


This  specially  posed  still  show- 
ing Bessie  Love  presiding  at  the 
range  will  help  you  secure  the 
cooperation  of  merchants  whose 
products  would  ordinarily  not 
form  logical  tie-ups  with  First 
Nat'l's    "The    Silent  Watcher." 


Another  special  still  in  which 
Miss  Love  is  plainly  pleased 
with  the  merits  of  a  modern 
refrigerator.  It  was  made  with 
tie-up  possibilties  in  mind  and 
help  your  showing  of  First  Na- 
tional's "The   Silent  Watcher." 


Other  Ways  to  Get  Publicity  For 
4 The  Silent  Watcher' 

Stunts  and  Contests  That  Will  Arouse  Interest  in  Your  Shoiving 
of  the  Big  First  National  Picture 


IN  addition  to  exploiting  the  big  cast 
which  First  National  has  given  you 
in  "The  Silent  Watcher,"  do  not 
overlook  the  wonderful  publicity  pos- 
sibilities of  the  title. 

The  Title 

Such  a  title  should  be  good  for  special 
sermons  to  be  delivered  from  every 
pulpit  in  your  city.  And  if  you  can  se- 
cure the  cooperation  of  the  clergy  of 
the  town  you  will  receive  the  most  de- 
sirable class  of  patronage  obtainable. 

There  is  also  a  semi-political  angle 
which  may  be  worked  out  with  the  aid 
of  your  local  paper.  Have  the  newspa- 
pers conduct  a  column  before  your  op- 
ening on  "The  Silent  Watcher."  Th^ 
"Watcher"  will  be  one  who  observes 
various  different  conditions  in  the  city, 
and  tells  the  public  about  them  through 
the  medium  of  the  press. 

For  instance,  if  there  are  streets  that 
are  in  bad  condition  "The  Silent  Watch- 
er" gives  the  fact  publicity.  He  is  in 
fact  the  voice  of  the  people  demanding 
civic  improvements. 

Contests 

.Have  "The  Silent  Watcher"  conduct 
a  courtesy  contest  through  the  paper. 
Some  reporter  will  each  day  write  of 
the  most  courteous  people  whom  he  has 
encountered  during  the  day. 

These  folks  may  attend  your  show 
free  by  presenting  themselves  at  your 
box-office.  This  will  gain  a  lot  of  free 
space  for  your  theatre,  and  pave  the 
way  for  your  showing  of  this  big  First 
National. 

.  Another  way  would  be  to  cooperate 
with  the  paper  to  get  stories  from  the 


citizens.  In  a  word,  every  inhabitant 
of  the  town  would  be  for  a  week  a  re- 
porter writing  items  of  interest  about 
things  and  people  of  the  town.  They 
would  be  signed  "Silent  Watcher"  John 
Smith,  or  "Silent  Watcher"  Helen 
Jones.    And  prizes  would  be  offered 


One  of  many  specially  posed  stills  show- 
ing Glenn  Hunter  quite  enthusiastic  over 
branded  can  goods.  These  special  pic- 
tures will  make  it  easy  for  you  to  get 
fifty  percent  more  windows  for  your  show- 
ing of  First  National's  "The  Silent 
Watcher"    in    which    Mr.    Hunter  stars. 


for  those  stories  suitable  for  publica- 
tion. 

Puzzles 

There  is  a  great  vogue  for  puzzles  at 
this  time.  Why  not  stage  a  variation 
of  the  scrambled  letter  idea?  String 
the  letters  composing  the  words  "The 
Silent  Watcher"  in  store  windows. 
Have  them  all  mixed  up,  and  offer 
prizes  for  those  who  can  unscramble 
them  so  as  to  form  the  title  of  your 
picture. 

Another  letter  puzzle  is  the  one  in 
which  folks  strive  to  make  up  the  great- 
est possible  number  of  words  from  the 
letters  contained  in  "The  Silent  Watch- 
er." Prizes  of  passes  may  be  offered 
within  reasonable  limits. 

Remember  that  a  single  pass  always 
brings  one  or  more  paid  admissions 
with  it. 

Reviewers 

A  mighty  good  stunt  and  one  that 
never  fails  to  arouse  interest  and  se- 
cure publicity  is  that  in  wrhich  a  num- 
ber of  the  most  prominent  citizens  are 
invited  to  a  pre-view  of  the  picture,  or 
asked  to  attend  on  opening  night  as 
guests  of  the  house. 

These  "first  citizens"  then  write  their 
reviews  of  the  picture — limited  say  to 
one  hundred  words.  The  reviews  may 
be  printed  with  your  ad,  and  you  will 
be  surprised  at  the  weight  they  will 
carry  among  the  other  folks  in  town. 

There  are  many  other  stunts  which 
may  be  easily  adapted  for  use  on  this 
particular  picture,  and  if  you  will  spend 
a  brief  hour  thinking  of  a  few  you  will 
be  amply  rewarded  at  the  box-office. 


Page  50 


NATIONAL  5*ffl®OI'^3^^  SECTION  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


National  Advertisers  Who  Will  Cooperate 
With  You  For  Your  Showing  of 
4 The  Silent  Watcher' 


AS  soon  as  you  book  "The  Silent  Watcher"  call  on  dealers  carrying  these 
nationally  known  products.  Arrange  for  as  many  windows  as  possible. 
The  dealers  will  be  happy  to  lend  hearty  cooperation. 
When  you  know  your  playdates  write  to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review,  stating 
when  you  will  show  the  picture,  and  how  many  sets  of  window  display  material 
you  will  require  on  each  National  Tie-Up  product. 


FASHION  KNITTING  MILLS 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "Fashionknit"  Neckwear 

Display  Material:     Posters  and  Cards 

Tie-Up  with:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores, 
Clothiers. 


WM.  P.  GOLDMAN  &  BROS.,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "G.  G.  G."  Clothes 

Display  Material:    Posters  and  Pictures 

Tie-Up  with:  Clothiers,  Department  Stores,  Men's 
Outfitters. 


L.  HELLER  &  SON 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:   "Deltah"  Pearls 

Display  Material:     Window  Cards 

Tie-Up  with:  Jewelers,  Novelty  Shops,  Department 
Stores. 


FRANK  KATZ  HAT  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product  :    "Society  Club"  Hats 

Display  Material:     Cut-outs  and  Posters 

Tie-Up  with:  Haberdashers,  Hatters,  Department 
Stores. 


VANITY  FAIR  SILK  MILLS 

READING,  PA. 

Product:  "Vanity  Fair"  Silk  Hosiery  and  Underwear 

Display  Material:    Window  Cards  and  Posters 

Tie-Up  with  :  Fashion  Shops,  Specialty  Stores,  De- 
partment Stores 


MODEL  BRASSIERE  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "Model"  Brassieres 

Display  Material:   Novelty  Window  Cards 

Tie-Up  with:  Specialty  Shops,  Department  Stores, 
Women's  Wear 


LEHN  &  FINK,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Pebeco"  Dentifrice 

Display  Material:    Window  Cards 

Tie-Up  ivith:  Druggists 


THE  REISER  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "Venida"  Hair  Nets 

Display  Material:    Window  Cards,  Special  Packages 

Tie-Up  with:  Druggists,  Specialty  Shops,  Beauty 
Shops,  Department  Stores 


LooK  at  the  cast  / 
Look  at  the  author/ 
Look  at  the  producer/ 


sure  ticket  sellers 
Jbr  any  window 
are  in— 


FRANK  LLOTD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 

prese  nfc 


w 


°*  SILENT 
WATCHER 


GLENN  HUNTER     BESSIE  LOVE 

HO  BART  BOS  WORTH 
adapted  from.  MARY  ROBERTS  RIENH  ART'S  "THE  ALTAR  ON  THE  HILL" 

•Directed,  by  FRANK  LLOTD 


A  Hrxt  national  Picture 


An  all-around  hit  with 

an  all-around  appeal/ 


It's  the  hind  of 
picture  that  has 
a  thrill  and  a 
punch  for  ami 
audience  anywhere 


FRANK  LLOTD  PRODUCTIONS  inc. 


w 


presents 


^"SILENT 
WATCHER 


GLENN  HUNTER      BESSIE  LOVE 

HO  BART  BOS  WORTH 
adapted  from  MARY  ROBERTS  RIENHART'S  "THE  ALTAR  ON  THE  HILL" 

Directed  by  FRANK  LLOTD 


A  3ir>6t  national  Picture 


October  18,  1924 


Page  53 


and  next  weeli 
we^e  going  to 

give  you  an* 

other  peach  or 

a  picture  to 


•novel 


ii^y  window  in  the  world 
is  a good  window/or  tins  one 


and  of  course  it's  a 
FIRST  NATIONAL  PICTURE 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Proven  FAMOUS  40  Hit ! 


LILY  OF  THE  DUST 


"This  is  far  and  away  the  best  work  Pola 
Negri  has  done  in  America,"  says  the  Chicago 
Post  of  "Lily  of  the  Dust."  And  the  Los  An- 
geles Examiner:  "The  best  vehicle  in  which 
Pola  has  been  seen  since  her  American  en- 
gagement began."  And  the  Los  Angeles  News: 
"By  far  the  best  thing  the  star  has  done  since 
'Passion.'  " 


Every  report  that  comes  in  from  exhibitors 
who  have  played  this  great  picture  agrees 
with  the  newspaper  critics.  It's  Pola's  best! 
That  means  a  superbly  acted  and  produced 
box  office  success.  If  you  haven't  shown 
"Lily  of  the  Dust,"  get  in  touch  with  your 
Paramount  exchange.  It's  surefire  dough  in 
your  pocket! 


Member  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.,  Will  H.  Hays,  President 


October  11,   1()24  Page  55 

pMiiauiffliiniiiiiiimiiiiiHi   mi  iiiiiim^^ 

|   Gfried  and  Proved  Pictures  \ 

IiiiHiiniiiimiKiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim 

After  Years  of  Service  Is  a  Picture 

"Re  tired  w? 


THIS  is  a  business  of  precedent. 
It  thinks  and  acts  by  precedent 
and    through    that    process  it 

grows. 

Actors,  are  engaged  for  particular 
parts  because  they  have  been  found  to 
be  good  for  those  particular  parts. 
Their  precedent  is  established.  This 
system  has  its  faults  but  the  industry 
has  followed  it  carefully  not  only  with 
actors,  but  with  directors  and  technical 
help,  and  no  one  can  point  out  that  the 
industry  is  any  worse  off  for  doing  so. 

It  is  one  way  of  ''playing  safe;"  and 
where  amounts  such  as  are  involved  in 
the  production  of  a  good  picture  are 
concerned  conservation  is  a  virture. 
Any  "tried  and  proven"  ingredient  in 
the  making  of  a  picture  has  a  good 
market  value,  whether  it  is  the  ability 
to  write,  act,  or  direct. 

But  what  of  the  pictures  themselves  ? 

Has  a  picture  certain  life  in  exhibi- 
tion, and  after  a  given  time  is  it  un- 
marketable? Does  the  value  of  a  pic- 
ture diminish  faster  after  its  second  run 
engagements  than  the  diminishing  inter- 
I  est  that  the  public  may  have  for  the 
picture  ? 

The  answer  probably  is  that  a  good 
picture,  not  even  necessarily  a  great 
picture,  has  no  definite  life.  It  may 
play  the  country  as  solidly  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  book  any  one  picture  into  all 
the  theatres  in  the  country,  be  retired 
for  a  time,  and  then  be  re-exhibited 
profitably  by  the  distributors  and  the 
theatre  operators. 

ONLY  a  few  years  ago  there  was  a 
widespread  revival  of  Paramount 
pictures  which  had  been  in  "retirement" 
for  from  anywhere  from  a  few  months 
to  two  years.  Such  pictures  as  "The 
Miracle  Man"  "Doctor  Jekyl  and  Mr. 
Hyde"  "Humoresque"  and  several  of 
che  Cecil  B.  DeMille  productions,  were 
revived  in  many  instances  for  one  week 
stands,  with  the  theatres  playing  seven 
of  the  pictures  through  the  week.  The 
results  were  astonishing.  These  were 
pictures  which  had  played  most  of  the 
large  theatres  which  had  revived  them 
at  first  run  box  office  prices.  The  pic- 
tures had  gone  down  the  line  through 
the  second  and  subsequent  runs,  playing 
at  a  diminishing  rate  of  admission 
which  the  public  was  well  aware  of  ; 
one  of  the  natural  problems  of  a  first 
run  theatre.    Yet,  a  year  later  or  two 


years  later  the  same  pictures,  revived, 
played  at  the  first  run  theatre  where 
they  had  been  shown  commanding  the 
same  box-office  prices  that  were  de- 
manded for  them  during  their  initial  re- 
lease. Then  witness  this  for  a  strange 
condition :  Second  run  theatres  observ- 
ing the  success  of  this  group  of  revived 
pictures  played  the  same  group  of  Para- 
mount pictures  with  equally  great  suc- 
cess at  second  run  box  office  prices  and 
cleaned  up. 

This  was  probably  the  first  time  that 
a  group  of  pictures  from  one  company 
had  been  put  back  on  the  market,  and 
the  inspiration  for  the  revival  did  not 
come  from  the  distributors  but  from  an 
exhibitor  whose  name  is  famous,  and 
who  wouldn't  have  conceived  the  idea 
in  the  first  place  had  there  been  the 
slightest  doubt  in  his  mind  about  the 
success  of  reviving  "tried  and  proven" 
pictures. 

INDIVIDUAL  pictures  since  then, 
notably  the  Charles  Chaplin  series, 
have  been  revived  from  time  to  time 
and  have  made  money  for  everyone  thit 
has  shown  them. 

But  it  isn't  necessary  to  go  back  years 
to  find  pictures  which  can  be  played 
over  again.  Many  of  the  neighborhood 
theatres  in  the  country  who  can  com- 
pete with  the  large  first  run  houses  be- 


cause they  are  showing  the  same  pic- 
tures after  a  lapse  of  time  to  a  public 
that  is  willing  to  save  money  by  waiting 
till  "the  picture  gets  around"  have  been 
cheated  out  of  business  by  a  break  in 
the  weather  or  by  tremendously  strong 
"down  town"  opposition.  And  just  be- 
cause the  picture  in  its  second  or  third 
run  wouldn't  hold  up  against  a  big, 
heavily  advertised  show  in  the  first  run 
house,  or  a  bad  session  of  rain,  is  no 
reason  why  with  careful  selection  of 
dates  the  same  picture  can't  be  brought 
back  again  for  another  try.  Or  a  good 
"tried  and  proven"  picture  which 
packed  the  small  house  for  two  or 
three  days  can  often  be  sandwiched  in 
for  a  day  showing  and  pick  up  a  lot  of 
money  from  people  who  "won't  stand  a 
crowd"  or  people  who  want  to  see  the 
picture  again  and  want  to  bring  neigh- 
bors who  haven't  seen  it. 

A  "tried  and  proven"  picture, 
whether  it  was  tried  and  proven  at  your 
house  or  the  same  kind  of  a  house  in 
another  town  is  a  valuable  piece  of 
goods  no  matter  how  many  times  it  has 
played  before.  Some  of  the  biggest 
money  that  has  been  made  in  the  legiti- 
mate show  business  didn't  come  from 
first  engagements,  but  from  the  "Return 
Request  Engagement"  which  nobody 
ever  requested  but  everybody  was  glad 
to  see. 


Here  is  a  window  tie-up  that  reaches  around  the  world.  It  is  between  the  Postal 
Telegraph  Company  and  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation's  picture  "Open  All 
Night."    The  same  idea  will  secure  windows  for  your  showing  of  "Open  All  Night." 


Page  56 


TRIED   AND   PROVED   PICTURES  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Free  Tickets 

A  neat  merchant  tie-up  that  got  a 
full  page  advertising  display  for  "The 
Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew,"  was  C.  D. 
Haug's  offer  of  free  tickets  to  those 
persons  whose  names  were  carried  in 
the  merchants'  ads. 

Eight  merchants  split  a  page  of  ad- 
vertising in  the  "Telegraph."  These 
ads  carried  names  picked  at  random. 
Free  tickets  were  available  at  the  re- 
spective stores  to  those  whose  names 
appeared.  The  headline  across  the  top 
of  the  page  blazoned  the  title  of  the 
picture. 

A  variation  of  the  same  stunt  went 
over  with  the  "Macon  News,"  where  an 
offer  of  free  tickets  was  made  to  those 
persons  who  found  their  names  con- 
cealed among  the  classified  advertising 
columns.  For  three  days  the  paper 
carried  a  front  page  "box"  telling  the 
details  of  the  free  ticket  stunt. 

A  22-inch  circle  put  on  the  rear  spare 
tire  of  every  "Yellow"  Cab,  offered  a 
free  ticket  to  every  person  who  rode 
to  the  "Rialto"  to  see  "The  Shooting 
of  Dan  McGrew"  in  a  "Yellow."  The 
tickets  given  away  were  insignificant  m 
proportion  to  the  exploitation  that  the 
picture  received. 

Local  Puller 

The  "Local  Lafs,"  adopted  for  the 
first  time  here  a  few  weeks  ago,  by  the 
"Columbia"  theatre,  Seattle,  have  gain- 
ed in  popularity  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  are  now  a  feature  in  twenty-two 
houses,  in  nine  towns,  with  an  excel- 
lent prospect  of  more  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. 

These  "Lafs"  are  selected  by  a  "col- 
umn" editor  on  the  morning  paper.  The 


fifteen  best  each  week  win  cash  prizes 
of  from  $5  to  $1.  These  winning  jokes 
are  then  filmed  and  screened  at  the 
houses  using  the  service,  giving  the  au- 
thor's name  and  address  with  each  joke. 
In  addition  the  "Columbia"  gives  away 
three  free  tickets  daily  to  winners  of 
the  day's  honors. 

*  *  * 

Moving  Poster  Display  Draws 
Crowds  in  Dublin 

"The  Eternal  City,"  broke  the  record 
for  attendance  when  at  the  Metropole 
Theatre  in  Dublin,  it  received  its  pre- 
miere Free  State  presentation  at  that 
house. 

The  engagement  was  for  two  weeks. 
An  exploitation  stunt  that  attracted  un- 
usual attention  in  the  Irish  capital  was  a 
dray  on  each  side  of  which  was  mount- 
ed the  24-sheet  poster.  The  vehicle 
paraded  the  streets  for  several  days. 
The  lobby  was  tastefully  decorated 
with  posters  and  stills  similar  to  such 
displays  in  America.  The  result  was 
that  there  were  long  lines  at  the  box- 
office  at  every  performance. 

*  *  * 

'Hold  Your  Breath'  Tie  Up 
Good  Ad  Stunt 

One  of  the  largest  commercial  ad- 
vertisers has  affected  a  tie-up  with  the 
Al  Christie  feature  "Hold  Your 
Breath,"  that  should  be  a  good  ad  stunt 
for  exhibitors  showing  this  picture. 

The  manufacturers,  makers  of  the 
well  known  Life  Saver  Mints,  are  us- 
ing as  part  of  their  campaign  several 
automobiles  with  special  bodies  built 
to  resemble  the  package  of  Life  Savers. 


On  top  of  all  the  bodies  of  these 
cars,  they  have  placed  signs  reading: 
"Hold  Your  Breath,  or  Eat  Life  Saver 
Mints." 

These  special  cars  are  being  driven 
around  the  streets  of  all  the  larger 
cities.  In  Los  Angeles,  recently,  Wal- 
ter Hiers  and  Dorothy  Devore,  fea- 
tured players  in  the  picture,  were  posed 
with  one  of  the  cars  as  a  background. 

*  *  * 

'Why  Men   Leave   Home,'  in 
Lancaster,  Pa. 

Securing  first  page  stories  is  one  of 
the  few  things  an  exploitation  man 
strives  for  and  to  do  it  calls  for  much 
diplomacy  and  alertness,  as  it  is  con- 
sidered no  easy  task  to  accomplish  this. 

In  Lancaster,  Pa.,  when  "Why  Men 
Leave  Home"  played  a  week's  engage- 
ment at  the  Hamilton  Theatre,  this  ad 
was  secured  on  the  front  page  of  the 
Lancaster  Intelligencer  for  six  days. 

A  small  four-page  throw-away  of 
"Don'ts  for  Wives"  and  "Don'ts  for 
Husbands"  was  printed,  and  on  the 
front  page  the  title  "Guide  to  Happy 
Married  Life." 

The  don'ts  were  credited  to  John  D. 
Tripple,  marriage  license  clerk  whose 
name  appeared  on  the  title  page.  The 
Intelligencer  picked  it  up  and  inter- 
viewed Tripple,  who  gave  them  a  story 
of  the  comparison  between  the  unusual 
number  of  divorces  and  the  number  of 
marriage  licenses  which  he  had  issued 
during  his  long  stay  in  office.  The  edi- 
tor of  the  paper  thought  it  a  good  idea 
to  have  their  readers  write  the  paper 
letters  giving  their  reasons  "why  men  I 
leave  home."  The  response  was  spon- 
taneous, several  hundred  letters  flow- 
ing into  the  newspaper  office.  These 
were  printed  each  day  with  a  story  be- 
ginning on  the  first  page  of  the  paper. 
On  the  sixth  and  last  day  more  than 
three  columns  of  space  was  used  to 
publish  the  letters  which  were  selected  j 
from  the  best  sent  in. 

*  *  * 

Patriotic  Spiel  Better  Than 
License 

During  two  intensive  days  of  exploi- 
tation for  "The  Covered  Wagon"  in 
Adrean,  Mich.,  at  the  New  Family 
theatre,  a  large  banner  was  left  hanging 
across  one  of  the  main  streets. 

The  Commissioner  of  Public  Safety 
wanted  to  know,  in  no  uncertain  man- 
ner, who  gave  him  permission  to  hang 
the  banner!  The  exhibitor  and  exploi- 
teer  got  into  their  most  patriotic  char- 
acter, and  sold  the  Commissioner  on 
the  idea  that  it  was  a  patriotic  duty  for 
every  citizen  to  see  "The  Covered 
Wagon"  and  he  was  contributing  to  a 
great  patriotic  cause  by  permitting  the 
banner  to  hang  where  placed.  There  ; 
was  nothing  for  the  Commissioner  to 
do,  under  the  circumstances. 


In  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  they  do  things  right.  Three  large  window  posters  in  the 
prominent  window  of  a  kodak  shop,  caught  the  passers  by,  and  told  them  of  the 
current  showing  of  Associated  Exhibitors'  "Never  Say  Die,"  at  the  Royal  Theatre. 


October  11,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  57 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box   Office  Hall  of  Records 


Universal 

THE  ABYSMAL  BRUTE— 5,845  Book- 
ings. Caveman  Romance.  Reviewed  March 
8.  BECAUSE  Jack  London  has  told  a  story 
with  forcefulness  and  conviction  that  has 
gained  the  picture  unbelievable  success. 

BAVU — 5,157  Bookings.  Foreign  Intrigue. 
Reviewed  Jan.  26.  BECAUSE  there  is  al- 
ways fascination  in  Continental  tales,  and 
this  interesting  play  deals  with  political 
scheming  in  Russia. 

THE  FLAME  OF  LIFE— 5809  Bookings. 
Mine  Tragedy.  Reviewed  March  15.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  a  thriller  that  really  thrills  and 
it  has  found  many  an  audience  on  the  edge 
of  its  seats  and  breathless  when  the  final 
scene  had  been  concluded. 

SPORTING  YOUTH^,162  Bookings. 
Younger  Set  Story.  Reviewed  Feb.  16. 
BECAUSE  Reginald  Denny  appears  in  this 
dazzling  speed  picture  of  young  America 
stepping  on  the  gas. 

THE  STORM— Over  8,500  Bookings.  Tri- 
angle Melodrama.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outsanding  box- 
office  pictures,  and  continues  to  break  book- 
ing records. 

BAVU— Released  May  7,  1923.  Booked 
3,928  times.  Foreign  Intrigue.  Reviewed 
January  6.  BECAUSE  there  is  a  vague 
for  Russian  entertainment  in  this  country  and 
the  story  is  a  fascinating  one. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR— Released 
June  4,  1923.  Booked  4,241  times.  Baseball 
Romance.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
ba'seball  fans  throughout  the  country  will  eat 
it  up  and  it's  a  sure  money-maker. 

A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— Released 
September  17,  1923.  Booked  2,410  times. 
Child  Love.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
the  story  is  one  that  goes  straight  to  the 
hearts  of  every  home  loving  audience. 

MERRY-GO-ROUND  —  War  Romance. 
Reviewed  January  19.  BECAUSE  it  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  pictures  of  1923  and 
has  a  wonderful  box  office  record. 

DARLING  OF  NEW  YORK  —  3,881 
Bookings.  Child  Story.  Reviewed  Nov.  10. 
BECAUSE  Baby  Peggy  has  a  great  support- 
ing cast,  and  the  picture  itself  is  a  charming 
combination  of  sunshine  and  shadow. 

FOOLS  HIGHWAY— 3,194  Bookings. 
Lights  and  Loves  of  New  York.  Reviewed 
Mar.  29.  BECAUSE  Mary  Philbin  shines 
as  a  great  star,  and  because  the  story  shows 
New  York  in  the  good  old,  bad  old  days. 

Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 


THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  .in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed Februarv  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA — A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  of  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  woman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 
age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT— One  of  the  bigg  A 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

EAST  IS  WEST— A  big  dramatic  photo- 
play made  from  the  sensational  stage  hit. 
BECAUSE  it  has  the  heart  interest,  the  hu- 
mor, romance  and  deft  characterization  that 
the  public  loves,  and  is  acted  with  fine  feeling 
by  Constance  Talmadge. 

ASHES  OF  VENGEANCE— One  of  the 
finest  mediaeval  pictures  ever  made.  Review- 
ed in  October.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  love  ro- 
mance that  everyone  hailed  as  "great"  and 
which  shows  Norma  Talmadge's  complete 
mastery  of  screen  acting. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNING 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22. 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Here's  A  Stunt 

The  Crosby  brothers,  managers  of  the  Lily 
Theatre,  Broadway,  Buffalo,  pulled  a  good 
stunt  when  they  announced  in  the  public 
prints  that  they  had  made  arrangements  to 
give  free  assistance  in  filling  out  application 
blanks  for  auto  licenses  in  their  theatre  each 
evening.  They  engaged  a  notary  public  and 
even  got  the  licenses  which  everyone  oper- 
ating an  auto  in  New  York  State  must  now 
have. 

^       ^  ^ 

Meacham  Appointed 

Clare  Meacham  has  been  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  New  Grand  Theatre  in  West- 
field,  N.  Y.,  which  was  opened  Monday  eve- 
ning, September  22.  The  Zicofe  corporation 
of  Buffalo  is  operating  the  house.  The  open- 
ing was  a  gala  affair.  G.  K.  Rudulph,  man- 
ager of  the  Buffalo  Fox  exchange,  presided 
at  the  ceremonies  and  made  the  opening  ad- 
dress. 

Walter  Dion,  Buffalo's  noted  operator, 
made  a  special  trip  from  Buffalo  to  take 
charge  of  the  booth  for  the  opening.  "Mary 
Pickford  of  Haddon  Hall,"  was  the  opening 
attraction.  The  house  is  decorated  in  silver 
gray  and  old  rose  and  presents  a  most  cozy 
and  attractive  appearance.  The  house  has 
a  seating  capacity  of  1000.  Fred  M.  Zim- 
merman, Maurice  Cohen  and  George  Fer- 
guson are  the  members  of  the  Zicofe  cor- 
poration. 

*    *  # 

Change  Program  Dates 

Another  prominent  theatre  of  Ottawa,  the 
Canadian  Capital,  is  now  following  the  policy 
of  changing  programmes  on  Saturday  in- 
stead of  on  Monday.  This  is  the  Imperial 
Theatre  which  was  operated  for  years  by  the 
late  Harry  Brouse,  one  of  the  original  fran- 
chise-holders of  Associated  First  National. 
This  theatre  is  now  being  managed  by  Bert 
Brouse,  son  of  the  deceased  showman,  and 
Bert  is  showing  considerable  activity  in  the 
operation  of  the  house  in  spite  of  his  youth- 
ful age.  The  change  to  Saturday  opening  at 
the  Imperial  was  made  with  the  booking  of 
"How  to  Educate  a  Wife,"  an  Elinor  Glyn 
story. 

The  two  other  leading  moving  picture  the- 
atres of  Ottawa  are  also  changing  pro- 
grammes on  Saturday  and  they  have  been 
doing  so  for  some  time  past.  Manager  Don 
Stapleton  of  the  Centre  Theatre  adopted 
this  plan  some  time  ago  while  the  Regent 
Theatre,  a  Famous  Players  house  the  man- 
ager of  which  is  Leonard  Bishop,  started 
•  with  the  Saturday  opening  arrangement  over 
a  year  ago. 

The  only  other  large  theatre  in  Ottawa 
is  B.  F.  Keith's  Theatre,  managed  by  J.  M. 
Franklin.  The  Keith  Theatre  is  continuing 
with  the  Monday  opening  schedule  for  a 
very  good  reason,  this  being  that  the  vaude- 
ville acts  appearing  at  the  Keith  house  can- 
not very  well  make  the  jumps  to  Ottawa  ex- 
cept for  Monday  openings. 

^  ^ 

To  Auction  Theatres 

It  is  announced  that  the  theatres  owned  by 
the  North  Alabama  Enterprises  in  Tuscum- 
bia,  Sheffield  and  Florence,  will  be  sold  un- 
der the  auctioneer's  hammer  on  September 
22,  having  been  thrown  into  bankruptcy  by 
creditors. 

^  ^ 

Full  Time  Inspection 

The  Atlanta  Film  Board  of  Trade,  having 
successfully  experimented  with  the  employ- 
ment of  a  full  time  inspector  to  travel  the 


territory  and  keep  machines  in  repair,  has 
just  employed  F.  O.  Buchanan  formerly 
manager  of  the  Iris  Theatre,  Bristol,  Tenn., 
to  tour  the  six  southern  states  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  inspector. 

#    #  # 

Acquire  More  Theatres 

Southern  Enterprises,  Inc.,  the  southern 
theatre  operating  branch  of  Famous  Players- 
Lasky  Corporation,  announce  the  acquisition 
of  five  new  theatres  to  their  rapidly  expand- 
ing chain.  Instead  of  one  house  in  Green- 
ville, South  Carolina,  there  will  be  two;  in 
Miami,  Florida  they  will  build  a  combination 


Left  to  right — Sid  Grauman,  Lita  Grey 
and  the  man  all  exhibitors  find  a  box- 
office  asset — Charles  Chaplin,  who  is  now 
working  on  his  new  comedy  "The  Gold 
Rush"  a  tale  of  Alaska,  for  United  Artists. 

theatre  and  ten  story  office  building  on  the 
site  of  the  old  Airdome ;  Tampa  will  get  one 
new  one  and  St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  is  the 
scene  of  the  fifth  new  house  planned  for  im- 
mediate building. 

^    *  # 

Exhibitor  Injured 

G.  D.  Srigley,  live  wire  exhibitor  of  the 
White  Center  Theatre,  White  Center,  Wash., 
sustained  a  bad  fall  last  week,  which 
wrenched  his  hip,  putting  him  in  the  hospital 
for  five  days.  However,  George  is  an  ener- 
getic cuss.  He  is  stumping  about  on  a  cane, 
supervising  the  alterations  which  are  under- 
way, to  the  vast  improvement  of  his  theatre. 
The  front  of  the  house  his  been  set  out  on 
a  level  with  the  sidewalk,  giving  space  inside 
for  the  installation  of  a  loge  _  section.  A 
more  attractive  stage  setting  is  being  in- 
stalled in  the  front. 

jj;  ijc 

Screen  Politics 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  Missouri 
has  the  screen  played  such  an  important 
role  in  politics.  No  longer  does  the  candi- 
date plead  for  a  hearing  on  what  he  has  ac- 
complished. He  flashes  it  before  the  eyes  of 
the  voters. 

Following  an  address  Monday  in  Sedalia, 
Mo.,  a  motion  picture  review  of  the  regime 
of  Governor  Hyde  was  screened.  It  featured 
the  progress  made  in  the  road  program  im- 
provements in  the  state  eleemosynary  insti- 
tutions, views  of  nine  new  buildings  at  the 
state  university  and  new  structures  at  the 


state  normal  schools.  It  was  a  brief  ex- 
hibition to  offer  proof  that  every  promise 
made  by  the  administration  had  been  ful- 
filled. 

*  *  * 

Plan  Meeting 

Samuel  Suckno,  of  Albany,  is  planning  to 
hold  a  meeting  of  the  exhibitors  of  the  ter- 
ritory in  the  near  future  in  order  to  carry 
out  the  provisions  of  the  zoning  system 
adopted  at  the  Buffalo  meeting  of  the  M.  P. 
T.  O.  of  New  York  State. 

*  *  * 

Wedding  Bells 

Miss  Mae  Quirle,  for  five  years  on  the 
staff  of  the  Seattle  Educational  Film  Ex- 
change, finally  received  her  diploma  last 
week,  when  she  graduated  into  matrimony, 
in  spite  of  all  the  slapstick  comedy  matri- 
monial advice  she  has  witnessed,  Ronald 
French,'  former  film  salesman,  is  the  lucky 
chap.  They  have  left  for  Los  Angeles,  where 
they  will  reside.  Miss  Quirle  has  been  re- 
placed by  Miss  Y.  Maxwell,  Best  wishes, 
Yolanda ! 

*  *  * 

Business  Improves 

Business  continues  exceedingly  good  in 
the  theatres  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  The  Leland 
played  to  S.  R.  O.  throughout  the  week  with 
"Flirting  with  Love,"  while  the  crowds  were 
held  out  at  the  Clinton  Square  with  "Sinners 
from  Heaven."  "Monsieur  Beaucaire"  at 
the  Strand  played  to  heavy  business,  Tues- 
day's crowd,  according  to  Manager  Hill 
numbering  about  4,600  persons. 

*  *  * 

Kansas  Changes 

The  following  new  theatres  and  changes 
in  management  in  the  Kansas  City  territory 
have  been  announced : 

Rustic  Theatre,  Southwest  City,  Mo.,  pur- 
chased by  D.  S.  St.  John  from  E.  D.  Shep- 
ard,  seating  capacity  200;  Laclede  Opera 
House,  Laclede,  Mo.,  has  re-opened  with  H. 
D.  Standly  as  owner;  Legion  Theatre,  Ober- 
lin,  Kas.,  opened  by  H.  Dcwden;  Memorial 
Hall,  Atchison,  Kas.,  C.  M.  Warner,  man- 
ager, will  open  the  season  soon ;  Legion  The- 
atre, Norwich,  Kas.,  destroyed  by  fire ;  H. 
Mac,  formerly  with  the  Kansas  City  Para- 
mount exchange,  is  to  open  a  new  house  in 

Clinton,  Mo.,  soon. 

*  *  * 

Space  Grabber 

Seldom  has  Milton  Feld,  managing  di- 
rector of  the  Newman  Theatre,  Kansas  City, 
hit  upon  an  exploitation  angle  so  unique  as 
that  connected  with  the  appearance  of  the 
Six  Brown  Brothers  at  the  Newman  this 
week.  It  was  Thursday,  just  when  the 
"standing  room  only"  sign's  usefulness  was 
nearing  an  end,  that  Mr.  Feld  discovered  it 
was  in  Kansas  City — so  the  Brown  brothers 
said — that  a  rusty  saxaphone  was  purchased 
in  a  pawn  shop  and  that  famous  sextet 
launched  upon  an  enviable  career.  The  story 
was  worth  a  half-column  in  the  Kansas  City 
5  tar. 

*  *  * 

Kansas  Theatre  Opening 

The  third  finest  theatre  in  Kansas— the 
New  Burford  Theatre — was  opened  last 
week  at  Arkansas  City,  Kas.  The  new  house, 
of  which  Roy  Burford  is  manager,  cost  ap- 
proximately $250,000  and  seats  1,400  persons, 
no  effort  or  expense  being  spared  in  making- 
it  one  of  the  best  houses  in  the  state.  A 
seven-piece  orchestra  has  been  engaged, 
while  a  pipe  organ  will  be  installed  later.  The 
opening  picture  was  "The  Perfect  Flapper, 
a  First  National  product. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  59 


Orphans  Treated 

Douglas  Fairbanks,  "The  Thief  of  Bag- 
dad," was  host  to  more  than  2000  St.  Louis 
orphans  at  a  special  showing  of  his  film  mas- 
terpiece at  the  American  Theatre,  Seventh 
and  Market  streets,  at  10  a.  m.  Saturday, 
September  20. 

The  affair  was  arranged  with  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  St.  Louis  Star,  an  afternoon 
newspaper,  and  the  People's  Motorbus  Com- 
pany. Fairbanks  furnished  the.  show,  the 
star  distributed  the  tickets  while  the  motor- 
bus  company  provided  the  buses  to  take  the 
children  from  and  to  the  theatre. 

Children  from  every  orphan  asylum  in  St. 
Louis  and  St.  Louis  County  enjoyed  the  spe- 
cial performance  of  the  picture  which  closed 
its  St.  Louis  run  on  September  27. 

*    *  * 

Airplane  Service 

Aeroplanes  for  selling  motion  pictures  ap- 
pears the  solution  of  the  poor  train  accommo- 
dations of  Southern  Illinois. 

Tom  McKean,  manager,  and  Lew  Bent, 
salesman  for  the  local  F.  B.  O.  exchange 
are  the  pioneers  in  this  form  of  transporta- 
tion. A  few  days  ago  they  were  in  Spring- 
fied,  111.,  and  desired  to  go  to  Jacksonville, 
111.,  to  call  on  local  exhibitors  in  connection 
with  the  1924-25  line-up  of  F.  B.  O.  pictures. 

Train  accommodations  were  impossible 
while  jitneys  or  service  cars  were  hard  to  lo- 
cate. McKean  then  learned  that  a  patron  in 
their  hotel  possessed  an  aeroplane.  He  agreed 
to  fly  them  to  Jacksonville  and  they  accepted 
the  invitation.  The  trip  was  made  in  one- 
third  the  time  required  by  train  or  auto. 
Tom  contemplates  purchasing  an  areoplane 
for  regular  serivce. 


Pictures  Preferred 

Why  is  the  Shubert  Theatre  of  Kansas 
City  devoting  the  first  part  of  its  season  to 
motion  pictures?  That  is  a  question  which 
the  Kansas  City  public  is  seeking. 

Although  the  primary  reason  is  because  of 
labor  trouble  in  the  theatrical  field,  the  Shu- 
berts  are  finding  the  motion  picture  business 
a  profitable  venture  in  Kansas  City.  As  the 
dramatic  critic  of  the  Kansas  City  Star  put 
it :  "Kansas  City  is  a  motion  picture  town." 
The  fact  that  "The  Ten  Commandments" 
now  is  playing  a  second  packed  house  week 
at  $1.50  at  the  Shubert  is  offered  as  proof 
of  this  assertion.  A  redeeming  feature  of 
it  all  is  that  the  additional  movie  attractions 
do  not  appear  to  be  affecting  the  suburban 
houses  in  the  least. 

"It  required  some  maneuvering  to  get  good 
pictures  for  the  first  month,"  said  Ray  Whit- 
taker,  manager  of  the  Shubert  interests  in 
Kansas  City.  "We  are  offering  big  pictures  at 
a  lower  rate  in  Kansas  City  than  are  charged 
on  either  coast,  in  spite  of  an  increased  over- 
head expense." 

M    ♦ ^ 

Edmonton  Theatre  Opens 

The  Regent  Theatre  of  Edmonton,  Alber- 
ta, formerly  the  Sun  Theatre,  has  taken  on  a 
new  lease  of  life,  having  been  re-opened  by 
A.  Entwistle,  a  pioneer  exhibitor  of  the  Al- 
berta Capital.  Mr.  Entwistle  already  operates 
the  Dreamland  and  Princess  Theatres  in  Ed- 
monton. Before  opening  the  Regent,  he  had 
the  structure  completely  renovated  and  re- 
equipped  throughout.  The  first  feature  at  the 
Regent  was  "Lilies  of  the  Dust,"  starring 
Pola  Negri. 

*    *  * 

Columbia,  Enetai,  Wash., 

Reopens  for  Fall 

The  Columbia,  Enetai,  Wash.,  will  reopen 
this  month,  after  being  dark  all  summer.  Ed. 
Goodwin  is  manager. 


Round  Table  Briefs 

Howard  Price  Kingsmore,  manager  of  the 
Howard  Theatre,  Atlanta,  is  back  on  the  job 

after  a  vacation  spent  in  Atlantic  City. 

*  *  * 

Walter  Brandenberg,  formerly  salesman 
for  Vitagraph,  has  taken  over  the  lease  on  the 

Franklin  Theatre,  Fort  Valley,  Ga. 

%    $  % 

Joe  Burton,  former  well  known  exhibitor 
of  Toccoa,  Ga.,  is  now  traveling  out  of  At- 
lanta for  Film  Booking  Offices. 

*  *  * 

Postcards  have  been  received  by  his  many 
friends  announcing  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J. 
Sparks  are  now  autoing  through  Alaska. 
They  will  later  sail  from  San  Francisco  for 
Honolulu. 

*  *  * 

H.  P.  Laseter,  formerly  salesman  for 
Progress  Pictures,  has  accepted  the  position 
of  house  manager  for  Carl  Kettler's  new  the- 
atre in  Palm  Beach,  Florida. 

^  + 

All  conflicting  rumors  to  the  contrary,  it 
is  announced  that  Jake  Wells  is  the  new 
lessee  of  the  old  Auditorium  Theatre  in 
Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  which  he  is  al- 
ready busily  engaged  in  renovating,  re-ar- 
ranging and  converting  into  a  modern  mo- 
tion picture  theatre. 

ifc  % 

The  Coleman  Theatre,  Coleman,  Florida, 
and  the  Bushnell  Theatre,  Bushnell,  Fla.,  are 
both  reported  closed. 

*  %  ^ 

Edward  Pearce,  Jr.,  son  of  Edward  Pearce 
of  the  Metropolitan  Theatre  orchestra,  At- 
lanta, has  been  selected  to  head  the  editorial 
staff  of  the  Tech  High  "Rainbow." 

*  *  ❖ 

T.  E.  Loomis,  has  reopened  his  theatre 
known  as  the  Cozy,  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
and  a  stiff  fight  for  patronage  is  assured,  with 
the  Cameo  only  two  doors  away. 

jj:     sfc  % 

Samuel  Suckno,  now  operating  the  Albany 
Theatre  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  as  a  first  run 
house,  has  just  installed  a  four-piece  orches- 
tra. 

•(s      ♦  ♦ 

Mrs.  Francis  Moeser,  of  Buffalo,  is  now  a 
resident  of  Albany,  acting  as  secretary  to 
Vincent  McCabe,  manager  of  the  Metro- 
Goldwyn  exchange. 

%    %  % 

First  National  in  Albany  announces  heavy 
sales  of  the  fall  product  to  Ben  Apple,  of  the 
American,  in  Troy;  Oscar  Perrin,  operating 
the  Leland  and  the  Clinton  Square  Theatres 
in  Albany,  and  Nate  Robbins  of  Utica,  with 
a  chain  of  theatres  in  central  New  York. 
%    %  % 

P.  C.  Parrish,  former  operator  at  Dallas, 
Texas,  has  been  promoted  to  Manager  of  the 
new  branch  that  the  Southern  Theatre 
Equipment  Company  is  opening  at  New 
Orleans. 

%c 

M.  M.  Newcomer,  vice  president  of  the 
Phil.  H.  Pierce  Co.,  Dallas,  Texas,  has  re- 
turned home  from  a  trip  to  New  York  City 
where  he  went  to  visit  a  son. 

%    ^  % 

Tommy  Thorton  has  been  appointed  sales- 
man by  the  Southern  Equipment  Company 
at  Dallas,  Texas. 

:jc     :js  :jc 

Architects  are  drawing  plans  for  a  hand- 
some two-story  building  at  Greenville,  Texas 
to  replace  the  Colonial  Theatre  building, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire  recently. 

The  plans  call  for  an  expenditure  of  about 
$30,000.  The  new  theatre  building  will  be 
modern  in  every  respect. 

igC       ifc  % 

The  New  Berlin,  111.,  picture  house  has 
been  taken  over  by  E.  Hamilton  of  Franklin, 
111.  He  opened  for  business  on  September 
22.    The  theatre  seats  350  persons. 


Ben  Prince  has  resigned  from  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Washington  Square  Theatre, 
Quincy,  111.,  owned  by  Pinkleman  &  Cory. 

He  has  returned  to  Memphis,  Tenn. 

*  *  * 

Harry  Losper,  Springfield,  111.,  theatre 
owner  is  back  from  a  vacation  spent  in 
Michigan  summer  resorts.    He  motored  to 

and  from  the  North. 

*  *  * 

Jack  Shelton  is  manager  of  Charley  Good- 
night's  theatre  in  Warrensburg,  Mo. 

*  *  * 

The  Orpheum  Theatre,  Mexico,  Mo.,  opens 
Saturday  September  27,  and  will  show  pic- 
tures and  vaudeville.  Putney  &  Clay  are  the 
owners. 

*  *  * 

The  Modesta,  111.,  Opera  House  has  been 
closed  and  dismantled. 

William  Goldman  opened  the  Rivoli  The- 
atre, Sixth  street  near  Olive  street,  St.  Louis 
on  Saturday,  September  20,  with  Douglas 
MecLean  in  "Never  Say  Die"  as  the  feature 
picture.    The  Rivoli  will  play  day  and  date 

with  Goldman's  Kings  Theatre. 

$   $  $ 

Jack  Flannery,  former  F.  B.  O.  salesman 
in  Kansas  City,  has  returned  to  Omaha  to 
succeed  H.  F.  Lehfholtz  as  manager  of  the 
Universal  branch  there. 

s{c     sjc  s{c 

Kansas  City  exhibitors  have  extended  sym- 
pathy to  R.  G.  Liggett  owner  of  the  Gauntier 
Theatre  and  former  president  of  the  M.  P. 
T.  O.  Kansas,  who  received  word  Tuesday 
of  the  death  of  his  mother,  Mrs.  Ada  Lig- 
gett, in  Sweden.  Mrs.  Liggett  went  to  Swe- 
den a  year  ago  for  her  health.  Burial  will 
be  in  Sweden. 

sje  :f: 

Frank  L.  Newman  of  the  Newman  The- 
atre, Kansas  City,  will  give  to  his  patrons  the 
highest  priced  entertainment  ever  presented 
at  the  Newman  next  week.  In  addition  to 
the  Six  Brown  Brothers  of  stage  fame, 
there  will  be  a  band  of  thirty  saxophone 
players. 

sj;     %l  % 

More  than  30,  000  persons  paid  to  see  "The 
Ten  Commandments"  during  the  first  ten 
days  of  its  showing  at  the  Shubert  Theatre 
in  Kansas  City,  Manager  Ray  Whittaker  an- 
nounced.  This  exceeds  the  attendance  at  the 

same  theatre  of  "The  Covered  Wagon." 

*  *  * 

Don  H.  Phillipps  has  sold  his  house  in 

Craigmont,  Idaho,  to  Forris  A.  Smith. 

*  *  # 

Wm.  F.  Code,  owner  of  houses  in  Alaska, 
and  of  the  Paramount  Theatres,  Seattle,  is 
on  a  pleasure  trip  in  California.  Clyde  Miller 
is  in  charge  of  his  interests  during  his  ab- 
sence. *    *  * 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mack  J.  Davis  of  Port  An- 
geles, Wash.,  are  spending  the  opening  weeks 
of  September  on  an  automobile  tour.  They 
will  visit  as  far  south  as  Portland,  The  Dal- 
les, Astoria  and  Seaside,  and  will  probably 
stop  off  in  Seattle  on  their  return.  Mr.  Da- 
vis is  owner  of  the  Mack  Theatre,  and  is  an 
A-l  showman. 

*  *  * 

A  body  of  citizens  calling  themselves  "Pro- 
gressive Citizens  Committee"  at  Shawnee, 
Okla.,  are  moving  for  a  legalized  Sunday 
Picture  show  vote  to  be  taken  by  the  people 
in  the  near  future. 

*  *  * 

A.  Peebles,  owner  of  the  Arcade  and  Clar- 
ence Covington  Theatres  at  Denison,  Texas, 
has  purchased  the  Star  Theatre  at  that  place, 
and  will  add  many  new  improvements  in  the 
near  future. 

*  *  * 

S.  S.  Wallace,  former  manager  of  the  Cri- 
terion Theatre  at  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  has 
taken  a  position  with  the  advertising  De- 
partment of  the  Oklahoma  City  News  at  Ok- 
lahoma City,  Oklahoma. 

*  *  * 

Fire  destroyed  $1,000  worth  of  equipment 
in  the  Liberty  Theatre  at  Zurkburnet,  Texas. 


Page  60 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


THE  MODERN  THEATRE 


Piccadilly  Theatre  Makes 

ml 

Its  Bow  To  Broadway 


NEW  YORK'S  latest  motion  pic- 
ture palace  the  Piccadilly,  located 
at  Broadway  and  Fifty-first  street, 
represents  the  latest  concepts  in  mo- 
tion picture  theatre  construction  and 
equipment. 

The  Piccadilly  Theatre  was  planned 
and  founded  by  Lee  A.  Ochs, 
managing  director,  who  recog- 
nized the  possibilities  attend- 
ing the  erection  of  a  new  first 
run  house,  embodying  all  the 
improvements  effected  during 
the  past  four  years. 

Mr.  Ochs  chose  as  the  site 
of  his  new  project  a  lot  run- 
ning from  Broadway  through 
to  Seventh  Avenue,  a  distance 
of  170  feet  with  a  frontage  on 
each  thoroughfare  of  sixty 
feet. 

Despite  the  narrow  width 
of  the  lot,  the  architects 
Messrs.  Schloss  and  Orlando 
succeeded  in  building  a  thea- 
tre comfortably  and  conveni- 
ently accomodating  1500  per- 
sons. 

In  the  early  stages  of  exca- 
vating for  the  foundations  of 
the  Broadway  end,  rock  was 
encountered  running  east 
from  Broadway,  a  distance  of 
over  seventy  feet.  Notwith- 
standing this  unexpected  im- 
pediment and  the  added  fact 
that  the  control  of  one  of  the 
Seventh  Avenue  buildings 
could  not  be  obtained  until  after  con- 
struction was  two  months  under  way, 
the  contractors  completed  the  theatre 
within  the  period  of  their  guarantee. 

THE  imposing  new  structure  is  the 
most  northern  motion  picture  sen- 
tinel of  the  Great  White  Way  and  com- 
mands attention  from  Columbus  Circle 
looking  South  and  from  Times  Square 
looking  north,  from  which  points  the 
large  sign  bearing  the  name  of  the  thea- 
tre, is  easily  visible. 

The  main  sign  is  illuminated  at  night 
by  means  of  a  duel  "Oplex"  lighting 
system  which  permits  the  advantage  of 
both  direct  and  indirect  effects  of  visi- 
bility. The  same  features  apply  to  the 
announcing  signs.  Across  the  front  of 
the  broad  marquise  the  name  of  the  the- 
atre is  repeated,  while  on  either  side  of 
the  marquise  the  names  of  the  current 


attractions  are  carried.  The  entire  set 
of  ultra-modern  signs  was  supplied  by 
Messrs.  Murphy  and  Brode  of  New 
York. 

The  front  elevation  of  the  building 
is  of  modern  architectural  design  but 
conforms  as  closely  as  practicable  with 


English  periods.  The  exterior  base  is 
of  granite  with  the  upper  sections  of 
architectural  terra-cotta  made  from  es- 
pecially designed  models. 

On  either  side  of  the  theatre  en- 
trance small  stores  have  been  built 
which  afford  an  excellent  location  for 
the  merchandising  of  products  of  the 
better  class. 

The  vestibule  is  constructed  of  terra- 
cotta with  terrazzo  floors  and  the  lobby 
beyond  is  carried  out  in  ornamental 
plaster,  marble  radiator  casings  with 
bronze  grilles,  marble  base  and  border 
and  terrazzo  floor.  The  side  walls  are 
covered  with  display  cases  and  mirrors 
finished  in  antique  gold  upon  an  electre- 
bronze  base. 

The  lighting  fixtures  in  the  lobby  are 
of  crystal  and  bronze  construction  and 
were  imported  from  England  where 
they  were  made  up  from  designs  sent 


abroad  by  Messrs.  Black  and  Boyd  who 
have  supplied  all  the  fixtures  through- 
out the  theatre. 

English  Spirit 

The  Promenade  is  distinctly  Tudor 
in  flavor  that  is  at  once  felt  in  the  au- 
thentic fireplace  of  that  his- 
torical perios.  This  room  has 
a  marble  base  and  border,  gen- 
uine, walnut  wainscoting,  or- 
namental plaster  barrel  ceiling 
of  strong  Adam  influence,  and 
lighting  fixtures  made  from 
original  models  discovered  in 
an  old  mansion  near  Deavon- 
shire. 

The  spirit  of  old  England  is 
strikingly  carried  out  in  the 
architectural  and  decorative 
features  of  the  Main  Lounge 
of  the  Piccadilly. 

Descending  the  marble 
tread  stairs  from  the  Promen- 
ade, the  theatre  patron  is  at 
once  transported  into  an  at- 
mosphere created  by  the  artis- 
ans to  whom  this  important 
work  was  entrusted. 

Orchestra  Elevator 

One  of  the  most  interesting 
features  of  the  theatre  is  the 
orchestra  pit  which  is  in  real- 
ity a  combination  of  two  elec- 
trically operated  elevators. 
The  portion  designed  to  ac- 
commodate the  musicians  is  a 
separate  and  distinct  unit  from  the  sec- 
tion upon  which  the  console  of  the 
great  organ  is  built. 

THE  advantage  of  this  arrangement, 
particularly  adapted  and  suited  to 
motion  picture  theatres,  is  at  once  ap- 
parent. Either  platform  can  be  raised 
or  lowered  as  the  occasion  arises,  or, 
both  can  be  operated  in  unison  if  it  is 
desired  that  the  organ  ana  orchestra 
join  in  the  rendition  of  musical  num- 
bers. 

In  addition  to  the  element  of  con- 
venience, there  is  architecturally  a  dis- 
tinct conservation  of  space  and  the  an- 
noyance to  the  public  of  a  general  ex- 
odus of  musicians  is  obviated. 

In  lieu  of  the  original  orchestra  pit, 
the  owners  have  provided  automatic 
push  buttons  under  both  independent 
and  automatic  control  for  the  elevation 


October  11,  1924 


Page  61 


A  view  of  the  beautiful  foyer  of  the  new  Piccadilly  Theatre.  The  dignified  atmos- 
phere and  simplicity  of  design  and  harmony  of  color  make  it  exceptionally  impressive. 


of  the  platforms.  The  button  regulat- 
ing the  organ  console  lift  has  been 
placed  at  the  left  of  the  keyboard,  in 
easy  reach  of  the  organist.  The  con- 
trol button  for  the  orchestra  lift  is  lo- 
cated at  the  top  of  a  specially  designed 
ornamental  pedestal  directly  at  the  left 
of  the  orchestra  leader's  position. 

The  Marr  and  Colton  Organ  is  the 
specially  designed  product  of  this  pio- 
neer firm.  In  building  this  instrument 
the  manufacturers  have  included  every 
device  for  the  proper  accompaniment 
of  motion  pictures,  and  what  is  equally 
as  important,  have  provided  a  number 
of  innovations  for  the  production  of 
tonal  and  percussion  effects  which  are 
suited  to  every  requirement  of  classical 
and  popular  musical  expression. 

Auditorium 

The  auditorium  is  a  radical  depart- 
ure from  generally  prevailing  designs, 
having  been  constructed  on  the  stadium 
plan  which  means  that  the  balcony  is  a 
direct  continuation  of  the  orchestra  sec- 
tion, enabling  each  and  every  person 
present  during  a  performance  to  enjoy 
an  unobstructed  view  of  the  stage  and 
screen,  and  eliminating  the  disagreeable 
position  of  being  seated  under  the  sus- 
pended portion  of  a  theatre,  such  as 
balconies  and  galleries. 

The  auditorium  walls  and  ceiling, 
both  in  the  orchestra  and  the  stadium 
are  constructed  of  ornamental  plaster. 
The  floors  are  cement  as  well  as  the 
stairs  and  the  architecture  of  England 
has  been  extensively  employed  to  bring 
about  the  desired  effect. 

Retiring  Rooms 

The  ladies  retiring  room  brings  to 
mind  the  dainty  boudoirs  of  the  18th 
Century.  The  furniture  reflects  the 
transition  which  was  then  going  on  and 
which  brought  forth  the  light,  graceful 


designs  of  such  renowned  craftsmen  as 
Sheraton,  Hepplewhite  and  Chippen- 
dale. 

The  Men's  Smoking  Room,  with  it's 
specially  imported  slate  floor,  is  a  vivid 
reminder  of  the  smart  English  Clubs  of 
the  past  century,  where  the  gentry  were 
accustomed  to  recline  in  great  leather 
chairs  to  discuss  the  current  plays  and 
players. 

Comfort  and  art  have  been  closely 
allied  and  this  entire  section  of  the  the- 
atre has  been  made  as  attractive  as  can 
be  produced  by  the  master  craftsmen  of 
today. 

Special  attention  has  been  paid  to 
plumbing  fixtures  and  appurtenances  in 
both  Ladies'  and  Men's  Rooms. 


A  new  and  ingenious  device  for  the 
supply  of  ice  water  has  been  installed 
in  the  Main  Lounge.  The  two  foun- 
tains are  made  of  polychromed  terra 
cotta  designed  from  early  casts  of  the 
head  of  the  Lion  of  Saint  Mark.  The 
influence  of  the  Gargoyles  of  France 
upon  English  cathedral  ornamentation 
has  been  utilized  and  the  water  is  made 
to  gush  from  the  mouth  of  the  lions. 

In  the  basement  of  the  theatre  special 
provision  has  been  made  for  the  com- 
fort and  welfare  of  the  staff  of  ushers 
where  a  spacious  and  well  ventillated 
room,  minutely  equipped  has  been  built. 

Lighting 

A  huge  crystal  chandelier  adorns  the 
ceiling,  in  the  center  of  the  auditorium, 
suspended  in  the  center  of  a  forty  foot 
dome,  around  the  edge  of  which  are  ar- 
ranged in  coves,  hidden  from  sight, 
some  hundreds  of  red,  white,  blue,  and 
amber  lamps  with  specially  designed  re- 
flectors to  achieve  the  desired  lighting 
results. 

With  such  extensive  lighting  facil- 
ities as  the  Piccadilly  possesses,  all  por- 
tions of  the  auditorium  can  be  bathed 
in  changing  lights,  which  reflected  from 
the  golden  dome  and  the  crystal  chan- 
delier produce  an  effect  never  before 
accomplished  in  any  American  theatre. 

Along  the  main  entrance  hall  of  the 
auditorium  is  the  office  of  the  House 
Manager  while  the  corresponding  hall 
on  the  opposite  side  contains  the  en- 
trance to  the  hospital  which  has  been 
provided  by  the  management  with  every 
necessary  appointment  for  safeguard- 
ing the  well-being  of  the  patrons  of  the 
theatre. 

Above  the  auditorium  is  located  the 
broadcasting  studio  and  private  screen- 
ing room  which  is  commodiously  fur- 


Looking  toward  the  stage,  showing  the  orchestra  and  organ  platform,  which  dis- 
appears at  the  touch  of  a  button.  This  new  system  eliminates  the  confusion  of 
members    of   the    orchestra    taking    their    places    during    the    run    of    a  picture. 


Page  62 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


nished  and  equipped  with  microphones, 
screen  and  projection  space. 

Three  times  each  week  Mr.  Lopez  and 
his  Piccadilly  orchestra,  the  largest  he 
has  ever  assembled  under  his  baton,  will 
broadcast  a  concert  directly  from  the 
theatre.  In  addition  to  this  feature, 
John  Hammond,  America's  leading  the- 
atre organist  will  give  an  equal  number 
of  weekly  recitals  on  the  great  organ, 
besides  a  special  recital  on  Sundays 
from  12:30  to  1 :30  P.  M.,  for  the  bene- 
fit of  his  many  admirers  throughout  the 
country. 

At  the  demand  of  the  Managing  Di- 
rector, Mr.  Lee  A.  Ochs,  the  architects 
have  made  special  provision  for  the 
safeguarding  of  Piccadilly  patrons  by 
the  utilization  of  unusually  wide  exits 
and  the  latest  fire  prevention  appli- 
ances. 

Equipment 

The  cleaning  of  all  parts  of  the  house 
will  be  taken  care  of  by  means  of  au- 
tomatically controlled  vacuum  cleaning 
apparatus  with  outlets  located  to  insure 
the  rapid  cleaning  of  the  house  at  all 
times  of  the  day  or  night. 

The  electric  lights  and  power  plants 
for  furnishing  of  current  for  general 
and  special  illumination  including  sign 
and  marquise  lighting  are  the  last  word 
in  design  and  equipment. 

The  mezzanine  floor  formed  by  the 
space  between  the  lobby  ceiling  and  the 
Broadway  front  of  the  Stadium  con- 
tains the  executive  offices  of  the  Pic- 
cadilly Holding  Corporation  and  has 
been  planned  to  provide  commodious 
quarters  for  the  officers  and  executive 
staffs.  The  rooms  of  the  Managing 
Director  Lee  A.  Ochs,  are  pannelled 
with  fine  grained  brown  mahogany  and 


elaborately  furnished.  Every  appoint- 
ment has  been  carefully  thought  out, 
even  a  shower  bath  has  been  installed. 
Next  to  the  Managing  Director's  suite 
is  the  office  of  the  Manager,  Mr.  Ger- 
ald T.  Gallagher,  and  across  the  hall- 
way an  office  for  the  Production  Mana- 
ger B.  A.  Rolfe  has  been  provided.  The 
other  rooms  on  the  floor  are  for  the 
accounting  department,  secretarial  of- 
fices and  lavatories. 

Lighting  Equipment 

The  lighting  equipment  is  well 
planned  to  provide  effects  snychro- 
nizing  with  the  pictures  displayed,  or 
in  conjunction  with  vocal,  instrumental 
or  orchestral  renditions  of  artists  who 
have  been  engaged  as  mentioned  else- 
where in  this  article. 

Electrical  energy  for  some  3500  to 
4000  ordinary  lamps  is  provided  for 
each  performance.  White  lamps,  red 
lamps,  blue  lamps,  also  violet,  green, 
and  amber,  will  shade  their  individual 
colors  in  any  desired  intensity  by  the 
manipulation  of  a  handle  or  two,  as  oc- 
casion requires. 

The  two  banks  of  Vitrohm  dimmers 
installed  permit  of  an  almost  endless 
change  of  brilliancy  and  color  combina- 
tions. For  instance,  some  24  colored 
sprays  located  in  the  ceiling  in  front  of 
and  over  the  orchestra  pit,  will  illumi- 
nate the  orchestral  performers  and 
create  an  "Atmosphere"  of  color  com- 
bination in  sentiment  with  the  piece  or 
action  of  the  moment.  These  clusters 
are  invisible  to  the  audience,  and  throw 
beautiful  tinted  lights  on  the  orchestra. 

A  huge  crystal  chandelier  adorns  the 
ceiling  in  the  center  of  the  auditorium 
suspended  in  the  center  of  a  40  foot 
dome,  around  the  edge  of  which  are  ar- 
ranged in  covers,  hidden  from  sight, 


some  hundreds  of  red,  white  and  blue 
lamps,  which  in  conjunction  with  the 
semi-direction  lighting  from  the  crystal 
lighting  effects,  various  rainbow  shades 
of  coloring  upon  the  ceiling  and  sur- 
rounding walls  are  obtained.  By  means 
of  the  Vitrohm  dimmer  control,  every 
imaginable  effect  is  secured,  augmented 
by  the  thousands  of  scintilating  crystals 
on  the  fixture.  An  unusual  feature  for 
moving  picture  houses  is  provided  in 
the  row  of  varied  color  footlights  and 
the  border  lights  at  the  side  and  over 
the  stage.  These  are  used  when  a  solo 
performer  is  on  the  programme. 

The  organ  is  provided  with  external 
soundboards  on  each  side  of  the  stage. 
The  appearance  of  these  is  augmented 
by  a  balconette,  which  helps  diffuse  the 
organ  tones  throughout  the  auditorium 
as  well  as  to  provide  space  for  several 
flood  lights  to  illuminate  the  ceiling 
along  the  side  walls. 

Every  lamp  on  the  stage  and  through- 
out the  auditorium  is  controlled  through 
the  Vitrohm  dimmer  system  to  elimin- 
ate the  annoyance  of  sudden  glare  or 
"flashing" — and  to  insure  just  exactly 
the  right  amount  of  each  color  required 
for  every  conceivable  effect. 

The  Marr  And  Colton  Organ 

In  the  Piccadilly,  New  York's  latest 
motion  picture  palace  resides  one  of 
the  largest  and  finest  theatre  organs  in 
the  world.  During  the  early  planning 
of  the  theatre,  Lee  A.  Ochs,  managing 
director,  was  particularly  anxious  to 
make  the  organ  a  feature  since  he  be- 
lieved that  this  instrument,  while  ex- 
tensively used  for  motion  picture  ac- 
companiment, had  never  been  properly 
stressed  and  utilized. 

To  Messrs.  Marr  and  Colton,  pio- 
neers in  the  organ  field  as  applied  to 
motion  pictures,  was  allotted  the  task  of 
designing  and  installing  the  Piccadilly 
organ  which  is  capable  of  producing 
every  known  tonal  quality,  and  is, 
therefore,  especially  suited  to  motion 
picture  work  where  more  is  demanded 
of  an  instrument  than  probably  any 
other  circumstance. 

Synchronization 

One  of  the  most  interesting  develop- 
ments in  art  is  to  be  discerned  in  the 
progress  of  the  synchronization  of  mo- 
tion pictures  and  music — an  art  which 
is  practically  the  exclusive  property  of 
America. 

In  this  country,  where  the  motion 
picture  industry  ranks  fifth  in  national 
importance,  it  is  only  natural  that  the 
art  of  music,  in  it's  relation  to  proper 
cinema  presentation,  should  be  accented 
as  it  is. 

It  is  a  far  cry  back  to  the  days  of 
the  tin  piano,  which  has  been  sup- 
planted, even  in  many  remote  town- 
ships, by  the  organ,  an  instrument  early 
recognized  as  affording  ideal  accom- 
paniment to  the  silent  drama. 


A  corner  of  the  projection  room  showing  the  battery  of  projection  machines.  The 
booth  is  equipped  with  all  the  latest  devices  to  aid  in  perfect  picture  projection. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  63 


V 


St.  Louis  Proud  of 
New  State  Theatre 


Loew's  Newest  Edifice 
a  Masterpiece  in  the 
Art  of  Theatre  Building 


A TRIUMPH  in  modern  theatre 
construction  and  representing  an 
investment  of  approximately  $3,- 
000,000,  Loew's  State  Theatre  at  Wash- 
ington avenue  and  Eighth  st.,  St.  Louis, 
not  only  affords  a  treat  to  the  artis- 
tic eye,  but  presents  may  new  features 
heretofore  unknown  to  the  theatergoer 
or  movie  fan. 

While  the  theatre  proper  seats  about 
3,500  on  two  floors,  the  building  has 
six  stores  on  the  ground  floors  and  two 
spacious  lofts  above.  These  addition- 
al properties  have  the  advantage  of  the 
brilliant  exterior  lighting,  consisting  of 
a  vertical  sign  75  feet  in  height  bearing 
the  name  of  the  playhouse  and  a  mar- 
quise or  canopy  extending  from  the 
curb  to  the  building  holding  several 
thousand  varied  colored  bulbs. 

Outer  Lobby 
The  outer  lobby  of  the  theatre  is  fin- 
ished in  rouge  royal  rnarble  with  ter- 
razzo  floors.  In  this  section  there  are 
two  wall  brackets,  plated  with  gold  and 
purchased  from  the  Vanderbilt  estate 
in  New  York. 


From  there  one  enters  the  circular 
rotunda  of  spacious  proportions.  The 


View  showing  the  arrangement  of  boxes 
and  wonderful  effect  by  the  use  of  drapes. 


chief  attraction  in  this  section  will  un- 
doubtedly be  two  display  fountains  with 
white  Italian  figures  set  in  black  and 
gold  marble  niches.  There  is  also  a 
massive  chandelier  in  this  rotunda  com- 
posed of  exquisitely  cut  colonial 
prisms. 

Grand  Staircase 

A  grand  staircase  leading  from  the 
rotunda  to  the  mezzanine  floor  is  com- 
posed entirely  of  Tennessee  marble. 
The  color  scheme  of  the  mezzanine  or 
upper  foyer  is  of  blue  and  silver  giving 
an  elaborate  yet  delicate  background  to 
furnishings  which  hold  an  unusual 
amount  of  interest.  In  this  section, 
where  the  furniture  is  more  profuse, 
the  four  corners  of  the  earth  are  rep- 
resented in  the  selection.  The  chairs 
and  divans  are  upholstered  in  handwov- 
en  tapestry  and  were  purchased  for  the 
great  part  in  France,  Italy  and  Austria. 
Two  Missouri  onyx  pedestals  in  this 
section  will  attract  attention  as  will  the 
big  bronz  mounted  low-boy,  which  is 
about  75  years  old  and  said  to  have 


Page  64 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  view  of  the  mezzanine  and  stairway  showing  the  beauty  of  curves  and  simplicity 
in  design.    There  is  an  air  of  spaciousness  and  dignity  about  this  part  of  the  theatre 

that  adds  greatly  to  the  beauty 


once  adorned  one  of  the  gambling 
rooms  at  Monte  Carlo.  The  carpet, 
draperies  and  wall  silk  carry  out  the 
general  color  schemes  of  blue  and  sil- 
ver. In  the  alcoves  will  be  found  nu- 
merous canaries,  ornamental  cages,  sev- 
eral macaws  and  parrakeets. 

Mezzanine 

The  mezzanine  promenade  is  wain- 
scoted ten  feet  high  with  fine  American 
walnut.  The  veneers  for  the  panels  all 
came  from  a  single  walnut  tree  24 
inches  in  diameter.  There  is  a  profu- 
sion of  reading  lamps,  divans,  sofas  and 
chairs  in  this  section,  which  will  prob- 
ably hold  the  most  attraction  for  the 
St.  Louis  flapper  because  it  leads  to 
what  Miss  Anne  Dornin  has  named 
■"the  Sheik's  Harem,"  or  ladies'  dress- 
ing-room. This  unusual  room  is  draped 
with  frosted  ivory  silks  with  the  niches 
in  jade  green  and  gold  changeable  silks. 

Decorations 

The  gentleman's  smoking  room,  lo- 
cated at  the  other  end  of  the  promen- 
ade, is  essentially  a  man's  room  with  a 
•quarry  tile  flooring  covered  with  a 
handsome  Vermain  Oriental  rug  from 
Asia  Minor.  The  mantel  in  this  room 
is  made  of  flint  from  the  Ozark  Moun- 
tains. 

Two  exceptional  paintings  by  Ed- 
ward Trumbell,  "Romance"  and  "Ad- 
venture," adorn  the  wall  space  over  the 
circular  staircase  leading  to  the  orches- 
tra floor.  Trumbell  is  a  pupil  of 
Frank  Brangwyn.  The  staircase  is 
composed  of  bresche  violet  marble. 

The  color  scheme  of  the  orchestra 


floor  varies  with  that  of  other  sections 
of  the  theatre.  The  carpet,  wall  cover- 
ings and  tapestries  are  in  orchid  and 
gold,  giving  this  area  a  rich  effect.  Two 
immense  tapestries  seen  from  this  sec- 
tion, symbolic  of  "Music"  and  "Dra- 
ma," are  the  work  of  Achille  Battista. 
The  standing  rail  in  the  orchestra  is  of 
Yorke  Fossil  marble  with  Egyptian 
black  and  gold  ending  posts.    The  main 


chandelier  is  8  feet  wide,  weighs  3,000 
pounds  and  is  composed  entirely  of 
crystal  beads.  The  semi-indirect  illum- 
inated panels  are  trimmed  with  mirrors 
and  amethyst  and  clear  crystals. 

The  stage  setting  is  not  only  unusual 
but  represents  the  latest  development 
in  the  use  of  color  lighting  on  metallic 
surfaces.  The  use  of  metallic  cloth 
over  large  areas  on  the  stage  is 
comparatively  recent  and  has  brought 
about  the  last  word  in  beauty  of  irides- 
cent color  effects.  No  drape  is  of  a 
single  color  when  the  X-ray  reflectors 
throw  their  rays  on  them.  A  series  of 
gauzes  assist  the  effect  greatly.  On  each 
side  of  the  set  are  two  semi-circular 
window  motifs  which  will  be  used  as  a 
background  in  many  of  the  atmospheric 
prologs. 

Drawing  Power 

When  Marcus  Eoew  chose  the  site 
for  this  magnificent  theatre  there  was 
considerable  speculation  concerning  the 
drawing  power  of  a  theatre  built  out- 
side the  beaten  path  of  evening  crowds 
but  the  doubt  has  all  disappeared,  for 
the  theatre  has  proven  a  wonderful  suc- 
cess and  has  even  educated  the  large 
theatre  public  to  use  this  heretofore 
quiet  night  district  and  as  a  result  it  is 
making  heavy  inroads  in  the  patronage 
of  theatres  in  other  districts  that  form- 
erly composed  the  Great  White  Way. 

The  Loew  organization  is  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  its  new  venture  and  there 
is  no  doubt  but  what  the  theatre  will 
prove  a  great  financial  success  to  the 
owners. 


A  view  of  the  seating  arrangements  of  orchestra  and  balcony.  The  seats  are  ar- 
ranged to  give  an  unobstructed  view  from  every  part  of  the  theatre.  There  is 
ample  space  between  the  rows  for  the  amply  built  patrons  and  the  seats  are  wide. 


October  11,  1924 


Page  65 


The  film  that  carries  quality 
from  studio  to  screen — 

EASTMAN 
POSITIVE  FILM 

— has  the  identification  "Eastman" 
"Kodak"  in  black  letters  in  the 
transparent  margin.    Look  for  it. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Page  66 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 

Optics  Practical  Ideas  and  Electricity 
  By  WESLEY  TROUT   


As  To  Mazda  Projection 

The  Garden  Theatre,  Garden  City, 
Kansas,  is  using  the  following  Mazda 
equipment  with  very  good  results  as  fol- 
lows :  A  30-volt  bulb  and  28  amperes 
is  used.  The  throw  of  projection  is 
88  feet  from  screen  to  the  aperture  of 
the  machine.  The  average  life  of  the 
bulbs  is  from  125  hours  to  140.  Two 
Simplex  Projectors  with  Cinephor 
lenses  are  used,  and  the  size  of  the  pic- 
ture projected  is  9x12  feet.  L.  A.  Fish- 
er is  in  charge  of  the  projection  at  this 
theatre. 

At  the  Electric  Theatre,  Garden  City, 
the  management  is  using  30-volt  and 
30  amperes  with  a  98  foot  throw.  The 
size  of  the  picture  is  12x16  ft.  G-E 
Mazda  Equipment  and  two  Powers  6-A 
machines  are  used.  The  projection  is 
about  98  feet.  Jean  Austin  is  in  charge 
of  the  projection  at  this  theatre.  Both 
houses  are  securing  a  very  good  picture 
with  this  layout. 

Takeup  Devices 

The  writer  recently  visited  a  small 
theatre  in  Kansas  where  they  were  us- 
ing two  Powers  projectors,  the  exhibi- 
tor writing  that  he  was  having  very 
much  trouble  with  his  takeups.  I 
looked  the  machine  over  very  carefully 
and  upon  investigating  the  takeup,  it 
was  found  that  the  washer  disc  had 
been  wrapped  with  heavy  cord,  then 
two  pieces  of  very  coarse  emery  cloth 
placed  with  the  emery  side  out  on  each 
side  and  the  whole  clamped  as  tight  as 
the  exhibitor  could  get  them.  With 
this  arrangement  there  was  no  slippage 
possible  with  such  a  getup  as  this,  of 
course,  when  the  film  struck  this  very 
bright  idea ;  every  sprocket  hole  for 
hundreds  of  feet  was  completely  torn 
out  and  the  film  torn  up  in  very  bad 
shape. 

The  exhibitor  and  projectionist  in 
charge  said  it  was  a  surefire.  I  certain- 
ly can  agree  with  them.  It  was  the 
quickest  way  to  tear  film  up  that  I  ever 
seen  in  my  variest  travels. 

The  very  careful  regulation  of  a  take- 
up  device  is  one  of  the  very  most  im- 
portant functions  of  a  projectionist. 
When  the  empty  reel  is  starting  to  take 
up  the  film  there  should  almost  be  no 
slippage,  but  as  it  increases  in  diameter 
the  amount  of  slippage  increases  in 
proportion  until  at  the  end  of  the  reel 
it  should  be  barely  moving  as  the  reel 
is  all  most  full.  The  friction  variety 
of  take-up  must  be  kept  free  from  oil 
on  the  discs,  otherwise  you  will  secure 


too  much  slippage  and  when  the  reel 
becomes  full  it  will  not  turn  same. 

About  Pin  Holes  in  Lamphouses 

A  number  of  my  readers  advise  the 
punching  of  pin  holes  in  arc  lamp 
houses  so  that  they  may  very  easily  see 
the  condition  of  their  arc  from  time  to 
time.  Possibly  sometimes  they  are  de- 
sirable, but  most  generally  a  good  pro- 
jectionist can  simply  tell  by  looking  at 
his  spot  (through  the  eyeshield  in  the 
lamp  house  door)  just  how  his  arc 
stands.    This  is  the  best  way  to  do  it. 

If  you  have  to  have  a  pin  hole,  there 
is  a  right  and  wrong  way  to  make  it  as 
it  should  be.  A  big  jagged  hole  gives 
you  a  false  image  of  the  arc  lamp. 
Now  the  right  way  to  go  about  this  is 
to  take  a  very  dull  center  punch  and 
tapping  lightly  from  the  inside  of  your 
lamp  house  raise  a  small  knob  where 
you  may  wish  to  place  the  hole.  Now 
with  a  fine  file  thin  the  top  of  this 
knob  until  you  can  just  begin  to  see  a 
very  faint  glimmer  of  light  through  it, 
take  a  hat  pin  and  enlarge  the  opening 
until  same  is  round,  don't  attempt  to 
force  it  all  the  way  in,  and  you  will 
have  a  pin  hole  that  will  give  you  an 
absolute  photograph  of  your  arc  on  the 
wall  of  your  projection  room.  You  can 
mount  a  small  piece  of  mirror  at  an 
angle  to  throw  the  image  on  to  a  card 
placed  anywhere  handy  in  the  projec- 
tion room.  You  will  find  this  the  best 
way  to  make  a  correct  pin  hole  in  your 
lamp  house. 

Likes  Projection  Articles 

The  writer  of  this  department  recent- 
ly received  a  very  nice  letter  from  Clar- 
ence Slawson,  chief  projectionist  at  the 
New  Bucklen  Theatre,  Elkhart,  Ind., 
and  he  writes  as  follows  about  the  de- 
partment : 

Dear  Trout :  I  have  been  read- 
ing your  projection  department  for 
months  and  certainly  secure  some 
very  good  ideas  and  help  from 
same.  Keep  the  good  work  up  as 
it  is  just  what  we  need  in  improv- 
ing our  projection.  The  very  first 
thing  I  read,  when  the  Exhibitor's 
Trade  Review  arrives,  is  your  pro- 
jection department. 

The  writer  of  this  department  is  al- 
ways pleased  to  hear  from  exhibitors 
and  projectionists.  Send  in  your  pho- 
tographs of  your  projection  room  equip- 
ment and  the  kind  of  machines,  lenses, 
generators,  etc.,  that  you  are  using  as  it 
is  very  interesting  to  other  projection- 
ists and  exhibitors.    If  you  are  going 


to  install  new  projection  equipment, 
write  and  let  me  know  about  it,  and  if 
you  can  send  some  photographs  the 
much  better  it  will  be.  This  is  your 
department  so  let  us  make  it  more  and 
more  interesting  as  each  week  goes  by.. 
Send  in  your  practical  ideas,  etc. 

How  to  Measure  the  Working 
Distance  of  Lens 

I  have  received  a  number  of  inquiries 
from  projectionists  as  to  the  best  way 
to  measure  the  back  focus  of  their  pro- 
jection lens.  Now  to  measure  the 
working  distance  of  a  motion  picture 
projection  lens,  place  the  lens  in  your 
machine,  tread  in  a  film  and  then  focus 
the  picture  sharply  on  the  screen.  Next 
you  remove  the  film  from  the  machine, 
and  running  a  rule  through  the  projec- 
tor aperture,  measure  the  distance  from 
the  aperture  plate  (film  plate)  to  the 
first  surface  of  the  projection  lens.  This 
measurement  will  be  the  working  dis- 
tance of  your  projection  lens.  Some 
projectionists  call  this  the  "back  focus" 
which  is  wrong.  Be  sure  that  the  ruler 
is  clean  on  the  end  that  you  place 
against  the  lens.  If  you  place  a  dirty 
ruler  you  will  have  to  take  the  entire 
lens  out  and  clean  it. 

The  Cinephor  Projection  Lenses 

Without  a  doubt  the  best  projection 
lens  on  the  market  today  is  the  new 
Cinephor  lens  and  you  will  find  the 
Cinephor  Condenser  System  to  be  one 
of  the  very  best  yet  placed  on  the 
market  for  better  projection.  I  have 
installed  a  great  number  of  these  Cin- 
ephor lenses  and  can  recommend  them 
to  the  readers  of  this  department  when 
they  want  to  purchase  the  very  best 
in  motion  picture  projection  lenses. 
They  give  a  very  sharp  focus  and  quite 
a  bit  of  more  light  on  the  screen  than 
with  other  types  of  projection  lenses. 
They  are  sold  in  quarter  and  half  size 
lens.  I  would  recommend  the  use  of 
the  half  size  lens  wherever  possible  for 
the  exhibitor  and  projectionist  to  do  so. 

Isis  Theatre  Installs  Bairds 

Mr.  Swanson,  manager  of  the  Isis 
Theatre  at  Lamar,  Colo.,  is  using  two 
late  type  Baird  Projectors  and  a  C-E 
Motor  Generator  set  with  huge  suc- 
cess. The  picture  is  very  bright  and  clear 
with  this  projection  room  layout.  These 
are  the  only  two  Baird  projectors  in- 
stalled in  this  State  at  the  present  time. 
The  Powers  projectors  seem  to  be  the 
most  popular  machines  in  Colorado  at 
the  present  time. 

(Continued  on  Page  70) 


October  11,  1924 


Page  67 


A  $300.00  INVESTMENT 

WHICH  EARNS 

5%  INTEREST  ON  $30,000 

FOR  MANY  YEARS, 

AND  IMPROVES  THE  QUALITY  OF  YOUR  PICTURES 


G  i  v e s  a  better,  steadier  and 
stronger  screen  illumination. 

Defines  pictures  sharply  and  dis- 
tinctly. 

Makes  objects  stand  out  clearly. 

Saves  over  70%  in  electric  current. 

Cuts  carbon  costs  to  less  than  half. 

Eliminates  all  condenser  lenses. 

Obtains  with  20  amperes  the  result 
of  75  amperes  on  old  type. 

Operates  on  Alernating  or  Direct 
current  and  on  any  motor  generator. 

"Morlite"  Simplified  Arc  Controller 
feeds  carbons  automatically. 

Lamp  burns  over  one  hour  on  one 
trim. 

Carbons  can  be  burned  to  %  inch 
in  length. 

Carbon  holders  insure  fullest  elec- 
trical contact  at  all  times. 

Furnished  with  Stereopticon  attach- 
ment. 

Equipment  works  simply  and 
noiselessly. 

Can  be  installed  in  30  minutes  by 
any  Projection  Engineer  or 
mechanic. 

Produces  neither  uncomfortable 
heat  nor  irritating  fumes.  Makes 
life  and  work  of  projectionist 
pleasant. 

Equipment  fully  guaranteed. 


DISTRIBUTORS 

Write  for  Our  Proposition 


TWO  "MORLITE  DE  LUXE" 
REFLECTING  ARC  LAMPS  were 
installed  at  a  theatre. 

Readings  of  meter  taken  over  a  6 
month's  period  before  and  after  instal- 
lation gave  the  following  results: 

Actual  saving  in  electric  current  and 
carbon  exceeded  70% — in  this  case 
amounting  to  over  $1500  per  annum — 
an  amount  equal  to  5%  interest  on 
$30,000. 

$300.  was  the  actual  cost  of  each  of 
the  two  lamps  used. 

All  installations  report  similar  results. 

"Morlite  De  Luxe" 

is  the  STRONGEST  and  most 
PERFECT 

REFLECTING  ARC  LAMP! 

The  greatest  MONEY  SAVER  of  its  kind! 

A  Trial  Will  Convince  You. 


Passed  by   National   Board  of   Fire  Underwriters 


"Morlite  De  Luxe"  Equipment 

Consists  of  Burner  (with  Morlite 
Reflector)     in    Lamphouse,  Arc- 
Controller,  Rheostat  and  Base. 
One  Stereopticon  attachment  furnished 
with  each  two  equipments. 

Price  300  Dollars 

F.  O.  B.  NEW  YORK 

"You  Quickly  Save  the  Cost" 


"BiMy"  Brandt  Says 

"Your  Morlite  Lamps 
Give  Me  Better  Projection 

AT  1/3  THE  COST" 

He  Uses  Them  At  The  Cumberland,  Duf- 
field,  Parkside,  Carleton  and  Bunny 
Theatres. 

L.  S.  Bolognino  Says 

"My  projection  has  been  wonderfully  im- 
proved and  my  bills  cut  more  than  half  by 
your  Morlite  Lamps." 

He  Uses  Them  At  The  Gem,  Windsor, 
Arena,  Drury  Lane,  Times,  72nd  St.  Play- 
house, Village   and   Regent  Theatres. 


LEE  OCHS  SAYS 

"Since  Installing  Your 

Morlite  Lamps 

My  Electric  Bills  were  reduced  to  one- 
third  and  my  light  on  the  screen  is  far 
better  at  my  Costello  Theatre." 


"Herb"  Muller  Says 

"Your  Morlite  Lamps  Have  Improved  My 
Projection  and  Cut  My  Bills  66%." 
He  uses  them  at  the  Oxford  and  Garden 
Theatres. 

EACH   NEW  INSTALLATION 
BRINGS  A  TESTIMONIAL 


Harry  Suchman  Says 

"My   projection   problem   has   been  solved 

and   my  bills   cut   down  nearly  two-thirds 

by  your  Morlite  Lamps." 

He  uses  them  at  the  Webster  and  Blenheim 

theatres. 


EXHIBITORS 


WRITE  US  FOR  DETAILS  AND 
NAME  OF  NEAREST  DISTRIBUTOR. 


Morelite  Intensified  Corp. 


600  WEST  57th  STREET 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 

SPECIAL  ATTENTION  PAID  TO  EXPORT  TRADE 
Distributors  Wanted  in  Foreign  Countries. 


Page  68 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


HIGH  CRAPS' 


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SUPER-LITE  LENSES  were  chosen  on  ac- 
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wanted  in  sharp  details  and  brilliant  illumi- 
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Write  for 
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Projection  Optics  Co.,  Inc. 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


No.  2,140  Rolled  Top  Basket, 
IS  x  22  inches,  filled  with 
Roses,  Asparagus  Ferns,  etc., 
with  bow,  complete  $2.50,  per 
dozen  $25.00. 

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FREE  FOR  THE  ASKING. 

FRANK  NETSCHERT,  INC. 

61  Barclay  Street  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Do  You  Realize 

HOW  MANY 

INTERESTED  BUYERS 

YOUR  "AD"  WILL  REACH 
IF  PLACED  IN  THIS  SPACE 

LET  US  TELL  YOU  ABOUT  IT 

WRITE  US  FOR  INFORMATION 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 


45  W.  45th  ST. 


NEW  YORK  CITY 


October  11,  1924 


About  Theatres- 
New  and  Old 


Muscatine,  la. — Saturday,  August  30, 
is  the  date  set  for  the  opening  of  the 
new  Grand.  William  Holliday  will 
manage. 

*  *  * 

New  Bedford,  Mass. — Simon  Beser- 
osky  is  having  an  architect  draw  plans 
for  a  theater  to  seat  1,500  and  cost 
$150,000. 

*  *  * 

Evanston,  111— Albert  O  '  R  o  u  r  k  e 
plans  to  erect  a  house  which  will  seat 
3,000. 

Newport,  Vt. — A  theater  building, 
with  space  for  eight  stores,  is  being 
erected  by  Irving  H.  Burrows  at  a  cost 
of  $40,000. 

*  *  * 

Plymouth,  la. — The  Auditorium 
Ass'n  is  working  on  plans  for  a  new 
community  theater. 

*  *  * 

Clinton,  Mass. — Finishing  touches 
are  being  put  on  the  new  Philbin,  which 
will  cost  $20,000  and  seat  about  1,120. 

*  *  * 

Newcastle,  Pa. — Baltimore  and  Son's 
new  theater  is  scheduled  to  open  about 
September  15.  The  house  will  cost 
$100,000. 

*  *  * 

Paw  Paw,  Mich. — Edward  Reeves 
has  broken  ground  for  a  new  theater 
which  will  seat  500.  It  will  be  ready 
October  15. 

*  *  * 

Simcoe,  Ont. — This  town  is  to  have 
a  modern  picture  theater,  the  structure 
to  be  built  shortly  by  Fred  Pursel,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Lyric. 

*  *  * 

Warrentown,  Va. — The  new  Middle- 
burg  on  Main  St.,  has  been  opened.  It 
will  show  pictures  twice  a  week,  Wed- 
nesdays and  Saturdays. 

*  *  * 

Massena,  N.  Y. — Work  has  been 
started  on  the  new  theater  by  the  Pine 
Grove  Amusement  Co.,  Inc.,  which 
when  completed  will  seat  750  and  cost 
$20,000. 

*  *  * 

Bath,  N.  Y. — Associated  Theaters, 
Inc.,  has  begun  construction  on  its  new 
house  in  the  rear  of  the  Bath  National 
Bank. 

*  *  * 

San  Pedro,  Cal. — The  latest  house  to 
open  here  is  the  Barton,  which  cost  over 
$60,000. 

*  *  * 

Lacoochee,  Fla. — H.    C.    Morgan  is 

erecting  a  new  theater  here. 

*  *  * 

Aberdeen,  Wash. — Permit  has  been 
issued  to  R.  E.  Connell  to  build  a  the- 
atre here. 


Page  69 

Fort  Collins,  Colo. — The  New  Ameri-  LaGrange,  Ga. — Clyde  W-  Cheek 
can  has  opened.     M.  W.  Kravetz  is     will  again  take  over  the  operation  of 


owner  and  manager. 


the  Strand  here. 


*  * 


Hawkinsville,  Ga. — Mrs.  L-  C.  Lig- 
gett has  taken  over  the  Community. 


Troy,  O. — A  new  theater  is  being 
planned  here. 


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THEODORE  KAHN 

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155  West  29th  St.  New  York. 

TELEPHONE:    PENNSYLVANIA  2288 


Page  70 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS 

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For  clean  cut  movie  negatives — made  in 
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KINO  TELEGOR 

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MICROMETER  MOUNTS 

For  precision  focusing — one  mount  for  sev- 
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We  are  headquarters  for  movie  trick  devices 
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PROJECTION  HINTS 

(Continued  from  page  66) 
Proper  Carbon  Sizes  To  Use 

The  writer  of  this  department  has  re- 
ceived several  inquiries  as  to  the  correct 
sizes  of  carbons  to  use  on  various  am- 
peres. I  am  herewith  publishing  a 
complete  carbon  size  table  that  will  be 
of  interest  to  various  exhibitors  and 
projectionists  that  want  data  as  to  prop- 
er sizes  to  use  with  the  amperage  that 
they  are  using  at  the  arc. 


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Use  A.  C.  Special  carbons  when  us- 
ing alternating  current  at  the  arc  as  you 
will  secure  a  much  better  light  and  less 
noise  at  the  arc  lamp.  Be  sure  and  use 
the  correct  combinations  when  using  A. 
C.  Special  carbons.  Be  sure  arc  lamp 
clamps  are  kept  clean  at  all  times  when 
using  A.  C.  current. 

Use  Silvertip  or  Copper  coated  car- 
bons when  using  direct  current  at  the 
arc.  Cored  carbons  will  be  found  the 
best  to  use  in  the  upper  carbon  holder 
and  the  silvertip  or  copper  coated  in 
the  lower  carbon  holder.  You  will  find 
the  cored  lower  carbon  the  best  for  a 
steady  arc.  The  solid  lower  carbon 
will  sometimes  lose  the  crater  for  you 
and  travel  around  the  edge  of  same  be- 
fore it  will  "set."  The  carbon  clamps 
should  always  be  kept  clean  when  using 
direct  current  as  well  as  A.  C.  current. 

The  projection  arc  should  always  be 

(Continued  on  page  72) 


October   //,  1924 


Equipment  Notes 


EMERGENCY  LIGHT 

There  may  come  a  time  in  your  thea- 
tre when  your  lighting  will  fail  and 
leave  the  theatre  in  total  darkness.  This 
state  of  affairs  is  not  so  good  and  re- 
acts against  the  theatre. 

An  emergency  flood  light  can  be 
rigged  up  cheaply  and  will  do  all  that 
is  required  of  it.  A  storage  battery, 
such  as  is  used  in  an  automobile  should 
be  kept  charged  and  connected  with  a 
flood  light.  The  battery  and  light  should 
be  placed  in  an  inconspicuous  place  on 
the  stage  and  if  the  lights  are  suddenly 
cut  off  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  throw 
the  switch  and  flood  the  theatre  with  a 
light  from  the  flood. 

As  a  rule  city  current  is  not  cut  off 
for  more  than  a  few  minutes  and  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  charge  the  battery 
often.  A  drink  of  distilled  water  is  all 
the  care  it  needs. 

LOBBY  MIRRORS 

Anything  that  will  attract  people  in 
your  lobby  is  an  asset  that  should  not 
be  overlooked.  One  of  the  chief  at- 
tractions for  the  largest  number  of  the- 
atre patrons  is  the  mirror  for  women, 
who  constitute  a  large  percentage  of 
any  movie  audience. 

A  large  mirror  placed  in  your  lobby 
will  pay  for  itself  in  a  short  time  in 
increased  box  office  revenue.  The  mir- 
ror can  be  placed  in  the  wall  or  can  be 
put  on  rollers  and  put  in  position  every 
day. 

A  long,  full  length  mirror  will  get 
ters  on  the  market  and  all  are  reliable, 
the  best  results  but  even  a  small  mirror 
that  will  reflect  a  shiny  nose  will  do 
good  work. 

PUTTY  KNIFE 

If  you  would  save  wear  and  tear  on 
your  disposition  get  yourself  a  putty 
knife.  This  instrument  has  as  many 
uses  as  a  whole  tool  chest  if  you  know 
how  to  handle  it. 

It  is  a  great  invention  for  removing 


chewing  gum  from  under  seats  or  on 
the  concrete  or  tile  floors.  It  can  be 
used  in  place  of  a  screw  drive  in  many 
instances  and  it  will  also  pull  tacks  and 
clean  lithographs  from  boards. 

It  can  be  used  in  place  of  a  trowel 
for  filling  cracks  in  cement  floors  or 
walls.  In  fact,  this  one  instrument  is 
about  as  handy  a  piece  of  work  as  you 
cm  find  and  it  will  pay  for  itself  in 
many  ways. 

BAROMETERS 

Another  lobby  attraction  to  get  peo- 
ple to  stop  in  front  of  your  theatre  is 
the  barometer.  This  instrument  can  be 
had  cheaply  and  it  will  not  fail  to  at- 
tract its  daily  quota  of  weather  sharks. 

A  good   baromete  will   require  no 


HELIOS  REFLECTOR  LAMP 

25%  Better  Screen  Illumination 

Approved  by  Underwriters  Laboratories 


OUR  DISTRIBUTORS 

Cleveland :  The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 

Cincinnati:  The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 

Omaha:  U.  S.  Theatre  Supply  Co. 

Philadelphia:  Williams,  Brown  &  Earle 

Chicago:  Movie    Supply  Co. 

San  Francisco:  Theatre  Equipment  Supply  Co. 

Dallas :  Simplex  Theatre  Supply  Co. 

Baltimore:  V.  C.  Haefele  &  Co. 

WARREN  PRODUCTS  CO. 

261  CANAL  ST.  NEW  YORK 


Page  71 

attention.  It  gives  the  temperature  and 
denotes  the  weather  24  hours  in  advance 
with  uncanny  accuracy. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  barome- 
ters on  the  market  and  all  are  reliable. 

People  will  get  in  the  habit  of  drop- 
ping in  at  the  lobby  to  see  what  tomor- 
row's weather  is  to  be  and  incidentally 
they  will  look  at  the  stills  of  coming 
productions  and  that  means  business. 


TICKETS 

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RadiO^I^-Mat 


WHITE,  AMBER 


At  your  Deal<sT. 


is  the  Stationery  of  the  Screen 


STANLEY  FRAME  CO. 

727  7th  Ave.,  New  York  City 
Manufacturers  of 

Theatre  Lnbby  Display  Frames 


Wall  Cases 
Framed  Mirrors 


Ticket  Booths 
Ticket  Boxes  (non 
choppers) 

Easel  and  Pedestal  Frames 


Let  us  know  your  requirements  or  let  us  teJl  you. 
Sketches  and  prices  on  request. 


BEAUTIFY  YOUR  THEATRE 

by  using  our  DECORATIVE  ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS,  PLANTS. 
VINES  AND  TREES,  all  of  which  are  illustrated  in  our  FALL 
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FRANK  NETSCHERT.  INC. 

61   Barclay  Street  New  York,   N.  Y. 


Page  72 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PROJECTION  HINTS 

(Continued  on  page  70) 

at  least  three  (3)  inches  from  the  back 
collector  condenser  to  secure  the  very 
best  results.  Keep  the  back  condenser 
clean  and  also  the  front  one  clean. 
There  is  a  big  light  loss  with  unclean 
condensers. 

As  to  Alternating  Arc  Craters 

Experience,  by  many  high  class  pro- 
jectionists, has  very  amply  demonstrat- 
ed the  fact  that  when  you  are  using  an 
alternating  current  arc  for  motion  pic- 
ture projection,  best  results  are  had 
when  light  from  one  crater — the  upper 
crater — is  .used  by  the  projectionist. 
Any  attempt  to  utilize  the  light  from 
both  of  the  A.  C.  craters  will  inevitably 
result  in  inferior  projection  results  at 
the  screen.  True  there  are  a  few  pro- 
jectionists who  claim  to  have  success- 
fully used  the  light  from  both  craters 
for  motion  picture  projection,  but  I 
have  yet  to  examine  a  single  instance 
where  the  claim  was  made  good  when 
all  facts  were  examined,  so  I  sincerely 
advise  the  projectionist  to  use  the  upper 
crater  only  when  using  alternating  cur- 
rent arc. 

About  Lens  Aperture  and  Focal 
Length 

Projection  lenses  are  not  made  with 
a  free  aperture  (diameter  of  free 
opening)  greater  than  half  of  their  fo- 
cal length.  Now  for  an  instance  a  4- 
inch  projection  lens  could  not  be  made 
with  a  greater  working  aperture  than 
about  2-inches.  In  practice  they  are  not 

even  made  this  large  sometimes. 

*   *  * 

Statement  of  Ownership 

STATEMENT   OF  THE   OWNERSHIP,  MAN- 
AGEMENT,    CIRCULATION,      ETC.,  RE- 
QUIRED BY  THE  ACT  OF  CONGRESS  OF 
AUGUST  24,  1912. 
of    Exhibitors   Trade    Review,    published    weekly  at 
East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  for  October  1,  1924. 
STATE   OF   NEW    YORK  \ 
COUNTY  OF  NEW  YORK  )  ss- 

Before  me,  a  Notary  Public  in  and  for  the 
State  and  county  aforesaid,  personally  appeared 
Willard  C.  Howe,  who,  having  been  duly  sworn 
according  to  law,  deposes  and  says  that  he  is  the 
Editor  of  the  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  and  that  the 
following  is,  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  be- 
lief, a  true  statement  of  the  ownership,  management 
(and  if  a  daily  paper,  the  circulation),  etc.,  of  the 
aforesaid  publication  for  the  date  shown  in  the 
above  caption,  required  by  the  Act  of  August  24, 
1912,  embodies  in  section  443,  Postal  Laws  and 
Regulations,  printed  on  the  reverse  of  this  form,  to 
wit : 

1.  That  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  pub- 
lisher, editor,  managing  editor,  and  business  man- 
agers are :  Publisher,  Exhibitors  Review  Publish- 
ing Corp.,  45  West  45  Street,  New  York  City ; 
Editor,  Willard  C.  Howe,  45  West  45  Street,  New 
York  City.  \ 

2.  That  the  owner  is:  (If  the  publication  is 
owned  by  an  individual  his  name  and  address,  or  if 
owned  by  more  than  one  individual  the  name  and 
address  of  each,  should  be  given  below ;  if  the  pub- 
lication is  owned  by  a  corporation  the  name  of  the 
corporation  and  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  stock- 
holders owning  or  holding  one  per  cent  or  more 
of   the    total    amount    of   stock    should    be  given.) 


Classified  Opportunities 


Geo.  C.  Williams,  45  West  45  Street,  New  York 
City ;  Frank  Meyers,  239  West  39th  Street  New 
York  City;  M.  M.  Fernsler,  Flushing,  Long  Island, 
New  York. 

3.  That  the  known  bondholders,  mortgagees,  and 
other  security  holders  owning  or  holding  1  per  cent 
or  more  of  total  amount  of  bonds,  mortgages,  or 
other  securities  are:    (If  there  are  none,  so  state.) 

A.  B.  Swetland,  239  West  39th  Street,  New 
York  City.  , 

4.  That  the  two  paragraphs  next  above,  giving 
the  names  of  the  owners,  stockholders,  and  security 
holders,  if  any,  contain  not  only  the  list  of  stock- 
holders and  security  holders  as  they  appear  upon 
the  books  of  the  company  but  also,  in  cases  where 
the  stockholder  or  security  holder  appears  upon  the 
books  of  the  company  as  trustee  or  in  any  other 
fiduciary  relation,  the  name  of  the  person  or  cor- 
poration for  whom  such  trustee  is  acting,  is  given ; 
also  that  the  said  two  paragraphs  contain  state- 
ments embracing  affiant's  full  knowledge  and  belief 
as  to  the  circumstances  and  conditions  under  which 
stockholders  and  security  holders  who  do  not  ap- 
pear upon  the  books  of  the  company  as  trustees, 
hold  stock  and  securities  in  a  capacity  other  than 
that  of  a  bona  fide  owner ;  and  this  affiant  has  no 
reason  to  believe  that  any  other  person,  association, 
or  corporation  has  any  interest  direct  or  indirect  in 
the  said  stock,  bonds,  or  other  securities  than  as  so 
stated  by  him. 

5.  That  the  average  number  of  copies  of  each 
issue  of  this  publication  sold  or  distributed,  through 
the  mails  or  otherwise,  to  paid  subscribers  during 
the  six  months  preceding  the  date  shown  above  is 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "ofi"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $329 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

-  Will  help  you  Increase  sale? 
Send  for  FREE  catalog  giving 
counts  and  prices  on  classified  Dames, 
of  you  rbest  prospective  customers— 
National,  State,  Local— Individuaia, 
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f\QO/  Gmranleed  C  <£ 
yy/Oby  refund  of  J  ^each 


lOthSt 


 .    (This    information   is    required    from  daily 

publications  only.) 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE, 

Editor. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  1st  day  of 
October,  1924. 

(Seal) 

HYMAN  SCHLEIER, 
Notary  Public,  Bronx  County. 
No.   15,  Register's  No.  46. 
Cert.     Filed  in  New  York  Co. 

No.  611,  Register's  No.  5558. 
Commission  expires   March   30,  1925. 


LASSIFIED  AD 
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Rates,  2  cents  a  word.     Cash  with  copy 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


t  or  Kent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


For  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,   N.  Y. 

GREATLY  REDUCED  PRICES  ON  THEATRE 
SUPPLIES.— Slide  ink,  all  colors,  oz.  bottle  22 
cents — Bull  Dog  Film  Cement,  oz.  23  cents ;  Pint 
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$1.48— Small  Bottle  Oil  35c— Radio  Mat  Slides,  box 
50,  $1.38 — Condensers,  any  make,  any  focus,  guar- 
anteed. Piano,  each  $1.23;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55 — Powers,  Simplex,  each  $4.22 — Edison, 
Motiograph,  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each  $3.95 — 
Takeup  and  Feed  sprockets  for  any  of  the  above 
machines,  each  $2.79 — We  pay  the  postage  on  all 
Parts  for  Powers,  Edison,  Motiograph,  Simplex. 
Order  from  regular  catalogues.  Machine  belting  at 
a  big  discount.  Flat  Belts  for  any  of  the  above 
machines,  each  68  cents — Cinephor  Lenses  at  a  dis- 
count, Spot  Lamps,  Mazda  Equipments,  Curtains. 
Iiaird  Rewind,  Complete,  each  $7.22 — Send  for  com- 
plete lists,  etc.  WE  PAY  POSTAGE  ON  ALL 
ORDERS  OVER  $10.00.  INSTANT  SHIP- 
MENTS.—W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
AMARILLO,  TEXAS.  (Cash  with  all  orders  or 
C.  O.  D.)     Strictly  Mail  Order  House. 


WE    REPAIR   ALL   MAKES   OF  MACHINES. 

Send  for  prices.  Expert  Workman.  Instant  Ser- 
vice. Most  reasonable  repair  shop  in  the  U.  S. 
— W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY,  AMARIL- 
LO, TEXAS.  We  ship  supplies  any  place  in  the 
U.  S.  or  Canada. 


At  Liberty 


CONCERT  THEATRE  ORGANIST 

Now  playing  Wurlitzer  Hopei-Jones,  desiring  to 
make  a  change ;  would  like  to  hear  from  theatre 
managers  desiring  the  services  of  a  modern  picture 
performer  of  the  highest  caliber;  excellent  references 
furnished  upon  request ;  nothing  considered  after 
November  1st.  Address,  Organist,  442  H  St., 
Washington,  D.  C. 

A    FIRST-CLASS    THEATRE    ORGANIST  who 

works  for  the  interest  of  the  house ;  fine  large 
library ;  twelve  years'  experience ;  wire  or  write ;  will 
go  anywhere.  Organist,  8021  Melrose  Ave.,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT 

ARCUSTTcKETfi 

JT  W       352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE  \V 
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I  his  is  the  neiO  home 


DUPLEX 


ucerso 


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motion  picture 
equipment  in 


its  entirety 


£3  —\ 


ShefrnairBtreet 
dt  Harris  Avenue 


Duplex  Motion  Picture  Industries,^ 

£png  Island  City,NeWlbrk,   


(St, 


Hal  'Roach 


presents 


The  'Battling  Orioles 


t&ith  Glenn  Try  on 

A  Feature 


A  Mile  a  Minute  Comedy,  With  a  Thrill 
or  a  Laugh  E'Very  Second 

You've  heard  of  the  days  when  men  played  ball  with  their  faces 
covered  with  alfalfa,  through  which  the  wind  whistled  with  a  merry 
tune. 

The  Battling  Orioles  were  the  scrappiest  team  of  that  time,  and  they 
used  their  whiskers  to  choke  the  umpire  into  submission.  As  time 
passed  they  quit  baseball,  became  wealthy  clubmen,  and  were  bored 
with  life.   They  thought  fighting  vulgar,  and  loud  voices  a  crime. 

But  a  boy  and  girl  woke  them  up.  They  found  to  their  surprise  that 
once  a  fighter,  always  a  fighter,  and  what  a  come-back  they  staged! 
Laugh  chases  thrill  and  thrill  ousts  laughter. 

It's  a  bear! 


Pafhepicture 


TRADE 


MARK. 


National  Tie-Ups  for  "In  Every  Woman's  Life 


ft 


EXH I B I  TORS 

Oracle  REVIEW 

9ta  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


cMjss  Swansons 
second  great 
Samous  Sorty 
production 

9he  first  uOas 
Ikfanhandled" 


Gloria  Swanson 


HER  LOVE 


 cjn  

Allan  Dwan 

Production 


paramount 
picture 


Sy  MARY  ROBERTS  RINEHART 
Screen  play  by    FRANK  TUTTLE 

PRESENTED  BY 
ADOLPH  ZUKOR  £/  JESSE  L.LASKY 


'rice  20  cents 


October  18,  1924 


They  Still  Believe 

The  Earth  Is  Flat! 

Out  in  Zion,  111.,  the  public  schools  are  teaching  the  idea.  And  there  are  plenty 
of  folks  who  still  believe  a  horse-chestnut  carried  in  the  pocket  will  ward  off 
rheumatism. 

So  it  isn't  particularly  remarkable  that  some  exhibitors  still 

Believe  the  Show  Business  Is  a  "Game  99 

id  play  it  accordingly.  But  the  great  majority  know  that  it  is  a  matter  of  scien- 
tific merchandising — the  merchandising  of  entertainment. 

Those  who  are  awake,  keen  to  get  a  real  return  on  their  investments,  are  quick  to 
see  the  possibilities  of 

THE  NATIONAL  TIE-UP 

appearing  each  week  in  Exhibitors  Trade  Review,  because  it  presents  a  practical 
solution  of  the  exploitation  problem,  a  means  of  bringing  out  the  crowds,  a  method 
of  filling  the  empty  seats. 

When  Producers,  Distributors,  Manufacturers  of  Nationally  Advertised  Merchan- 
dise and  Merchants  who  are  selling  that  Merchandise  join  hands  to  help  the  Ex- 
hibitor, results  come  in  bunches.    And  that  means  bigger  profits ! 

If  you  have  not  tried  The  National  Tieup,  you  can't  have  the  faintest  idea  of  its 
real  possibilities.  But  you  can  try  it  on  your  very  next  booking  of  a  Tieup  Pic- 
ture, and  then  you'll  know! 

Exhibitors  who  are  following  the  Tieup  every  week  say — 

"It  Works  99  "It  Pays  99 

"It  Brings  the  Crowds  99 

It  can  do  as  much  for  you  only  when  you  begin  using  it. 
Why  postpone  an  extra  profit  ? 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

45  West  Forty-Fifth  Street  New  York  City 


The  National  Tie-Up  Section  is  one  of  the  many  practical  Exhibitor  helps  appearing  every  week.  A  sub- 
scription to  Exhibitors  Trade  Review,  at  $2  a  year,  gives  you  all  of  them.  Better  do  it  before  you  get  older! 


Published    weekly    by   Exhibitors   Review    Publishing   Corporation.     Executive,   Editorial   Offices  45   West   45th   St..    New   York   City.  Subscription 
$2.00    year.     Entered   as   second-class   matter,   Aug.   25,    1922,    at    postoffice   at    East    Stroudsbury,    Pa.,    under   act   of    March  3,1879. 


SSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS  offers  32  first  class  features  for 
1924-1925. 

Associated  Exhibitors  is  independent  in  all  that  the  name 
implies.  You  don't  have  to  buy  all  to  get  a  few.  You  may  buy  one, 
two,  a  series  or  all  32  just  as  you  wish.  All  Associated  pictures  are 
offered  on  a  true  Selective  basis, — the  way  that  is  fair  to  all. 


Sat)e  open  time  _for  the  following: 

Harold  Lloyd  New  Feature  Comedies  (Pathe- 
pictures,  Associated  Exhibitors,  Selling  Agents) 

Charles  Ray  (Presented  by  Thomas  H.  Ince)  (Pathe- 
pictures,  Associated  Exhibitors,  Selling  Agents) 

Hal  Roach  Features  (Pathepictures,  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors, Selling  Agents) 

Douglas  McLean 

Howard  Estabrook 

Arthur  Beck 

Lewis  Moomaw 

Specials 


4 
4 
4 
4 

6 


Titles  and  descriptions  of  the  first  six  follow; 
Watch  for  further  announcements! 


Associated  Ejchibitors 


Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributors 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


I 


Encore 


"The  Screen  Light  Comedy  Y^n^Detroit  ~News 
Kunsky  Capitol  Showing 


in 


Die* 


A  Pippin  of  a  Rib-Tickler- ^.^w/^/w^x/^wj- 
Worlds  Premier  Showing^ 
sMetro-(joldu)yns  California 

The  funniest  romance  ever  screened  with  the  fastest 
working  bridegroom  who  ever  slipped  a  ring  over 
a  beautiful  girl's  willing  ringer  


and  the  thrillingest  joy-ride  in  a  sea-going 


More  thrills  than 

"Going  Up" 

Faster  than 

"The  Yankee  Consul" 

Goes  them  one 
better  in  laughs" 

— M.  P.  News- 


From  William  Collier's  Greatest  Comedy  Success. 
Directed  by  George  J.  Crone  with  Lillian  Rich  and  Helen 
Ferguson  the  cast  of  fun  makers. 


Associated  Exhibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 
Physical  Distributors  Foreign  Representative 

Pathe  Exchange,  Inc.  Sidney  Garrets 


Howard  Estabrook 

Presents 


Theft 


of  a  Party 


n  Mop  T-Tc»i«rf 


From  the  Cosmopolitan  Magazine  story  by  William  Mac  Harg 
Adapted  For  the  screen  by  Charles  Torrest  Roebuck 

Hope  Hampton  -  Harrison  Ford 
Maty  Astor- Arthur  Edmund  Carew 
Daginar  GodowsKy 


"At  a  price! 


99 


Money  and  pleasure  can  always  be 
had, — at  a  price.  The  price  that  a  man 
must  pay  differs  from  that  a  woman  must 
pay. 

She  wanted  money;  for  that  she  had 
to  pay  the  price  of  her  freedom  to  love 
the  man  of  her  choice.  Her  sister  wanted 
pleasure,  life,  laughter,  gayety;  and  she 


shuddered  at  the  price  her  sister  must  pay. 

How,  in  spite  of  her  bargain,  could  she 
hold  the  man  she  loved?    And  how,  in  spite* 
of  the  same  bargain,  could  she  save  her 
sister  from  her  folly? 

There  are  a  dozen  fascinating  angles  to 
this  story;  and  in  cast  and  production  it's 
quality  all  the  way  through. 


Directed  by 
Charles  Ciblyn 


Encore 


Associated 
Ex'h  ibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 

Physical  Distributors 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 

Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 

d 


Associated  Exhibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  president 


Presents 

East  of 


(Adapted  from  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  story 
"The  Tropic  of  Capricorn  by  Richard  Connell) 

with 


Owen  Moore,  Mary  Car?,  Ralph  Lewis, 
Marguerite  De  LaMotte 

c/?  Paul  Schofield  production      Directed  by  Wm.  R.  HoWcU'd 


Does  height  maKe  a  hero? 

Mullaney  was  a  probationer  in  the 
Police  Department  and  two  inches  short 
of  the  required  height.  The  Commis- 
sioner was  a  stickler  on  qualifications, 
so  Mullaney  was  refused  his  shield. 

He  was  on  patrol  for  the  last  time, 
broken-hearted  because  his  job  and  his 
girl  had  suddenly  become  out  of  reach. 


What  nappened  to  make  the  Commis- 
sioner change  his  mind  and  tell  him  he 
was  proud  of  him?  What  did  he  do  that 
outweighed  the  examination  he  didn't 
pass,  the  two  inches  he  lacked  in  height? 

Here's  a  real  police  story,  with  all  sorts 
of  tie-ups;  with  thrill  and  human  interest 
and  pathos  that  will  get  under  your  skin. 


A*s*socia.ted  Ejchibitorj? 


Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributor 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


Battling 


Orioles 


with  Qlenn  Tryon 


/ 


Imagine  'Babe  Hath  With  Whiskers ! 


In  the  old  days  of  baseball  the  stars 
had  their  maps  covered  with  excelsior; 
full  beards,  goatees,  moustaches  and  side- 
burns were  all  the  rage.  Those  were  the 
days  when  the  Battling  Orioles  could  fight 
as  well  as  they  could  play,  and  they  could 
sure  play  ball.  Umpires  worked  in  relays, 
then. 


They  got  old  and  rich.  And  the  older 
and  richer  they  got,  the  more  they  shud- 
dered at  the  rough-necks  they  used  to  be. 

Something  waked  them  up.  With  yells 
of  joy  these  foppish  old  ruins  waded  into 
the  toughest  gang,  the  hardest  fighters  in 
town.  You  think  you  have  seen  fights. 
Jvst  see  this  one! 


An  honest  to  goodness  novelty f  tvtth  laughter 

and  thrills  combined 


Pafhepicture 

® 


TRAD* 


MARK. 


obtainable  through  - 

Associated  Ejchibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributors 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


nftos.HJnce 

ts 

snap 

Dynamite  Smith 

by  C.  Gardner  Sullivan 

%/  with 

Wallace  Beety  *  Jacqueline  Logan 


Direction  by  RolphSnce 


"Dynamite  Smith*'  is  the  first  of  the 
new  Charles  Ray  pictures  presented  by 
Thomas  H.  Ince. 

Mr.  Ince  has  never  been  sponsor  for 
a  poor  or  just  fair  picture  and  he 
never  will  be. 

"Dynamite  Smith"  presents  absolute 
prpof  of  what  Ince's  genius  can  do. 
It  shows  that  Charles  Ray  under  his 
supervision,  is  supreme  in  his  own  par- 


ticular field,  and  that  his  name  will  be 
one  to  conjure  with  at  the  box  offices 
of  the  nation. 

"Dynamite  Smith"  is  a  picture  that 
Mr.  Ince  is  proud  of;  it  is  a  picture  we 
are  proud  to  offer;  it  is  one  that  you 
will  be  proud  to  show  in  your  theatre. 

It  has  everything  that  makes  a 
picture  really  great. 


Pa  fhe' picture 


Obtainable  through 


Associated  Exhibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributors 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


UARRYCAREY 


/  Interpreter  of  the 
ETERNAL  WEST 


A  flash  action  frortc 
"TIGER  THOMPSON'.' 


HARRY  CAJ3E.Y  m 
"THE  NI6HTHAWK." 


jf^XHIBITORS  everywhere  are  clean- 
^/ing  up  with  the  new  Carey  series. 
Here  are  samples  of  the  reports  that  are 
pouring  in  from  all  over  the  country  :— 
"The  best  he  ever  made";  "He's  our  best 
drawing  card";  "Best  I  have  played  in 
the  last  two  years";  "He  tops  them  all  in 
this  series." — Read  the  box-office  reports 
and  book  the  series  now — Here  they  are — 
six,  smashing,  seat-selling  productions: 
"THE  NIGHT  HAW  K";  "THE 
LIGHTNING  RIDER";  "TIGER 
THOMPSON";  "ROARING  RAILS"; 
"THE  MAN  FROM  TEXAS";  "SOFT 
SHOES."  All  produced  under  the  per- 
sonal  supervision   of  Hunt  Stromberg. 


i  Carey  proves  * 
\  his  versatility 
WiT'THE.  LIGHTNING 
I  RIDER". 


HARRY  CAREY  and 
MARGUERITE  CLAYTON 
make  a  ch&rming 
picture  in  this  scent 
from  "TIGER  « 
THOMPSON. 


Foreign  Distributor — Wm.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

Invested  this  way  will 
plug  up  leaks  in  your 
business  that  you  may 
have  never  suspected 
were  there.  Spend  a 
little  and  save  a  lot, 


Insurance 
Against 
Leaks 
That 
Eat  Up 
Profits 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

That's  the  price.  It's 
not  what  you  gross, 
it's  what  is  left  after 
you  pay  out.  Know 
where  you  stand. 


Clip  the  coupon  and  check  up  on  your  coin  with- 


A  Real  Ledger  System  for  Showmen 

- 


CLIP 

THIS  COUPON 


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Trial  Balance  Sheet 

Far  th^penod  eodma   ,  * 

o 
H 


A FEW  sample  sheets 
from  the  showman- 
ship ledger  that  keeps 
track  of  every  deal  you 
make  and  inventories 
everything  you  possess. 


DOROCH y  vennon 

of  HftDDOn  HRLL ' 

"Jrom  the  romantic  novel  by  Charles  "yYlajor  —   -    Gdapted  by  ^Waldemar  rybung 

&  m&RSHMX  neiLM7  PRODUCSIOHj 

J°hot<^raphy  by  Charlej  JZoshei' 


"'Dorothy  Vernon  of  Haddon  Hall'  is  unquestion- 
ably Mary  Pickford's  best  picture.  Not  only  is  the 
most  pretentious  photo  play  that  she  has  ever 
made,  it  is  the  most  beautiful  and  the  most  appeal- 
ing".  Karl  K.  Kitchen,  critic  for  the  New  York 
World  and  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer. 


weeks  were  not  enough** 
so  2  more  were  added/ 

^and  that  after  playing  through 
the  hottest  summer  that  Boston 
has  had  in  fifty  years. 

again  proving  that 


AL  and  RAY  ROCKETT'S 

presentation  of 

Abraham  Lincoln 


Scenario  by  FRANCES  MARION   Directed  by  PHILIP  ROSEN 


is  one  of  the  greatest  box 
office  pictures  ever  made/ 

Newspapers  eat  it  up/  Boston  Traveler 
after  its  7th  week  said :  Once  in  a 
while  there  happens  a  photoplay 
which  is  so  unusual  so  inspiring 
so  informative  that  it  becomes 
the  duty  of  the  press  to  direct  the 
attention  of  the  public  to  it.  Such 
a  photoplay  is  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


c4  FIRST  NATIONAL  SPECIAI 

means  a  specially  big  clean~uf 

Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  Inc.— Will  Hays  Jhtsident 


October  18,  1924 


Page  11 


25H525SS25252S?S2S2S"dS2S2S 


EXHIBITORS 

CTrade  REVIEW 

9Ar  Business  Jhper  of  the  Motion  ficture  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

EDDY  ECKELS,  General  Manager 
J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTF.NTS 

October  18,  1924 


EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Moulding  National  Character   15 

Brooklyn  Strand's  Birthday   16 

Go  Long  on  Shorts   30 

Editorials   36 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Chicago  First  in  Warner  Plan   17 

Foreign  Demand  for  MacLean  Pictures   18 

What  Do  You  Think?   19 

Dante's  Inferno  Has  World  Premiere   20 

No  Combine  Against  American  Films   21 

Esc h mann  Month  Drive  Progresses   22 

Lesser  Protects  Franchise  Holders   23 

Warner  Bookings   24 

Fox  Announces  Schedule   25 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Thief  of  Bagdad   Frontspiece 

Virtures  Revolt....   26 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Independent  Section    27 

Production  Highlights   38 

Box  Office  Reviews   40 

Big  Little  Features   43 

ExHuniTOR's  Round  Table   46 

Tried  and  Proved  Pictures   49 

National  Tie-Up  ■   S5 

Projection  Hints   68 


CoDyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President: 
F.  Meyers.  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building.  45  West  Forty-fifth  street.  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg.  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 :  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6:  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage- 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


mass  in  M- aii{ 


I 


r 


STATION  E.    T.  R. 
45  West  45th  Street, 
New    York,  broad- 
casting a  column  of  com- 
ment about  the  various 
things  that  may  be  ap- 
plied to  life  and  business 
v  generally — your  life  and 
your  business  as  well  as 
J  anv  other.  Read  and  see. 


Did  you  ever  stop  to  notice  that  the 
fellow  who  does  the  most  "grousing" 
about  his  job  is  the  one  who  never 
catches  up  with  his  work?  And 
always  quits  when  the  whistle  blows? 
The  efficient,  cheerful  workers,  always 
seem  happy — and  that  kind  gets  ahead. 


How  come  that  many  books  on 
"How  to  Succeed"  are  written  by 
failures?  Perhaps  the  really  big  men 
in  every  industry  are  too  busy  just 
keeping  on  succeeding  to  waste  time 
formulating   useless  rules. 


After  all,  what  is  the  use  of  worry- 
ing over  things  that  can't  be  helped? 
Just  do  the  best  you  can,  and  let  it 
go  at  that.    No  man  can  do  more. 


God  pity  the  man  who  knows 
no  love  in  his  life.  Love  is  the 
food  that  brings  the  soul  to  flower. 
Without  it,  everything  that  is  best 
in  mankind  withers  and  perishes. 


Some  fellows'  idea  of  physical  exer- 
cise is  to  roll  a  cigarette — and  some 
exhibitors'  idea  of  showmanship  is  just 
as  strenuous,  and  gets  them  just  as  far. 


Keep  your  weather  eye  on  the 
fellow  who  is  mean  to  women  and 
kids.  If  he  ever  gets  you  where 
you  can't  hit  back,  he'll  do  you 
something    mean,    sure    as  shootln'. 


//  you  feel  that  the  breaks  are  all  against 
you,  that  life  is  a  pretty  tough  racket,  take  a 
walk  along  Main  Street  and  look  at  some 
poor  shivering  cuss  who  is  hunting  up  a 
nicklc  coffee  joint  to  spent  his  last  jit. 


Success  is  not  measured  in  gold.  It 
is  the  Happiness  one  gets — the  satis- 
faction one  gets  out  of  living.  Good 
deeds  help  lots.  Try  a  little  Charity. 
Do  a  good  turn  and  you'll  feel  better. 


sc5rSHfH5r5cSr5cSttcSffir5?5c^^ 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Rcvieiv 


United  Artists'  epic,  starring  Douglas  Fairbanks  in  a  fan- 
tastically beautiful  story  of  the  Orient,  is  about  to  complete 
its  run  of  eight  months  at  the  Liberty  Theatre,  New  York 


U  i924      ©  CI  8627  43  7 


EXHIBITORS 

trade  REVIEW 

Qbe  Business  fhpcr  of  the  Motion  fatuve  Industry 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


A  persistent  rumor  says  Mary  Pickford,  Norma  Talmadge,  Doug-  Fairbanks  and 
Charlie  Chaplin  will  release  their  products  through  Famous  Players-Lasky 
soon.    United  Artists  deny  the  report. 

American  representative  of  Ufa  Film  Company,  European  film  combine,  denies  that  an  effort  is  being 
made  to  block  American  made  films  in  Europe. 

James  Haven,  prominent  New  York  state  exhibitor,  dies  after  a  brief  illness. 

- 

Henry  B.  Varner,  president  of  North  Carolina  M.  P.  T.  O.,  surprises  his  friends  by  taking  unto  him- 
self a  bride. 

Exhibitors  throughout  the  country  are  asked  to  name  what  they  consider  the  five  best  productions 
from  September,  1923,  to  September,  1924.    Send  your  list  to  The  Exhibitors  Trade  Review. 

Carl  Laemmle,  just  returned  from  Europe,  announces  he  was  unable  to  find  any  European  pictures 
acceptable  for  the  American  market. 

It  is  reported  that  Sid  Grauman,  one  of  America's  greatest  showmen,  has  taken  over  a  New  York 
theatre  and  will  remodel  it  into  a  theatre  like  the  Egyptian,  in  Hollywood. 

A  report  from  Chicago  states  that  Balaban  &  Katz  contemplate  an  expenditure  of  $21,000,000  for 
new  theatres. 

The  A.  M.  P.  A.  annual  Naked  Truth  festivities  will  be  held  at  Hotel  Astor,  New  York  City,  on  Sat- 
urday, February  7,  and  promises  to  be  the  greatest  event  in  the  association's  history. 

New  Orleans  exhibitors  have  decided  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  stage  hands  rather  than  give  battle, 
as  was  at  first  decided. 

Carl  E.  Hutsenpiller,  Cleveland's  pioneer  exhibitor,  is  dead.  He  built  the  first  two  picture  theatres 
in  Cleveland. 

There  is  no  time  limit  for  Famous  Players-Lasky  distribution  of  Valentino  pictures.  They  will  go  on 
the  picture  to  picture  basis. 

With  the  granting  of  one  dollar  a  week  increase  to  operators,  managers  of  theatres  in  San  Francisco 
have  reached  an  agreement  with  the  union. 

Ik  [ 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Go  'Long'  on  Short  Subjects 

The  Show  Business  Will  Always  Be  Good  for  Showmen  Who  Give 
the  Public  What  It  Wants — Now  It  Wants  Shorts 

Says  ARTHUR  H.  BROOK 

Vice  President  and  Treasurer,  The  Chronicles  of  America  Corporation 


THE  Short  Subject  is  a  hardy 
youngster.  It  was  the  first-born 
of  the  industry,  survived  the  ills 
and  fought  the  battles  of  childhood, 
assumed  its  logical  place  in  the  family 
group  and  now,  under  the  kindly  par- 
ental eye  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Motion  Pic- 
tures, brings  home  each  week  its  pro- 
portionate share  of  the  family  income. 

The  value  of  the  short  subject  to  the 
industry  is  beyond  question.  The  steady, 
consistent  progress  which  it  has  made 
from  the  days  of  the  time-killing 
"filler"  and  the  increasingly  important 
part  it  plays  in  program  building,  un- 
mistakably indicates  its  worth  from  the 
showmanship  angle. 

This  progress  was  inevitable.  An 
obviously  parallel  case  exists  within 
the  field  of  entertainment.  Variety 
and  a  diversity  of  appeal  has 
made  and  continues  to  make  vaude- 
ville highly  successful ;  more  consistent- 
ly successful,  in  fact,  than  the  average 
of  regular  theatrical  performances. 

It  is  the  most  popular  amusement  of 
the  stage  and,  similarly,  variety  and  di- 
versity will  always  provide  the  greatest 
drawing  power  of  the  picture  screen. 

'T'HE  public  verdict  is  not  exactly 
A  one  of  dissatisfaction  with  long 
features,  but  rather  a  growing  sen- 
timent that  the  average  feature  should 
be  shorter  both  for  its  own  good,  and  to 
make  possible  for  the  audience  a  more 
varied  program. 

The  situation  is  being  relieved 
somewhat  by  the  producers  of 
feature  pictures.  They  are  sensing  the 
audience  reaction  and  the  commercial 
wisdom  of  making  a  product  which 
suitably  conforms  to  the  essential  re- 
quirements of  the  day. 

The  producers  of  short  subjects,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  doubling  their  ef- 
forts toward  originality  and  quality. 
The  erstwhile  despised  "fillers"  are 
made  with  as  much  or  more  care  and 
expense  per  reel  than  is  expended  upon 
the  average  feature  production.  This 
is  certainly  true  of  the  Yale  University 
Press  "Chronicles  of  America"  as  well 
as  other  notable  subjects. 

Local  conditions  and  tastes  naturally 
differ,  but  showmanship  can  adjust  a 
theatre's  program  policy  to  best  meet 


the  requirements  of  its  audiences  and 
hence  secure  the  maximum  of  patron- 
age. A  situation  has  never  arisen  with- 
in the  motion  picture  industry  which 
cannot  be  solved  by  intelligent  show- 
manship. Already  a  plan  has  been  con- 
ceived ;  the  policy  of  feature  bills  inter- 
spersed with  entire  short  subject  pro- 
grams. 


SATISFYING 

reports  are  coming  in  from 
every  section  regarding  the 
growing  sentiment  in  favor 
of  the  short  subject  pro- 
gram. The  showman  who 
fails  to  follow  the  trend  of 
events  loses  a  big  oppor- 
tunity to  make  friends  with 

THE  PUBLIC 


The  motion  picture  fans  would  un- 
doubtedly appreciate  an  exhibi- 
tor's policy  of  one  week  in  every 
month  being  devoted  to  an  ail-short  sub- 
ject program  built  up  from  the  many 
exceptionally  fine  attractions  which  are 
now  to  be  found  in  this  field. 

DURING  recent  months  the  trade 
publications  time  and  time  again 
have  reported  the  amazing  success  of 
such  Short  Subject  Weeks.  Such  ex- 
periences merely  indicate  the  satisfy- 
ing of  an  existing  demand  from  the 
public. 

Tradition  and  custom  are  difficult 
things  to  overcome  but  intelligent  show- 
manship may  be  trusted  to  work  out 
the  problem  accurately  and  profitably. 
In  particular,  this  holds  for  the  exploi- 
tation of  short  subjects  which,  natur- 
ally, varies  with  the  importance  and 
character  of  the  short  subject.  Produc- 
tions such  as  the  "Chronicles  of  Ameri- 
ca" offer  exceptional  opportunities  for 
exploitation  work. 


CUSTOM  in  newspaper  advertising 
accounts  for  the  preponderant  dis- 
play of  copy  and  illustrations  on  the 
feature  picture  with  the  announcement. 

Short  subjects  are  either  ignored  or 
reduced  to  two  or  three  inconspicuous 
lines.  It  is  amazing  to  see  even  exhib- 
itors who  select  their  short  subjects 
with  care  and  discrimination  following 
the  old  lines  in  advertising. 

They  don't  give  themselves  a  fair 
break  for  the  money  spent,  nor  do  they 
give  the  short  subjects  a  square  deal. 
If  a  short  subject  is  worth  booking  it 
is  worth  advertising  prominently. 

Exhibitors  know  that  if  these  attrac- 
tions were  missing  from  their  pro- 
grams there  would  soon  be  a  serious 
howl  from  audiences.  And  if  a  theatre 
copy  slights  the  short  subjects,  it  in- 
stinctively places  in  the  mind  of  the 
public  the  suggestion  that  the  short  sub- 
jects are  of  slight  importance. 

With  the  diversified  program  comes 
the  need  of  careful  discrimination  in 
the  selection  of  its  component  units, 
both  features  and  short  subjects.  Lob- 
ster and  ice  cream  are  both  delectable 
dishes,  but  they  are  liable  to  cause 
trouble  if  placed  on  the  same  menu. 
Experience  has  proven  the  need  of 
conscientious  program  planning. 

THE  exploitation  of  short  subjects 
and  the  resultant  benefit  rests  with 
the  exhibitors.  The  material  for  such 
exploitation  is  already  available,  par- 
ticularly in  connection  with  the  most  no- 
table of  such  pictures. 

On  each  of  the  "Chronicles  of  Amer- 
ica," to  mention  a  specific  case,  spe- 
cial Thematic  Music  Cue  Sheets,  her- 
alds, advance  trailers,  special  press 
sheets  and  the  carefully  prepared  array 
of  posters,  lobby  displays,  cuts,  mats 
and  similar  accessories,  furnish  as 
much  exploitation  material  as  is  pro- 
vided on  the  vast  majority  of  features. 

It  is  simply  a  question  of  showman- 
ship. The  short  subject  is  an  essential 
part  of  the  program  as  it  fulfills  an 
aroused  public  demand. 

The  exhibitors  must  keep  step  with 
the  progress  of  short  subject  produc- 
tion. Don't  neglect  it  on  your  program 
— and  don't  forget  it  in  your  exploita- 
tion.   It  will  pay  not  to  do  so. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  15 


Molding  National  Character 
With  Motion  Pictures 


By  Col.  W.  F.  CLARKE 

of  Cranfield  and  Clarke,  Inc. 


HERE  we  are  once  more  shipping 
past  ye  old  statue  of  liberty. 
What  a  glorious  feeling  it  is  to 
be  again  nearing  the  American  shores ! 
That  sounds  funny  from  a  Britisher, 
but,  do  you  know,  I  always  feel  I  am 
returning  to  my  second  home. 

This  time  I  am  particularly  happy 
about  the  event,  as,  metaphorically 
speaking,  I  carry  with  me  a  bag-full  of 
delightfully  realistic  and  beautiful  mo- 
tion pictures  made  by  Hepworth  and 
other  English  producers.  And  I 
feel  my  arrival  is  timely.  In  my 
mind's  eye  I  see  the  dear  old  bob- 
haired,  intriguing  and  wine-bibbing 
picture  is  on  its  last  legs !  Why, 
I  can  almost  hear  the  band  playing  a 
funeral  march  and  see  a  long  proces- 
sion of  decrepit  youths  following  the 
cortege  to  the  burial  ground. 

There  is  already  a  move  in  the 
United  States,  as  there  is  in  the  rest  of 
the  world,  for  cleaner  pictures,  and 
away  with  the  jazz  age  films.  God 
knows  I  am  not  a  moralist,  but  I  do 
feel  that  the  world  is  crying  out  for 
better  and  more  representative  pictures 
of  the  nation. 

T  HAVE  often  been  asked  in  London 
if  I  had  attended  any  of  the  so-called 
"wild  parties,"  which  are,  so  frequent- 
ly the  mainstay  of  the  modern  picture, 
and  my  enquirers  were  astounded  on 
hearing  that  they  did  not  exist  outside 
of  the  movies. 

Hence  the  world  gets  an  erroneous 
idea  of  real  American  life  where 
knowledge  of  America  is  gained  by 
seeing  American  pictures,  and  not  by 
■actual  intercourse  with  its  citizens. 

The  average  matinee  audience  is 
composed  mostly  of  young  girls,  the 
future  mothers  of  the  nation.  Their 
minds  are  like  a  sensitive  photographic 
plate,  ready  to  take  impressions  by  at- 
tendance at  the  movies,  all  the  contra- 
dictory scenes,  leave  an  indelible  mark. 

So  as  the  child  matures  and 
begins  to  figure  out  things  for  herself 
her  ideas  are  confused  and  her  sense 
of  the  fitness  of  things  is  chaotic,  and 
she  commits  errors  and  the  blame  is 
usually  thrown  at  the  motion  picture 


Col.  W.  F.  Clarke,  the  popular  Briton, 
who  has  been  made  welcome  in  the  Amer- 
ican end  of  the  picture  industry  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Cranfield  and  Clarke,  Inc.,  a  firm 
standing  for  the  highest  ideals  of  filmdom. 


industry.  In  the  words  of  the  old  say- 
ing, "give  a  dog  a  bad  name  " 

MOTION  pictures  can  and  should 
go  a  long  way  towards  molding 
the  character,  not  only  of  individuals, 
but  of  the  nation  itself.  It  is  through 
the  medium  of  the  movies  that  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  are  becoming  better 
acquainted  with  each  other  in  customs, 
ideals  and  aims. 

And  with  the  preponderance  of 
American  pictures  throughout  the 
world  the  feeling  is  bound  to  trend  to- 
wards Americanism.  Which  for  this 
country  is  all  to  the  good. 

For  this  reason,  if  you  are  to  be  the 
patterns  for  the  whole  world,  the  model 
should  be  as  near  perfection  as  is  hu- 
manly possible. 

From  a  showman's  standpoint,  it 
would  appear  that  the  exhibitor  is  the 
arbiter  of  the  morals  of  his  fans,  inso- 
much that  he  selects  the  picture  his 
public  wants,  in  his  opinion,  to  see. 

Nine  times  out  of  ten,  they  are  bored 
to  tears,  with  the  fare  provided,  and 
one  of  the  results  is  the  increasing  per- 
centage of  folks  who  no  longer  go  to 
the  picture  theatres. 


There  are  heaps  of  good  pictures 
that  never  get  past  the  "keepers  of  the 
gate."  The  public,  in  smaller  cities, 
are  the  losers. 

BRITISH  pictures  in  the  states  are 
classed  as  "foreign."  To  my  mind, 
the  word  foreign  should  not  be  applied 
to  British  films,  as  our  two  countries 
think  and  feel  alike. 

For  instance,  when  an  American 
visits  England,  we  welcome  him  as  one 
of  ourselves,  and  when  a  Britisher 
visits  the  States,  he  feels  he  is  in  a 
second  homeland. 

I  can  better  illustrate  this  by  an  in- 
cident that  happened  to  me  on  the  con- 
clusion of  a  speech  I  was  making  at  a 
rotary  meeting.  A  rotarian  asked  what 
we  thought  of  the  American  soldiers 
when  they  joined  us  in  France. 

My  reply  was  that  we  welcomed 
them,  not  as  another  nation  entering 
the  conflict  but  as  our  own  re-inforce- 
ments  arriving  at   a   timely  moment. 

Again,  I  have  met  Americans  in 
Uganda,  the  Congo,  Canada,  Australia, 
New  Zealand  or  any  other  part  of  our 
far  flung  empire,  all  pioneering  and 
mingling  with  ourselves,  in  fact  they 
are  always  treated  as  "one  of  the 
boys."  I  merely  point  this  out  to  show 
how  closely  allied  we  are. 

MANY  people  prophecy  that  the  mo- 
tion picture  prosperity  has  passed 
its  peak  or  in  fact,  further  emphasize 
its  coming  rapid  decline.  "Au  con- 
traire,"  I  am  of  the  opinion  the  moving 
picture  industry  is  in  its  cradle. 

To  vary  the  simile,  we  have  barely 
scratched  the  surface,  and  when  we 
have  dug  a  few  feet  down,  we  shall  be 
astounded  at  what  we  shall  find. 

The  Arabian  Nights  will  fade  away, 
when  we  get  a  close  up  of  such  things 
as  radio  color  photography  in  the  heart 
of  an  African  desert,  transmitted  from 
the  Woolworth  Building,  or  the  opera 
heard  and  seen  in  a  mining  camp  in  the 
interior  of  Mexico  by  the  means  of  the 
new  combination  of  radio-cinema- 
tography ! 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Edward  L.  Hyman  Tells  How  He  Has  Entertained  Fifty 
Thousand  Patrons  Each  Week  for  Five  Years 


Brooklyn  Mark  Strand  Theatre 
Has  Fifth  Birthday 


THE  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand  Thea- 
tre, has  been  open  to  the  public 
five  years  this  week,  and  the  oc- 
casion is  being  made  a  gala  event  by 
Managing  Director  Edward  L.  Hyman, 
who  has  prepared  a  pretentious  program 
for  the  birthday  party. 

During  the  five  years  of  its  success- 
ful career,  the  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand 
has  supplied  varied  and  high  class  en- 
tertainment to  an  average  of  50,000  peo- 
ple weekly,  causing  the  theatre  to  be 
nationally  known  and  regarded  as  one 
of  the  foremost  amusement  institutions 
of  its  kind  in  this  country. 

Architecturally  it  possesses  a  beauty 
of  design  and  arrangement  that  make  of 
it  a  showplace  as  well  as  a  place  of 
shows.  The  house  seats  3,000  people 
without  a  post  to  mar  the  view.  The 
"layout"  of  the  balconv  is  exactly  the 
same  as  the  orchestra  floor,  there  being 
the  smoking  room,  men's  room  and  la- 
dies' retiring  parlors  as  well  as  a  prom- 
enade thus  avoiding  the  confusion  of 
having  the  balcony  visitors  go  to  the  or- 
chestra floor. 

THE  Brooklyn  Mark  St!  and  Theatre 
is  a  sister  house  of  the  far  famed 
Mark  Strand  Theatre  at  Broadway  and 
Forty-seventh  Street,  N.  Y.,  and  is  one 
of  an  extensive  chain  founded  by  the 
late  Mitchell  Mark  and  his  brother,  Moe 
Mark.  The  latter,  now  president  and 
general  manager,  takes  a  personal  in- 
terest in  his  holdings,  and  the  Brooklyn 
theatre  is  one  of  his  favorites.  Ed- 
ward L.  Hyman,  managing  director,  has 
been  at  the  helm  practically  since  the 
notable  opening  five  years  ago.  In  thai 
time  he  has  made  the  photoplay-music 
programs  a  standard  of  excellence  both 
in  art  and  entertainment  worth.  The  av- 
erage performance  embraces  at  least 
seven  incidents  and  extends  over  a 
period  of  two  hours.  The  Mark  Strand 
Orchestra,  conducted  by  Emil  Bierman, 
has  been  established  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most symphonies  of  the  country. 

THE  Ballet  Corps,  of  which  Mile. 
Francelli  is  premiere  danseuse,  is 
presided  over  by  Mme.  Serova,  ballet 
mistress.  The  twenty  dancers  who  make 
up  this  ensemble  are  terpsichorean  ar- 


..  .....  L 

1 

Edward  L.  Hyman,  the  Managing  Direc- 
tor of  the  Brooklyn  Mark  Strand  Theatre, 
whose  genius  has  gained  the  house  a  place 
in  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  patrons.  An 
especially  elaborate  program  has  been  ar- 
ranged for  the  fifth  anniversary  this  week. 

tists  whose  ability  is  proven  by  their 
success  in  appearing  week  after 
week  in  different  presentations  re- 
quired the  greatest  knowledge  of  the  art 
and  the  closest  application  to  the  work. 
Rehearsals  are  constantly  in  progress, 
as  while  one  show  is  being  given  prep- 
arations must  be  made  for  the  following 
week.  Sometimes  Managing  Director 
Edward  L.  Hyman  and  his  large  staff 
of  assistants  are  working  on  two  pro- 
grams 'at  once,  two  or  three  weeks  in 
advance  of  the  time  for  presentation. 

IN  the  matter  of  the  scenery,  lighting 
equipment  and  facilities  for  the  prop- 
er presentation  of  programs  the  Brook - 
ly  Mark  Strand  is  indeed  fortunate.  No 
directing  manager  has  given  more  time 
and  study  to  lighting  effects  and  color 
harmonies  than  Edward  L.  Hyman. 
During  his  regime  there  have  been 
worked  out,  at  the  weekly  lighting  re- 
hearsals no  less  than  200  color  har- 
monies for  lighting  various  incidents. 

These  in  many  cases,  are  in  fact 
"double  lights"  because  of  the  fact  that 
the  two  stages  are  often  used  together, 
each  with  a  full  quota  of  equipment. 


But,  by  no  means  is  all  the  mana- 
gerial attention  directed  toward  the  per- 
formance. The  training  of  the  ushers 
and  house  staff  is  of  prime  importance, 
as  "service"  is  the  keynote  of  the  thea- 
tre. A  Lost  and  Found  Department 
lends  all  possible  aid  where  needed.  An 
Emergency  Room  fully  equipped,  with 
nurse  and  doctor  at  a  moment's  notice 
is  another  service  greatly  appreciated- 

UPON  the  occasion  of  the  anniver- 
sary program,  a  thought  for  the  fu- 
ture is  expressed  by  Managing  Director 
Edward  L.  Hyman  in  a  Salutation 
which  is  part  of  an  elaborate  pamphlet 
given  to  patrons :  "Adhering  faithfully 
to  the  high  ideals  and  lofty  purposes 
prescribed  by  the  policy  of  the  Brooklyn 
Mark  Strand,  we  need  hardly  assure 
the  public  that  the  year  starting  will  be 
made  to  disclose  many  surprises  and 
revelations  in  the  art  of  presenting 
music  and  photoplays.  Scenic  and  light- 
ing effects  to  surpass  those  already  de- 
clared remarkable  by  our  patrons  will 
be  added  as  rapidly  as  our  experts  per- 
fect them. 

ANEW  store-house  for  the  vast  sup- 
ply of  scenery  now  being  constant- 
ly added  to  has  been  completed,, 
designed  also  to  care  for  several  new 
and  beautiful  sets  in  the  process  of 
completion. 

Excellent  music,  synonomous  with  the 
Brooklyn  Mark  Strand,  will  continue  to 
be  a  feature,  in  the  form  of  standard 
and  popular  overtures,  elaborate  ballet 
divertisements,  operas  and  novelties. 

One  of  the  "rules"  incorporated  in 
the  policy  of  the  theatre  which  has  won 
the  admiration  and  appreciation  of  all  is 
the  custom  of  presenting  even  the  big- 
gest of  the  big  productions,  with  musi- 
cal embellishments,  at  regular  prices. 

Not  a  nickel  is  added  for  any 
of  the  big  photoplay  attractions,  re- 
gardless of  the  fact  that  these  produc- 
tions cost  the  management  thousands 
of  dollars  more  to  secure.  Two  of  the 
most  recent  were  the  Rudolph  Valen- 
tino production  "Monsieur  Beaucaire"" 
and  the  "Sea  Hawk"  with  Milton  Sills. 


October  18.  1924 


Page  17 


Independents  Life  of  the  Industry 

Says  Goldwyn 


THE  life  and  soul  of  motion  pic- 
tures today  is  the  Independent," 
said  Samuel  Goldwyn,  president 
of  Goldwyn  Pictures,  at  the  weekly 
luncheon  of  the  A.  M.  P.  A.  on  Thurs- 
day, October  9. 

Mr.  Goldwyn  traced  his  work  from 
the  time  when  General  Film  Company 
had  a  monopoly  in  the  motion  picture 
field  and  he  organized  a  company  to 
complete.  He  cautioned  the  large  com- 
panies against  monopolistic  tendency 
and  gave  instances  of  where  such 
moves  had  proved  disastrous  for  dis- 
tributing organizations. 

He  stated  that  had  he  been  obliged 
to  consult  a  board  of  directors  Doug- 
las Fairbanks  would  never  have  been 
permitted  to  produce,  what  Mr.  Gold- 
wyn calls,  that  epic,  "The  Thief  of 
Bagdad,"  and  such  other  pictures  as 
"The  Ten  Commandments"  and  "The 
Covered  Wagon"  would  not  exist. 

He  said  he  had  tried  for  years  to 
interest  the  board  of  directors  in  com- 
panies with  which  he  was  formerly 
connected,  to  produce  a  Potash  and 
Perlmutter  series  but  without  results. 
As  an  independent  producer  he  made 
several  of  the  series  and  they  proved 
successful  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
premiere  showing  of  the  latest  produc- 
tion was  shown  in  a  strong  K.  K.  K. 
town  in  California  and  was  a  great 
success.  "I  didn't  know  it  was  a  K. 
K.  K.  town  at  the  time,"  he  said. 

In  speaking  of  the  early  days  in  the 
industry  when  General  Films  had 
everything  tied  up  tightly,  he  said 
every  exhibitor  was  charged  $2  a  week 
for  the  privilege  of  showing  General 
Films.  This  in  itself  amounted  to  ap- 
proximately $36,000  a  week,  and  the 
company  was  so  strongly  fortified  it 
was  almost  impossible  for  an  indepen- 
dent to  find  a  market  for  his  product. 

Mr.  Goldwyn  approached  the  head 
of  the  General  Film  and  submitted  a 
plan  for  making  five  reel  subjects, 
which  was  unheard  of  at  the  time,  and 
he  was  turned  down.  He  then  formed 
a  company,  which  afterward  became 
Paramount  and  within  two  years  Gen- 
eral Film  Company  had  ceased  to  exist. 

"The  future  of  motion  pictures  de- 
pends upon  the  Independent  and  the 
Independent  producer  of  today  has  a 
greater  advantage  than  ever  before," 
the  speaker  concluded. 

Walter  Wagner,  production  manager 
for  Famous  Players,  asked  the  publicity 
men  to  educate  the  public  to  attend  the 
theatre  and  counteract  the  hostility 
that  is  shown  by  many  people  toward 
pictures.    He  said  the  motion  picture 


press  agents  send  out  more  press  mat- 
ter and  cuts  in  the  interest  of  pictures 
than  was  distributed  by  the  govern- 

...w._r,.  .  .  .,  .  , 


Samuel  Goldwyn,  president  of  Goldwyn 
Pictures,    a    booster    for  Independents. 


ment  during  the  war  and  if  this  energy 
was  devoted  to  creating  a  friendly  feel- 
ing, it  would  be  well  directed. 

*  *  * 

CHRONICLES  HONORED  ON 
FRENCH  LINER 

"Yorktown,"  one  of  the  Pathe 
"Chronicles  of  America"  series,  which 
dramatically  recreates  the  great  service 
rendered  General  Washington  by  Ro- 
chambeau,  De  Grasse  and  the  other 
French  leaders  during  the  closing  days 
of  the  War  of  Independence  was  sig- 
nally honored  at  a  brilliant  reception 
inaugurating  into  service  the  new 
French  Line  trans-Atlantic  steamer, 
the  De  Grasse. 

The  function,  held  on  board  the  De 
Grasse  in  New  York  harbor  on  the 
evening  of  October  4  was  attended  by 
Maurice  Tillier  of  Paris,  Director 
General  of  the  French  Line  and  many 
distinguished  guests  from  Paris,  Wash- 
ington, New  York  and  other  cities. 

*  *  * 

'DEATH  RAY'  FILM, 
FEATURE  OF  PATHE 

Pathe  announces  that  in  addition  to 
their  regular  list  of  pictures  for  the 
week  of  Oct.  19,  the  famous  film  based 
on  the  startling  "Death  Ray"  discovery 
of  H.  Grindell-Matthews,  will  be  re- 
leased. 

The  discovery  and  creation  of  this 
marvelous  instrument  that  can,  when 


perfected,  annihilate  entire  armies,  has 
been  the  talk  of  the  scientific  world  for 
the  past  year  and  more  than  the  usual 
amount  of  interest  has  been  taken  by 
the  public  at  large  in  the  film  that  re- 
veals its  development.  Grindell- 
Matthews  is  one  of  the  leading  inven- 
tors of  the  time  and  many  pages  of 
publicity,  in  daily  and  monthly  publica- 
tions, have  been  given  to  his  latest  in- 
vention. 

The  production  was  made  in  France 
and  consists  of  two  reels.  The  French 
Government  for  the  purpose  of  produc- 
ing the  picture  turned  over  an  entire 
army  unit  to  the  inventor.  In  the  film, 
rodents  are  killed  instantly  by  the  ray ; 
powder  is  Mown  up  at  considerable  dis- 
tance ;  and  electric  light  globes  held  in 
the  hands  of  assistants  are  lighted  with- 
out any  wiring  connection. 

Like  the  famous  tractor  "Tank"  used 
during  the  war,  European  governments 
have  tried  to  suppress  actual  photo- 
graphs of  the  death  dealing  instrument. 
It  was  almost  a  year  after  the  inven- 
tion of  the  "Tank"  that  any  photo- 
graphs of  it  were  actually  published.  It 
was  the  same  with  the  "Death  Ray" 
machine.  It  was  actually  completed  a 
year  ago,  and  the  pictures  released  by 
Pathe  this  week  are  the  first  authentic 
photographs  ever  published. 

*    *  * 

CHICAGO  FIRST  IN 
WARNER  PLAN 

Indications  are  that  the  first  city  to 
be  invaded  in  the  Warner  Brothers  the- 
atre building  campaign  recently  an- 
nounced will  be  Chicago. 

H.  M.  Warner,  who  left  Los  Angeles 
a  week  or  two  ago  on  a  tour  of  the 
country's  principal  cities  to  examine 
proposed  theatre  sites,  arrived  in  New 
York  City  some  days  ago  and,  after 
about  forty-eight  hours  spent  almost 
entirely  in  conference  with  New  York 
financiers,  left  again  for  the  Middle 
West.  His  plans  called  for  a  short 
visit  with  his  people  in  Youngstown. 
O.,  a  call  on  some  people  in  Cleveland, 
and  then  a  more  extended  stay  in  Chi- 
cago where  business  of  first  importance 
in  the  theatre  building  campaign  is  to 
be  transacted  within  the  next  week  or 
ten  days. 

Motley  H.  Flint,  financial  adviser  of 
Warner  Brothers  organization,  arrived 
in  New  York  with  Mr.  Warner  and 
was  a  party  to  the  New  York  confer- 
ences. He  was  scheduled  to  join  Mr. 
Warner  again  in  Chicago. 

From  various  cities  throughout  the 
country  word  keeps  constantly  filtering 
into  New  York  of  preliminary  steps 
which  have  already  been  taken  to  get 
the  Warner  theatres  under  way.  Con- 
ferences a  few  days  ago  in  the  Warner 
home  offices  at  1600  Broadway  at- 
tended by  executive  representatives  of 
Lubliner  &  Trinz,  big  theatre  operators 
in  the  Windy  City,  had  to  do  with  the 
Chicago  plans  in  which  the  Warners 
are  interested. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Great  Foreign  Demand  For 
MacLean  Productions 


M[LTON  COHEN,  of  Interglobe 
Export  Corp.,  who  has  just  re- 
turned from  London  and  confer- 
ences with  Associated  Exhibitors  For- 
eign Representative,  Mr.  Sidney  Gar- 
rett, reports  an  unusual  demand  for 
Douglas  MacLean  productions  over  en- 
tire Europe.  While  abroad  Milton  Co- 
hen completed  a  number  of  contracts 
for  MacLean  comedies  including  a  $10,- 
000.  contract  for  "Never  Say  Die"  in 
Scandinavia  where  "Going  Up"  and 
"The  Yankee  Consul"  are  now  running 
to  packed  cinemas. 

The  box  office  reports  from  every 
■country  in  which  MacLean  comedies 
are  now  been  shown  have  brought  the 
young  producer  right  to  the  top  among 
American  stars  and  have  resulted  in 
such  sales  as  that  to  Belgium,  where, 
with  its  limited  number  of  cinemas,  a 
$10,000.  contract  was  entered  into  for 
the  first  three  MacLean  productions. 

Conditions  which  for  some  time  in 
Italy  had  not  been  encouraging  for 
American  product,  seem  to  be  changing 
for  the  better  and  contracts  were  closed 
for  "Going  Up"  and  "The  Yankee  Con- 
sul" at  $5,000,  with  several  of  the  dis- 
tributing concerns  now  bidding  for  the 
release  of  "Never  Say  Die." 

Spain  and  Portugal  were  sold  in  one 
block  for  the  first  two  MacLean  come- 
dies. 

"Going  Up"  is  reported  to  have  fairly 
swept  the  entire  list  of  first  run  houses 
in  Germany,  in  the  Balkan  states  and  in 
■central  and  eastern  Europe.  Milton 
Cohen  reports  that  contracts  are  ready 
to  be  closed  in  these  territories  for  "The 
Yankee  Consul"  at  double  the  price  re- 
ceived for  MacLean's  first  independent 
comedy. 

Little  Finland,  where  the  two  previ- 
ous comedies  have  been  doing  a  S.  R.  O 
box  office  business,  refused  to  wait  on 
the  other  European  countries  and  closed 
for  "Never  Say  Die"  at  $2,000,  just 
double  the  price  which  Finland  and  Lat- 
via paid  for  "Going  Up." 

Motion  picture  theatres  have  reflected 
the  better  conditions  that  are  noted  in 
Poland,  Czecho-Slovakia,  Austria, 
Greece,  and  Turkey  in  other  business. 
These  countries  have  combined  their 
■exhibitors  into  a  powerful  buying  or- 
ganization since  1921.  They  booked 
"Going  Up"  over  all  Central  Europe 
and  have  put  in  a  bid  for  "The  Yankee 
Consul"  which  is  twice  as  large. 

J.  S.  Woody,  general  manager  for 
Associated  Exhibitors,  has  also  closed 
deals  in  South  America  and  in  Aus- 
tralia for  the  first  MacLean  comedies. 


"Going  Up"  is  now  being  played  in  In- 
dia and  the  Far  East,  while  the  West 
Indies — Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  Hayti,  San- 
to Domingo  and  Jamaica  Islands  are 
starting  to  play  "The  Yankee  Consul" 
next  month  so  as  to  be  ready  for  "Nev- 
er Say  Die"  when  northern  visitors  ar- 
rive for  the  winter  season. 

Harry  Rowson  of  Ideal  Films  Ltd, 
paid  $100,000.  for  MacLean's  first  two 
comedies  and  Sidney  Garrett  now  has  a 
deal  under  way  for  a  still  bigger  con- 
tract for  "Never  Say  Die"  and  "Sky 
High,"  which  MacLean  will  soon  have 
ready  for  delivery,  for  the  United 
Kingdom. 


More  Rumors 

DAME  RUMOR  is  again  on  the 
job.  This  time  she  says  Nor- 
ma Talmadge,  Doug  Fairbanks 
and  Mary  Pickford,  and  possibly 
Charles  Chaplin  will  soon  release 
their  products  through  Famous 
Players-Lasky.  This  comes  fol- 
lowing the  announcement  that 
Harold  Lloyd  and  Rudolph  Val- 
entino are  to  release  their  pic- 
tures through  Famous. 

The  report  is  vigorously  denied 
by  United  Artists  who  have  con- 
tracts covering  the  productions 
of  Doug,  Mary  and  Charlie,  but 
th:  rumor  persists  and  as  yet  it 
is  merely  one  of  those  stories 
that  go  the  rounds  oi  u 

If  the  United  Artist  trio  decide 
to  distribute  through  another  or- 
ganization, it  appears  to  be  in 
the  very  dim  future.  Don't  hold 
your  breath  until'  this  latest  ru- 
mor becomes  a  fact!  » 


CARL  LAEMMLE  BACK 
FROM  EUROPE 

Carl  Laemmle,  president  of  the  Uni- 
versal Pictures  Corporation,  arrived 
back  in  the  United  States  aboard 
the  Aquitania  from  Europe,  where 
he  spent  the  summer.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  children  Miss  Rosa- 
belle  and  Carl  Jr.,  and  by  his  secretary 
Harry  H.  Zenner  and  his  personal 
representative  Hugh  Hoffman. 

He  was  met  at  Quarantine  by  E.  H. 
Goldstein,  treasurer  of  Universal,  who 
went  down  aboard  a  Revenue  cutter,  to 
greet  him.  Other  Universal  executives 
met  him  as  he  left  the  boat.  They 


found  the  Universal  chief  in  excellent 
health,  far  better  than  at  any  time  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years. 

While  on  his  annual  vacation  in 
Europe,  Laemmle,  assisted  by  Hoff- 
man, made  a  close  study  of  European 
film  conditions.  Among  other  things, 
he  looked  around  for  European  pictures 
likely  to  be  acceptable  to  the  American 
market.  He  returned  empty-handed 
however. 

*  *  * 

'THIEF  OF  BAGDAD'  IN 
HISTORIC  DRURY  LANE 

With  the  opening  of  "The  Thief  of 
Bagdad"  at  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre  in 
London,  two  profoundly  venerated 
British  traditions  were  broken.  One 
was  that  no  one  could  book  a  motion 
picture  into  the  Drury  Lane,  and  the 
other  was  that  no  motion  picture  ever 
made  was  good  enough  to  draw  the 
elite  patronage  of  the  Drury  Lane  back 
into  the  hallowed  temple  of  the  spoken 
dramatic  art.  Direct  reports  from  The 
Allied  Artists  Corporation,  Ltd,  are 
that  the  film  opend  to  turnaway  busi- 
ness and  has  been  continuing  to  phe- 
nomenal patronage  daily.  With  the 
house  doing  capacity,  the  run  of  "The 
Thief  of  Bagdad"  for  an  indefinite 
period  has  begun  in  London  under  sen- 
sational auspices. 

Incidentally,  the  inauguration  of  a 
motion  picture  season  in  the  Drury  Lane 
with  the  Fairbanks'  spectacle  solves  the 
mystery  of  Hiram  Abrams'  recent  jour- 
ney to  London.  Even  upon  his  return 
to  New  York,  at  the  office  of  the 
United  Artists,  Mr.  Abrams  remained 
closemouthed  about  his  seven  weeks' 
trip  abroad,  admitting  nothing  save  that 
he  had  gone  on  business  relating  to  the 
foreign  distribution  of  Mary  Pickford, 
Charles  Chaplin,  Douglas  Fairbanks 
and  D.  W.  Griffith  films,  the  "Big 
Four"  product.  Hiram  Abrams  per- 
sonally executed  the  coup  by  which  the 
Drury  Lane,  for  its  most  promising 
theatrical  season  in  many  years,  has 
been  wrested  from  the  centuries-old 
domination  of  the  footlight  drama  into 
the  purposes  of  the  more  modern  and 
more  spectacular  motion  picture  de 
luxe. 

*  *  * 

MEMPHIS  MUSICIANS 
RETURN  TO  WORK 

Musicians  have  returned  to  work  in 
the  theatres  of  Memphis,  after  a  strike 
that  for  three  weeks  deprived  all  the- 
atres of  their  orchestras.  The  musicians 
demanded  a  reduction  in  playing  time 
without  reduction  in  pay  which 
amounted  to  a  twenty-five  percent  in- 
crease, which  was  refused  by  the  the- 
atre managers,  they  also  demanding  a 
five  piece  orchestra  in  two  of  the 
smaller  houses.  This  demand  was  later 
withdrawn  and  an  amicable  compro- 
mise made. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  19 


LLOYD  WINS  ENGLISH 
POPULARITY  CONTEST 

In  a  popularity  contest  held  in  Eng- 
land, it  was  shown  that  Harold  Lloyd 
is  the  most  popular  screen  artist  in  that 
country.  The  headquarters  for  the 
Popularity  Contest  was  in  Birmingham 
and  the  large  number  of  votes  cast 
showed  the  English  fan  to  be  as  rabid 
as  his  American  cousin. 

The  screen  artists  were  nominated  in 
the  following  order: 
Harold  Lloyd,  Batty  Balfour,  Rudolph 
Valentino,  Mary  Pickford,  Jackie  Coo- 
gan,  Norma  Talmadge,  Charles  Chap- 
lin, Douglas  Fairbanks,  Matheson 
Lang,  Sessue  Hayakawa,  Thomas 
Meighan,  Pola  Negri,  Ivor  Novello, 
Constance  Talmadge,  Gladys  Cooper, 
Lilian  Gish,  Mae  Marsh,  Mae  Murray, 
Betty  Compson,  Alice  Terry,  Katherine 
McDonald,  Henry  Ainly,  Ramon  Na- 
varro, Lewis  Stone. 


METRO  TO  RELEASE 
'JANICE'  OCT.  27 

"Janice  Meredith,"  the  new  Cosmo- 
politan special  starring  Marion  Davies 
which  E.  Mason  Hopper  directed  from 
the  story  by  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  has 
been  set  for  release  through  Metro- 
Goldwyn,  October  27.  Lillie  Hayward 
adapted  this  story  for  the  screen. 

"Janice  Meredith"  has  been  attract- 
ing huge  business  at  advanced  prices 
for  several  months  at  the  Cosmopolitan 
Theatre,  New  York,  where  the  Marion 
Davies  picture  is  credited  with  being 
one  of  the  biggest  film  successes  New 
York  has  seen. 


Selznick  Trade-Mark 
May  Disappear 

Although  President  Doolittle 
of  the  Selznick  Distributing  Cor- 
poration will  not  make  a  state- 
ment at  this  time,  it  is  under- 
stood that  the  reorganization 
plans  are  going  ahead  rapidly, 
and,  according  to  good  authority, 
the  Selznick  trade-mark  may 
pass  out  of  existence,  to  be  re- 
placed by  an  altogether  new  name. 

A  meeting  of  the  committee 
handling  the  reorganization  de- 
tails met  October  7,  at  the  Bar 
Association  to  discuss  details  in 
connection  with  the  new  com- 
pany and  a  statement  is  expected 
soon. 

Meanwhile  it  seems  likely  that 
the  Selznicks  themselves  will 
soon  be  back  in  the  business  on 
a  new  deal  of  their  own. 


HENRY  B.  VARNER 
A  BENEDICT 

Henry  B.  Varner,  well  known  ex- 
hibitor of  Lexington,  N.  C,  and  presi- 


H.  B.  Varner 

dent  of  the  North  Carolina  Motion  Pic- 
ture Theatre  Owners,  gave  his  many 
friends  a  thrill  on  September  20  when 
he  took  unto  himself,  a  wife.  The  bride 
was  formerly  Miss  Evelyn  Lucrecia 
Pearce,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  A.  Pearce,  of  Lexington. 


What  Do  You  Think? 

What,  in  Your  Opinion,  Were  the 
Best  Five  Pictures  for  the  Year? 


IN  order  that  no  worthy  picture 
may  be  overlooked  in  Adolph  Zu- 
kor's  $10,000  prize  contest,  which 
closed  on  September  1,  last,  an  effort 
is  being  made  to  interest  exhibitors  and 
obtain  their  views  as  to  the  best  five 
pictures  produced  between  September 
1923  and  September  1924. 

The  exhibitor  is  in  a  position  to 
judge  picture  merits  and  the  coopera- 
tion of  every  exhibitor  is  solicited  in 
an  effort  to  determine  the  story  that 
made  the  best  picture  of  the  year. 

A  prize  of  $10,000  will  be  offered  an- 
nually by  Mr.  Zukor  in  an  effort  to 
stimulate    authors  to  produce  stories 


especially  adaptable  to  the  screen  and 
it  is  to  the  interest  of  every  exhibitor 
to  do  his  share  in  determining  which 
story  is  the  most  eligible  for  the  prize. 

A  data  obtained  from  exhibitors  will 
be  forwarded  to  the  judges  and  will  be 
used  to  determine  the  winner. 

The  best  pictures  are  not  restricted  to 
any  particular  producing  company. 
Merely  name  what  you  consider  the 
five  best  pictures. 

Fill  out  the  coupon  below  and  mail 
it  to  the  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 
and  we  will  forward  it  to  the  proper 
office. 


Harold  Lloyd,  whose  pictures  are  released 
through  Pathe  Exchanges,  has  been  voted 
the  most  popular  motion  picture  star  in 
an  English  popularity  contest. 


NOMINATION  BLANK 

I  consider  the  following  the  best  five  pictures  publicly  exhibited  in  a  theatre  dur- 
ing the  year  beginning  September,  1923. 

First  

Second   

Third   

Fourth  

Fifth   

Exhibitor  

Theatre   

City  


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


NORMA  TALMADGE  SETS 
RECORD  FOR  WORK 

One  of  the  fastest  records  ever  made 
in  the  filming  of  a  star  eight-reel  mo- 
tion picture  has  just  been  established 
by  Norma  Talmadge  in  her  new  Joseph 
H.  Schenck  production  for  First  Na- 
tional, "The  Lady,"  from  Martin 
Brown's  stage  success  which  served 
Mary  Nash  as  a  starring  vehicle  last 
year.  Miss  Talmadge  is  now  on  her 
way  East  for  a  vacation. 

In  exactly  thirty-two  days  from  the 
filming  of  the  first  scene  of  "The  Lady" 
photography  had  been  completed— this 
despite  the  big  sets  and  the  number  of 
actors  in  some  of  the  scenes. 

Frank  Borzage  directed  and  is  main- 
ly responsible  for  the  speed  with  which 
the  picture  has  been  finished.  So  thor- 
oughly had  the  preparations  been  made 
and  so  well  mapped  out  was  the  method 
of  procedure  that  not  a  day — hardly  an 
hour — was  lost.  Borzage,  who  made 
"Humoresque"  and  Norma  Talmadge's 
previous  picture,  "Secrets,"  asserts  that 
in  "The  Lady"  Miss  Talmadge  excels 
even  her  work  in  "Secrets,"  which  is 
not  only  one  of  the  highlights  in  her 
screen  career  but  in  motion  picture  pro- 
duction. 

*  *  * 

PICCADILLY  HOLDS 
OVER  'FRIETCHIE' 

Owing  to  the  splendid  business  that 
"Barbara  Frietchie"  has  drawn  at  New 
York's  new  Piccadilly  Theatre,  man- 
aging director  Lee  Ochs  has  extended 
the  run  of  the  picture  for  a  second 
week. 

In  announcing  the  hold-over  Mr. 
Ochs  said  that  while  he  anticipated  big 
business  with  "Barbara  Frietchie"  the 
results  exceeded  his  expectations  and 
that  he  was  particularly  gratified  by  the 
exceptionally  big  matinee  business  at- 
tracted by  the  picture. 

"Barbara  Frietchie"  said  Mr.  Ochs 
"is  a  story  known  and  beloved  by  every- 
one and  my  belief  that  its  great  suc- 
cess on  the  speaking  stage  would  act 
as  a  compelling  ballyhoo  for  the  pic- 
torial version  has  been  borne  out  by 
the  box-office  records." 

*  *  * 

MILTON  SILLS  TO 
DESERT  SCREEN 

Admirers  of  Milton  Sills  will  soon  be- 
gin to  see  the  last  motion  picture  por- 
trayals of  their  popular  actor. 

Sills,  whose  performance  before  the 
camera  have  made  him  one  of  the  most 
sought  after  actors  in  Hollywood  by 
producers,  has  decided  to  quit  movie 
acting  and  to  take  up  directing  upon 
conclusion  of  his  present  contract  with 
First  National  Pictures. 

Those  who  have  closely  watched  the 
work  of  this  actor  believe  that  as  a 


director  he  will  even  outshine  his  popu- 
larity and  achievements  as  a  player. 

Sills  has  years  of  stage  and  screen 
experience  to  fit  him  for  the  work  of  a 
director.  Regarded  as  possessing  one 
of  the  most  intellectual  minds  in  film- 
dom,  he  is  an  ardent  student  of  the 
drama  and  is  expected  to  prove  a  no- 
table creative  force  in  the  making  of 
films.  Sills  is  at  present  engaged  in  the 
portrayal  of  the  lead  in  "As  Man  De- 
sires," at  the  United  Studios. 


Alice  Terry,    one    of    the    screen's  most 
beautiful  women  is  playing  opposite  Con- 
way Tearle  in  First  National's  "The  Great 
Divide" 


'DANTE'S  INFERNO'  HAS 
WORLD  PREMIERE 

"Dante's  Inferno,"  the  William  Fox 
version  of  the  great  Italian  poet's 
"Divine  Comedy,"  opened  an  indefinite 
engagement  at  the  Central  Theatre, 
New  York,  Monday,  September  29,  be- 
fore an  audience  comprised  of  the  lead- 
ing social,  financial  and  literary  lights 
of  the  nation. 

The  verdict,  as  brought  before  the 
public  by  the  newspaper  reviewers  the 
following  morning,  was  unanimous  in 
its  commendation  of  the  excellence  of 
the  producer's  handling  of  the  classic 
subject.  Henry  Otto,  the  director,  and 
Edmund  Goulding,  the  adapter,  came  in 
for  a  great  mete  of  praise. 

All  those  who  witnessed  the  world 
premiere  spoke  of  the  photography. 
Probably  never  in  motion  pictures  has 
such  effect  been  attained  as  that  shown 
in  the  Hell  and  Inferno  scenes. 


MANY  BOOKINGS  FOR 
'NEVER  SAY  DIE' 

Douglas  MacLean's  latest  comedy 
"Never  Say  Die,"  being  released  by 
Associated  Exhibitors,  was  booked  by 
branch  manager  C.  G.  Powell  of  Phila- 
delphia, over  the  entire  Stanley  Circuit. 
In  the  Chicago  territory,  following  its 
first-run  engagement  "Never  Say  Die" 
is  booked  over  the  Asher  circuit  and 
also  over  the  entire  group  of  Mid- West 
theatres. 

*    *  * 

'PARISIAN  NIGHTS'  TO  BE 
F.  B.  0.  SPECIAL 

All  the  color  and  drama  incident  to 
Paris  night  life  in  the  higher  circles  of 
society  and  the  slums  of  the  French 
capital  will  furnish  a  background  for 
"Parisian  Nights"  the  second  big 
Gothic  Pictures  special  to  be  released 
by  Film  Booking  Offices  of  America. 

Casting  for  the  production  will  begin 
this  week  at  F.  B.  O.'s  Hollywood  stu- 
dios where  the  production  will  be  made 
for  Gothic  under  the  supervision  of 
B.  P.  Fineman. 


J.  G.  BACHMANN  ON 
EXTENDED  TRIP 

J.  G.  Bachmann,  treasurer  and  dis- 
tribution head  of  B.  P.  Schulberg  Pro- 
ductions, left  New  York  this  week  to 
visit  the  Preferred  exchanges  in  the 
far  West.  Before  he  returns  to  New 
York  he  will  stop  in  Los  Angeles  long 
enough  to  visit  the  company's  produc- 
tion headquarters  where  Mr.  Schulberg 
is  now  busy  on  his  proeram  of  nine 
features  for  release  this  vear. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  21 


No  Continental  Combine  Against 
American  Films,  Says  Ufa 


A 


PROPOS  of  the  rumor  emanating 
from  Washington  that  "Continen- 
tal film  trust,"  is  being  formed 
lo  keep  American  pictures  out  of  Eur- 
ope, Frederic  Wynne-Jones,  American 
representative  of  the  Ufa,  largest  Con- 
tinental producing  company,,  which  re- 
cently established  offices  in  New  York, 
issued  the  following  statement: 

"The  published  rumor  that* Continen- 
tal producers  are  forming  a  combine 
to  keep  American  films  out  of  Europe 
would  be  ridiculous  did  it  not  bear  all 
the  earmarks  of  propaganda  against 
Ufa.  It  is  significant  that  this  fool- 
ish rumor  comes  to  light  just  when 
Ufa  has  established  offices  here  to  offer 
its  product  direct  to  the  exhibitors  of 
the  United  States,  and  when  it  is  pre- 
paring to  strengthen  the  film  entente- 
cordiale  by  taking  some  of  America's 
screen  favorites  abroad  to  play  in  its 
production. 

"Ufa  controls  more  than  100  picture 
houses  in  Germany,  Holland,  Switz- 
erland, Finland  and  Poland.  American 
films  are  being  shown  in  these  houses 
right  along.  It  is  Ufa's  aim  to  present 
the  best  pictures,  and  therefore,  as  it 
recognizes  that  America  produces  the 
best  pictures,  it  will  continue  to  show 
American  films. 

"Ufa  is  not  in  sympathy  with  any 
movement  to  keep  American  pictures 
out  of  Europe,  nor  does  it  intend  to 
extend  its  sympathy  to  disgruntled  in- 
terests in  Europe  or  elsewhere,  which 
do  not  understand  the  situation  in  their 
own  countries. 

"So  long  as  Ufa  maintains  its  present 
policy  of  cooperation  with  American 
interests — and  the  establishment  of  of- 
fices in  New  York  seems  to  guarantee 
that — there  can  be  no  such  a  thing  as  a 
successful  combine  to  bar  American 
pictures  from  Europe." 

*   *  # 

FIRST  FOUR  GERSON 
PICTURES  NAMED 

B.  Berger,  general  manager  for  Ger- 
son  Pictures  Corporation,  producing  in 
San  Francisco,  announces  the  first  four 
titles  in  the  series  of  eight  high  speed 
and  thrill  productions  which  are  being 
produced  with  Richard  Holt  as  the  star. 

"Ten  Days,"  written  by  Arthur 
Hoerl,  is  the  first  of  the  series  and  has 
been  completed  and  is  now  being  edited 
and  titled.  The  second  picture  will  be 
"Too  Much  Youth,"  which  will  be  fol- 
lowed by  "Yankee  Nerve"  and  "It  Can 
Be  Done." 

All  these  productions,  and  the  second 
series  of  four  to  follow,  are  being  pro- 
duced under  the  direction  of  Duke 
Wo  me. 

"Too  Much   Youth"  is  well  under 


way  and  production  will  be  completed 
within  the  next  two  weeks.  Work  will 
start  immediately  on  "Yankee  Nerve." 
In  each  of  these  productions  Richard 
Holt  will  be  supported  by  the  best  fea- 
tured players  available. 

The  Richard  Holt — Gerson  Pictures 
will  be  franchised  on  the  independent 
market  and  for  this  purpose  general 
manager  Berger  will  make  a  trip 
throughout  the  entire  country  within 
the  next  month. 


F.  B.  0.  CASHES  IN  ON 
BASEBALL  SCANDAL 

The  sensational  scandal  and  expose 
of  dishonesty  and  crookedness  discov- 
ered in  Major  League  Baseball  creates 
an  unparalleled  opportunity  for  exhib- 
itors to  tie  up  all  the  tremendous  pub- 
licity this  scandal  is  creating  with 
Emory  Johnson's  F.  B.  O.  production. 

"Life's  Greatest  Game"  as  a  picture, 
and  to  prove  to  theatre-goers  that  this 
picture  is  a  gigantic  factor  in  the  fight 
for  honest  baseball. 

With  the  newspapers  throughout  the 
United  States  shrieking  and  screaming 
in  their  boldest  type  the  news  of  this 
expose  and  scandal,  and  baseball  edi- 
torials being  written  by  the  most  promi- 
nent and  brilliant  minds  of  the  day,  and 


with  sensational  stories  about  the  base- 
ball scandal  occupying  the  greater  por- 
tions of  thousands  of  newspapers, 
which  are  read  by  over  one  hundred 
million  people  in  every  nook  and  corner 
of  this  country.  "Life's  Greatest  Game" 
should  prove  the  greatest  money- 
maker any  exhibitor  ever  booked  since 
this  industry  began ! 

The  picture  is  being  released  at  ex- 
actly the  psychological  moment — the 
week  of  October  5th — and  it  played  at 
B.  S.  Moss'  Cameo  Theatre,  New  York, 
the  week  of  September  28,  when  the 
scandal  broke  in  the  newspapers.  It  is 
as  if  the  picture  were  made  to  order 
for  release  during  the  greatest  baseball 
scandal  in  the  history  of  the  national 
game ! 


LIKES  SCREEN  WORK  OF 
HAROLD  LLOYD 

Coupled  with  the  announcement  by 
Pathe  that  Harold  Lloyd's  most  recent 
picture,  "Hot  Water,"  will  open  at  the 
New  York  Mark  Strand  Theatre,  Oct. 
26,  comes  an  example  of  what  Euro- 
pean royalty  think  of  the  work  done 
by  this  well-known  screen  comedian. 

In  the  first  place,  one  of  the  produc- 
tions selected  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  while  enroute  to 
this  country  aboard  the  Berengaria  was 
the  Harold  Lloyd  picture  "Girl  Shy." 

Now  Lloyd  is  in  receipt  of  a  letter 
from  a  Prince  and  three  Princesses  of 
Greece,  congratulating  him  on  the  birth 
of  his  daughter,  Mildred  Gloria. 


Malcolm  Strauss,  Pathe  serial  producer,  is  explaining  the  fine  points  of  "Goldblaze" 
to  Alene  Pringle  (left)  and  Marie  Murray.    Goldblaze  is  to  feature  in  a  corning 

race  track  Patheserial. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ESCHMANN  MONTH 
SALES  GROWING 

The  indicator  of  First  National's 
Eschmann  Month  sales  contest  was 
struck  such  a  resounding  blow  during 
the  first  two  weeks  of  the  drive  that  it 
bounded  up  to  98  per  cent,  of  the  quota 
assigned  to  the  various  branches  for 
that  period.  This  was  an  increase  of 
4  per  cent,  over  the  point  reached  dur- 
ing the  first  week.  If  the  increase  is 
maintained  for  another  week  the  quota 
for  the  entire  country  will  be  ex- 
ceeded. 

Several  of  the  exchanges  exceeded 
their  quotas  during  the  first  two  weeks 
of  the  contest.  That  is,  in  itself,  a 
wonderful  record,  as  the  quotas  as- 
signed were  the  best  records  ever  made 
in  the  history  of  the  organization.  It 
is  confidently  anticipated  by  the  asso- 
ciates of  E.  A.  Eschmann  in  First  Na- 
tional's Distribution  Department  that 
during  the  drive  the  assigned  quotas 
will  be  exceeded  by  every  Branch  and 
that  the  sales  record  for  Eschmann 
Month  will  top  every  record  hitherto 
made  by  the  field  force  of  the  com- 
pany. 

The  great  success  that  has  attended 
the  contest  so  far  is  due  to  three 
causes- — first  and  foremost  of  the  thor- 
oughly organized  and  trained  sales 
force,  next  to  the  exceptional  quality 
of  the  product  being  marketed,  and  in 
the  third  place  to  the  confidence  of 
the  men  in  the  field  in  the  leadership 
of  the  company's  Manager  of  Distri- 
bution. 

Mr.  Eschmann  has  been  out  in  the 
field  during  the  week  just  past  visiting 
the  branches. 


Between  scenes  in  Earl  Hudson's  "Sundown,"  for  First  National,  member  of  the  cast 
went  through  the  old  army  game  of  hunting  wild  animals.  Here  is  a  scene  of  the  still  hunt.. 


SCHULBERG  STARTS 
ANOTHER  FEATURE 

What  is  promised  as  one  of  the  most 
original  picture  plots  ever  filmed  will 
be  produced  at  once  by  B.  P.  Schul- 
berg  under  the  title,  "Capital  Punish- 
ment." Mr.  Schulberg,  who  is  well 
known  as  producer  of  Preferred  Pic- 
tures, believes  that  he  has  found  a 
startlingly  unusual  story  that  will  take 
its  place  with  the  outstanding  films  of 
the  vear. 


In  Vitagraph's  "Captain  Blood,"  director  Smith  gathered  together  the  most  piratical 
crew  ever  assembled  since  Captain  Kidd's  well  known  co-workers.    None  of  this 

gang  will  ever  get  the  barber's  vote. 


'THE  HUNCHBACK'  A 
SENSATION  IN  LONDON 

Cable  advices  from  J.  V.  Bryson,. 
managing  director  of  the  European. 
Motion  Picture  Company,  of  London, 
to  R.  H.  Cochrane,  vice-president  of 
the  Universal  Pictures  Corporation,  in- 
dicate that  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre 
Dame"  is  sweeping  Great  Britain  as  no 
picture  has  done  in  a  decade.  From 
all  parts  of  the  Isles  come  reports  of 
smashed  box-office  records,  unusual 
press  notices  and  reviews,  and  unheard" 
of  exhibitor  reports. 

If  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame" 
has  been  made  in  England  by  an  Eng- 
lish company,  directed  by  an  English- 
director  and  played  by  English  actors,, 
it  could  not  have  received  greater  sup- 
port at  the  hands  of  the  British  public. 
It  is  regarded  by  London  film  wise- 
acres as  the  greatest  entertainment 
ever  shown  in  England,  according  to- 
Bryson. 

"The  Hunchback"  had  its  initial  pre- 
sentation in  London  less  than  a  year 
ago,  at  the  Empire  Theatre,  a  big  3,000' 
seat  house.  During  its  extended  run, 
an  exploitation  showing,  it  created 
great  interest.  As  is  customary  in  the 
British  film  field,  its  release  to  exhibi- 
tors was  delayed  until  a  few  weeks 
ago. 

It  is  now  playing  in  thirty  of  Lon- 
don's prominent  theatres,  and  piling  •up- 
unbelievable  records,  it  is  reported  by 
Bryson.  The  London  figures  are  du- 
plicated by  theatres  in  other  cities. 

In  Dublin,  "The  Hunchback"  is  in 
its  third  week,  and  is  proving  a  great: 
money  maker. 


October  18,  1921 


Page  23 


LESSER  WILL  PROTECT 
FRANCHISE  HOLDERS 

Irving  M.  Lesser,  vice-president  oi 
Principal  Pictures  Corporation,  has  re- 
ceived several  flattering  propositions  for 
permission  to  "road  show"  Harold  Bell 
Wright's  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron 
Door,"  it  became  known  this  week. 

Mr.  Lesser  announced  that  he  had  re- 
jected every  offer,  because  this  Harold 
Bell  Wright  picture,  directed  by  Sam 
Wood,  and  with  a  superb  cast,  has  been 
promised  exclusively  to  the  franchise 
holders  of  Principal  Pictures,  and  is  to 
be  alloted  by  them  to  exhibitors.  One 
of  .  the  offers  involved  a  cash  payment 
of  $25,000,  and  the  showman  who 
wanted  to  give  "The  Mine  With  The 
Iron  Door"  an  elaborate  presentation  in 
twenty  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  United 
States  said  he  was  certain  of  cleaning 
up  on  it.  This  man  made  the  offer  af- 
ter receiving  advices  from  his  Coast 
representatives  who  had  attended  pri- 
vate showings  of  the  picture.  The  rep- 
resentative wired  that  it  was  as  big  a 
production  as  "The  Covered  Wagon." 

Prints  of  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron 
Door"  are  being  sent  to  New  York  this 
week  on  a  special  car  and  as  soon  as 
they  reach  here  the  date  of  the  Broad- 
way showing  will  be  announced. 

Sam  Wood  now  is  preparing  to  begin 
work  on  Harold  Bell  Wright's  "The  Re- 
Creation  of  Brian  Kent,"  the  third 
Wright  story  to  be  made  by  Principal 
which  has  the  motion  picture  rights  to 
all  of  his  stories.  Mary  Carr  and  ZaSu 
Pitts  already  have  been  selected  for  the 
-  cast,  the  former  in  the  role  of  the  aunt 
and  the  latter  as  the  girl  of  the  Ozarks. 
Negotiations  now  are  pending  with  a 
player  of  world-wide  prominence  to 
play  the  role  of  Brian  Kent.  Like 
"The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,"  "The 
Re-Creation  of  Brian  Kent"  will  be 
made  under  the  supervision  of  Harold 
Bell  Wright. 
I  *  •*  * 

FILM  MEN  MANAGE 
LA  FOLLETTE  CAMPAIGN 

Davie  Bader,  former  publicist  for 
Baby  Peggy,  and  John  Meyer,  late  of 
the  Goldwyn  forces,  have  been  chosen 
by  Robert  M.  La  Follette  to  handle  the 
entire  financial  campaign  covering  the 
theatrical  and  motion  picture  industries. 

Bader  and  Meyer  are  both  popular 
film  men,  and  were  chosen  to  work  in 
close  association  with  Sam  Warshaw- 
sky,  a  clever  press  representative,  who 
is  New  York  district  manager.  They 
are  working  not  only  on  all  preliminary 
stump  work,  but  also  on  the  press  mat- 
ter and  publicity  in  advance  of  the  ac- 
tual campaigning. 

To  date  many  notable  actors  and  ac- 
tresses, and  many  large  theatres  have 
promised  their  cooperation  to  the  two 
-  publicists    and    campaigners.  Later 
Bader  plans  to  cover  the  Eastern  states 


Harry  Rapf,  associate  executive  of  M.etro 
Goldwyn-Mayer,  is    supervising    eight  of 
the   17  productions   now  being   made  or 
shortly  to  be  started. 


and  the  west,  to  collaborate  in  close 
harmony  with  all  theatrical  groups  in- 
terested in  "Fighting  Bob." 

*    *  * 

DENY  EMPEY  TO  PRODUCE 

The  Associated  Exhibitors,  through 
its  general  manager  J.  S.  Woody,  de- 
nied this  week  that  Guy  Empey  had 
contracted  to  produce  pictures  for  that 
organization. 

The  denial  was  forthcoming  in  an- 
swer to  published  stories  that  the  "war 
author"  was  about  to  produce  a  series 
of  pictures  for  the  Associated  in  which 
he  was  to  star  as  well  as  co-direct. 


SELZNICK  ENLARGES 
SELLING  FORCE 

The  Selznick  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion announces  that  it  has  increased  its 
selling  forces  within  the  past  fortnight 
by  the  addition  of  forty  men  through- 
out its  exchanges,  bringing  its  sales  or- 
ganization to  the  largest  proportions  in 
its  history. 

The  enlarged  personnel  of  the  sell- 
ing branch  of  the  Selznick  organization 
is  made  necessary,  according  to  the 
statement  emanating  from  the  Selznick 
offices,  by  the  greatly  increased  flow  of 
product  which  has  either  already  been 
acquired,  or  plans  for  the  acquisition  of 
which  are  near  completion. 

Among  the  productions  on  which  in- 
tensive selling  campaigns  will  be  made 
are  "The  Passionate  Adventure,"  star- 
ring Alice  Joyce  supported  by  Clive 
Brooke  and  Marjorie  Daw,  and  George 
Beban  in  "The  Greatest  Love  of  All." 
"His  Woman,"  a  production  now  being 
made  by  Whitman  Bennett  for  Selznick 
release,  will  also  follow  shortly.  A 
number  of  important  producer  affilia- 
tions will  place  a  steady  flow  of  pro- 
duct on  the  Selznick  list  of  offerings. 

The  augmentation  of  the  selling  force, 
it  is  asserted,  will  also  make  possible  a 
"clean-up"  campaign  of  the  pictures  re- 
leased by  Selznick  during  the  past  six 
months,  including  productions  featur- 
ing George  Arliss  ($20  a  Week),  Betty 
Compson  (The  White  Shadow)  and 
Helene  Chadwick  (Love  of  Women) 
among  others. 

The  recent  additions  to  the  selling: 
forces  will  be  given  a  specialized  train- 
ing in  the  handling  of  the  Selznick  pro- 
duct, fitting  them  to  represent  produc- 
tions of  the  importance  of  the  new  pic- 
tures. 


Charles  Murray,  Dorothy  Mackaill  and  Bert  Woodruff  in  a  scene  from  Principle 
Pictures  feature,  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door,"  from  Harold  Bell  Wright's  novel. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BIG  THEATRES  BOOK 
WARNER  PRODUCT 

Detailed  reports  from  distributors  of 
Warner  Brothers  pictures  throughout 
the  country  indicate  that  the  Warner 
Twenty  for  1924-25  are  being  signed 
up  rapidly  by  many  of  the  leading  the- 
atres and  circuits.  The  sale  of  the 
product  has  already  progressed  to  such 
an  extent  that  Warner  Bros,  executives 
felt  confident  that  the  firm's  business 
for.  the  new  season  will  be  the  biggest 
in  its  history. 

In  Greater  New  York  City  the 
Strand  is  on  the  list  together  with  the 
B,  F.  Keith  Metropolitan  Circuit,  the 
B.  S.  Moss  theatres,,  and  Keeney's 
Brooklyn  circuit.  Proctor's  theatres  in 
Yonkers,  Albany,  Schenectady,  and 
Troy  are  some  of  the  important  houses 
in  the  state,  outside  of  New  York  City. 
Others/are  the  Park  in  Newburg,  the 
Piccadilly  in  Rochester,  the  Empire  in 
Syracuse,  the  Avon  in  Utica,  and  the 
Majestic  in  Elmira.  New  Jersey  con- 
tracts include  the  State,  Jersey  City; 
the  Newark ;  the  Regent,  Paterson ;  the 
Lyceum,  Bayonne;  the  Lyric,  Hobo- 
ken;  the  Montauk,  Passaic;  the  Mont- 
clair,  Montclair;  the  Roosevelt,  West 
Hoboken;  the  State,  Union  Hill;  and 
the  Bijou  and  Capitol,  Atlantic  City. 

The  Rialto  will  play  the  product  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  the  Metropolitan  in 
Baltimore,  and  the  Modern-Beacon  in 
Boston,  Lowell,  Springfield,  Worces- 
ter, and  Lawrence  are  on  the  list  with 
the  Merrimack  Square,  the  Capitol, 
Poli's,  and  the  Modern,  respectively. 

The  Ohio  bookings  are  outstanding 
with  the  following  theatres:  Stillman, 
State,  Allen,  and  Circle  in  Cleveland; 
Capitol,  Strand,  and  Walnut  in  Cincin- 


nati; the  State  and  Strand  in  Dayton; 
the  Southern  and  Majestic  in  Colum- 
bus, and  the  Eastland  in  Portsmouth. 

In  Maine  the  William  Gray  New 
England  Circuit  has  been  signed  to- 
gether with  the  Strand  theatre  in  Port- 
land. 

The  Rialto,  Providence;  the  Strand, 
Pawtucket;  Poli's,  Bridgeport;  the 
Strand,  Hartford,  and  the  Rialto,  Wa- 
terbury,  are  early  and  important  book- 
ings in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 
*    *  * 

OLD  TIME  PICTURE 
IS  RESURRECTED 

What  is  perhaps  the  oldest  film  in 
existence,  "The  Haunted  Hotel,"  which 
was  made  twenty-one  years  ■  ago— 
hence  is  just  of  age— has  been  resur- 
rected and  is  now  being  shown  in  con- 
nection with  the  recent  Vitagraph  re- 
lease, "Between  Friends,"  at  the  For- 
um Theatre,  Los  Angeles. 

J.  Stuart  Blackton,  who  produced 
"Between  Friends,"  thought  of  "The 
Haunted  Hotel"  when  the  Los  An- 
geles showing  of  the  new  feature  was 
arranged,  and  such  a  hit  had  the  old- 
timer'scored  that  other  exhibitors  are 
deluging  Vitagraph  with  requests  for 
early-day  pictures. 

From  the  fact  that  Vitagraph  is  the 
only  company  now  operating  which 
was  in  existence  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago,  it  would  appear  to  have  acquired, 
unknowingly,  an  absolute  monopoly  of 
very  old  pictures.  No  other  concern 
now  making  pictures  is  in  a  position  to 
offer  for  exhibition  films  which  had  a 
place  in  the  early  history  of  the  indus- 
try. 


A  scene  from  Warner  Brothers'  "Lover  of  Camille,"  from  the  stage  play  "Deburau." 
This  picture  is  one  of  the  most  elaborate  yet  produced    by    Warner  Brothers 

and  is  filled  with  dramatic  situations. 


METRO-GOLDWYN  WEEKS 
A  BIG  SUCCESS 

Metro-Goldwyn  Weeks,  October  5 
to  18,  formally  opened  last  week  with 
the  showing  of  new  Metro-Goldwyn 
pictures  in  motion  picture  theatres 
throughout  the  country.  From  the  na- 
tional publicity  given  the  occasion  in 
newspapers  and  by  theatres  nationally, 
and  from  the  enthusiasm  expressed  by 
exhibitors  over  the  new  Metro-Gold- 
wyn product,  the  celebration  promises 
to  be  the  most  successful  ever  put  over 
by  anyone  in  the  picture  business. 

James  R.  Grainger  and  Edward  M. 
Saunders,  sales  heads  of  Metro-Gold- 
wyn, report  that  the  sales  drive  which 
reaches  its  greatest  intensity  this  week 
has  already  produced  even  bigger  re- 
sults than  were  expected.  Mr.  Grain- 
ger has  just  returned  to  New  York 
from  a  trip  through  the  Eastern  terri- 
tory, and  stated  he  was  more  than 
satisfied  with  the  showing  made  by  the 
sales  organization.  He  reported  that 
every  exhibitor  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact  was  pronounced  in  his  belief 
that  Metro-Goldwyn  offered  the  thea- 
tre men  this  season  the  best  line-up  of 
box-office  pictures  in  the  industry. 

This  is  indicated,  Mr.  Grainger 
points  out,  by  the  showing  already 
made  by  new  Metro-Goldwyn  releases 
in  the  record-breaking  grosses  they  are 
getting  in  every  section  of  the  country. 

One  of  the  new  contracts  negotiated 
by  Mr.  Grainger  is  with  Frank  Durkee, 
president  of  the  Maryland  Motion  Pic- 
ture Theatre  Owners,  for  100  per  cent 
Metro-Goldwyn  product  in  Mr.  Dur- 
kee's  circuit  of  five  theatres  in  Balti- 
more. 

EdWard  M.  Saunders  is  now  on  an 
extended  trip  through  the  western  ter^ 
ritory.  Paul  Burger,  division  manager 
of  the  western  sales  division  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  is  also  on  a 
sales  trip  through  his  territory. 

Mr.  Burger   has    closed    with  the 
America  Theatre  of  Colorado  Spring 
for  the  entire  1924-25  Metro-Goldwy 
product. 

*    *  * 

FIRST  NATIONAL  IS 
RUSHING  WORK 

Camera  work  has  been  completed  o 
two  more  First  National  pictures — "I 
I  Marry  Again"  and  Sam  Rork's  "Ine 
From  Hollywood" — and  they  are  no 
in  the  cutting  and  editing  process. 

Reports  received  at  First  National's 
home  office  from  the  Coast  indicat 
that  "If  I  Marry  Again"  is  turning  ou 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  of  the  organiza 
tion's  own  productions. 

Sam  Rork's  "Inez  From  Hollywood' 
is  credited  in  the  various  reports  which 
have  been  received  on  it,  with  striking 
a  good  note  which  will  place  it  high  r 
the  ranks  of  First  National  releases. 
Al  Green  directed  it  with  a  cast  heade 
by  Anna  Q.  Nilsson. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  25 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 
RELEASE  TRICE  OF  PARTY' 

The  Associated  Exhibitors  announce 
this  week  the  release  of  the  first 
Howard  Estabrook  production  on  their 
program  entitled  "The  Price  of  a 
Party." 

The  production  is  based  on  the  Cos- 
mopolitan Magazine  story  by  William 
McHarg  and  adapted  for  the  screen  by 
Charles  Forrest  Roebuck.  Charles  Gib- 
lyn  directed  the  production. 

Hope  Hampton  as  the  star  heads  a 
list  of  prominent  players  including  Har- 
rison Ford,  Mary  Astor,  Arthur  Ed- 
mund Carew  and  Dagmar  Godowsky. 
Members  of  the  supporting  cast  consist 
of  Fred  Hadley,  Florence  Richardson, 
Edna  Richmond,  Donald  Lashey, 
Daniel  Pennell,  Moy  Bennett,  Edward 
Lawrence,  Claire  Luce,  Ward  Fox, 
and  Esther  Muir. 


WORK  PROGRESSING  ON 
'WHITE  MAN' 

Work  was  finished  this  week  on  the 
interior  scenes  for  'White  Man,"  the 
big  jungle  film  which  B.  P.  Schulberg 
is  making  ready  for  release  as  a  Pre- 
ferred Picture.  The  company  which 
includes  Alice  Joyce,  Kenneth  Harlan, 
and  Walter  Long  has  left  Hollywood  to 
go  on  location  for  an  extended  period 
of  time.  Gasnier  is  directing  this  pic- 
turization  of  George  Chamberlain's 
novel  which  was  adapted  for  the  screen 
by  Eve  Unsell  and  Olga  Printzlau. 

^»  T 

AL  SANTELL  RETURNS 
TO  F.  B.  O.  FOLD 

B.  P.  Fineman,  general  manager  of 
F.  B.  O.'s  Hollywood  studios  an- 
nounced this  week  that  Al  Santell  has 
returned  to  the  F.  B.  O  fold  to  begin 
work  shortly  on  a  big  drama  for  Gothic 
Pictures  called  "Parisian  Nights." 

The  story  is  by  Emile  Forst  and  was 
adapted  by  Doty  Hobart.  The  cast  will 
include  several  well  known  players  and 
will  be  announced  early  in  the  future. 
Mr.  Santell  recently  distinguished  him- 
self by  directing  "Fools  in  the  Dark" 
starring  Matt  Moore  and  Patsy  Ruth 
Miller  and  "Lights  Out,"  both  for 
F.  B.  O. 

*    *  * 

DURKEE  TAKES  METRO 
PICTURES  EXCLUSIVELY 

Frank  Durkee,  president  of  the 
Maryland  Motion  Picture  Theatre 
Owners,  has  contracted  100  percent  for 
this  season's  entire  Metro  -  Goldwyn 
product  for  the  circuit  of  five  neigh- 
borhood motion  picture  theatres  which 
he  controls  in  Baltimore.  The  deal 
was  closed  last  week  by  Mr.  Durkee 


and  James  R.  Grainger,  eastern  sales 
manager  of  Metro-Goldwyn. 

The  Palace,  the  Belnord,  the 
Schanzes,  the  Paterson  and  the  Forest 
Theatres  are  the  houses  which  will  play 
the  new  Metro-Goldwyn  product.  Mr. 
Durkee  is  one  of  the  best  known  ex- 
hibitors in  the  East,  whose  theatres  in 
Baltimore  have  been  the  home  of  the 
finest  pictures. 

Mr.  Durkee's  move  in  lining  up  with 
Metro-Goldwyn  is  similar  to  that  of 
leading  exhibitors  throughout  the  coun- 
try. The  contract  negotiated  with  Mr. 
Durkee  is  part  of  the  intensive  sales 
drive  accompanying  Metro-Goldwyn 
Weeks  October  5  to  18. 

*    #  # 

JAMES  HAVENS  DIES 

James  H.  Havens,  prominent  theatre 
man  of  Olean,  N.  Y.,  is  dead.  Mr. 
Havens  was  born  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  57 
years  ago.  He  was  manager  of  the 
Havens  Theatre  in  Olean  for  many 
years  and  was  owner  of  the  house  at 
the  time  of  his  death  which  was  caused 
by  heart  disease.  He  had  been  sick 
several  months. 


FOX  FILM  CORPORATION  cele- 
brating its  twenty-fifth  birthday, 
announces  to  exhibitors  its  schedule 
for  1924-25  and  the  achievement  of 
production  is  worthy  of  the  occasion. 
It  is  a  man's  size  job. 

Fifty-two  dramatic  productions  are 
on.  the  list.  Five  of  these  are  Giant 
Specials,  twenty-six  ^specials  including 
seven  big  Tom  Mix  features  and  twen- 
ty-one star  pictures  for  Buck  Jones, 
Shirley  Mason  and  Edmund  Lowe.  In 
addition  to  this  there  are  listed  17  Im- 
perial Comedies,  20  Sunshine  Comedies, 
seven  Monkey  Comedies,  twenty-six 
Educational  subjects,  eight  two  reel 
Van  Bibber  pictures  from  the  stories  by 
Richard  Harding  Davis  and  Fox  News 
twice  a  week. 

Representing  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  in  production  costs  and  many 
more  thousands  in  screen  rights,  the 
Fox  program  includes  many  of  the  big- 
gest stage  successes  and  literary  tri- 
umphs on  record.  Backing  this  with 
an  array  of  the  most  competent  direc- 
tors and  scenario  writers  in  the  busi- 
ness, the  officials  of  Fox  Film  Corpora- 
tion declare  the  program  the  greatest  in 
the  history  of  the  company. 

Among  the  stage  successes  which 
have  been  produced  or  are  in  course  of 
production  at  the  Fox  studios  are  "The 
Fool,"  "The  Man  Who  Came  Back," 
"It  is  The  Law,"  "Hearts  of  Oak," 


Sidney  Kent,  General  Manager  of  Famous 
Players-Lasky,  who  is  returning  from  the 
Coast  after  being  instrumental  in  signing 
Lloyd  and  Valentino  to  release  through 
his  company. 


"The  Warren  of  Virginia,"  "In  Love 
With  Love."  "The  Dancers"  and 
"Gold  Heels,"  adapted  from  Henry 
Blossom's  famous  racing  play,  "Check- 
ers." 

The  novels,  short  stories  and  other 
literary  works  on  the  list  are  "Gerald 
Cranston's  Lady,"  "Dante's  Inferno," 
"Flames  of  Desire,"  adapted  from 
Oudia's  "Strathmore,"  "The  Last  of 
The  Duanes,"  "Riders  of  the  Purple 
Sage"  and  "The  Rainbow  Trail,"  by 
Zane  Grey;  "The  Hunted  Woman,"  by 
James  Oliver  Curwood;  "Thorns  of 
Passion,"  from  Robert  W.  Service's 
"The  Roughneck" ;  "The  Deadwood 
Coach,"  from  Clarence  Milford's  "The 
Orphan";  "The  Painted  Lady," 
"Teeth"  and  "The  Last  Man  on  Earth." 

This  imposing  list  of  productions  is 
supplemented  by  special  stories — dra- 
matic, humorous  and  spectacular — by 
writers  whose  names  are  legend  in  the 
cinema  world. 

The  motto  of  the  producers,  which  is 
reflected  throughout  the  entire  list  of 
productions,  has  been  "Bigger  stories, 
better  productions,  and  box  -  office 
values,  first,  last  and  always." 

The  five  Giant  Specials  of  the  Fox 
schedule  will  be:  "The  Fool,"  "The 
Man  Who  Came  Back,"  "Dante's  In- 
ferno," "Gerald  Cranston's  Lady"  and 
"Hunting  Wild  Animals  in  Holly- 
wood." 


Fox  Announces  1924-5  Schedule 
On  Twenty-fifth  Birthday 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Edith  Thornton,  elevated  to 
stardom,  in  "Virtue's  Revolt,"  is 
shown  as  herself  and  as  Strelsa 
Cane  in  three  thrilling  incidents 
from   the   Steiner  production. 


Niles  Welch,  Crauford  Kent  and 
Florence  Lee  support  Miss 
Thornton  in  her  first  stellar  ve- 
hicle. Each  contributes  a  note- 
worthy character  interpretation. 


'Virtue's  Revolt 


Scenes  of  high  dramatic  interest,  tell  the  story  of  Strelsa  Cane — a  role  portrayed  by 
Edith  Thornton,  in  the  picture  released  through  Productions,  Inc. 


October  18,  1924 


"With  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIDUTORS 


NE  thing  to  remember  in  this  business  is:  the  door   is  never  closed   to  good  pictures.     The  public  are  not 
interested  in  any  particular  producer  or  group  of   producers.     Whether  a  picture  comes  out  on  the  states- 
right  market,  or  otherwise,  if  it  contains  the  elements  of  public  appeal  it  will  be    shown    on    the  screen 
throughout  the  country.     Public  demand  determines  the  exhibitor's  bookings,   and   every  exhibitor  wants  pictures 
that  satisfy  this  demand.     That  they  are  finding  suitable   pictures  in  the  state-right  exchanges  is  proven  by  the 
enormous  growth  in  the  state-rights  business  during  the  past  year. 

I  have  no  doubts  about  the  future  o:  this  business,   with  better  pictures  coming  along  all  the  time,  and  the 
independent   exchanges   improving  theii    organizations,   their  service  and  efficiency,  the  outlook  is  indeed  an  encourag- 
ing one,  and  I  look  for  the  same  steady,  healthy  growth  that  has  characterized  this  business  during  the  past  year. 
ARTHUR  A.  LEE,  President,   LEE-BRADFORD  CORPORATION. 


Johnny  Hines  Features  Are 
In  Great  Demand 


MARKED  progress  in  the  sale  of 
the  three  Johnny  Hines  features, 
"The  Speed  Spook,"  "The  Early 
Bird"  and  "The  Cracker  Jack"  was 
made  this  week,  when  C.  C.  Burr,  gen- 
eral manager  of  East  Coast  Films  Inc., 
announced  that  the  territory  of  Wash- 
ington, Oregon,  Northern  Idaho  and 
Montana,  was  purchased  by  Quality 
Pictures,  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Ok- 
lahoma and  Texas  went  to  Frank  Fay 
of  Southwest  Film  Corporation,  Film 
Building,  Dallas,  Texas ;  Arkansas 
went  to  R.  D.  Lewis  of  Homestate 
Film  Company,  1114  West  Markham 
Street,  Tittle  Rock,  Ark. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  territori- 
al rights  are  being  closed  is  conclusive 
proof  of  the  drawing  power  of  Johnny 
Hines,  commented  C.  C.  Burr.  So  con- 
fident are  the  leading  Independent  ex- 
changemen  of  the  C.  C.  Burr-Johnny 
Hines  product  that  practically  all  of  the 
sales  made  were  consummated  by  the 
exchanges  without  asking  to  see  "The 
Speed  Spook,"  which  is  the  first  of  the 
series  to  be  completed. 

The  unusually  good  reviews  accord- 
ed "The  Speed  Spook"  by  every  trade 
paper  is  proff  positive  that  the  confi- 
dence placed  in  C.  C.  Burr  by  the  vari- 
ous exchanges  that  contracted  for  the 
series  prior  to  their  inception,  was  not 
misplaced.  Negotiations  are  now  pend- 
ing with  the  most  important  exchanges 
in  the  small  list  of  - unsold  territories, 
and  indications  point  to  an  early  clos- 
ing of  the  majority  of  these. 

The  sale  price  on  the  Johnny  Hines 
features  represent  what  is  probably 
the  highest  basis  ever  .asked  for  and  re- 
ceived in  state-  right  histor}'.  The  un- 
usually good  business  done  by  both  ex- 


changes and  exhibitors  on  "Conductor 
1492,"  "Little  Johnny  Jones,"  "Burn 
'em  up  Barnes"  and  the  other  Hines 
features  well  remembered  by  everybody 
in  the  independent  end  of  the  business. 


Reed  Howes,  who  is  looked  upon  by  West 
Coast  producers  as  the  logical  successor 
to  the  late  Wallace  Reid,  has  been  signed 
up  by  W.  Ray  Johnston,  president  of  Ray- 
art  Pictures. 


ELABORATE  CAST  FOR 
'WIZARD  OF  OZ' 

One  of  the  most  notable  casts  in  the 
history  of  screen  production  is  now  be- 
ing assembled  by  Larry  Semon  as  his 
support  in  the  production  of  "The  Wiz- 
ard of  Oz"  which  he  plans  to  make  his 


monumental  picture.  Those  selected 
already  are  Bryant  Washburn,  Wanda 
Hawley,  Josef  Swickard,  Dorothy 
Dwan,  Chester  Conklin  and  Oliver 
Hardy.  L.  E.  Chadwick,  president  of 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation,  prom- 
ises the  addition  of  several  other  names 
of  national  prominence,  several  of 
whom  have  been  starred  in  their  own 
productions. 

Both  Mr.  Chadwick  and  Semon  are 
in  daily  receipt  of  letters  and  wires 
from  fans,  exhibitors  and  people  promi- 
nent in  various  lines,  praising  them  for 
their  astuteness  in  securing  this  much 
beloved  story  for  their  forthcoming  pic- 
ture. 

"The  Wizard  of  Oz"  is  already  in 
production  and  will  be  completed  before 
the  holiday  season  in  December  at 
which  time  Mr.  Chadwick  is  laying 
plans  for  a  wholesale  exhibition  of  the 
picture  throughout  the  country. 

*    *  * 

CAST  CHOSEN  FOR 
'THE  THREE  KEYS' 

Completion  of  the  all  star  cast  for 
"The  Three  Keys,"  the  second  Banner 
feature  produced  by  Ben  Verschleiser, 
was  announced  early  this  week  by 
George  H.  Davis,  who,  with  Samuel  J. 
Briskin,  directs  the  activities  of  Banner 
Production,  Inc.  Production  work, 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Versch- 
leiser, will  be  begun  at  once  at  the  F. 
B.  O.  studios  in  Hollywood. 

The  cast  for  "The  Three  Keys,"  as 
announced  by  Mr.  Davis,  includes 
Edith  Roberts,  Virginia  Lee  Corbin, 
Jack  Mulhall,  Gaston  Glass,  Miss  Du- 
Pont  and  Stuart  Holmes,  all  favorites 
of  established  screen  reputation. 

Edward  Le  Saint  will  direct. 

The  Story  of  "The  Three  Keys"  is 
based  on  the  novel  of  that  name  by 
Frederick  Ormond,  published  by  W.  J.. 
Watt  &  Co.,  which  originally  appeared 
serially  in  the  Argosy. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


LEONARD  RESUMES  WORK 
IN  'FLYING  FISTS' 

Work  was  resumed  on  the  "Flying 
Fists"  series  at  the  Tec-Art  Studio  on 
East  Forty-Eighth  street,  New  York, 
last  week.  The  final  three  of  the  series 
of  two  reel  features  starring  Benny 
Leonard,  Champion  Lightweight  of  the 
World,  are  being  produced  by  Henry 

s  1 

jgj     Another  Box-Office  Picture!  |j 

|  LIONEL 
1 BARRYMORE 


M 
gj 
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B 


in 


MEDDLING 
WOMEN 

l/ie  second  of  the  famous 
independent  unit  

The  Chadwick  9 


The  M.  P.  News  Said: 

Another  Lionel  Barrymore 
success. 

An  absorbing  film. 

Spectator  is  gripped  from 
beginning  to  end. 

The  supporting  cast  is  A 
No.  1. 

A  lot  of  dramatic  punch. 

BOOK  IT  NOW! 

from  your  leading  Independent 
Exchange 


1 


i 


Ginsberg,  who  controls  the  territorial 
rights  to  the  series. 

The  fourth  bout  of  the  series,  all  of 
which  were  written  by  Sam  Hellman  of 
Saturday  Evening  Post  fame,  will  have 
Alyce  Mills,  as  leading  woman  opposite 
Leonard.  Tammany  Young  is  again 
playing  his  role  of  the  trainer,  and  the 
comedy  part  of  "Cream  Cheese"  is  in 
the  hand  of  Dick  Lee.  Harry  Lee 
Dick's  twin  brother  is  cast  as  a  re- 
former. 

Lawrence  Windom  whose  work  on 
the  first  three  of  the  "Flying  Fists" 
series  was  so  satisfactory,  is  again  di- 
recting the  pictures.  The  cameraman 
is  Frank  Zukor. 

*  *  * 

SEMON  COMPLETES 
4KID  SPEED' 

"Kid  Speed,"  Larry  Semon's  second 
two-reel  comedy  to  be  released  by  Edu- 
cational has  been  completed  and  prints 
are  in  the  hands  of  the  distributing  or- 
ganization according  to  an  announce- 
ment from  I.  E.  Chadwick,  president  of 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation,  the 
producers. 

Semon  is  now  engaged  in  the  pro- 
duction of  his  second  feature  length 
production,  "The  Wizard  of  Oz,"  a 
screen  version  of  one  of  the  most  fam- 
ous books  in  publishing  history  and 
Fred  Stone's  first  and  biggest  stage 
success. 

*  *  * 

CRANFIELD  &  CLARKE 
ANNOUNCE  SCHEDULE 

Cranfield  &  Clarke  have  a  good  line- 
up of  pictures  and  they  announce  the 
list  together  with  the  release  dates.  The 
pictures  contain  the  names  of  promi- 
nent stars  and  these  together  with 
clever  stories  will  make  friends  for  the 
new  company. 

Following  is  the  list:  "Lily  of  the 
Alley,"  August  16.;  "Strangling 
Threads,"  September  1.;  "A  Soul's 
Awakening,"  October  L;  "Speak  No 
Evil,"  November  1.;  Super-Special  to 
be  announced  later.  "Pipes  of  Pan," 
December  1  ;  "Crimson  Circle,"  De- 
cember 15;  "Mist  in  the  Valley,"  Janu- 
ary L;  "Justice  Raffles,"  January  15.; 
"John  Forrest  Finds  Himself,"  Febru- 
ary 1.;  "The  Amazing  Quest,"  Febru- 
ary 15. 


Jkemedic  Music 


Cue  ^She.e.t' 


M.J.  MINTZ  p*" 


IS  FURNISHED  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


C.  B.  C.  SELLS  FOUR 
TO  CANADA 

There  is  much  rejoicing  in  the  offices 
of  C.  B.  C.  at  present.  Joe  Brandt  has 
just  consummated  the  sale  of  the  rights 
for  Canada  to  the  Film  De  Luxe  Co. 
of  Montreal,  Canada.  The  pictures  in- 
volved are  as  follows,  "Marriage  Mar- 
ket," "Forgive  and  Forget,"  "Inno- 
cence," and  "Temptation." 


W.ftAY  JOHNSTON 
presents 


WITH  AN  AIL  STAR  CAST 


PRODUCED  BY 
K.LEE  WILLIAMS  ON  THE 
WORLD  FAMOUS  101  RANCH 

DIRECTED  BY 
GORDON  HINES 


For  Your  Territory 
Communicate  With 

RAYART  PICTURES 
CORPORATION 

723  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 


October  18,  1924 


Page  29 


^th  The  Independent  Distridutors 


'THE  EARLY  BIRD'  NOW 
IN  PRODUCTION 

Activity  is  the  keynote  at  the  Jack- 
son Studio  where  C.  C.  Burr  is  produc- 
ing Johnny  Hines'  next  starring  ve- 
hicle "The  Early  Bird."  The  entire 
cast,  consisting  of  Johnny  Hines,  Sig- 
rid  Holmquist,  Wyndam  Standing, 
Edmund  Breese  and  Bradley  Barker 
have  been  working  consistently  for  the 
past  five  weeks  with  the  result  that  the 


'ccuracy 


A  series  of  pictures  of  uni- 
versal appeal. 

Thrills  and  action  throughout 
BUT — 

The  story  is  never  sacrificed 
to  the  stunt  or  to  a  stunt  actor. 

PERFECTION 
PICTURES 

presents 

EVA  NOVAK 

and    associated  players 

william  fairbanks 
clair  Mcdowell 

kate  lester 
wilfred  lucas 
carl  stockdale 

RALPH  DePALMA 
PHILO  McCOLLOUGH 
JACK  BYRON 
LAURA  WINTSON 
MARK  FENTON 

in 

8  SPEED  ACTION 
THRILLERS 

"Battling  Fool" 
"The  Fatal  Kiss" 

"Women  First" 
"Racing  for  Life" 
"The  Fearless  Lover" 
"A  Fight  For  Honor" 
"The  Beautiful  Sinner" 
"Tainted  Money" 

Columbia  Productions 

1600  Broadway,  N.  Y.  City 

Bos-4,  Cle-1,  Min-1,  SL-1,  Atl-2,  Dal-2, 
NO-2,  Chi-3,  Det-1,  NY-1,  Cin-1,  Ind-2, 
Phi-2. 


production  has  just  about  reached  the 
half-way  mark. 

The  continuity  of  "The  Early  Bird" 
which  calls  for  a  large  amount  of  varied 
action  and  locale  has  kept  the  entire 
cast  on  the  jump  ever  since  production 
started,  and  the  excellent  results  ob- 
tained are  due  also  in  no  small  meas- 
ure to  the  competent  technical  staff 
which  has  consistently  kept  to  the  pro- 
duction schedule  since  the  inception  of 
the  feature. 

At  the  present  time  the  complete 
studio  space  is  taken  up  with  four 
mammoth  sets  which  include  a  repro- 
duction of  the  Palais  Royale  in  New 
York  City;  the  interior  of  a  fashion- 
able Fifth  Avenue  residence ;  a  com- 
plete milk-bottling  plant  copied  after 
that  of  the  Sheffield  dairy ;  and  a  meet- 
ing hall  typical  of  the  many  union 
gathering  places. 

In  the  cabaret  sequence  Broadway- 
ites  will  witness  Charles  Strickland 
himself  and  his  orchestra  which  is  now 
playing  at  the  Palais  D'or  in  New  York- 
City.  Strickland's  band  noted  as  one 
of  the  outstanding  orchestras  of  the 
country  supplied  the  music  for  a  host 
of  extras  who  were  used  in  the  cabaret 
sets. 

Interesting  indeed  is  the  perfect  re- 
production of  the  dairy  set  where 
skilled  mechanics  actually  built  a  milk- 
bottling  machine  in  the  studio.  The 
Sheffield  dairy  gave  its  co-operation 
gladly  with  the  result  that  this  par- 
ticular set,  in  which  the  high  dramatic 
spots  of  the  action  take  place  is  as 
realistic  as  it  possibly  can  be.  The 
picture  will  be  ready  for  release  about 
December  1. 

*    *  * 

NEW  SCREEN  SNAPSHOT 
READY  FOR  C.  B.  C. 

C.  B.  C.  announces  that  the  second 
number  of  the  new  series  of  "Screen 
Snapshots,"  the  bi-monthly  single  reel 
film  fan  magazine  is  now  ready  for  re- 
lease. This  number  shows  among  many 
celebrities  Mae  Murray,  Bob  Leonard 
and  James  Kirkwood.  A  good  part  of 
the  reel  was  taken  up  by  the  many 
hundreds  of  screen  celebrities  at  the 
Movie  Ball,  the  annual  event  which 
brings  out  all  the  Hollywood  lights  in 
full  force. 

C.  B.  C.  announce  a  correction  in  an 
announcement  made  recently.  Credit 
for  the  writing  and  adaptation  of  "One 
Glorious  Night,"  was  given  to  Charles 
MacArthur  whereas  credit  should  have 
been  given  to  Harry  Gates  and  J. 
Grubb  Alexander.  Charles  MacArthur 
wrote  "The  Fatal  Kiss,"  the  story  for 
one  of  the  Perfection  Series  being  re- 
leased under  that  title. 


KAUFMAN  IN  NEW  YORK 

Herbert  Kaufman,  sales  manager  for 
Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  claims  the 
honors  for  snappy  transcontinental 
round  trip  traveling.  Mr.  Kaufman 
left  Hollywood  two  and  a  half  weeks 
ago  on  his  way  to  New  York,  hopping 
off  first  at  Denver,  then  St.  Louis,  Dal- 
las, Atlanta  and  Washington.  He  met 
with  success  in  every  city  at  which  he 
stopped  and  arrived  in  New  York  on 
October  8. 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 


If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of     Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 


ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 

220  West  42nd  St.      .   New  York  City 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


COMEDY  WESTERN  FOR 
FRANKLYN  FARNUM 

Franklyn  Farnum's  next  picture  for 
Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  the  third 
of  the  second  series  of  eight,  will  strike 
a  new  note  in  Farnum  productions, 
While  the  theme  of  the  story  is  dis- 
tinctly western  there  will  be  interwoven 
through  it  a  network  of  comedy  of  the 
enthusiastic,  spontaneous  kind  that  is 
naturally  a  part  of  Farnum. 

Franklyn  Farnum  is  an  inherent 
comedy  man  and  before  coming  to  the 
screen  he  played  for  many  years  on  the 
vaudeville  stage  where  he  was  well 
known  as  a  subtle  comedian.  Because 
of  his  flare  for  stunt  work  and  his 
ready  adaptability  to  western  pictures, 
he  has  been  kept  at  this  type  of  work 
exclusively  since  he  entered  the  pic- 
tures. 

Now,  however,  Jesse  H.  Goldburg 
has  hit  upon  the  happy  idea  of  com- 
bining the  two,  thereby  giving  to  the 
public  a  combination  to  which  it  is  un- 
used and  for  which  it  has  been  eager, 
and  is  at  the  same  time  giving  to  Far- 
num, a  part  to  which  he  can  do  full 
justice  as  he  has  never  quite  been  able 
to  do  it  before. 

The  picture  that  will  mark  the  be- 
ginning of  this  type  of  work,  is  now  in 
the  process  of  production  and  will 
probably  be  ready  for  release  some  time 
in  December.  The  title  is  as  yet  un- 
determined. 

*    *  * 

AYWON  STUNT  FEATURE 
READY  FOR  SCREEN 

Important  to  the  independent  market 
and  to  the  industry  in  general  is  the 
announcement  made  this  week  from 
the  offices  of  Nathan  Hirsch,  President 
of  Aywon  Film  Corporation,  that  "The 
Law  and  the  Lady,"  the  first  of  a  series 
of  six  special  society  stunt  productions, 
has  been  completed  and  now  ready  for 
screening. 

This  picture  is  a  thrilling  stunt  fea- 
ture from  an  original  story  by  Lewis 
Allen  Browne — it  is  heralded  as  one  of 
the  best  action  pictures  of  the  present 
season. 

It  boasts  of  a  cast  seldom,  if  ever 
equalled  in  an  Independent  production, 
including  Len  Leo,  a  new  juvenile  lead 
and  one  of  the  most  daring  of  the 
death  defying  "stunt"  men  on  the 
screen,  who  is  supported  by  such  well 
known  screen  favorites  as  Alice  Lake, 
Mary  Thurman,  Tyrone  Power,  Mau- 
rice Costello,  Henry  Sedley,  Cornelius 
Keefe,  Joe  Depew,  Tom  Blake  and  Joe 
Burke. 

"The  Law  and  the  Lady"  was  pro- 


duced by  Marlborough  Productions, 
Inc.,  of  which  Schuyler  E.  Grey  is  the 
active  head,  and  was  directed  by  John 
L.  McCutcheon. 

Mr.  Hirsch  will  shortly  start  on  a 
sales  trip  that  will  take  him  as  far  as 
the  West  Coast,  and  in  the  meantime 
production  will  start  on  the  second  of 
the  series,  the  title  and  cast  of  which 
will  be  announced  at  a  later  date. 
%    *  ^ 

WORLD  RIGHTS  FOR 
'A  WOMAN  SCORNED* 

W.  Ray  Johnston,  President  of  Ray- 
art  Pictures,  announced  this  week  the 
completion  of  negotiations  with  Frank 
J.  Talbot  for  world  distribution  of  "A 
Woman  Scorned,"  a  superspecial  on 
which  the  organization  of  which  Mr. 
Talbot  is  General  Manager  has  been 
working  for  many  months. 

"A  Woman  Scorned"  is  described 
by  Mr.  Johnston  and  Mr.  Talbot  as  be- 
ing the  acme  in  production  for  the  In- 
dependent market  and  will  be  backed 
by  a  big  exploitation  and  advertising 
campaign. 

Kenneth  Harlan,  Kathryn  Riddell, 
and  Mary  Thurman  head  a  big  cast 
which  includes  such  names  as  Arnold 
Daly,  Tyrone  Powers,  Allan  Hale, 
Florence  Billings  and  Henry  Sedley. 
The  famous  "Tiller  Girls"  number 
from  the  current  Ziegfeld  Follies  is 
one  of  the  big  features  of  the  new  pic- 
ture. The  picture  is  adapted  from  the 
Bell. 


'FLATTERY'  ADDED  TO 
CHAD  WICK  LIST 

I.  E.  Chadwick,  president  of  Chad- 
wick  Pictures  Corporation  announced 
last  week  that  he  has  secured  another 
production,  "Flattery,"  for  the  inde- 
pendent market  in  addition  to  the  Chad- 
wick Nine,  announced  by  him  earlier 
in  the  season.  The  new  picture  is  not 
included  in  the  unit  of  nine  and  will  be 
distributed  independently  of  it. 

"Flattery"  was  made  :,\  ih.  .\; '. n 
Film  Corporation,  of  Hollywood,  and 
was  directed  by  Tom  Forman  from  the 
story  by  H.  H.  Van  Loan,  author  of 
many  big  screen  successes.  In  the  cast 
are  John  Bowers,  Marguerite  de  la 
Motte,  Alan  Hale,  Grace  Drummond, 
Edward  Davis,  Lewis  Morrison  and 
Larry  Steers. 

*    *  * 

'MIDNIGHT  EXPRESS' 
IS  COMPLETED 

A  wire  from  the  West  Coast  Studios 
announces  that  "The  Midnight  Ex- 
press," the  third  of  the  Colurnbia  Pic- 
tures series  of  eight  which  features 
Elaine  Hammerstein  has  been  entirely 
completed  and  is  now  on  its  way  from 
the  coast  for  editing  and  cutting. 
George  W.  Hill  who  directed  the  pro- 
duction of  this  picture  stated  that  this, 
the  second  with  Miss  Hammerstein  for 
C.  B.  C,  will  be  one  that  he  can  add 
to  his  record  with  no  small  pride. 


"The  Midnight  Express"  featuring  Elaine  Hammerstein,  William  Haines  and  George 
Nichols,  is  a  Columbia  production  packed  full  of  thills  and  excitement. 


October  18.  1924 


Page  31 


CHADWICK  FEATURES 
ARE  POPULAR 

The  Chadwick  Nine,  the  series  of 
big  productions  which  Chadwick  Pic- 
tures Corporation  is  releasing  on  the 
independent  market  this  season  is, 
according  to  Joseph  Silverman,  pop- 
ular exchangeman  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  "one  of  the  finest  type  and  should 
have  a  place  in  every  theatre  in  the 
country."  Feeling  thus,  Mr.  Silver- 
man went  out  and  secured  the  Chad- 
wick Nine  for  distribution  in  Kansas 
and  Western  Missouri. 

The  Chadwick  lineup  which  ex- 
hibitors in  that  territory  as  well  as 
all  over  the  country  will  play  this 
season  includes  "The  Fire  Patrol," 
Hunt  Stromberg's  first  production 
which  made  a  big  hit  everywhere ; 
Lionel  Barrymore  in  "Meddling 
Women";  "The  Painted  Flapper" 
with  James  Kirkwood  and  Pauline 
Garon  in  the  leading  roles ;  Lionel 
Barrymore  in  "I  Am  the  Man" ;  "The 
Tom  Boy"  which  is  now  in  produc- 
tion under  the  direction  of  James 
Kirkland  with  Herbert  Rawlinson 
and  Dorothy  Devore  in  the  principal 
roles;  "Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley" 
from  the  famous  stage  play ;  Lionel 
Barrymore  in  a  third  special  produc- 
tion soon  to  be  announced;  "The 
Street  Singer"  and  "Romance  of  an 
Actress"  in  connection  with  which  a 


mm 


MAURICE  COSTELLO 

MARIAN  SWAYNE 

AND 

ALBERT  WETZEL 

IN 

HAROLD  McCRACKEN'S 
"The  Heart  of  Alaska" 

The  Most  Ponderous  Love 
Story  Ever  Told  of  the  Land  of 
Eternal  Snow. 


nation-wide  contest  is  now  being 
conducted  in  several  hundred  news- 
papers as  advance  exploitation. 

"I  have  been  very  carefully  look- 
ing over  the  film  market,"  declared 
Mr.  Silverman,  "for  some  time,  and 
have  found  the  Chadwick  pictures  to 
be  the  cream  of  the  market.  These 
pictures  are  what  I  believe  of  a  type 
and  character  that  should  have  a 
place  in  every  theatre  in  the  coun- 
try." 

These  Chadwick  Pictures  will  be 
distributed  by  the  Independent  Film 
Company  whose  headquarters  are  at 
115  West  17th  Street,  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  This  company  was  recently 
formed  by  Mr.  Silverman,  who  before 
organizing  his  own  exchange  was  one 
of  the  most  liked  film  salesman  in 
that  territory  connected  with  the 
F.  B.  O.  exchange  there. 

sfc      %  sfc 

INDEPENDENT  RECORDS 
HEAVY  BOOKINGS 

Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  of 
which  Jesse  J.  Goldburg  is  president, 
report  bookings  on  their  various  pro- 
ductions, that  far  surpass  any  ever 
noted  in  one  season  in  the  history  of 
the  concern.  The  Desmond  Holmes, 
Billy  Cody  and  Franklyn  Farnum 
series  have  all  received  practically 
one  hundred  percent,  bookings  on 
those  pictures  which  have  already 
been  completed. 

Among  the  exchanges  which  have 
contracted  for  the  four  completed  and 
titled  Bill  Cody  pictures  are :  Dave 
Sohmer  of  Biltmore  Pictures  for 
Greater  New  York  and  Northern  New 
Jersey;  Harry  Segal  of  Pioneer  Film 
Co.  with  offices  in  Boston  and  New 
Haven,  for  the  six  New  England 
states;  Bob  Lynch  of  the  American 
Film  Co.  for  Eastern  Pa.  and  South- 
ern New  Jersey;  Chas.  Kranz  of  the 
R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises  for  Western 
Pa.  and  W.  Va. ;  Jerry  Marks  of 
Progress  Pictures  for  Delaware, 
Maryland,  Virginia  and  District  of 
Columbia ;  Lee  Goldberg  of  Big  Fea- 
ture Rights  Corp.  for  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee ;  J.  M.  Louis  of  Louis  Film 
for  Louisiana  and  Mississippi ;  Jack 
Adams  of  Homestate  Film  Co.  for 
Arkansas ;  J.  W.  Williams  of  Inde- 
pendent Film  Service  Corp.  for  Texas 
and  Oklahoma ;  Jim  Minter  of  A. 
B.  C.  of  Detroit  for  Michigan  exclu- 
sive of  the  Northern  Peninsula ;  Sam 
Ludwig  of  Adventure  Productions 
for  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Da- 
kota ;  Joe   Freedman   of  Celebrated 


Players  for  Northern  Illinois  and  In- 
diana ;  Floyd  St.  John  of  Cooperative 
for  California,  Arizona,  Nevada  and 
the  Hawaiian  Islands;  D.  C.  Milward 
of  Western  Film  Co.  for  Washington, 
Oregon,  Montana,  Northern  Idaho  ; 
J.  M.  Benjamin  of  Havana  Film  Co. 
"for  West  Indies;  A.  E.  Thiele  of  Lib- 
erty Films  for  Iowa  and  Nebraska. 


rJ{S5HSH5ES2SH525H5H5ES25H5252SES25^^ 

SOMETHING  TO  CROW 
ABOUT!  Wide-awake  show- 
men will  take  a  tip  from  a 
good  title  and  get  it  while 
the  getting's  good.  "THE 
EARLY  BIRD"  is  a  great 
star's  greatest  triumph ! ! 

C.  C.  BURR  Dresents 

JQHNN9 
HINEX 


*EARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.   C    Burr,     Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following 

EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.R.-l,  Dal-3,  Chi-4, 
N.  Y.-3. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


HENDERSON  PRODUC- 
TIONS MAKE  SERIAL 

Contracts  closed  last  week  between 
Dell  Henderson  Productions  and  Ray- 
art  Pictures  Corporation  indicate  a 
complete  change  in  the  lineup  for  the 
first  Rayart  Serial  from  the  cast  pre- 
viously announced. 

Special  arrangements  have  been  con- 
cluded between  W.  Ray  Johnson  of 
Rayart  and  Jesse  Goldberg  of  Inde- 
pendent Pictures  whereby  Goldberg 
loans  to  the  Henderson  Productions, 
Franklyn  Farnum  and  Helen  Holmes 
who  will  co-star  in  "Battling  Brewster," 
the  new  Rayart  Serial. 

Franklyn  Farnum  needs  no  introduc- 
tion as  a  Western  star.  He  has  also 
some  serial  experience,  having  been 
starred  in  "The  Vanishing  Trail,"  re- 
leased some  years  ago.  Helen  Holmes 
has  been  a  favorite  serial  star  for  many 
years. 

The  loaning  of  these  stars  to  Ray- 
art's  producers  is  an  indication  of  the 
good  feeling  existing  between  members 
of  the  Independent  Producers  and  Dis- 
tributors Association.  It  has  been  so 
arranged  that  their  appearance  in  Ray- 
art Pictures  will  in  no  way  conflict  with 
the  schedule  of  these  same  stars  on  the 
independent  program. 

Dell  Henderson,  the  producer,  who 
is  in  California,  has  completed  work 
on  the  script.  Immediately  following 
the  signing  of  the  contract,  he  started 
shooting  on  the  first  episodes,  the  manu- 
script and  continuity  of  which  is  by 
Robert  Dillon,  author  of  many  serial 
successes. 


Johnny  Hines  in  C.  C.  Burr's  "The  Early 
Bird"  shows  some  of  the  trials  and  tribula- 
tions of  the  poor  milkman. 


Henderson  has  been  an  Independent 
producer  for  several  years,  having  di- 
rected several  serials,  a  great  number 
of  the  Hoxie  pictures,  three  James 
Oliver  Curwood  Productions  and  more 
recently  two  Blaney  Melodramas  for 
Vitagraph  release  and  "Gambling 
Wives"  for  Arrow.  He  also  directed 
Johnny  Hines  in  "Sure  Fire  Flint." 

Henderson  has  made  a  complete 
study  of  the  Independent  market  and 
its  needs  and  has  just  organized  his 
own  producing  unit  in  Hollywood,  and 
will  distribute  exclusively  through  Ray- 
art Pictures. 

*     *  * 

BILLY  FRANEY  NEW 
SANFORD  STAR 

Billy  Franey  has  been  selected  for 
stardom  in  a  series  of  twelve,  two-reel 
comedies  to  be  produced  and  distrib- 
uted by  the  Sanford  Productions  of 
Hollywood,  for  release  on  the  state 
right  market  according  to  Frank  M. 
Sanford,  the  president  of  the  company. 

Billy  Franey  has  had  picture  ex- 
perience extending  over  eleven  years, 
and  has  been  featured  in  over  one  hun- 
dred, one  and  two  reel  comedies. 

*  *  * 

MAYO  AND  BREAMER 
IN  THIRD  GOTHAM 

Sam  Sax,  President  and  General 
Manager  of  Lumas  Film  Corporation, 
distributors  of  Gotham  Productions,  an- 
nounces that  the  third  of  the  series, 
"Women  and  Gold,"  is  now  in  produc- 
tion at  the  Hollywood  Studios,  Holly- 
wood, Cal,  under  the  direction  of 
James  P.  Hogan. 

An  all  star  cast  has  been  engaged  for 
"Women  and  Gold"  headed  by  Frank 
Mayo  and  Sylvia  Breamer. 

"Women  and  Gold"  is  the  third  of  a 
series  of  six  productions,  the  first,  "Un- 
married Wives,"  having  Mildred  Har- 
ris as  the  star,  and  the  second,  "Black 
Lightning,"  with  "Thunder"  the  Marvel 
Dog  and  Clara  Bow  as  the  stars.  The 
balance  of  the  series  include  "Women 
and  Gold,"  "The  Night  Ship,"  "You 
Can't  Fool  A  Woman,"  and  "Every 
Woman's  Secret." 

The  entire  series  are  being  released 
on  the  Independent  Market. 

*  *  * 

HORNER  SPECIALS  FOR 
RAYART 

All  productions  being  released 
through  Rayart  Pictures  Corporation, 
with  the  exception  of  "For  Another 
Woman,"  which  was  made  in  the  East, 
are  made  on  the  West  Coast.  George 
Blaisdell,  well-known  editor  and  pub- 


licity man,  is  special  West  Coast  Repre- 
sentative for  the  Rayart  organization, 
acting  as  general  "referee  man,"  O.- 
K'ing  all  continuties,  scenarios,  direc- 
tion and  production  expenditures. 

One  of  the  principal  producing  units 
of  Rayart  is  the  Bob  Horner  Produc- 
tions making  six  special  pictures  for 
Rayart  starring  the  widely  known  stunt 
man  and  dare-devil,  George  Larkin. 
These  are  known  as  the  "Star  Report- 
er" series.  The  first  of  these,  "Mid- 
night Secrets,"  has  been  completed,  and 
is  scheduled  for  release  on  October  1, 
1924.  Featured  in  support  of  Larkin  in 
this  series  is  Ollie  Kirby,  J^ck  Richard- 
son and  Pauline  Curlev. 


Kenneth  Harlan  and  Kathryn  Riddell  in 
Rayart  Pict.  Corp's.  "A  Woman  Scorned." 


SAM  SAX  LEAVES  FOR 
WEST  COAST 

Sam  Sax,  President  and  General 
Manager  of  Lumas  Film  Corporation, 
leaves  for  the  West  Coast  on  Sunday, 
October  12,  where  he  will  confer  with 
Director  James  P.  Hogan,  who  is  pro- 
ducing the  series  of  six  Gotham  Pro- 
ductions, regarding  the  casts  of  the  bal- 
ance of  the  series.  The  third  of  the 
series,  "Women  and  Gold,"  is  now  in 
production. 

Before  leaving,  General  Manager  Sax 
announced  that  he  had  closed  contracts 
with  Harry  Grelle  of  Supreme  Photo- 
plays, Inc.,  of  Pittsburgh,  for  the  entire 
series  of  six  Gotham  Productions  and 
"Defying  The  Law"  for  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia  terri- 
tory. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  33 


^ith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


RICHMOUNT  PICTURES  IN 
FOREIGN  DEAL 

Dave  Mountan,  President  of  Rich- 
mount  Pictures,  Inc.,  who  have  just  ac- 
quired the  rights  on  all  Rayart  pictures, 
announces  his  first  big  sale  of  John- 
ston's entire  program  to  Sociedad  Gen- 
eral Cinematografica  for  Argentine, 
Uruguay,  Paraguay,  Chile,  Bolivia, 
Peru  and  Ecuador.  This  comprises  12 
special  productions,  6  comedy  stunt 
dramas  starring  Reed  Howes ;  6  Metro- 
politan dramas  starring  George  Larkin  ; 
6  Northwest  Mounted  Police  stories ;  6 
Northwood  dramas  and  "Trail  Dust." 

Mr.  Mountan  also  contracted  with 
the  same  people  for  "The  Barbarian" 
starring  Monroe  Salisbury  and  Jane 
Novak  and  "Souls-  in  Bondage"  star- 
ring Pat  O'Malley. 

Other  late  foreign  sales  include 
"Souls  in  Bondage"  and  four  Detective 
dramas  starring  Ora  Carew  to  Tom 
Davies  for  the  United  Kingdom ;  also 
for  the  United  Kingdom  to  Tom  Dav- 
ies "Flames  of  Passion;"  "The  Devil's 
Partner ;"  "Valley  of  Lost  Souls ;"  for 
Porto  Rico  to  Akra  Film  Sales  Cor- 
poration 6  stunt  Western  starring  Fred 
Thomson ;  for  Mexico  to  Lezama  6 
stunt  Westerns  starring  Fred  Thomson  ; 
for  Holland  to  Rene  Fernand  6  stunt 
Westerns  starring  Fred  Thomson ;  for 
India,  Burma  and  Ceylon  to  Madan 
Theatres,  Ltd.  "Broken  Hearts  of 
Broadway;"  to  Sneider's  Film  Ex- 
change, South  Africa,  "Restless  Wives" 
and  6  dramas  starring  Charles  Hutch- 
ison. 

Mr.  Mountan  is  very  jubilant  over 

the  acquiring  of  Rayart  pictures  and 

has  further  important  deals  that  will  be 

announced  later. 

*    *  * 

'WOMEN  FIRST'  ARRIVES 
IN  NEW  YORK 

The  negative  of  "Women  First,"  the 
fifth  in  the  series  of  eight  Perfection 
Pictures  produced  by  C.  B.  C.  has  been 
received  and  is  now  in  the  cutting  room. 
The  story  is  laid  in  Kentucky  and  is 
concerned  with  the  events  surrounding 
the  running  of  the  famous  classic  Der- 
by. The  featured  players  are  Eva  No- 
vak and  William  Fairbanks.  They  are 
supported  by  Lloyd  Whitlock,  Lydia 
Knott,  Bob  Rhodes.  William  Dyer, 
Jack  Richardson  and  others  well  known 
to  film  fans.  The  direction  is  by 
Reeves  Eason. 

%z  ak 

WILKERSON  LEAVES  FOR 
EXTENSIVE  SALES  TRIP 

Bill  Wilkerson  of  East  Coast  Films 
left  for  an  extensive  trip  this  week  in 
behalf  of  C.  C.  Burr's  series  of  three 


Johnny  Hines  features,  "The  Speed 
Spook,"  "The  Early  Bird"  and  "The 
Crackerjack."  Wilkerson's  itinerary 
will  carry  him  through  Pittsburgh,  De- 
troit, Omaha,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis, 
Atlanta  and  New  Orleans,  where  in  all 
probability  he  will  close  pending  con- 
tracts with  the  more  important  ex- 
changes in  these  cities. 

Wilkerson's  trip  came  as  a  result  of 
the  desire  of  the  middle-west  and  south- 
ern exchanges  to  difinitely  close  for  this 
special  big  series  of  Johnny  Hines  fea- 
tures, which  has  justly  been  reported  to 
be  big  in  every  sense  of  the  word  judg- 
ing from  the  calibre  and  box-office  pos- 
sibilities of  "The  Speed  Spook,"  which 
was  recently  completed  and  released. 
The  fact  that  this  particular  series  of 
Johnny  Hines  features  is  being  sold  on 
a  basis  that  represents  probably  the 
highest  price  paid  to  date  on  a  state- 
right  series  has  been  no  deterrent  to  the 
sales  since  the  leading  independent  ex- 
changes realize  that  producer  Burr  has 


been  unsparing  financially  to  make  "The 
Speed  Spook,"  "The  Early  Bird,"  and 
"The  Crackerjack"  box-office  attrac- 
tions of  power.  , 

Wilkerson's  trip  will  probably  be  com- 
pleted about  October  20. 


LEONARD  FILMS  WILL 
APPEAR  ON  BROADWAY 

Benny  Leonard,  in  "Flying  Fists" 
will  be  shown  for  two  successive  weeks 
on  Broadway.  Dr.  Hugo  Reisenfekl 
director  of  the  Rivoli  and  Rialto  The- 
atres has  booked  the  pictures  to  be  re- 
leased during  the  latter  part  of  October. 

In  announcing  this  booking,  Ben  Le- 
vine,  who  is  selling  "Flying  Fists" 
points  that  none  but  feature  films  which 
are  expected  to  draw  exceptionally  well 
are  booked  for  two  successive  weeks  at 
these  theatres  under  the  management  of 
Dr.  Reisenfeld. 


Where  To  Book  Them ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,   N.  Y. 
Alb — 1   First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 

Chi — 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard   Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 

Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service.  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle— 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle— 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal — 4  Midwest  Film  Ex.,   2111  Moser  Av. 

DENVER,  Col. 

Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den — 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 

DETROIT,  Mich. 

Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Standard  Playr's  Corp.,  144  W.  Vermont  St. 
Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC— 1  Independent   Film   Co.,    117   West   17th  St. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  Ark. 
LR — 1  Homestate  Film  Co..  1114  W.  Markham  St. 


LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 
LA — 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist..  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 
MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 

Mil— 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions    (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil— 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp..  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min — 2  F.  &  .R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon — 1  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 
NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,   Inc.,   1401   Tulana  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,   7"29-7th  Ave. 
NY — 2  A-l   Film   Exchange,   729-7th  Ave. 
NY — 3  Dependable  Pictures  Corp.,  729  7th  Ave. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty    Films    Inc..    1514    Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street. 
Phi— 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 
Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange.  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises.  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY.  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co..  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist..  ?0T  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Cot-,  3317  Olive  St. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp..  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO.  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,   15  Richmond  St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash— 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash— 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch..  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS,   N.   Y.  CITY 
FR—  1  Simmons-Kabn    Enterprises,    720  W.  42nd  St. 
FR — 2  Inter  Ocean   Film   Corp.,   218  W.  47th  St. 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


EXCHANGES  HANDLING 
'CHAD WICK  9' 

Twenty-four  exchanges  throughout 
the  country,  are  now  handling  the  pro- 
ductions comprising  the  Chadwick  Nine 
— the  unit  which  the  Chadwick  Pictures 
Corporation  is  releasing  through  inde- 
pendents this  season,  according  to  re- 
ports from  the  Chadwick  organization 
this  week. 

The  Chadwick  Nine  consists  of  "The 
Fire  Patrol"  which  is  enjoying  great 
popularity  and  success ;  Lionel  Barry- 
more  in  "Meddling  Women,"  and  "The 
Painted  Flapper,"  which  are  now  being 
released;  and  Lionel  Barrymore  in  "I 
Am  The  Man,"  which  will  be  available 
to  exhibitors  in  October.  The  fifth  of 
the  Chadwick  Nine  is  now  in  produc- 
tion, and  the  four  to  come  are  "Sun- 
shine of  Paradise  Alley,"  by  Denman 
Thompson ;  the  third  Lionel  Barrymore 
special;  "The  Street  Singer"  and  "The 
Romance  of  an  Actress"  by  Langdon 
McCormack,  author  of  "The  Storm." 

The  exchanges  handling  the  Chad- 
wick Nine,  are :  Southern  States  Film 
Co.,  of  Atlanta,  for  distribution  through 
the  southeast. 

Independent  Films,  Inc.,  of  Boston, 
for  the  New  England  States. 

First  Graphic  Exchanges,  Inc.,  Buf- 
falo, for  distribution  in  upper  New 
York  State. 

Celebrated  Players  Film  Corp.,  of 
Chicago,  for  Northern  Illinois  and  In- 
diana. 

Standard  Film  Service  Company,  of 
Cincinnati,  for  Kentucky  and  Ohio. 

Standard  Film  Service  Company,  of 
Cleveland,  also  for  Kentucky  and  Ohio. 

Standard  Film  Service  Company  of 
Detroit. 

Celebrated  Players  Film  Corporation, 
of  Indianapolis. 

Independent  Film  Company,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo. 


Dorothy  Reviere  who  has  signed  a  con- 
tract to  appear  in  a  series  of  pictures  for 
Independent    Pictures  Corporation. 


Chadwlck's  "Fire  Patrol"  contains  more 
thrills  to  the  square  inch  than  any  picture 
that  has  been  produced  for  many  moons. 
Madge    Bellamy   and    Helen   Eddy  star. 

All-Star  Features  Distributors,  of 
Los  Angeles. 

Celebrated  Players  Film  Corporation, 
of  Milwaukee,  for  Wisconsin. 

Southern  States  Film  Company,  of 
New  Orleans. 

Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,  of  New 
York,  for  greater  New  York  and  north- 
ern New  Jersey. 

Liberty  Films,  Inc.,  of  Omaha. 

Masterpiece  Films  Attractions,  of 
Philadelphia,  for  eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  southern  New  Jersey. 

Federated  Film  Exchanges.,  Pitts- 
burgh, for  western  Pa.  and  W.  V. 

All-Star  Features  Distributors,  Inc., 
of  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  St.  Louis. 

Western  Film  Corp.,  of  Seattle, 
Washington. 

Trio  Productions,  Washington,  D.  C, 
for  District  of  Columbia,  Maryland, 
Delaware  and  Virginia. 

Premier  Films,  of  Toronto,  Canada. 

First  Graphic  Exchanges,  Inc.,  of  Al- 
bany, for  upper  New  York  State. 

*    *  * 

LARRY  SEMON 
AS  THE  4WIZ' 

It  is  not  at  all  unlikely,  according  to 
reports  emanating  this  week  from  the 
Larry  Semon  headquarters  on  the  west 
coast,  that  this  famous  comedian  may 
appear  on  the  stage  in  a  revival  of  "The 
Wizard  of  Oz,"  following  the  comple- 
tion of  his  screen  version  of  this  cele- 
brated story,  which  Semon  has  in  pro- 
duction for  Chadwick  Pictures  Corpor- 
ation. 

If  the  stage  revival  of  this  greatest 
of  all  musical  fantasies  becomes  an  ac- 
tual fact,  Semon  will  portray  the  Straw 
man,  the  part  made  famous  by  Fred 
Stone. 

Lyman  Frank  Baum,  Jr.,  son  of  the 
author  of  "The  Wizard  of  Oz,"  is  said 
to  have  approached  Semon- for  the  pur- 
pose of  staging  the  revival  based  on 
Larry's  script.  Semon  suggested  that 
Stone  be  asked  to  take  his  old  role  again, 
but  Stone  wired  a  refusal,  stating  that 
his  age  makes  it  impossible  for  him  to 
dance  as  limberly  as  he  once  did  in  the 
role  of  the  boneless  Straw  man. 


Semon  plans  to  finish  the  picturiza- 
tion  of  "The  Wizard  of  Oz" — which  he 
hopes  to  make  his  monumental  work 
for  the  screen — in  about  three  or  four 
months. 

Work  is  already  started  on  building 
the  sets  and  preparing  the  costumes  for 
his  production.  Supporting  Semon  in 
the  famous  roles  of  the  story,  are  Oli- 
ver Hardy,  Josef  Swickard,  Bryant 
Washburn,  Wanda  Hawley,  Chester 
Conklin,  and  Dorothy  Dwan. 

*  *  * 

ADDITION  TO  C.  B.  C. 
'GLORIOUS  NIGHT' 

A  wire  from  the  West  Coast  Studios 
announces  that  Baby  Vondell  Darr  has 
been  added  to  the  cast  of  One  Glorious 
Night,  the  fourth  in  the  series  of  eight 
Columbia  Pictures  which  features 
Elaine  Hammerstein,  supported  by  Alan 
Roscoe,  Phyllis  Haver,  Freeman  Wood, 
Lillian  Elliott,  Mathilde  Brundage,  and 
Clarissa  Selwynne. 

C.  B.  C.  announce  that  "The  Beauti- 
ful Sinner,"  the  fourth  in  the  series  of 
eight  Perfection  Pictures  starring  Eva 
Novak  and  William  Fairbanks  is  now 
ready  for  release.  It  is  a  speed-action 
story  of  a  civilian  criminologist  to  whom 
the  police  come  for  assistance  in  the 
apprehension  of  a  band  of  internation- 
al jewel  thieves.  Besides  the  two  stars 
the  cast  includes  George  Nichols,  Kate 
Lester,  Carmen  Phillips,  Edward  Bor- 

man  and  Carl  Stockdale. 

*  *  * 

TOMBOY'  CAST  COMPLETE 

Director  David  Kirkland  has  com- 
pleted the  cast  for  "The  Tomboy," 
which  the  Mission  Film  Corporation  is 
now  producing  for  Chadwick  Pictures 
Corporation,  as  part  of  the  famous  in- 
dependent unit — the  Chadwick  Nine — 
which  this  organization  is  releasing  this 
season  on  the  independent  market. 


Eva  Novak  and    William    Fairbanks  do 
great  work  in  C.  B.  C.'s  "A  Fight  for 
Honor."    The  picture  has  many  dramatic 
situations   and   is  full   of  punch. 


October  18.  1924 


Page  35 


^ith  The  Independent  Distributors 


EARLY  BIRD'  CAST 
WORKING  NIGHTS 

So  enthused  is  the  supporting  cast  of 
Johnny  Hines  in  "The  Early  Bird" 
with  the  potentialities  of  the  scenario 
that  the  principal  players  in  C.  C. 
Burr's  latest  special  are  working  far 
into  the  night  in  order  to  keep  up  with 
the  production  schedule.  The  roles  en- 
acted by  Sigrid  Holmquist,  Wyndham 
Standing,  Bradley  Barker  and  Maude 
Gordon  are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  give 
each  of  these  principals  an  unusual  op- 
portunity to  do  a  great  deal  of  genuine- 
ly good  acting. 

"Glory  enough  for  all"  in  "The  Early 
Bird"  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  motto 
at  the  studio  with  the  result  that  this 
latest  Johnny  Hines  feature  will  in  all 
probability  exceed  in  interest,  portrayal 
and  story  the  last  Hines  picture  "The 
Speed  Spook,"  which  was  accorded 
such  an  enthusiastic  reception  by  the 
independent  exchangemen  who  bought 
it  along  with  "The  Early  Bird"  and 
"The  Cracker  Jack"  which  will  be  put 
into  production  upon  completion  of 
"The  Early  Bird." 

The  prolific  amount  of  sets  demanded 
by  the  script  of  "The  Early  Bird"  has 
kept  the  technical  staff  at  top  speed  for 
the  past  three  weeks  due  primarily  to 
the  fact  that  each  member  of  the  cast 
has  shown  an  unprecedented  willing- 
ness to  work  as  hard  and  as  late  as 
Producer  Burr  has  requested  them. 
The  result  has  been  that  almost  two 
days  work  have  been  crowded  into  one 
for  the  past  week,  and  judging  from 
the  progress  already  made  "The  Early 
Bird"  will  be  finished  in  about  ten 
weeks  instead  of  fourteen  as  originally 
estimated. 

The  large  floor  space  of  the  Jackson 
Studio  where  "The  Early  Bird"  is  being 
produced  has  been  taken  advantage  of 
and  the  result  has  been  the  creation  of 
immense  sets  which  rush  prints  prove 
to  be  particularly  striking.  At  the 
present  time  more  than  one-half  of 
the  studio  space  is  being  taken  up.  With 
this  as  a  basis  coupled  with  the  fact 
that  nothing  is  being  spared  by  Produc- 
er Burr  to  make  this  new  series  bigger 
and  better  than  its  predecessors,  the 
contracting  exchanges  feel  positive  that 
the  high  prices  they  are  paying  for  the 
series  are  well  worth  it. 

The  unique  and  practical  advertising 
and  exploitation  campaign  outlined  for 
"The  Speed  Spook"  by  Burr's  adver- 
tising and  publicity  department  is  being 
adopted  in  its  entirety  by  the  various 
exchanges  with  the  probable  result  that 
"The  Speed  Spook"  will  unquestion- 
ably be  one  of  the  most  publicized  fea- 
tures of  the  year. 


'FLYING  FISTS'  CONTRACTS 

Henry  Ginsberg  announces  that  ad- 
ditional contracts  for  the  distribution 
of  Benny  Leonard's  series  of  six  two- 
reel  features,  "Flying  Fists"  have  been 
signed  with  the  following  exchange- 
men  : 

J.  F.  Cubberly,  Loeb  Arcade  Build- 
ing, Minneapolis ;  Independent  Film 
Corporation,  115  West  17th  Street, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  H.  A.  Eande  Enter- 
prises, Cleveland  and  Cincinnati ;  Lande 
Film  Company,  1022  Forbe  Street, 
Pittsburgh. 

*    *  * 

LEE-BRADFORD  SALES 

Celebrated  Film  Exhibitors,  of  Min- 
neapolis, were  the  purchasers  of  "Heart 
of  Alaska,"  "Passion's  Pathway," 
"Lights  of  London"  and  "The  Light- 
ning Comedies." 

Celebrated  Film  Exhibitors,  of  Mil- 
waukee, purchased  "Red  Heads." 

The  Peter  H.  White  Co.,  bought 
"Heart  of  Alaska"  for  the  Balkan 
States,  and  "Venus  of  the  South  Seas" 
for  Mexico. 


Sociedad  Generale,  Argentine,  was 
the  purchaser  of  "Heart  of  Alaska," 
"For  Woman's  Favor"  and  "Passion's 
Pathway." 

The  First  Graphic  Exchange,  of  Buf- 
falo, bought  "Passion's  Pathway." 

Greiver  Productions,  Chicago,  pur- 
chased "Passion's  Pathway,"  "Lights  of 
London,"  "The  Lightning  Comedies," 
and  "Slaves  of  Scandal." 

Security  Pictures,  Cleveland,  bought 
"Passion's  Pathway,"  and  "Lights  of 
London." 

Apex  Film  Service,  Pittsburgh,  pur- 
chased "Passion's  Pathway,"  "Lights  of 
London"  and  "A  Pair  of  Hellions." 

Art  Film,  of  Washington,  bought 
"Lights  of  London." 

Hi-Mark  Sales  purchased  "Lightning- 
Comedies"  for  Australia. 

Meyer  Fischer,  Cleveland,  bought 
"In  the  Shadow  of  the  Moon,"  "Image 
Maker"  and  "Who's  Cheating?" 

Cosmopolitan  Film,  Boston,  pur- 
chased "In  the  Shadow  of  the  Moon" 
and  "Paying  the  Price." 

M.  D.  Martin,  New  Orleans,  was  the 
purchaser  of  "In  the  Shadow  of  the 
Moon." 


Johnny  Hines  playing  the  Milk  Bottle  Blues  in  C.  C.  Burr's  "The  Early  Bird." 
Johnny  proves  himself  a   Grade-A  milk  consumer  to  a  musical  accompaniment. 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


m      Editorial  ■ 


What  Would  You  Do? 

HERE  is  a  perplexing  situation/  presented  in  a  letter 
from  C.  C.  Griffin,  Manager  of  the  New  Piedmont 
Theatre,  Oakland,  Calif: 
A  problem  which  at  times  becomes  very  complex  is  facing  the 
suburban  Theatres  in  Oakland  and  Berkeley,  and  in  attempting  to 
solve  it  I  am  taking  the  liberty  of  writing  you  to  ask  if  you  know 
of  any  similar  conditions  in  the  country  and  how  they  were  solved, 
and  also  to  tell  you  of  our  plans  and  seek  your  advice  relative  to 
same. 

In  order  that  you  may  pass  judgment  intelligently  it  is  necessary 
for  you  to  know  the  situation  as  it  exists  here  now.  Oakland  and 
Berkeley,  as  you  know,  are  situated  across  the  bay  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  cannot  play  pictures  ahead  of  San  Francisco. 
Oakland  however,  may  play  day  and  date  with  San  Francisco 
first  runs.  Berkeley  follows  immediately  after  Oakland  making 
it  a  second  run  suburban  proposition.  For  first  run  in  Berkeley 
they  in  turn  have  a  two  weeks'  clearance  over  the  Chimes  Theatre 
which  is  situated  in  Oakland  near  the  Berkeley  line.  Then  fol- 
low after  still  another  week  the  suburban  houses  in  Oakland  and 
Berkeley. 

This  procedure  is  o.  k.,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  West 
Coast  Theatres,  who  control  all  the  first  run  Berkeley  houses,  fre- 
quently hold  up  a  run  in  Berkeley  for  several  months,  thereby 
keeping  worth  while  product  out  of  the  Oakland  suburban  houses 
for  a  period  long  enough  to  kill  the  word  of  mouth  and  newspaper 
publicity  which  the  picture  receives  on  its  first  run  in  Oakland. 
They  do  this  to  protect  their  first  run  in  Oakland  which  is  also  a 
West  Coast  house  and  to  lengthen  the  clearance  against  the  first 
run  in  Oakland. 

Now  the  crux  of  the  situation  is  this :  There  are  only  three 
legitimate  first  run  exclusive  picture  houses  in  Oakland,  The  T.  & 
D.,  owned. by  the  West  Coast  and  playing  principally  first  National 
Pictures,  The  American  which  is  independent,  but  p*ays  ad  Fa- 
mous Player's  pictures,  and  the  Fox  Oakland  which  of  course,  is 
dated  up  to  Fox  products  more  or  less.  That  leaves  only  two  Vau- 
deville houses,  The  State  and  the  Orpheum  Jr.,  to  play  any  other 
pictures  that  may  be  offered  for  release  in  this  City.  It  is  almost 
impossible  for  people  like  Warner  Bros.,  Metro-Goldwyn,  F.  B. 
0„  Producers  Distributing  Corp.,  Vitagraph,  Pathe,  etc.,  to  get 
their  pictuies  played  in  Oakland  unless  they  sell  theim  at  a  very 
cheap  figure,  anywhere  from  $200  to  $600,  to  one  of  the  Vaudeville 
houses  or  possibly  the  Fox  Theatre  which  has  a  split  week  policy 
and  pays  about  the  same  prices  for  the  product. 

As  an  example  how  pictures  are  held  up,  we  cite  Warner  Bros., 
who  have  at  present  only  released  about  50  percent  of  their  last 
year's  product  in  Oakland.  "Beau  Brummel"  and  "The  Marriage 
Circle,"  have  just  succeeded  in  getting  a  first  run  here.  The  other 
product  has  now  been  sold  to  the  Fox  Theatre. 

Only  about  half  of  Metro's  last  year's  product  was  screened  in 
Oakland  during  the  past  season.  It  is  obvious  therefore  that  the 
neighborhood  houses  will  absolutely  be  forced  to  contract  for  such 
pictures  as  have  a  regular  release  in  Oakland  such  as  First  Nation- 
al, Famous  Players  and  Fox;  and  the  exchanges  knowing  this  to  be 
true  charge  the  most  exorbitant  prices  for  the  pictures,  because 
with  3  or  4  or  5  changes  a  week  the  neighborhoods  are  forced  to 
rely  on  such  pictures  as  do  get  a  first  run,  which  can  be  only  five 
or  six  pictures  a  week  at  the  most  which  we  have  to  choose  from. 

The  situation  Mr.  Griffin  pictures  is  not  peculiar  to  Oak- 
land by  any  means,  but  it  is  one  that  can  be  satisfactorily 
met  only  after  careful  consideration  of  the  demands  of  the 
interested  community. 

There  can  be  no  criticism  of  the  existing  first-run  houses 
for  pursuing  a  policy  which  protects  their  owners'  inter- 
ests, but,  on  the  other  hand,  exhibitors  who  are  suffering 
as  the  result  of  such  policies  are  doing  themselves  a  gross 
injustice  if  they  fail  to  take  vigorous  steps  to  provide  them- 
selves with  suitable  product. 

If  the  local  public  will  pay  the  price,  the  suburban  houses 


might  effectively  join  in  a  booking  arrangement  which 
would  enable  them  to  buy  first  run  pictures  and  collaborate 
in  advertising  and  exploitation.  From  some  of  the  nation- 
al distributors  mentioned  by  Mr.  Griffin  and  from  a  num- 
ber of  the  leading  independent  distributors  it  would  be 
possible  to  line  up  sufficient  product  to  meet  the  situation. 

Before  going  into  such  an  arrangement  as  this,  however, 
the  participants  should  realize  fully  that  the  handling  of 
first  runs,  divested  of  all  the  reflected  value  of  advertising 
and  exploitation  by  the  larger  houses,  involves  high-power 
showmanship  which  will  call  for  absolute  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  all  participants.  Also  it  will  be  necessary  for 
each  exhibitor  to  submit,  at  all  times,  to  the  booking  policy 
of  the  majority  and  the  actual  work  would  have  to  be  del- 
egated to  a  booking  representative  or  committee  whose  de- 
cisions would  be  final  and  binding. 

In  the  absence  of  requisite  demand,  throughout  the  ter- 
ritory served  by  these  theatres,  or  if  it  proves  impossible  to 
secure  such  thorough  cooperation  as  would  be  necessary, 
the  only  alternative  is  for  each  exhibitor  to  fight  it  out  for 
himself,  with  due  regard  for  the  fact  that  there  is  a  con- 
siderable volume  of  good  independent  product  available  for 
such  situations. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  have  the  views  of  exhibitors  who 
have  dealt  with  a  similar  booking  problem,  as  well  as  of 
distributors  who  care  to  offer  suggestions  that  may  prove 
helpful. 

*    *  * 

Help  Pick  the  Prize  Story 

THERE  has  been  much  criticism  of  the  motion  picture 
industry  for  its  supposed  failure  to  encourage  un- 
known writers  who  are  ambitious  to  turn  out  motion 
picture  stories.  Of  this  comment,  obviously,  a  large  part 
has  been  inspired  by  people  who  are  interested  in  taking 
money  from  would-be  authors,  but  some  of  it  has  come 
from  sincere  critics  who,  knowing  nothing  of  the  inward 
workings  of  the  business,  behind  the  powers  in  the  film 
world  have  shut  the  door  on  undiscovered  genius. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  many  folks  who  can't  write  imagine 
themselves  competent  to  provide  the  screen  with  its  raw 
material.  But  experience  has  demonstrated  that  the  pros- 
pect of  finding  anything  worth  while  in  offerings  from  such 
sources  is  practically  nil.  Competent  writers  find  their  out- 
lets in  print  first.  They  come  to  the  film  field  after  they 
have  arrived  in  some  phase  of  contemporary  literature. 

The  producers,  however,  should  not  be  placed  in  the  po- 
sition of  rejecting  without  consideration  anything  that  is 
good.  They  are  not  doing  it.  They  are  invariably  anxious 
to  secure  material  that  possesses  merit. 

It  behooves  the  industry,  consequently,  to  take  a  real  in- 
terest in  the  awarding  of  the  Adolph  Zukor  prize  of  $10,- 
000  for  the  year's  best  motion  picture  story.  While  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry  does  not  award  the  prize,  it  has  been 
asked  by  the  Authors'  League  of  America  to  assist  in  the 
selection  of  the  winners  by  forwarding  nominations  so  that 
no  worthy  picture  will  be  overlooked.  Mr.  Zukor  has  done 
a  very  fine  thing  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  industry.  The 
least  the  rest  of  us  can  do  is  to  help  along  by  offering  our 
suggestions. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  37 


-HAT  would  the  Atlantic  steamship  lines  do  without 
the  motion  picture  people?  For  that  matter  what 
TT  would  Europe  do?  There  was  a  time  when  all 
Americans  were  supposed  to  be  millionaires.  They  know 
better  on  the  other  side  now.  They  know  that  the  American 
picture  people  have  all  the  dough  there  is.  Which  explains 
the  complaints  of  American  bankers  and  manufacturers  that 
they  can't  get  any  service  in  Europe  any  more.  Nobody 
pars  any  attention  to  them. 

*    *  * 

And  so  the  sailing  lists  are  congested  with  names  of  dis- 
tributors, producers,  players,  directors  and  other  specialists 
too  numerous  to  itemize,  some  going  and  others  coming,  all 
looking  a  little  more  international  every  day.  Surely  it 
ought  to  have  a  broadening  effect  on  the  1925  picture  crop, 
judging  by  what  it  is  doing  to  the  vowel  sounds  of  the  trade. 

Carl  Laemmle's  letter  to  Ramsay  MacDonald  was  a  good 
piece  of  publicity.  It  didn't  get  the  news  splash  it  deserved, 
but  the  idea  he  advanced,  while  not  new,  is  the  most  practi- 
cal suggestion  thus  far  advanced  to  meet  the  language  prob- 
lem and  one  that  eventually  will  be  accepted  as  a  necessary 
step  toward  universal  peace.  If  Laemmle  would  back  his 
suggestion  so  far  as  to  put  his  propaganda  into  a  picture  he 
would  be  doing  a  big  job  in  a  worthwhile  way. 

Clemenceau  tells  Coogan,  senior,  "I  do  not  screen  well 
enough  nor  am  I  celebrity  enough  to  meet  your  illustrious 
son."  When  it  comes  to  flashing  sarcasm  The  Tiger  is  still 
a  tiger.  And  his  words  fairly  indicate  the  attitude  of  a 
large  part  of  the  world  still  suffering  from  the  war's  effects, 
toward  stories  of  million-dollar  salaries  for  children. 

*  *  * 

Exhibitor  Griffin  of  Oakland,  California,  is  kicking  about 
the  block-booking  tactics  of  the  independent  distributors. 
Looks  now  as  if  we  are  in  for  a  new  brand  of  trouble. 
Next  thing,  apparently,  we  shall  have  Chadwick's  Nifty 
Ninety,  Arrow's  Fabulous  Fifty,  C.  B.  C.'s  Topnotch  Twen- 
ty etc.  Well,  there's  one  consolation.  There  will  still  be 
;  the  news  reels  to  fall  back  on.  Yes,  and  when  the  hard- 
hearted independents  see  how  they  are  driving  the  poor  ex- 
hibitor out  of  business  perhaps  they  will  reform.  Perhaps. 

*  *  * 

If  we  were  an  exhibitor  we  would  solve  the  whole  book- 
ing problem  by  a  simple  announcement  that  our  300-seat 
house  henceforth  would  be  strictly  a  first-run  establishment. 
Having  notified  Mr.  Zukor,  Mr.  Loew,  Mr.  Fox,  Mr. 
Laemmle  and  the  whole  Warner  family,  we  would  sit  back 
and  take  our  pick  of  the  offerings  thrust  on  us,  naming  our 
|  own  prices,  of  course.  It's  perfectly  simple  when  you  sit 
down  and  apply  pure  logic. 

*  *  * 

This  week  saw  another  publicity  raid  on  Hiram  Abrams 
|  and  United  Artists.  According  to  the  latest  story  Famous 
!  was  about  to  swallow  the  Big  Four— or  is  it  the  Big  Three 
now?  The  yarn  might  have  been  interesting  if  it  hadn't 
!  looked  so  much  like  a  publicity  plant.  Of  course  the  de- 
1  nials  were  unanimous,  as  they  usually  are  whether  a  rumor 


is  truth  or  fiction.  But  let's  have  more  of  these  little  sen- 
sations. They  break  the  monotony  of  this  otherwise  drab 
and  colorless  business. 

sfc      3p  if! 

Next  week  we're  going  to  start  a  rumor  of  our  own.  One 
that  will  rock  the  motion  picture  industry  to  its  foundations. 
For  the  moment  we  haven't  the  slightest  idea  what  it  will 
be  and  it  may  be  well  to  explain  now  that  there  won't  be  a 
word  of  truth  in  it.    But  wait  and  see ! 

SfC  5(S 

It  looks  as  if  the  Selznick  earthquake  has  subsided,  tem- 
porarily, any  way.  At  least  our  private  seismograph  has 
recorded  no  more  shocks  lately.  The  sales  organization  has 
been  increased  substantially  and  all  signs  indicate  that  busi- 
ness is  good.  But  some  of  the  late  attaches  of  the  Selznick 
payroll  are  prepared  to  admit  that  when  it  comes  to  shocks 
Banker  Doolittle  is  a  fine  provider.  Next  week  we  shall 
know  just  how  the  "reorganization"  is  to  be  worked  out 
and  whether  the  Selznick  trade-mark  is  to  disappear.  Ap- 
parently it's  all  done  but  the  announcing. 

It's  funny  how  they  love  American  pictures  in  England. 
When  the  ban  is  lifted  on  the  export  version  of  Griffith's 
"America,"  the  British  censor  explains  that  it  was  clamped 
on  in  the  first  place  as  a  matter  of  courtesy  to  the  large- 
number  of  American0  visiting  in  London.  What  extreme 
consideration ! 

From  the  editorials  in  some  of  the  British  trade  papers  it 
seems  American  film  billionaires  are  so  oppressing  the  Is- 
land industry  that  a  London  version  of  the  Boston  tea  party 
is  under  consideration.  And  while  the  attempt  goes  on  to 
build  a  wall  of  anti-American  sentiment,  German  organiza- 
tions are  going  merrily  ahead  with  their  plans  to  secure 
British  money  and  talent  for  the  German  making  of  films 
to  be  unloaded  on  the  British  market.  Perhaps  we  are  to  be 
blamed  for  that,  too. 

*  #  # 

While  a  large  part  of  the  industry  seems  to  view  the 
much-discussed  Warner  theatre-building  project  as  so  much 
syncopated  applesauce,  there  are  reasons  for  suspecting 
that  the  Warners  mean  what  they  say.  It's  one  of  the  un- 
avoidable results  of  publicity  addiction  that  in  time  every- 
thing looks  more  or  less  happy. 

*  *  * 

There  has  been  a  lot  of  conversation  about  who  is  entitled 
to  the  glory  for  the  Famous-Lloyd- Valentino  deals.  Prob- 
ably there's  enough  to  go  around,  but  after  all,  a  little  ought 
to  go  to  the  quiet  little  man  who  sits  in  the  background  and 
plans  the  coupe.  For  one  thing,  he  knows  how  to  pick  men 
who  can  execute  ideas  as  well  as  evolve  them. 

*  *  * 

Felix  Orman,  who  once  worked  for  Famous  and  for 
something  like  four  years  has  been  in  London  and  Paris 
doing  motion  picture  editing,  publicity  and  exploitation,  ar- 
rived in  New  York  a  few  days  ago  and  checked  in  at  the 
Algonquin.  He  says  he  is  going  back  to  England  after  he 
visits  his  mother  in  Nashville. 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


Jack  Hoxie  and  his  "hard  luck"  company, 
making  "The  White  Manitou"  Isadore  Bern- 
stein's new  Indian  play,  has  returned  to  Uni- 
versal City  from  location  at  Lone  Pine,  fol- 
lowing a  series  of  illness  and  accidents  that 
have  won  the  company  the  "hard  luck" 
honors  ot  the  studio. 

*  *  * 

C.  C.  Burr,  general  manager  of  East  Coast 
Films  Inc.,  announced  this  week  that  Sigrid 
Holmquist  had  been  engaged  as  the  female 
lead  to  Johnny  Hines  in  "The  Early  Bird" 
which  went  into  production  at  the  Jackson 
Studio  this  week.  Miss  Holmquist  recently 
appeared  in  C.  C.  Burr's  "Youth  For  Sale," 
where  her  work  proved  of  such  merit  that 
Burr  signed  her  to  appear  opposite  Johnny 
Hines  in  his  next  comedy  special. 

*  *  # 

M.  C.  Levee's  initial  picture  directed  by 
Irving  Cummings,  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life,"  was  released  by  First  National  Pic- 
tures on  September  28. 

The  picturization,  and  adaptation  of  Olive 
Wadsley's  novel,  "Belonging,"  marks  the  first 
offering  from  M.  C.  Levee  Productions  and 
presents  various  popular  box-office  players. 

*  ^ 

A  screen  characterization  similar  to  the 
role  he  played  in  "The  Virginian,"  will  be 
furnished  Kenneth  Harlan  in  the  new  Pre- 
ferred Picture,  "White  Man"  which  Gasnier 
is  directing  for  B.  P.  Schulberg  Productions. 
Co-featured  with  him  in  this  adaptation  of 
George  Agnew  Chamberlain's  book  will  be 
Alice  Joyce  and  Walter  Long. 

*  #  * 

Preliminary  work  on  "Enticement"  is  now 
under  way  at  the  Ince  studios  and  the  cast 
is  being  selected.  The  players  of  the  leading 
roles  will  be  announced  shortly.  The  story 
is  a  very  unusual  one  and  concerns  a  young 
girl  of  today  who  opposes  the  conventions 
and  becomes  friendly  with  a  famous  grand 
opera  tenor  who  is  unhappily  married.  There 


A  happy  group  of  the  players  in  "Bread" 
— a  Metro-Goldwyn  production.  Reading 
from  top  to  bottom,  they  are,  Eugenie 
Besserer,  Wanda  Hawley,  Pat  O'Malley, 
Myrtle  Stedman,  Hobart  Bosworth,  Mae 
Busch,  Robert  Frazer,  Victor  Schertzinger. 


is  nothing  wrong  in  the  friendship,  but  it 
crops  up  after  her  marriage  and  almost 
wrecks  her  happiness. 

*  *  # 

"Obey  The  Law,"  H.  H.  Van  Loan's  story 
glorifying  the  motorcycle  policeman  and 
developed  along  strong  melodramatic  lines 
has  been  purchased  by  Harry  Garson  as  a 
coming  "Lefty"  Flynn  attraction  to  be  dis- 
tributed by  F.  B.  O. 

*  *  * 

All  preliminary  arrangements  have  been 
completed  by  Major  Hughes  and  Irving  G. 
Thalberg,  studio  executive,  for  the  filming  of 
"Excuse  Me."  Actual  production  will  start 
as  soon  as  the  noted  author  completes  the 
continuity. 

*  %  # 

Negotiations  are  now  completed  where- 
by four  Ranger  Bill  Miller  pictures  pro- 
duced by  Max  O.  Miller  Productions,  will 
be  released  on  the  Lee  Bradford  pro- 
gramme. 

Ranger  Bill  Miller  is  a  popular  favorite 
in  virile  western  dramas.  His  name  is  a 
synonym  for  action. 

*  *  * 

Alyce  Mills,  who  has  been  rapidly  com- 
ing to  the  front  in  the  moving  picture 
ranks  has  been  engaged  by  Jackie  Coogan, 
Sr.,  for  the  ingenue  lead  in  support  of 
Jackie  Coogan  in  his  next  picture,  "The 
Rag  Man"  some  of  the  exterior  scenes 
which  are  now  being  made  in  New  York. 
%    %  ^ 

A  very  definite  schedule  of  production 
aims  for  the  Sennett  comedians,  varying 
from  slapstick  to  the  borderland  of  drama 
has  been  outlined  by  F.  Richard  Jones,  di- 
rector-general of  the  Mack  Sennett  Studios. 
Five  companies  are  working,  each  in  a  sep- 
arate and  distinct  field. 

*  *  * 

That  there  will  be  some  water  in  the 
desert  atmosphere  of  Priscilla  Dean's  next 
picture,  is  indicated  in  a  report  from  Los 
Angeles  stating  that  a  thrilling  underwater 
scene  has  been  filmed  for  the  climax  of  "A 
Cafe  in  Cairo." 

*  *  * 

Upon  the  completion  of  "The  Silent 
Watcher,"  First  National's  new  Frank  Lloyd 
production  from  Mary  Reinhart's  story, 
"The  Altar  on  the  Hill,"  Mr.  Lloyd  began 
preparations  for  his  next  picture  for  that 
organization.  It  is  from  a  short  story  by 
May  Edginton  called  "Judgment,"  which  ap- 
peared in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  a 
month  or  so  ago. 

*  -K  * 

Joseph  M.  Schenck  has  selected  "Her 
Night  of  Romance"  as  the  final  title  for 
Constance  Talmadge's  new  First  National 
picture  which  has  hitherto  been  known  as 
"Heart  Trouble"  and  "One  Night."  Sidney 
Franklin  is  directing  it  from  the  story  by 
Hans  Kraeli.  Ronald  Colman,  Albert  Gran 
and  Jean  Hersholt  support  the  star. 

^    ^  ^ 

Jane  Winton,  pretty  Follies'  beauty  is  on 
her  way  to  Hollywood  from  New  York  to 
play  one  of  the  supporting  roles  in  Cecil  B. 
De  Mille's  next  Paramount  Picture,  "The 
Golden  Bed." 


Doris  Kenyon,  talented  stage  and  screen 
star,  has  been  chosen  by  George  Fitzmaurice 
for  the  leading  feminine  role  in  his  latest 
production  "A  Thief  in  Paradise"  and  the 
choice  has  been  telegraphically  confirmed  by 
Samuel  Goldwyn,  who  is  now  in  New  York, 
according  to  an  announcement  made  by  Fitz- 
maurice. 

*    t-  -t 

Vance  Veith,  former  swimming  instructor 
of  the  Los  Angeles  Athletic  Club,  has  been 


Cameramen  responsible  for  the  excellence 
of  the  photography  of  the  "Sea  Hawk," 
now  engaged  to  "shoot"  C.  B.  C.'s  pro- 
duction "The  Price  She  Paid."  They  are, 
right  to  left,  Norbert  Brodin,  Dewey 
Wrigley,  and,  seated,  Edward  Henderson. 

engaged  to  teach  the  Sennett  bathing  girls  to 
swim. 

Not  only  will  the  Sennett  bathing  girls  be 
perfectly  at  home  in  any  depth  of  water, 
but  several  of  them  will  be  wearing  the  in- 
signia of  the  Red  Cross  Life  Saving  Corps 
when  Veith  gets  through  with  them. 

Antonio  Moreno  is  to  go  abroad  in  the 
near  future  to  play  the  male  lead  in  Rex 
Ingram's  picturization  of  Belasco  Ibanez,' 
"Marc  Nostrum." 

Moreno,  who  is  now  finishing  his  charac- 
terization opposite  Constance  Talmadge  in 
"Learning  to  Love"  at  the  United  Studios, 
will  probably  sail  from  New  York  within 
the  next  month.  It  is  also  likely  that  he 
will  be  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Moreno. 

*  * 

Benjamin  Glazer,  the  noted  playwright 
and  adapter  of  foreign  plays,  who  is  col- 
laborating with  Erich  von  Stroheim  on  the  j 
scenario  of  "The  Merry  Widow,"  has  just 
had  an  original  play,  written  in  collaboration 
with  Forrest  Halsey,  accepted  for  immediate 
production  by  John  Golden.  The  title  of 
this  unique  drama  is  "Foam." 

*  *  * 

Doris  Kenyon  has  completed  her  part 
in  "If  I  Marry  Again,"  her  first  picture 
under  her  starring  contract  with  First  Na- 
tional, and  immediately  started  preparing 
for  the  featured  role  in  George  Fitzmaur- 
ice's  "The  Thief  in  Paradise,"  which  is 
about  to  go  into  production. 

Pat   O'Malley,"  upon  completion  of  his  j 
engagement     in     "Worldly     Goods"    for  j 
Paramount,  has  been   signed  to  play  the 
lead  in  "On  the  Shelf,"  a  Saturday  Eve- 
ning Post  story  to  be  made  by  Frank  E. 
Wood's  Productions. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  39 


Frank  Mayo  and  Alma  Rubens,  the  fea- 
tured players  in  the  C.  B.  C.  production, 
"The  Price  She  Paid,"  lend  dramatic  sig- 
nificance   of    the    interesting  picture. 

Thomas  H.  Ince  has  signed  Florence 
Vidor  on  a  long-term  contract  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  excellent  work  in  his  picturiza- 
tion,  for  First  National  release  of  Kathleen 
Norris'  novel,  "Christine  of  the  Hungry 
Heart,"  photography  on  which  was  recent- 
ly completed  under  the  direction  of 
George  Archainbaud. 

:jc  :>( 

William  de  Mille  has  completed  his 
'"Locked  Doors"  cast,  featuring  Betty 
Compson,  Theodore  Roberts,  Robert  Ede- 
son,  Kathlyn  Williams  and  Theodore  von 
Eltz,  and  gone  to  northern  California  to 
film  exterior  scenes  for  the  Paramount 
production  of  Clara  Beranger's  new  screen 
play. 

jfr      sfs  ^£ 

The  Great  Northern  Film  Company, 
Inc.,  has  closed  its  cast  for  "The  Eternal 
Frontier"  to  be  filmed  in  Alaska.  Robert 
McKim  heads  the  list  as  the  heavy,  Bob 
North  Broadbury  will  play  the  lead  oppo- 
site Miss  Gladys  Johnston,  who  played  in 
"The  Chechahoes." 

*    *  * 

The  addition  of  James  Kirkwood's  name 
to  the  Paramount  roster  of  Famous  Play- 
ers was  announced  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first 
vice-president  in  charge  of  production  of 
the  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation, 
who  revealed  that  Kirkwood  had  been 
signed  for  the  leading  male  role  in  "The 
Top  of  the  World." 

ijj  % 

Thomas  Meighan,  Director  Joseph 
Henabery  and  seventy-five  extra  people 
journeyed  to  Huntington,  L.  I.,  the  other 
day  to  shoot  the  street  scenes  and  mob  ac- 
tion in  "Tongues  of  Flame,"  Meighan's 
forthcoming   production    for  Paramount. 


Reginald  Barker,  the  director  goes  over  a 
scene  for  "Women  Who  Give,"  with  Bar- 
bara Bedford  and  Robert  Frazer  featured 
players    in    the    Mayer  -  Metro  special. 


Nearly  a  hundred  Huntington  towns- 
people joined  the  throng  as  volunteers, 
shouting  and  stampeding  around  under 
Mr.  Henabery 's  direction. 

*  *  * 

While  one  of  the  principal  feminine 
roles  and  several  other  featured  parts  still 
remain  to  be  cast,  Cecil  B.  De  Mille  an- 
nounced that  Rod  La  Rocque,  Vera  Rey- 
nolds, and  Theodore  Kosloff  are  definitely 
named  for  appearance  in  his  next  Para- 
mount Picture,  "The  Golden  Bed." 

*  *  * 

Sydney  Chaplin,  who  is  to  play  the  title 
role  in  the  Christie  production  of  the  fam- 
ous old  farce  comedy  "Charley's  Aunt," 
has  moved  into  the  city  from  his  ranch 
and  is  preparing  to  don  the  make  -  up 
which  has  been  worn  on  the  stage  con- 
tinuously for  thirty-four  years  when  the 
English  play  has  been  holding  the  boards. 

*  *  * 

Allan  Dwan  has  added  Aurelio  Coccia 
to  the  cast  of  "Argentine  Love,"  featuring 
Bebe  Daniels  and  Ricardo  Cortez  at  the 
Paramount  eastern  studio. 

Coccia  will  be  recalled  for  his  part  in 
"The  Humming  Bird,"  wherein  he  per- 
formed an  apache  dance  with  Gloria  Swan- 
son  in  an  apache  den  scene. 

% 

Elaborate  preparations  are  being  made 
at  the  Long  Island  studio  of  Famous 
Players  for  Sidney  Olcott's  new  produc- 
tion, "Salome  of  the  Tenements"  which 
will  be  started  next  month.  Mr.  Olcott 
has  been  spending  his  days  and  nights  in 
New  York's  ghetto  getting  atmosphere 
for  the  picture. 

*  *  % 

Bebe  Daniels'  first  starring  picture,  "Dang- 
erous Money,"  filmed  at  the  Paramount 
Long  Island  studio,  is  now  being  titled  and 
edited  by  Julian  Johnson. 

*  *  * 

Fulfilling  his  promise  of  action  that  would 
make  T.  O.  D.  C.  more  than  a  name  in  the 
distributing  field,  William  A.  True,  president 
of  Theatre  Owners  Distributing  Corporation 
of  New  York,  has  spent  a  busy  summer  and 
fall  at  the  Corporation  offices  preparing  for 
the  present  season.  The  first  result  of  the 
organization  is  seen  in  the  announcement  of 
the  new  Pearl  White  six  reel  feature  "Perils 
of  Paris"  to  be  released  through  F.  B.  O. 
under  the  T.  O.  D.  C.  of  N.  Y.  Banner. 

*  *  * 

Sierra  Pictures  Corporation  havt.  iwj  com- 
panies working  of  their  own  and  these  two 
series  will  be  distributed  by  the  corporation 
itself  through  their  state  right  release. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Dorothy  Walters,  well  known  character  on 
the  stage  and  screen,  has  been  given  the  role 
of  the  landlady  in  Richard  Dix's  newest 
Paramount  picture,  "A  Man  Must  Live," 
which  Paul  Sloane  is  directing  at  the  Long 
Island  studio.  Miss  Walters  was  recently 
seen  with  Thomas  Meighan  in  "The  Con- 
fidence Man." 

*  *  * 

"Kings  in  Exile,"  one  of  the  best  known 
novels  by  Alphonse  Daudet,  the  author  of 
"Sapho,"  has  been  selected  as  Victor  Sea- 
strom's  next  production  for  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer. 

*  #  * 

Cyril  Ring  will  again  have  a  supporting 
role  in  a  Thomas  Meighan  photoplay.  Mr. 


Ring  has  been  signed  for  the  part  of  "Clay- 
ton" in  "Tongues  of  Flame,"  the  Peter 
Clark  Macfarlane  story  which  stars  Meighan 
under  the  direction  of  Joseph  Henabery. 

*  *  * 

Word  from  the  Vitagraph  studios  in  Hol- 
lywood tell  of  the  completion  of  production 
work  on  "The  Beloved  Brute,"  which  is  to 
be  released  this  autumn  or  early  in  the 
winter. 

*  *  * 

Having  just  completed  "Life's  Greatest 
Game,"  as  his  sixth  production  for  Film 
Booking  Offices,  Emory  Johnson  plans  to 
produce  a  big  sea  story  as  his  seventh  at- 
traction under  the  terms  of  his  new  eight- 
picture  contract  with  the  distributing  cor- 
poration. 

^    ^  ^ 

Marshall  Neilan,  now  back  at  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer's  Culver  City  studios  where  he 
is  completing  "The  Sporting  Venus,"  man- 
aged to  keep  pace  with  the  'Round  the 
World  Flyers  from  the  time  he  left  the  Coast 
some  months  ago  until  he  recently  returned. 

s|s     sj:  % 

Because  of  his  success  in  directing  Zane 
Grey's  "The  Border  Legion,"  William  How- 
ard has  been  assigned  to  direct  "The  Code 
of  the  West,"  the  sixth  Zane  Grey  produc- 
tion to  be  made  by  Paramount  in  two  years. 

*  *  ^ 

King  Vidor  utilized  the  large  swimming 
pool  on  the  Jacob  Danziger  estate  in  Bever- 
ly Hills  last  week  for  a  scene  from  Cyril 


In  the  William  Fox  production,  "The 
Painted  Lady,"  George  O'Brien  and  Dor- 
othy Mackaill  are  both  out  of  sorts  with 
the  world  and  meet  in  a  South  Seas  island 
cafe    telling   how    unfair    the    world  is. 

Hume's  "The  Wife  of  the  Centaur,"  his  new 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production.  Several 
dozen  extras  appeared  in  the  scenes  which 
he  took  there,  as  well  as  the  principals,  in- 
cluding John  Gilbert,  Aileen  Pringle,  Eleanor 
Boardman,  Philo  McCullough  and  others. 
$   ^  * 

Action  pictures  are  preparing  the  fourth 
picture  featuring  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  and  shoot- 
ing will  start  this  week. 

*  *  * 

"Soft  Shoes"  the  sixth  Hunt  Stromberg 
production  starring  Harry  Carey  was  started 
this  week  under  the  direction  of  Lloyd  In- 
graham  working  on  a  script  prepared  by 
Harvey  Gates. 

*  *  * 

Approved  Pictures  is  finishing  up  on  their 
fifth  picture  featuring  Buddy  Roosevelt. 

*  *  * 

Frank  Woods  announced  this  week  that 
Paul  Powell  has  been  engaged  to  direct  his 
next  production  to  be  released  through  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation. 

The  title  of  the  production  will  be  "On 
The  Shelf,"  an  original  screen  drama  written 
it  is  understood  by  Frank  Woods  in  which 
an  all  star  cast  will  be  presented. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


ENTERTAINMENT  VALUE 
IN  'VIRTUE'S  REVOLT 

First  Steiner  Starring  Edith  Thornton 
Will  Gross  Well 

'VIRTUE'S  REVOLT.'  Productions  Incor- 
porated Picture.  Author,  Frederic  Chopin. 
Director,  James  Chapin.  Length  5,175 
Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Strelsa  Cane   Edith  Thornton 

Steve  Marbridge   Niles  Welch 

Bertram  Winthrope   Crauford  Kent 

Mrs.   Cane  Florence  Lee 

Elton  Marbridge   Edward  Phillips 

Ruth  Cane   Betty  Morrissey 

Prudence  Marbridge   Doris  Dare 

Togo  Frank  Youamine 

Driven  to  desperation  by  lack  of  funds  and  in- 
ability to  secure  a  theatrical  engagement,  Strelsa 
Cane,  youthful  actress,  enters  into  a  pact  with 
Winthrope  to  barter  her  honor  in  exchange  for  the 
stellar  role  in  his  new  production.  Meantime  she 
meets  and  loves  Steve  Marbridge.  Winthrope  car- 
ries out  his  part  of  the  bargain,  and  Stelsa  is  a 
Broadway  sensation  in  the  play.  He  calls  upon  her 
to  fulfill  her  agreement,  but  she  is  rescued  from 
his  clutches  by  Steve,  whom  she  marries. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

A "SURE-FIRE"  story,  an  interest  provok- 
ing title,  and  an  attractive  cast  make 
"Virtue's  Revolt"  a  pleasing  production  from 
the  box-office  angle.  Wherever  audiences 
may  be  interested  in  the  picturization  of  the 
age-old  battle  between  the  forces  of  good 
and  evil — -with  virtue  triumphant — exhibitors 
will  gross  satisfactorily  with  this  photo- 
drama. 

The  picture  is  the  first  William  Steiner 
production  to  elevate  Edith  Thornton  to  star- 
dom in  her  own  right.  She  will  be  remem- 
bered as  the  young  woman  who  built  a  fol- 
lowing for  herself  while  playing  opposite 
Charles  Hutchison.  She  is  a  very  person- 
able girl,  and  an  actress  of  no  mean  histri- 
onic ability.  The  fans  like  her  better  with 
each  succeeding  picture. 

There  are  a  series  of  attention-gripping 
situations,  and  the  suspense  element  is  well 
sustained  right  through  to  the  final  episodes. 
The  plot  is  somewhat  fictional  in  character, 
but  the  theme  offers  good  entertainment,  and 
your  audiences  will  not  be  too  critical  as  to 
its  probability. 

Strelsa  Cane,  the  heroine,  has  some  pe- 
culiar adventures,  and  circumstances  certain- 
ly carry  her  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice. 
But  Fate  turns  more  kindly  toward  the  end, 
and  both  love  and  virtue  win. 

Despite  the  fact  that  Strelsa  seems  to 
waver,  she  retains  audience  sympathy  and  at 
all  times  makes  a  most  appealing  figure. 

Florence  Lee  contributes  one  of  her  cele- 
brated mother  characterizations.  The  scene 
showing  her  riding  on  the  express  wagon 
with  her  daughter's  trunk  in  order  to  find 
where  she  has  gone,  has  a  touch  of  pathos 
as  well  as  affording  a  bit  of  comedy.  Niles 
Welch  is  a  handsome  hero,  and  Crauford 
Kent  sufficiently  villainous  in  the  heavy  role. 
The  remainder  of  the  cast  is  right  up  to  the 
mark. 

The  title  "Virtue's  Revolt,"  is  one  that  will 
provoke  interest,  and  it  should  be  played  up. 
Feature  the  names  of  Edith  Thornton  and 
Niles  Welch.  Local  window  displays  will 
help  publicize  your  showing,  and  there  are 
any  number  of  attention  getting  stills  that 
will  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  various 
local  merchants. 

Run  a  contest  through  the  paper  Offering 
prizes  of  passes  for  the  best  letters  written 
by  girls  telling  of  their  experiences  in  se- 
curing positions.  Start  off  with  one  from 
Strelsa  Cane  telling  of  her  experiences. 


HOXIE  SCORES  IN 

BREEZY  WESTERNER 

'Daring  Chances'  Good  Attraction  for 
Neighborhood  and  Small  Houses 

'DARING  CHANCES.'  Universal  Photo- 
play. Author,  Isadore  Berstein.  Director, 
Cliff  Smith.    Length  4,543  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jack   Armstrong   Jack  Hoxie 

Agnes  Rushton   Alta  Allen 

Sampson  Burke   Claude  Payton 

Joe   Slavin   ...Jack  Pratt 

Ethel    Slavin   Catherine  Wallace 

Babe  Slavin   Doreen  Turner 

Roberta  Sinnson   Genevieve  Danninger 

Bill   ".  Newton  Campbell 

Sheriff   William  McCall 

Jack  Armstrong,  rancher,  when  his  sister,  mar- 
ried to  a  brutal  saloon  keeper  named  Slavin,  dies, 
takes  charge  of  her  little  daughter.  He  falls  in 
love  with  a  school-teacher,  who  is  also  sought  after 
by  Sampson  Burke.  Jack  enters  in  a  big  rodeo 
race.  Burke  and  Slavin  have  Jack  arrested  on  an 
abduction  charge  but  he  persuades  the  sheriff  to  re- 
lease him  and  wins  the  race.  Slavin  steals  the 
child  and  the  gate  receipts.  Jack  pursues,  Slavin  is 
killed  by  a  fall  over  a  cliff.  Jack  worsts  Burke  and 
wins   the  school-teacher,   also  rescues  the  child. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A GOOD  Westerner  and  satisfactory  pro- 
gram attraction!  The  plot  moves  along 
conventional  lines,  but  director  Cliff  Smith 
has  kept  the  action  speeding  at  a  fast  clip 
from  start  to  finish,  packed  in  thrills  enough 
for  a  serial  offering,  developed  the  love  in- 
terest craftily  and  merged  the  whole  in  one 
of  those  happy  climaxes  always  looked  for- 
ward to  by  admirers  of  this  type  of  picture. 

In  the  neighborhood  and  smaller  houses 
"Daring  Chances"  ought  to  please  the  pa- 
trons and  prove  a  likely  box-office  asset. 

There'  is  the  usual  amount  of  fast  riding 
stunts,  with  an  additional  "punch"  in  the 
shape  of  a  steeplechase  which  is  uncommon- 
ly well  filmed  and  shows  the  hero  winning 
despite  the  attempts  of  bribed  competitors 
to  roughhouse  him  and  other  cunning 
schemes  of  his  numerous  enemies.  After 
the  race  Armstrong's  little  niece  is  carried 
off  by  the  villains  and  he  heads  a  posse  in 
pursuit.  The  ensuing  chase  and  finish,  when 
Armstrong  snatches  the  child  from  Slavin's 
arms  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff,  just  as  the  bad 
man's  horse  plunges  to  destruction  with  its 
rider,  are  replete  with  excitement  and  sus- 
pense, and  the  camera  work  in  this  particular 
instance  deserves  unlimited  praise. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  photography  is  of 
remarkably  fine  quality,  there  are  any  num- 
ber of  skillfully  executed  long  shots,  some 
wonderfully  beautiful  scenic  views  and  the 
lighting  effects  are  exquisite. 

Jack  Hoxie,  always  a  pleasing  personality, 
is  seen  to  particularly  good  advantage  as  the 
dashing  Jack  Armstrong.  A  good-looking 
athlete  and  splendid  horseman,  the  role  suits 
him  in  every  detail,  and  he  accentuates  its 
melodramatic  values  without  overshooting 
the  mark  by  indulging  in  unnecessary  "hero- 
ics." Alta  Allen  is  pretty  and  pleasing  as 
Agnes  Rushton,  the  girl  in  the  case,  Do- 
reen Turner,  a  winsome  juvenile  who  scores 
a  distinct  hit  as  Bebe  Slavin,  Claude  Payton 
and  Jack  Pratt  are  capable  villians  and  ade- 
quate support  is  rendered  by  the  remainder 
of  the  cast. 

You  can  bill  this  as  a  breezy  Westerner 
with  more  than  the  customary  amount  of 
thrills,  hard  riding  stunts,  combats  and  love 
interest.  -  Wherever  Jack  Hoxie  is  a  favor- 
ite you  should  pack  'em  in  without  fear  of 
disappointing  the  crowd.  Play  him  up  strong- 
ly and  mention  Alta  Allen  and  Claude  Pay- 
ton.    They  have  their  following. 


TRICE  OF  A  PARTY' 

HAS  POPULAR  TREND 

Pungent  Thrills,   Jazz  and  Romance 
Combined  in  Colorful  Film 

'THE  PRICE  OF  A  PARTY,'  Associated 
Exhibitors  Photoplay  Released  by  Pathe. 
Author,  William  MacHarg.  Director, 
Charles  Giblyn.    Length,  5,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Grace  Barrows   Hope  Hampton 

Robert    Casson   Harrison  Ford 

Alice  Barrows   Mary  Astor 

Kenneth    Bellwood   Arthur  Carew 

Jazz    Queen  Florence  Richardson 

Evelyn   Dolores   Dagmar  Godowsky 

Evelyn's  Maid   Edna  Richmond 

Stephen  Darrell   Fred  Hadley 

Grace  Barrow's  sister  writes  her  that  their  mother 
is  ill  and  money  is  wanted  for  a  physician's  ser- 
vices. Grace  is  a  cabaret  dancer  and  in  order  to 
obtain^  the  necessary  financial  aid,  she  agrees  to  as- 
sist Kenneth  Bellwood  by  fascinating  the  latter's 
business  rival,  Robert  Casson  and  keeping  him  in 
town  while  Bellwood  seizes  upon  some  important 
contracts.  But  an  attempt  of  Bellwood  to  attack 
her  younger  sister,  Alice,  causes  Grace  to  change 
her  mind.  She  falls  in  love  with  Casson.  A  girl 
he  betrayed  shoots  Bellwood,  Alice  is  involved,  but 
subsequently  cleared.     Casson  marries  Grace. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

W7  ITH  five  well-known  players  heading  its 
"  cast,  breezy  action,  a  liberal  mixture  of 
melodrama  and  romance  backed  up  by  un- 
limited jazz  and  a  profusion  of  handsome, 
luxurious  settings,  "The  Price  of  a  Party" 
offers  entertainment  of  a  kind  warranted  to 
please  a  goodly  percentage  of  movie  fans.  It 
will  appeal  particularly  to  feminine  patrons 
and  should  prove  a  fine  box  office  magnet  for 
any  theatre. 

Pictures  portraying  the  glow  and  glitter 
of  life  along  pleasure-loving  Broadway  are 
much  in  evidence  these  days.  They  seem  to 
hit  the  popular  taste,  especially  when  filled 
with  apparent  disregard  of  expense,  and  cer- 
tainly money  has  not  been  spared  in  the  mak- 
ing of  this  production,  with  its  lavishly  gor- 
geous interiors  and  artistic  mountings. 

The  employment  of  the  heroine  to  utilize 
her  charms  in  helping  a  business  rival  to  ruin 
the  hero  is  a  familiar  screen  device,  but  sub- 
sequently the  plot  curves  into  an  original 
groove,  its  interest  and  suspense  constantly 
increasing,  and  maintaining  .uninterrupted 
sway  to  the  finish. 

The  first  sensational  thrill  occurs  when 
Grace  Barrows  arrives  in  her  apartment  and 
finds  her  young  sister  in  peril  from  the  forci- 
ble advances  of  Kenneth  Bellwood,  the  man 
who  has  hired  her  to  accomplish  Robert  Cas- 
son's  financial  downfall.  This  is  a  well- 
staged  incident,  upon  which  the  story  pivots, 
'as  it  swings  Grace  over  to  Casson's  side  and 
ultimately  brings  about  the  defeat  of  the  vil- 
lain. 

The  photoplay  is  excellent,  including 
many  attractive  closeups  of  Hope  Hampton 
in  dancing  array,  the  shots  of  the  party  in 
the  initial  reel  and  the  various  cabaret  scenes 
are  brilliant  examples  of  camera  technique 
and  the  lighting  is  perfect. 

Hope  Hampton  is  a  fascinating  Grace  Bar- 
rows, Mary  Astor  beautiful  and  appealing 
as  the  younger  sister,  Dagmar  Godwosky 
scores  as  the  "vamp,"  and  effective  perform- 
ances are  furnished  by  Harrison  Ford,  Ar- 
thur Carew  and  Fred  Hadley. 

Play  up  the  five  principal  players  in  your 
exploitation  and  stress  the  story's  jazz  at- 
mosphere, romance  and  melodrama.  Tie-ups 
with  modiste  stores  can  be  arranged  in  con- 
nection with  Miss  Hampton's  gowns,  all 
Paris  creations,  a  fact  which  will  interest 
your  women  patrons  in  the  picture. 


October  18.  1924 


Page  41 


EXPLOITATION  WINS 
FOR  NAMELESS  PICTURE 

"The   Story   Without   a  Name"  Has 
Readv-Made  Audiences  Awaiting  It. 

'The  Story  Without  a  Name,'  A  Paramount 
Picture.  Author,  Arthur  Stringer.  Adapt- 
ed bv  Victor  Irvin.  Director,  Irvin  Wil- 
lat.  'Length,  5,912  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Mary    Walsworth   Agnes  Ayres 

Alan   Holt   Antonio  Moreno 

Mark   Drakma   Tyrone  Power 

Kurder   Louis  Wolheim 

Claire   Dagmar  Godowsky 

Admiral  Walsworth   Frank  Currier 

The   Cripple   Maurice  Costello 

Don  Powell   Jack  Bohn 

Inventor  Alan  Holt  has  perfected  a  death  deal- 
ing radio  ray  device  for  the  government.  Drakma, 
chief  of  an  international  band  of  villains,  invades 
Holt's  laboratory  to  steal  the  machine.  Mary, 
Alan's  sweetheart,  manages  to  partially  destroy  it, 
and  both  are  abducted  by  the  gang.  Mary  is  put 
aboard  a  rum-runner,  and  Alan  is  put  ashore  on  a 
coral  reef.  He  is  threatened  with  dire  consequences 
unless  he  repairs  the  machine.  Alan  builds  a  radio 
and  broadcasts  an  SOS.  A  man-o'-war  rescues  the 
couple  in  the  nick  of  time. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

THIS  picture  has  been  liberally  publicized 
through  the  "Photoplay  Magazine"  con- 
test offering  prizes  aggregating  thousands  of 
dollars  for  a  name.  This  exploitation  guar- 
antees  big  audience  interest  for  the  film 
wherever  shown.  And  if  there  be  those  who 
know  nothing  of  the  prize  contest,  the  all  star 
cast  and  the  various  radio  tie-ups  will  bring 
them  to  your  theatre  also. 

The  photoplay  itself  is  unblushingly  melo- 
dramatic, but  for  those  who  prefer  their 
thrills  straight  and  undiluted  with  any  sub- 
tlety, it  will  do  very  nicely.  There  are  reams 
of  action — all  physical  and  all  easily  followed. 
From  the  losing  battle  Alan  wages  against 
his  abductors  to  the  destruction  of  the  vil- 
lain's yacht  by  a  bombing  plane,  there  is  ex- 
citement galore. 

Perhaps  the  best  incident  is  the  fight  be- 
tween Alan  and  the  crew  of  the  rum-run:dng 
schooner.  Especially  that  portion  of  it  por- 
traying the  battle  between  the  hero  and  Kur- 
der. This,  and  the  scene  of  Alan's  escape 
from  an  aeroplane  by  dropping  to  the  water, 
are  the  best  bits  of  the  picture.  In  the  de- 
struction of  the  yacht,  and  in  other  shots  de- 
picting the  various  vessels  involved,  dashing 
through  the  waters,  miniatures  are  used. 

To  be  descriptive  the  prize-winning  name 
for  the  picture  should  certainly  stress  the  ra- 
dio element,  for  it  is  around  this  feature 
that  the  story  has  been  built. 

Radio  is  everywhere  in  evidence.  The 
death  ray  machine  is  an  off-shot  of  radio. 
Broadcasting  stations  are  shown  in  operation. 
Sending  and  receiving  sets  are  installed  on 
the  rum-runner  and  on  the  bit  of  coral  island 
where  Alan  is  marooned. 

To  cap  the  climax,  the  hero  builds  a  set 
through  which  he  broadcasts  the  SOS  that 
brings  rescue  in  the  shape  of  an  American 
man  o'  war. 

There  are  some  rather  obvious  absurdities, 
such  as  Alan  being  left  alone  to  repair  his 
death  ray  machine.  If  he  had  done  so  he 
could,  of  course,  have  slain  all  his  enemies. 

Louis  Wolheim,  as  the  vicious  Kurder, 
skipper  of  the  villainous  rum  schooner,  "stops 
the  show"  whenever  he  appears.  He  looks 
and  acts  his  part  in  one  of  his  typical  char- 
acterizations. 

The  picture  does  not  offer  great  opportun- 
ities to  either  Miss  Ayres  or  Moreno,  but 
naturally,  what  they  have  to  do  is  well  done. 
The  cast  contains  a  lot  of  really  big  names, 
the  possessors  of  which  live  up  to  their  his- 
tronic  reputations. 

Exploit  the  cast,  the  prize  contest,  and  ef- 
fect every  possible  radio  tie-up.  These  three 
things  will  make  you  a  big  gross  on  "The 
Story  Without  a  Name." 


'MEDDLING  WOMEN'  HAS 
BOX  OFFICE  VALUE 

Lionel  Barrymore  At  His  Best  In  This 
Chadwick  Feature 

'Meddling  Women,'  Clmdmick  Pictures  Cor- 
poration. Written  and  directed  by  Ivan 
Abramson.    Length,  7,000  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Edwin  Ainsworth)   Lionel  Barrymore 

John  Wells  J 

Grace    Ainsworth   Sigfrid  Holmquist 

Harold  Chase   Hugh  Thompson 

Mrs.   Ainsworth   Ida  Darling 

Claudia   Browne   Antonia  D'Algy 

Dr.    Giani   William  Bechtel 

Edwin  Ainsworth,  an  author,  marries  Grace  Car- 
ruthers,  an  operatic  star.  Edwin's  mother  opposes 
the  marriage  and  does  everything  possible  to  make 
life  miserable  for  the  couple.  Edwin  and  Grace 
part.  Edwin  becomes  infatuated  with  a  cabaret 
dancer  who  entices  him  to  a  bootleg  joint.  Later 
Edwin  accidentally  kills  a  man.  A  dead  gangster 
is  thrown  into  the  river  and  bears  Edwin's  identi- 
fication cards.  Edwin  suffers  loss  of  memory  and 
becomes  a  bootlegger's  tool.  Later  he  recovers  his 
memory  and  starts  for  home.  At  the  entrance  of 
his  home  he  is  murdered.  The  story  then  reveals 
that  it  was  all  part  of  a  manuscript  Edwin  had 
written  to  show  his  mother  the  evils  of  meddling. 

By  Len  Morgan 

LIONEL  BARRYMORE  can  make  a  weak 
picture  strong,  but  Lionel  Barrymore, 
coupled  with  a  clever  story,  such  as  he  is  pro- 
vided with  in  "Meddling  Women,"  results  in 
an  exceptionally  interesting  picture  bubbling 
with  box  office  value 

There  is  not  a  dull  moment  in  this  picture. 
Director  Abramson  has  provided  excellent 
continuity  and  it  is  pleasing  to  watch  the 
story  unfold  itself  in  a  logical  manner. 

Here  is  a  theme  that  will  hit  home.  It  will 
bring  forth  a  lesson  that  should  accomplish 
a  great  purpose  and  will  send  any  audience 
away  thinking  deeply.  It  has  all  the  neces- 
sary qualifications  for  success  in  both  artistic 
and  exploitation  angles. 

Barrymore  does  unusually  clever  work  in 
this  picture.  He  is  called  upon  to  portray  a 
dual  character  and  he  does  it  with  such  finesse 
it  is  almost  uncanny.  His  dramatic  work  is 
a  credit  to  the  great  actor. 

There  are  several  highlights  in  the  picture 
that  will  make  an  impression  with  the  audi- 
ence. The  cabaret  scenes  are  well  done  and 
the  photography  sets  them  off  to  good  ad- 
vantage. 

The  gowns  worn  by  the  feminine  charac- 
ters will  be  of  keen  interest  to  the  women 
theatre  patrons. 

One  of  the  points  of  interest  is  the  sus- 
pense which  the  picture  holds.  One  wonders 
how  director  Abramson  is  going  to  unwind 
the  story  and  give  a  logical  solution  and  he 
is  wide  enough  to  keep  this  suspense  a  high 
pitch  until  the  last. 

This  is  an  ultra  modern  picture  which  deals 
with  life  as  it  is.  Bootleggers,  cabarets,  and 
gun  play  furnish  sufficient  excitement  for  the 
most  blase  theatre  patron,  but  it  remains 
within  bounds  of  reason  and  the  story  does 
not  suffer. 

There  are  dramatic  situations  piling  one  on 
top  of  the  other  so  rapidly  that  keep?  the 
suspense  at  all  times  and  never  permits  a  re- 
laxation until  the  close  of  the  picture. 

The  photographers  have  taken  advantage 
of  every  incident  to  get  the  most  out  of  the 
production.  The  shots  are  excellent  and  the 
cameramen  deserve  a  heap  of  credit  for  their 
work. 

Mr.  Barrymore  is  surrounded  by  an  excel- 
lent cast.  Sigfrid  Holmquist  who  plays  op- 
posite is  very  easy  to  look  upon  and  is  also 
a  finished  actress. 

In  exploiting  the  picture  give  heavy  ad- 
vertising to  Lionel  Barrymore.  The  title  has 
strong  pulling  power.  Advertise  the  fact  that 
the  latest  Paris  gowns  are  shown. 


PUBLIC  WILL  LIKE 

'HONOR  AMONG  MEN' 

Typical  Richard  Harding  Davis  Play 
Will  Make  Many  F riends  for 
Edmund  Lowe 

'Honor  Among  Men,'  Wm.  Fox  production, 
adapted  from  Richard  Harding  Davis' 
story,  The  King's  Jackal.  Director,  Dcn- 
nison  Clift.    Length,  4,660  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Prince  Kaloney   Edmund  Lowe 

Patricia   Carson   Claire  Adams 

King  Louis   Sheldon  Lewis 

Countess  de  Winter   ..Diana  Miller 

The  exiled  king  of  Messina  has  in  his  entourage 
a  faithful  young  Prince  of  the  Kaloney  family 
sworn  to  loyalty  to  the  royal  family.  The  prince 
shields  the  king  from  many  embarrassments  and 
earns  the  sobriquet  the  King's  "Jackal."  An  ex- 
pedition to  replace  the  king  on  his  rightful  throne 
is  planned,  and  Prince  Kaloney  is  sent  to  prepare 
the  populace  for  the  king's  return.  Meantime 
through  court  intrigue  Kaloney  is  betrayed  by  the 
king  and  Countess  de  Winter.  While  in  Messina, 
Kaloney  meets  Patricia  Carson,  wealthy  American 
girl,  who  agrees  to  finance  the  expedition  of  the 
king.  However,  the  king's  "double-cross"  is  dis- 
covered in  time,  and  he  is  forced  to  sign  a  renun- 
ciation. The  baby  heir  is  named  king  instead.  Ka- 
loney, who  is  in  love  with  Patricia,  and  who  step- 
ped aside  for  the  King,  again  makes  his  suit,  and 
wins  her  for  his  bride. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

■^fE  fear  "Honor  Among  Men"  will  not  be 
another  Prisoner  of  Zenda  or  Rupert  of 
Hentzau  success,  though  it  seems  to 
smack  somewhat  of  that  type  of  drama.  Still 
because  it  is  the  romantic  drama  of  the  mythi- 
cal kingdom  type,  and  originally  from  the  pen 
of  Richard  Harding  Davis,  the  public  will 
doubtless  like  it,  with  the  result  that  the  box 
office  tale  will  be  a  satisfactory  one. 

On  the  whole  the  exhibitor  may  book  this 
picture  feeling  that  the  story,  the  star,  and 
the  American  task  for  colorful  play  will  all 
meet  on  the  common  ground  with  box  office 
requirements. 

However,  there  is  a  little  credit  due  to  the 
direction  or  production  for  any  particular 
worth-while  expression  of  the  story  as  it 
was  written. 

The  whole  picture  seems  little  more 
than  a  series  of  conferences  or  round- 
table  discussions,  with  hardly  room  left  for 
any  dramatic  touches.  And,  surely,  no  dra- 
matic force  or  intensity.  Perhaps  because  the 
role  of  the  king  is  so  flat  that  with  this 
support  lacking,  the  house  that  Edmund 
Lowe  sets  out  to  build  up,  dramatically  speak- 
ing, falls  from  sheer  lack  of  sustenance. 

Edmund  Lowe,  so  long  a  stage  star  in  his 
own  right  will  serve  as  drawing  power,  plus 
this  star  there's  the  extraordinary  position 
that  the  author  holds  in  the  public's  esteem. 

The  public  will  come  to  see  "Honor  Among 
Men" — though  some  of  them  will  be  sufficient- 
ly critical  to  ask  just  why  it  was  handled  so 
aimlessly  in  the  direction.  Yet  the  story  by 
itself  is  one  that  is  interesting. 

The  romance,  the  atmosphere  of  royalty 
and  mid-European  nobility  is  ever  a  bait  to 
catch  the  democratic  American  public  on. 

Edmund  Lowe  gives  his  role  of  Prince 
Kaloney  precision  and  decorative  value,  even 
though  little  warmth  or  feeling,  Claire 
Adams,  as  the  wealthy  American  miss, 
handles  her  part  well.  Diana  Miller  as  the 
countess  should  receive  a  word  of  apprecia- 
tion. But,  Sheldon  Lewis'  playing  lost  all 
sympathy  that  might  be  accorded  an  exiled 
king  seeking  to  return  to  his  throne. 

Exploitation  may  take  many  forms.  The 
picturesque  colors  and  gilt  braid  of  the 
uniforms  offer  a  lead  in  windows  and  lobby 
dispays,  while  the  young  prince,  in  Fauntle- 
roy  attire  would  lead  many  to  the  theatre  if 
properly  ballyhooed.  Play  up  Richard 
Harding  Davis  who  wrote  the  book  from 
which  this  picture  was  adapted.  The  public 
had  always  liked  him,  and  his  book*  have 
sold  well  up  in  the  millions  of  copies. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BRILLIANT  SOCIETY 

AND  JAZZ  DRAMA 

'Circe,   the  Enchantress,'   Stars  Mae 
Murray  in  Unusual  Feature 

'CIRCE,  THE  ENCHANTRESS.'  Metro- 
Goldwyn  Photoplay.  Author,  Victor  Blas- 
co  Ibanez.  Director,  Ccdric  Gibbons. 
Length,  6,882  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Goddess  Circe     }  ]y[ae  Murray 

Cecilie  Bninne  j 

Dr.   Wesley  Van   Martyn   James  Kirkwood 

Archibald   Crumm   Tom  Ricketts 

Bal   Ballard   Charles  Gerard 

William   Craig   William  Haines 

Sister   Agatha   Lillian  Langdon 

Madame   Duselli   Gene  Cameron 

Cecilie  Brunne,  young,  handsome  and  wealthy, 
attracts  admirers  in  hordes  as  did  the  fabled  god- 
dess Circe.  In  her  luxurious  Long  Island  home 
she  gives  numerous  jazz  parties  and  becomes  the 
center  of  a  pleasure-mad  throng.  She  fascinates 
all  the  men  excepting  young  Doctor  Van  Martyn. 
who  plainly  shows  her  his  contempt  for  the  life  she 
is  leading.  Yet  Cecilie  secretly  loves  him.  Misfor- 
tune falls  upon  her,  she  becomes  heavily  involved 
financially  through  gambling,  realizes  the  truth  of 
Van  Martyn's  predictions  and  goes  to  the  convent  of 
her  childhood.  Injured  by  an  auto  while  trying  to  save 
a  child,  she  is  temporarily  paralyzed.  Van  Martyn 
arrives  and  his  coming  restores  power  to  her  limbs. 
She  walks  again  and  they  are  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A CRACKLING  good  society  drama  with 
the  jazz  stuff  elaborated  to  the  'steenth 
degree,  framed  in  gorgeous  settings,  well  di- 
rected and  offering  a  story  with  powerful 
emotional  appeal,  "Circe,  the  Enchantress" 
should  prove  an  excellent  drawing  card. 

It  will  undoubtedly  please  Mae  Murray's 
large  following,  the  members  of  which  de- 
light in  their  favorite's  dancing,  beauty  and 
ability  to  wear  a  diversity  of  handsome 
gowns  with  inimitable  grace.  But  it  also 
demonstrates  the  fact  that  the  leading  lady 
is  an  actress  of  undeniable  talent.  Hereto- 
fore, Miss  Murray's  vehicles  have  offered 
scant  human  interest,  her  physical  charms 
and  magnificent  costumes,  enhanced  by  lav- 
ish sets,  were  mostly  depended  upon  to  "put 
her  pictures  over." 

In  the  present  instance  she  has  a  thor- 
oughly sympathetic  role  to  play ;  quite  apart 
from  its  feverish  jazz  atmosphere,  the  fea- 
ture revels  in  a  veritable  surge  of  heart- 
rending emotion,  providing  the  star  with  a 
number  of  tense  situations  in  which  she  ap- 
pears to  splendid  advantage. 

The  whirl  of  gaiety  in  the  Long  Island 
mansion,  with  colorful  backgrounds  and  ex- 
otic types  of  fast  society  carries  the  opening 
reels  along  in  swinging  style,  but  little  by 
little  the  human  interest  develops,  as  the 
parallel  between  the  heroine  and  legendary 
goddess  Circe,  who  turned  her  many  lovers 
into  swine,  is  outlined. 

Misfortunes  crowd  upon  the  reckless  Ce- 
cilie, who  would  not  heed  the  grave  warn- 
ings of  the  young  physician  who  loved  her, 
her  wealth  melts  away,  she  retires  to  a  con- 
vent and  is  hurt  by  an  auto,  while  trying  to 
save  a  child  from  injury.  Temporarily  par- 
alyzed, she  only  recovers  the  use  of  her 
limbs  when  her  lover  comes  to  her.  This 
forms  an  excellent  climax,  as  pathetic  as  it 
is  convincing  and  natural. 

Too  much  praise  cannot  be  awarded  Miss 
Murray's  sterling  work  as  Cecilie,  a  perfor- 
mance of  genuine  artistic  merit,  James  Kirk- 
wood is  capital  in  the  role  of  the  young 
physician  lover  and  the  support  is  worthy 
of  the  principals.  The  photography  in- 
cludes many  beautiful  exteriors,  with  fine 
effects  of  light  and  shading,  the  interiors  are 
rich  in  deep  sets  and  the  camera  technique 
as  a  whole  may  be  listed  as  faultless. 

In  exploiting  the  features  play  up  the  au- 
thor as  the  creator  of  "The  Four  Horse- 
men." Mae  Murray's  name  must,  of  course, 
be  stressed  and  tie-ups  with  modiste  stores 
on  the  strength  of  the  star's  beautiful  gowns 
are  in  order.  The  picture  has  a  strong  ap- 
peal for  women.  Emphasize  the  jazz  at- 
mosphere.   Stage  a  dance  prologue. 


STRONG  IN  HUMAN 

INTEREST  APPEAL 

'City  That  Never  Sleeps"  a  Promising 
Box  Office  Attraction 

'THE  CITY  THAT  NEVER  SLEEPS.' 
Paramount  Photoplay.  Adapted  From  Le- 
roy  Scotfs  Story,  'Mother  O'Day.'  Direc- 
tor, James  Cruze.    Length,  6,097  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Mother    O'Day   Louise  Dresser 

Mark  Roth    .  . .  Ricardo  Cortez 

Mrs.    Kendall   Kathlyn  Williams 

Molly  Kendall   Virginia  Lee  Corbin 

Cliff  Kelly    Pierre  Gendron 

Mike  James  Farley 

Tim   O'Day   Ben  Hendricks 

Baby  Molly   !  Vondell  Darr 

Mother  O'Day  runs  a  Bowery  saloon.  Her  hus- 
band is  killd  in  a  brawl.  She  decides  that  her  baby 
daughter  must  not  grow  up  amid  such  surroundings 
and  arranges  to  have  the  child  brought  up  by  a 
woman  of  limited  means,  but  who  moves  in  good 
society.  Years  pass,  prohibition  closes  the  saloon, 
Mother  O'Day  becomes  the  keeper  of  a  cabaret. 
One  night  her  daughter,  unaware  of  her  mother's 
identity,  visits  ,he  cabaret.  The  girl  is  traveling 
with  a  fast  sec  and  engaged  to  a  man  her  mother 
knows  to  be  a  crook.  The  mother,  with  the  assis- 
tance of  Cliff  Kelly,  a  young  reporter,  exposes  the 
fiance's  criminal  record.  The  daughter  recognizes 
her  mother,  they  are  reunited  and  she  weds  Kelly. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

FRANKLY  melodramatic,  "The  City  That 
Never  Sleeps"  is  still  so  strong  in  the  hu- 
man interest  angle  that  it  registers  as  a  pic- 
ture with  a  general  audience  appeal  which 
should  score  a  high  box-office  average  wher- 
ever it  is  shown. 

Not  the  least  of  the  feature's  entertaining 
qualities  is  the  striking  contrast  obtained  be- 
tween the  New  York  of  a  generation  ago, 
when  the  saloons  were  running  full  blast, 
and  the  present  age  of  gilded  cabarets  op- 
erating under  a  prohibition  law  which  pro- 
hibits rather  feebly.  Director  James  Cruze 
has  moulded  his  situations  with  the  sure, 
deft  touch  of  a  master  craftsman  one  se- 
quence dovetails  into  another  with  refreshing 
smoothness,  the  continuity  is  excellent,  there 
is  no  lost  motion,  nor  an  inch  of  super- 
fluous padding  in  the  entire  production. 

Making  all  due  allowance  for  melodra- 
matic license,  the  plot  is  suprisingly  logical 
throughout.  Mother  O'Day's  anxiety  to  see 
her  daughter  brought  up  amid  healthy  moral 
surroundings  drives  her  to  an  act  of  self- 
sacrifice  which  awakens  a  sympathetic  echo 
in  the  breasts  of  the  beholders.  That  the 
hope  she  cherishes  is  defeated  by  the  girl 
being  carried  away  on  the  flood  of  the  jazz- 
tide  age  serves  to  deepen  the  pathetic  urge 
of  the  narrative  and  increase  the  interest  one 
feels  in  the  desperate  parent's  fight  to 
rescue  her  offspring. 

Mother  O'Day  plans  to  foil  the  schemes  of 
the  crook  who  wants  to  wed  Molly  are 
worked  out  with  the  aid  of  a  young  reporter 
who  later  turns  out  to  be  one  of  the  girl's 
childhood  friends.  He  and  Molly  develop  a 
romance  of  their  own  and  thus  the  story  is 
brought  to  a  happy  conclusion. 

The  photography  throughout  is  of  first- 
rate  quality.  The  views  of  old  New  York 
are  splendidly  filmed,  as  are  those  of  the 
Great  White  Way  and  the  cabaret  scenes  of 
a  modern  day. 

Louise  Dresser  gives  a  fine  performance 
as  Mother  O'Day,  emotionally  compelling 
and  delightfully  natural.  Virginia  Lee  Cor- 
bin, as  Molly,  registers  as  a  perfect  flapper 
specimen,  and  a  clever  youngster  named 
Vondell  Darr  wins  favor  by  her  work  in  the 
role  of  the  girl  when  a  child.  Ricardo  Cor- 
tez, as  Roth,  the  crook;  and  Pierre  Gen- 
dron, as  Cliff  Kelly,  score  heavily.  The 
support  is  adequate. 

In  your  exploitation  mention  the  fact  that 
this  picture  is  directed  by  the  man  who  made 
"The  Covered  Wagon."  You  can  praise  the 
story's  melodramatic  power,  sympathetic  lure 
and  romantic  interest  without  stint.  Louise 
Dresser,  Ricardo  Corlez,  Kathlyn  Williams, 
Virginia  Lee  Corbin  and  Pierre  Gendron 
should  be  featured. 


'TARNISH'  REGISTERS 

AS  GRIPPING  DRAMA 

Screen  Version  of  Emery  Play  Good 
Investment  For  All  Theatres 

'TARNISH.'  Sa  muel  Goldwyn  Photoplay  Re- 
leased by  Pint  National.  Adapted  From 
Gilbert  Emery's  Stage  Play.  Director, 
George  Fitzmaurice.    Length,  6,831  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Letitia  Tevis   ..May  McAvoy 

Emmet   Carr   Ronald  Colman 

Nettie   Dark   Marie  Prevost 

Adolf    Tevis   Albert  Gran 

Josephine  Tevis   Mrs.    Russ  Whytall 

John    Graves   Norman  Kerry 

Aggie   Priscilla  Bonner 

Barber  Harry  Myers 

Mrs.  Stutts   Kay  Deslys 

Mrs.   Healy   Lydia   Yeamans  Titus 

Adolf  Tevis  wastes  his  wife's  fortune.  Their 
daughter  Letitia  finds  work  with  Emmett  Carr. 
Latter  falls  in  love  with  her.  He  has  had  other 
amours,  oHe  in  particular  with  Nettie  Dark,  mani- 
curist. Nettie  succeeds  in  coaxng  $500  out  of  Tevis 
and  lures  Carr  to  her  apartment.  Letitia  calls  on 
Nettie  in  an  endeavor  to  get  back  the  money  given 
the  latter  by  her  father.  Carr's  presence  in  the 
room  causes  Letitia  to  renounce  him.  But  in  tke 
finale  Carr  compels  Nettie  to  prove  his  innocence 
to  Letita's  satisfaction  and  is  forgiven. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

'T'HE  brilliant  success  of  "Tarnish"  as  a 
Broadway  stage  attraction  last  season 
bids  fair  to  be  eclipsed  by  this  screen  ver- 
sion, sponsored  by  George  Fitzmaurice,  hand- 
somely photographed  and  cleverly  acted  by 
a  talented  cast.  Thanks  to  the  director's 
careful  treatment  of  a  daring  theme,  the  pic- 
ture, while  retaining  its  dramatic  force  and 
rich  human  interest,  keeps  clear  of  sensual 
suggestion  and  significant  sex  situations.  It 
looms  up  as  an  excellent  drawing  card,  a 
good  investment  for  big  and  little  houses 
alike. 

The  story's  strength  of  appeal  lies  in  its 
intensely  true-to-life  conception  and  develop- 
ment, perfect  characterizations  and  realistic 
atmosphere.  There  is  nothing  artificial  or 
strained  about  its  construction,  the  men  and 
women  of  this  poignant  problem  drama  are 
no  mere  puppets  of  the  screen  executing 
stilted  movements  in  obedience  to  a  directori- 
al hand  pulling  the  strings,  they  impress 
the  onlooker  as  genuine  flesh  and  blood 
creatures,  everyday  humans  swayed  by  im- 
pulse, passion,  driven  hither  and  thither  by 
the  storms  of  chance. 

You  see  the  unprincipled  old  vagabond  of 
a  father,  spendthrift  and  philanderer,  who  at 
an  advanced  age  still  considers  himself  a 
"squire  of  dames,"  pursuing  the  paths  of 
pleasure,  while  his  daughter  slaves  to  pro- 
vide for  her  parents,  the  latter's  lover,  haunt- 
ed by  the  phantoms  of  a  besmirched  past,  the 
gay  manicure  lady,  whose  adventures  in  gold- 
digging  are  numerous  and  lucrative,  all  spin- 
ning out  the  threads  of  their  destinies,  with 
disillusion  and  near-tragedy  lurking  in  the 
future. 

Life  as  we  all  know  it  is  made  up  of  com- 
posite lights  and  shadows,  and  "Tarnish" 
runs  true  to  nature  by  mingling  subtle 
touches  of  humor  with  the  narratives  more 
serious  complications.  The  comedy  relief  is 
excellent,  although  subdued  in  tone,  but  the 
big  scenes  are  those  in  which  Letitia  discov- 
ers her  lover  in  Nettie  Dark's  apartment  and 
the  climax,  when  his  innocence  is  proved. 

May  McAvoy  as  the  heroine,  Marie  Pre- 
vost as  the  scheming  manicurist  score  heav- 
ily, and  the  work  of  Albert  Gran  as  in  the 
role  of  the  flirtatious  old  father  deserves  un- 
limited praise.  Ronald  Coleman  gives  an  ef- 
fective performance  in  the  part  of  the  lover 
with  a  tarnished  reputation  and  the  support 
as  a  whole  's  superb. 

In  exploiting  the  feature  mention  the  fact 
that  the  original  play  has  a  successful  Broad- 
way run,  explain  the  title  as  referring  to  a 
stained  reputation  and  feature  May  McAvoy, 
Ronald  Coleman,  Marie  Prevost,  Albert  Gran 
and  Norman  Kerry. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  43 


The  <Bic[  Little  Feature 


Educational  Announces  Plan 

Larry  Semon's  return  to  two-reel 
comedies  has  been  met  with  an  enthus- 
iasm beyond  the  expectations  of  Edu- 
cational Film  Exchanges,  Inc.,  which 
is  distributing  his  series  of  four  Larry 
Semon  Special  Comedies  in  two  reels. 
Semon  has  discarded  his  baggy  over- 
alls and  derby  hat,  and  he  has  added 
about  fifty  percent  to  the  effectiveness 
of  his  work.  There  is  an  authority  and 
a  plausibility  about  his  work  in  well-cut 
fashionable  clothes  which  never  before 
asserted  itself. 

Work  on  the  second  of  Larry  Se- 
mon's "featurettes,"  which  has  been  ti- 
tled "Kid  Speed,"  has  been  finished  and 
prints  will  be  shipped  to  Educational 
Exchange  at  once  to  fill  the  demand  for 
pre-release  showings  and  pre-views. 
"Kid  Speed"  will  center  around  an  ex- 
citing auto  road  race  which  was  filmed 
on  the  old  Santa  Monica  course,  the 
scene  of  many  famous  record-breaking 
road  races.  Dorothy  Dwan,  his  leading 
lady  in  "Her  Boy  Friend,"  Oliver  Har- 
dy and  Frank  Alexander,  who  also  ap- 
peared in  Semon's  first  two-reel  com- 
edy for  Educational,  will  have  promi- 
nent roles  in  the  cast  of  "Kid  Speed." 
Jim  Jeffries,  one  time  heavy-weight 
boxing  champion  of  the  world,  will 
make  his  film  debut  in  this  comedy. 
Jeffries  will  be  seen  as  a  village  black- 
smith. 


Farina  Gets  New  Playmate 

Eugene  William  Jackson,  an  oversize 
edition  of  Farina,  has  been  added  to 
"Our  Gang"  at  the  Hal  Roach  Studios. 
The  comedy  producer  decided  that  his 
little  black  pickaninny  needed  racial 
companionship  before  the  camera.  The 
newcomer  is  still  on  probation,  as  far 
as  other  members  of  the  gang  them- 
selves are  concerned. 

He  got  off  to  a  good  start  because 
he  could  wiggle  his  ears  prodigously 
and  had  several  other  rare  social  talents. 
His  future  is  at  least  suspicious.  But 
the  combined  influence  of  Mr.  Roach 
and  Bob  McGowan,  their  directors, 
could  not  foist  even  a  Little  Lord 
Fauntleroy  upon  these  typically  Ameri- 
can kids. 

'Gene,  the  newest  member  of  the 
gang,  is  bending  all  his  efforts  to  win- 
ning the  friendship  of  Mickey,  Mary, 
Jackie,  Joe  and  Farina. 

New  Lloyd  Plans 

Harold  Lloyd  is  ready  to  produce 
again.  This  time  it  will  be  a  college 
campus  story.  For  some  reason  or 
other  we  have  always  wanted  to  see 
Lloyd  in  such  a  picture. 


SHORTS 

In  the  matter  of  shorts 
there  is  a  national  sort  of 
kindred  feeling  for  all  show- 
men who  bill  shorts  as  pro- 
gram items  of  importance. 

Each  week  of  the  year  the 
output  of  shorts  offers  the 
exhibitor  much  excellent  ma- 
terial for  satisfying  that 
craving  in  the  entire  audience 
family  that  seeks  for  amuse- 
ment. 

Book  your  shots  carefully. 
See  the  pages  of  the  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review  for  the 
latest  news  on  short  subjects. 


Second  Picture  For  St.  John 

Al  St.  John  is  starring  in  the  second 
picture  of  the  new  series  of  Educa- 
tional-Tuxedo Comedies,  which  has 
been  titled  "Stupid  But  Brave."  Doris 
Deane,  his  leading  lady  in  "Never 
Again,"  will  support  him  in  this  com- 
edy. 

*    *  * 

;Slim  Chance'  for  Walter  Hiers 

The  title  of  the  second  Educational- 
Walter  Hiers  Comedy  will  be  "Slim 
Chance."  Duane  Thompson  will  sup- 
port the  rotund  comedian  in  this  two- 
reel  comedy,  which  presents  Walter 
Hiers  in  a  travesty  on  the  problem  of 
removing  superflous  weight. 


'Celebritypes' 


Ray    Foster  Pictures 


1  reel 


Intimate  glimpses  of  well-known  personalities,  the 
first  issue  showing  interesting  views  of  Rex  Beach, 
the  author,  and  his  beautiful  setters ;  Neysa  Mc- 
Mein,  the  illustrator;  Rube  Goldberg,  the  cartoon- 
ist ;  Hudson  Maxim,  the  inventor ;  Anita  Stewart, 
film  star;  Vincent  Lopez,  musical  director;  Johnny 
Hines,  celluloid  celebrity  and  Eddie  Cantor,  the 
"legit"  comedian. 

TF  the  succeeding  issues  of  this  new  single 
■'•reel  series  are  as  interesting  as  the  first,  the 
popularity  of  "Celebritypes"  is  assured. 
These  Ray  Foster  Pictures  showing  "famous 
people  as  you  seldom  see  them"  bring  au- 
diences in  close  touch  with  the  pictured  per- 
sonalities, and  picture-patrons  everywhere 
will  be  strong  for  this  type  of  entertain- 
ment. 

The  first  issue  introduces  Rex  Beach  and 
some  of  the  inhabitants  of  his  fine  kennels. 
Neysa  McMein  and  Rube  Goldberg  put  on  a 
brief  sketch  showing  samples  of  their  art. 
Hudson  Maxim  and  his  wife  display  some 
old-time  photographs  of  themselves,  while 
Anita  Stewart's  bit  shows  the  uselessness  of 
a  screen  star  seeking  solitude.  Vincent  Lo- 
pez, Johnny  Hines  and  Eddie  Cantor  pull 
some  good  comedy  gags,  ending  with  Johnny 
and  Eddie  stamping  out  a  fire  by  doing  some 
dance  steps  on  it. 

It  looks  as  though  Ray  Foster  has  con- 
tributed something  new  to  the  short  sub- 
ject showmen,  and  if  he  maintains  the  high 
standard  with  which  he  has  started  "Celeb- 
ritypes" will  be  featured  in  lights  as  a 
worth  while  part  of  the  entertainment  where- 
ever  shown. 


'What  An  Eve' 


In  "Lost  Dog",  a  Pathe  comedy,  the  Spat 
Family  have  a  hard  time  manipulating  a 
California  wall-bed,  maintaining  at  the  same 
time  their  family  fight  without  interruption. 


Universal-Century  2  reels 

Buddy  is  an  office  boy  on  a  newspaper  where  his 
brother  is  a  reporter.  There  have  been  tales  circu- 
lating in  the  neighborhood  of  a  large  eye  travelling 
through  space  frightening  women.  The  reporter  is 
sent  to  get  the  story — and  Buddy  also  goes  to  get 
it  first.  The  girl  staff-writer  also  tries  to  obtain 
the  beat,  and  dresses  in  men's  attire.  Buddy  wins 
— after  many  mysterious  things  happen  to  the  three 
of  them  in  a  haunted  house — when  Buddy  finds.,  a 
doctor  has  originated  it  all,  to  increase  his  business. 

'"PHERE  is  a  lot  of  action  and  rapid  fire 
comedy  in  this  two  reeler,  and  we  feel 
that  it  possesses  all  the  necessary  features  to 
make  it  a  profitable  investment  for  the  ex- 
hibitor. 

Buddy  Messinger  always  gets  the  fattest 
parts,  perhaps  for  his  own  avordupois  is  in- 
creasing so  rapidly  that  he  no  longer  can 
play  his  erstwhile  juvenile  parts. 

In  this  role  he  realizes  his  increasingly 
adolescent  appearance  and  dons  long  trous- 
ers, for  it  is  a  "man's  job  to  get  the  story." 

Later  in  the  haunted  house  he  dresses  as  a 
curly  headed  'sweet  sixteen'  miss,  and  vamps 
the  story  out  of  his  brother.  Altogether  he 
does  a  really  interesting  piece  of  work. 

The  story  too  is  somewhat  different,  and 
should  be  a  hit  for  children  will  well 
understand  the  laugh  producing  theme,  and 
the  adults  too  will  scream  at  the  happenings 
to  the  three  in  search  of  news  copy. 

Exhibitors  will  find  "What  An  Eye"  a 
good  booking  proposition. 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Wanda  Wiley,  in  her  latest  vehicle — no  we  mean  her  two  reeler,  "Some  Tomboy" 
a  Century  Universal.  She  is  supported  by  Al  Alt  and  a  large  company  in  this  film. 


Pocahontas  and  John  Smith 

Universal  1  reel 

Captain  John  Smith,  early  explorer  in  Virginia, 
tells  the  "true"  story  of  the  episode  that  has  gone 
down  through  history,  of  where  he  was  saved  from 
beheading  by  the  Indians  through  the  intercession 
of    Pocahontas,    daughter   of    the    Chief  Powhatan. 

'T'HIS  is  another  of  the  "Hysterical  His- 
tory"  comedies,  and  falls  rather  short  of 
the  standard  set  by-  some  of  the  preceding 
ones. 

The  characters  throughout  were  rather 
well  played  for  this  type  of  screen  material, 
but  there  was  little  or  no  comedy  worthy  of 
the  name. 

There  is  in  this,  a  lack  of  sufficient  change 
from  the  well  known  story  to  be  diverting — 
there  is  in  fact  only  a  little  negative  love- 
and-jealousy  theme  to  precede,  as  a  sort  of 
a  reason  for  the  saving  of  the  life  of  Captain 
Smith,  by  Pocahontas. 

Children  will  like  to  see  this  one  reeler, 
particularly  because  they  will  be  studying 
about  the  story  in  their  histories  and,  even 
though  it  has  no  historical  value,  and 
though  this  film  does  little  to  portray  the 
story  from  a  comedy  viewpoint,  houses  that 
cater  to  a  large  juvenile  audience  will  not 
lose  by  booking  this  film. 

%    *  % 

The  Sawmill  Four 

Educational  1  reel 

"Pen  and  Ink  Vaudeville,"  comprising  four  or 
five  "acts"  of  which  the  leading  number  is  the 
"sawmill"  quartette.  They  snore  so  loudly  that 
their  reverbrations  are  attuned  in  harmonic  orches- 
tration. The  "director"  simply  turns  on  each  note, 
and  the  melody  comes  out  at  the  open  end  of  the 
instrument. 

Then,  there's  the  high  diving  act ;  the  Tom  cat 
juggler,  and  others — all  of  whom  the  "Props"  boy 
properly  dismisses  from  the  stage,  in  definite  and 
forceful  manner. 

'"PHESE  series  of  cartoon  entertainment  are 
-*■  not  bad — but  neither  are  they  so  excep- 
tionally good  that  praise  for  them  just  gushes 
forth.  The  idea  behind  them  may  be  clever 
— but,  that's  where  the  cleverness  ends. 

Our  sympathies  are  entirely  with  the  props 
boy — who  invariably  affords  the  act  .the  op- 
portunity of  a  diplomatic  exit  and  a  prompt 
one. 

As  a  filler  on  the  program,  this  type  of 
reel  will  suit  in  neighborhood  houses,  and 


Will  Rogers  and  May  Foster  in  an  inter- 
esting bit  from  the  Pathe  comedy,  "Gee 
Whiz,  Genevieve."  The  money  needed  to 
pay  the  minister  for  their  wedding,  is 
furnished  jobless  Will,  by  his  new  bride. 


the  children  in  the  audience  may  be  counted 
on  to  laugh — though  the  more  serious 
minded  may  be  assured  a  quarter-hour  of 
bore — or  snore. 

*    *  * 

Why  Hurry? 

Christy-Educational  2  reels 

The  Buntings  are  to  start  in  the  morning  for 
their  vacation.  They  nearly  miss  their  boat,  to  re- 
member the  baby  had  been  forgotten  at  home.  Hub- 
by takes  the  taxi  back — and,  returning  to  the  dock, 
other  things  are  remembered  as  having  been  for- 
gotten, and  after  many  careening  rides  in  a  taxi, 
back  and  forth,  they  give  up  their  vacation  plans 
in  despair. 

YOUR  audience  will  enjoy  this  comedy. 
There's  fun  in  the  very  situations. 
There's  fun  in  the  embarrassments  of  forget- 
ting that  makes  everyone  of  us  akin.  And, 
there's  fun  in  Jimmie  Adams  and  his  company 
who  ably  assist  him  in  getting  this  comedy 
over. 

Jimmie,  having  forgotten  his  steamer 
tickets,  at  the  store,  rushes  downtown  to  re- 
trieve them.  Here  he  finds  he  must  go  to 
work,  for  the7  boss  has  staged  a  large  sale. 
He  is  instructed  to  open  the  doors  of  the 
establishment  for  the  shoppers.  In  doing  so 
they  trample  over  him  so— that  no  wonder 
they  question  their  right  to  the  title  "The 
Weaker  Sex."  Then  later  his  tickets  are 
wrapped  in  a  yard  of  silk  and  sent  on  the 
carrier — whe.n  he  realizes  what  has  happened 
he  goes  after  them  nearly  upsetting  the  en- 
tire store. 

In  another  sequence,  Jimmie  and  his  ever 
active  taxi,  pass  through  a  street  that  is 
closed,  to  permit  the  pavement  to  be  as- 
phalted. As  they  crash  through  the  sign, 
they  ride  on  the  recently  finished  asphalt  and 
leave  two  rWn  tr? '•l<c  in  the  ground.  The 
eman  tears  his  hair  and  swears  but  the 
men  return  to  work  and  repair  the  damage. 
But — this  happens  about  four  times — and 
when  the  taxi  is  stopped  by  another  vehicle 
accidently  blocking  the  way,  the  foreman  has 
his  opportunity  to  "get  even." 

Several  other  funny  "gags"  tend  to  make 
the  whole  story  an  interesting  one,  frequent- 
ly punctuated  with  laughs  and  occasionally 
loud  guffaws. 

This  is  a  comedy  exhibitors  may  well  ac- 
cept for  screening  for  there  is  a  laugh  a 
minute  and  a  few  in  between. 


The  Death  Ray 

Pathe  2  reels 

The  scientific  discovery  of  the  death  dealing  elec- 
tric ray  has  been  filmed,  showing  the  various  ways 
in  which  it  may  be  used  in  forthcoming  warfare. 
Experiments  are  made  before  the  motion  picture 
camera  with  every  evident  proof  of  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  claims   made  for  it   by   the  inventor. 

TT  GRINDELL-MATHEWS,  an  English 
,  -M  scientist,  has  made  a  two  reel  film,  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  French  Govern- 
ment, to  show  the  world  at  large  what  the 
"death  ray"  can  do,  and  what  the  future  of 
warfare  may  come  to. 

In  one  studio  experiment,  the  ray  is 
trained  on  a  cage  containing  a  live  rat 
and  instantly  the  animal  is  killed  by  the 
penetrating  ray.  The  motor  of  a  motor- 
cycle is  stopped,  when  the  beam  centers 
on  the  magneto  of  the  engine.  An  incan- 
descent lamp  is  lighted  from  a  distance 
and  with  no  apparent  connecting  supports. 
A  pan  of  gunpowder  is  set  off,  with  glass 
supports  the  only  visible  connection. 

In  outdoor  scenes  the  ray  is  played  on 
aeroplanes  with  telling,  death  dealing  effect. 

There  is  more  than  a  mere  interesting 
film  in  these  two  reels — there  is  an  educa- 
tional and  instructive  appeal  that  the 
American  public  will  be  interested  in  and 
the  exhibitor  will  do  well  to  present  it  to 
his  audience,  wherever  he  may  be. 

Riders  of  the  Purple  Cows 

Pathe  2  reels 

Ralph  Bell,  eastern  college  boy,  is  in  love  with 
Daisy,  daughter  of  a  ranch  owner.  He  is  invited 
West  to  become  foreman  of  the  ranch.  A  fight  be- 
tween the  former  foreman  and  Ralph  starts  imme- 
diately upon  his  arrival  and  the  owner  too  is  be- 
sieged in  his  house  by  the  gang  of  cowboys  headed 
by  the  foreman.  They  initiate  Ralph  and  make  him 
"ride  the  cow."  He  falls  over  a  cliff  and  lands  in 
front  of  a  hermit's  hut.  He  secures  the  services 
of  the  hermit  and  together  they  clean  up  the  gang, 
Ralph  winning  the  girl. 

WRITTEN  in  a  sort  of  burlesque  style  on 
the  book  "Riders  of  the  Purple  Sage"  this 
comedy  wins  laurels  on  its  own  account. 

Ralph  Graves  gives  an  excellent  perfor- 
mance as  the  amateur  cowboy  who  never 
wore  chaps  in  his  life — nor  even  "took  a 
lesson  in  his  life." 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  action  and  gun- 
fighting    throughout    the    two    reels,  yet 


October  18,  1924 


Page  45 


there  are  sufficient  situations  that  are 
funny  indeed — enough  in  fact,  to  offset 
the  pseudo  Western  rough  house. 

The  hermit  character,  played  by  "Tiny" 
Ward,  deserves  quite  a  bit  of  praise — 
though  not  a  comedy  role,  yet  helpful  in 
developing  the  plot.  Alice  Day  plays  Daisy 
with  decorative  sufficiency. 

The  fun  on  the  ranch  is  fast  and  fur- 
ious— though  laugh-getting  withal,  and  ex- 
hibitors will  find  ready  acceptance  on  thf 
part  of  adults  and  children  alike. 

♦       +  + 


Every  Man  for  Himself 


Pathe 


els 


"The  Gang"  operate  a  shoe  shining  parlor,  to 
make  money  to  support  their  gymnasium  and  ath- 
letic club.  The  rascals  create  business  by  soiling 
the  shoes  of  passersby,  thereby  obliging  the  men 
to  have  their  shoes  shined  at  once.  They  come  to 
grief  when  the  policeman  on  the  beat  is  one  of 
the  victims.  The  gang  meets  two  new  neighbors— 
"Scrappy  and  Sissy" — twins,  who  break  into  their 
exclusive  midst  because  they  can  fight  well  enough 
to  beat  them  all  up. 

AS    usual,    the    gang    must    do    its  daily 
dozen  of  mischievous  things  before  they 
can  go  to  sleep  at  peace  with  the  world. 

But,  they  accomplish  this  with  such  lit- 
tle effort,  and  have  so  much  fun  in  doing 
it,  that  perhaps  the  record  of  their 
achievements  made  permanent  in  the  films 
by  director  MacGowan,  should  come  in 
for  universal  appreciation. 

"Every  Man  for  Himself"  is  a  good  all- 
round  comedy  ,and  even  if  it  didn't  have 
a  single  new  gag — for  one  thing,  the  in- 
genious contrivance  of  wheels  and  gears 
that  make  up  the  shoe-shining  apparatus 
is  worth  a  gold  star  and  the  place  at  the 
head  of  the  class. 

The  kids  need  exercise,  and  organize  an 
athletic  club — but  the  main  prop,  the 
gloves,  are  taken  away  by  "Toughy"  the 
owner  of  the  mitts.  They  then  set  out  to 
make  money,  and  do  so  in  their  clever 
way,  by  squirting  white-wash  on  the  shoes 
of  passersby.  If  the  cop  they  squirted 
only  had  a  sense  of  humor,  they  would 
have  made  enough  for  the  gloves  and  the 
rent  of  the  gym  as  well — but  as  it  was, 
the  rent  had  to  be,  paid. 

The  newcomers,  in  the  person  of  twins 
add  a  good  piece  of  fun,  for  they  afford 
a  bit  of  diversity  from  former  pictures, 
and  help  to  make  this  one  a  really  worth- 
while buy  for  the  exhibitor. 

Folks  everywhere  hold  up  the  Gang 
comedies  as  the  standard  of  fun  produc- 
ers, and  the  more  adroit  exhibitors  are 
capitalizing  this  trend. 

*    *  * 

Race  Horse  in  Accident 

Malcolm  Strauss,  the  Patheserial 
producer  now  producing  a  race  track 
serial  under  the  direction  of  George  B. 
Seitz,  says  that  "wild  horses"  and 
"tame  women"  are  an  expensive  propo- 
sition on  a  movie  "location."  Recently 
the  company  went  to  Belmont  Park 
Track  to  make  scenes  for  "Galloping 
Hoofs,"  featuring  Allene  Ray  and 
Johnnie  Walker.  Lunch  time  was 
called  and  Marie  Murray,  playing  one 
of  the  parts  in  the  picture,  turned  over 
her  mount  to  one  of  the  stable  boys. 
The  boy  allowed  the  animal  the  free- 
dom of  the  inside  of  the  track  and 
when  the  company  returned  they  found 
it  had  broken  its  leg.  The  horse  had  to 
be  shot,  but  the  bad  part  of  it,  declares 
Malcolm  Strauss,  was  the  finding  of 
another  animal  that  could  match  up 
with  the  scenes  already  taken. 


NEWS 
REELS 
IN 

BRIEF 

KlNOGRAMS  N( 

5019— Army  Flier 
Reach     End  oJ 
>ong  Trail  Arounc 
The  World— Seat- 
tle   —  Enormou 
crowd   sees  com 
pletion  of  histori 
flight.      Folks  at 
This   Fair   See  ; 
Lot    of  Things- 
Brockton   —  Au 
tumn    isn't  leg? 
in  Massachusett 
without    the  ol 
standby  the  Brock- 
ton Fair  as  froi 
the  dear  dead  day 
beyond  recal 
Man,  Wife,  Bab; 
and  Goat  Go  Fa 
in     Tiny  Boat- 
Wrangel,  Alaska 
Sort  of   a  Swis 
Family  Robinsor 
afloat    are  ther 
folks   from  Seat 
tie.    No  Exclusio- 
Act  for  Orientia 
Fish — San  Fran 
-isco —  Immigrant 
who   will   live  i' 
aquarium  here  an 
admitted  withou 
question.  Here's  / 
Marquis  Wh 
Puts  Up  Dukes- 
Dungavel,    Eng. — 
Honest-to-goodness 
pert  boxer.  Mile-A-Minute 
the    Old  Ohio — Cincinnati- 
compete  in  annual 
banks  to  watch, 
of  Flames- 
Monte 


Juvenile 

♦COMEDIES- 

Kid  cut-ups  with  as  much  appeal  to 
Dad  and  Ma  as  to  the  youngsters 


Presents 


DIRTY  HANDS 

and 

"OH  TEACHER" 

with  Jack  McHugh 


and  six  other  gems  of  juvenile  fun 
"THE  JUNIOR  PARTNER' 
"BARNUM,  JUNIOR" 

FACE" 
"OVER  THE  FENCE" 
"THREE  CHEERS" 
"YANKEE  SPIRIT'' 


If 


.-J 


nobleman,  also  an  ex- 
Boats  Stir  up 
-Speedy  craft 
regatta  as  100,000  line 
Historic  Hotel  Is  Victim 
-Del  Monte,  Cal— The  Hotel  Del 
is  totally  destroyed  in  night  blaze — 
loss  $2,000,000.  Jackie  Coogan  Goes  Hunt- 
ing for  Whales — Way  Out  in  The  Atlantic 
— Jackie  tries  to  enliven  voyage  with  a  little 
big-game  fishing.  Capital  Goes  Wild  Over 
The  Senators — Wash,  D.C. — Parade  reviewed 
by  President  and  cabinet  members  honor 
team  that  won  the  pennant. 

International  News  No.  82 — Wash,  D. 
C. — National  Capital  goes  wild  over 
baseball  triumph.  Pres.  Coolidge  and 
Cabinet  lead  natives  in  welcome  to  winners 
of  American  League  pennant.  Dayton,  O. — 
Newest  air  flivver  weighs  only  250  lbs. — and 
flies.  Looks  like  a  baby  carriage  with 
wings  but  can  go  75  miles  an  hour.  Powell, 
Wyo. — Cat  adopts  family  of  orphan  pups. 
Homeless  terriers  find  Tabby  a  loving  foster 
mother.  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I. — Teddy  Jr.  starts 
his  battle  for  N.  Y.  Governorship.  Thousands 
of  home  folks  cheer  Col.  Roosevelt  as  he 
accepts  nomination  and  promises  vigorous 
fight.  Stone  Mountain,  Ga. — Dynamite  aids 
sculptor  in  carving  mountainside.  Monument 
to  Confederacy,  world's  greatest  memorial, 
pro  stupendous  task.  London,  Eng. — Seeing 
London  from  a  flying  bucket.  International 
News  cameraman  take  unique  air  ride  to  ob- 
tain unusual  views  of  British  metropolis. 
In  the  Cascade  Mts.  Wash. — Elevator  helps 
salmon  overcome  mountain  rapids.  "Lift" 
enables  fish  to  reach  their  spawning  grounds 
upstream.  Calcutta,  India. — Vast  army  of 
Mohammedans  pay  frenzied  homage  to 
martyrs.  Beating  their  breasts  a  million 
followers  of  Islam  take  part  in  biggest  Mu- 
hurrum  festival  ever  held.  Near  Harrisburg, 
Pa. — Floods  spread  havoc  along  railway 
lines.  Bridges  smashed,  tracks  washed  out  in 
Susquehanna  Valley  disaster. 
Pathe  News  No.  81. — Washington,  D.  C. 


Capital  hails  pennant  winners — Senators, 
American  League  champions,  make  a  tri- 
umphal entray  into  their  "home  town."  of 
the  Washington  team.  Los  Angeles,  Cal. — 
A  finished  acrobat,  and  only  three-quarters 
of  a  year  old!  Marjorie  King  has  developed 
remarkable  physical  powers  in  the  9  months 
since  her  birth.  Here  and  There — Repair 
radio  on  U.  S.  S.  Richmond,  damaged  while 
patrolling  Atlantic  during  crossing  of  U.  S. 
world  flyers — where  every  sailor  is  a  steeple- 
jack. 1,  New  York  City. — Dusty  belles  line 
up  for  Colored  Beauty  Contest— the  camera- 
man tried,  but  couldn't  guess  who'd  be  the 
winner,  can  you?  2.  Denver,  Colo.  Here's 
a  backyard  that  boasts  of  a  string  bean,  3 
ft.  5  in.  long  and  weighing  10  pounds — a 
whale  of  a  bean !  3.  The  bean  alone  supplies 
a  regular  meal  to  19  persons.  4.  Baltimore, 
Md. — Welcome  to  Democratic  Presidential 
candidate — John  W.  Davis  is  greeted  by  Gov- 
ernor Ritchie  and  Mayor  Jackson  of  Balti- 
more. Oyster  Bay,  N.  Y. — Theodore  Roose- 
velt formally  notified  of  candidacy  for  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York — reviving  memories  of 
similar  nomination  won  by  his  father  25 
years  ago.  Seattle,  Wash. — End  World 
flight  !■  For  the  first  time  in  history,  an  aerial 
circuit  of  the  globe  is  made,  as  U.  S.  airmen 
land  at  Seattle,  the  point  from  which  they 
started  176  days  ago.  Washington,  D.  C. — 
Opening  game  of  World  Series.  Dayton,  O. 
— First  annual  Animal  Day  a  unique  event — 
a  parade  two  miles  long,  with  thousands  par- 
ticipating, opens  the  festivities.  1.  Hard  to 
pick  the  winners  among  the  canine  pets.  Bos- 
ton, Mass. — Boston  College  opens  gridiron 
season  with  brilliant  victory — 7  touchdowns 
are  part  of  punishment  received  by  Provi- 
dence. Mermentau,  Ala. — Completion  and 
opening  of  new  bridge  a  gala  event — the 
steel  structure  over  the  Mermentau  River 
was  built  at  a  cost  of  $143,000.  Uinta  Basin, 
Utah.  (Salt  Lake  City  only)  25,000,000-year- 
old  disonaurs  for  University  of  Utah — cara- 
van brings  skeletons  of  prehistoric  creatures 
200  miles  from  where  they  were  found. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


Raise  Admissions 

An  advance  in  admission  prices  for  even- 
ing performances  has  been  made  by  Bert 
Brouse,  manager  of  the  Imperial  Theatre,  Ot- 
tawa, Ontario,  the  all-round  increase  being  five 
cents.  The  change  in  the  price  scale  is  tak- 
ing place  simultaneously  with  the  adoption  of 
the  policy  to  open  new  programmes  on  Sat- 
urdays instead  of  Mondays,  as  done  locally 
by  the  Regent  and  Centre  Theatres.  The 
price  is  now  40  cents. 

Manager  Brouse  has  added  to  the  "tone" 
of  the  Imperial  in  several  ways,  one  differ- 
ence being  noted  in  the  box  office  where  a 
cashier  in  tuxedo  suit  has  replaced  the  girl 
vendor.  Improvement  has  also  been  noted 
in  the  musical  accompaniment  in  the  engage- 
ment of  Norton  H.  Payne,  F.R.C.O.,  to 
preside  at  the  organ  console. 

*  *  * 

G.  F.  M.  Will  Reorganize 

Plans  for  a  complete  reorganization  of  the 
General  Film  Manufacturing  Company,  6800 
Delmar  boulevard,  University  City,  Mo., 
were  perfected  at  a. meeting  of  stockholders 
and  other  interested  in  the  company  in  the 
studio  Wednesday  evening  September  24. 

Under  the  reorganization  plan  accepted  by 
approximately  90  percent  of  the  stockholders 
the  capitalization  will  be  reduced  from  $600,- 
000  to  $100,000.  St.  Louis  capitalists  will  put 
new  money  into  the  company,  and  old  stock- 
holders have  agreed  to  accept  one  share  of 
new  stock  for  two  shares  of  their  old  stock. 
Under  this  plan  $50,000  new  cash  will  be 
put  into  the  company  immediately. 

It  already  has  a  fully  equipped  studio  and 
had  started  work  on  a  feature  and  several 
comedy  pictures.  It  also  does  considerable 
commercial  and  industrial  work. 

*  *  * 

Franklin  a  Rotarian 

J.  M.  Franklin,  new  manager  of  the  new 
B.  F.  Keith  Theatre  at  Ottawa,  Ontario,  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Rotary  Club  of  Ottawa, 
having  secured  the  theatre  classification  which 
was  formerly  held  by  Oral  D.  Cloakey,  late 
manager  of  the  Regent  Theatre,  Ottawa,  who 
is  now  in  California. 

The  B.  F.  Keith  Theatre,  Ottawa,  is  the 
only  theatre  outside  of  the  United  States 
which  bears  the  name  of  "Keith,"  this  being 
the  first  addition  to  the  chain  of  Keith  houses 
in  the  Dominion  operating  under  individual 
names. 

The  annual  fall  fashion  revue  of  the  A. 
J.  Freiman  Department  store  was  held  at 
the  Keith  Ottawa  Theatre  in  conjunction  with 
regular  performances  during  the  week  of 
September  15. 

*  *  * 

Theatre  at  Auction 

The  State  theatre,  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
one  of  the  largest  and  handsomest  houses  in 
New  York  state,  will  be  sold  at  auction  some 
time  during  the  month  of  October.  The 
house  cost  approximately  $300,000,  and  was 
opened  about  three  years  ago  by  the  Strand 


James  W.  Watson,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
was  elected  vice-president  of  the  Kansas 
M.  P.  T.  O.  A.  recently,  and  will  serve  as 
Western     Missouri     district  supervisor. 


Operating  company.  Later  on,  the  theatre 
was  included  among  those  involved  in  the 
Max  Spiegel  failure.  W.  W.  Farley,  was  ap- 
pointed receiver  and  the  house  has  been  op- 
erating under  a  company  known  as  Farash 
Theatres,  Inc.,  of  which  Mr.  Farley  is  an 
officer. 

*  *  * 

Exchange  Men  Optimistic 

Business  in  the  St.  Louis  district  has  shown 
decided  improvement  in  recent  weeks.  The 
past  two  weeks  were  the  best  in  the  history 
of  the  local  Fox  exchange  according  to  Man- 
ager C.  E.  McKean,  while  Metro-Goldwyn 
broke  all  previous  records  during  Goldwyn 
Week.  C.  D.  Hill,  manager  of  the  St.  Louis 
office  of  the  Producers  Distributing  Corpor- 
ation, also  reports  splendid  business.  His  of- 
fice has  jumped  into  second  place  in  the  na- 
tional competition  between  Producers  Dis- 
tributing offices  during  that  period.  Other 
exchanges  also  report  nice  business.  Con- 
ditions in  southern  Illinois  are  still  far  from 
good  but  there  has  been  an  improvement 
there  also. 

*  *  * 

Northwest  Improving 

To  our  Seattle  correspondent,  conditions 
looking  towards  the  most  prosperous  era  in 
years.  The  wheat  crop  is  tremendous  and 
prices  good,  copper  is  higher  than  in  some 
time,  a  number  of  mines  are  runinng  full  time, 
with  the  prospect  of  others  that  have  been 
idle  for  years,  starting  up.  Altogether  things 
look  promising.  This  will,  naturally  effect 
picture  conditions  which  have  been  very  bad 
for  some  time  past. 


Start  on  Shea's 

Work  was  started  this  week  on  the  new 
Buffalo  Shea  theatre  being  erected  in  Main 
street  above  Chippewa.  It  is  expected  that 
the  palatial  theatre  will  be  ready  for  the  pub- 
lic in  about  a  year's  time  and  M.  Shea  is 
making  every  effort  to  have  the  house  one 
of  the  finest  in  the  country.  It  will  be  twice 
the  size  of  Shea's  Hippodrome. 

*  *  * 

Rodemick  a  Publisher 

Gene  Rodemick,  musical  director  at  the 
Grand  Central  Theatre,  St.  Louis,  known  as 
a  jazz  king  has  turned  publisher,  articles  of 
incorporation  having  been  issued  for  the 
Gene  Rodemich  Publishing  Company.  The 
company,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Jack  Mills  com- 
pany, will  maintain  offices  in  St.  Louis  and 
New  York  City.  Mills  and  Larry  Conley, 
who  plays  the  trombone  in  Rodemich's  or- 
chestra will  be  associated  with  him  in  the 
publishing  venture.  The  first  two  offerings 
of  the  company  will  be  "Shanghai  Shuffle" 
composed  by  Rodemich  and  Conley  and 
'Honolu"  by  a  new  author. 

Business  Expanding 

A.  M.  Larson,  Inc.,  a  Seattle  firm  of  inter- 
ior decorators,  are  increasing  their  space  and 
capacity  of  their  workshop,  by  moving  to 
much  larger,  specially  arranged  offices  and 
factory  on  Third  Avenue,  in  the  Film  Ex- 
change district.  Every  decorating  and  furn- 
ishing accessory  for  the  modern  motion  pic- 
ture theatre,  hall  or  business  building  will  be 
handled  by  this  firm.  H.  N.  Nelson,  form- 
erly with  a  Salt  Lake  firm  of  interior  dec- 
orators, has  affiliated  with  the  company's 
staff. 

*  *    *: .- 

Kansas  Changes 

Many  changes  in  the  personnels  of  Kansas 
City  exchange  forces  have  occurred  in  the 
last  week.  D.  M.  Majors,  former  assistant 
Vitagraph  manager  and  recently  connected 
with  Warner  Brothers,  has  been  appointed 
in  charge  of  F.  B.  O.  sales  in  the  Kansas 
City  and  Western  Missouri  territory,  suc- 
ceeding Joe  Silverman,  who  resigned.  Ar- 
thur Ford,  former  owner  of  the  Marple  thea- 
tre, Wichita,  Kas.,  is  now  traveling  Northern 
Missouri  and  Northwestern  Kansas  for  F. 
B.  O.,  while  Ralph  Scherzer,  who  established 
the  Central  Shipping  Bureau  for  exhibitors, 
has  sold  his  interests  to  E.  E.  Jameyson. 
Jerry  Cloverdyke,  former  skipper  for  Metro- 
Goldwyn,  has  accepted  a  similar  position  with 
Selznick.  Miss  Ray  Lentzer,  for  the  last 
four  years  cashier  at  the  Kansas  City  Enter- 
prise office,  has  been  promoted  to  assistant 
manager,  succeeding  S.  A.  Hamilton,  who  re- 
signed. William  T.  Yoder,  former  district 
manager  for  Pathe,  now  is  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Kansas  City,  being  associated 
with  the  Emil  J.  Schutzel  Company.  C.  E. 
Reynolds,  formerly  a  Pathe  representative, 
now  Is  with  Educational. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  47 


Schenectady  Theatre  Rehuilt 

The  Strand  theatre  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
reopened  after  the  fire  of  last  July,  has  in- 
creased its  admission  by  five  cents,  making 
it  correspond  to  the  State  theatre,  where  40 
•cents  has  been  the  rule  for  some  time.  The 
theatres  in  Schenectady  this  fall  are  using 
less  newspaper  space  and  more  street  adver- 
tising than  formerly.  At  the  Strand,  a  $22,- 
000  organ  is  being  installed.  College  boys 
are  being  used  as  ushers  at  both  the  State 
■and  Strand  theatres  this  year.  The  orches- 
tra has  been  dispensed  with  at  the  State 
theatre,  as  well  as  the  Albany.  In  fact  the 
Strand  is  supporting  the  only  orchestra 
among  the  motion  picture  theatres  of  Sche- 
nectady. 

*  *  * 

Radio  Program 

Roy  C.  Czerny,  Kent  theatre,  Kent,  Wash., 
is  tying  up  with  the  radio  with  good  results. 
Last  week  he  gave  a  two  hour  program  of 
•music  from  the  most  powerful  broadcasting 
station  in  his  community,  built  and  owned  by 
C.  R.  Clark.  Film  fans  enjoyed  the  program, 
and  most  of  them  came  to  the  show  later  in 
the  week  to  tell  Roy  they  had  listened  in  and 
liked  the  program. 

r,>    *    *    *  i 

Watson  Elected 

James  W.  Watson,  owner  of  the  Benton 
theatre,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  who  was  elected 
vice  president  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas  and 
Missouri  at  the  convention  of  that  organiza- 
tion in  Topeka,  Kas.,  this  week.  Watson 
formerly  was  one  of  the  leading  golf  profes- 
sionals of  Kansas  City,  but  is  proving  even 
more  efficient  as  an  exhibitor. 

It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  motor  cars 
lined  up  for  two  blocks  in  front  of  his 
theatre,  which  is  among  the  better  suburban 
houses  of  Kansas  City,  any  night.  Two 
strong  characteristics  predominate  Watson's 
personality.  When  he  says  "I'll  do  it,"  it  is 
as  good  as  done  right  then.  When  he  ad- 
vertises something  "good"  to  his  patrons,  they 
know  what  to  expect.  His  policy  always  has 
been  an  old  one,  but  in  it  he  is  consistent — 
"give  the  best  for  the  least." 

Watson  will  serve  as  supervisor  of  the 
Western  Missouri  district  and  as  an  aid  to 
President  R.  R.  Biechele  of  Kansas,  who  re- 
mains as  head  of  the  new  merged  organiza- 
tion. 

*  *  * 

Special  Pass 

Manager  J.  M.  Franklin  of  B.  F.  Keith's 
Theatre,  Ottawa,  has  presented  a  special 
permanent  pass  to  His  Excellency,  Lord  Byng 
of  Vimy,  Governor-General  of  Canada,  for 
the  new  Keith  house  and  has  received  a  per- 
sonal letter  of  thanks  from  Canada's  Vice- 
roy. Joe  Franklin  has  also  been  delighted 
with  the  receipt  of  a  nice  letter  from  Rt. 
Hon.  W.  L.  Mackenzie  King,  Prime  Minister 
of  Canada,  in  appreciation  of  a  special  Keith 
Theatre  pass  which  was  presented  to  the  Can- 
adian statesman.  The  Ottawa  Keith  house 
has  been  enjoying  wonderful  patronage  since 
j  September  1  when  the  theatre  was  taken  over 
from  Marcus  Loew,  even  though  a  10  cent 
increase  was  made  in  admission  prices. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Gets  'em  All 

j      Here's  another  for  the  book:  There  may 
have  been  a  few  "strangers"  sneak  in,  but  J. 
[  G.  Staple  of  the  Victor  theatre,  Rockport, 


Mo.,  didn't  see  them,  and  his  house,  showing 
the  "Covered  Wagon"  played  to  1,330  when 
there  are  only  1,050  people  in  the  town.  And 
the  box  office  receipts  checked  up  correctly. 

*  *  * 

Nolan  Electioneering 

After  serving  in  the  Ottawa  City  Council 
for  the  past  five  years,  Aid.  P.  J.  Nolan, 
proprietor  of  the  Rex  Theatre  in  the  Can- 
adian Capital,  has  decided  to  seek  higher  civ- 
ic honors  in  the  local  elections  in  December, 
having  announced  that  he  will  be  a  candidate 
for  the  Ottawa  Board  of  Control.  Aid.  No- 
lan owns  considerable  property  in  Ottawa 
and,  in  addition  to  the  theatre,  conducts  a 
drug  store.  The  Rex  Theatre  has  been  a 
profitable  suburban  house  for  years. 

*  *  * 

Architect  on  the  Job 

Leon  H.  Lempert  of  Rochester,  theatrical 
architect,  visited  Elmira  last  week  to  look 
over  the  site  of  the  new  State  theatre  which 
will  be  biult  at  State  and  East  Grey  streets. 
According  to  present  plans  the  preliminary 
details  will  be  completed  by  January  1  and 
it  is  expected  that  the  foundation  will  be 
laid  and  the  structural  work  started  during 
the  next  few  months.  Mr.  Lempert  is  the 
head  of  the  firm  bearing  his  name,  which 
specializes  in  plans  for  theatre.  It  is  ex- 
pected the  plans  will  be  finished  by  October 
20  and  the  contract  let  soon  thereafter. 

Charles  Harden  Injured 

Returning  from  the  opening  of  the  new 
Liberty  theatre,  Olympia,  Wash.,  along  the 
state  highway,  Charles  W.  Harden,  manager 
of  United  Artists  in  Seattle,  was  run  into 
by  another  automobile  and  his  Velie  sedan 
badly  damaged.  Mr.  Harden  was  hurled 
through  one  of  the  glass  windows  and  se- 
verely cut  about  the  head  and  face,  and  badly 
shaken  up.  Mrs.  Harden  who  was  driving, 
escaped  being  cut  by  the  glass,  but  suffered 
from  the  nervous  shock. 


Massey  Music  Hall,  Toronto,  the  large 
playhouse  seating  4,000  persons  where 
"The  Ten  Commandments"  has  been  play- 
ing it's  Canadian  premiere  of  three  weeks 
under  direction  of  Famous  Players-Lasky. 


Round  Table  Briefs 

Fred  Savage,  formerly  an  exhibitor  of 
Hutchinson,  Kas.,  is  living  up  to  the  cyclonic 
reputation  of  his  state  as  a  salesman  for 
Universal,  according  to  officials  at  the  Kan- 
sas City  office. 

*  *  * 

"Swede"  Chapman,  Universal  salesman 
who  departed  five  weeks  ago  to  gather  in 
the  gold  of  the  Kansas  City  territory,  re- 
turned last  week  and  solemnly  asserts  that 
he  obtained  everything  he  went  after,  and 
some  things  he  didn't. 

*  *  * 

Mike  and  Al  Kahn  of  the  Film  Classics 
office  at  Kansas  City,  are  forming  their  two- 
run  team  combination  this  week,  Mike  scour- 
ing the  territory,  while  Al  is  attending  to 
technicalities  in  Omaha. 

*  *  * 

Jack  Roth,  manager  of  the  Liberty,  Isis 
and  Strand  theatres,  Kansas  City,  returned 
from  a  business  trip  to  New  York  just  in 
time  to  learn  he  had  been  sued  for  $250  for 
violating  the  music  copyright  act.  But  there 
were  no  wrinkles  in  his  brow,  upon  hearing 
the  news. 

*  *  * 

W.  J.  Hicks  is  conducting  an  airdome  at 
Rocky  Ford,  Colo.,  and  reports  that  business 
has  been  very  pleasing.  Program  is  changed 
every  two  days. 

The  Majestic  Theatre  at  Fort  Worth, 
Texas,  heretofore,  exclusively  vaudeville,  has 
added  features  pictures,  together  with  screen, 
projectors,  etc. 

Petition  for  appointment  of  a  receiver  for 
the  Queen  theatre  at  Forth  Worth,  Texas,  has 
been  filed  in  the  48th  district  by  Frank  An- 
derson, who  alleges  that  the  theater  has  not 
been  kept  in  repair,  the  chairs  are  broken  and 
the  roof  leaks. 

*  *  * 

The  Peoples  Theater  at  Beaumont,  Texas, 
will  install  a  Gold  Fibre  Screen. 

*  #  * 

The  Majestic  theater  at  Nederland,  Texas, 
has  been  opened  by  George  Crane 

*  *  * 

The  Dixie  Theater  at  Waxahachie,  Texas, 
has  closed  for  repairs,  but  will  be  reopened 

soon. 

Raengers  Strand  Theater  at  Texarkana, 
Ark.,  opened  Aug.  25. 

*  *  * 

W.  E.  Murray  will  open  a  new  movie  thea- 
ter at  Jasper,  Ark.,  in  near  future. 

Elmer  Harkey  will  open  a  picture  show  and 
skating  rink  at  Malvern.  Ark.,  in  the  near 
future.  The  building  will  be  50x150,  modern 
and  up  to  date. 

*  *  * 

The  Lyric  Theater  at  Harrison,  Ark.,  will 
install  two  new  projection  machines  in  the 
near  future,  with  a  3,000  candle  power  beam. 
a    *  * 

F^r  the  first  time  Cuion,  Ark.,  ha<=  a  mo- 
tion picture  theater,  operated  by  Hill  Shef- 
field, who  also  operates  the  airdome. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  FAMOUS  40  Gold  Mine! 


A  real  honest-to-goodness  special,  Tor- 
rence  equaling  his  work  in  "The  Cov- 
ered Wagon."  The  picture  is  full  of 
heart  interest  and  there  is  just  enough 
war  stuff  to  give  it  action.  Eight  reels. 
— James  Haivorth,  llo  Ho  theatre, 
Cumberland,  B.  C,  Canada. — Small 
town  patronage. 


/yNice  picture.  Made  especially  good 
;for  me  as  I  followed  it  one  week  after 
j"The  Covered  Wagon"  and  they  all  re- 
jmembered  Torrence.  A  picture  that  is 
^  better  than  most  of  the  higher  priced 
J1  ones. — Joe  Hewitt,  Strand  theatre, 
%  Robinson,  HI. — Mixed  patronage. 


Very  splendid  picture.  Paramount  must 
certainly  have  a  wonderful  casting  di- 
rector, or  Mr.  E.  Torrence  is  surely  a 
glutton  for  work.  In  fact,  an  all-star 
cast  and  a  picture  that  will  suit  all 
classes.  From  every  angle  it  is  the 
"little  waist's  panties."  Seven  reels. — 
Clark  &  Edicards,  Palace  theatre,  Ash- 
land, Ohio  General  patronage. 


1 


October  18,  19H4  Page  49 

|HlllllHllllllllllMlimM   Illlllllllllllll  II  II  IIIII1IIIIIIIIM 

I  °fried  and  Proved  Pictures  \ 

liiDiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiHiH 

Has  It  Box-Office  Magnetism? 

Each  Time  a  Picture  Has  Become  a  Tried  and  Proved  Hit,  It  Is  Certain  That  No  State 
or  Section  Has  Found  It  Lacking  at  Box  Office  Valuation 


THERE'S  a  story  that  is  going  the 
rounds  among  motion  picture  ex- 
hibitors that  tells  of  a  picture  made 
twenty-one  years  ago — and  recently 
shown  in  Los  Angeles. 

Surely  say  some  picture  men — that's 
your  ideal  Tried  and  Proved  film ! 

Nay,  brother.  Time  alone  doesn't 
make  it  tried  and  proved. 

Rather,  we  would  suggest  that  it  is 
the  thorough,  general  public  acceptance 
that  makes  a  picture  Tried  and  Proved. 

While  the  picture  that  arouses  sec- 
tional antagonism  in  some  places  may 
prove  successful  in  another,  yet  the 
reverse  is  also  true.  In  six  weeks 
time,  a  picture  may  become  "tried  and 
proved" —  if  it  have  the  advantage  of 
representation  in  many  parts  of  the 
country  and  over  a  rather  wide  area 
of  cities  and  states. 

There  is  unfortunately  such  a  thing 
in  these  United  States  as  sectional 
prejudice.  Recently  this  gave  the  wise- 
acres among  the  producers  something 
to  study  and  think  about.  One  of  the 
greatest  box-office  hits  that  Broadway 
New  York  showed — proved  a  perfect 
frost  in  Philadelphia — only  two  hours 
away  by  railway. 

THE  leading  man  of  the  "hit"  hap- 
pens to  be  absolutely  disliked  in 
Philly  with  the  result  that  those  ex- 
hibitors who  did  not  know  the  situa- 
tion, and  who  bought  on  the  strength 
of  the  New  York  sensation,  were  badly 
out  of  pocket  on  the  deal. 

Another  thing  to  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration is  personal  prejudice. 

Often  a  leader  among  showmen  cares 
immensely  for  a  certain  player  or  di- 
rector— and  gives  the  picture  he  plays 
in  or  directed,  preference  over  other 
contemporary  films.  With  luck  and  a 
large  average  following  he  gets  through 
the  week's  showing  fairly  well. 

EXCHANGE  men  and  distributors 
will  then  quickly  prate  about  the 
fact  that  the  picture  has  been  shown  in 
New  York's  First  Run  houses  and  add 
it  should  be  anything  from  a  "hit"  to  a 
"world  beater"  in  every  other  theatre. 

Heres  where  personal  prejudice  took 
precedence  over  sound  judgment. 
The  fine  shades  of  likes  and  dislikes 


TWENTY-ONE 
BIRTHDAYS 

WHAT  is  perhaps  the  oldest 
film  in  existence.  "The 
Haunted  Hotel,"  which  was 
made  twenty-one  years  ago — hence 
is  just  of  age — has  been  resurrected 
and  is  now  being  shown  in  connec- 
tion with  the  recent  Vitagraph  re- 
lease, "Between  Friends,"  at  the 
Forum  Theatre,  Los  Angeles. 

J STUART  BLACKTON,  who 
•  produced  "Between  Friends," 
thought  of  "The  Haunted  Hotel" 
when  the  Los  Angeles  showing  of 
the  new  feature  was  arranged,  and 
such  a  hit  has  the  old-timer  scored 
that  other  exhibitors  ,  are  deluging 
v'tagraph  with  requests  for  early- 
day  pictures. 

FROM  the  fact  that  Vitagraph  is 
the  only  company  now  operat- 
ing which  was  in  existence  a  quart- 
er of  a  century  ago,  it  would  appear 
to  have  acquired,  unknowingly,  an 
absolute  monopoly  of  very  old  pic- 
tures. No  other  concern  now  mak- 
ing pictures  is  in  a  position  to  offer 
films  which  had  a  place  in  the  early 
history  of  the  picture  industry. 


are  what  makes  a  picture  tried  and 
proved  or  otherwise  and  this  the  ex- 


hibitor alone  can  anticipate — if  he 
knows  his  audience. 

We  should  indeed  like  to  see  that 
twenty-one  year  old  picture,  and  find 
out  for  ourselves  whether  or  not  the 
question  of  "Tried  and  Proved"  pic- 
tures has  in  any  way  been  affected  in 
this  instance. 

"  Did  the  picture  prove  successful  in 
the  old  days,  through  sheer  merit? — 
and  how  many  showings  did  it  have  to 
its  credit  ?  These  are  salient  facts  that 
definitely  control  the  situation.  Has 
the  picture  any  box-office  magnetism 
to-day  ? 

The  curiosity  of  the  mass-public  will 
strongly  advise  in  favor  of  the  booking 
of  the  picture  referred  to,  if  only  it  can 
be  advertised  as  a  curiosity — but  when 
we  talk  Tried  and  Proved  pictures,  we 
mean,  not  curiosities  but  pictures  that 
have  served  their  apprenticeships  all 
along  the  line,  and  that  have  not  found 
regional  opposition  in  any  manner.  To 
this  we  must  append  certain  outstand- 
ing exceptions.  True.  Yet,  they  are 
only  exceptions,  because  they  were  so 
meritorious  that  their  success  far  over- 
whelmed their  failures. 

Twenty-one  birthdays  is  indeed  a 
plenty — but  those  years  should  all  have 
been  put  in  hard  work  and  actual  ser- 
vice on  the  screen,  instead  of  the  land 
vault,  and  in  every  section  of  the  land 
with  uniform  success.  Then  and  then 
only,  may  the  picture  be  entitled  to  the 
honor  of  the  name  "Tried  and  Proved." 


An  attractive  window  is  one  of  the  Liggett  drug  stores  in  Minneapolis  where  "When 
a  Man's  a   Man,"  a  First  National  attraction,  played  a  successful  engagement. 


Page  50 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revietv 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Perfect 


THE  exploitation  cam- 
paign for  First  Nation- 
al's "The  Love  Master," 
featuring  the  dog,  Strong- 
heart,  at  the  Knickerbocker 
Theatre,  Nashville,  Tenn., 
was  a  thorough  and  diversi- 
fied one. 

A  display  of  costly  furs 
was  obtained  in  two  windows 
in  Loveman,  Berg  &  Teitle- 
baum's  store  on  Fifth  Ave- 
nue, while  H.  G.  Hill's  gro- 
cery store,  on  Church  Street, 
put  in  an  attractive  '  window 
featuring  a  brand  of  coffee 
which  was  tied  up  to  the 
"Love  Master"  showing.  An- 
other tie-up  was  with  the 
Nashville  Roller  Mills,  fea- 
turing its  own  brand  of  flour. 

This  company  sent  two 
large  trucks,  loaded  with 
sacks  of  its  flour,  carrying 
large  banners  on  each  side  of 
the  truck,  through  the  town. 
The  banners  read  as  follows : 
"Gloria  Flour  is  the  'Love 
Master.'  Try  it  on  your  hus- 
b  a  n  d,  See  'The  Love 
Master'  at  the  Knickerbocke  r." 

A  large  window  in  the  old  O.  K. 
building  in  Church  Street  carried  a 
painted  sign  which  included  a  largs 
head  of  a  dog  resembling  Stronehe-'-t 
as  well  as  the  title  of  the  pic- 
ture,   theatre    and    play  date, 

Fifty  taxicabs  from  two  of 
Nashville's  taxi  concerns  were 
fitted  out  with  disks  of  white 
enamel  backgrotu^  with  the 
title  of  the  picture  in  bright 
red  letters  and  the  head  of 
Strongheart  in  black.  Quar- 
ter-sheet special  cards  were 
placed  on  front  and  rear  of 
the  city's  seventy-five  street 
cars.  Five  thousand  heralds 
were  distributed. 

#    #  * 


Box  Office  Pointer 

TO  Claud  Cady,  who  runs 
the  Gladmer  Theatre,  Lan- 
sing, Mich.,  goes  the  credit 
for  constructing  as  fine  a 
piece  of  permanent  advertising 
as  we  have  seen  applied  to 
the  front  of  a  theatre  in  a 
down-town  section. 


In  New  Orleans,  Field's,  a  fashionable  milliner  showed  their 
advance   creations  in  a  tie-up  with  First  National's  "The 
Flapper"   at   the    Strand    Theatre,    New  Orleans. 


Cady's  device  consists  of  an  arrow 
seventeen  feet  long,  three  feet  high.  It 
is  box-shaped  which  gives  it  an  im- 
pression of  tremendous  bulk  although  it 
only  weighs  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  pounds.  Eighty-five  lamps  on  each 
border  give  the  arrow  a  visibility  of 


National  Tie-Ups  on  Metro  pictures  were  given  excellent 
co  operation  when  recently  on  Broadway,  New  York  City, 
a  large  perfume  and  cosmetic  cream  concern  secured  a 
prominent  window  for  their  creams,  connecting  the  whole 
display  with  Barbara  La  Marr  in  "Thy  Name  Is  Woman." 


about  eight  blocks.  In  the 
space  between  the  tip  and  tail 
}f  the  arrow  is  room  for  a  sign. 
It  can  be  changed  for  every 
show,  while  the  tip  or  "fea- 
thered" part  of  the  arrow  car- 
ries a  permanent  Paramount 
trade-mark.  Cady  is  booked 
to  play  all  of  the  Famous 
Forty  and  Ken  Renaud,  Para- 
mount exploiteer  pointed  out 
to  him  the  advantages  of 
hooking  up  with  the  trade- 
mark so  as  to  derive  the  full 
benefit  of  the  Saturday  Eve- 
ning Post  and  other  national 
magazine  advertising. 

The  first  Paramount  pic- 
ture that  the  arrow  was  em- 
ployed for  was  Gloria  Swan- 
son  in  "Manhandled." 


Arabian  Puzzles 

BY  distributing  "Arabian 
Maze  Puzzles"  among  the 
children  who  came  to  see 
Jackie  C  o  o  g  a  n  in  "Little 
Robinson  Crusoe"  at  the 
Egyptian  Theatre  in  Long  Beach,  CaL 
recently,  H.  D.  McBride  increased  the 
attendance  of  children  for  the  fol- 
lowing week,  when  Rex  Ingram's  "The 
Arab"  was  shown,  more  than  100 
percent.  These  puzzles  represented 
a  desert  divided  by  multitudinous 
green  lines  into  a  1  a  b  y- 
rinth,  in  the  center  of  which 
was  pictured  an  oasis.  In  a 
lower  corner  was  shown  an 
Arab  mounted  on  a  camel. 
The  children  were  invited  to 
find  a  route  across  the  desert 
to  the  oasis  for  the  Arab  and 
to  trace  the  course  with  red 
ink.  Free  tickets  were  award- 
ed   the    first    fifty  winners. 


"Approximately  50  chil- 
dren a  day  had  been  coming," 
reports  McBride.  "The  puz- 
zle contest  increased  this 
number  to  an  average  of  115 
children  a  day."  "Little  Rob- 
inson Crusoe"  was  written  for 
Jackie  Coogan  by  Willard 
Mack,  and  produced  for  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn  under  the  person- 
al supervision  of  Jack  Coo- 
gan, Sr. 


October  18,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  51 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Universal 

THE  ABYSMAL  BRUTE— 5,845  Book- 
ings. Caveman  Romance.  Reviewed  March 
8.  BECAUSE  Jack  London  has  told  a  story 
with  forcefulness  and  conviction  that  has 
gained  the  picture  unbelievable  success. 

BAVU — 5,157  Bookings.  Foreign  Intrigue. 
Reviewed  Jan.  26.  BECAUSE  there  is  al- 
ways fascination  in  Continental  tales,  and 
this  interesting  play  deals  with  political 
scheming  in  Russia. 

THE  FLAME  OF  LIFE— 5809  Bookings. 
Mine  Tragedy.  Reviewed  March  15.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  a  thriller  that  really  thrills  and 
it  has  found  many  an  audience  on  the  edge 
of  its  seats  and  breathless  when  the  final 
scene  had  been  concluded. 

SPORTING  YOUTH— 4,162  Bookings. 
Younger  Set  Story.  Reviewed  Feb.  16. 
BECAUSE  Reginald  Denny  appears  in  this 
dazzling  speed  picture  of  young  America 
stepping  on  the  gas. 

THE  STORM— Over  8,500  Bookings.  Tri- 
angle Melodrama.  Reviewed  Feb.  2.  BE- 
CAUSE it  is  one  of  the  outsanding  box- 
office  pictures,  and  continues  to  break  book- 
ing records. 

BAVU— Released  May  7,  1923.  Booked 
3,928  times.  Foreign  Intrigue.  Reviewed 
January  6.  BECAUSE  there  is  a  vague 
for  Russian  entertainment  in  this  country  and 
the  story  is  a  fascinating  one. 

TRIFLING  WITH  HONOR— Released 
June  4,  1923.  Booked  4,241  times.  Baseball 
Romance.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
baseball  fans  throughout  the  country  will  eat 
it  up  and  it's  a  sure  money-maker. 

A  CHAPTER  IN  HER  LIFE— Released 
September  17,  1923.  Booked  2,410  times. 
Child  Love.  Reviewed  January  26.  BECAUSE 
the  story  is  one  that  goes  straight  to  the 
hearts  of  every  home  loving  audience. 

MERRY-GO-ROUND  —  War  Romance. 
Reviewed  January  19.  BECAUSE  it  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  pictures  of  1923  and 
has  a  wonderful  box  office  record. 

DARLING  OF  NEW  YORK  —  3,881 
Bookings.  Child  Story.  Reviewed  Nov.  10. 
BECAUSE  Baby  Peggy  has  a  great  support- 
ing cast,  and  the  picture  itself  is  a  charming 
combination  of  sunshine  and  shadow. 

FOOLS  HIGHWAY— 3,194  Bookings. 
Lights  and  Loves  of  New  York.  Reviewed 
Mar.  29.  BECAUSE  Mary  Philbin  shines 
as  a  great  star,  and  because  the  story  shows 
New  York  in  the  good  old,  bad  old  days. 

Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 


THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  pa-st  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


First  National 

FLAMING  YOUTH— A  startling  expose 
of  the  woman  of  today.  Reviewed  Dec.  1. 
BECAUSE  it  gives  Colleen  Moore  one  of 
her  greatest  roles,  and  is  a  picture  that  the 
women  revel  in. 

PONJOLA — A  kissless  bride  masquerades 
as  a  man,  for  love.  Reviewed  Dec.  1.  BE- 
CAUSE its  drama  and  passion  have  gripped 
film  audiences  all  over  the  world,  and  Anna 
Q.  Nilsson  and  James  Kirkwood  do  the  fin- 
est acting  of  their  careers. 

BLACK  OXEN— Gertrude  Atherton's  best 
seller  novel  of  a  voman  who  finds  the  secret 
of  recovering  her  lost  youth  and  beauty.  Re- 
viewed Jan.  5.  BECAUSE  every  woman  in 
the  world  is  vitally  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject, and  the  story  has  proved  its  worth  in 
great  business  throughout  the  world.  Corrine 
Griffith  at  her  best. 

SMILIN'  THROUGH— Made  from  the 
stage  play  that  touched  the  heart  of  every- 
body. BECAUSE  it  has  heart  appeal  in 
abundance,  the  humor  that  is  close  to  tears 
and  is  superbly  acted  by  Norma  Talmadge. 
A  masterpiece  of  love  and  youth. 

LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD— The  poignant 
drama  of  the  neglected  wife.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  woman's  picture  (as  well  as  a  man's)  and 
reveals  the  pitfalls  and  follies  that  beset  the 
woman  who,  neglected  by  her  husband,  looks 
outside  the  home  for  a  man's  attentions. 

POTASH  AND  PERLMUTTER— Made 
from  the  biggest  stage  hit  of  the  decade. 
BECAUSE  it  set  the  whole  world  laughing, 
and  its  humor  is  of  the  kind  that  does  not 
age. 

CIRCUS  DAYS— A  childhood  classic 
brought  to  life  on  the  screen.  BECAUSE  it 
gives  the  inimitable  Jackie  Coogan  one  of 
the  most  delightful  roles  he  has  ever  had 
and  has  an  appeal  for  everyone. 

THE  HOTTENTOT-One  of  the  bigg  A 
farce  hits  of  stage  and  screen.  BECAUSE 
it  is  acted  to  the  fun  limit  by  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  and  continues  to  do  big  business  when- 
ever shown. 

EAST  IS  WEST-A  big  dramatic  photo- 
play made  from  the  sensational  stage  hit. 
BECAUSE  it  has  the  heart  interest,  the  hu- 
mor, romance  and  deft  characterization  ■  that 
the  public  loves,  and  is  acted  with  fine  feeling 
by  Constance  Talmadge. 

ASHES  OF  VENGEANCE— One  of  the 
finest  mediaeval  pictures  ever  made.  Review- 
ed in  October.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  love  ro- 
mance that  everyone  hailed  as  "great"  and 
which  shows,  Norma  Talmadge's  complete 
mastery  of  screen  acting. 

C  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNlW»_- 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22. 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


Page  52 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Advertising  That  Built  Patronage 


To  attract  hot  weather  audiences  this  St.  Louis  exhibitor  decorated  his 
theatre  as  an  Ice  Palace,  during  the  showing  of  Producer's  Distributing 
Corporations  feature  picture,  "Hold  Your  Breath,"  the  comedy  success. 


The  Colonial  Theatre,  at  Washington  Court  House,  Ohio, 
"dressed  up"  for  the  showing  of  the  Metro  feature  "Scara- 
mouche."  Beaver  board,  cut  and  painted  gave  the  desired 
Bastille  wall  effect.    Colored  posters  were  plentifully  used. 


The  Kinema  Theatre,  Fresno,  Calif.,  secured  this  excellent 
publicity  tie-up  during  the  run  of  First  National  s  "The 
Perfect  Flapper,"  a  photoplay  of  'Tried  and  Proved'  popularity. 


Paintings  and  lobby  hangers  were  supplemented  by  two  large 
cut  outs  from  24  sheet  posters  during  the  engagement  of  Metro- 
Goldwyn's  "The  White  Sister"  with  Lillian  Gish  in  the  title  role. 
Left— For  advertising  the  Patheserial,  "The  Fortieth  Door,"  this 
exhibitor  used  a  moving  truck  with  a  cut  out  of  characters. 


October  18,  1924 


Page  53 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Creating  An  Effective  House  Organ 
For  the  Small  Theatre 


THAT  exhibitors  are  rather  keenly 
interested  in  the  possibilities  of  the 
theatre  house  organ  is  evidenced 
by  a  considerable  number  of  letters 
that  have  been  received  in  response  to 
an  article  which  appeared  in  Exhibi- 
tor's Trade  Review,  in  which  were 
presented  some  suggestions  to  aid  in 
shaping  such  publications. 

The  letters  that  follow  are  typi- 
cal of  many  that  have  been  re- 
ceived : 

Flat  Rock,  III.  Have  just  read 
issue  and  was  very  much  inter- 
ested in  "How  to  Start  a  House  Organ." 
Would  be  pleased  to  have  your  advice 
on  starting  a  house  organ  for  a  small 
theatre,  seating  capacity  250,  population 
700.  Palace  Theatre,  A.  M.  Highsmith, 
Manager. 

Hurley,  New  Mexico.  Referring  to 
article  "How  to  Start  a  House  Organ," 
would  be  pleased  to  receive  further  in- 
formation from  you  in  regard  to  this 
matter.  I  am  running  two  theatres,  at 
Hurley  and  Santa  Rita,  New  Mexico, 
each  with  a  seating  capacity  of  approx- 
imately 500.  We  run  all  pictures  from 
Hurley,  shipping  from  Hurley  to  Santa 
Rita.  Number  of  days  open,  four  in 
each  town,  doubling  on  Saturday.  In 
other  words,  I  run  in  Hurley  on  Mon- 
day, Wednesday,  Friday  and  Saturday ; 
Santa  Rita  on  Tuesday,  Thursday,  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday.  We  never  run  a 
picture  more  than  one  night  in  each 
town,  so  that  we  have  four  changes  a 
week,  with  an  extra  thrown  in  once  in  a 
while.  We  run  the  latest  pictures  we 
can  get,  namely,  "Dorothy  Vernon  of 
Haddon  Hall,"  "Girl  Shy,"  etc.,  as  spe- 
cials, and,  of  course,  the  regular  run  of 
pictures  the  balance  of  the  time,  with  a 
serial  on  Saturday  and  Sunday.  Any 
information  you  can  give  me  to  get 
started  will  be  greatly  appreciated,  as 
I  have  found  a  mere  weekly  program  is 
not  retained  by  patrons  longer  than  the 
time  required  to  read  through  them.  Our 
printing  problem  is  hard,  due  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  to  print  in  Silver  City,  about 
twenty  miles  from  here.  Chino  Theatres, 
K.  M.  Murray,  Manager. 

Port  Orchard,  Wash.  Kindly  give  me 
further  information  as  to  "How  to  Start  a 
House  Organ,"  as  outlined  on  page  39. 
My  theatre  is  at  present  of  250  seats 
capacity  and  is  the  only  one  in  town. 
Am  starting  next  week  to  build  a  500-seat 
house  and  expect  to  have  it  completed 
within  ninety  days.  I  believe  you  are  abso- 
lutely right  in  your  article  on  the  above- 
mentioned  subject  and  will  appreciate  any 
advice  you  may  give  me.  Liberty  Theatre, 
J.  A.  McGill,  Manager. 

Halifax,  Nova  Scotia.  You  have  an  ar- 
ticle on  page  39  of  your  issue  deal- 
ing with  House  Organs.  During  the  winter 
and  spring  months  I  issued  a  house  organ. 
It  was  read  here,  taken  home  and  read.  But 


I  was  not  satisfied  with  it,  as  I  felt  it  was 
too  cut  and  dried.  Also,  I  found  it  was  tak- 
ing altogether  too  much  time  to  sell  adver- 
tising space,  get  copy,  make  collections,  etc. 
As  to  cost,  the  advertising  just  about  paid 
for  the  printing  bill.  As  I  am  planning  to 
start  a  house  organ  in  some  form  in  the 
early  autumn  I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  any 
suggestions  you  may  be  good  enough  to  give. 
Casino  Theatre,  M.  F.  Gregg,  Manager. 


THE  House  Organ, 
properly  conducted,  is 
a  medium  of  exploitation 
which  deserves  the  best 
attention  of  every  show- 
man. With  it  you  may 
publicize  your  theatre, 
changing  casual  custo- 
mers to  permanent  pa- 
trons. It  is  a  friendship 
builder  of  proven  merit, 
well  worth  while  the 
slight  effort  of  creation. 


THESE  communications,  it  will  be 
noted,  present  a  variety  of  problems, 
just  as  they  come  from  widely  separa- 
ted sections.  It  is  evident,  however, 
that  these  managers,  along  with  many 
others  who  have  been  heard  from,  rea- 
lize the  potential  value  of  a  good  house 
organ  as  a  means  of  developing  a  reg- 
ular and  dependable  following. 

It  isn't  possible,  of  course,  to  take 
any  cut  and  dried  set  of  merchandising 
theories,  as  developed  in  other  lines  of 
business,  and  to  apply  them  success- 
fully to  the  problem  of  filling  your 
seats  regularly.  Yet,  after  all,  the 
question  is  largely  one  of  merchandis- 
ing and  one  which  can  be  illuminated 
considerably  by  the  experience  of  busi- 
ness men  in  other  fields. 


IN  the  first  place,  the  average  exhibi- 
tor is  inclined,  in  the  pressure  of 
handling  exploitation  that  centers 
around  the  pictures  he  has  booked  to 
forget  that  exploitation  of  the  house 
is  important,  also.  It  is  possible 
in  fact,  to  carry  house  exploi- 
tation to  the  point  where  it  will 
be  very  nearly  the  leading  factor  in 
bringing  the  crowds. 

What  do  people  like  in  a  motion 
picture  house?  It  depends  on 
the  community,  of  course.  In 
many  the  answer  might  read  thus : 

FIRST,  perhaps,  a  clean  bright 
house.  Then,  good  pictures. 
Not  necessarily  sensational  pic- 
tures, but  substantial  stuff  that 
rings  reasonably  true,  with  some 
pathos  and  some  comedy,  plenty  of 
happy  endings,  some  real  laughs 
and  something  educational,  a  news 
reel  possibly.  Good  music  that  fits 
the  program.  Entire  absence  of  sor- 
did and  sex  material  that  ought 
not  to  be  shown  to  the  younger 
generation.  A  clean  atmosphere 
throughout  every  program. 

You,  as  an  exhibitor,  may  find  a 
decidedly  different  answer  in  your 
community,  but  whatever  it  is,  the 
first  step  in  this  House  Organ  mat- 
ter is  to  ask  yourself  the  question, 
What  do  your  people  like?  And 
don't  dodge  the  issue  in  finding  the 
answer. 


Having  arrived  at  the  facts,  as 
you  readily  can,  the  next  question  is, 
how  far  are  you  in  position  to  supply 
what  they  want  ?  How  far  can  you  de- 
clare yourself  as  committed  to  a  policy 
of  supplying  them  what  they  want,  con- 
sistently ? 

IT  is  perfectly  clear  that  you  can't 
always  make  good  on  a  program  of 
this  sort,  but  you  probably  can  maintain 
a  sufficiently  high  batting  average  to  jus- 
tify making  a  noise  about  your  policy. 
And  if  you  can,  then  the  first  useful- 
ness of  your  House  Organ  is  going  to 
lie  in  the  fact  that  through  it  you  can 
exploit  your  theatre  by  exploiting  your 
policy.  You  can  use  the  House  Organ 
to  create  a  feeling  that,  regardless  of 
what  may  be  on  tonight  at  your  house, 
it's  a  safe  bet  to  go  and  take  a  chance 
on  the  entertainment.    And  once  you 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


have  created  that  feeling,  your  house 
will  have  become  an  institution  in  the 
community  and  your  attendance  will 
not  be  so  dependent  on  the  stunts  you 
pull  in  connection  with  the  features 
you  are  showing. 

THE  next  use  of  the  House  Organ 
is  to  build  interest  in  future  pro- 
grams. That  is  a  simple  enough  mat- 
ter with  the  exploitation  material  you 
have  available.  But  it  doesn't  follow 
that  the  press-book  material,  in  the 
form  in  which  it  comes  to  you,  is  ex- 
actly the  thing  for  your  use.  It  af- 
fords a  range  of  suggestions,  but  you 
will  profit  by  regarding  it  merely  as 
raw  material  and  by  developing  out  of 
it  some  intimate  straight  talks  with 
your  patrons.  Tell  them  why  you  have 
booked  a  picture.  Tell  them  why  you 
think  it  should  appeal  to  them.  Tell 
them  all  the  details  of  it  in  your  own 
way.  You  know  your  crowd.  Make 
your  own  speech. 

Just  a  word  further  on  this  point. 
Exhibitors  generally  are  too  much  in- 
clined to  stay  in  the  background.  You 
are  the  motion  picture  industry  in  your 
community.  Step  out  and  utilize  your 
own  personality  in  your  house  organ. 
Your  neighbors,  the  merchants  on 
Main  street,  pose  as  authorities  on  jew- 
elry and  drugs  and  drygoods.  You  are 
no  less  an  authority  on  the  pictures. 
What  you  say  will  carry  weight,  if 
it  is  in  type  over  your  own  signature. 

EVERY  house  organ,  where  it  is 
possible,  should  possess  the  ele- 
ment of  continuity.  Whenever  you 
can,  put  into  each  issue  something 
that  can  be  continued  over  to  the  next, 
something  that  will  sustain  interest. 
Run  a  series  of  talks  on  players,  or 
take  a  story  that  has  been  pictured  and 
run  it  in  installments,  or  in  any  way 
you  please  keep  the  interest  active  from 
one  issue  to  another. 

Most  fans  are  interested  in  intimate 
personal  notes  about  players.  A  regu- 
lar column  or  two  of  this  kind  of  ma- 
terial will  go  well  and  you  have  al- 
ways plenty  of  it  available  by  selection 
from  the  material  which  comes  to  you 
from  the  exchanges. 

An  item  or  two  about  the  business 
men  of  your  community  will  always 
tend  to  build  good  will  and  when  you 
have  the  space  you  can  well  afford  to 
use  a  little  something  of  this  sort  as  a 
means  of  strengthening  friendship  that 
will  be  helpful  in  connection  with  ad- 
vertising tie-ups   and  in  other  ways. 

An  occasional  contest,  prizes  to  take 
the  form  of  tickets,  will  provide  good 
material,  also.  Or,  in  each  issue,  print 
a  list  of  names  taken  from  the  direc- 
tory or  any  handy  list  of  the  people  of 
your  community   with  the  statement 


that  by  presenting  a  copy  of  the  House 
Organ  at  your  box  office  each  person 
named  will  receive  a  free  ticket  for  a 
certain  day.  Contests  may  be  of  many 
varieties :  Offer  prizes  for  the  best 
criticism  of  a  picture,  for  the  best  ar- 
ticle about  a  star,  for  the  best  program 
suggestions,  etc.  The  variation  that 
can  be  introduced  in  connection  with 
this  sort  of  thing  are  almost  endless 
and  ideas  will  prove  plentiful  enough 
as  you  consult  your  exploitation  ma- 
terial on  each  picture. 

IT  pays  to  devote  special  attention  to 
the  school  children  and  occa- 
sionally to  the  teachers,  which  you  can 
do  with  short  articles  providing  a  tieup 
with  appropriate  bookings. 

In  all  of  this  material,  the  outstand- 
ing point  is,  Don't  run  a  lot  of  stuff 
that  will  be  looked  at  and  thrown  away. 
Have  something  in  every  issue  that 
will  cause  those  who  receive  it  to  take 
it  home,  and  to  read  it,  and,  perhaps, 
to  show  it  to  others. 

The  criticism  you  are  going  to  offer 
about  here,  if  you  haven't  already  put 
these  suggestions  aside  as  impractica- 
ble, is,  "How  can  I  go  into  an  under- 
taking of  this  sort  that  calls  for  a  full- 
fledged  editor  to  write  the  stuff?" 

That's  fair  question,  but  the  an- 
swer is  relatively  easy.  If  you  are 
a  little  handy  at  writing,  you  will  find 
a  lot  of  fun  in  this  job  and  it  will  pay 
to  do  it  yourself. 

IF  not,  the  Only  way  out  is  to 
get  some  one  to  do  it  for  you. 
Perhaps  you  can  find  some  ambitious 
youngsters  in  high  school,  some  fellow 
who  is  already  interested  in  motion  pic- 
tures ;  or  the  newspaper  that  carried 
your  advertising  and  that  may  handle 
the  printing  of  the  house  organ  will 
probably  be  able  to  offer  help  of  this 
sort. 

You  must  get  it  from  some  source,  for 
a  house  organ  that  isn't  edited  by  some- 
one who  will  inject  real  personality  in 
it  is  just  so  much  waste  paper.  There 
is  no  other  way  out. 

Now  a  word  as  to  expense :  Don't 
go  into  something  you  can't  afford  to 
maintain.  You  know  about  how  large 
the  possibilities  are  in  the  way  of  in- 
creased business.  If  the  best  you  can 
hope  to  do  is  to  increase  your  receipts 
$25  a  week,  don't  undertake  a  publica- 
tion that  will  cost  you  as  much  as  it 
will  produce. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  don't 
.do  a  cheap  job  if  you  can  afford 
a  good  one.  It  will  prove  more  practi- 
cal to  put  out  something  six  or  eight 
times  a  year,  making  a  creditable  job 
of  it,  rather  than  to  undertake  a  more 
frequent  issue  that  does  not  reflect 
credit  on  yourself  and  your  house. 


AS  to  the  sale  of  advertising,  there 
is    no    safe   way   of  determining 
whether  this  will  pay  without  trying  it. 

In  the  first  place,  you  will  have  to 
devote  considerable  time  to  selling  the 
advertising  and  then,  after  you  have 
sold  it,  you  have  on  your  hands  the  job 
of  getting  ad  "copy"  for  each  issue  of 
the  house  organ.  All  of  this  takes  time 
and  effort,  which  is  equivalent  to 
money  and  should  be  charged  up 
against  the  cost  of  the  publication. 

Aside  from  the  time  consideration, 
what  will  be  the  attitude  of  the  busi- 
ness men  of  your  community  as  to  ad- 
vertising? Will  they  look  at  it  as 
worth  the  price  or  will  they  feel  that  it 
is  chiefly  a  good-will  donation?  Will 
you,  by  soliciting  their  advertising, 
throw  away  more  valuable  helps  in  the 
way  of  window  tie-ups  and  other  co- 
operation? These  are  questions  that 
only  you  can  answer,  but  they  are  very 
important. 

IF  you  find  that  there  are  substantial 
objections  to  attempting  the  sale  of 
advertising,  put  the  house  organ  on  a 
sound  business  basis  and  pay  the  bills 
yourself.  If  you  don't  get  results  that 
will  justify  this  course  it's  not  a  good 
house  organ  and  it's  time  to  suspend 
publication. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  find  that 
you  can  sell  advertising  without  arous- 
ing any  antagonism  and  without  in- 
vesting too  much  time  and  effort, 
go  ahead  and  do  it.  And  charge 
enough  for  it.  If  you  are  going  to  get 
out  sixteen  pages,  carrying  six  pages 
of  ads,  each  of  those  six  pages  should 
bring  you  in  as  a  minimum  one-sixth  of 
the  cost  of  the  book.  That's  the  for- 
mula and  unless  you  can  sell  the  ads  on 
that  basis  they  are  not  worth  bothering 
about. 

Pick  a  good  name  for  your  publica- 
tion— one  that  identifies  it  with  the 
house  and  the  management.  Get  some- 
thing original  if  possible.  If  you  can't 
find  a  name  that  suits,  run  your  first 
issue  without  a  name  and  offer  prizes 
for  suggestions. 

To  avoid  the  impression  that  it  is  an 
ordinary  program,  make  it  different  as 
to  size  and  appearance.  A  9/^x12^- 
inch  page  is  good,  because  you  can  use 
a  variety  of  illustrations  and  have  room 
for  considerable  text.  In  this  size  you 
can  run  newspaper  width  columns  and 
follow  newspaper  typography  style, 
which  has  distinct  advantages. 

AS  to  distribution,  don't  stop  with 
copies  given  out  in  the  house.  On 
that  basis  your  house  organ  would  reach 
only  people  who  are  already  customers. 
If  you  can  secure  reliable  house-to- 
house  distribution,  employ  it  as  far  as  ] 
possible,  but  remember  that  the  copies 

(Continued  on  Page  70) 


A  3ir/>t  llationdl  OHcture 


Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  mid  Distributors  of  America  Inc.~ Will  Hays  .President 


I 

1 


A  UtAt  national  Picture 


Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  ami  Distributors  of  America  Inc—Will  Hays  president 


October  18,  1924 


Page  57 


NATIO 


SECTION 


Thrills  and  Heart-Throbs 
^In  Every  Woman's  Life' 

First  National  Picture  Has  Every  Element 
of  Universal  Popular  Appeal 


IN  every  wom- 
an's life  there 
are  three  men. 
The  man  she  cculd 
have  married,  the 
man  she  does  marry 
and  the  man  she 
should  have  mar- 
ried. This  is  the 
basic  idea  about 
which  a  wonderful 
photodrama  has 
been  built.  It  is  one 
that  plumbs  the 
depths  of  human 
emotions.  It  shows 
that,  after  all,  we 
are  merely  crea- 
tures of  Fate,  and 
that  Life  itself  is 
greatly  a  question 
of  circumstance. 

It  is  at  the  stately 
chateau  of  the  Count 

Coti     D  e  S  a  n  g  e  s,  gtjjj              js  -typical  of  many  other  beautiful  scenes  in  First  National's  spectacular 

wealthiest  sportsman  sensation  "In  Every  Woman's  Life."    The  sheer  artistry  of  any  of  this  group  of 

6f  France,  that  we  stills  will  aid  in  the  creation  of  fine  displays  in  the  shop  windows  of  your  city, 
first  meet  Sara  Lans- 


dale  and  her  scheming  mother.  They 
are  in  search  of  a  husband  for  Sara. 
A  wealthy  husband. 

Among  the  Count's  guests  is  Charles 
Carleton,  an  American  racing  man, 
who  owns  excellent  horses  and  more 
gold  than  can  be  counted.  So  it  would 
seem  that  Sara's  search  had  ended,  for 
she  held  the  hearts  of  both  these  mil- 
lionaires. 

Racing  Dinner 

The  Coti  and  Carleton  stables  have 
each  their  entries  in  the  French  turf 
classic.  After  a  thrilling  ride,  the 
Carleton  horse  wins.  Cotti,  a  good  los- 
er and  tfue  sportsman,  entertains  the 
winner  at  a  spectacular  dinner,  and 
wagers  $100,000  that  conditions  will  be 
reversed  when  the  entries  race  in  Am- 


erica'. The  dinner  is  one  that  Harry  Lehr 
might  have  staged  in  Newport  years 
ago.  The  guests  dine  on  horseback  in 
the  splendid  setting  provided  by  the 
grand  ball  room  of  the  great  chateau. 

Midnight  Ride 

Carleton  and  Sara  slip  away  from 
the  rest  to  ride  in  the  moonlight.  Per- 
haps it  was  the  moon — or  Carleton's 
tempestuous  love;  in  any  event,  before 
the  two  returned  they  had  planned  to 
elope  on  the  following  day. 

They  do  so,  only  to  be  intercepted 
aboard  the  steamer  by  the  Count  who 
has  learned  that  his  rival  is  already 
married.  Sara,  frantic  at  Carleton's 
deception,  accepts  Coti's  proposal  that 
she  marry  him  and  thus  avoid  the  stig- 
ma of  scandal. 


Such  is  the  situa- 
tion when  Sara  dis- 
covers that  the  only 
man  she  has  ever 
really  loved,  is 
aboard  the  liner  oc- 
cupying an  adjoin- 
ing cabin.  He  is 
Julian  Greer,  the 
son  of  a  famous 
American  bridge 
builder. 

Climbing  along 
the  boat's  rail  Jul- 
ian reaches  the  girl. 
Learning  of  the 
true  state  of  af- 
fairs he  forgives 
her.  As  he  attempts 
an  embrace  he  slips 
into  the  sea,  and  her 
husband,  Coti,  enter- 
ing at  the  moment, 
again  shows  his 
sportsmanship  by 
diving  to  the  rescue. 

Poor  Coti  is  des- 
tined to  play  a  los- 
ing part  in  the  drama  which  the  picture 
unfolds.  The  lifeboat  speedily  launched 
to  pick  up  the  two  men  fighting  the 
waves,  strikes  the  brave  Frenchman  in 
the  head  and  he  is  totally  paralyzed. 

With  him  in  this  lamentable  state,  the 
party  arrives  in  New  York,  where  both 
Julian  and  Sara  are  in  constant  atten- 
dance upon  the  helpless  man.  The 
second  race  between  his  horse  and  that 
sporting  the  Carleton  colors  is  run,  and 
again  he  loses.  ,= 

f       Destiny  Fulfilled 

His  friends  endeavor  to  cheer  him 
with  a  lie  of  victory,  but  Carleton 
brutally  insists  upon  his  disillusionment, 
and  the  payment  of  the  wager.  Add- 
ing insult  to  injury,  Carleton  at- 
tacks Sara  in  the  presence  of  the  par- 
alytic.  Julian  intervenes,  but  is  being 


Page  58 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


In  Every  Woman's  Life 

First  National's  Spectacular  Production,  With  a 
Remarkable  Cast,  and  a  Box-Office  Title,  is 
Literally  Loaded  With  Sensational  Exploitation 
Possibilities  for  Every  Wide  Awake  Shoivman. 


Above  is  George  Fawcett  and  his 
ever  present  cigar.  He  plays  the 
part  of  Julian's  father  in  the  First 
National  picture,  and  contributes 
one  of  his  usual  noteworthy  char- 
acter interpretations  in  the  rola  of 
the   hero's   "hard    boiled"  parent. 


To  the  left  is  one  of  the  many  ar- 
tistically beautiful  shots  typical  of 
the  air  of  romance  prevading  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life."  The  scene 
depicts  a  bit  of  the  whirlwind 
courtship  of  Sara,  the  heroine, 
which  almost  wins  her  for  the  vil- 
lainous Carleton.  Virginia  Valli  ' 
plays  the  feminine  lead,  while 
Stuart  Holmes  is  in  the  heavy  role. 


Some  idea  of  the  spectacular  side 
of  the  production  may  be  gleaned 
from  the  scene  below.  It  portrays 
an  incident  at  the  equestrian  din- 
ner pageant  staged  by  Count  Coti 
in  honor  of  Carleton,  whose  horse 
triumphs  in  a  thrilling  turf  classic. 


In  aid  of  showmanship  First  Na- 
tional has  prepared  a  number  of 
specially  posed  stills.  This  one,  No. 
3X,  shows  Virginia  Valli,  as  the 
heroine,  clad  in  height  of  fashion. 


I 


m 


October  18.  1924 


National 


section 


age 


59 


Stuart  Holmes  in  still  No.  55  takes  a  "Life 
Saver."  He  certainly  needs  it  in  the  First 
National  picture,  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life."     Note    tie-ups    with    men's  wear. 

top."  Consider  the  magnetic  quali- 
ties of  the  names  of  these  players. 


Lloyd  Hughes  and  George  Fawcett  appear  in  still  No.  48  from  First  National's.  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life"  offering  tie-up  possibilities  for  cigars,  men's  wear,  patent 
pencils,  interiors,  and  a  variety  of  articles  to   be   featured   in  window  displays. 

bested  in  an  awful  fight.  With  a 
supreme  effort  Coti  finds  strength  to 
level  a  revolver,  and  Carleton's  evil 
account  is  squared  by  death.  But 
Coti,  weakened  by  the  strain,  adds 
the  supreme  sacrifice  to  his  long  list. 
He  passes  on  leaving  Sara  and  Julian 
to  their  quest  for  happiness  together. 

The  Story 

That  is  the  story.  A  tragic  cross- 
section  of  life.  And  while  ordinarily 
the  dramatic  situations  in  this  work- 
aday world  are  not  so  tense,  yet  in 
every  woman's  life  the  elements  of. 
the  tale  are  present. 

Not  a  woman  in  your  audience  but 
what  will  recognize  herself  in  Sara, 
finding  prototypes  of  Julian.  Coti 
and  Carleton  in  tender  thoughts  laid 
carefully  away  in  the  scented  laven- 
der of  romantic  memories. 

Romance,  fate,  love.  sacrifice — 
are  a  few  of  the  things  you  are  sell- 
ing when  you  offer  "In  Every  Wo- 
man's Life"  to  your  public.  And, 
too,  there  is  a  leaven  of  comedy,  and 
bright  splashes  of  color  depicting  the 
gaiety  of  sporting  wealth. 

Something  to  appeal  to  everyone. 
You  are  presented  with  the  material  to 
worK  with — the  rest  is  up  to  you. 

The  Cast 

Aside  from  the  story,  let  us  con- 
sider a  few  of  the  exploitable  possi- 
bilities of  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 

First,  perhaps,  there  is  the  title.  Made 
for  a  big  box-office  gross,  if  ever  a  title 
was.  It  may  be  publicized  in  many 
different  ways,  some  of  which  we 
shall  discuss  later. 

Next  is  the  cast.  First  National 
has  given  you  an  array  of  talent  such 
as  is  all  too  seldom  found  "under  one 


There  is  V  irginia  Valli,  secured  espec- 
ially for  this  picture ;  Lloyd  Hughes, 
the  popular  youngster  who  plays  Julian  ; 
Marc  McDermott  in  the  lovable,  self- 
sacrificing  role  of  the  ill-fated  Count. 
Then  there  is  that  wonderful  actor 
George  Fawcett  playing  the  part  of 
Julian's  "hard-boiled"  father;  and  as 
the  heavy,  Stuart  Holmes,  the  best 
disliked  villain  of  the  screen. 

And  beside  all  these  you  have  John 
Sainpolis,  as  the  doctor;  the  Lewis- 
Ralph  and  Vera — playing  respectively 
the  steamship  Captain  and  Sara's 
scheming  mother ;  and  Edwards  Dav- 
is in  a  role  that  fits  his  well  remem- 
bered personality. 

Truly  a  list  of  names  to  conjure 
with.  Almost  any  one  of  them  will 
pack  the  house,  and  en  masse — well, 
you  had  better  rehearse  your  doorman 
in  the  gentle  art  of  handling  a  box- 
office  queue. 

Paper 

There  are  some  exceptionally  fine 
posters  put  out  by  First  National  in 
connection  with  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life,"  and  they  should  be  utilized  to 
the  fullest  extent  in  publicizing  your 
showing  of  the  film. 

In  addition  to  these,  First  National 
lias  prepared  some  advertising  copy 
that  will  stick  out  of  a  newspaper 
page  like  a  purple  patch  on  a  yellow 
background. 

There  are  also  suggestions  for  lobby 
cards  and  decorations.  Make  use  of  all 
ihese  showmanship  assets.  They  will 
mean  bigger  receipts  at  the  pay  box 
for  your  showing  of  the  picture. 


Virginia  Valli  in  still  No.  18  from  First  National's  "In  Every  Woman's  Life,"  will 
help  sell  tickets  for  your  show  and  goods  for  merchants  handling  stockings,  toilet 
accessories,  cosmetics,  boudoir  furniture,  robes  and  other  articles  with  feminine  appeal. 


Page  60 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Still  No.  11  depicts  an  interesting  bit  from  First  National's  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life,"  which  will  help  window  displays  of  foot  ease  products,  hosiery,  cocktail  shakers, 
lounging  robes,    beautifiers,    interior    art    decorations    and    many    other  articles. 

Wide  Variety  of  Windows 
Help  Increase  Patronage 


THERE  are  so  many  things  that 
happen  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life,"  that  the  opportunities  for 
logical  tie-ups  and  attractive  window 
displays  are  innumerable.  You  may 
tiej-up  with  merchants  handling  any  of 
the  vast  number  of  products  used  by 
women  from  cradle  to  grave. 

For  instance,  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life"  comes  marriage,  and  you  may 
therefore  tie-up  with  jewelers  and 
others  on  displays  of  wedding  rings 
and  engagement  circlets. 

Then  in  natural  sequence,  there  are 
babies  in  every  woman's  life,  so  you 
may  also  stage  a  mutually  beneficial 
campaign  with  merchants  selling  any- 
thing from  perambulators  to  rattles. 

These  instances  will  give  you  an 
idea  of  the  far-reaching  exploitation 
potentialities  contained  in  this  First 
National  film.  If  you  will  make  use 
of  a  small  fraction  of  the  obvious  tie- 
ups,  you  will  monopolize  the  town's 
windows  for  your  showing. 

The  list  of  national  advertisers 
lined  up  to  cooperate  with  you  in  this 
regard  contains  the  names  of  ten  of 
the  nation's  foremost  manufacturers. 


They  offer  you  a  wide  variety  of  tie- 
ups  and  display  material. 

The  Gropper  Knitting  Mills  will 
help  with  displays  of   their  "Grop- 


WHEN  YOU 

book  the  picture  call  at  once  on 
all  merchants  handling  the  Na- 
tional Tie-up  products  listed  in 
this  issue.  Show  them  the  sec- 
tion, arrange  for  windows,  and 
cooperate  with  the  displayman  in 
planning  them.  Then  write  the 
Review  giving  playdates,  and 
specifying  the  amount  of  display 
material  on  each  tie-up.  Every 
window  will  do  its  bit  to  help  you 

CASH  IN 


perknit"  neckwear,  and  there  are 
stills  galore  quite  appropriate  for 
these  windows.  The  Attto  Strop 
Safety   Razor   tie-up   will    work  in 


wonderfully  well  with  a  few  stills  of 
Stuart  Holmes,  and  other  men  in  the 
cast,  attired  in  lounging  robes. 

The  feminine  angle  is  well  taken 
care  of  with  tie-ups  such  as  those 
with  "Nell  Brinkley"  Hair  Wavers, 
the  product  of  the  Hayes-Meserole 
people;  "Richelieu"  pearls;  "Vanity 
Fair"  hosiery;  "Amami"  shampoo; 
Fontanis  perfumes ;  the  Conde  cos- 
metic products;  "Nemo"  corsets,  and 
Gage  Brothers  nation-known  millinery. 

In  addition  to  the  National  Tie- 
ups  there  are  many  to  be  secured 
among  the  merchants  of  purely  local 
nature.  For  instance,  still  No.  154 
is  merely  one  of  several  specially 
posed  pictures  of  Virginia  Valli  at- 
tractively garbed  in  the  latest  vogue. 
Stills  of  this  sort  will  procure  win- 
dows and  close  co-operation  from 
modistes,  and  other  establishments 
selling  wraps  and  gowns. 

SUCH  stills  as  No.  66  will  give 
you  a  unique  opportunity  to  get 
the  help  of  newsdealers  and  book- 
shops for  your  showing.  And  there 
is  no  reason  why   tickets   for  your 


October  18,  1924 

show  should  not  be  on  sale 
cashier's  cage  of  stores  with 
you  tie-up. 


National 


section 


Page  61 


at  the 
which 


PICTURES  like  still  No.  2,  show- 
ing George  Fawcett  in  earnest 
conversation  with  the  "scrub  lady'' 
are  good  as  a  comedy  touch.  And 
this  particular  picture  is  a  fine  one  to 
tie-up  with  a  men's  hat  store. 

Number  32  depicts  a  scene  at  the 
race  dinner.  It  shows  Virginia  Valli 
with  two  of  three  types  of  men  that 
enter  "In  Every  "Woman's  Life."  In 
addition  to  being  an  excellent  tie-up 
with  evening  apparel,  the  picture  is 
valuable   in   the   creation    of  atmos- 


A  good  chance  to  use  still  No.  26  in  win- 
dows displaying  jewels  and  gowns  is 
offered  to  exhibitors  for  their  showings  of 
First  National's  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 

phere  for  the  film.  After  all,  a  din- 
ner on  horseback  is  rather  out  of  the 
ordinary,   and  will   attract  attention. 

THERE  are  some  corking  good  fights 
in  the  photoplay,  and  lots  of  stills 
showing  the  battles.  These  and  oth- 
ers may  not  be  so 
strong  in  tie-up 
value  as  are  the 
rest,  but  they 
are  most  action- 
ful,  and  will  show 
your  patrons  what 
they  may  expect 
in  the  way  of 
thrills.  Look  at 
Nos.  113,  84,  134. 
123,  and  you  will 
get  the  idea. 

The  atmosphere 
of  luxury  has  been 
stressed  in  the 
picture,  and  there 
is  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply of  shots  like 
No.  13,  which 
shows  Miss  Valli 
seated  at  her  con- 
sol  daintily  grasp- 
ing the  latest  con- 
ceit in  artistic  at- 


omizers. On  the  dressing  table 
there  are  a  dozen  and  one  articles 
that  will  secure  you  as  many  win- 
dows. 

For  instance,  a  special  brand  of 
face  powder  is  plainly  visible.  Also 
talcum  and  cream.  There  are  spe- 
cial powder  jars,  rouge  containers, 
manicure  articles,  silver  toilet  things, 
oddly  shaped  bottles  of  scent,  all  of 
which  have  peculiar  interest  for  femi- 
ninity. 

WITH  this  still  to  pattern  by,  a  win- 
dow may  be  arranged  showing 
all  the  similar  merchandise  which 
your  tie-up  partner  wishes  to  sell. 
And  such  a  window  may  be  abso- 
lutely guaranteed  to  accomplish  its 
purpose  of  boosting  the  demand  for 
his  goods  and  for  your  attraction. 

It  is  poor  showmanship,  as  a  rule, 
to  tie-up  with  any  disagreeable  sub- 
ject— such  as  illness.  Yet  if  cleverly 
done,  such  tie-ups  may  sometimes  be 
effective.  Still  No.  88  shows  the 
Count  propped  up  in  bed,  with  his 
pretty  wife  acting  as  nurse.  Under 
such  circumstances  it  might  be  a 
pleasure  to  feel  not  so  well.  On  the 
table  are  medicines.  Here  is  a  chance 
to  tie-vip  with  some  cough  and  cold 
specific  in  an  inoffensive  manner, 
with  a  window  card  telling  that  it 
will  cure  the  illness. 

Then,  of  course,  the  theme  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life"  may  be  played 
in  a  wide  range  of  variations.  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life"  there  is  a  love 
of  flowers— hence  a  tie-up  with  the 
local  blossom  vendor.  "In  Every 
Woman's  Life"  there  is  a  fondness 
for  confectionery — and  therefore  a 
chance  to  secure  the  co-operation  of 
of  candy  shops  for  your  showing. 

Housework  is  another  thing  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life,"  and  any  ar- 


Still  No.  47  from  the  First  National  production  "In  Every  Woman's  Life"  may  be 
used  to  tie-up  with  merchants  dealing  in  slippers,  dressing  robes,  lounge  suits,  cigar- 
ettes, interior  furnishings,  men's  toilet  accessories,  and  a  variety  of  others  things. 


Stuart  Holmes  and  Marc  MacDermott 
offer  exhibitors  a  tie-up  with  haberdash- 
ers and  men's  wear,  through  still  No.  8 
from  First  Nat'l's  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 


tides  such  as  dishwashing  machines, 
vacuum  cleaners,  etc.,  that  tend  to 
make  the  daily  problems  less  tiring 
and  irksome,  are  most  assuredly 
wonderful  tie-ups  for  the  film. 

LITERALLY,  there  is  scarcely  an 
article  from  motor-cars  to  baby 
bottles  that  cannot  be  made  to  work 
for  you  and  a  big  box-office  gross  when 
you  show  the  picture. 

Just  stop  to  consider  the  great  part 
played  "In  Every  Woman's  Life"  by 
beautiful  gowns,  lingerie,  hosiery, 
shoes,  cosmetics,  perfumes,  beautifiers, 
and  the  more  practical  things  such  as 
electric  grills,  curling  irons,  toasters, 
kitchen  utensils,  all  the  things  that  have 
been  devised  with  a  view  to  making 
housekeeping  easier.  If  there  is  a  rid- 
ing academy  in  the 
vicinity,  you  can 
get  help  from 
them,  on  strength 
of  the  horseback 
dinner.  There  are 
many  stills  show- 
ing scenes  from 
this  bizarre  affair, 
and  they  will  get 
business  for  you 
from  the  eques- 
trian crowd. 

You  may  even 
secure  the  win- 
dows of  harness 
dealers  with  the 
same  idea,  and 
very  attractive  dis- 
plays may  be  ar- 
ranged for  this 
type  of  merchant. 
You  will  get  pub- 
licity, and  make 
friends. 


Page  62 


National 


section 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Box-Office  Suggestions 

More  Ideas  That  Will  Suggest  Many  Others  with  Which  You  May  Play  to  Capacity 
Houses  When  You  Show  First  ISationaVs  'In  Every  Woman's  Life' 


In  Still  No.  13  Virginia  Valli  is  discovered  seated  at  her  dressing  table  surrounded 
by  objects  that  offer  excellent  tie-ups  on  First  Nat'l's  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 


IN  addition  to  the  wealth  of  publici- 
ty you  may  secure  through  the 
National  Tie-Ups,  and  those  of  lo- 
cal character,  on  "In  Every  Woman's 
Life,"  there  are  a  multitude  of  effec- 
tive and  inexpensive  ways  in  which  to 
stimulate  capacity  business  for  your 
showing. 

Select  the  highlights  of  the  picture 
and  build  stunts  around  them.  The 
people  depicted  in  the  film  are  racing 
folk,  and  two  big  turf  events  figure 
prominently  in  the  story.  Therefore, 
inject  the  racing  atmosphere  in  your 
bally,  lobby  and  interior  decorations. 

A  jockey  riding  through  the  streets 
will  attract  attention,  or  perhaps  a 
jockey  leading  a  horse  mounted  by  a 
pretty  girl  in  evening  clothes  would 
prove  more  effective.    The    idea,  of 

course,  is  "see  the  horseback 
dinner  pageant."  Ushers 
dressed  as  jockeys  will  help, 
and  it  should  not  be  difficult 
to  secure  saddles,  bits, 
bridles,  '  stirrups,  racing 
plates,  and'  similar  things  for 
use  as  lobby  decorations. 

Three  sheets  and  j  other 
lithos  may  be  cut  out  and 
mounted  on  compo  board, 
then  attached  on  rockers  to 
make  actionful  lobby  |  lures. 
Shadow  boxes  are  ■very 
efficient  box-office  magnets, 
and  there  ate  several  one 
sheets  from  which  they  may 
be  made  with  a  trivial  outlay 


of  time  and  money.  A  toy  race  wheel 
set  up  in  the  lobby,  with  a  free  ticket 
for  the  person  picking  the  number  of 
the  winning  horse,  will  stop  traffic. 

IT  may  be  possible  to  tie-up  with  the 
local  cavalry  unit  on  a  recruiting 
drive.  The  thought  might  be  "There  is 
a  hero  'In  Every  Woman's  Life'— join 
the  cavalry  and  be  a  hero  to  Her."  A 
big  compo  board  horseshoe  over  the  en- 
trance will  also  help,  . 

Another  ballv  would  be  to  have  a 


Here  is  a  beauty  parlor  tie-up  with  a  humorous  angle.    It  is 
still  No.  12  showing  the  gold  seeking  mother  of  the  heroine 
in  the  First   National  picture  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 


woman  and  three  men  made  up  to  rep- 
resent the  characters  in  the  play,  drive 
slowly  through  town  in  an  open  car- 
riage. A  card  might  read:  "There  are 
three  men  'In  Every  Woman's  Life.'  " 

IF  you  prefer,  you  may  stress  the  sea 
element  in  lobby  decoration.  There 
are  a  number  of  thrilling  incidents  that 
take  place  aboard  ship,  and  they  are 
shown  in  lobby  cards,  lithos  and  other 
paper.  As  a  prolog  you  may  use  a 
sea  scene,  or  secure  the  services  of  an 
elocutionist  to  recite  some  exciting 
racing  poem.  Don't  overlook  the  24 
sheet  as  a  marquee  decoration,  or  as  a 
background  for  window  displays. 

Remember  that  your   lobby   is  the 
final  punch  that  lands  the  box-office 
knock-out.    It  is  the  showman's  "sign 
on  the  dotted  line."   All  other  advertis- 
ing and  exploitation  is  calculated  to 
bring  patrons  to  your  lobby.    It  is  the 
duty  of  the  lobby  to  lure  them  to  the 
ticket  booth  and  into  the  theatre.  The 
more  lure  you  give  to  your 
lobby,  the   greater  your  at- 
traction will  gross. 

The  split-a-page  coopera- 
tive ad  idea  in  connection 
with  your  showing  of  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life"  is  too 
good  to  be  overlooked.  There 
is  scarcely  a  merchant  in 
your  town  who  does  not  sell 
some  article  that  ties-up  logi- 
cally with  the  title  of  the  pic- 
ture. It  will  only  be  neces- 
sary to  point  out  that  every 


i. 


October  18.  1924 


NATIONAL 


Page  63 


cooperative  advertiser  receives  a  full 
page  advertising  smash  at  a  fraction  of 
the  usual  cost,  in  order  for  you  to  ar- 
range a  double  truck  with  every  ad 
carrying  the  name  of  your  attraction. 

NEWSPAPER  letter  contests  al- 
ways get  i  eader  attention.  And  th  > 
title  of  this  First  National  release  makes 
possible  a  great  variety  of  these.  For 
instance,  offer  prizes  of  passes  for  the 
dozen  best  letters  setting  forth  just 
what  the  biggest  thing  in  every  woman's 
life  mav  be.  Or  letters  on  "The  Man  T 
Wish  I  Had  Married"— or  "Why  I 
Married  My  Husband,"  always  linking 


A  unique  opportunity  to  secure  the  co- 
operation of  newsdealers  and  book  shops 
is  offered  by  still  No.  66  from  First  Na- 
tional's picture  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 

the  contests  with  the  title  of  your  pic- 
ture. 

YOU  may  stage  a  girl  revue  with  a 
different  angle  by  holding  a  contest 
for  the  town's  most  beautiful  girl,  and 
having  the  entrants  appear  on  your 
stage  in  jockey  costume.  A  "pony"  bal- 
let would  be  good  for  your  prolog. 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos."  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  chan  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 


All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 


Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

228  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


A  shot  of  the  spectacular  equestrian  dinner  pageant  from  "In  Every  Woman's  Life." 
Still  No.  80  will  create  atmosphere  for  the  First  National  picture. 


The  film  is  an  adaptation  of  the  story 
by  Olive  Wadsley.  It  was  called  "Be- 
longing." You  may  tie-up  with  book 
shops  in  a  manner  to  increase  the  sale 
of  the  novel  and  attendance  at  the  the- 
atre. This  exploitation  should  be  ar- 
ranged in  advance  of  your  playdates. 
The  more  folks  read  the  novel,  the 
greater  interest  they  will  display. 

TEASERS  asking  the  question 
"What  is  in  Every  Woman's  Life?" 
or  some  similar  curiosity-provoking 
line,  will  obtain  comment,  and  prepare 
folks  for  the  arrival  of  your  attraction. 
You  may  use  catch  lines  from  the  titles 
in  this  connection. 

For  instance,  one  of  the  characters 
exclaims :  "Just  because  you're  on  a 
horse,  don't  think  you're  a  sheik !"  In 
another  sequence  Carleton  accepts 
Sara's  dare  to  plunge  into  a  fountain 
after  her  for  the  reward  of  a  kiss.  A 
clever  line  will  enable  you  to  use  this 
situation  as  an  exploitation  medium. 
When  Coti  proposes,  he  adds  cynical- 
ly :  "There's  a  divorce  coupon  at- 
tached." Rather  a  novel  idea,  and 
good  as  a  catch  line. 

THERE  are  specially  posed  stills  of 
Miss  Valli  in  connection  with  Pyr- 
alin  toilet  goods,  the  product  of  the  Du- 
Pont  de  Nemours  Company.  These 
goods  are  handled  by  m  e  r  c  h  a  n  t  s 
throughout  the  nation — in  every  town. 
There  are  complete  sets  of  photographs 
on  this  tie-up,  and  you  should  most 
certainly  make  use  of  the  exploitation 
opportunity  thus  afforded. 

The  A.  G.  Spaulding  Company,  na- 
tionally known  manufacturers  of  sport- 
ing goods,  will  also  provide  stills  of 
the  various  players  in  this  picture  in- 
dulging in  the  ancient  and  honorable 
game  of  golf.    These  stills  are  num- 


bered P10,  12,  13,  17,  18  and  19.  All 
Spaulding  agents,  or  merchants  hand- 
ling Spaulding  products  will  cooperate. 


A  special  pose  of  Miss  Valli,  still  No.  154 
X,  will  secure  windows  from  modistes  and 
purveyors  of  women's  clothing  for  First 
National's    "In    Every    Woman's  Life." 


Page  64 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


National  Advertisers  Who  Will  Furnish 
Window  Display  Material  For 
Tie-Ups  on  6  In  Every  Woman's  Life' 


HEN  you  book  "In  Every  Woman's  Life"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  li|ted  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  number  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
each  National  Tie-Up.   Your  communication  will  receive  our  prompt  attention. 


GROPPER  KNITTING  MILLS 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Gropperknit"  Neckwear 
Display  Material:    Window  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Men's  Wear,  Department  Stores 


JOS.  H.  MEYER  BROS. 
BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 

Product:  "Richelieu"  Pearls 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Cut-Outs,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Jewelers,  Specialty  Shops,  Department  Stores 


AUTO-STROP  SAFETY  RAZOR  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  Safety  Razors 
Display  Material:  Window  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores,  Hardware  Stores 


PRITCHARD  &  CONSTANCE,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Amami"  Shampoo  and  Cosmetics 
Display  Material:  Window  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Barbers,  Beauty  Shops,  Department 

Stores 


HAYES-MESEROLE  MFG.  CO 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Nell  Brinkley"  Hair  Wavers 
Display  Material:     Window  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Beauty  Shops,  Druggists,  Department  Stores, 
Specialty  Shops 


FONTANIS,  INC. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product 

1 

•  Perfumes  and  Toilet  Requisites 

Display 

Material:  Window  Cards,  Posters 

Tie-Up:  Pei 

•fumers,  Druggists,  Specialty  Shops, 

Department  Stores 

; 

VANITY  FAIR  SILK  MILLS 
READING,  PA. 

Product:  "Vanity  Fair"  Silk  Hosiery  and  Underwear 

Display  Material:    Window  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Fashion  Shops,  Specialty  Stores,  Department 

Stores 


CONDE,  LTD. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Conde"  Cosmetics 
Display  Material:  Window  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Beauty  Shops,  Department  Stores 


KOPS  BROS.,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:   "Nemo"  Corsets 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Cut-Outs 
Tie-Up:  Department  Stores,  Women's  Wear  Shops 


GAGE  BROS.  &  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  Millinery 
Display  Material:  Window  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Millinery  Shops,  Department  Stores,  Specialty 
ii  Shops 


/ts  the  ideal  picture  for 
the  real  showman  to 
  work  with 


A  3ix6t  national  Picture 


Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  Inc.~~Will  Hays  President 


is 

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Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  Inc.— Will  Hays  president 


October  18,  1924 


Page  67 


Exploitation  Ideas 

Showmen  Publicity  Schemes  That 
Build  Up  Big  Audiences 


THE  Times  Square  and  Fifth  Av- 
enue sections  of  New  York  City 
were  all  agog  with  excitement  this 
week  when  the  "Speed  Spook"  car 
used  by  Johnny  Hines  in  his  latest  "The 
Speed  Spook"  made  its  appearance  in 
the  streets. 

This  car  is  constructed  in  such  a 
manner  that  it  appears  nobody  is  at 
the  wheel.  This  weird  automobile 
went  at  the  rate  of  about  25  miles  per 
hour  through  the  maze  of  traffic.  The 
exploit  resulted  in  a  traffic  jam.  Hun- 
dreds of  people  crowded  around  to  see 
what  would  happen,  their  curiosity  hav- 
ing been  piqued  at  this  driverless  car. 
Comments  as  to  its  being  electrically 
driven  thus  doing  away  with  the  driver 
and  other  such  far-fetched  guesses 
were  ventured  by  the  bystanders  until 
the  hood  of  the  car  was  raised  and  the 
driver  found  underneath  it. 

This  was  made  possible  by  recon- 
structing a  Buick  automobile  so  that 
the  entire  mechanism  was  lowered  al- 
most to  the  base  of  the  chassis.  When 
the  hood  was  brought  over  a  small 
aperture  was  left,  so  that  the  driver 
who  was  entirely  concealed  could 
nevertheless  see  everything  ahead. 


SERVICE  BOOK 

Metro-Goldwyn's  Service  Book  on 
"Tess  of  the  D'Urbervilles"  is  a  real 
exhibitor  aid. 

Several  newspaper  tie-ups  are  sug- 
gested, and  one  that  especially  com- 
mends itself  for  its  originality  is  that  of 
co-operating  with  the  Want  Ad  Depart- 
ments. It  is  suggested  that  a  statement 
be  obtained  from  an  official  of  the  Y. 
W.  C.  A.  or  similar  organization  look- 
ing after  the  welfare  of  girls  who  are 
strangers,  warning  against  accepting 
doubtful  positions,  and  advising  appli- 
cants to  study  the  certified  Want  Ad 
columns.  This  will  allow  the  news- 
paper to  publish  the  statement  with 
such  a  catch-line  as  this :  "If  Tess  had 
secured  her  position  through  the  me- 
dium of  our  Want  Ad  columns,  the 
story  of  'Tess  of  the  D'Urbervilles' 
would  never  have  been  written." 

Also  suggested  is  a  scenario  or  short 
story  contest  for  continuation  of  the 
story  of  "Tess."  The  photoplay  edi- 
tion of  the  book  naturally  offers  the 
opportunity  for  bookstore  tie-ups, 
while  Metro-Goldwyn's  national  tie-up 
with  the  Gainsborough  powder  puff 
people,  linked  up  with  Blanche  Sweet  in 
this  picture,  opens  the  way  for  drug 
store  window  displays.  Public  library 
co-operation  is  another  avenue  of  ex- 
ploitation for  "Tess." 


There  is  also  a  stunt  for  gaining  en- 
dorsements, a  telephone  stunt,  a  local 
candy  store  tie-up,  street  bally,  and  spe- 
cial mailing  and  teaser  campaigns. 
Poster  paper  on  "Tess"  is  especially 
suitable  for  cut-out  purposes.  The 
other  usual  accessories  are  supplied  in 
quantities  and  varieties  to  meet  differ- 
ent exhibitors'  needs. 

*    *  * 

EXPLOITING  'POTASH' 

Exhibitors  should  remember  that 
their  patrons  may  think  that  the  picture 
is  the  same  as  the  first  "Potash." 

He  suggests  that  in  all  preliminary 
campaigns,  exhibitors  inform  their  pa- 
trons that  "In  Hollywood"  is  the  sec- 
ond of  the  series ;  that  it  is  a  new  pic- 
ture; and  that  it  deals  with  the  ex- 
ploits of  the  famous  fifty-fifty  partners 
who  go  from  cloaks  and  suits  to  cloak- 
ing "beauts"  in  movieland. 


A  clever  lobby  stunt  that  drew  additional 
patronage  for  the  showing  of  First  Na- 
tional's picture,  "Why  Men  Leave  Home" 
at  the  Hamilton  Theatre,  Lancaster,  Pa. 


Evidence  of  the  fact  that  this  con- 
tention is  correct  is  pioved  by  the 
showing  at  the  Chicago  Theatre  which 
opened  up  on  Monday  to  fair  business, 
but  on  Tuesday  due  to  reviews  and 
word  of  mouth  publicity,  the  receipts 
jumped  $2,000  and  on  Friday  the 
crowds  were  still  larger. 

In  order  to  get  the  initial  business  on 
the  first  day,  exhibitors  are  advised  to 
surprise  the  fans  that  "In  Hollywood" 
is  the  second  "Potash"  picture. 

Both  "Potash"  productions  are  First 
National  pictures  adapted  by  Frances 
Marion  from  Montague  Glass'  famous 
stage  play. 

*  *  * 

CHEAP  AND  GOOD 

Cliff  Denham,  Capitol  Theatre,  Vic- 
toria, B.  C,  is  still  running  in 
the  "Morning  Colonist"  the  "Is  Your 
Name  Printed  Here"  coupon.  Excel- 
lent advertising  is  derived  from  this 
coupon  idea  for  every  picture  screened 
and  Cliff  receives  many  requests  that 
names  be  run  so  that  folks  may  obtain 
three  free  tickets  to  the  Capitol. 

It  is  a  common  discussion  at  clubs, 
parties  and  afternoon  teas,  and  Man- 
ager Denham  thinks  that  the  stunt  is 
the  best  yet.  He  supplies  three  passes 
and  the  "Colonist"  gives  two  inches  of 
space  daily.  "Cheap  Advertising,  I 
call  it,"  says  he. 

#  #  * 

SONG  HIT 

Announcement  is  made  by  the 
Empire  publishers,  Robbins-Engel, 
Inc.,  1658  Broadway,  New  York,  sell- 
ing agents,  that  they  have  just  closed  a 
deal  with  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corp.,  whereby  they  are  to  publish  the 
love  theme,  "Red  Red  Rose,"  for 
Rudolph  Valentino's  first  release 
"Monsieur  Beaucaire." 

The  song  has  a  very  unusual  melody, 
and  has  been  selected  as  the  official  love 
theme.  It  was  composed  by  Mel  Shauer. 
A  very  extensive  campaign  is  being 
planned  for  the  exploitation  of  the 
song,  in  addition  to  the  tie-up  that  will 
be  effected  in  conjunction  with  the  pic- 
ture, in  every  city  where  it  is  to  be 
shown. 

"Red  Red  Rose"  was  not  special- 
ly written  for  the  picture  production. 
The  melody  and  lyric  fitted  it  so  well, 
that  it  was  decided  to  effect  the  picture 
tie-up  in  addition  to  the  regular  cam- 
paign that  the  song  is  to  receive  in  the 
various  cities  where  this  film  is  shown. 


Page  68 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 


THE  Mercury  Arc  Rectifier  is  an 
apparatus  used  to  charge  A.  C. 
Current  to  direct  current  for  the 
motion  picture  arc  lamp. 

It  consists  of  a  glass  bulb  into  which 
are  sealed  two  iron  anodes  and  one  mer- 
cury cathode  and  a  small  starting  elec- 
trode. 

This  bulb  is  filled  with  mercury  va- 
por. No  current  will  flow  till  starting 
electrode  resistance  has  been  overcome 
by  the  ionization  of  the  vapor  in  its 
neighborhood. 

To  accomplish  this,  the  voltage 
is  raised  sufficiently  to  cause  the 
current  to  jump  the  gap  between 
the  mercury  cathode  and  the  starting 
cathode,  or  by  bringing  together  the 
cathode  and  starting  electrode  in  the 
vapor  by  tilting  and  then  separating 
them,  thus  drawing  out  the  arc. 

When  this  is  done  current  flows  from 
the  anode  to  the  mercury  cathode  and 
not  in  reverse  direction.  In  order  to 
maintain  the  action  a  lag  is  produced  in 
each  half  wave  by  the  use  of  a  reactive 
or  sustaining  coil,  hence  the  current 
never  reaches  its  zero  values  otherwise 
the  arc  would  have  to  be  restarted  by 
the  projectionist.  This  is  the  working 
principle  of  the  Mercury  Arc  Rectifier 
that  every  projectionist  should  know  in 
his  daily  work. 

About  Lens  Corrections 

All  uncorrected  lenses  have  both 
spherical  and  chromatic  abberation.  By 
the  means  of  a  combination  of  various 
different  kinds  of  glass  and  positive  and 
negative  curvatures  it  is  possible  to  cor- 
rect the  motion  picture  lens  for  both 
spherical  and  the  chromatic  abberation 
in  the  same.  Now  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
projection  lens  for  motion  picture  pro- 
jection are  thus  corrected.  In  this  cor- 
rection of  lenses  crown  and  flint  glass 
is  used.  For  perfect  projection  the 
lens  must  be  free  from  spherical  and 
chromatic  abberation. 

New  Lenses  and  Equipment 

The  management  of  the  Garden  The- 
atre, Garden  City,  Kansas,  has  recently 
installed  two  late  type  Simplex  double 
bearing  movements  in  his  machines, 
also  purchased  two  half  size  Cinephor 
projection  lenses-  Mazda  equipment  is 
being  used  very  successfully  in  this  the- 
atre. 900  watt  bulbs  and  30  amperes  is 
used.  The  picture  is  bright  and  clear 
at  all  times.  Two  late  type  Simplex 
projectors  are  used  at  the  Garden  The- 
atre and  two  Powers  projectors  and 


Optics  Practical  Ideas  and  Electricity 
  By  WESLEY  TROUT  

mazda  equipment  are  being  used  at  the 
Electric  Theatre. 

Borders  Around  Projection  Screens 

An  exhibitor  from  Western  Kansas, 
who  requests  that  his  name  be  withheld 
from  publication,  asks  the  following  in- 
formation about  borders  for  projection 
screens  as  follows : 

Dear  Mr.  Trout :  I  am  proposing  to 
place  four  vaudeville  acts  this  winter  in 
my  theatre.  I  have  a  deep  stage  and 
the  projection  screen  is  now  on  the 
back  wall  of  the  stage.  We  want  to 
arrange  to  start  the  picture  after  the 
vaudeville,  on  a  screen  in  "one,"  and 
when  I  get  the  stage  cleared,  raise  the 
front  picture  screen  out  of  the  way  and 
then  project  the  picture  on  the  screen 
on  the  back  wall  of  the  stage. 

I  am  rather  particular  about  my  pro- 
jection and  want  the  front  screen  the 
right  size  and  bordered  exactly  the 
same  as  the  back  one.  Will  you  be  kind 
enough,  through  your  dandy  depart- 
ment, to  tell  me  how  to  lay  this  out  so 
that  I  can  have  a  painter  do  the  work 
right  as  it  should  be? 

LET  us  suppose  that  you  happen  to 
have  to  build  a  picture  about  18  feet 
in  width  by  about  15  feet  in  height — 
additional  height  due  to  angle  in  your 
projection,  of  course — about  a  116  foot 
projection  distance,  with  the  bottom  of 
the  picture  four  feet  from  the  stage 
floor,  and  the  front  of  your  screen  will 
be  just  20  feet  in  front  of  the  rear 
screen. 

Now  the  projection  distance  being 
116  feet,  and  the  picture  you  are  pro- 
jecting 216  inches  wide  by  180  inches 
in  height  then  the  spread  of  your  light 
beam  per  foot  will  be  216  divided  by 
116,  equals  1.8611  plus  inches  per 
foot;  it  then  follows  that  the  front  will 
have  1.8611  multiplied  by  20,  equals 
37.222  inches  less  width  than  the  rear 
one. 

The  decrease  in  height  is  always 
figured  the  same  way.  The  height  from 
the  floor  is  a  very  different  matter.  I 
cannot  figure  this  for  you  as  I  do  not 
know  the  projection  angle  and  you 
write  that  you  are  in  a  hurry  for  the 
answer  to  your  questions. 

You  can  get  this  very  easily  and 
simply  by  stretching  a  cord  tight  from 
your  lens  to  bottom  of  rear  picture  and 
measuring  its  height  at  location  of  front 
screen,  or  you  can  light  up  your  stage 
brightly,  having  somebody  hold  a  board 
upright  on  floor  in  location  of  the  front 
screen,  with  a  marker  against  it  which 


he  can  slide  up  or  down  as  you  sight 
from  lens  to  bottom  of  rear  screen.  This 
will  be  much  less  trouble  to  you  and 
just  as  good  as  the  other  way.  A  cord 
may  sag  and  this  other  way  you  will 
find  much  more  accurate. 

Repairing  Broken  Projection  Lenses 

If  the  projectionist  may  happen  to 
break  one  of  his  projection  lens  glasses 
or  injure  it,  it  may  be  replaced,  but  in 
order  for  the  projectionist  or  exhibitor 
to  do  this  it  is  necessary  that  the  com- 
plete lens  be  returned  to  its  maker, 
along  with  the  broken  piece  of  the  lens. 

Remember  that  the  broken  piece  has 
no  value  whatever,  but  unless  it  is  sent 
along  with  the  complete  lens,  there  is 
danger  that  the  focal  length  of  the  lens 
may  be  changed  in  the  replacement  of 
the  news  lens. 

Odd  lenses  or  combinations  of  lenses 
have  absolutely  no  value.  It  is  very 
useless  for  the  projectionist  trying  to 
make  a  new  lens  out  of  old  pieces  as 
it  won't  work  from  any  standpoint.  In 
the  cases  where  one  lens  of  the  com- 
bination is  broken  the  maker  of  the  lens 
can  very  easily  ascertain  the  exact  for- 
mula for  the  broken  lens  by  measuring 
the  broken  lens  that  you  have  sent  him. 

Grounding  Frame  of  Generator 

It  does  not  matter  where  you  may 
locate  your  motor  generator  set  or  what 
make  of  machine  it  is,  it  should  be  thor- 
oughly grounded  by  means  of  a  copper 
wire,  one  end  of  which  should  make  a 
good  electrical  contact  with  the  frame 
and  the  other  end  of  the  wire  should 
make  a  good  electrical  contact  with  a 
water  pipe  or  the  earth. 

YOU  should  place,  by  all  means,  a 
drop  cord  where  you  locate  your 
generator  set,  drop  cord  to  be  hung  over 
the  machine  and  plenty  of  cord  on  it 
so  that  you  can  take  it  down  and  move 
it  where  you  want  to  about  your  ma- 
chine, so  that  you  can  see  to  make  re- 
pairs. You  can't  do  good  repair  work 
in  a  dark  place. 

The  room  where  the  generator  set  is 
located  should  be  kept  clean  and  free 
from  dampness  at  all  times-  Give  your 
generator  set  the  same  care  as  you 
would  your  projection  machine  if  you 
want  the  very  best  of  results  from  it. 
The  floor  where  the  generator  is  lo- 
cated should  be  good  and  solid.  Don't  | 
let  dirty  oil  run  into  any  of  the  wind- 
ings of  the  machine.  Place  a  small  pan 
under  each  of  the  bearings  for  the  over- 
flow of  oil  to  drip  into. 


October  IS,  1924 


Page  69 


Equipment  Notes 


FAN  COVERS 

Now  that  Winter  is  in  the  offing  the 
fan  has  become  an  almost  useless  piece 
of  furniture,  yet  it  must  be  protected 
for  the  winter  against  dust  and  at  the 
same  time  not  mar  the  beauty  of  the 
theatre. 

There  are  fan  covers  that  completely 
cover  the  fan  and  yet  present  a  very 
neat  appearance.  The  covers  are  made 
of  various  cloth  materials  in  numerous 
colors  to  harmonize  with  the  decorat- 
ing scheme. 

In  some  instances  the  theatre  mono- 
gram is  worked  in  the  face  of  the  cov- 
er and  this  greatly  adds  to  the  beauty. 

Fans  are  valuable  to  a  theatre  and 
they  deserve  care.  Dust  will  work  into 
the  motor  during  the  long  period  of 
idleness  and  repairs  will  be  found 
necessary  in  the  summer  unless  proper 
care  is  taken. 

*    *  * 

SWEEPING  COMPOUND 

Does  your  janitor  sweep  violently 
and  let  the  dust  settle  where  it  may,  or 
do  you  take  precautions  against  any 
dust  being  raised  during  the  cleaning 
process  ? 

There  are  several  sweeping  com- 
pounds on  the  market  that  not  only 
eliminate  dust  but  act  as  a  disinfectant 
at  the  same  time.  The  product  is  simi- 
lar to  sawdust  but  it  has  a  chemical 
property  that  acts  as  a  dust  layer.  The 
compound  is  strewn  over  the  floor  and 
then  swept  up  without  causing  any  dust 
whatever. 

It  comes  in  barrel  lots  and  is  cheap 
enough  for  the  smallest  exhibitor  to 
use. 

THUMB  TACKS 

It  is  the  little  things  in  life  that 
count.    For  instance,  thumb  tacks.  You 


will  be  surprised  at  the  number  of  uses 
these  little  pointed  objects  can  be  put 
to,  but  their  primary  use  about  a  pic- 
ture theatre  is  for  hanging  posters  and 
fastening  still  pictures  in  panels. 

The  tacks  have  a  very  short  point 
and  a  large  round  head  that  makes  it 
possible  to  insert  them  without  the  use 
of  a  hammer  and  they  can  be  removed 
and  used  over  and  over. 

They  are  made  of  various  colored 
heads,  but  the  most  common  kind  is 
the  polished  brass  head. 

A  good  brand  is  manufactured  by 
the  Solidhead  Tack  Company  and  for 
sale  at  a  very  reasonable  price. 

*  *  * 

METALLIC  CLOTH 

There  is  now  a  metallic  cloth  on  the 
market  for  draping  purposes  that  will 
add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  any  thea- 
tre. The  cloth  resembles  metal  and 
has  the  sheer,  glistening  beauty  of  gold 
or  silver  and  with  the  proper  lighting 
effects  it  will  cast  a  radiant  shimmer 
that  will  gladden  the  eye. 

The  cloth  is  practically  as  flexible 
as  ordinary  cloth  and  does  not  crack. 
It  comes  in  various  widths  and  any 
desired  length. 

The  cost  of  the  cloth  is  small  but  its 
beauty  is  worth  much  to  the  theatre 
owner  who  wishes  to  improve  his  thea- 
tre at  a  nominal  outlay. 

Doty  &  Scrimgeour  Sales  Company 
make  an  excellent  grade  of  draping 
cloth  and  they  will  gladly  send  infor- 
mation and  catalogs. 

*  *  * 

STAIR  LIGHTS 

A  damage  suit  resulting  from  a  fall 
in  your  theatre  would  be  a  very  un- 
profitable occurence,  yet  if  you  are  not 


properly  lighting  your  stairways,  such 
a  suit  may  come  at  any  time. 

Balcony  steps  are,  as  a  rule,  poorly 
lighted  and  this  need  not  be  the  case  as 
there  are  several  lighting  companies 
who  specialize  in  lights  for  stairways. 
The  lights  are  installed  on  the  floor  at 
the  edge  of  the  steps  and  throw  the 
light  toward  the  wall  and  keep  the  rays 
on'  the  floor  and  do  not  spread  to  the 
nearby  parts  of  the  theatre. 

The  lights  are  easily  installed  and 
will  add  heaps  of  good  will  to  the  the- 
atre. 

CURTAINS 

Many  theatre  owners  will  give  care- 
ful attention  to  every  detail  about  the 
theatre  yet  they  will  use  the  same  drop 
curtain  year  in  and  year  out  without 
thought  of  changing. 

Do  you  realize  that  your  patrons  tire 
of  the  same  old  curtain  week  after 
week?  Give  them  something  to  rest 
their  eyes.  A  new  curtain  is  a  big 
improvement  to  the  theatre  and  will  be 
appreciated  by  patrons. 

Theodore  Hahn  Scenic  Studios 
make  a  specialty  oi  curtains  of  every 
description.  Their  work  is  original  and 
prompt. 

sj:  s)c 

CLIPPING  BOOK 

One  item  almost  an  absolute  necessity 
to  the  exhibitor  is  a  press  clipping  book. 
All  publicity  matter  that  has  been  given 
your  theatre  and  pictures  should  be 
carefully  pasted  in  the  book  together 
with  the  date  from  which  the  clipping 
was  taken. 

All  your  ads  should  be  clipped  and 
filed  in  the  book  for  references  and 
they  will  be  found  useful  at  some  future 
date 


What  Makes  a  Modern  Theatre  ? 


$85.00 

(Easv  Terms) 


A  Brandt  Universo 


Folks  will  fill  the  up-to-date  house  to  capacity  at  good  prices,  even  when  another 
theatre  is  showing  the  same  picture  for  less  money.  '.U  y 

Why?    Because  the  public  appreciates  comfort,  convenience,  atmosphere  fc^/ 
and  show  excellence.  S 

y  ^  BRANDT 

-VA^  AUTOMATIC 
S&r/     CASHIER  CO., 
in  your  box  office  provides  facilities  to  your  patrons  for  rapid  and  ^£     /       Dept    U  Watertown 

accurate   change.     It  is   a   comfort   that    all    your    patrons   are        .^k      /  '      '  Wis! 

entitled  to.     It  gives  your  theatre  an  atmosphere  of  up-to-  / 

j.,„.„  .  <       Send  me  complete  description 

dateness.  and     Free    Trial     Offer    on  a 

Use   the    Brandt    Universo   for   ten   days   Free   Trial  *\J  V, 

Brandt  Automatic  Cashier  Co.  ame  ',' 

Dept.  U,  Watertown,  Wisconsin  / 


Brandt  Universo. 


and  then  listen  to   the  favorable  comments  from 
your  patrons.     Use  the  coupon  today. 


Address 


Page  70 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


EFFECTIVE  HOUSE 
ORGANS 

(Continued  from  page  54) 

a  small  boy  puts  in  somebody's  ash  can 
to  avoid  having  to  deliver  them  aren't 
going  to  do  you  any  good.  There's  dis- 
tinct advantage  in  getting  copies  de- 
livered to  homes,  because  there  they 
are  apt  to  be  read  by  four  or  five  peo- 
ple, on  the  average,  in  each  house, 
whereas  a  copy  given  out  on  the  street 
or  in  shops  will,  in  many  cases  be 
thrown  away  after  one  person  has  read 
it.  If  copies  are  mailed  to  homes,  al- 
ways send  them  unsealed-  Some  en- 
terprising statistician  has  said  that  76 
percent  of  the  women  will  open  and 
read  unsealed  mail  addressed  to  their 
husbands,  whereas  a  very  small  per- 
centage will  open  sealed  mail. 

Another  word  as  to  the  mechanical 
end  of  the  job:  Use  good  paper  and 
buy  good  printing.  A  house  organ 
that  looks  as  if  it  had  been  done  on  a 
hay-press  won't  bring  business.  The 
difference  in  cost  between  a  good  job 
and  a  poor  one  will  be  small,  but  the 
difference  in  results  will  be  big. 

These,  necessarily,  are  general  sug- 
gestions. As  to  the  problems  which 
may  arise  in  specific  cases,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will  be  glad  to  offer  spe- 
cific advice.  If  you  encounter  diffi- 
culties, outline  them  in  detail.  If  you 
get  to  the  point  where  you  can  make  a 
dummy  of  your  proposed  publication, 
mail  it  in  for  criticism.  This  service 
is  yours  for  the  asking,  at  any  time. 

If  you  are  already  issuing  a  house 
organ  that  you  think  might  be  helpful 
to  others  why  not  arrange  to  exchange 
with  other  exhibitors  who  may  have 
something  that  will  be  helpful  to  you? 
Put  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  on  your 
mailing  list  and  tell  us  that  you  are 
willing  to  send  your  publication  to 
other  exhibitors  who  are  interested.  In 
this  way  it  will  be  possible  to  develop 
a  liberal  exchange  to  ideas  and  material 
that  will  be  beneficial  all  around. 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  saler 
Send  for  FREE  catalog  trfvlug 
counts  and  prices  on  classified  namet 
of  you  rbest  prospective  customers-" 
National,  State,  Local— Individuals, 
Professions,,  Business  Flrma. 

QQ%  Guaranteed  C  <* 
7  y  'Oby  refund  of  J  ^each 


676N , 


itLpuis 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Ave.,  titu  York 


Lobby  Displays 

Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 

TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


jBotel  3jar{>tttQ 

54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $399 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $629 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


New  York's  newest  and  most 
beautifully  furnished  hotel - 
^accomodating  ,1034  Quests 

Broadway  at  63- Street. 

-vnTH  PRIVATE  r0n 
ROOM  WITH  PRIVATE  BATH- 
v  ALL  OUTSIDE  ROOMS  , 


LAS  SIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Can.^ras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


F or  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

POWERS  NO.  5  MECHANISM,  in  Al  shape, 
ready  to  run,  slightly  used,  price  is  very  reasonable. 
Mechanism  $30.  Rheostat,  slightly  used,  40  to  50 
amperes,  $15.  Small  rheostat,  25  amps.,  good  con- 
dition $7.  Powers  Arc  Lamp  without  base,  good 
condition,  complete  $12.50.  Cash  with  order.  W. 
TROUT,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


SIMPLEX      INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

each  $4.25 ;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each 
$4 ;  Edison  or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprockets, 
each  $4.45.  Take-up  or  Feed  sprockets  for  Powers. 
Simplex.  Edison  or  Motiograph,  each  $2.88.  Baird 
Rewind,  complete  $7.25.  Condensers,  any  focus, 
Piano  Convex,  each  $1.25 ;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55.  All  the  above  goods  are  BRAND  NEW 
and  SENT  POSTAGE  PREPAID.  CASH 
WITH  ORDER.  This  is  complete  list  of  supplies 
we  handle.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
Box  No.  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


BARGAIN:  Movie  camera  uses  standard  film,  220 
ft.  mags.,  B.  &  L.  Zeiss-Tessar  lens,  $39.  Send 
$5,   balance   C.   O.   D.,   Box  82,  Canton,  Ohio. 


At  Liberty 


A    FIRST-CLASS    THEATRE    ORGANIST  who 

works  for  the  interest  of  the  house;  fine  large 
library  ;  twelve  years'  experience ;  wire  or  write ;  will 
go  anywhere.  Organist,  8021  Melrose  Ave.,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

CONCERT  THEATRE  ORGANIST 

Now  playing  Wurlitzer  Hope-Jones,  desiring  to 
make  a  change;  would  like  to  hear  from  theatre 
managers  desiring  the  services  of  a  modern  picture 
performer  of  the  highest  caliber;  excellent  references 
furnished  upon  request;  nothing  considered  after 
November  1st.  Address,  Organist,  442  H  bt., 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Miscellaneous 


CAPITAL  SEEKERS  confronted  with  difficilt 
financing  problems  should  consult  Amster  Leonard, 
First  Nat'l  Bank  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT 

AnCUSTTcKETfi 

g    r       352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE  \vf 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


TWENTY- EI6HT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 


ROLL  figSSS?)  FOLDED 

=— TICKETS— 

BEST  EOR  Trie  LEAST  MONEY  QUICKEST  DELIVERY  CORRECTNESS  GUARANTEED 


The  film  that  carries  quality 
from  studio  to  screen — 


EASTMAN 
POSITIVE  FILM 

— has  the  identification  "Eastman" 
"Kodak"  in  black  letters  in  the 
transparent  margin.    Look  for  it. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


A  Six  WeeKf'  Feast  of  Fun 


from 


MACK.  SEJVftETT 

MACK  SENNETT  COMEDY;  "Wandering  Waistlines";  two  reels; 

with  a  scintillating  cast  including  Madeline  Hurlock,  Bill 
Bevan,  Kalla  Pasha,  Sid  Smith,  Barbara  Pierce  and 
York  Sherwood;  a  galloping  comedy  of  land  and  sea; 
Oct.  5th 

HARRY  LANGDON;  "The  Hansom  Cabman";  Harry,  about  to  be 
married,  is  vamped  by  Madeline  Hurlock  who  gets  him 
in  wrong  with  his  fiancee,  Marceline  Day;  fast  and  furious 
fun  with  laughter  guaranteed;  Oct.  12 


MACK  SENNETT  STAR  COMEDY;  "The  Riders  of  the  Purple 
Cows";  a  travesty  of  the  Wooly  West,  featuring  Ralph 
Graves;  a  dashing  and  speedy  rouser  of  a  chorus  of  each- 
innation  ;  Oct.  19th 


BEN  TURPIN;  title  to  be  announced;  the  comedian  with  the  jazzed 
eyes  in  a  riot  of  risibility;  Oct.  26 


MACK  SENNETT  COMEDY;  "Galloping  Bungalows";  a  classic 
of  screams  with  the  famous  stellar  Sennett  cast;  . Nov. 
2nd 

HARRY  LANGDON ;  "All  Night  Long" ;  in  which  the  comedian  who 
is  making  a  sensation  gets  a  lot  of  fun  out  of  doughboy 
days  in  France,  and  being  a  rival  with  his  sergeant  for 
the  affections  of  a  pretty  French  girl;  Nov.  9th 


Perfection  in  ttvo-reel  comedies 

Pafhecomedy 


TRADE 


MARK 


National  Tie-Ups  for  "Broken  Laws 


EXH I B I  TORS 

CTrade  RE  VI EW 

i 

9fo  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Picture  Industry 


"Sinners  in  Heaven"  broke  every 
existing  theatre  record  at  the  Rialto, 
Atlanta,  last  week,  playing  to  $400 
more  than  "The  Covered  Wagon." 


because  it  entertains, 


"If  each  of  the  Famous  40  Para- 
mount Pictures  equals  'Empty 
Hands,'  the  people  of  Franklin  will 
be  furnished  plenty  of  high  grade 
entertainment  this  season." — 
R.  E.  Blackwell,  Editor,  Franklin, 
Intl.,  Star 

because  it  entertains/ 


Just  two  of  the 
FAMOUS  FORTY 


CP aTarnxxusLts 
*J  (pictures 


n^.-I   PC  -irto/t 


10  Scars 

Make  a  Man 

—  j\llene  Hay 

From  the  story  by  Thilip  'Barry,  the  playwright 

A  brand  new  Patheserial  of  the  East  and  West. 

A  strenuous  fight  for  love  and  fortune  by  a  young 
rancher  and  his  sweetheart  that  starts  in  the  city  of 
skyscrapers  and  ends  in  the  mountains  and  plains  of 
the  West. 

Fast  riding,  hard  loving,  deep  hating  and  fighting  all 
the  time.  Romance  to  suit  the  lovers  of  romance,  action 
to  please  the  lovers  of  thrills. 


Published   weekly    bv   Exhibitors   Review   Publishing   Corporation.     Executive,  Editorial   Offices  45   West  45th   St.,   New   York   City.  Subscription 
$2.00   year.     Entered  as   second-class  matter,  Aug.   25,    1922,   at    posrtoffice  at   East   Stroudsburg,    Pa.,   under  act   of   March  3,1879. 


toue  ^ 

an  ALLAN  DWAN  production 

&  Cparamounl Q>ielure 


°8 


— 


m  ■ 
I 


v 


'V. 


ft- 


■ 


X 


WE  have  seen  Miss  Svvanson's  second 
Famous  Forty  picture,  "Her  Love 
Story".  It  is  as  big  as  "Manhandled",  if 
not  bigger.  The  poignantly  human  story 
of  a  love  behind  a  throne.  Ian  Keith, 
George  Fawcett,  Mario  Majeroni  and 
other  favorites  in  the  cast.  In  every 
respect  a  super-production.  Another 
great  opportunity  for  you  to  cash  in 
on  Miss  Swanson's  amazing 
box-office  popularity 


HEX  LOVE 


arv  Rob 


An  cAnnouncement 


B.P.  Schulberg  Talces 
Pleasure  in  Sponsor- 
ing the  Triumphant 
Return  of  a  Great, 
Screen  Star 

READ    WHAT    SCREENLAND  SAYS 

JOYCE  has  come  back.  Famous 
Players-Lasky  has  offered  her  the  feminine 
lead  in  Three  Black  Pennys,  Joseph 
Hergesheimer's  greatest  novel.  And  at  the 
same  time,  Warner  Brothers  approach  her 
with  offers  to  feature  her  in  Edith  Wharton's 
prize-winning  novel,  The  Age  of  Inno- 
cence, one  of  the  screen  plums  of  the  year. 

Here's  a  prediction — the  seasoned  artist, 
Alice  Joyce,  will  make  a  far  greater  success 
than  the  old  Alice  ever  enjoyed. 


©.p-sc 


presents 


3°1 


ce 


I*    *  cH*  .,lCtiOTV 


Preferred  Pictures 


WATCH  FOTV 
FURTHER. 
ANNOUNCEMENT 

Foreign  Distributors:    Export  and  Import  Film  Co. 


Distributed  by 


S.  P  Schulberg  Productions,  Inc 


(J  G  Qschmann  treasurer 


1630  Broadwujj  .Hew Yorfcji 


S 


Page  4 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Novelty 


Thrills 


Intriguing Rmnance 


ft 


50? 


BANNER 

PRODUCTIONS 

1$40BWAT  NYjC. 


FOREIGN  DISTRIBUTORS 
INTER-OCEAN  FILM  CORP 
118  W.  42"  ST  NYC. 


Jane, 
Homh 


Directed  bf 

burton 

KING- 


MAKE  THIS  YOUR  BANNER  YEAR 


October  25.  1924 


"EMPTY  HEARTS'WiH 
mean  FULL  HOUSES  / 


BANNER 

PRODUCTION 


DIRECTED  BY 

AL  SANTELL 

PRODUCED  BY 


YERJCHUffER 


DISTRIBUTED  BY 

BANNER 

PRODUCTIONS  r  INC 
l$4o  BROADWAY  N.Y.C. 

POREIGN  DISTRIBUTOR 

SIMMONDS-KANN  ENTERPRISES,** 
°20  West  42nd  St.  NYC. 


MAKE  THIS  YOUR  BANNER  YEAR 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING  CORPORATION 


Jhe  priscilla 

Production! 
1  nSei)ilk" 


Romantic  and  a. 


ppeali 


hrou.gh  her  m.rror.  PRISCILLA  DEAN  ai/MADRID',' 
liscovers  a  loo  ardent  admirer  in  her  boudoir 


SPAIN  is  the  land  of  romance,  where  blood  runs  hot  with 
the  high  emprise  of  adventure,  intrigue  and  the  highly- 
colored  conflict  of  elemental  passions. 

"The  Siren  of  Seville,"  with  the  dynamic,  emotional 
Priscilla  Dean  in  the  stellar  role,  is  all  that  the  title  implies 
— a  pulse-quickening,  exotic  romance  of  Sunny  Seville  in- 
volving a  passionate  Carmen  type  of  heroine  and  the  real 
kings  of  the  Spanish  people — the  monarchs  of  the  bull- 
ring. 


Here  is  a  stupendously  magnificent  production,  on  which 
neither  money  nor  constructive  brains  have  been  spared  to 
achieve  the  very  acme  of  excellence.  The  story  is  by  H.  H. 
Van  Loan,  who  wrote  Miss  Dean's  two  previous  successes, 
"The  Virgin  of  Stamboul"  and  "The  Wild  Cat  of  Paris." 

Allan  Forrest,  who  made  a  great  success  as  Mary  Pick- 
ford's  leading  man  in  "Dorothy  Vemon  of  Haddon  Hall"; 
Stuart  Holmes,  Claire  DeLorez,  Bert  Woodruff  and  Mathew 
Betz,  complete  a  brilliant  cast. 

Directed  by  Hunt  Stromberg  and  Jerome  Storm. 


Odnd 


PRISCILLA  DEAN  has  a  tensely  drdmAti. 
role  in,  A  CAFE  I N  CAIRO 


LV  Qfe  in  (gird 

THE  mystic  land  of  the  Nile,  where  once  the  incomparable  Cleo- 
patra wove  her  magic  spell,  is  visualized  with  all  its  lure  and  mystery, 
while  a  pulsing  drama  of  adventure  and  love  is  unfolded  with  rare 
artistry. 

The  elusive  melodies  of  native  instruments  mingle  with  the  silken 
swish  of  the  diaphanous  garments  of  the  sinuous  dancing  girls  in  the 
House  of  Stars  ....  A  young  American  on  a  secret  diplomatic 
mission  ....  the  entrancing  beauty  of  Naida,  the  fascinating 
Houri    ....    moonlight  and  the  lure  of  the  desert. 

1  his  is  the  setting  for  Priscilla  Dean's  second  production — a  story 
that  intrigues  and  fascinates — with  an  ideal  role  for  the  screen's  in- 
comparable emotional  actress. 

Adapted  by  Harvey  Gates  from  the  novel  by  Izola  Forrester,  who 
wrote  "The  White  Moth."    Directed  by  Chet  Witney. 

The  entire  production  filmed  under  the  personal  direction  of  Hunt 
Stromberg. 

Foreign  Distributor:  Wm,  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


gfc      ™»» ?ot>g  mm  "pctp"m  mam 


D*W+ GRIFFITH 

presents 

AMERICA 

Q  thi'illmd  story  of  Cove  and  Romance 
by  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBER/ 

EVERYONE        EVERYWHERE  AGREE 

General  John  J.  Pershing 

"It  is  an  inspiring  presentation  of  incidents  in  the  early  history  of  our 
country,  and,  I  would  like  to  put  myself  on  record  as  being  disposed 
to  take  any  appropriate  action  within  my  power  to  assist  in  such  a 
Patriotic  enterprise. " 

T.  N.  Magruder,  Elite  Theatre,  Iola,  Kan. 

"Have  just  finished  a  run  on  'America'  and  I  want  to  tell  all 
exhibitors  that  it  is  the  biggest  and  best  picture  of  the  day.  I  have 
never  seen  any  picture  that  would  any  ways  come  up  to  it.  Book 
it  and  get  your  schools  interested.  It  is  a  picture  for  every  American 
to  see.  They  will  go  away  boosting  it.  You  can't  go  wrong  in  book- 
ing this  picture.  " 

Aug.  Berkholtz,  Mermac  Theatre,  West  Bend,  Wis. 
"In  a  class  with  'Birth  of  a  Nation. '  " 


Now  Booking 

UNITED  ARTISTS  CORPORATION 

DMary  Pickford  Charleu~  Chaplin 

Douglaj-  "JairbanksT  D.W.Qriffith 
cyfiram  Qbramw,  President 


1 


1 


Read  What 

k  the 

Critic* 


Say 


W 


w 


"A  work  of  art.  It  reveals  Mr.  Lubitsch  as 
a  talented  stylist  in  direction ;  a  producer  who 
makes  the  most  of  every  detail  and  ",'hose  work 
scintillates  with  original  ideas." 

— Mordaunt  Hall,  N.  Y.  Times 

"Ernst  Lubitsch  has  drawn  a  vivid  picture. 
And  what  imagination  has  Lubitsch !" 

— Harriett  e  Under  hill,  N.  Y.  Herald 

"Ernst  Lubitsch  has  scored  another  triumph 
for  Warner  Bros,  in  'Three  Women.'  Again  his 
masterful  direction  and  subtle  touches  are 
evident." 

— N.  Y.  Mom.  Telegraph 

"  'Three  Women'  comes  pretty  close  to  the  top 
of  recent  productions.  It  is  directed  with  a  deft- 
ness and  sureness  that  makes  every  Lubitsch 
production  a  delight." 

— Louella  0.  Parsons,  N.  Y.  American 

"  'Three  Women'  is  a  picture  you'll  like ! 
Lubitsch's  little  neat  touches  make  the  picture 
breathe." 

— Mildred  Spain,  N.  Y.  Daily  News 

"Lubitsch  has  told  his  story  with  a  suavity  and 
directness  that  disregards  the  obvious." 

— Rose  Pelswick,  N.  Y.  Journal 

"Another  triumph  for  Ernst  Lubitsch." 

— N.  Y.  Evening  World 

"Seldom  do  we  see  such  good  acting  as  is  done 
in  'Three  Women.'  Ernst  Lubitsch  has  done  one 
of  the  best  pieces  of  directing  in  his  career." 

— TV.  Y.  Evening  Post 

"  'Three  Women'  is  a  stirring  and  powerful 
photoplay.  Subtitles  are  few  and  far  between 
when  Lubitsch  works." 

—N.  Y  Sun 

"Ernst  Lubitsch's  directing  is  evident  in  many 
little  subtle  touches — such  as  no  one  but  Lubitsch 
seems  to  think  of." 

—N.  Y.  Eve.  Graphic 


W    Press  and  Public 


Premier  Presentations  at 


Mark  Strand  ~ 

Criterion 

California 

Modem  &  Beacon 

Liberty 

Circle 

Capitol 

Walnut 

New  Grand  Centt 

Strand 

Howard 

Rialto 

Stanley 

Capitol 


New  York  City 
Los  Angeles* 
San  Francisco 
Boston 
Kansas  City 
Cleveland 
Detroit 
Cincinnati 
-  St.touii 
New  Orleans 


Washington 
Philadelphia 
St, Paul 


tfe  Art  ofLubiiscfi! 

•plaud  Mark  Strand t  New  York  Mowing  of 


PAULINE  FREDERICK 
with    LEW  CODY 

and,  an  all  ~  star  cast  including 
Willard  Louis,  Mary  Carr,  Pierre  (jendron 

DIRECTED  BY 

ERNST  LUBITSCH 


Hear,  hear ! 

What  a  Hard-Boiled  Showman  says  - 

"Audience  wild  about  it '. 
"Sure-fire  comedy." 
I  would  like  to  be  assured 
^l^^-^ofall  his  pictures! 


Naturally 


Douglas  MacLean 


RELEASED  AUGUST  31  *t 

ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 

ARTHUR  S.  KANE  PRESIDENT 

PHYSICAL  DISTRIBUTOR,  PATHE  EXCHANGE  IMC,  \ 
FOREIGN  REPRESENTATIVE,  SIDNEY  GARRETT 


FROM  WILLIAM  COLLIER'S  GREATEST  STAGE  COMEDY 


A  TclxiI  Schofield  Production 

East  of  "Broadway 

{Adapted  from  the  Saturday  Evening  Tost  story.  "The  Tropic  of  Capricorn"  by  "Richard  Connett) 


tvith 
Oketen  Moore 
Mary  Carr 
"Ralph  Lettris 
Marguerite  De  La  Motte 


" Mullaney ,  bvhen  an  officer  UKe 
you  says  the  Tropic  of  Capri- 
corn is  in  the  Uronjc,  it  is ! 99 

As  a  probationer  on  the  police  force, 
he  had  been  refused  his  shield  be- 
cause he  had  "flunked"  on  just  one 
question  in  his  written  examination. 

He  begged  for  permission  to  go  on 
patrol  just  one  more  night  in  his 
proud  uniform  of  blue. 

What  happened  to  make  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Police  reverse  himself,  and 
with  his  own  hands  pin  on  the  shining 
medal  ? 

IF  THIS  PICTURE  DOESN'T 

GRIP  YOU,  STIR  YOU,  THRILL 

YOU,  THEN  YOU  ARE  BLASE 
INDEED 

A  great  opportunity  for  tie-ups  with 
local  police  forces.  It's  a  real  honest- 
to-goodness  police  story  from  start  to 
finish. 


Directed  by  Wm.  JC.  Hobvard 


ASSOCIATED  EJTHI&ITO'RS 

Arthur  S.  Kane.  President 


Encore 


Foreign  Hevresemtati%>e 
Sidney  Garrett 


Thyviea!  HUtrihuft 
Tatbe  Exchange.  Inc. 


A  William  Christy  Cabanne  Production 


The  Sixth  Commandment 

A  drama  of  modern  lo*Oe  and  hate 


Can  a  girl  be  truly  in  lo*Oe  and  yet  lose  her  faith 
in  her  loader for  e-cten  a  fetv  short  hours? 


Novelists  write  of  a  love  that  never 
falters  and  lasts  until  death  itself;  a  love 
that  always  trusts  and  believes. 

Here  was  a  girl  in  love,  loved  by  the 
man  she  loved.  Yet  for  a  few  short  hours 
she  believed  him  a  murderer,  just  because 
she  had  heard  him  say  just  three  short 
words.  Could  she  have  truly  loved  him? 
And  believing  him  guilty,  was  her  duty  to 
her  lover  or  the  law? 

A  powerful  story  with  a  powerful  cast, 
— William  Faversham,  Charlotte  Walker, 
Edmund  Breese,  John  Bohn,  Charles 
Emmet  Mack  and  others. 


/ 


ASSOCIATED  EXHI'BITO'RS 


Thyjlcal  "Dijtribuiorj 
fatbe  Exchange.  Inc. 


Arthur  S.  K.ane.  Vrejident 

Encore 


r.rtfjn  Hepresentatftfe 
Sidney  Garrett 


October  25,  1924 


Page  13 


A  Record  "Buster 

Buster  Keaton  in  "The  Navigator,"  a  Metro 
Goldwyn  picture,  broke  the  Capitol  Theatre's 
record  for  a  single  day's  receipts  last  Sun- 
day, October  12th,  by  doing  a  business  of 
$14,796*70*  This  surpasses  any  previous 
Sunday,  New  Years  Day,  Thanksgiving  Day, 
Washington's  Birthday,  or  any  other  holiday 
in  the  history  of  this  theatre* 

And  on  Monday  the  receipts  were  $13,184*85 ♦ 

The  total  for  Sunday  and  Monday  then  is 
$27,981*55  which  is  certainly  a  Record 
"Buster*" 


Managing  Director 
Capitol  Theatre,  N.Y. 


If s  got  everything 


savsthis 


interest, 


critic/ 


SUMMARY  ^^JTSt^S  fgols 
along  and  the 


and  it  sure  has  f 


M..  C.  LEVEE  presents 


ynfyery 
Woman's  fife 

with 

Mrginia\&lli  Lloyd  Hughes, 
Stuart  Holmes  Marc  MacDeimott, 
George  Fawcett,  Ralph  Lewis 


Directed  by  Irving  Cummings 

Orom  OLIVE  WADSLEVS  novel  -"BELONGING" 
Screen  play  by  ALBERT  SHELBY  LEVINE 


(S  For        Righu  Conuniltd 


\MJ  Mid.wn  jwrnug  [IcwYyt. 


The  GattHng  Can  of  sate  fixe  Juts! 

A  FIRST  NATIONAL  Contract! 

Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  Inc.~~Wlll  Hays  President 


October  25,  1924 


Page  15 


EXHIBITORS 

trade  REVIEW 

%e  Business  fhper  of  the  fatten  lecture  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 


H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY.  Reviews  Editor 

J.  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTENTS 

October  25,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Saving  America's  Assets   _  _   18 

Books  And  Pictures    19 

Editorials    32 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Eckels  Goes  West  For  Metro    20 

Carl  Laemmle  Creates  Sales  Directorate    22 

Broadway  Home  For  Warner    23 

Twenty  Theatres  Change  Hands    21 

St.  Regis  Pictures  Announces  Policy   21 

Al  Lichtman  Resigns    26 

Thirty  Thousand  Dollars  In  Michigan  Treasury   

Hunt  &  Rosenblatt  On  Jersey  Board    25 

Bankers  See  Value  In  Pictures    24 

PICTORIALS 

"The  Lost  World"  Frontispiece 

"1  Am  The  Man"    34 

"Broken  Laws"   54 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Independent  Section    35 

Production  Highlights   42 

Box  Office  Reviews    44 

Big  Little  Features    47 

Showmanship   „   51 

National  Tie-Up  Section   53 

Exploitation  Ideas   69 

Exhibitors  Round  Table  „   71 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures  75 

Equipment   .".   83 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2;  Canada 
S3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE.  HOLLYWOOD 


ym$  INTHDAIrJ 


STATION  E.  T.  R. 
45  West  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting a  column  of  para- 
graph thoughts.  Any  or 
all  of  them  will  make  fine 
mottos  for  showmen.  Act 
on  the  advise  contained  in 
them  and  your  every 
effort  will  be  crowned 
with  success. 


Courtesy  costs  little  but  pays  a 
heap  in  good  will.  It  requires  little 
effort  to  be  courteous  but  it  can  estab- 
lish a  reputation  that  is  enviable.  Any- 
thing that  buys  good  will  is  cheap  at 
any  price. 

Procrastination  is  not  only  a  thief  of 
time,  but  a  big  obstacle  in  the  way  to 
success.  While  you  wait  to  do  it  to- 
morrow, your  competitor  did  it  today. 
You  can't  always  trail  and  get  by  with 
it.     Hit  your  stride! 

A  scientist  says  we  are  all  insane 
to  a  certain  extent.  Perhaps  he  is 
right  but  the  fellows  at  the  top  of  the 
heap  are  the  ones  who  are  crazy  about 
their  work.  If  you  attack  your  work 
with  the  same  vigor  you  use  in  get- 
ting a  ball  out  of  a  sand  trap  you  will 
succeed. 


Live  and  let  live!  Be  generous 
when  there  is  a  worthy  cause. 
The  fellow  in  tough  luck  is  to 
be  pitied  and  if  you  can  extend 
a  helping  hand  you  can't  fail  to 
throw  out  your  chest  and  feel 
better. 

Count  that  day  lost  whose  low  de- 
scending sun  sees  you  wii'h  a  grouch 
held  over  from  the  morning.  A  grouch 
hurts  you  and  reflects  on  all  of  your 
employees.  If  you  are  cheerful  the 
feeling  will  be  contagious. 


Don't  be  too  big  to  listen  to  your 
most  humble  employee.  He  may  have 
an  idea  that  you  have  been  looking 
for.  Patronage  is  built  upon  little 
things  and  by  keeping  close  to  your 
staff    you    will    learn  heaps. 


The  only  fellow  who  shouldn't  break 
records  is  the  man  who  works  in  a  phono- 
graph shop.  Every  shozvman  should  strive 
for  a  record  on  every  picture  he  presents. 
Give  every  picture  your  undivided  attention 
and  the  box  office  will  take  care  of  itself. 


Don't  knock  your  competitor.  Com- 
petition is  a  great  thing  and  aims  for 
success.  Were  it  not  for  competition 
the  world  would  stand  still. 


I 


3<iSa?Sr5rS?W5r5E5r5ar5rW5^^ 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  intrepid  explorers  pause  at  the  gate- 
way to  "The  Lost  World."  The  First 
National  picture  of  that  name  depicts 
the  conflict  of  modern  men  with  the  ape- 
like beings  and  prehistoric  monsters  of  a 
re-discovered  continent.  Lewis  Stone, 
Bessie  Love  and  Lloyd  Hughes  play  the 
leading  roles. 


Lloyd  Hughes  and  Bes- 
sie Love  on  the  edge  of 
the  jungle  in  which  the 
explorers  of  the  un- 
known continent  step 
back  thousands  of  years 
in     their  surroundings. 


"The  Lost  World"  is  peopled  by  strange 
creatures  of  frightful  appearance.  The  mon- 
sters of  antiquity  have  been  reproduced  for 
the  First  National  picture  which  is  heralded 
as  a  truly  amazing  accomplishment  in  the 
held  of  photo-drama.  The  part  of  the  ape  is 
played  by  "Bull"  Montana  with  a  most 
realistic  make-up. 


The  Lost  World 


First  National's  Amazing  Picture  of  Conan  Doyle  s  Story  About  a  Rediscovered  Continent 

Peopled  by  Strange  Men  and  Prehistoric  Beasts 


©C1B627983 


DCJ  &  1924 


EXHIBITORS 
Qhwfe  REVIEW 

^Bwim^pfiroJiheMononfktuYelndustrf 

NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


A  deal  involving  the  merger  of  United  Artists  and  Joseph  Schenck  is  under  way 
and  it  is  expected  an  official  announcement  of  the  consummation  will  be  given 
out  shortly. 

Michigan  M.  P.  T.  O.  rolls  up  a  reserve  fund  of  $30,000  which  is  the  largest  amount  ever  available  for 
ready  use  by  any  exhibitor  organization. 

G.  A.  Cross,  of  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  has  been  elected  president  of  the  Michigan  M.  P.  T.  O. 

Al  Lichtman  resigns  as  general  manager  of  Universal.  He  is  leaving  owing  to  ill  health.  An  advisory 
board  has  been  named  by  Carl  Laemmle,  president  of  the  company. 

Two  First  National  producing  units  have  arrived  in  New  York  from  the  Coast  and  are  working  in  the 
Biograph  Studios. 

New  York  bankers,  at  a  luncheon,  declare  that  motion  pictures  are  past  the  experimental  stage  and  are 
safe  for  investors. 

Kate  Lester,  well  known  picture  actress,  died  Sunday  from  the  result  of  bums  received  when  a  gas 
heater  exploded. 

Joseph  Schenck  denies  that  Louis  Mayer  will  leave  Metro  to  become  affiliated  with  him.  He  brands 
the  story  as  ridiculous. 

November  17  has  been  selected  as  Motion  Picture  Day  throughout  the  country.  The  object  is  to  im- 
press people  with  the  importance  of  the  theatre. 

Vincent  Lopez,  nationally  known  orchestra  leader,  will  leave  the  Piccadilly  theatre,  New  York,  on 
October  24,  owing  to  a  threatened  injunction  against  the  theatre  by  the  Greenwich  Village  Fol- 
lies who  claim  Lopez  services. 

Sid  Grauman,  well  known  Coast  exhibitor,  may  sell  his  interests  in  California  to  become  interested  in 
a  New  York  theatre. 

Warner  Brothers  have  made  arrangements  with  the  Piccadilly  theatre,  New  York,  to  show  War- 
ner Brothers  productions.    This  assures  their  pictures  of  Broadway  runs. 

Twenty  St.  Louis  Theatres  change  hands  in  two  deals  involving  a  million  dollars. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Picture  Industry  To  Save 
America  s  Greatest  Asset 


Headed  by  William  R. 
FraserFilmdom  Unites  on 
National  Reforestation 


R 


EFORESTATION  is  the  most 
vital  issue  before  the  American 
people  today. 
Upon  this  are  agreed  George  H. 
Barnes,  President  of  the  American  Re- 
forestation Association,  who  is  bring- 
ing this  vital  domestic  issue  before  the 
Avhole  United  States,  and  William  R. 
Fraser  who  has  launched  the  move 
within  the  Motion  Picture  Industry  it- 
self. 

Mr.  Fraser  is  General  Manager 
•of  the  Harold  Lloyd  Productions.  He 
is  a  university  man  having  studied  at 
Stanford  and  Cornell  and  for  fifteen 
years  was  in  the  United  States  Forest 
Service,  and  is  familiar  with  the  sub- 
ject from  every  angle. 

He  has  already  interested  Will  H. 
Hays,  J.  O'Toole,  Adolph  Zukor, 
S.  R.  Kent,  Paul  Fuller,  Jr.,  R.  A. 
Rowland,  J.  D.  Williams,  Jos.  M. 
Schenck  and  such  other  prominent  per- 
sonalities as  Douglas  Fairbanks,  Mary 
Pickford,  Charles  Chaplin,  D.  W.  Grif- 
fith, Harold  Lloyd  and  many  others. 

It  is  conceded  by  every  intelligent 
thinking  person  that  the  quickest  and 
most  effective  way  to  reach  the  great- 
est number,  and  arouse  the  people  to  a 
general  realization  of  the  terrible  dang- 
er they  are  facing  is  via  the  screen. 

PLANS  are  already  being  perfected 
for  the  launching  of  a  nation  wide 
educational  movement  for  the  preven- 
tion of  forest  fires. 

Mr.  Fraser  proposes  a  series  of  one 
reel  pictures  showing  just  what  refor- 
estation means  to  every  phase  of  our 
national  life. 

Prominent  stars,  whose  services 
have  been  offered  will  be  used  in  each 
picture ;  these  pictures  will  be  exhibited 
simultaneously  throughout  the  United 
States  and  in  this  way  educate  the  peo- 
ple in  their  deep  obligation. 

It  is  surprisingly  true  that  less  than 
one-sixth  of  America's  virgin  forests 


William  R.  Fraser,  General  Manager  of 
the  Harold  Lloyd  Corporation,  who  heads 
movement  to  aid  American  reforestation 
through  the  medium  of  motion  pictures. 


are  standing  today,  and  that  thirty- 
three  states  out  of  the  forty-eight  use 
vastly  more  lumber  than  they  produce. 

China  once  covered  with  magnificent 
forests  is  now  suffering  from  defores- 
tation, and  we  are  second  to  China  in 
the  destruction  of  our  forests.  Forest 
fires  are  sweeping  over  our  country, 
and  the  demands  of  civilization  and 
progress  are  exhausting  our  timber  sup- 
ply and  we  are  doing  almost  nothing  to 
replace  what  is  being  burned  and  cut. 

CONSIDER  what  will  go  with  our 
forest  covering!  Water,  game,  fish, 
birds,  recreation,  grounds,  soil,  crops, 
scenery  and  hundreds  of  other  things. 
The  idea  when  viewed  squarely  is  ap- 
palling.   Of  these  water  is  life's  neces- 


sity and  there  is  no  substitute  for 
water. 

Statistics  bearing  on  every  conceiv- 
able phase  of  forest  devastation  have 
been  compiled  by  the  American  Refore- 
station and  a  campaign  is  being  con- 
ducted from  their  headquarters  at  428 
Bradbury  Building,  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

NEBRASKA  furnishes  an  excellent 
example  of  what  the  cultivation  of 
trees  will  do  for  a  treeless  region. 
Fifty  years  ago  Nebraska's  rainfall  was 
negligible  coming  only  with  t»rnados 
and  cyclones. 

Parching  winds  swept  the  state 
which  was  infected  with  insects  and 
pests. 

Then  came  J.  Sterling  Morton,  who 
inaugurated  Arbor  Day.  Eighteen  mil- 
lion trees  were  planted.  Patches  of 
timber  sprang  up.  Today  Nebraska  is 
transformed.  She  is  noted  for  her 
birds  which  save  the  farmers  millions 
of  dollars  annually.  The  annual  rain- 
fall of  the  state  has  increased  from  5% 
inches  to  33  inches  evenly  distributed 
throughout  the  state. 

NEW  YORK  lead  all  other  states  in 
timber  eighty  years  ago.  Today 
she  grows  but  one  per  cent  of  the  total 
supply,  importing  most  of  her  lumber. 

Pennsylvania  at  one  time  was  a  lead- 
ing timber  producer.  Now  she  barely 
produces  enough  to  bury  her  dead. 

The  American  Reforestation  Associ- 
ation is  doing  a  noble  work.  It  is 
hoped  will  afford  means  of  educating 
the  younger  generation  as  well  as  others 
to  insure  cooperation  in  the  prevention, 
conservation  and  perpetuation  of  our 
forests  and  the  necessity  of  fire  preven- 
tion caused  by  the  carelessness  ef  smok- 
ers and  campers. 

It  becomes  the  absolute  duty  of 
every  citizen  to  get  behind  this  move- 
ment by  applying  for  membership 'in 
this  Association  and  rendering  every 
assistance  possible. 


IT  is.  still  true  that  the  water  is  never  missed  until  the  well  runs  dry,  and  so  America,  with 
the  reckless  carelessness  of  youth,  continues  to  squander  the  precious  natural  resources 
which  form  her  seemingly  boundless  wealth.    William  R.  Fraser  sends  forth  a  warning- 
call,  and  has  enlisted  the  aid  of  our  industry  in  saving  America's  forests.   Aside  from  their 
enormous  economic  importance,  they  are  the  nation's  chief  adornment.    As  Joyce  Kilmer, 
the  soldier-poet  has  said:  "Poems  are  made  by  fools  like  me — but  only  God  can  make  a  tree." 


October  25,  1924 


Page  19 


The  Affinity  of  Books  and  Pictures 

J 

How  the  Co-operation  of  the  Public  Library  in  Your  Town  Will  Help  Your  Theatre 
Do  Better  Business  with  Your  Motion  Picture  Attractions 

 By  IN  A   BREVOORT  ROBERTS  


THE  variety  of  ways  in  which  li- 
brary cooperation  develops  in  the 
case  of  different  films  makes  the 
publicity  connected  with  it  an  ever- 
changing,  never-failing  delight. 

In  the  Cleveland  Public  Library  "The 
Fighting  Coward"  brought  forth  a  spe- 
cial book  display  in  the  fiction  division 
which  circulated  southern  stories. 

"The  Dawn  of  a  Tomorrow"  made 
inspirational  books  from  numerous  di- 
visions included  in  one  display  (fiction, 
history,  travel,  sociology,  biography, 
philosophy,  religion,  literature)  "go  like 
hot  cakes." 

"The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame" 
made  possible  during  both  the  initial 
and  the  later  Cleveland  showings,  book 
displays  in  the  foreign  language,  litera- 
ture and  history  divisions  as  well  as  in 
fiction. 

When  the  time  came  to  plan  the"Dor- 
othy  Vernon"  cooperation  the  Cleveland 
Public  Library  yielded  material  for  a 
show-case  and  bulletin  board  exhibits  of 
art  books  and  plates  showing  Haddon 
Hall  and  the  costumes  of  the  period  that 
was  of  real  value  to  artists  and  archi- 
tects. 

The  Dean  of  the  Cleveland  School  of 
Art  called  the  attention  of  the  students 
to  the  library  exhibit  and  to  the  film.  It 
is  also  significant  to  note  that  the  li- 
brary booklist  which  in  the  case  of  this 
film  was  printed  on  the  theatre  program 
aroused  lively  interest  in  the  students 
who  seemed  to  feel  because  the  list  was 
on  a  theatre  program  the  books  must  be 
interesting. 

THE  show-case  exhibit  in  connection 
with  "Beau  Brummel,"  which  con- 
sisted of  art  photographs  from  the  film 
arranged  in  sequence,  was  all  in  soft 
black  and  white  tones,  whereas  the 
"Beaucaire"  show-case  exhibit  discloses 
a  feast  of  color  in  the  shape  of  French 
costume  plates  and  copies  of  portraits 
of  the  historic  personages  featured  in 
the  film. 

A  valuable  feature  of  library  cooper- 
ation lies  in  the  fact  that  each  of  the 
book  displays  and  exhibits  arranged  in 
connection  with  the  same  film  attracts 
a  different  group  of  people. 

Those  who  read  the  books  connecting 
with  a  film  in  the  fiction  division  may 
seldom  visit  the  history  division  and  vice 
versa  while  the  foreign  language,  litera- 


BUILDING 

Good  will  for  your  theatre 
among  the  book  lovers  of 
your  town  will  most  assuredly 
result  in  a  higher  type  of 
clientele  and  bigger  box-office 

BUSINESS 


ture  and  children's  divisions  each  has 
its  own  individual  public. 

For  instance,  books  for  each  of  the 
displays  in  the  various  divisions  are  se- 
lected by  experts  on  books  relating  to 
that  particular  subject.  This  is  done 
in  collaboration  with  the  Library  editor 
who,  from  the  longer  lists,  selects  the 
brief  lists  for  the  film  bookmarks  is- 
sued. 

THE  show-case  exhibits,  which  com- 
bine books,  illustrations,  prints  and 
stills,  are  arranged  by  the  head  of  the 
fine  arts  division,  also  an  expert  in  this 
line.  Descriptions  of  these  find  a  place 
in  art  columns  and  journals. 

Window  displays  and  exhibits  in  con- 


nection with  conventions,  Better  Homes, 
Food  Shows,  etc.,  are  arranged  by  the 
technical  librarian,  also  an  expert  at  this 
particular  form  of  book  exploitation. 

Many  of  the  posters  that  add  much 
to  these  publicity  features  are  planned 
and  created  by  librarians  with  artistic 
talent. 

When  the  film  "Yolanda"  was  shown 
in  Cleveland,  the  State  Theatre  ran  a 
slide  reading  as  follows : 

"After  seeing  Yolanda  visit  your 
Public  Library  for  the  novel  by  Charles 
Major  and  other  books  on  the  stirring 
times  of  Charles  the  Bold  and  Mary 
of  Burgundy." 

A  similar  slide  was  run  in  connection 
with  "Abraham  Lincoln." 

FROM  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen 
that  in  Library-film  cooperation  the 
good  publicity  idea  is  but  the  starting 
point.  It  is  the  skill  and  thoroughness 
with  which  they  are  carried  out  as  well 
as  the  ideas  themselves  which  make  li- 
brary film-and-book  displays  a  varied 
and  colorful  pageant  instead  of  the  dull 
repetition  of  an  idea  clever  but  outworn. 

These  displays  can  never  become  dull 
because  no  two  are  alike ;  they  are  as 
different  as  the  photoplays  themselves. 
Each  one  has  ideas  behind  it  and  is  log- 
ical and  constructive  and  not  merely  a 
tie-up  dragged  in  by  the  hair  of  its  head 
by  a  good  publicity  imagination. 


This  is  a  good  sample  of  the  type  of  commercial  tie-up  which  may  be  arranged 
between  book-shops  and  motion  picture  exhibitors.  This  window  attracted  big 
audiences  for  Metro-Goldwyn's  "Scaramouche"  and  also  sold  many  copies  of  the 
photoplay  edition  of  Sabatini's  popular  novel  for  the  enterprising  book  man. 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


T^DDY  ECKELS,  who  has  served  with  dis- 
tinction  as  General  Manager  of  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review,  resigns  with  this  issue  to 
proceed  to  the  West  Coast  studios  of  Metro- 
Goldwyn.  He  will  be  in  charge  of  a  new 
departure  in  exploitation  work  emanating 
directly  from  the  studio,  and  going  directly 
to  the  exhibitor.  Mr.  Eckels  has  effectively 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  he  has  a  box- 
office  brain,  and  Metro  exhibitors  may  look 
forward  to  increased  profits  to  be  derived 
from  his   constructive   showmanship  ideas. 


Eddy  Eckels  Joins  Staff 
of  Metro-Goldwvn 

Leaves  for  West  Coast  Studios  Where  He  Will  Create 
Special  Showmanship  Service  to  Aid  Exhibitors 


EDDY  ECKELS  is  going  to  the 
West  Coast  for  Metro-Goldwyn. 
And  the  reason  for  his  going 
will  bring  joy  and  self-congratulations 
to  the  army  of  exhibitors  who  cash  in 
on  Metro  pictures. 

Mr.  Eckels,  whose  activities  as  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  cease  with  this  issue  has  been 
engaged  by  Eddie  Bonns,  Metro  Exploi- 
tation Chief,  to  create  a  new  and  origin- 
al branch  of  Exhibitor  cooperation  di- 
rect from  the  studios. 

He  will  leave  New  York  on  Oc- 
tober 18,  and  will  proceed  at  once  to 
the  West  Coast  studios  at  Culver  City. 

Mr.  Eckels'  duties  entail  the  execu- 
tion of  an  elaborate  showmanship  cam- 
paign on  every  Metro  picture.  He  will 
be  right  on  the  lot  as  the  pictures  are 
made,  and  will  see  to  it  that  no  exploi- 
tation angle  is  neglected. 

The  results  of  his  efforts  will  be 
placed  directly  in  the  hands  of  Metro 
exhibitors.  Every  one  of  them  will  thus 
benefit  by  showmanship  cooperation 
emanating  from  a  real  showman  lo- 
cated right  at  the  studio. 

This  arrangement  is  indeed  a  seven- 
league-stride  in  the  right  direction,  and 
is  right  in  line  with  Bonns'  intensive 


constructive  exploitation  work  in  behalf 
of  those  who  show  Metro  pictures. 

Mr.  Bonn's  selection  of  Mr.  Eckels 
is  complimentary  to  both.  For  Bonns 
displayed  great  foresight  and  clearness 
of  vision  in  picking  the  one  man  best 
fitted  to  put  this  new  service  across 
with  a  Big  Bertha  Bang. 

Mr.  Eckel's  experience  in  filmdom 
is  such  as  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of 
Metro-Goldwyn  officials.  He  has  pro- 
duced pictures,  directed  them,  sold  film, 
owned  and  managed  his  own  motion 
picture  theatres,  written  script,  in  fact 
there  is  nothing  pertinent  to  showman- 
ship with  which  he  is  not  thoroughly 
familiar.  Moreover,  he  is  generally 
about  ten  jumps  ahead  of  the  crowd  in 
originating  ideas  that  bring  in  the  coin. 
He  has  a  box-office  brain. 

IN  addition  to  the  hundreds  of  ex- 
hibitor friends  he  has  made  in  his 
varied  film  career,  Mr.  Eckels  is  also 
well  known  as  a  newspaper  man  and 
trade  paper  editor.  Ever  having  a 
weather  eye  open  for  showmanship 
possibilties  he  has  made  more  money 
for  exhibitors  through  his  constructive 
ideas  than  perhaps  any  man  in  America. 

Because  of  his  wide  experience  and 
exceptional   showmanship  ability  Mr. 


Eckels  is  especially  competent  to  en- 
ter this  new  field  of  endeavor.  His 
acquaintance  with  the  needs  of  exhibi- 
tors qualifies  him  in  filling  their  exploi- 
tation requirements. 

Like  a  doctor,  he  is  able  to  both  diag- 
nose a  difficulty  and  then  eliminate  it. 
He  has  demonstrated  his  ability,  and  a 
great  many  effective  business  building 
ideas  bear  testimony  to  his  ingenuity. 

WHEN  questioned  Mr.  Bonns  said : 
"I  feel  that  Metro-Goldwyn,  and 
myself  personally,  are  most  fortunate 
to  have  secured  Eddy  Eckels'  services. 
He  will  have  an  absolutely  free  rein  to 
execute  his  constructive  ideas.  You 
can  bank  on  it  that  he  will  create  a 
showmanship  aid  service  that  we  will 
guarantee  as  a  good  will  and  patronage 
builder  for  our  exhibitors.  I  am  ex- 
pecting Mr.  Eckels  to  do  some  really 
big  things." 

Eckels,  being  told  what  Bonns  had 
said,  merely  grinned  and  said  "Watch." 
And  so  between  them,  they  seem  to 
have  some  money-making  schemes 
cooked  up  for  Metro-Goldwyn  show- 
men. 

It's  beginning  to  look  like  a  box- 
office  season  for  Metro  exhibitors. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  21 


Twenty  Theatres  Change  Hands 
In  St.  Louis  Deals 


TWO  big  deals  affecting  the  own- 
ership of  twenty  motion  picture 
houses  in  St.  Louis  were  com- 
pleted during  the  past  week  according 
to  announcements  made  by  interested 
parties.  In  one  transaction  complete 
ownership  of  five  motion  picture 
theatres  in  South  St.  Louis  completely 
changed  hands,  while  in  the  other  a 
half  interest  in  fifteen  leading  neighbor- 
hood houses  scattered  throughout  the 
city  is  said  to  have  been  transferred, 
but  the  consideration  in  this  deal  was 
not  revealed. 

William  Goldman,  present  owner  of 
the  Kings  Theatre  and  the  Rivoli  Thea- 
tre, a  down-town  house,  announced  that 
effective  on  November  1  he  would  take 
over  Harry  Koplar's  half  interest  in  the 
St.  Louis  Amusement  Company's  fif- 
teen houses. 

Koplar,  who  is  a  very  close  personal 
friend  of  Goldman,  confirmed  the 
transaction  as  announced  by  Goldman, 
but  neither  party  revealed  the  consid- 
eration in  the  transfer.  As  the  deal 
will  not  go  into  effect  for  several  days 
the  stock  held  by  Koplar  has  not  been 
transferred  to  Goldman  on  the  books  of 
the  company.  The  other  half  interest 
in  the  St.  Louis  Amusement  Company 
is  owned  by  Skouras  Brothers  and  as- 
sociates, who  control  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  company,  and  no  change 
in  the  policies  of  the  theatres  will  be 
made  as  a  result  of  the  Koplar-Gold- 
man  deal. 

Million  Involved 

The  theatres  affected  represent  an  in- 
vestment well  in  excess  of  $1,000,000  so 
a  deal  involving  a  half  interest  in  the 
houses  nominally  would  be  upwards  of 
$500,000.  How  much  cash  changed 
hands  in  the  sale  has  not  been  made 
known,  however. 

The  houses  are  Rivoli,  Pershing 
(now  under  lease  to  the  Woodward 
Players,  a  dramatic  stock  organization) 
Pageant,  Shaw,  Arsenal,  Shenandoah, 
Manchester,  Arco,  Lafayette,  Gravois, 
Maffitt,  Lindell,  North  Grand,  Novelty 
and  Grand-Florrisant. 

St.  Louis  Deal 

In  the  big  South  St.  Louis  deal  Fred 
Wehrenberg,  owner  of  the  Cherokee 
Theatre  and  the  Melba,  purchased  from 
Fred  Hoelzer  the  Ivory  Theatre,  a 
600-seat  house ;  the  new  Michigan 
Theatre,  a  1200-seat  house  now  under 
construction,  which  when  completed 
will  represent  an  investment  of  more 


than  $100,000;  the  Lidel,  550  seats,  the 
Marguerite,  590  seats,  and  Manion's 
Summer  Theatre,  600  seats. 

This  deal  was  on  a  basis  of  more  than 
$200,000  while  Wehrenberg  will  pay 


ONE  of  the  first  announcements  of 
the  newly-formed  St.  Regis  Pic- 
tures Corporation,  an  important 
Eastern  producing  organization  which 
plans  sixteen  feature  pictures  during 
the  forthcoming  year,  is  one  concern- 
ing the  signing  of  Conway  Tearle  as 
the  star  in  its  initial  production. 

This  first  picture  is  an  adaptation  of 
the  Popular  Magazine  novelette,  "The 
Ultimate  Good,"  by  J.  C.  Brownell, 
made  by  George  V.  Hobart  and  written 
for  the  screen  by  Arthur  Hoerl.  In  ad- 
dition to  Conway  Tearle  the  cast  is  now 
being  assembled  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  T-  Carlyle  Atkins,  presi- 
dent of  St.  Regis,  and  it  will  contain 
other  names  equally  prominent  in  sup- 
port of  the  distinguished  star. 

The  announcement  contained  a  state- 
ment by  T.  Carlyle  Atkins,  as  follows : 

"The  signing  of  Conway  Tearle  to 
play  the  leading  role  in  our  first  pro- 
duction demonstrates  more  effectively 
than  in  any  statement  we  might  issue 
just  what  the  policies  and  ambitions  of 
St.  Regis  Pictures  are.  We  hope  to  do 
more  than  just  make  good  pictures;  it 
is  our  aim  to  produce  attractions  which 
are  from  their  inception  potential 
money-making  features  for  the  theatre. 

"A  good  story  will  nearly  always  be 
just  that,  yet,  there  have  been  excep- 
tions to  that  rule ;  to  the  greatest  stories 
and  plays  the  market  affords  it  will  be 
our  policy  to  add  stars  who  have  defi- 
nite audience-pull  and  to  such  combina- 
tions will  be  given  careful  planning  in- 
telligence in  direction  and  production. 

"So  far  as  is  humanly  possible  the 
result  of  this  policy  will  be  production 


the  cost  of  completing  the  Michigan 
Theatre  which  he  plans  to  open  on 
Thanksgiving  Day. 

In  addition  Wehrenberg  announced 
that  he  will  shortly  break  ground  for 
his  new  2000-seat  Meramec  Theatre  to 
be  erected  on  Grand  Boulevard  just 
north  of  Meramec  Street.  Contracts 
for  this  house  have  been  tentatively 
awarded  while  the  ground  was  pur- 
chased several  months  ago.  It  will  cost 
upwards  of  $200,000. 


of  the  type  exhibitors  can  make  money 
with.  However,  St.  Regis  is  going  one 
step  farther — each  of  its  pictures  will 
receive  individual  exploitation,  and  that 
exploitation  will  extend  to  the  ultimate 
of  exhibitor  co-operation.  None  of  its 
production,  no  matter  who  may  be  dis- 
tributing it,  will  be  handled  in  the  per- 
functory manner  of  a  general  release^ 
Each  of  the  pictures  exploitation  possi- 
bilities will  be  developed  to  its  utmost 
and  the  benefit  therefrom  will  be  passed 
first-hand  to  the  exhibitor  through  per- 
sonal contact  and  co-operation. 

"St.  Regis  is  equipped  to  carry  on 
this  work  to  the  minutest  detail — this 
policy  which  has  been  worked  out 
through  six  months  of  preparatory  ef- 
fort— because  its  officers  and  personnel 
are  men  of  long  experience  in  the  fields 
of  literature,  picture  production,  exhi- 
bition and  exploitation. 

"We  are  highly  gratified  with  our  as- 
sociation with  Associated  Exhibitors 
which  is  to  release  'The  Ultimate 
Good.'  Through  this  channel  and  with 
the  co-operation  of  its  general  manager, 
Mr.  J.  S.  Woody,  we  know  that  we  will 
demonstrate  to  the  exhibitors  of  the 
country  that  a  new  producing  organiza- 
tion has  entered  the  field  not  only  to 
prosper  for  iself  but  to  help  them  pros- 
per, by  offering  stories  and  stars  with 
audience  appeal-  It  will  exploit  its  pro- 
ductions not  so  much  with  the  view  of 
causing  them  to  buy  the  pictures,  but 
with  the  view  of  personally  co-operat- 
ing to  get  their  public  in  after  they  have 
bought  them. 

"If  we  can  make  pictures  without  an 
exhibitor  complaint  we  will  never  have 
a  patron  complaint."  ■ 


St.  Regis  Pictures  Announces 
Production  Policy 

Sixteen  Feature  Pictures 
Planned  for  Coming  Year 


Page. .22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Carl  Laemmle  Creates  Sales  Directorate 

Universal  Sales  Organization  to  be  Handled  by  Three  Sales  Directors  

Ned  Marin,  JNed  Depinet  and  Jules  Levy 

Change  Marks  An  Entirely  New  Method  of  Regulating  Film  Sales  and  Distribution — Country- 
Divided  into  Three  Parts,  Three  Directors  to  Stay  in  New  York  with  Assistants  in  the  Field 


f  |  lHE  sales  direction  of  Universal 
1  Exchanges  has  been  entrusted  by 
Carl  Laemmle  to  three  men  whose 
personality  and  service  for  Universal 
has  proven  them  able  to  work  together 
and  administer  the  duties  of  one  of  the 
most  important  positions  in  the  indus- 
try. These  three  men  are  Ned  Depinet, 
whose  record  with  Universal  and  its 
allied  company,  the  Consolidated  Film 
&  Supply  Co.,  dates  back  to  the  begin- 
nings of  both  companies ;  Jules  Levy, 
whose  experience  with  Universal  in- 
cludes the  management  of  three  Uni- 
versal exchanges  and  the  divisional  su- 
pervision of  two  districts;  and  Ned 
Marin,  whose  work  for  the  past 
year  as  assistant  general  manager  of 
exchanges  under  Al  Lichtman  has  been 
particularly  gratifying  to  Carl 
Laemmle.. 

.'.,!.,,  i  Working  System 

The  saleis  directorate  thus  formed  will 
'collectively  pass  upon  all  matters  of 
sales  policy  which  effect  the  entire  ex- 
change system,  but  each  sales  director 
will  have  definite :  charge  and  responsi- 
bility of  a  third  of  the  entire  territory- 
of   the   United   States   and  Canada, 
roughly  speaking.    The  territorial  di- 
visions will  be  designated  at  the  East- 
ern,  Southern  and  the  Western  Di- 
visions.   Jules    Levy    will    have  the 
Eastern,  Ned  Depinet  the  Southern,  and 
Ned  Marin  the  Western  division.  The 
Eastern   division  will  extend  as  far 
south  as  to  include  the  Washington,  D. 
CM  exchange  and  as  far  west  as  the 
Pittsburgh  and  Detroit  exchanges  and 
will  also  include  the  entire  Dominion 
of  Canada.   The  Southern  division  will 
extend  as  far  north  as  Cincinnati  and 
Cleveland,  as  far  east  as  Charleston, 
W.  Va.,  and  will  include  part  of  the 
states  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 
The  western  division  extends  as  far 
east  as  Chicago  and  will  extend  west- 
ward to  include  Omaha,  Kansas  City, 
Denver  and  Phoenix,  Ariz.  Inasmuch 
as  these  three  sales  directors  will  have 
to  be  in  New  York  the  greater  part  of 
the  time,  each  will  have  an  assistant  or 
representative  in  the  field.    Mr.  Depi- 
net's  assistant,  to  be  known  as  assis- 
tant   sales    director,    will    be  Dan 
Michaelove,  than  whom  no  man  in  the 
south  knows  the  theatre  or  exchange 
situation  any  better,    Mr.  Marin's  as- 


sistant will  be  Fred  Gage,  a  recent  ac- 
quisition to  the  Universal  exchange  sys- 
tem, but  a  man  whose  work  has  stood 
out  and  impressed  itself  upon  Mr. 
Laemmle.  Mr.  Levy's  assistant  will  be 
decided  in  the  very  near  future. 

The  sales  directorate  entered  upon 
its  duties  on  Tuesday,  when  Mr.  Levy 
arrived  in  New  York.  Mr.  Depinet 
came  Monday.  Mr.  Laemmle  outlined 
the  sales  plan  to  them  and  has  the  great- 
est confidence  in  their  ability  to  carry 
out  their  duties  severally  and  collec- 
tively. 

Laemmle  Theory 

In  speaking  of  the  new  arrangement, 
Mr.  Laemmle  said :  "It  has  been  a  the- 
ory of  mine  for  some  time  that  a  three- 
fold direction  of  sales  by  men  who  are 
particularly  acquainted  with  certain  ter- 
ritory and  certain  exchange  situations 
and  able  from  their  own  observation 
of  theatre  conditions  to  advise  author- 
itatively as  to  the  kind  of  pictures  re- 
quired by  exchanges  as  well  as  the  best 
way  in  which  such  pictures  can  be  sold, 
would  be  much  better  for  an  exchange 
system  like  Universal  than  a  one-man 
control. 

I  now  have  the  opportunity  of 
putting  this  theory  into  practice  and 
I  am  thoroughly  satisfied  that  the  men 
I  have  chosen  to  put  the  sales  direc- 
torate plan  into  force  will  be  satisfac- 
tory to  the  exhibitors  of  the  country  and 
will  do  justice  to  the  Universal  product. 
In  making  the  appointments  I  have 
borne  in  mind,  as  I  always  have  done, 
the  policy  on  which  the  Universal  ex- 
change system  was  built  up,  the  only 
policy  on  which  a  successful  sales  or- 
ganization can  be  built  up, — the  theory 
of  promoting  from  the  ranks  men  who 
have  proven  their  worth. 

Every  Universal  salesman  knows 
that  the  eye  of  his  superior  is  always 
on  him  with  a  view  to  rewarding  him 
for  work  which  stands  out  above  that 
of  his  fellows,  and  under  anything  ex- 
cept extraordinary  circumstances,  the 
positions  of  importance  in  this  organi- 
zation have  always  gone  to  men  in  the 
organization- 

Nevertheless,  we  have  not  been  for- 
tunate enough  to  start  all  of  the  good 
men  in  the  industry ;  no  company  has 


such  good  fortune.  And  where  it  has 
been  possible  to  annex  capable  men 
from  other  companies,  I  have  not  hesi- 
tated to  do  so.  Where  these  men  have 
proven  their  value  to  the  organization,  I 
have  kept  them.  I  always  will  keep 
them.  Results  are  what  we  are  all  look- 
ing for.  Within  the  last  year  a  number 
of  good  men  have  been  introduced  to 
this  organization.  Those  who  have  made 
good  will  be  kept  and  I  know  that  they 
will  amalgamate  with  the  Universal 
family  in  a  happy  and  profitable  man- 
ner. 

"With  the  new  arrangement  of  sales 
directorate,  we  are  giving  up  the  dis- 
trict system  of  control,  but  I  have 
chosen  men  to  handle  the  three  major 
divisions  who  are  thoroughly  acquaint- 
ed with  these  territories.  They  are 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  men  in 
these  territories  and  with  the  require- 
ments, psychology  and  possibilities  of 
them. 

"The  experience  of  the  past  year  has 
proven  to  the  whole  sales  force  that  the 
policy  of  a  greater  number  of  big  fea- 
ture pictures  was  an  advantageous  one 
for  all  concerned.  In  a  market  which 
is  admittedly  over-supplied  with  pic- 
tures, the  Universal  product  of  the  first 
part  of  the  year  has  stood  out  and  has 
given  the  kind  of  satisfaction  I  antici- 
pated for  it.  This  policy  will  undoubt- 
edly be  continued.  Another  definite  ad- 
vantage in  our  system  at  present  is  the 
diversity  of  product  which  we  are  sup- 
plying, a  diversity  which  meets  the 
needs  of  the  exhibitors  of  the  country 
in  every  section.  Neither  will  there  be 
any  diviation  from  the  live-and-let-live 
policy  which  has  been  a  vital  and  un- 
alterable tenet  in  our  business  policy 
ever  since  the  establishment  of  the  Un- 
iversal. I  would  rather  have  the  con- 
fidence of  the  exhibitor  that  is  mine 
today  than  anything  else  in  the  moving 
picture  industry.  I  have  the  feeling 
that  the  upholding  of  this  confidence 
was  never  confided  to  a  more  equitable 
policy,  a  cleaner  or  better  product  or  to 
more  able  or  just  men  than  it  is  at 
this  present  moment." 

All  Young  Men 

The  new  Universal  Directorate  is  the 
youngest  aggregation  of  high  ranking 
film  executives  in  the  industry.  The 


October  25,  1924 

three  Sales  Directors  do  not  average 
over  32  years  of  age. 

Although  in  his  early  thirties,  Ned 
Depinet  is  a  veteran  in  the  film  game, 
having  started  in  1907  as  an  assistant 
to  J.  E.  Pearce,  owner  of  the  first  film 
exchange  in  New  Orleans.  Ned  was 
horn  in  Erie,  Pa.,  but  his  father  moved 
to  New  Orleans  while  Ned  was  in 
school.  The  job  with  Pearce  followed 
a  short  service.  Young  Depinet  left 
school  to  work  as  ticket  taker  in  a  mo- 
tion picture  theatre,  but  soon  gave  that 
up  to  go  with  Pearce. 

When  the  General  Film  Company 
took  over  the  Pearce  exchange  in  1908, 
Depinet  remained  with  them  and  went 
on  the  road  as  a  salesman.  Three  years 
later  he  joined  the  new  Consolidated 
Film  and  Supply  Company,  as  a  sales- 
man. The  following  year,  the  Consoli- 
dated threw  in  its  lot  with  Universal, 
just  organized. 

Depinet's  activities  in  Consolidated 
included  at  various  times  the  manager- 
ship of  the  Atlanta,  St.  Louis  and  Dal- 
las offices  of  that  company,  and  finally 
Assistant  General  Manager  under  Wil- 
liam Oldknow.  When  Oldknow  got 
out,  a  year  or  so  ago,  Depinet  became 
General  Manager  of  Consolidated. 

Ned  Marin  is  another  of  the  younger 
generation  who  has  achieved  high  posi- 
tion in  the  film  industry.  He  is  just  in 
his  thirties.  He  is  an  academic  gradu- 
ate of  New  York  University,  and  stud- 
ied law  at  the  Columbia  University 
post-graudate  school.  He  was  a  cor- 
respondent for  the  New  York  Herald 
for  three  and  one-half  years  and  then 
served  in  the  World  War,  being  in  the 
A.  E.  F.  for  about  two  years. 

Levy  is  one  of  the  youngest  sales 
executives  in  the  business,  being  only 
29  years  old.  He  was  born  in  Roches- 
ter and  started  with  Universal  as  a 
salesman  in  the  Detroit  exchange  seven 
years  ago.  Later  he  became  Manager 
of  Universal's  Toledo  office,  and  then 
was  sent  to  manage  Universal's  Wash- 
ington office. 


Page  23 


Broadway  Home  Secured  for 
Warner^  Bros.  Production 

Piccadilly  Will  Show 
Warner  Features 


In  one  of  the  most  important  deals 
which  has  ben  put  over  in  the  motion 
picture  industry  during  the  last  year, 
Warner  Brothers,  largest  and  most  ag- 
gressive of  the  so-called  independent 
producers,  last  week  insured  a  first- 
run  Broadway  showing  for  each  of 
their  pictures — and  the  Piccadilly  thea- 
tre newest  Broadway  motion  picture 
"palaces,"  insured  for  itself  twenty  or 
more  big  feature  photoplays  for  its  pro- 
gram during  the  ensuing  twelve  months. 
Apollo  Exchange,  distributors  of  the 
Warner  Bros,  product  for  New  York 
and  Northern  New  Jersey,  handled  the 
contract  for  the  producers,  Lee  Ochs. 
president  and  manager  director  of  the 
Piccadilly  Playhouse,  Inc.,  signing  for 
the  theatre. 

The  matter  of  an  assured  Broadway 
showing  for  their  picture  has  been  one 
of  great  concern  for  Warner  Brothers 
for  a  long.  time.  The  independent's 
booking  contracts  are  quite  as  difficult 
in  New  York,  where  the  leading  thea- 
tres have  close  producer  affiliations,  as 
they  are  in  other  large  cities  in  the 
United  States.  The  Warner  Brothers 
announced  theatre-building  plan  in 
which  they  are  planning  to  invade  im- 
portant cities  everywhere  with  theatres 
to  give  preference  to  their  own  pro- 
duct was  born  of  just  these  difficulties. 

In  the  matter  of  attractions  for  the 
Piccadilly  since  the  opening  of  that 
or  necessity,  let  it  be  known  that  he 
about.  Mr.  Ochs,  either  from  choice 
hoped  to  get  his  pictures  from  the  in- 
dependent producers.    In  view  of  the 


splendid  playhouse  only  a  week  or  two 
ago,  the  trade  has  found  plenty  to  talk 
fact  that  it  seemed  necessary  for  him 
to  have  approximately  fifty-two  attrac- 
tions of  unquestioned  Broadway  calibre 
if  he  were  to  succeed  in  his  highly 
competive  field  the  question  at  once 
arose  as  to  where  he  was  going  to  get 
his  bookings. 

Mr.  Ochs  seems  to  have  pretty  well 
solved  his  problem  through  the  arrange- 
ment he  has  made  with  Warner  Broth- 
ers— and  Warner  Brothers  have  been 
glad  to  help  him  since  it  also  helps  them 
with  their  biggest  problem.  While 
none  of  the  negotiations  which  the 
Warners  have  had  pending  for  some 
time  looking  toward  the  building  of 
their  own  theatre  on  Broadway  have 
been  stopped,  it  is  unlikely  that  there 
will  be  any  great  activity  in  the  matter 
until  such  time,  at  least,  as  the  Picca- 
dilly arrangement  has  been  tried  out 
for  a  few  months. 

It  is  understood  that  the  Warner 
Brothers  Piccadilly  deal  is  of  such  an 
intimate  nature  that  the  Piccadilly  will 
be  widely  advertised  in  the  metropolitan 
territory  as  the  "Home  of  Warner 
Brothers'  Classics  of  the  Screen,"  even 
to  the  extent  of  the  placing  of  a  Warner 
Brothers'  electric  sign  on  the  front  of 
the  house.  It  is  understood,  too,  that 
each  of  the  Warner  Brothers  pictures 
played  there  will  be  attended  with  an 
advertising  and  exploitation  campaign 
arranged  and  executed  in  close  cooper- 
ation with  the  Warner  Brothers  com- 
pany. 


A  wonderful  view  of  the  Warner  Brothers  West  Coast  studios  which  are  among  the  best  equipped  in  the  world.    The  studios 
are  now  humming  with  activity  to  fill  the  demand  for  the  Warner  productions.    The  stars  numbered  on  the  Warner  list  are  among 
the  most  popular  on  the  screen  and  their  pictures  which  have  been  watched  with  interest  are  always  in  demand. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Negotiations  Nearly 
Completed  for  Schenck- 
United  Artist  Merger 

At  the  present  moments  there 
is  every  indication  that  Joseph 
Schenck,  and  others  as  yet  un- 
known, will  combine  with  United 
Artists  to  make  that  company 
one  of  the  strongest  organizations 
of  stars  in  the  country. 

It  is  also  reported  that  should 
the  deal  go  through,  Joseph 
Schenck  would  head  the  United 
Artists  and  look  after  the  distri- 
bution of  the  product  of  their 
many  stars. 

Inquiries,  concerning  the  re- 
port, at  the  offices  of  the  United 
Artists,  were  referred  to  Robert 
Fairbanks,  brother  of  the  famous 
Doug.  Mr.  Fairbanks  frankly 
admitted  that  the  negotiations 
were  on  and  implied  that  there 
were  just  a  few  details  standing 
in  the  way  of  a  merger. 

It  is  likely  that  an  official  state- 
ment will  be  made  in  a  short  itme 
regarding  the  consummation  of 
the  deal,  which  will  make  a 
powerful  organization  with  such 
stars  as  Norma  Talmadge,  Mary 
Pickford,  Douglas  Fairbanks, 
Charles  Chaplin  and  a  producer 
such  as  David  Griffith. 


BANKERS  SEE  VALUE 
IN  PICTURE  INDUSTRY 

One  of  the  most  significant  affairs  in 
the  history  of  banking  and  motion  pic- 
ture circles  took  place  October  9  at  the 
Ritz-Carlton  Hotel  when  leading  bank- 
ers and  film  men  of  the  country  dis- 
cussed international  financing  of  motion 
pictures  and  took  stock  on  what  the 
future  holds  in  store  for  the  film  indus- 
try. 

The  occasion  was  a  dinner  given  by 
First  National  Pictures,  Inc.,  in  honor 
of  R.  B.  F.  Randolph,  who  reached 
New  York  earlier  in  the  day  abroad 
the  steamship  Reliance  from  London, 
where  for  the  past  four  years  he  has 
been  manager  of  the  London  branch 
of  the  Guaranty  Trust  company.  Mr. 
Randolph  has  resigned  that  position  to 
accept  the  vice  presidency  of  the  Ang- 
lo-California bank  in  San  Francisco. 

In  addition  to  Mr.  Randolph  the 
speakers  included  Charles  Sabin,  presi- 
dent of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company ; 
Dr.  A.  H.  Giannini,  president  of  the 
East  River  National  Bank  and  the  Bank 
of  Italy;  H.  C.  Von  Elm,  vice  president 
of  the  Manufacturers'  Trust  Company; 
P.  J.  Brady,  president  of  the  Federation 
Bank  of  New  York ;  leading  exhibitors 
of  South  America  and  England.  Rob- 
ert Lieber,  president  of  First  National 
Pictures,  acted  as  toastmaster,. 


Rudolph  Valentino  seems  to  spend  most 
of  his  time  in  front  of  the  camera..  He  is 
shown  above  being  photographed  by  Mrs. 
Valentino  before  leaving  for  Europe.  He 
will  return  next  month  to  start  work  for 
Ritz-Carlton  Pictures. 

Never  before  have  a  group  of  big 
bankers  been  so  frankly  outspoken  in 
their  recognition  of  the  power,  influence 
and  value  of  the  screen. 

They  acknowledged  that  no  longer 
could  the  motion  picture  industry  be 
looked  upon  as  an  accident  or  a  gamble 
and  that  it  is  a  thing  that  belongs  in  the 
business  life  of  America. 

"The  motion  picture  industry  can't 
be  neglected  as  it  has  been  in  the  past," 
said  Mr.  Von  Elm  of  the  Manufactur- 
ers' Trust.  "And  I  think  that  the  banks 
as  a  whole  have  realized  the  tremendous 
strides  that  have  been  made  by  it. 

"An  industry  in  which  a  billion  and  a 
half  dollars  is  invested  and  which  draws 
to  the  theatres  of  the  world  fifty  mil- 
lion people  a  week  is  something  that  the 
banking  world  cannot  ignore.  T  am 
glad  to  see  that  the  banks  have  ac- 
knowledged that.  In  all  of  my  bank's 
dealing  with  that  great  industry  we 
haven't  had  any  losses.  That  is  some- 
thing that  cannot  be  said  for  other 
business  enterprises." 

Mf.  Randolph,  the  honor  guest,  re- 
lated his  experience  abroad  m  the  fi- 
nancing of  film  enterprises.  He  men- 
tioned particularly  "the  big  job  that 
First  National  is  doing  to  the  motion 
picture  industry  over  seas."  "Condi- 
tions in  England  are  getting  better,"  he 
said,  "but  the  great  trouble  is  the  short- 
age of  good  theatres  in  which  to  show 
pictures.  Another  bad  fault  is  the 
practice  of  many  English  exhibitors  of 
showing  pictures  that  are  from  ten  to 
fifteen  years  old.  When  people  see  pic- 
tures showing  the  men  wearing  peg-top 
trousers  and  the  women  with  long  hair 
and  hobble  skirts  they  don't  like  it." 


WARNER  TAKES  OPTION 
ON  SITE  IN  CHICAGO 

The  Warner  Bros,  has  taken  an  op- 
tion on  a  site  in  the  top  district  of  Chic- 
ago on  which  they  will  soon  begin 
actual  construction  work  on  the  first 
of  the  string  of  theatres  which  they  in- 
tend to  build  throughout  the  country. 

H.  M.  Warner  made  this  informa- 
tion public  when  he  returned  from  the 
Middle  West  metropolis  Saturday 
morning.  He  declined  to  give  the  ex- 
act location  of  the  property  but  said 
that  this  very  definite  information 
would  be  forthcoming  within  the  next 
three  weeks. 

The  deal  in  Chicago  was  closed  by 
Mr.  Warner  after  conferences  there 
participated  in  by  a  number  of  big 
Chicago  financiers  and  also  by  Motley 
H.  Flint,  executive  vice  president  of 
the  Pacific  Southwest  Trust  &  Sav- 
ings Bank  who  is  also  financial  adviser 
of  the  Warner  Bros,  company. 

Aside  from  saying  that  the  new 
Chicago  theatre  would  have  a  seating 
capacity  of  between  3,500  and  4,000, 
would  be  modern  in  every  respect. 

.  *    *    *  1 

PENINSULA  STUDIO 
SIGNS  AGNES  AYRES 

Agnes  Ayres,  one  of  the  most  popu- 
lar of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky  stars, 
has  been  signed  to  a  contract  calling  for 
a  series  of  three  pictures  for  the  Penin- 
sula Studios  of  San  Mateo,  Calif.,  to  be 
released  through  Producers  Distribut- 
ing Corporation. 

This  is  one  of  the  largest  contracts 
thus  far  consummated  by  the  northern 
studios,  and  is  a  significant  advance  in 
the  activities  of  Peninsula  Studios  in 
corraling  stars  of  assured  box-office 
value. 


Agnes  Ayres,    one    of   the    best  known 
movie  stars  has  signed  a  contract  to  ap- 
pear in  a  series  of  pictures  for  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  25 


The  above  group  was  snapped  in  Sacramento,  Cal.,  where  West  Coast  Theatres  held 
a  grand  opening  of  their  new  theatre.  Sol  Lesser,  shown  in  the  center  is  vice 
president  of  the  company.    In  the  group  are  Ben  Turpin,  Charles  Murray  and  Walter 

Hiers,  well  known  movie  stars. 


CAMPAIGN  UNDER  WAY 
FOR  IRON  DOOR' 

Preliminary  bookings  on  Harold  Bell 
Wright's  "The  Mine  with  the  Iron 
Door,"  indicate  this  Sam  Wood  pro- 
duction, release  through  the  franchise 
holders  of  Principal  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion will  prove  one  of  the  biggest  box- 
,  office  specials  of  the  season. 

According  to  Irving  M.  Lesser,  vice 
president  of  Principal  Pictures,  exhibi- 
tors everywhere  are  anxious  to  play 
"The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door"  and 
already  practically  every  key  center  in 
the  country  has  been  set.  This  accom- 
plishment, unusual  from  the  fact  that 
the  initial  prints  left  Los  Angeles  only 
a  few  days  ago,  is  attribtued  to  the  tre- 
mendous following  enjoyed  by  Harold 
Bell  Wright  as  an  author.  Figures 
compiled  by  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  show 
that  Mr.  Wright  has  50,000,000  readers.' 

The  first  Wright  picture  to  be  re- 
leased by  Principal,  "When  A  Man's  A 
Man,"  has  made  big  money  for  every 
exhibitor  who  has  shown  it.  "The  Mine 
With  the  Iron  Door"  will  prove  even 
more  successful,  says  Mr.  Lesser,  from 
the  fact  that  2,000,000  copies  of  the 
book  have  been  sold,  and  this  is  Mr. 
W right's  most  recent  novel. 

Irving  Lesser  has  just  returned  to 
New  York  from  a  trip  to  the  Pacific 
Coast,  where  he  attended  the  semi-an- 
nual meeting  of  Principal.  As  soon  as 
he  got  back  he  arranged  for  a  big 
Broadway  showing  of  "The  Mine  With 
the  Iron  Door." 

Sol  Lesser,  president  of  Principal 
Pictures,  noted  for  his  ability  as  a  show- 
man, and  M.  J.  Rosenberg,  Secretary 
of  Principal,  who  is  known  as  one  finan- 
cial man  in  motion  pictures  who  can 
accurately  judge  in  advance  the  audi- 
ence value  of  a  production,  authorized 
Irving  Lesser  to  proceed  with  a  tre- 
mendous advertising  and  exploitation 
campaign  on  "The  Mine  with  the  Iron 
Door." 

Besides  the  regular  posters,  which  are 
impressive  in  artistic  value  and  rich  in 
coloring,  many  accessories  are  being  is- 
sued. One  unique  feature,  for  lobby 
purposes,  is  an  iron  door,  used  as  a 
frame  for  a  painting  bearing  the  slogan, 
"Gold  is  where  you  find  it." 

Special  exploitation  men  will  be  as- 
signed to  the  key  centers,  under  the  su- 
pervision of  J.  M.  Loughborough,  ex- 
ploitation manager  for  Principal.  A 
number  of  important  tie-ups  on  the  pic- 
ture have  been  obtained  and  Mr.  Les- 
ser says  those  exhibitors  playing  it  will 
be  amazed  by  the  substantial  coopera- 
tion they  receive. 


HUNT  AND  ROSENBLATT 
ON  JERSEY  BOARD 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Mo- 
tion Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  New 
Jersey  held  their  regular  monthly  meet- 
ing at  Salem,  N.  J.,  on  October  9,  when 
William  C.  Hunt,  of  Wildwood,  and 
Leon  Rosenblatt,  of  Bayonne,  were 
elected  to  the  Board  succeeding  "Si" 
Fabian  and  D.  J.  Hennessey  respective- 
ly. Mr.  Hunt  is  president  of  the  Hunt 
Circuit  of  theatres  in  Wildwood,  and 
Leon  Rosenblatt  owns  two  houses  in 
Bayonne  and  two  in  Staten  Island. 

The  directors  present  at  the  meeting- 
were  President  Joseph  M.  Seider, 
Treasurer  William  Keegan,  Arthur  B. 


Kate  Lester,  one  of  the    most  popular 
stars  of  the  day,  who  died  October  12, 
from  burns  received  when  a  gas  heater 
exploded. 


Smith,  Benjamin  Schindler  and  I.  M. 
Hirshblond.  Beside  the  directors  there 
was  a  full  representation  of  Salem 
County  Theatre  Owners  including  Wil- 
liam C.  Hunt,  Wildwood;  Frank  Piatt, 
Salem ;  A.  P.  Clark,  Pitman ;  and  Rich- 
ard Severger,  Pensgrove. 

The  theatre  owners  were  the  guests 
of  Arthur  B.  Smith  who  presided  at  the 
meeting  which  was  preceded  by  an  ex- 
cellent Southern  dinner  with  Mr.  Smith 
as  host. 

The  regular  routine  of  business  was 
carried  on  with  the  report  of  President 
Seider.  It  was  reported  that  question- 
naires were  sent  out  to  all  candidates 
for  office.  The  Treasurer  reported  a 
marked  increase  in  the  treasury.  Pla- 
cards showing  membership  in  the  New 
Jersey  body  will  be  furnished  and  dis- 
played in  box  offices. 

The  next  scheduled  meeting  of  the 
Board  will  be  held  at  the  Robert  Treat 
Hotel,  Newark,  on  November  12,  when 
the  members  will  be  guests  of  the  Essex 
County  Theatre  Owners. 

KATE   LESTER  DIES 
FROM  BURNS 

Kate  Lester  was  so  badly  burned 
from  the  effects  of  a  gas  stove  explo- 
sion in  her  dressing  rpom  at  Universal 
City  that  she  died  on  Sunday,  October 
12,  in  the  Hollywood  Hospital. 

Miss  Lester  was  well  known  to  the 
theatre  goers  of  a  generation  ago,  and 
was  considered  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful women  on  the  stage. 

She  has  been  in  pictures  for  the  last 
ten  years  and  has  played  many  im- 
portant roles.  She  was  noted  for  her 
beautiful  white  hair  which  was  burned 
from  her  head. 

She  was  knowns  to  thousands  of  mo- 
tion picture  fans  who  will  be  sorry  to 
learn  of  her  death. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


DEATH  SUMMONS 
HARRY  ENNIS 

Harry  Ennis,  one  of  the  best  known 
newspaper  and  publicity  men  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  business,  died  Sunday, 
October  12,  at  the  Seney  Hospital, 
Brooklyn,  having  failed  to  survive  an 
operation  for  appendicitis. 

He  was  44  years  old  and  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  mother  and  father  and 
two  brothers,  Bert  and  Leslie. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
serving  as  publicity  director  for  Weiss 
Brothers  and  Artclass  Pictures,  where 
he  had  been  for  nine  months. 

During  his  career  in  the  motion  pic- 
ture business,  which  extended  over  a 
period  of  15  years,  he  served  on  edi- 
torial staffs  of  the  Clipper  and  Variety 
and  with  several  motion  picture  com- 
panies. 

Harry's  congenial  personality  made 
him  one  of  the  more  popular  men  in 
the  business.  He  numbered  his  the- 
atrical and  motion  picture  friends  by 
the  hundreds  and  was  well  known  along 
Broadway,  where  is  friends  were 
grieved  to  learn  of  his  sudden  death. 

*    *  * 

INSPIRATION  PICTURES 
REORGANIZED 

In  the  reorganization  of  Inspiration 
Pictures,  Inc.,  J.  Boyce  Smith,  Jr.,  has 
become  vice  president  and  general  man- 
ager and  Walter  Camp,  Jr.,  will  occupy 
the  office  of  president  and  treasurer. 

The  new  company  will  for  the  time 
being  confine  its  activities  to  the  mak- 
ing of  pictures  starring  Richard  Bar- 
thelmess. 

It  is  understood  that  Inspiration  is 
lining  up  several  stars  of  note  to  appear 
under  the  Inspiration  banner  and  the 
company  will  then  branch  out  with  an 
ambitious  production  schedule. 


ANOTHER  DENIAL 

Joseph  Schenck  takes  time  from  his 
other  duties  to  deny  the  report  that 
Louis  B  Mayer  will  leave  Metro-Gold- 
wyn  to  become  affiliated  with  Schenck. 
The  report  is  branded  as  ridiculous 
by  both  Mr.  Loew  and  Mr.  Schenck. 

Mr.  Mayer  is  at  present  in  Europe 
looking  over  "Ben  Hur"  which  is  in 
production  in  Rome. 


BROADWAY  MAY  TAKE 
GRAUMAN  FROM  COAST 

Sid  Grauman,  one  of  America's 
greatest  showmen,  is  seriously  consid- 
ering selling  his  theatre  interests  on  the 
Coast  and  coming  to  New  York  to  dis- 
play his  showmanship  ability  on  Broad- 
way. 

Mr.  Grauman  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  a  project  for  a  $5,000,- 
000  theatre  on  Broadway  is  being  con- 
templated and  that  a  prominent  figure 


A  Warning 

It  has  been  brought  to  the 
attention  of  The  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  that  an  un- 
known solicitor  is  offering  a 
five  year  subscription  to  The 
Trade  Review  to  anyone  pur- 
chasing a  series  of  books  on 
projection. 

This  person  has  no  connec- 
tion with  this  paper  and  has 
not  been  authorized  to  make 
any  offers  of  this  sort.  He  is 
a  fraud  and  exhibitors  are  ad- 
vised to  be  on  the  lookout  for 
him. 

Last  reports  he  was  working 
in  Nebraska. 


in  production  is  associated  with  the 
plan. 

The  Egyptian  Theatre,  in  Los  Ange- 
les, the  last  word  in  theatre  construc- 
tion, has  been  known  throughout  the 
country  for  the  showmanship  displayed 
in  the  management  of  the  theatre  and 
should  Mr.  Grauman  sell  this  theatre 
and  come  to  Broadway,  he  will  no 
doubt  start  some  great  innovations. 


LASKY  NAMES  LEAD  FOR 
'THE  SWAN' 

Following  closely  on  the  selection  of 
Betty  Bronson  for  the  title  role  in 
"Peter  Pan,"  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice 
president  of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation,  announces  that  another 
newcomer  in  motion  pictures  has  been 
assigned  one  of  the  most  important 
roles  in  the  year.  She  is  Frances 
Howard,  nineteen  years  old,  who  is 
playing  in  "Best  People"  at  the  Lyceum 
Theatre,  and  she  will  play  the  title  role 
in  the  Paramount  picture  of  Molnar's 
play  "The  Swan." 


LOPEZLEAVES  PICCADILLY 
FOR  FOLLIES 

The  management  of  the  Piccadilly 
theatre,  New  York's  newest  motion  pic- 
ture theatre,  and  the  producers  of  the 
Greenwich  Village  Follies  have  reached 
an  agreement  whereby  Vincent  Lopez 
leaves  the  Piccadilly  on  October  24  and 
will  play  for  the  Follies. 

This  action  follows  the  threat  of  the 
Follies  to  obtain  an  injunction  against 
the  theatre,  claiming  Lopez  signed  a 
contract  to  play  with  the  Follies. 


Al  Lichtman  Resigns 
From  Universals  Staff 


Coming  as  a  surprise  in  the  industry, 
Universal  sent  a  statement  to  the  press 
announcing  the  resignation  of  Al  Licht- 
man as  general  manager  for  Universal. 
The  reason  given  in  the  statement  is  ill 
health. 

Following  is  the  statement : 

The  following  statement  was  issued 
from  the  Universal  offices  early  this 
week. 

"Owing  to  the  state  of  his  health  and 
a  partial  breakdown  from  which  he  has 
failed  to  recover,  Mr.  Al  Lichtman, 
whose  contract  as  general  manager  of 
Universal  exchanges  has  just  expired, 
has  decided  to  give  up  business  entirely 
until  he  is  in  better  physical  condition. 
He  has  been  unable  to  be  in  his  office 
and  for  the  last. six  weeks  has  been  un- 
der the  care  of  physicians  who  have 
ordered  him  to  take  a  complete  rest. 

"The  entire  Universal  organization  is 
sorry  to  see  him  go.  It  is  particularly 
unfortunate  that  his  illness  should  have 
come  just  at  this  time  when  Universal 
exchanges  are  celebrating  Lichtman 
Month. 

"It  is  understood  when  Mr.  Licht- 
man fully  recovers  that  he  will  go  into 
the  production  end  of  the  business." 


No  successor  has  yet  been  chosen  to 
fill  the  vacancy. 

Mr.  Lichtman  was  instrumental  in 
signing  Jack  Dempsey  for  a  series  of 
pictures  for  Universal. 


Al    Lichtman,    until    recently  General 
Salesmanager  for  Universal,  whose  resig- 
nation has  caused  considerable  surprise 
in  the  industry. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  27 


Pathe  News 

Scores  Beat  With 
ZR-3  Pictures 

PATHE  NEWS  scored  another 
record  for  fast  work  on  Wednes- 
day, October  15th,  when  its  views 
of  the  arrival  of  the  Z-R  3,  America's 
new  Zeppelin,  over  New  York  City, 
filmed  that  morning  both  from  the  air 
and  from  vantage  points  on  the  roofs 
of  skyscrapers,  reached  the  various 
Broadway  theatres  in  time  for  their  op- 
ening shows. 

Behind  this  achievement  lies  an  un- 
usual story  of  organization  and  enter- 
prise that  would  do  credit  to  an  Army 
staff  planning  a  major  campaign.  Late 
Tuesday  the  Z-R  3  was  reported  as  pro- 
ceeding slowly  down  the  Coast  in  a 
dense  fog.  The  actual  time  of  her  ar- 
rival in  the  metropolitan  zone  could  not 
be  determined.  Under  the  circum- 
stances the  Pathe  News  camerman  had 
to  be  placed  in  the  most  strategic  pos- 
itions and  await  developments  with 
everything  in  readiness  to  speed  to  bet- 
ter vantage  points  by  fast  aeroplane  or 
motor  as  conditions  would  demand. 
At  the  Pathe  News  headquarters  word 
was  received  from  various  sources  at 
frequent  intervals  as  to  the  progress 
being  made  by  the  great  airship  in  its 
flight  through  the  darkness  towards 
New  York.  Tuesday  night  and  the 
early  hours  of  Wednesday  found  the 
entire  Pathe  News  camera  staff  alert 
at  their  various  posts  at  headquarters 
and  in  the  field.  At  Port  Washington, 
L.  I.,  cameraman  Harde  kept  constant 
vigil  in  a  speedy  seaplane.  At  Lake- 
hurst,  N.  J.,  the  landing  place  of  the 
huge  Zeppelin,  cameraman  Wetzel  was 
stationed  waiting  word  from  headquart- 
ers that  would  send  him  into  the  air  to 
intercept  the  Zeppelin  at  the  first  pos- 
sible moment. 

Dawn  found  the  great  ship  near  New 
London,  Conn.,  heading  for  Mitchel 
Field,  Long  Island.  Work  from  Pathe 
News  headquarters  brought  Harde  on 
the  wing  from  Port  Washington,  and 
at  the  same  time  Wetzel  took  off  from- 
Lakehurst  and  headed  toward  New 
York,  Pathe  News  cameraman  set  up 
their  equipment  along  the  battery  wall 
at  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  and  atop 
of  the  Municipal  Building  and  other 
skyscrapers.  As  a  result  from  the  mo- 
ment the  Z-R  3  reached  Mitchell  Fieldi 
at  seven  o'clock  Wednesday  morning 
until  her  arrival  over  the  city  at  7:30 
and  her  later  trip  to  Lakehurst,  where 
she  arrived  about  ten  o'clock,  Pathe 
News  cameramen  followed  every  phase 
of  her  historic  flight.  Both  Harde  and 
Wetzel  in  their  planes  escorted  the 
American  Zeppelin  in  her  spanning  of 
the  Island  of  Manhattan  and  subse- 
quently accompanied  her  on  the  last  leg 


of  her  transatlantic  flight  to  Lakehurst,  'SUNDOWN'  DAY  IS  OCT.  26 
where  they  took  views  of  her  landing 
from  the  air  while  other  Pathe  News 
cameramen  stationed  on  the  ground 
took  close-ups  of  the  landing  crew  at 
work. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  views  thj 
negatives  were  rushed  by  airplane  to 
West  Side  Park,  N.  J.,  and  from  there 
to  the  Pathe  News  laboratory  in  Jersey 
City  by  fast  motor.  Prints  were  dis- 
patched as  fast  as  they  were  completed 
to  various  parts  of  the  country,  those 
destined  for  the  Broadway  screens 
reaching  the  various  theatres  in  time 
for  the  opening  of  the  shows. 

Pathe  News  also  secured  many  ab- 
sorbingly interesting  pictures  taken  at 
different  points  during  the  flight  from 
the  mammoth  ship  itself.  In  addition  to 
these  there  are  some  interesting  views 
of  events  that  happened  when  the  intre- 
pid air  navigators  left  Freidrichshafen. 


EXCHANGE  MANAGER 
WEDS 

As  the  outcome  of  an  introduction  of 
a  few  weeks  ago,  H.  L.  Levy,  man- 
ager of  the  Associated  Pictures  ex- 
change in  Albany,  was  quietly  married 
last  Friday  when  he  took  Anna  J.  Herie 
of  the  Capitol  city  as  his  bride.  Mr. 
Levy  came  to  Albany  about  three 
months  ago,  a  bachelor,  and  probably 
with  every  prospect  of  remaining  so. 
But  when  he  met  Miss  Herie  the  out- 
look quickly  changed.  Film  Row  was 
kept  in  ignorance  of  the  wedding  until 
the  day  after  it  occurred. 


first  National's  Distribution  Depart- 
ment has  arranged  to  release  its  big 
Western  special,  "Sundown,"  national- 
ly on  Sunday,  October  26.  On  that 
date  "Sundown"  will  be  shown  in  a 
majority  of  the  key  city  points  for  ex- 
tended engagements. 

"Sundown"  will  be  marketed  as  an 
Eschmann  Month  Special.  Prints  are 
now  being  made  and  will  be  rushed  to 
all  First  National  branches.  Posters 
and  other  accessories  are  already  in  the 
exchanges.  The  Earl  Hudson  scenario 
for  the  picture  has  been  nude  into  a 
novel  by  Walter  F.  Eberhardt  and  pub- 
lished by  Grosset  &  Dunlap  who  have 
made  a  specialty  in  publishing  photo- 
play editions  ot  novels  that  have  been 
plcturized.  The  publishers  will  cooper- 
ate with  First  National  in  exploiting 
the  picture  through  window  displays  of 
the  novel  in  all  cities  where  "Sundown" 
is  shown  just  preceding  and  during  the 
engagement. 

In  addition,  First  National  is  launch- 
ing a  national  "Sundown"  advertising 
campaign  of  its  own  which  will  include 
advertisements  in  the  Saturday  Evening 
Post  and  other  media. 

*    *  * 

ASHTABULA  "BLUE" 

In  compliance  with  the  demands  of 
the  ministers  of  the  city  to  close  thea- 
tres on  Sundays,  the  municipal  author- 
ities went  a  step  further  and  closed 
everything  but  the  street  cars,  water 
works  system,  and  the  city  lighting  sys- 
tem. 


Rudolph  Valentino  and  Nita  Naldi  play  very  interesting  roles  in  Paramount's  "The 
Sainted  Devil,"  under  sunny  skies  and  in  South  American  settings. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  scene  from  Pathe's  "Dixie,"  a  three  reel  "Chronicles  of  America"  embracing  the 
Civil  War  period.   The  picture  is  historically  correct  in  every  detail  and  brings  home 
the  sacrifices  that  were  borne  during  the  civil  strife. 


LOTS  OF  COMEDIES 

FOR  EDUCATIONAL 

At  the  Fine  Arts  Studios,  where  the 
Mermaid,  Hamilton,  Juvenile  and 
Cameo  Comedies  are  made  for  distri- 
bution through  Educational  Film  Ex- 
changes, Inc.,  Lloyd  Hamilton  is  work- 
ing on  his  second  production  of  the  new 
series  for  1924-25.  It  is  called  "Crush- 
ed" and  will  be  something  new  in  the 
comedy  line. 

The  big  comedian  is  seen  in  a  comedy 
of  New  York's  subway  and  Director 
Fred  Hibbard  has  incorporated  a  lot  of 
original  situations  and  gags  built  around 
the  famous  subway  crushes  in  the  big 
city.  His  new  leading  lady,  Dorothy 
Seastrom,  the  beautiful  blonde  who 
was  formerly  a  feature  dancer  at  the 
exclusive  Ambassador  Hotel,  Los  An- 
geles, is  again  with  him. 

^  Lige  Conley  is  working  in  a  Mermaid 
Comedy,  as  yet  untitled.  Joan  Mere- 
dith, the  beauty  who  created  such  an 
impression  in  Los  Angeles  when  she 
posed  as  the  bathing  girl  on  the  Mer- 
maid float  during  the  parade  on 
"Better  Movies"  Day,  will  be  seen  as 
his  leading  lady.  Norman  Taurog  is 
directing. 

JOHN  DAY  SAILS  FOR 
BRAZIL 

John  L.  Day,  South  American  rep- 
resentative of  the  foreign  department 
of  the  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corpora- 
tion, sailed  on  the  Pan  American,  Oct. 
1 1,  for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  to  assume  ac- 
tive direction  of  the  •five  Brazil  Para- 
mount exchanges  which  are  under  his 
direction. 

Mr.  Day  is  moving  his  wife  and  fam- 
ily to  Brazil  from  Montclair,  and  ex- 
pects to  spend  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  each  year  to  looking  after  the 
company's  inerests  in  South  America. 


MISS  LOGAN  GIVEN 
UNIQUE  LUNCHEON 

The  most  unique  luncheon  ever  ten- 
dered a  motion  picture  star  or  any 
other  famous  person  for  that  matter 
was  given  October  10  by  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  on  board  the 
Twentieth  Century  Limited  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad  to  Jacqueline 
Logan  who  is  returning  to  Los  Ange- 
les to  appear  in  a  number  of  pictures 
to  be  released  next  season  by  the  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation. 

About  fifty  guests  composed  of  stars 
from  the  stage  and  screen  and  promi- 
nent newspaper  men  and  women  were 
first  received  in  the  observation  car  by 
Miss  Logan  and  then  luncheon  was 
served  in  the  dining  car  enlivened  by 
music  from  a  string  orchestra  and  spe- 
cial stunts  put  on  impromptu  by  the 
theatrical  guests. 


4DICK'  HARLAN 
A  SCULPTOR 

Film  folk  who  are  interested  in  the 
versatility  of  screen  notables  will  be 
surprised  to  learn  that  Richard  Harlan, 
casting  director  for  Lillian  Gish  in  her 
latest  picture,  ''Romola,"  is  a  sculptor 
of  no  little  distinction. 

In  those  moments  when  he  isn't 
cudgeling  his  brain  visualizing  the 
choice  of  certain  actors  for  parts  that 
fit  them  best,  Harlan  relieves  the  ten- 
sion of  his  professional  tribulations  by 
giving  expression  to  artistic  brain  chil- 
dren in  sculptured  form.  Harlan's 
work  has  been  exhibited  in  galleries 
showing  the  works  of  the  leading  lumi- 
naries in  the  field  of  art. 

*  *  * 

'A  THIEF  IN  PARADISE' 
FITZMAURICE'S  NEXT 

Before  leaving  Hollywood  for  New 
York,  Samuel  Goldwyn  announced  that 
the  next  George  Fitzmaurice  produc- 
tion following  "Tarnish,"  will  be  "A 
Thief  in  Paradise."  Frances  Marion 
has  prepared  the  screen  version  from 
Leonard  Merrick's  novel,  "The  World- 
lings." 

Actual  shooting  will  start  this  week 
with  Ronald  Colman,  whom  Mr.  Gold- 
wyn has  just  signed  up  for  five  years, 
heading  a  stellar  cast.  .  . 

*  *  * 

WELTNER,  S.  A.  AGENT 
FOR  F.  P.  L.  RETURNS 

George  Weltner,  representative  of 
foreign  department  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation,  returned  to 
New  York  from  Buenos  Aires,  where 
he  had  been  stationed  several  months. 

During  his  stay  in  South  America 
Mr.  Weltner  assisted  in  exploiting 
Paramount's  "The  Covered  Wagon." 


October  25,  l(>24 


Page  29 


$30,000  IN  MICHIGAN 
M.  P.  T.  O.  TREASURY 

A  sensational  announcement  was 
made  at  the  Saginaw,  Michigan,  con- 
\  cation  of  the  Michigan  M.  P.  T.  O. 
It  was  to  the  effect  that  the  organiza- 
tion has  a  reserve  fund  in  its  treasury 
amounting  to  $30,000. 

This  is  the  largest  amount  that  has 
ever  been  kept  on  hand  by  any  exhibitor 
organization.  Not  even  a  national  ex- 
hibitor association  has  ever  shown  as 
much  money  instantly  available. 

The  session  of  the  convention  opened 
with  an  attendance  of  more  than  200 
exhibitors  representing  twice  as  many 
theatres.  H.  M.  Ritchey,  general  man- 
ager of  the  organization  made  a  leng- 
thy report  dealing  with  many  import- 
ant matters.  Among  other  things  he 
said  that  the  admission  tax  repeal  had 
>aved  exhibitors  and  public  in  Michi- 
gan alone  more  than  two  million  dollars. 

Mr.  Richey  spoke  of  the  great  sav^ 
ing  effected  through  the  contract  be- 
tween the  M.  P.  T.  O.  and  the  Ameri- 


Eileen  Percy,  playing  in  support  of  Thomas 
Meighan    in    Paramount's    "Tongues  of 
Flame." 

can  Society  of  Composers,  Authors  and 
Publishers.  He  said  it  amounts  to  over 
forty  percent  of  the  music  tax.  Seven 
exhibitor  bodies  have  requested  infor- 
mation from  the  Michigan  organization 
regarding  the  contract. 

It  appeared  from  Mr.  Richey's  report 
that  carnivals  have  been  cut  off  fully 
fifty  percent  in  the  state  of  Michigan. 
Block  booking  came  in  for  vigorous  dis- 
cussion, as  did  also  the  matter  of  sal- 
acious titles  for  pictures.  The  pro- 
posed state  taxation  of  theatres  was 
condemned  as  it  would  put  some  200 
motion  picture  exhibitors  out  of  the 
running  if  passed. 

President  Joseph  M.  Dennison  in  his 
address  suggested  the  bonding  of  film 
delivery  companies.  There  were  other 
speeches  by  Harry-  Reichenbach  and 
Howard  Crane,  the  architect.  At  the 
banquet  held  Tuesday  evening,  Oct.  14, 


The  question  is  still  open — who  will  play 
opposite  Mae  Murray  as  Danilo,  in  Metro- 
Goldwyn's,  "The  Merry  Widow." 

over  three  hundred  diners  were  ad- 
dressed by  Joseph  Dannenberg,  of  Film 
Daily,  President  Dennison,  Harry 
Reichenbach,  Judge  Murphy,  and  City 
Attorney  Frank  Picard. 

The  convention  will  go  down  in  his- 
tory as  one  of  the  most  successful  held. 
The  next  will  be  held  at  Grand  Rapids. 
The  officers  elected  for  the  coming  year 
are :  G.  A.  Cross,  of  Battle  Creek,  Pres- 
ident ;  A.  J.  Kliest,  Pontiac,  Vice-Presi- 
dent ;  H.  T.  Hall,  Secretary ;  John  Nie- 
bes,  treasurer.  Mr.  Richey  was  reap- 
pointed to  the  important  post  of  general 
manager. 

#    #  * 

FIRST  NATIONAL  MEETING 
AT  ATLANTIC  CITY 

A  big  gathering  of  film  men  met  at 
Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  on  Oct.  13,  at  the 
annual  First  National  meeting.  Among 
others  was  Robert  Fairbanks,  brother 
of  Douglas,  and  also  his  business  man- 
ager. Robert  Fairbanks  is  an  import- 
ant factor  in  United  Artists  organiza- 
tion. 

The  Consolidated  Film  Industries 
was  represented  by  Ben  Goetz  and 
James  Brophy.  It  is  reported  that  Con- 
solidated would  like  some  of  the  First 
National  print  business  which  has  been 
regarded  almost  as  a  permanent  asset 
of  the  Rothacker  organization.  The 
question  of  print  costs  came  up  at  one 
of  the  meetings,  but  no  action  has  been 
taken  with  regard  to  prints. 

Mike  Comerford  was  kept  from  the 
gathering  because  of  his  brother's  death. 
Among  those  seen  along  the  famous 
boardwalk  were :  Sol  Lesser,  all  the  way 
from  the  coast,  Sam  Goldwyn,  Felix 
Feist,  Sydney  Wilmer,  Walter  Vincent, 
John  McQuirk,  J.  R.  Boyd,  Arthur  W. 
Stebbins,  Allen  Lownes,  Lewis  M. 
Mitchell,  Morgan  Guy,  George  Unger, 
B.  F.  Schwalbe,  and  many  members  of 
the  organization. 


CRONE  DIRECTING 
SKY  HIGH' 

George  Crone,  \>ho  directed  Doug.as 
MacLean  in  "Never  Say  Die,"  is  hand- 
ling the  megaphone  on  "Sky  High,"  the 
latest  Douglas  MacLean  comedy  now 
in  production,  with  Jack  Mackenzie  at 
the  camera.  The  story,  an  original  by 
MacLean  and  his  scenario  staff,  is  laid 
in  Paris  and  the  Swiss  Alps. 

The  complete  cast  for  the  piece  be- 
sides Anne  Cornwall,  who  plays  •  op- 
posite the  star,  is  made  up  of  the  fol- 
lowing principal  players :  Robert  Ober, 
L.  C.  Shumway,  E.  J.  Ratcliff  and 
Wade  Boteler,  who  also  played  in 
"Never  Say  Die." 

#    #  * 

FOX  ISSUES  WARNING  ON 
SECOND  TNFERNO' 

Fox  Film  Corporation  issues  a  warn- 
ing this  week  to  exhibitors  who  have 
read  of  the  tremendous  success  of 
"Dante's  Inferno,"  that  there  is  a  for- 
eign production  of  the  "Inferno"  being 
placed  on  the  market  which  might  be 
confused  with  the  William  Fox  screen 
version,  of  Dante's  classic  of  literature. 

The  William  Fox  production  which 
is  finishing  the  third  week  of  an  en- 
gagement at  the  Central  Theatre  gives 
every  indication  of  setting  a  new  box- 
office  record  for  any  picture  presented 
on  Broadway-  "Dante's  Inferno,"  to- 
day is  the  outstanding  success  in  the 
motion  picture  field  and  is  the  greatest 
money-maker  on  Broadway. 

Fox  officials  state  that  the  success  of 
their  production  has  prompted  an  inde- 
pendent concern  to  reissue  a  foreign 
production  made  nearly  fifteen  years 
ago. 


Eddie  Bonns,  Metro-Goldwyn's  director  of 
exploitation,   greets   James   R.  Grainger, 
sales  manager  of  eastern  division. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Tracts  Review 


Two  First  National  Units  at 
N.  Y.  Biograph  Studios 


First  National  Pictures,  Inc.,  will 
start  production  in  the  East  at  the  Bio- 
graph Studios,  October  20th.  This  im- 
portant announcement,  marking  a  sig- 
nificant development  in  the  growth  of 
the  producing  and  distributing  organi- 
zation, was  made  yesterday  by  Produc- 
tion Manager  Richard  A.  Rowland,  who 
some  months  ago  declared  in  favor  of 
eastern  production  near  the  business 
headquarters  of  the  company. 

Earl  Hudson,  whose  success  as  a  pro- 
ducer during  the  last  year  has  ben  phe- 
nomenal, will  be  in  charge  of  produc- 
tion at  the  Biograph  Studios.  He  is 
due  in  New  York  on  the  18,  accompaied 
by  his  staff  and  a  number  of  the  players 
cast  for  the  initial  production.  Among 
those  coming  East  with  Mr.  Hudson 
are  Marion  Fairfax,  editor-in-chief ; 
her  husband ;  Tully  Marshall ;  Fred 
Stanley,  publicity  representative  for 
First  National  units ;  Lambert  Hillyer, 
director ;  James  Van  Trees,  camera- 
man ;  Doris  Kenyon,  Anna  Q.  Nilsson, 
Ben  Lyon  and  Milton  Sills.  Director 
John  Francis  Dillon  is  already  in  New 
York  prepared  to  start  on  his  first  east- 
ern assignment. 

H.  H.  Bruenner  will  be  associated 
with  Mr.  Hudson  in  the  handling  of 
production  at  the  Biograph  studios, 
where  two  units  will  be  installed.  Mrs. 
Bruenner  has  had  many  years  of  exper- 
ience in  the  picture  business.  Before 
entering  the  new  York  offices  of  First 
National  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Rowland, 
about  one  year  ago,  he  managed  the 
Samuel  Goldwyn-George  Fitzmaurice 
company  on  the  trip  to  Italy  for  the 
making  of  "The  Eternal  City."  The 
perspective  of  the  company's  operations 
gained    through    intimate  association 


with  production  activitits  and  close  con- 
tact with  leading  exhibitors  has  given 
Mrfl  Bruenner  an  unusual  knowledge 
of  box  office  values  that  should  be  in  a 
picture. 

Al  Rockett,  who  in  association  with 
his  brother  Ray,  produced  the  sensa- 
tionally successful  production  "Abra- 
ham Lincoln,"  will  become  Mr.  Row- 
land's assistant.  Mr.  Rockett  has  re- 
vealed a  broad  knowledge  of  motion 
picture  production  along  with  excep- 
tionally sound  judgmnet. 

The  first  two  productions  scheduled 
for  Biograph  Studios  are  "Interpreter's 
House,"  a  story  of  New  York  society 
life  by  Struthers  Burt,  and  "One  Way 
Street,"  a  new  novel  by  Beale  Davis 
which  is  having  a  big  sale.  The  casts 
for  these  pictures  have  not  been  re- 
vealed, but  it  is  known  that  Milton  Sills 
is  to  play  a  leading  role  in  "Interpre- 
ter's House." 

First  National  is  now  in  the  unusually 
position  of  maintaining  production  cen- 
ters in  both  the  East  and  West,  making 
it  possible  to  film  a  story  in  the  section 
of  the  country  best  suited  to  the  action. 
For  the  present,  at  least,  Colleen  Moore 
will  remain  on  the  Coast  with  June  Ma- 
this,  editor-in-chief  of  her  pictures.  Ed- 
win Carewe  also  will  be  located  in  the 
West  for  the  time  being. 


GRIFFITH  TO  REMAIN 
WITH  UNITED  ARTISTS 

It  now  looks  as  though  the  David  W. 
Griffith-Famous  Players  deal  is  off.  It 
is  reported  that  Mr.  Griffith  will  start 
work  on  another  picture  for  release 
through  United  Artists.    The  picture 


will  be  made  at  Griffith's  Mamaroneck, 
N.  Y.,  studios. 

Mr.  Griffith  returned  from  Europe  a 
short  time  ago  and  at  that  time  it  was 
announced  that  owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  financing  his  pictures,  he  would 
make  a  series  for  Famous-Players. 

This  announcement  caused  a  sensa- 
tion in  picture  circles  and  telegrams, 
rumors  and  denials  were  floating  about 
for  several  weeks. 

*        *  * 

J.  G.  BACHMANN  NOW 
WITH  SCHULBERG 

J.  G.  Dachmann,  distribution  head 
of  D.  P.  Schulberg  Productions.  Inc., 
announced  this  week  the  appointment 
of  Mack  D.  Weinberger  as  Sales  Man- 
ager. 

Mr.  Weinberger  is  one  of  the  best 
known  sales  figures  in  the  industry, 
through  long  association  with  the  D.  W. 
Griffith  organization,  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors and  other  prominent  dis- 
tributors, as  exchange  manager,  special 
representative  and  Director  of  Sales. 

Schulberg  Productions'  new  Sales 
Manager  enters  upon  his  new  duties 
in  a  strongly  optimistic  frame  of  mind. 
He  has  just  completed  a  tour  of  the 
principal  exchange  centers  of  the 
country  in  the  interests  of  the  D.  W. 
Griffith  service  and  he  comes  back 
differing  from  those  pessimists  who 
see  nothing  but  dark  clouds  on  the 
horizon. 

Especially  is  he  enthusiastic  about 
the  opportunities  for  the  better  class 
of  independent  product. 

"Conditions  are  not  radically  differ- 
ent from  what  they  always  are,"  de- 
clares Mr.  Weinberger.  "You  will  al- 
ways find  pessimists  and  optimists  but 
when  you  finally  analyze  their  feelings 
and  the  causes  you  come  to  the  question 
of  pictures.  It  is  always  a  matter  of 
product. 


First  National  Production  Executives — Reading  Left  to  Right:  Richard  A.  Rowland,  General  Manager  of  Productions,  F:rst  Na- 
tional Pictures,  Inc.;  Al  Rockett  to  assist  Mr.  Rowland  in  management;  H.  H.  Bruenner,  who  will  be  associated  with  Earl  Hudson 
in  handling  production  and  Earl  Hudson,  in  charge  of  Eastern  Productions. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  31 


Groups  Booked 

Big  Syndicates  Lead  in  Selec- 
tion of  their  New 
Productions 


DETAILED  reports  from  distribu- 
tors of  Warner  Bros,  pictures 
throughout  the  country  indicate 
that  the  Warner  Twenty  for  1924-25 
are  being  signed  up  rapidly  by  many 
leading  theatres  and  circuits.  Sale  of 
the  product  has  already  progressed  to 
such  an  extent  that  Warner  Bros,  exec- 
utives feel  confident  that  the  firm's  busi- 
ness for  the  new  season  will  be  the  big- 
gest in  its  history.  In  Greater  New  York 
City  the  Strand  is  on  the  list 
together  with  the  B.  F.  Keith 
Metropolitan  Circuit,  the  B. 
S.  Moss  theatres,  and  Kee- 
ney's  circuit.  Proctor's 
theatres  in  Yonkers,  Albany, 
Schenectady,  and  Troy  are 
some  of  the  important  houses 
in  the  state,  outside  of  New 
York  City.  Others  are  the 
Park  in  Newburg,  the  Picca- 
dilly in  Rochester,  the  Empire 
in  Syracuse,  the  Avon  in 
Utica,  and  the  Majestic  in 
Elmira.  New  Jersey  con- 
tracts include  the  State,  Jersey 
City;  the  Newark,  the  Re- 
gent, Paterson;  the  Lyceum, 
Bayonne ;  the  Lyric,  Hobo- 
ken;  the  Montauk,  Passaic; 
the  Montclair,  Montclair  ; 
the  Roosevelt,  West  Hobo- 
ken;  the  State,  Union  Hill; 
and  the  Bijou  and  Capital, 
Atlantic  City. 

The  Rialto  will  play  the 
product  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
the  Metropolitan  in  Baltimore, 
and  the  Modern-Beacon  in 
Boston;  Lowell,  Springfield, 
Worcester,  and  Lawrence  are 
on  the  list  with  the  Merrimack 
Square,  the  Capitol,  Poll's, 
and  the  Modern,  respectively. 

The  Ohio  bookings  are  out- 
standing with  the  following 
theatres:  Stillman,  State,  Al-  Dorothy 
len,  and  Circle  in  Cleveland ;     thrills  of 
Capitol,  Strand,  and  Walnut 
in  Cincinnati ;  the  State  and  Strand  in 
Dayton;  the  Southern  and  Majestic  in 
Columbus,  and  the  Eastland  in  Ports- 
mouth. 

In  Maine  the  William  Gray  New 
England  Circuit  has  been  signed  to- 
gether with  the  Strand  theatre  in  Port- 
land. 

The  Rialto,  Providence ;  the  Strand, 
Pawtucket ;  Poli's,  Bridgeport ;  the 
Strand,  Hartford,  and  the  Rialto, 
Waterbury,  are  early  and  important 
bookings  in  Rhode  Island  and  Connecti- 
cut. 


SCHULBERG  TO  START 
ANOTHER  BIG  ONE 

One  of  the  biggest  pictures  planned 
by  B.  P.  Schulberg  this  season  will  be 
started  this  week  when  George  Agnew 
Chamberlain's  widely  read  novel, 
'White  Man,"  will  be  put  into  produc- 
tion for  release  as  a  Preferred  Picture. 
Mr.  Schulberg  believes  that  the  unique 
jungle  settings  of  this  story  will  make 
it  a  real  film  novelty. 

Olga  Pritzlau  has  put  the  finishing 
touches  on  the  adaptation  and  cameras 
will  begin  grinding  at  once.  A  tew 
necessary  interiors  will  be  photo- 
graphed first  and  then  the  entire  com- 
pany will  be  taken  upon  location  for 
several  weeks. 


Devore,  featured  player  who  provides  the  dramatic 
"The  Narrow  Street,"  Warner  Bros.' new  production. 


'FLAMING  FORTIES'  FOR 
HARRY  CAREY 

Hunt  Stromberg's  fifth  production 
starring  Harry  Carey  will  be  released 
under  the  title  "Flaming  Forties"  in- 
stead of  "The  Man  From  Texas"  as 
previously  announced. 

"Flaming  Forties"  will  be  an  adapta- 
tion of  the  Bret  Harte  story  "Tennes- 
see's Pardner."  It  is  now  under  pro- 
duction with  Tom  Forman  directing, 
and  is  scheduled  for  release  by  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation  on  De- 
cember 7th. 


NEW  HEAD  OF  SPECIAL 
PRODUCTIONS  FOR  1st  NAT. 

A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  who  has  been 
placed  in  charge  of  the  selling  of  First 
National's  Special  Productions  by  E.  A. 
Eschmann,  General  Manager  of  Distri- 
bution, announces  that  his  staff  of 
salesmen  who  are  devoting  their  entire 
time  to  the  marketing  of  the  Specials, 
will  co-operate  in  putting  Eschmann 
Month  over. 

They  will  work  with  the  managers  of 
the  exchanges  in  which  they  are  work- 
ing during  the  period  of  the  Eschmann 
Month  contest,  without,  however,  de- 
tracting anything  from  the  money  re- 
wards that  the  winning  district  and  the 
three  winning  branches  and  the  entire 
personnels  of  the  latter  will 
receive. 

Walter  Price  will  work 
with  the  sales  force  in  the 
Washington,  D.  C,  territory  ; 
C.  W.  Bunn  in  the  Chicago 
territory ;  Stanley  Hand,  re- 
cently in  the  Indianapolis 
branch,  with  the  St.  Louis 
branch ;  H.  Peters  in  Minne^ 
apolis ;  A.  Hickox  in  Phila- 
delphia and  Tom  Brady  in 
Buffalo. 

*    *  * 

METRO-GOLDWYN 
PRODUCT  IS  SOLD 

Fitzpatrick  and  McElroy, 
middle  western  exhibitors 
have  closed  with  Metro-Gold- 
wyn  for  the  new  season  pro- 
duct 100  per  cent,  for  their 
entire  Michigan  territory. 

The  deal  has  just  been 
closed  in  Chicago  by  James 
R.  Grainger,  eastern  sales 
head  of  Metro-Goldwyn,  and 
W.  C.  Bachmeyer,  district 
manager  with  headquarters  in 
Cincinnati. 

Fitzpatrick  &  McElroy 
control  over  a  dozen  first 
class  theatre  in  as  many 
towns,  with  houses  in  Grand 
Rapids,  Benton  Harbor,  Al- 
pina,  Travers  City,  Three 
Rivers,  Manisstee,  St.  Joe, 
Cadillac,  Ludington,  Blue  Is- 
land, Chicago  Heights,  and 
Harvey,  111. 

These  towns  will  see  all 
Metro-Goldwyn  releases  this  season, 
including  such  special  productions  as 
"The  Great  Divide,"  "The  Merry 
Widow,"  and  others  now  in  production. 


FIVE  FOR  VALENTINO 

J.  D.  Williams,  president  of  Ritz 
Carlton  Pictures,  announced  at  a  lunch- 
eon in  Atlantic  City,  that  Rudolph  Val- 
entino will  make  a  series  of  five  pic- 
tures for  Ritz. 

The  first  picture  will  be  started  early 
in  November  and  the  star  expects  to 
be  able  to  complete  two  pictures  a  year. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Editorial  ■ 


The  Individual  or  the 
Industry? 

GIVE  me  for  two  years  and  I  don't  care 
what  happens  after  that.  I'll  have  mine,"  said 
a  man  of  some  prominence  in  the  motion 
picture  world  recently,  speaking  of  a  player  whose 
name  is  of  no  consequence  here.  The  subject  of 
the  discussion  was  the  box-office  value,  real  or 
supposed,  of  notoriety  based  on  personal  conduct, 
as  compared  with  real  ability  as  a  player. 

The  speaker  was  contending  that  a  star  who  is 
"big  copy"  will  invariably  outdraw  one  whose  rep- 
utation is  based  on  acting  rather  than  on  personal 
escapades. 

In  other  words,  he  believes  that  there  is  more 
money  in  catering  to  the  morbid  side  of  the  public 
mind  than  in  attempting  to  sell  good  pictures. 
And,  further,  that  as  long  as  the  public  seems  to 
like  pictures  featuring  the  disreputables,  it  is  per- 
fectly proper  to  go  ahead  and  make  them  for  the 
profit  they  will  shoAV.  And  if  the  motion  picture 
industry  suffers  in  the  long  run,  the  disagreeable 
consequences  will  fall  on  someone  else,  not  on  the 
men  who  have  caused  them. 

There  is  no  use  denying  that  this  viewpoint  has 
its  justifications  that  it  is  based,  in  some  part, 
on  facts. 

No  one  can  blame  the  business  man  who  seizes 
an  opportunity  to  make  money,  as  long  as  he  com- 
mits no  legal  or  moral  crime  in  the  effort. 

And  it  can  hardly  be  deemed  a  crime  to  cater 
to  a  public  demand. 

From  the  individualistic  standpoint,  therefore, 
such  a  policy  seems  to  be  reasonably  sound. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry, however,  it  is  good  business  to  kill  such 
policies  before  they  get  into  action. 

Thus  there  is  a  large  difference  between  the  in- 
dividualistic viewpoint  and  the  sound  policy  on 
which  the  industry  as  a  whole  may  expect  to  grow 
and  prosper. 

It  matters  little  to  the  industry  whether  any 
single  individual  makes  money  or  loses  it.  The 
industry  is  not  concerned,  or  should  not  be  con- 
cerned, with  the  affairs  of  individuals. 

When  it  sees  an  individual  pursuing  a  policy 
which  is  liable  to  prove  adverse  to  its  interests, 
it  should  step  on  him,  without  compunctions. 

It  should  maintain  its  good  name,  even  at  the 
expense  of  the  profits  of  any  individual  or  group 
of  individuals  engaged  in  the  business. 


The  fellow  who  insists  on  peddling  objection- 
able material,  because  he  thinks  he  can  make  a 
quick  killing,  simply  should  not  be  allowed  to  get 
away  with  it.  He  is  exactly  on  a  par  with  the  fel- 
low who  ran  a  dive  in  the  pre-prohibition  days  and 
who,  for  his  own  profit,  brought  ruin  on  an  entire 
industry. 

As  between  salacious  pictures  and  the  worst 
booze  that  was  sold  in  the  old  days,  the  booze  is  to 
be  preferred.    But  there's  a  lesson  in  the  analogy. 

*    *  * 

A  News  Reel  Achievement 
Extraordinary 

IN  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States  the  big- 
gest event  of  this  week  was  the  arrival  of  the 
ZR-3,  eighty-one  hours  in  the  air  from  Fried- 
richshafen  to  Lakehurst,  N.  J.  Election  activities 
faded  into  insignificance.  The  New  York  Times 
departed  from  its  usual  conservatism  to  the  extent 
of  giving  the  story  a  five-column  head.  And 
everyone,  everywhere,  was  talking  of  this  remark- 
able step  in  the  air's  conquest  for  commercial 
purposes. 

The  great  ship  was  hardly  moored  at  Lakehurst 
and  the  crew  "ashore"  before  Pathe  News  had  the 
picture  story  of  the  voyage  ready  for  Broadway's 
theatres.  The  start  of  the  voyage  at  Friedrich- 
shafen,  views  from  the  air  as  the  liner  battled  a 
headwind  and  the  scene  on  arrival  were  shown 
approximately  four  hours  after  the  ship  landed. 

As  a  piece  of  news-handling  enterprise,  this  is  a 
reminder  of  days  when  daily  newspapers,  contend- 
ing for  "scoops"  as  they  do  not  contend  any  more, 
mystified  the  public  by  the  speed  with  which  an 
"extra"  could  be  produced,  telling  the  story  of 
some  unusual  happening  almost  before  it  had 
finished. 

There  is  a  little  lesson  in  this  sort  of  thing,  which 
every  exhibitor  will  do  well  to  ponder.  The  news 
reel,  whoever  makes  it,  is  becoming  increasingly 
important  as  a  feature  of  the  appealing  program. 
Pictorial  newspapers  are  thriving  in  many  cities, 
but  they  never  can  compete  with  motion  pictures 
in  the  presentation  of  such  events  as  this.  The  pub- 
lic should  be  told,  more  forcefully  and  more  often, 
something  of  the  extent  to  which  the  news  reel 
producers  are  going  in  the  effort  to  give  it  what  it 
wants.  Play  the  news  reel  stronger!  It  is  get- 
ting to  be  a  better  and  more  important  part  of 
your  business  every  week. 


October  25,  1924  Page  33 


The  Pessimist's  Window 


IF  there's  anything  that  arouses  our  suspicions  on  sight, 
its  an  invitation  to  attend  a  dinner  to  a  banker.  So 
when  we  received  a  command  to  attend  an  affair  at  the 
Ritz  by  First  National  in  honor  of  Banker  R.  B.  T.  Ran- 
dolph,'late  of  the  Guaranty  Trust  Company,  London,  we 
rushed  right  over  to  the  cashier  and  looked  up  First  Na- 
tional's rating.  It  looked  all  right,  but  we  concluded  that 
there  must  be  a  new  film  trust  in  process  of  organization,  or 
some  such  nefarious  piece  of  business.  So  we  resolved  to 
attend  with  reservations.  That  First  National  crowd  must 
not  be  allowed  to  put  anything  over. 

We  went.  And  it  was  some  dinner.  And  there  was 
Charley  Sabin,  of  the  Guaranty  Trust,  merely  chairman  of 
the  board.  (Probably  he  hasn't  been  called  "Charley"  since 
he  promoted  himself  from  banker  to  capitalist,  so  here's 
hoping  he  will  enjoy  it.)  And  Henry  von  Elm,  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  Manufacturers'  Trust  Company.  And  our  own 
Dr  Giannini,  who  presides  over  the  conduct  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  East  River  National  Bank.  And  an  ora- 
torical German  named  Brady,  president  of  New  York's  labor 
bank. 

Some  lineup !  And  we  hadn't  a  bit  of  collateral  with  us 
But  our  suspicions  of  First  National  were  confirmed.  We 
reasoned  with  ourself  to  the  effect  that  they  figured  they 
could  get  the  bankers  back  of  them  and  buy  out  the  industry. 
Otherwise  why  drag  in  all  these  financial  stars  and  feed 
them  ?    Must  be  something  back  of  it. 

Then,  just  when  we  thought  we  had  it  all  doped  out,  they 
started  the  home-town  stuff  on  both  sides  of  us  and  we 
heard  a  lot  of  things  about  how  Eschman  month  is  setting 
new  records  in  sales  and  contracts  are  rolling  in  by  the  car- 
load and  accessories  are  selling  by  the  ton  and  First  Nation- 
al doesn't  need  to  buy  anybody's  business.  And  we  had  to 
begin  all  over  again.  So  we  decided,  and  this  is  final,  as 
far  as  we  are  concerned,  that  Bruce  Johnson,  or  somebody, 
just  decided  that  it  would  be  a  nice  thing  to  have  a  dinner 
party  as  a  compliment  to  Mr.  Randolph.  Of  course  there 
had  to  be  guests.  So  Bruce,  or  somebody,  says,  Let  s  in- 
vite a  lot  of  bankers."  And  somebody  else  says,  What 
for?"  and  Bruce  says,  "For  fun."  And  that's  all  there  was 
to  it  But  it  was  a  fine  dinner  and  a  fine  testimonial  to  Mr. 
Randolph.  Judging  by  what  we  heard  about  him,  including 
the  remarks  of  his  ex-chief,  Mr.  Sabin,  he  deserved  it. 

*    *  * 

Another  thing  about  that  First  National  dinner  was  the 
discovery  that  President  Lieber  is  entitled  to  his  pilot's 
certificate  as  a  toastmaster.  If  he  has  a  few  more  such 
successes  he  will  probably  get  the  toastmastering  habit,  and 
then  look  where  he  will  be! 

5^         ^(C  5^ 

William  Fox  would  like  to  know  why  "Dante's  Inferno" 
is  turning  them  away  at  the  Central  Theatre,  New  York,  af- 
ter a  lot  of  the  effete  newspaper  critics  agreed  that  it  is  a 
hell  of  a  picture.  Well,  there  are  times  when  we  suspect 
it's  a  hell  of  a  public.  But  the  picture  has  a  kick  in  it. 
Perhaps  that  explains  its  unexpected  success. 

*  * 

When  "The  Lost  World"  is  released  the  hooch  censors 
want  to  get  busy.  Because  the  picture  is  going  to  contain  a 
flock  of  hodags  and  umpthumps  and  ichthyosauri  and  vari- 


ous other  animals  that  should  not  be  exposed  to  the  gaze  of 
an  imbibing  populace.  Rumor  has  it  that  patents  are  being 
taken  out  on  these  items  of  newly  invented  live-stock  and 
that  until  Washington  grants  the  papers,  all  stills  showing 
the  little  pets  are  kept  in  a  burglar-proof  safe.  Well,  you 
don't  have  to  believe  it  if  you  don't  want  to. 

*  *  * 

By  the  way,  they  know  something  about  unusual  animal 
stunts  in  Germany.    One  of  the  pictures  to  come  from  the 
Ufa  studios  soon  contains  some  mechanical  crocodiles  tha< 
would  worry  any  colored  boy  from  Plaquemine  parish, 
Louisiana,  where  they  play  with  'em. 

*  *  * 

Made  a  bad  mistake  last  week.  Promised  to  invent  a 
rumor  that  would  be  a  sensation  of  sensations.  After  care- 
ful effort  and  a  lot  of  hard  work,  regret  having  to  report 
it  can't  be  done.  By  way  of  explanation :  Invented  a  can- 
ard that  had  class.  Something"  unreasonable,  unbelievable. 
Took  it  out  on  Broadway  and  stopped  a  conservative  on  the 
street.  Spilled  it,  purely  as  an  experiment.  And  the  vic- 
tim, with  a  superior  look,  remarked,  "That's  all  right  as  far 
as  it  goes.  But  you've  got  only  half  of  the  story."  And 
proceeded  to  tell  us  the  other  half,  which  made  our  effort 
look  like  amateur  night.  So  we  withdraw  all  claims  as  a 
rumorist. 

*  *  * 

Speaking  of  rumors,  United  Artists  is  in  the  foreground 
again.  The  latest  is  that  Joe  Schenck  is  negotiating  to 
handle  its  output  as  part  of  a  new  combination.  Something 
was  going  on,  star  chamber  fashion,  at  a  New  York  hotel 
this  week.    But  what? 

*  *  * 

One  of  these  days  when  things  are  quiet  we're  going  to 
invite  Adolph  Zukor  and  Hiram  Abrams  to  lunch.  And  we 
might  as  well  include  Joe  Schenck,  too.  He's  in  the  picture 
now.    We  can  talk  it  over  and  settle  the  matter. 


Albert  E.  Smith  sails  for  Europe.  Going  over  to  witness 
a  Vitagraph  triumph  on  the  other  side.  And  there  isn't 
much  room  for  doubt  as  to  what  he  will  find.  Which  af- 
fords another  demonstration  that  human  nature  reacts  about 
the  same,  in  any  part  of  the  world,  to  a  really  outstanding 
picture. 

*  *  * 

That's  a  bloated  bunch  of  exhibitors  out  in  Michigan. 
At  the  Saginaw  convention  they  unblushingly  admit  that 
they  have  $30,000  in  the  treasury.  Wonder  why  they  don't 
divide  up  and  quit. 

*  *  * 

If  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  finds  out  that  the  Michi- 
gan M.  P.  T.  O.  have  so  much  money,  there  will  be  a  new 
investigation.  A  hot  one.  And  the  Michigan  crowd  will 
have  to  hand  the  roll  to  a  lawyer  to  keep  'em  at  large.  Don't 
they  know,  in  Michigan,  that  it  is  a  misdemeanor  to  have 
that  much  money?    And  how  did  they  get  it,  anyway? 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


A  tense  scene  in  which  Seena 
Owen  rises  to  great  dramatic 
heights  and  furnishes  one  of 
the    thrills    of    the  picture. 


Suspense  is  the  keynote  in 
"I  Am  the  Man."  Below  is 
the  court  room  scene  in 
which  the  climax  is  skilfully 
brought  about. 


Lionel  Barrymore  and  Seena 
Owen  give  their  best  to  this 
production.  The  result  is  one 
of  Chadwick's  best  features. 


Lionel  Barrymore  At  His  Best  in  *I  Am  The  Man' 

Surrounded  by  a  Strong  Supporting  Cast,  Barrymore  Makes 
This  Latest  Chadwick  F eatnre  a  Classic- 


October  25.  1924 


Page  35 


Wh  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


ARE  YOU  PLAYING  FAIR  WITH  YOURSELF 


ARE  you  giving  the  Independent  picture  a  fair  break? 
there  been  such  a  wonderful  array  of  product  offer 
intelligent  exhibitor  so  well  appreciated  the  fact  th 
Independent  pictures.  Unless  you  want  the  National-the 
your  theatre,  it  is  up  to  you  to  support  the  Independent 
like  Bill  Mahoney  of  Providence  and  Doc  Shad  of  Read 
behind  the  Independent  Pictures  as  these  boys  have  don 
as  fine  a  Program  for  his  theatre  from  the  Independent  a 
National  would  then  not  find  it  so  easy  to  invade  your 
play  Mr.  National  Pictures. 


Never  before  in  the  History  of  the  Film  Industry  has 
ed  on  the  Independent  market,  and  never  before  has  the 
at  in  the  long  run  he  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  favoring 
atre-owning-chain  organizations  to  get  a  throttle-hold  on 
organizations.  If  a  few  more  exhibitors  with  vision 
ing  and  many  others  whom  we  could  name,  would  get 
e,  the  exhibitor  would  soon  realize  that  he  can.  get  just 
s  any  National  Program  in  the  market.  Probably  Mr. 
territory  with    theatres   or   threaten   to,   if   you   did  not 

RAY  JOHNSON. 
Pres.    Rayart    Pictures  Corp 


Davis  and  Briskin  Optimistic 
Concerning  Banner  Sales 


ITH  territory  on  both  Banner 
series,  the  Banner  Big  Four 
and  Ben  Verschleiser  Produc- 
tions practically  one  hundred  per  cent 
closed,  George  H.  Davis  and  Samuel  J. 
Briskin,  directing  heads  of  Banner  Pro- 
duction, Inc.,  are  highly  optimistic  over 
the  outlook  for  the  coming  season. 

"Book  Banner  pictures  and  make  this 
year  your  Banner  Year,"  has  been  the 
slogan  on  which  this  live  young  concern 
has  established  its  product,  which  has 
been  consistently  of  box  office  quality, 
as  its  evidence.  Mr.  Davis  points  out 
by  the  notable  success  which  Mr.  Bris- 
kin has  achieved  in  his  sales  trip  on 
behalf  of  Banner  productions  to  ex- 
change centers  all  over  the  country. 

Banner  is  releasing  two  series  of  four 
pictures  each,  and  has  already  sent  out 
three  features  to  the  exchanges,  with  a 
fourth  now  in  the  cutting  room,  which 
will  be  ready  next  month,  and  a  fifth 
that  from  Mr.  Verschleiser,  already  on 
the  way  to  completion. 

The  Banner  Big  Four  includes  "The 
Truth  About  Women,"  starring-  Hope 
Hampton,  and  Lowell  Sherman,  and  is 
based  on  the  story  by  Leota  Morgan 
and  "The  Man  Without  A  Heart,"  fea- 
turing Kenneth  Harlan  and  Jane  No- 
vak, picturized  from  the  famous  novel 
of  that  name  by  Ruby  M.  Ayres.  Both 
these  productions  have  been  released 
and  have  proved  popular  with  exhibi- 
tors and  the  public  wherever  shown. 

The  third  of  this  series  is  "Those 
Who  Judge,"  a  photodramatization  of 
the  popular  and  widely  read  novel  by 
Margery  Land  May,  which  appeared 
under  the  title  of  "Such  As  Sit  In 


Judgment."  It  has  just  been  completed 
and  will,  be  ready  for  the  theatres  early 
in  November.  Patsy  Ruth  Miller  and 
Lou  Tellegen  head  the  cast,  which  is  of 
all  star  calibre  throughout.  All  three 
were  directed  by  Burton  King. 

The  fourth  and  last  of  the  Banner 
Big  Four  series  will  be  "Daughters  Who 
Pay,"  also  from  the  pen  of  Leota  Mor- 
gan. It  will  be  put  into  production  with 
a  cast  of  the  best  box-office  quality,  im- 


Ben    Verschleiser,    one   of   the  foremost 
figures  in  the  Independent  field,  is  making 
a  series  of  pictures  for  Banner. 


mediately  following  the  release  of 
"Those  Who  Judge." 

The  other  Banner  series  is  being  pro- 
duced by  Ben  Verschleiser  on  the 
Coast.  His  initial  offering,  "Empty 
Hearts,"  starring  Clara  Bow,  John 
Bowers,  Lillian  Rich,  and  Charles 
Murray,  with  a  notable  cast,  has  al- 
ready attracted  much  attention  as  fea- 
ture of  unusual  pulling  power. 

Mr.  Verschleiser  is  now  at  work  on 
"The  Three  Keys,"  a  mystery  drama  of 
big  exploitation  possibilities  based  on 
the  novel  of  that  name  by  Frederic  Or- 
mond.  Edward  Le  Saint,  one  of  the 
best  known  directors  in  the  business  is 
handling  the  megaphone  on  this  attrac- 
tion. 

According  to  the  Banner  schedule, 
"The  Three  Keys"  will  be  ready  about 
December  15. 

SEMON  WILL  MAKE 
BIG  FEATURE 

At  the  Larry  Semon  headquarters  in 
Hollywood  last  week,  it  was  indicated 
that  Semon  in  the  near  future,  may  un- 
dertake the  production  and  directorial 
supervision  of  a  big  melodramatic  fea- 
ture in  which  he  will  not  appear  person- 
ally. It  will  follow  the  completion  of 
his  most  ambitious  production  to  date 
— a  screen  version  of  "The  Wizard  of 
Oz"  in  which  he  plays  the  Straw  Man 
— the  role  portrayed  by  Fred  Stone  in 
the  great  stage  version  of  the  story. 

Semon's  jump  into  the  ranks  of  pro- 
ducers has  been  attended  by  great  suc- 
cess. His  first  big  feature-length  com- 
edy "The  Girl  in  the  Limousine"  also 
for  Chadwick,  is  now  being  released  by 
First  National  and  has  scored  one  of 
the  first  successes  of  the  season.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  big  features,  Semon  also 
produces  a  series  of  Featurettes  for 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation  being 
distributed  bv  Educational. 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distributors 


C.  B.  C.  SIGNS  KENTON 

A  wire  from  the  West  Coast  Studios 
announces  that  C.  B.  C.  has  signed 
Erie  C.  Kenton  to  direct  "A  Fool  and 
His  Money,"  the  fifth  of  the  series  of 
eight  Columbia  Pictures.  The  picture 
will  be  a  film  version  of  George  Barr 
McCutcheon's  popular  novel  of  the 
same  name. 

A  Shower  of  Sheckles! 
A  Tornado  of  Laughs! 
A  Whirlwind  of  Speed! 

For  all  wide-awake  show- 
men who  book  the  Big  3 
Johnny  Hines  Specials. 

C.  C.  Burr  presents 

JQHNNN 
HINEX 


MARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.   C.    Burr.     Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following 

EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.R.-l,  Dal-5,  Chi-4, 
H]  N.Y.S.-l,  FR-1. 


Mr.  Kenton  has  behind  him  a  long 
record  of  successful  productions  which 
he  has  directed.  Among  them  are  "A 
Small  Town  Idol,"  "Married  Life," 
"Down  on  the  Farm,"  "Salome," 
"Home  Talent,"  and  "The  Love  Egg." 


ARTCLASS  ACTIVITIES 

Activities  at  the  Coast  are  at  the 
present  time  in  the  hands  of  Lester  F. 
Scott,  Jr.,  who  is  handling  the  Buddy 
Roosevelt  Company.  They  are  at  the 
present  time  working  on  Buddy  Roose- 
velt release  number  six.  We  have  just 
received  release  number  five  from  the 
Coast  which  is  "Rip-Roarin'-Roberts." 
We  will  give  you  the  titles  of  the  other 
four  herewith  as  follows : 

Release  No.  1— "Rough  Ridin'  ",  Re- 
lease No.  2— "Battling  Buddy",  Release 
No.  3— "Biff-Bang-Buddy",  Release 
No.  4 — "Walloping  Wallace",  Release 
No.  5- "Rip-Roarin'-Roberts." 

Mr.  Scott  and  the  Buddy  Roosevelt 
Company  are  working  out  on  the  Stan- 
dard Studios,  933  Seward  Street,  Holly- 
wood. They  are  also  working  from 
time  to  time  at  the  Universal  lot  and 
renting  space  at  any  number  of  the 
Studios  out  on  the  Coast  as  they  go 
along  from  picture  to  picture.  Mr. 
Louis  Weiss,  Vice-President  of  the  Art- 
class  Pictures  Corporation,  has  just  re- 
turned from  the  Coast  where  he  spent 
two  weeks  with  Mr.  Lester  F.  Scott, 
Jr.,  discussing  plans  for  the  second 
series  of  Buddy  Roosevelt's  which  Mr. 
Scott  intends  to  start  sometime  in  Jan- 
uary, as  he  will  be  finished  with  the  first 
se'ries  in  December,  1924.  Mr.  Lester 
F.  Scott,  Jr.,  in  association  with  Wm. 
T.  Lackey  is  also  handling  the  produc- 
tion of  the  series  of  eight-five  reel 
Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  pictures  which  are  be- 
ing distributed  by  Weiss  Brothers'  Art- 
class  Pictures  Corp.  The  fourth  re- 
lease of  the  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  series  is 
now  being  titled  and  will  arrive  in  New 
York  within  the  next  seven  days.  The 
first  three  of  the  Buffalo  Bill,  Jrs.,  are 
as  follows : 

Release  No.  1— "Rarin'  to  Go",  Re- 
lease No.  2— "Fast  and  Fearless",  Re- 
lease No.  3— "Hard-Hittin'  Hamilton." 

Both  of  the  above  mentioned  series 
are  meeting  with  unsual  success.  We 
have  had  some  very  glowing  reports 
from  the  exchanges  from  all  parts  of 
the  country  also  the  exhibitors  who  are 
playing  these  pictures.  Mr.  Weiss  has 
also  taken  up  with  Mr.  Scott  some  fu- 
ture production  activities  which  will  be 
announced  in  the  very  near  future  to 
the  trade. 


CAST  ON  NEW 
PERFECTION  PICTURE 

Joe  Brandt  announces  the  cast  on 
"Women  First?"  one  of  the  Perfection 
Pictures  series  of  eight.  The  leads  are 
played  by  Eva  Novak  and  William 
Fairbanks.  Lydia  Knott,  Bob  Rhodes, 
Bill  Dyer,  Meta  Sterling,  Max  Ascher, 
Andy  Waldron,  Dan  Crimmins,  Lloyd 
Whitlock,  Bill  Carroll,  Jack  Richard- 
son, make  up  the  rest  of  the  cast.  The 
story  is  one  of  a  Kentucky  racing  fam- 
ily and  the  events  surrounding  the  run- 
ning of  the  Derby  with  several  favor- 
ites contending  for  the  stakes. 

MOORE  IS  CAMERAMAN 
FOR  'THE  TOMBOY' 

Milton  Moore,  noted  cameraman 
who  has  been  associated  with  many  of 
the  leading  directors  on  big  productions, 
has  been  appointed  cameraman  for 
"The  Tom  Boy"  which  the  Mission 
Film  Corporation,  of  Hollywood,  is  pro- 
ducing for  Chadwick  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion— to  be  the  fifth  picture  in  the  fam- 
ous unit — the  Chadwick  9 — which  this 
organization  is  releasing  on  the  inde- 
pendent market  this  season. 

"The  Tom  Boy"  is  being  produced 
under  the  direction  of  David  Kirkland. 
In  the  cast  are  Herbert  Rawlinson, 
Dorothy  Devore,  Helen  ynch,  Lee 
Moran,  Harry  Gribbon,  Lottie  Williams 
and  James  Barrows. 


!m. 


Gladys  Leslie  Paul  Winchell 

Burr  Macintosh  Charles  Lane 

Effie   Shannon  Dorothy  Allen 

Alice    Chapin  Walter  Gilbert 

Ray  Lowney  Russell  Griffin 

Aleta  Dore  in 

"The  Pearl  of  Love" 

From  the  Famous  Story,  "The 
Pearl  of   Orr's  Island,"  by 

HARRIET  BEECHER 
STOWE 

Author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin" 
Produced     by     PAUL  W. 
WHITCOMB  PRODUC- 
TIONS. 

[:  TeE-BRADFORP  corporation^. 

W.1'-^.     701  ScventhAve.  New  York. 

m 


October  25,  1924 


Page  37 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distributors 


ROOSEVELT  AND  SMITH 
IN  PHONOFILM 

Dr.  Lee  DeForest,  inventor  of  the 
Phonofilm,  made  talking  motion  pic- 
tures of  the  two  candidates  for  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York  State,  "Al" 
Smith,  the  present  incumbent,  and 
standard  bearer  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt, 
the  Republican  candidate. 

Eg 
I 
I 

|  Its  going  over   like   a    house  | 
|  afire.     Bigger  than  "The  Fire 
Patrol"— 


The 

Painted  Flapper 


with  James  Kirkwood  and 
Pauline  Garon 

The  third  of  the  famous 
independent  unit 


The  Chadwick  9 


BROKE  ALL  RECORDS 


AT  THE 

New  Schenley  Theatre 

PITTSBURGH 

AND  WILL  BREAK  YOUR 
RECORDS  TOO 

ITS  A  BOX-OFFICE  WALLOP! 

See  These  Exchanges  Now 

Atl-l,    Bos-l,    Buf-l,     Chi-1,     Cin-1,  CIe-1, 

Dal-1,  Den-1,  Det-1,  KC-1,  LA-1,  Mil-1,  NO-2, 

NY-l,  Oma-1,  Phi-1,  Pit-1,  SF-,  SL-1,  Sea-1, 
Tor-1,  Wash-1. 


It  so  happened  that  both  candidates 
were  in  town,  and  both  had  been  in- 
vited by  Dr.  DeForest  to  come  to  his 
studio  and  make  speeches  before  the 
camera.  Col.  Roosevelt  was  the  first 
to  accept,  and  came  in  the  morning. 

Although  Governor  Smith  had  ac- 
cepted the  invitation,  it  was  not 
definitely  known  just  at  what  time  he 
would  arrive.  But  Col.  Roosevelt 
had  scarcely  completed  his  speech 
before  a  messenger  reached  the 
studio  to  announce  that  Governor 
Smith  was  on  his  way  and  would 
soon  arrive.  The  Republican  candi- 
date, who  delivered  one  of  his  most 
characteristic  speeches,  had  scarcely 
departed  before  Governor  Smith  ar- 
rived, and  was  soon  filling  the  studio 
with  his  resonant  voice. 

Each  candidate  spoke  for  about 
seven  minutes  and  discussed  the 
issue  of  the  campaign  from  different 
political  standpoints.  It  was  Col. 
Roosevelt's  first  experience  before 
the  talking  motion  picture  cam- 
era, and  he  was  tremendously  inter- 
ested. Governor  Smith  first  ap- 
peared before  the  Phonofilm  camera 
just  prior  to  the  Democratic  national 
convention,  but  his  speech  at  that 
time  was  non-partisan. 


*  * 


RAYART  CLOSING 
TERRITORY 

The  De  Luxe  Film  Company  of 
Philadelphia  have  acquired  of  Rayart 
Pictures  the  rights  for  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, Southern  New  Jersey  and 
Delaware  on  the  Rayart  Serial,  "Bat- 
tling Brewster." 

S.  and  S.  Film  and  Supply  Company 
of  Pittsburgh  this  week  acquired  the 
rights  to  the  same  picture  for  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia. 
*    *  * 

ETHEL  SHANNON  IN 
'BILLY  THE  KID' 

The  winsome  Ethel  Shannon  who 
has  demonstrated  her  capabilities  on 
the  screen  in  prominent  successes  for 
Universal,  Preferred  and  others,  and 
who  especially  distinguished  herself  by 
her  work  as  star  in  "Maytime"  is  now 
playing  a  co-star   part    in  "Franklyn 


Jkemedic  Music 


Cue.  ^SAce^ 


.J.MINTZ  oa- 


IS  FURNISHED  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


Farnum,"  the  second  of  the  Billy  Cody 
series  which  Independent  Pictures  Cor- 
poration is  making. 

As  a  ranch  girl,  a  victim  of  unhappy 
circumstances,  she  infuses  the  picture 
with  an  invigorating  freshness  and 
demonstrates  athletic  accomplishments 
which  she  has  heretofore  kept  secret. 
She  rides  a  horse  with  the  confidence 
of  one  born  in  the  saddle,  yet  through 
it  all  one  never  loses  the  impression  of 
pleasing  femininity. 


RAVA  R  TP; 
PICTURES 


Reelcraft  Film 
Exchanges 

Chicago  —  Indianapolis 

offers 

To  Exhibitors  of  Northern 
Illinois  and  htdiuna 


Metropolitan 
Melodramas 


with 


George  Larkin 


if  your  are  looking  for  fast 
action  speed  pictures  see 
Reelcraft    on    the    Larkin  I 


series. 


i 

i 
* 

■+ 


v.Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


BOTH  BANNER  SERIES 
SELLING  FAST 

George  H.  Davis,  co-director  with 
Samuel  J.  Briskin  of  Banner  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  announces  that  distribution 
arrangements  for  both  Banner  series, 
the  Banner  Big  Four  and  Ben  Ver- 
schleiser  Productions,  totalling  eight 
features  in  all,  have  been  concluded  for 


'ccuracy 


A  series  of  pictures  of  uni- 
versal appeal. 

Thrills  and  action  throughout 
BUT — 

The  story  is  never  sacrificed 
to  the  stunt  or  to  a  stunt  actor. 

PERFECTION 
PICTURES  j 

presents 

EVA  NOVAK 

and    associated  players 

william  fairbanks  , 
clair  Mcdowell 

kate  lester 
wilfred  lucas 
carl  stockdale 

RALPH  DePALMA 
PHILO  McCOLLOUGH 
JACK  BYRON 
LAURA  WINTSON 
MARK  FENTON 

in 

8  SPEED  ACTION 
THRILLERS 

"Battling  Fool" 
"The  Fatal  Kiss" 

"Women  First" 
"Racing  for  Life" 
"The  Fearless  Lover" 
"A  Fight  For  Honor" 
"The  Beautiful  Sinner" 
"Tainted  Money" 

Columbia  Productions 

1600  Broadway,  N.  Y.  City 

Bos-4,  Cle-1,  Mln-1,  SL-1,  Atl-2,  Dal-2, 
NO-2,  Chi-3,  Det-1,  NY-l,  Cin-1,  Ind-2, 
Phi-2. 


the  following  territories  with  the  com- 
panies and  exchanges  indicated: 

"The  Truth  About  Women,"  "The 
Man  Without  A  Heart,"  "Empty 
Hearts"  and  the  balance  of  both  series 
sold  to  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  F.  Latour- 
elle,  president,  Montreal,  Can.,  for  the 
Dominion  of  Canada. 

Iowa  and  Nebraska  will  be  handled 
by  the  Enterprise  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion, William  K.  Jenkins,  president, 
with  headquarters  at  87  Walton  Street, 
Atlanta,  Ga. 

Two  features,  "The  Truth  About 
Women,"  with  Hope  Hampton,  and 
Lowell  Sherman,  and  "The  Man  With- 
out A  Heart"  with  Kenneth  Harlan  and 
Jane  Novak,  are  already  available  on 
the  Banner  Big  Four  series,  with  the 
third,  "Those  Who  Judge,"  starring 
Patsy  Ruth  Miller  and  Lou  Tellegen, 
for  release  November  15. 

Of  the  Ben  Verschleiser  productions, 
"Empty  Hearts,"  featuring  Clara  Bow, 
John  Bowers  and  Lillian  Rich,  is  now 
in  the  exchanges,  with  "The  Three 
Keys,"  from  the  novel  by  Frederic  Or- 
mond,  starring  Edith  Robers,  Jack 
Mulhall  and  Virginia  Lee  Corbin  is 
now  in  production  at  the  West  Coast. 
*    *  * 

'SPEED  SPOOK'  PRESS 
BOOK  IS  READY 

On  a  par  with  the  production  itself 
is  the  smashing  eight-page  newspaper- 
size  press  sheet  compiled  on  "The 
Speed  Spook."  Chockful  of  breezy 
stories,  many  of  which  center  about  the 
great  automobile  race,  and  especially 
written  with  an  eye  to  newspaper  de- 
sires, this  section  of  the  press  sheet 
should  find  great  circulation  in  the 
newspapers  throughout  the  country. 

The  exploitation  campaign  outlined 
centers  around  a  safety-first  campaign 
which  capitalizes  the  idea  that  drivers 
of  cars  should  observe  the  traffic  and 
speed  laws  and  not  be  "speed  spooks." 
This  whole  campaign  has  been  outlined 
carefully  so  that  exhibitors  who  con- 
template using  this  idea  will  find  every 
step  in  the  plan  carefully  worked  out 
for  them  on  a  practical  basis. 

Included  also  in  the  press  sheet  are 
no  less  than  ten  planned  advertisements 
for  newspapers,  with  a  flock  of  clearly 
devised  illustrations  to  help  put  them 
over.  Scene  cuts  on  the  production 
are  there  aplenty,  giving  the  exhibitor 
a  host  of  varied  picture  illustrations 
that  he  can  use  not  only  for  his  local 
newspapers  but  for  any  additional  mail- 
ing matter  that  he  may  care  to  get  up. 

There  are  thumbnail  pictures  and 
biographies  of  the  complete  cast,  a 
cleverly  devised  police  summons,  a 
race-track  tip  sheet,  window-store  tie- 


ups,  humorous  illustrated  impressions 
of  the  "Speed  Spook"  in  cartoonist 
style,  ideas  for  lobby  display,  street 
ballyhoo,  a  contest  of  limericks,  verses 
and  jingles,  program  readers,  a  news- 
paper automobile  guessing  contest 
which  ties  up  directly  with  "The  Speed 
Spook"  car,  information  and  illustra- 
tions of  the  famous  speed  spook  nov- 
elty road  maps  and  all  information  as 
to  slides,  lithographs,  heralds,  etc. 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 


If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       BiS  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3     Big  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 


ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEYI 


Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St.         New  York  City 


October  25,  1924 


Page  39 


^th  The  Independent  Distributors 


Herman  Jans  Announces  First 
Feature  of  New  Series 


CONCURRENT  with  reports  that 
Herman  Jans,  president  of  Jans 
Production,  Inc.,  729  Seventh 
Avenue,  was  planning  to  resume  ac- 
tivities in  the  producing  field,  comes  the 
announcement  by  Mr.  Jans  that  "Play- 


CRANFIELD     &     CLARKE,  INC. 


JUST  RELEASED 

Three 
Top-Hole 
Productions 

"Lily  of  the  Alley" 
Starring  CHRISSIE  WHITE 

"Strangling  Threads" 
Starring  ALMA  TAYLOR 

AND 

"A  Soul's  Awakening" 
Starring 
FLORA  Le  BRETON 

ALSO 

12  Hep  worth  Gems 

Single  reels  of  exceptional  merit 


Ask  your    independent  ex- 
change   for     Cranfield  & 
Clarke    Hepworth  produc- 
tions.   They  are  all 
WINNERS. 


CRANFIELD 
&  CLARKE 

729  Seventh  Ave. 


CRANFIELD     &     CLARKE,     INC.  j 


things  of  Desire,"  a  novel  by  J.  Wesley 
Putnam,  will  be  the  initial  vehicle  of 
the  elaborate  series  he  is  planning  for 
the  coming  season. 

"Playthings  of  Desire"  is  a  society 
melodrama,  with  the  nucleus  of  its  in- 
triguing plot  built  around  a  sensational 
divorce  case  in  high  society.  It  was  se- 
lected by  Mr.  Jans  for  production  this 
fall  during  his  stay  in  Maine  last  sum- 
mer, when  he  occupied  most  of  his  leis- 
ure time  in  reading  books  and  plays 
with  a  view  to  their  possibilities  for 
picturization  and  their  special  adapta- 
bility to  the  needs  of  the  market. 

Burton  King  has  been  engaged  to 
direct  the  picture,  which  will  be  the 
first  of  a  series  of  six  high  class  pro- 
ductions, which  Mr.  Jans  hopes  will  set 
a  new  mark  in  attraction  quality  in  the 
independent  fields.  Mr.  King  is  already 
at  work  selecting  the  cast,  which  will 
be  in  its  entirety  of  the  best  box  office 
calibre.  Harry  Chandlee  is  in  charge 
of  the  continuity,  which  is  being  writ- 
ten by  William  B.  Laub. 

The  story  of  "Playthings  of  Desire," 
which  is  published  in  book  form  by  The 
MacAuley  Company,  deals  with  the 
machinations  of  an  unscrupulous  and 
unmoral  millionaire,  who  tries  to  in- 
volve his  wife  in  a  scandal  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securing  a  divorce,  and  the  de- 
votion and  idealism  of  a  simple  hearted 
Canadian  guide,  whose  punctilious  hon- 
or and  reverence  for  the  wife  of  his 


employer  ultimately  defeats  the  other's 
evil  plans.  Throughout  the  story  is 
filled  with  thrills  and  suspense,  with 
breath-taking  situations  galore,  which 
when  translated  into  pictorial  sequences, 
Mr.  Jans  believes,  will  prove  highly  sen- 
sational. 

According  to  Mr.  Jans  announcement, 
"shooting"  on  the  picture  will  begin  Oc- 
tober 20,  arrangements  for  a  studio  be- 
ing practically  completed  but  to  be  final- 
ly decided  on,  only  with  the  completion 
of  the  cast,  which  will  include  some  of 
the  best  box  office  names  of  artists  now 
in  the  East. 

*    *  * 

HOUSTON  THEATRE  TAKES 
BANNER  SERIES 

The  Iris  Theatre,  one  of  the  leading 
houses  in  Houston,  Tex.,  has  contract- 
ed with  the  Enterprise  Distributing  Cor- 
poration of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  which  handles 
the  Banner  product  in  this  territory,  for 
both  Banner  series,  totalling  eight  at- 
tractions in  all. 

Play  dates  have  already  been  set  for 
Banner's  "The  Truth  About  Women," 
with  Hope  Hampton  and  Lowell  Sher- 
man, and  "The  Man  Without  A  Heart," 
featuring  Kenneth  Harlan  and  Jane 
Novak,  both  of  which  were  produced 
under  Burton  King's  direction. 

These  will  be  followed  by  "Empty 
Hearts,"  directed  by  Al  Santell,  and 
produced  by  Ben  Verschleiser  for  Ban- 
ner, with  Clara  Bow,  John  Bowers,  Lil- 
lian Rich  and  an  all  star  cast. 

Hitherto  the  Iris  has  seldom  booked 
independent  productions,  this  being  the 
first  instance  where  they  have  con- 
tracted for  an  entire  series  from  the 
same  producer. 


A  scene  from  Independent  Pictures  "The  Bandit  Tamer"  featuring  Franklin  Far- 
num,  who  has  been  signed  to  make  a  series  of  Western  pictures  for  Jesse  Goldberg. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


Harry  Cohn,  West  Coasi  representative 
and  production  manager  for  C.  B.  C.  He 
is  commonly  known  as  a  go-getter  and  the 
results  are  shown  in  the  C.  B.  C.  product. 


BEN  VERSCHLEISER 
SHOWING  CLASS 

Ben  Verschleiser,  who  is  producing 
features  for  distribution  by  Banner 
Productions,  Inc.,  and  whose  initial  of- 
fering "Empty  Hearts,"  starring  Clara 
Bow  and  John  Bowers,  which  is  a  sen- 
sation in  the  independent  field,  only  re- 
cently entered  the  producing  end  of  the 
industry  on  his  own  account. 

Previously  he  was  associated  with 
Grand-Asher  and  C.  B.  C.  in  charge  of 
their  producing  activities  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  his  success  in  bringing  at- 
tractions of  big  box  office  calibre  to  the 
screen,  led  him  to  organize  his  own  pro- 
ducing unit,  and  ally  himself  with 
George  H.  Davis  and  Samuel  J.  Bris- 
kin,  the  directing  heads  of  Banner  Pro- 
ductions, Inc. 

Mr.  Verschleiser  has  a  genius  for 
organization  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  production  costs  and  values,  and  this 
coupled  with  his  keen  sense  of  box 
office  possibilities  in  making  his  selec- 
tion of  stories  to  be  screened,  augurs 
a  highly  successful  future  for  him  in 
the  producing  field. 

Mr.  Verschleiser,  while  originally  a 
New  Yorker,  has  been  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  so  long  and  has  been  so  identified 
with  film  activities  there  that  he  almost 
rates  as  native  son'  of  the  Golden  West. 
He  is  a  silent  partner  in  many  theatres, 
both  there  and  in  other  sections  of  the 
country.  ■  < 

Mr.  Verschleiser  is  now  at  work  on 
"The  Three  Keys,"  from  the  novel  by 
Frederic  Ormond. 


WHAT  DOES  THE  WORD 
"INDEPENDENT"  MEAN 
TO  YOU? 

It's  a  curious  development, 
the  sudden  gain  in  popularity 
of  the  word  "Independent"  in 
the  field  of  distribution. 

People  who  have  no  claim, 
whatever,  to  recognition  as  in- 
dependent distributors  are  sud- 
denly claiming  it. 

Quite  a  compliment,  from  the 
standpoint  of  those  who  have 
been  consistent  advocates  of 
the  independent  method  of  dis- 
tribution. 

An    Independent  Dis- 
tributor is  one  whose  prod- 
uct  is  marketed  through 
Independent  Exchanges. 
Simple  enough,  isn't  it  ? 
The  Independent  Exchange 
is  an  integral  part  of  the  inde- 
pendent plan  of  distribution. 

The  independent  exchange  is 
an  organization  equipped  .  and 
ready  to  do  business  with  you, 
as  an  Exhibitor,  without  sub- 
mitting its  contracts  to  someone 
in  New  York  for  rejection  after 
a  booking  is  supposed  to  be  set- 
tled; without  having  to  get 
someone  in  New  York  to  help 
in  the  painful  process  of  charg- 
ing you  more  than  a  picture  is 
worth,  more  than  you  can  af- 
ford to  pay  for  it. 

The  independent  exchange, 
morever,  is  a  specialist.  It 
knows  your  territory — the  con- 
ditions you  are  facing  day  by 
day.  It  does  not  have  to 
worry  about  reconcilling  the 
Rocky  Mountains  with  New 
England  or  Texas  with  the 
North  Coast 

When  you  book  independent 
pictures  through  an  independ- 
ent exchange  you  are  giving 
yourself  a  good  break. 


FIRST  RUN  THEATRES 
BOOK  'FLYING  FISTS' 

Benny  Leonard's  series  of  two  reel 
features,  "Flying  Fists,"  has  received 
exceptional  bookings  from  first  run 
theatres  throughout  the  country.  In 
addition  to  the  two  weeks  booking  at 
the  Rivoli  and  Rialto,  New  York, 
Henry  Ginsberg  announces  that  the 
series  will  be  seen  in  the  Rowland  and 
Clark  Theatres,  Pittsburgh ;  the  Grand 
Theatre,  Pittsburgh;  in  the  M'astbaum 
circuit  houses  in  Philadelphia. 


RAYART  TO  RELEASE 
HARRY  BROWN  SPECIALS 

Under  a  contract  just  signed  between 
Rayart  Pictures  Corporation  and  the 
Harry  J.  Brown  Productions  of  Los 
Angeles,  Rayart  secures  the  world  dis- 
tribution on  the  forthcoming  Harry  J. 
Brown  Melodramas,  the  first  of  which 
will  be  "Easy  Money,"  featuring  Mary 
Carr,  Cullen  Landis,  Gladys  Walton, 
Mildred  Harris,  Gertrude  Astor  and 
David  Kirby. 

The  second  production  will  be  "The 
Beloved  Pawn"  from  the  book  of  that 
name,  by  Henry  Titus.  The  first  pic- 
ture, "Easy  Money,"  will  be  released 
on  the  Independent  market  on  Decem- 
ber L 

"The  Beloved  Pawn"  will  be  released 
February  1. 

#    >k  # 

GLORIA  JOY  IN 
BUTTERFLY  COMEDIES 

Under  a  contract  closed  last  week 
between  the  Sherwood  MacDonald  Pro- 
ductions of  Los  Angeles  and  the  Ray- 
art Pictures  Corporation,  Rayart  have 
secured  the  world  distribution  on  the 
series  of  twelve  Butterfly  Comedies  now 
in  work  on  the  Coast,  starring  Gloria 

Joy- 

The  first  Butterfly  Comedy  will  be 
released  by  Rayart,  December  1st,  and 
one  a  month  thereafter. 


Ben  Wilson,  one  of  the  best  known  Wes- 
tern characters  in  the  films,  is  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  a  series  of  thrillers  for 
Arrow  Film  Corporation. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  41 


'With  The  Independent  Distridutors 


TAINTED  FLAPPER'  IS 
BREAKING  RECORDS 

"The  Painted  Flapper"  produced  by 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation  for  the 
independent  market  this  season,  as  its 
third  production  in  the  Chadwick  9, 
bids  fair  to  outdistance  even  such  a 
master  picture  as  "The  Fire  Patrol"  in 
its  box-office  strength  and  in  popularity 
with  movie  fans. 

"The  Painted  Flapper,"  according  to 
reports  from  Pittsburgh  last  week  broke 
the  records  of  the  new  Schenley  thea- 
tre there,  doing  more  business  than  the 
three  presentations  at  the  Schenley  that 
preceded  it.  The  Schenley,  one  of 
Pittsburgh's  finest  theatres,  was  opened 
four  weeks  ago. 

I.  E.  Chadwick,  president  of  Chad- 
wick Pictures  Corporation  is  reported 
to  be  highly  gratified  with  the  exhibi- 
tors' comment  he  is  receiving  from  all 
over  the  country  and  from  the  ex- 
changes who  are  handling  his  product. 

FRANKLYN  FARNUM  A 
PROUD  FATHER 

W.  Ray  Johnston,  President  of  Rayart 
Pictures  Corporation,  announces  that 
the  super-special  which  is  being  released 
through  that  organization  on  November 
1st,  which  was  originally  called,  "A 
Woman  Scorned,"  has  been  given  the 
permanent  title  of  "For  Another  Wo- 
man," as  it  was  found  that  "A  Woman 
Scorned"  is  being  used  by  another  com- 
pany for  one  of  their  forthcoming  re- 
leases. 

"For  Another  Woman"  features  Ken- 
neth Harlan,  Kathryn  Riddell,  Mary 
Thurman,  Alan  Hale,  Tyrone  Power, 
Arnold  Daly  and  Florence  Billings. 
*    *  # 

CRANFIELD  &  CLARKE 
ADD  NEW  DEPARTMENT 

Cranfield  &  Clarke  has  gone  and  done 
it!  A  Scenario  and  Play  Department 
has  been  added  by  Cranfield  &  Clarke 
to  their  many  activities,  thereby  creat- 
ing a  precedent.  This  is  absolutely  the 
first  time  a  state  right  distributing  or- 
ganization has  ever  entered  this  field  of 
endeavor.  This  department  will  be  su- 
pervised under  the  sole  management  of 
Forrester  Harvey. 

Forrester  Harvey  has  enjoyed  an  en- 
viable reputation  for  many  years  as  the 
official  play  and  scenario  reader  for 
most  of  the  largest  theatrical  managers 
and  motion  picture  producers  of  Lon- 
don. Harvey  comes  to  America  with 
the  well  wishes  and  many  promises  of 
cooperation  of  several  American  direct- 
ors who  have  made  pictures  in  England 


in  the  past,  and  who  have  had  occasion 
for  Harvey's  services  while  in  that 
country. 

Forrester  Harvey  is  the  sole  Ameri- 
can representative  for  several  famous 
dramatists  and  novelists  among  whom 
are  included :  R.  C.  Carton,  H.  V.  Es- 
mond, Marmaduke  Pickthall,  and  many 
others.  The  Stoll  Film  Company  of 
London  are  at  present  at  work  on  "Not 
For  Sale,"  by  Monica  Ewer,  which  was 
placed  through  Forrester  Harvey's  of- 
fice in  London. 

The  objective  of  this  newly  formed 
department  will  be  to  delve  into  all  sorts 
of  foreign  literature  for  the  nucleous 
necessary  for  practical  adaptation  for 
the  screen,  this  way  saving  the  scenario 
department  of  the  various  producing 
companies  a  great  deal  of  work.  This 
new  department  will  be  called  the  Cran- 
field-Clarke  &  Harvey  Scenario  and 
Play  Department,  and  will  have  for  its 
slogan  the  following  phase  : 


"You  want  the  best  plays  and  books 
- — We  have  them." 

The  London  address  of  this  depart- 
ment is :  Broadmead  House,  21  Panton 
St.,  S.  W.  i,  London,  England. 

The  New  York  address  is,  Cranfield 
&  Clarke,  Inc.,  729  7th  Ave.,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

*    *  * 

JESEE  J.  GOLDBURG 
TO  RETURN  SOON 

Jesse  J.  Goldburg,  president  of  the 
Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  who  has 
been  out  on  the  coast  for  the  past  eight 
weeks  personally  supervising  the  pro- 
duction of  the  Helen  Holbes-William 
Desmons,  Bill  Cody,  Franklyn  Farnum, 
and  Bob  Custer  series,  is  expected  back 
in  New  York  next  week  for  a  brief  stay 
after  which  he  will  again  journey  out 
to  the  coast  to  supervise  the  filming  of 
the  remaining  pictures  of  the  various 
series. 


Where  To  Book  Them  ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. 
Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American  Fea.  Film  Co.,  37  Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi — 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — *  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard  Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle— 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle — 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal- -4  Midwest  Film  Ex..  2111   Moser  Av. 
Dal — 5  All  Star  Feature  Films,  Film  Exch.  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den — 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 

DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Standard  Playr's  Corp.,  144  W.  Vermont  St. 
Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC — 1  Independent  Film  Co.,   117  West  17th  St. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  Ark. 
LR— 1  Homestate  Film  Co..  1114  W.  Markham  St. 

LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 
LA — 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 


MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 
Mil — 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions   (See  Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min — 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon — 1  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 
NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  Inc.,  1401  Tulana  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corn..  729-7th  Ave. 
NY— 2  A-l  Film  Exchange,  729-7th  Ave. 
NY — 3  Dependable  Pictures  Corp.,  729  7th  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  STATE 
NY— 1  Dependable  Pict.  Corp.,  7219  7  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty   Films   Inc.,    1514   Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 
PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 

Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  209  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,  15  Richmond  St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash — 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash— 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch.,  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN   RIGHTS,   N.  Y.  CITY 

FR — 1  Simmons-Kahn  Enterprises.  220  W.  42nd  St. 
FR— 2  Inter  Ocean   Film   Corp.,   218  W.  47th  St. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


T.  Roy  Barnes,  the  comedian  who  has 
starred  in  many  successful  productions  of  the 
speaking  stage  and  the  films,  has  been  added 
to  the  cast  of  "Seven  Chances,"  the  next 
Buster  Keaton  feature  length  comedy.  Barnes 
had  a  leading  role  in  Cosmopolitan's  pro- 
duction of  "The  Great  White  Way,"  released 
by  Metro-Goldwyn. 

*    $  $' 

Vic  Potel  is  a  member  of  the  Warner  Bros, 
cast  now  at  work  in  the  company's  West 
Coast  studios  producing  the  photoplay  ver- 
sion ef  Willa  Cather's  popular  novel,  "A  Lost 
Lady." 

Fifty-one  persons  left  Hollywood  because 
the  scenery  didn't  suit  them. 

They  are  William  Howard,  director,  and 
his  company  of  players  and  staff  from  the 
Paramount  studio  in  Hollywood.  They  left 
for  the  Tonto  Basin  in  Arizona  where  the 
filming  of  Zane  Grey's  "The  Code  of  the 
West"  will  take  place. 

Pathe  announces  a  change  in  title  in  one 
of  Ben  Turpin's  most  recent  comedies  based 
on  a  burlesqued  story  of  "The  Virginian." 
Prior  publicity  stated  that  the  picture  was 
being  produced  under  the  title  of  the  "West- 
Virginian."  The  final  title  selected  for  the 
release  of  the  picture  is  "The  Reel- Virgin- 
ian." 

Raymond  McKee  has  been  signed  by  Lasky 
to  play  in  Alan  Crosland's  next  production 
to  start  the  middle  of  October. 

Virginia  Lee  Corbin  has  been  signed  by 
Ben  Verschleiser  to  play  the  lead  opposite 
Gaston  Glass  in  his  next  production. 

The  cast  signed  to  play  in  the  next  Buddy 
Roosevelt  production  is  as  follows :  Brenda 
Lane,  Joe  Rickson,  John  W.  Dillion  and  Al 
Richmond. 


Pauline  Frederick  and  Lew  Cody  in  a 
moment  from  "Three  Women,"  a  Lubitsch 
special  production  for  Warner  Brothers. 


"The  Virgin,"  Phil  Goldstone's  latest  pro- 
duction is  enjoying  its  second  week  at  the 
Mission  Theatre  in  Los  Angeles,  which  is  a 
one  week  run  house. 

Kathleen  Key  is  sufficiently  recovered  from 
a  broken  arm  sustained  when  she  was  struck 
by  a  falling  reflector,  to  resume  work  in  "Ben 


Florence  Vidor  and  Edmund  Lowe,  in  the 
Civil  War  period  play,  "Barbara  Frietchie," 
released  by  the  Producer's    Dist.  Corp. 


Hur,"  Fred  Niblo's  mammoth  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer  production  at  Rome. 

Miss  Key  was  standing  with  Ramon  No- 
varro  back  of  the  camera,  watching  Niblo 
direct  several  thousand  extras  in  a  mob  scene, 
when  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  caught  one  of 
the  large  reflectors  and  toppled  it  over. 

*  *  * 

Marjorie  Daw,  on  location  with  "Fear- 
Bound,"  a  William  Nigh  production  for  Vi- 
tagraph,  will  soon  be  seen  in  this  country  on 
the  screen  in  "Paris  Nights,"  and  "The  Pas^- 
sionate  Adventure,"  supervised  by  Myron 
Selznick  abroad. 

*  *  * 

First  National  has  added  three  more  screen 
actors  of  national  reputation  to  the  roster 
of  players  supporting  Colleen  Moore  in  her 
first  starring  venture  for  that  company.  They 
are  Phyllis  Haver,  who  appears  as  Dallas, 
the  artist,  with  whom  Dirk  De  Jong  falls  in 
love ;  Rosemary  Theby  as  Paula  Storm,  who 
is  in  love  with  Dirk;  and  Henry  Hebert  as 
Paula's  husband. 

^     $  ~  sfc 

Tod  .Browning  has  completed  "The  Dan- 
gerous Flirt,"  Evelyn  Brent's  first  starring 
vehicle  for  Gothic  Pictures.  It  will  be  re- 
leased shortly  by  F.  B.  O.,  the  first  of  a 
series  of  four  productions  featuring  the 
British- American  star. 


Gloria  Grey  has  been  signed  by  Harry  Gar- 
son  to  play  opposite  Lefty  Flynn  in  Flynn's 
next  starring  vehicle  for  F.  B.  O.  "The  No- 
Gun  Man." 

*  *  * 

Lou  Baum,  president  of  Gothic  Pictures, 
producing  at  F.  B.  O's  Hollywood  studios,  is 
reading  plays  and  novels  with  a  view  to  pro- 
ducing them  this  winter. 

*  *  * 

In  the  production  of  their  photoplay  from 
Edwin  Bateman  Morris'  novel,  "The  Nar- 
row Street,"  the  Warner  Bros,  had  to  un- 
dertake a  rather  extensive  bit  of  building  on 
their  lot  in  Hollywood.  They  didn't  have 
exactly  the  right  kind  of  a  "street"  in  which 
to  begin  the  story — and  they  couldn't  find  one 
in  Los  Angeles — so  they  had  to  build  it. 

*  ♦  * 

Claude  Gillingwater  has  been  chosen  hy 
George  Fitzmaurice  for  an  important  role  in 
the  current  Goldwyn-Fitzmaurice  production 
"A  Thief  in  Paradise,"  according  to  an  an- 
nouncement made  by  the  director. 

^  t   ^  i 

Millard  Webb,  Warner  Bros,  director,  has 
just  finished  the  final  shots  of  "The  Dark 
Swan"  which  has  been  in  production  at  the 
Warner  studios  in  Hollywood  for  the  past 
few  weeks.  The  picture  will  be  edited,  cut, 
and  titled  at  top  speed  and  early  prints  are 
expected  in  New  York  within  the  next  two 
or  three  weeks.  The  release  date  is  set  for 
November  1. 

*  *  * 

A  screen  characterization  similar  to  the 
role  he  played  in  "The  Virginian,"  will  be 
furnished  Kenneth  Harlan  in  the  new  Pre- 
ferred Picture,  "White  Man"  which  Gasnier 
is  directing  for  B.  P.  Schulberg  Productions. 

*  *  * 

Another  of  the  seasons  best  sellers  has  been 
captured  for  the  screen.  "The  Plastic  Age" 
by  Percy  Marks  has  been  bought  by  the 
Universal  Pictures  Corporation.  It  is  not 
only  a  book  with  a  great  temporary  vogue, 
but  it  is  one  which  in  all  probability  will  be- 
come a  classic. 

-i-      ^  -  -JB 

King  Baggot,  Universal  director,  has  finish- 
ed cutting  "The  Tornado,"  Universal's  big 
Jewel  release  starring  House  Peters  under 
his  new  contract  with  that  company.  "The 
Tornado"  is  a  screen  adaptation  of  Lincoln 
J.  Carter's  famous  melodrama  of  the  same 
name.  It  is  said  to  be  even  more  of  a  thriller 
on  the  screen  than  it  was  on  the  stage. 

$    ❖  $ 

"The  Great  Miracle"  has  just  selected  as 
a  title  for  the  new  Jewel,  which  heretofore 
has  had  its  original  title,  "Miracle"  and  "The 
Stairway  of  Hope"  as  working  titles.  Al- 
though owning  the  original  title  "Miracle" 
and  in  a  position  to  use  it  for  the  screen, 
Universal  chose  to  change  the  title  because 
of  its  similarity  to  that  of  the  Morris  Gest 
play,  "The  Miracle." 


October  25,  1924 


Page  43 


Photography  has  been  completed  on  "Jazz 
Parents,"  William  A.  Seiter's  new  production 
at  Universal  City,  which  has  gone  to  the  cut- 
ting room  for  final  editing. 

♦  *  * 

Helena  D'Algy,  considered  the  most  prom- 
ising film  "find"  of  the  year,  has  been  signed 
by  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  as  a  contract  mem- 
ber of  the  stock  company,  and  is  on  her  way 
to  the  Culver  City '  studios. 

Miss  D'Algy  appears  in  the  leading  femi- 
nine roll  opposite  Rudolph  Valentino  in  his 
new  picture,  and  by  those  who  have  seen  her 
work  is  declared  to  be  of  such  remarkable 
talent  and  beauty  that  a  great  screen  future 
is  assured  her. 

♦  4?  ♦ 

Erich  Von  StroheLm  has  emerged  from  se- 
clusion to  announce  that  the  script  for  "The 
Merry  Widow,"  upon  which  he  has  been 
working  in  collaboration  with  Benjamin  Gla- 
zer,  has  finally  been  completed.  Mae  Mur- 
ray is  to  star  in  the  famous  Lehar  Operetta, 
which  will  be  Von  Stroheim's  next  produc- 
tion for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 

♦  Hs  % 

Searching  for  locations  by  air  is  one  of 
the  newest  accomplishments  inaugurated  by 
the  film  industry  in  the  making  of  motion 
pictures. 

Orvin  Willat,  now  in  Texas  producing  Par- 
amount's  "North  of  36,"  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  United  States  Government  to 
go  up  in  an  army  airplane  from  Kelly  Field, 
Texas.  The  invitation  was  extended  through 
Colonel  Fechot  and  Lieutenant  L.  A.  Smith 
of  that  post. 

♦  ♦  ♦ 

Ernst  Lubitsch,  famous  international  di- 
rector now  engaged  in  producing  photoplays 
for  Warner  Bros.,  is  one  of  the  favored  few 
in  the  motion  picture  industry  whose  activ- 
ities are  always  genuinely  interesting  to  the 
trade — probably  for  the  reason  that  his  work 
in  this  country  to  date  has  always  meant  a 
great  deal  in  dollars  and  cents  to  exhibitors 
throughout  the  country. 


Irving  G.  Thalberg  has  announced  that 
Conrad  Nagel  and  Norma  Shearer  are  to  play 
the  leading  roles  in  "Excuse  Me,"  the  fa- 
mous stage  success  by  Rupert  Hughes,  which 


In  this  colorful  atmosphere  of  the  Orient,  this  scene  from  the  First  National  picture 
"The  Only  Woman"  gives  excellent  expression  to  the  locale  of  the  tale  enacted  by 
Norma  Talmadge  and    Eugene    O'Brien,    who    capably   play   the   leading  roles. 

goes  into  production  at  the  Metro-Goldwyn 
Mayer  studio  this  week. 


Charles  Ray  once  more  flashes  across  the 
silver  sheet,  now  playing  in  the  new  Ince- 
Pathe  feature  titled    "Dynamite  Smith." 


.  *   *  * 

Samuel  Goldwyn,  by  arrangement  with  the 
Metro-Goldwyn  Company,  has  signed  Aileen 
Pringle  to  play  one  of  the  featured  leads  in 
the  George  Fitzmaurice  production  "A  Thief 
in  Paradise,"  adapted  by  Francis  Marion  from 
Leonard  Merrick's  novel  "The  Worldlings." 


Having  completed  the  leading  role  in  B. 
P.  Schulbergs  Preferred  Picture,  "The 
Breath  of  Scandal,"  Patsy  Ruth  Miller  has 
arrived  in  New  York  from  the  coast.  While 
in  the  east,  Miss  Miller  will  play  in  a  new 
picture  opposite  Lou  Tellegen. 


Willard  Louis,  Warner  Bros.,  star  who 
has  attracted  unusual  attention  during  the 
past  few  months  through  his  splendid  per- 
formances as  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  support 
of  John  Barrymore  in  "Beau  Brummel"  and 
later  in  the  title  role  of  Sinclair  Lewis' 
"Babbitt,"  is  soon  to  be  seen  in  another  big 
photoplay  which  promises  to  prove  his  great- 
est success. 

*    *  * 

First  National  Pictures  has  acquired  from 
Arthur  Richman,  the  author,  and  Robert  Mil- 
ton, the  producer,  the  film  rights  to  Mr.  Rich- 
man's  new  and  successful  play,  "The  Far 
Cry,"  which  has  quickly  developed  into  one  of 
the  big  Broadway  stage  successes  of  the  cur- 
rent season. 

rfc  + 

"Forbidden  Paradise,"  Pola  Negri's  latest 
starring  picture  for  Paramount,  is  completed. 

The  first  American  made  Negri  picture 
under  the  direction  of  Ernst  Lubitsch  who 
was  loaned  to  Paramount  by  Warner  Bros, 
for  this  picture,  promises  to  be  one  of  the 
most  colorful  and  dramatic  films  which  that 
famous  pair  have  yet  produced.  Adding  to 
their  experience  and  their  mastery  of  tech- 
nique during  the  two  years  which  have  elapsed 
since  they  separated  in  Europe,  both  Pola 
Negri  and  Lubitsch  have  brought  to  the  film- 


ing of  "Forbidden  Paradise"-' a' strength  and', 
deftness  unknown  in  their  European  days. 

*    *  •.  4-* 

i  ' 

Harry  DeiL  who.  is  to  assist  on  "The  Re- 
creation of  Brian  Kent,"  the  next  Sam  Wood  -[ 
production  for  Principal  Pictures,,  has  started 
on  a  hunting  trip  through  the  north.  Deil 
however,'  is  not  outfitted  with  high  caliber  ; 
guns  or  other  hunting  paraphernalia,  but  rath-  t 
er,  with  maps,  a  camera,  and  an  expense  ac- 
count."   ■  .   •  •       »  -  ! 
■  -.  -       ••          •'*           -  ! 

'  .*,  '*-.    *       .;    -,  , 

Twenty  Parisian  beauties  have  been  brought  , 
to  Rome  to  appear  in  Fred  Niblo's  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  production,  of  "Ben  Hur." 
They  were  selected  by' Bess  Meredyth  while 
the '  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  scenarist  was  in 
the  French  metropolis.  Miss'  Meredyth  in- 
terviewed Several  hundred  young  girls,  and 
the  crearri  of  the  lot  are  now  romping,  as  the 
Roman1  Mercury  states,  "in  the  throes  of 
what  may  prove  for  some  of  them  a  stepping 
stone  to  fame  and  fortune;" 


Director  David  Kirkland-has  completed  the 
cast  for  "The  Tomboy,";  which.  Mission  Film 
Corporation  is  now  producing  -for  Chadwick 
Pictures  release. 

Mary  Carr  is  beginning  to  be'  an  F.  B.  O. 
standby.  'Mrs.  Carr's  latest  release  for  F. 
B.  O.  will  be  "Sold  For  Cash,"  the  first  As- 
sociated Arts  production  in  w,hich  she  appears 
with  Madge  Bellamy  and'  Kenneth  Harlan. 

*  *    *  ..: 

Jack  Collins,  formerly  gag  man  with,  Sen- 
nett  arid;  Lloyd  Hamilton,  has  jpine'd  F.  B.  O. 
and  been  assigned  by  B.  P,  Firieman  to  "The 
Go-Getters"  series.         .  ', 

*  *  .•  * 


Al  Santell  has  returned  to  F.  B.  O.  to  di- 
rect "Parisian  Nights,"  for  Gethic. 


George  O'Hare  resumes  his  boxing  work 
in  episode  four  of  F.  B.  O-.'s  "The  Go-Get- 
ters." 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


VANCE  NOVEL 

MAKES  FINE  PICTURE 

Pauline  Frederick  Scintillates  as  Star 
of  'Married  Flirts' 

'Married  Flirts.'  A  Metro-Goldwyn  Picture. 
Author,  Louis  Joseph  Vance.  Scenario,  Jul- 
ia Crazvford  Ivers.  Director,  Robert  Vig- 
nola.    Length,.  6765  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 
Nelly  Wayne  f. 

".Mrs.  Paramor"  )   Pauline  Frederick 

Perley  Rex    Conrad  Nagel 

Jill  We;herell    Mae  Busch 

Pendleton  Wayne    Huntly  Gordon 

Evelyn  Draeup   Paterson  Dial 

Peter  Granville   Paul  Nicholson 

Mrs.  Callender    Alice  HoUister 

Nelly  Wayne,  a  middle  aged  wife,  endeavors  to 
combine  a  literary  career  with  her  married  life.  Re- 
sult—she loses  her  husband  to  Jill  Wetherell,  a  so- 
phisticated flirt.  Nelly,  heartbroken,  divorces  Wayne. 
And  Jill  jilts  him  to  marry  Perley  Rex.  Nelly  be- 
comes famous  as  "Mrs.  Paramor,"  the  popular 
novelist  of  the  day.  Now  smartly  gowned  and  fas- 
cinating in  manner  and  appearance,  she  meets  the 
Rexes  and  deliberately  turns  the  tables  on  Jill  by 
winning  Perley's  love.  After  teaching  Jill  her  les- 
son, she  returns  to  Wayne,  whom  she  has  never 
ceased  to  love. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

'T'HIS  one  should  receive  universal  audi- 
*  ence  approval,  and  ring  up  plenty  of  fares 
for  every  exhibitor  who  shows  it.  The  pic- 
ture is  an  adaption  of  Louis  Joseph  Vance's 
popular  novel  "Mrs.  Paramor,"  and  as  such 
has  an  array  of  book-lovers  waiting  to  wel- 
come it.  The  title  has  a  box-office  ring  to 
it,  and  the  cast  will  accomplish  the  rest  so 
far  as  getting  t-hem  in  is  concerned. 

And  once  inside  "Married  Flirts"  will  furn- 
ish your  patrons  with  hightly  satisfactory  en- 
tertainment. The  tale  has  adult  appeal. 
There  is  scarcely  a  woman  who  has  not 
imagined  at  some  time  or  other  that  her  hus- 
band may  drift  a  bit.  Therefore  every  fem- 
inine heart  will  revel'  in  the  wife's  triumph 
and  revenge.  And  meantime,  the  masculine 
part  of  your  audience,  will  be  attentively  fol- 
lowing the  heart  story  of  either  "Mrs.  Par- 
amor" or  Jill — according  to  taste. 

This  is  a  top  notch  picture.  There  is 
nothing  to  which  the  most  critical  may  ob- 
ject, and  there  is  no  reason  why  every  de- 
sirable element  in  the  community  may  not  be 
interested  in  your  showing.  It  is  good  so- 
ciety drama,  just  a  bit  thrillingly  tragic  in 
spots,  and  leavened  with  comedy  of  flashing 
brilliance. 

The  scene  where  -^ill  cynically  and  careless- 
ly tells  Nelly,  the  fading  wife,  that  "  a  wo- 
man who  can't  hold  her  husband  doesn't  de- 
serve to  have  him,"  is  almost  tragic.  But 
in  the  later  sequence,  where  Nelly  has  com- 
pletely reversed  the  situation,  and  gives  Jill 
a  big  dose  of  her  own  medicine,  the  plight 
of  the  younger  woman  is  depicted  in  vivid 
comedy  vein. 

The  scene  where  "Mrs.  Paramor"  enter- 
tains the  screen  stars,  who  are  to  work  in 
the  picturization  of  one  of  her  novels  will 
prove  of  interest  to  your  audiences.  Mae 
Murray,  Aileen  Pringle,  Jack  Gilbert,  and 
other  celebrities  appear  "in  person." 

And  write  this  down  where  you  won't  for- 
get it.  "Polly"  Frederick  in  these  new  roles 
of  the  woman-of-forty  has  created  a  middle 
-aged  heroine  type  that  is  going  to  be  im- 
mensely popular.  Miss  Frederick,  herself, 
will  have  more  admirers  and  be  a  bigger 
box-office  attraction  than  ever  before. 

Tie-up  with  the  novel;  feature  your  cast 
and  title ;  tell  them  about  Miss  Frederick's 
new  type  role ;  conduct  newspaper  contests 
on  whether  a  married  woman  may  pursue  a 
career — whether  there  is  such  a  time  as  "the 
age  of  indiscretion"  in  married  life,  and  so 
on. 


GOOD  CAST  IN 

JAZZ  PICTURE 

Names  of  Popular  Players  and  Title 
May  Help  'The  Painted  Flapper 

'THE  PAINTED  FLAPPER/  Chadwick 
Pictures  Corporation  Production.  Adapted 
From  the  Stage  Play  by  Alan  Pearl.  Di- 
rector, John  Gorman.    Length,  5,551  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Richard  Whitney    James  Kirkwood 

Arline  Whitney    Pauline  Garon 

Egbert  Van  Alyn   Craufurd  Kent 

Isabel  Whitney   Kathlyn  Williams 

Eunice  Whitney    Claire  Adams 

Danny  Lawrence    Hal  Cooley 

Jimmy  Arnold    John  Harron 

Lucy  May    Anita  Simons 

Richard  Whitney,  divorced  by  his  wife  Isabel  be- 
cause of  a  misunderstanding,  returns  from  years  of 
wandering.  He  finds  one  daughter,  Arline,  travelling 
the  painted  flapper  path.  The  other,  Eunice,  has 
been  forced  by  her  mother  into  an  engagement  to 
Van  Alyn,  mysterious  man  of  wealth.  Cooperating 
with  Danny  and  Jimmy,  his  daughters'  lovers, 
Whitney  thwarts  Van  Alyn  and  his  gang,  who 
prove  to  be  international  crooks.  The  girls  are 
united  with  their  sweethearts,  and  Whitney  regains 
the  love  of  his  wife. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

"IF  your  patrons  are  "sold"  on  the  flapper 
with  rouged  lips,  but  heart  of  gold — if 
they  get  a  kick  from  the  "Three  C's" — caba- 
rets, cigarettes  and  cocktails — they  may  enjoy 
the  antics  of  "The  Painted  Flapper"  and  her 
gang. 

The  director  has  strained  to  produce  a  film 
expressly  for  the  box-office,  and  where  au- 
diences like  this  type  of  stuff  he  may  have 
succeeded.  In  some  localities  the  title  will 
doubtless  carry  an  appeal,  and  there  are 
names  in  the  cast  which  will  mean  much  to 
exhibitors  everywhere. 

The  producers  call  this  one  "an  ultra- 
modern jazzology."  So  it  is.  Only  that  and 
nothing  more.  The  old  familiar  hokum  is 
much  in  evidence.  The  story  and  the  char- 
acters are  strongly  reminiscent  of  many  pre- 
decessors. There  is  the  mother  who  sacri- 
fices her  daughter  upon  the  altar  of  social 
ambition.  And  the  father,  misunderstood 
and  suffering  silently.  We  meet  the  daugh- 
ters— -one  constantly  skating  on  very  thin  ice, 
the  other  too  timid  to  even  put  on  skates. 

There  are  the  usual  rising  young  lovers, 
and  the  villain  is  present — slick  and  suave, 
with  a  well-dressed  mob  of  Ijewel  thieves. 
Many  sleek  kid  sheiks  appear.  And  there 
are  alleged  wild  parties  at  home,  in  a  hotel 
and  at  a  cabaret  glorying  in  the  name  of 
"The  Cat's  Pajamas."  It  is  all  in  the  film, 
even  to  one  good  knockout  wallop,  and  a 
denouement  in  which  vice  suffers  and  virtue 
emerges  triumphant. 

The  elastic  arm  of  coincidence  is  strained 
to  the  breaking  point  in  the  scene  where  the 
flapper's  father,  returned  to  town  after  years 
of  absence,  crashes  through  a  door  in  his 
hotel  room,  entering  the  adjoining  suite  in 
time  to  save  his  daughter  from  one  of  her 
dancing  men.  The  girl,  apparently  resenting 
the  intrusion  asks  "And  who  are  you?"  and 
the  answer  is  "Arline,  I  am  your  father." 

Pauline  Garon,  as  the  painted  one,  works 
hard,  and  most  certainly  injects  plenty  of 
jazz  and  action  into  her  characterization. 
There  is  a  particularly  vivid  bit  depicting  a 
real  flapper  "tantrum." 

"The  Painted  Flapper"  may  be  successfully 
exploited  with  any  number  of  tie-ups  on 
articles  presumed  necessary  to  the  existence 
of  the  species — cosmetics,  perfumes,  lingerie, 
wearing  apparel,  and  so  on.  The  title  may 
be  played  up,  and  the  cast  has  real  excel- 
lence which  will  attract  patronage.  It  should 
not  be  hard  to  "get  them  in" — but  how  they 
will  feel  going  out  is  problematical. 


'WINNER  TAKE  ALL' 

CERTAIN  TO  PLEASE 

Buck  Jones,  in  Pugilistic  Role,  Offers 
Lively  Yarn,  With  Thrills  Aplenty 

'Winner  Take  All'  A  William  Fox  Pro- 
duction. Author,  Larry  Evans.  Director, 
W.  S.  Van  Dyke.    Length,  5949  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Perry  Blair    Buck  Jones 

Mary  Brown    Peggy  Shaw 

Felicity  Dare    Lilyan  Tashman 

Dunham    Ben  Deeley 

Perry  Blair,  cowman,  after  a  terrific  fist  fight 
with  his  foreman,  resigns,  and  is  hired  by  three 
visiting  Easterners  with  boxing  interests.  He  makes 
good  and  becomes  a  star  boxer,  but  breaks  his 
contract  when  ordered  to  fight  a  crooked  match. 
Returning  West,  he  later  accepts  a  challenge  from 
his  ex-manager  to  fight  a  well  know  champion.  His 
one  provision  being  that  'winner  take  all.'  With 
the  odds  against  him,  he  wins  the  battle,  and  also 
the  girl  of  his  heart. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

IN  "Winner  Take  All"  exhibitors  have  a 
well  balanced  play,  and  from  a  box-of- 
fice angle  a  certain  success. 

Buck  Jones,  film  fans'  favorite  riding  cow- 
boy, steps  out  of  his  customary  character 
to  take  a  role  strikingly  unusual  for  him, 
yet  one  just  as  colorful  as  usual  from  a 
dramatic  point  of  view.  He  essays  the  play- 
ing of  a  Beau  Brummell  pugilist,  as  they 
call  him  in  the  film, — and  does  it  rather 
neatly,  we  must  admit. 

As  a  gentleman  slugger,  he  proves  excel- 
lent screen  material.  His  thousands  of  fan 
friends  will  greet  him  with  equal  enthusiasm 
when  they  see  him  in  boxing  togs,  as  they 
are  wont  to  do  when  he  dons  chaps  and  spurs. 

Naturally  the  prize-fight  atmosphere  of  it- 
self lends  interest  and  often  suspense.  For 
today,  the  glamor  of  the  ring  has  extended 
even  to  the  ladies  of  the  audience.  They  are 
more  and  more  becoming  adherents  of  the 
boxing  "game"  which  for  so  long  men  alone 
monopolized.  And,  so  Buck  turning  down  a 
mighty  good  contract  and  refusing  to  partici- 
pate in  a  crooked  match  will  find  ready  sym- 
pathy from  both  men  and  women  for  this 
expression  of  good  sportsmanship. 

He  seems  real  and  true  to  life,  and  the 
charm  of  sincerity  tells  on  the  screen. 

His  breezy  Western  ways  naturally  pre- 
clude any  knowledge  of  Eastern  women  and 
their  ideas,  and  when  he  cannot  persuade 
Mary  to  accompany  him  West,  he  cannot  un- 
derstand. 

Some  one  should  have  reminded  him  he 
forgot  to  ask  her  to  marry  him. 

Out  West  he  broods,  and  when  the  op- 
portunity of  a  real  fight  comes  he  plays  for 
big  stakes  and  his  provision  that  Winner 
Take  All  seems  quite  logical,  though  for  him 
a  long  gamble.  Though  the  stands  echo  with 
boos  and  catcalls  on  the  assumption  and  ru- 
mor that  the  fight  is  fixed,  Buck  steadfastly 
sticks  it  out  and  wins,  to  the  joy  of  the 
crowd,  disproving  their  unfair  suspicions  of 
crookedness. 

Exhibitors  will  book  this  picture,  and  will 
find  it  a  real  audience  picture.  All  types  of 
folk  will  see  it  and  enjoy  it.  There's  enough 
of  the  Western  atmosphere  for  those  whose 
preference  runs  that  way;  the  glamor  of  the 
city's  social  whirl  has  its  place  in  the  film, 
and  there's  the  great  thrilling  episodes  of 
the  prize  fight. 

Exploitation  taking  advantage  of  the  prize- 
ring  trend  of  the  picture  will  bring  them  in — 
and  the  name  of  Buck  Jones  itself  is  sufficient 
to  advertise  for  he  carries  a  wide  swath  of 
general  popularity  on  his  broad  shoulders. 


October  25.  1924 


Page  45 


FIND  YOUR  MAN'  A 

BULLY  DOG  PICTURE 

Canine    Star     Performs  Wonderful 
Stunts  in  Brisk  Melo  Thriller 

'FIND  YOUR  MAN.'  Warner  Brothers 
Photoplay.  Author,  Darvl  Francis  Zanuck. 
Director,  Matt  St.  Clair.  Length,  6,800 
Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

rUddiy   Kn  Tin  Tin 

v£$"a  a   June  Marlowe 

Paul  Andrews   Eric  St  c,  ; 

f*f™    ?ams   Pat  Hartigan 

sl^iff   Lew  Harvey 

Shenff   Fred  Stanton 

Paul  Andrews  after  serving  in  the  World  War, 
arrives  in  the  U.  S.  to  find  that  Caroline,  the  giri 
he  loves,  has  disappeared;  his  dog-pal  Buddy  is  tak- 
en from  him  and  consigned  to  the  City  Pound 
Paul  Proceeds  to  beat  his  way  West  on  a  freight 
train.  Buddy  escapes  and  joins  his  master.  Fate 
wills  it  that  Paul  is  compelled  to  leave  the  train  at 
a  lumber  camp.  There  he  saves  a  girl  from  assault 
t>>  Martin  Dams,  and  discovers  the  intended  victim 
to  be  none  other  than  Caroline.  His  stepfather  Gre- 
gory and  Martin  steal  logs  and  try  to  throw  the 
blame  on  Paul.  Martin  kills  Gregory.  Paul  is 
suspected  of  the  crime,  tried  and  about  to  be  pro- 
nounced guilty,  when  Buddy  makes  his  appearance. 
Martin,  terror-stricken,  confesses,  Paul  is  freed  and 
the  lovers  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 
A  GREAT  dog  picture,  the  sort  of  thing 
tkat  will  appeal  to  every  animal  lover, 
and  please  all  admirers  of  brisk,  snappy 
melodrama,  "Find  Your  Man"  registers  as 
first-class  entertainment  which  ought  to  do 
good  business  in  any  house. 

The  canine  hero,  Rin  Tin  Tin,  a  Belgian 
police  dog  of  marvelous  intelligence,  made 
his  screen  debut  in  a  feature  entitled  "Where 
the  North  Begins."  He  scored  a  decided 
hit  in  that  production,  but  the  present  film 
is  far  ahead  of  its  predecessor,  not  only 
when  considered  as  a  starring  vehicle  for 
the  four-footed  Thespian,  but  because  it  pre- 
sents a  more  coherent  plot  in  which  the  hu- 
man interest  angle  is  neatly  developed  and 
a  wider  field  of  action  allowed  the  actors. 

Of  course,  when  all  is  said  and  done,  Rin 
Tin  Tin  remains  the  central  figure  of  the 
leature  and  great  credit  should  be  given  di- 
rector Matt  St.  Clair  for  the  wonderful  re- 
sults he  has  obtained  in  keeping  the  narra- 
tive's thread  intact  while  moulding  the  dog's 
amazing  stunts  and  the  dramatic  sequences 
into  a  perfect  whole. 

Rin  Tin  Tin's  physical  feats  are  on  a  par 
with  his  extraordinary  sagacity,  when  watch- 
ing his  work  you  never  think  of  him  as 
trained  to  go  through  certain  movements, 
everything  he  does  appears  purely  spon- 
taneous and  natural.  In  other  words,  he  en- 
ters right  into  the  spirit  of  his  part  and 
seems  to  enjoy  himself  thoroughly,  a  sure- 
enough  talented  actor  if  ever  there  was  one. 

There  are  several  well  filmed  shots  de- 
voted to  the  presentation  of  the  dog  hero's 
climbing  and  leaping  ability.  Among  these, 
his  entry  into  the  court  room  where  his 
master  is  on  trial,  with  the  villain  bearing 
lalse  witness,  is  probably  the  most  spectac- 
ular. Buddy,  bound  and  gagged  by  a  lumber- 
jack, is  released  by  the  heroine  and  imme- 
diately makes  tracks  for  the  hall  of  justice. 
After  a  couple  of  vain  attempts  to  scale 
the  wall  he  springs  to  a  roof  and  clambers 
down  the  court-room  chimney,  the  real  mur- 
derer is  terror-stricken  at  the  sight  of  the 
animal  and  confesses  his  guilt.  This  is  a 
cracking  good  situation,  with  a  tremendous 
punch  and  unaffected  appeal. 

The  lumber  camp  locations  are  well  pho- 
tographed, there  are  pleasing  exteriors, 
with  many  fine  long  shots  and  excellent 
lighting  effect. 
,  You  can  go  the  limit  in  praising  this  as  a 
tip-top  melodrama,  one  of  the  best  dog  pic- 
ture ever  screened,  and  rest  assured  that 
your  patrons  will  back  your  judgment.  Play 
up  Rin  Tin  Tin  generously,  adults  will  like 
the  teature,  but  you  should  be  able  to  gather 
the  juveniles  in  force  by  getting  up  special 
performances  for  their  benefit. 


THRILLS  WILL  WIN 

FOR  'ROARING  RAILS' 

New  Type  of  Steed  for  Harry  Carey 

Gives  Evidence  of  Diverse  Abilities 

'ROARING  RAILS."  Producers'  Distr. 
Corp.  release.  Auth  ors,  Hunt  Stroinberg 
and  Doris  Dorn.  Director,  Tom  Forman. 
Length,  5753  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Bill  Benson    Harry  Carey 

Little   BiU    Frankie  Darro 

Nora  Burke    Edith  Roberts 

Malcolm  Gregory    Wallace  MacDonald 

Red  Burley    Frank  Hagney 

Bill  Benson,  discharged  railway  engineer  is  aided 
in  escaping  from  jail,  by  Nora  Burke.  Benson  had 
assumed  the  gult  for  a  murder  committed  by  Mal- 
colm Gregory,  son  of  a  railway  president,  providing 
he  pay  the  cost  of  an  operation  on  the  eyes  of  Ben- 
son's little  ward.  Gregory  proves  false  to  his  trust. 
Arriving  at  the  railway,  as  the  engineer  of  the 
first  train  of  a  new  branch  refuses  to  proceed  through 
the  menacing  forest  fire  ahead,  Bill  volunteers.  He 
saves  little  Bill  from  a  shack  in  the  woods,  pro- 
tects the  road  option,  and  weds  Nora. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

Delicate  pathos  and  rip-roaring  thrills 
are  deftly  combined  in  this  melodrama  which 
registers  with  the  true  box-office  punch.  Ex- 
hibitors will  greet  this  Hunt  Stromberg  pro- 
duction with  extended  arms.  Everyone 
loves  a  thriller — and  everyone  will  come  to 
see  Roaring  Rails,  and  leave  the  theatre  sat- 
isfied ;  for  the  picture  is  good. 

The  producer  has  developed  a  classic  and 
Harry  Carey  as  Big  Bill  Benson  capitalizes 
every  opportunity  the  script  presented.  A 
thoroughly  logical  story,  Roaring  Rails  tells 
the  tale  of  a  railway  engineer,  discharged 
because  of  a  wreck  he  caused,  who  tastes 
life's  hardest  crusts. 

He  had  adopted  a  little  war  orphan  while 
serving  at  Chateau  Thierry  as  a  Marine.  This 
little  waif  grows  up  and  calls  him  daddy. 
He  is  the  only  thing  in  the  world  that  loves 
big  Bill. 

When  in  a  bridge  explosion,  little  Bill  is 
blinded,  Benson,  unable  to  raise  the  cost  of  an 
operation,  is  beside  himself  with  worry.  He 
sees  an  opportunity  to  provide  the  child 
with  the  proper  treatment  when  Gregory 
having  murdered  a  man,  comes  to  him  for 
assistance,  promising  to  pay  him  handsome- 
ly for  aiding  his  escape. 

Harry  Carey  as  Benson  giving  a  well  re- 
strained dramatic  performance.  Little 
Frankie  Darro,  as  the  prankish  youngter,  is 
indeed  a  welcome  factor  to  the  screen  where 
juvenile  stars  with  much  less  ability  are 
heralded  far  and  wide. 

The  thrill  of  the  picture  comes  when  Bill 
racing  from  pursuit  of  Sheriff  and  posse  vol- 
unteers and  drives  through  the  flaming  for- 
est fires. 

There  is  suspense,  interest  and  sympathy 
with  the  man  and  girl  tearing  through  space, 
harassed  by  tongues  of  flame  on  all  sides. 
The  hope  that  they  will  find  the  sightless 
little  Bill  at  the  shack  of  the  ruffian  Red 
Burley,  lends  added  punch.  A  very  highly 
pleasing  climax  is  attained. 

As  engineer  togs  are  distinctive,  the  blue- 
and-white  striped  suits,  small  visored  caps 
and  red  neckerchief  could  be  adapted  to  a 
street  bally.  Lobby  displays  showing  an  en- 
gine racing  through  a  forest  fire  would  lend 
especial  attractiveness  as  well  as  get  the 
crowds  in. 

*    *  * 
"I  Like"  "I  Don't  Like" 

"I  like,"  and  "I  don't  like,"  are  the  most 
normal  of  human  reactions.  They  are  the  words  you 
hear  from  most  of  your  customers  when  they  file 
out  at  the  end  of  the  show.  They  mean  a  lot  to 
you  when  they  come  from  customers.  But  they 
have  no  place  in  the  language  of  the  competent  box- 
office  reviewer. 

He  sees  pictures  with  a  strictly  impersonal  eye. 
He  likes  none.  He  dislikes  none.  He  is  an  appraiser. 

He  praises  pictures  in  terms  of  cash  at  the  box- 
office.    He  deals  in  facts,  not  theories. 

He  does  not  tell  you  what  to  book,  what  not  to 
book.  But  he  does  tell  you  things  that,  applied  in 
the  light  of  your  knowledge  of  your  clientele,  will 
enable  you  to  make  money  for  yourself.  That's  his 
business  and  that's  all. 


'WESTERN  WALLOP' 

FULL  OF  ACTION 

Jack  Hoxie's  Latest   Vehicle  a  Fast, 
Thrilling  Melodrama 

'THE  WESTERN  WALLOP.'  Universal 
Photoplay.  Author,  Bannauer.  Director, 
Clifford  Smith.  Length,  4,611  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Bart  Tullison   Jack  Hoxie 

Anita  Stillwell   Margaret  Landis 

Jefferson   Bradshaw   James  Gordon  Russell 

Sheriff  Malloy   Charles  Brinsley 

Bandit   Duke  R.  Lee 

Unfair  but  circumstantial  evidence  sends  Bart 
Tullison  to  jail.  He  wins  a  parole  and  becomes 
foreman  of  the  Stillwell  ranch.  He  has  promised 
never  to  cross  the  state  border.  Anita  Stillwell, 
with  whom  he  has  fallen  in  love,  thinks  he  is 
cowardly  because  he  does  not  pursue  certain  cattle 
thieves  into  the  next  state.  Jim  Bradshaw,  in  an 
attempt  to  spoil  Bart's  chances  with  Anita,  takes 
the  girl  to  a  cabin  across  the  border.  Bart  follows 
and  beats  up  Bradshaw.  The  sheriff  arrives  with  a 
pardon  for  Bart,  who  has  been  declared  innocent  of 
the  crime  for  which  he  was  sentenced.  Bart  wins 
Anita. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

W7HEREVER  Western  pictures  with  fast 
"  action,  romantic  lure  and  good  outdoor 
atmsophere  are  in  demand  "The  Western 
Wallop"  ought  to  prove  a  lucrative  box- 
office  asset.  Although  the  plot  is  a  bit  con- 
ventional in  tone,  the  feature's  speed  and 
melodramatic  urge  are  undeniable,  and  fur- 
nish adequate  entertainment  throughout  the 
entire  five  reels. 

The  title  suggests  strenuous  endeavor  and 
is  not  disappointing  in  this  respect.  From 
first  to  last  the  star  is  kept  busy  trying  to 
cleanse  his  reputation  from  an  undeserved 
stain,  making  love,  defying  his  enemies  and 
doing  some  really  marvelous  horsemanship 
stunts. 

At  the  beginning  the  hero  is  shown  as  one 
of  a  bunch  of  convicts  released  on  parole 
from  the  "pen"  on  condition  that  he  must 
not  cross  the  California  border  line.  He  is 
a  cowpancher  who  has  been  convicted  of 
manslaughter  on  purely  circumstantial  evi- 
dence, finds  employment  as  foreman  of  the 
Stillwell  ranch  and  gets  in  bad  with  Anita, 
the  girl  in  the  case,  because  he  respects  his 
honor  parole  to  the  exent  of  refusing  to  pur- 
sue some  cattle  thieves  across  the  border. 

In  this  way  quite  a  lot  of  sympathy  is 
worked  up  for  Bart  Tullison,  which  cul- 
minates in  a  cracking  good  finish,  when  he 
breaks  his  word  and  pursues  the  villain  who 
abducts  Anita,  over  the  State  line.  Suspense 
is  well  developed  and  maintained,  there  are 
many  decisive  thrills,  as  in  the  situation 
where  the  outlaw  holds  up  the  stage  coach 
and  leads  his  pursuers  a  merry  chase.  But 
the  big  punch  is  put  across  in  great  style 
when  Bart  and  Bradshaw  engage  in  a  fistic 
scrap  which  is  a  miracle  of  hard-going  and 
furious  action. 

Hoxie  is  at  his  best  in  this  episode  and 
sure  to  please  the  numerous  admirers  of 
"red-blood"  movies.  There  is  an  abundance 
of  exceptionally  fine  exteriors,  the  camera 
offering  alluring  views  of  wide  rolling 
prairie  land,  with  mountain  backgrounds,  ex- 
cellent shading  effects  and  charming  long 
shots. 

Margaret  Landis  is  an  exceedingly  attrac- 
tive heroine  in  the  role  of  Anita  Stillwell 
and  scores  a  decided  hit  in  the  many  emo- 
tional scenes  which  fall  to  her  share.  Jack 
Hoxie  has  never  appeared  to  better  advan- 
tage than  as  the  resourceful  and  self-sacri- 
ficing Bart  Tullison,  James  Gordon  Russell 
shines  brilliantly  in  the  villain  part  of  Brad- 
shaw and  the  support  is  smooth  and  well 
balanced. 

Play  up  the  title  in  your  exploitation, 
praise  the  story's  powerful  melodramatic 
swing  and  swift  action,  the  excellent  photog- 
raphy and  thrilling  riding  stunts.  Jack 
Hoxie,  Margaret  Landis  and  James  Gordon 
Russell  should  be  featured. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


'ROSE  OF  PARIS' 

LACKS  CONVICTION 

Universal  Feature    Does    Not  Equal 
Previous  Jewel  Brand  Films 

'THE  ROSE  OF  PARIS.'  Universal  Jewel 
Photoplay.  Adapted  From  Belly  Novel, 
'Mitsi.'  Director  Irving  Cummings.  Length, 
6,320  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Mitsi  Mary  Philbin 

Christian   Robert  Cain 

Andre  du  Vallois   John  Sainpolis 

Mme.   Bolomeff   Rose  Dione 

Florine  du   Vallois   Dorothy  Revier 

George  Der  Vroo   Frank  Currier 

SG0rge,.  Cesare  Gravina 

Paul   Maran   Gino  Corrado 

Y,ve"    ••  Doreen  Turner 

Mother  Superior   Carrie  Daumery 

Mitsi,  orphan  girl,  is  reared  in  convent,  does  not 
know  who  her  parents  were.  Her  grandfather,  on 
his  deathbed,  asks  his  partner,  Christian,  to  trace 
the  girl.  In  a  Paris  cafe  Christian  finds  the  trail 
and  pays  the  woman-keeper  to  get  Mitsi.  Mitsi 
is  brought  to  the  cafe,  but  runs  away  when  she 
realizes  what  an  evil  atmosphere  surrounds  the 
place  She  encounters  Christian  and  recognizes  him 
as  the  man  who  adopted  one  of  the  convent  girls. 
Finally  Mitsi's  identity  is  revealed  and  she  weds 
Christian. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 
rpHIS  picture  does  not  measure  up  to  the 
x  usually  high  standard  of  Jewel  brand  fea- 
tures. It  is  exasperatingly  slow  in  spots,  at 
no  time  very  convincing  and  presents  a  con- 
ventional plot  with  an  extraordinary  jumble 
of  superfluous  characters,  several  of  whom 
could  have  been  utterly  eliminated  without 
being  missed  or  interfering  with  the  story's 
development.  "The  Rose  of  Paris,"  as  it 
stands,  belongs  in  the  program  attraction 
category,  and  considered  as  such,  may  bring 
satisfactory  box-office  returns. 

Artistically,  there  is  no  fault  to  be  found. 
The  feature  is  beautifully  photographed,  the 
settings  and  backgrounds  excellent,  there  are 
many  exquisite  rustic  shots  to  charm  the  eye 
and  the  foreign  atmosphere  is  all  that  could 
be  desired. 

But  the  story  as  a  whole  is  weak,  depends 
altogether  too  much  on  coincidence  for  the 
shaping  of  the  heroine's  destiny  and  suffers 
from  the  fatal  handicap  of  overstrained  pa- 
thos. Also,  in  his  apparent  striving  to  de- 
velop a  variety  of  colorful  incident,  Director 
Cummings  has  overshot  the  mark  and  merely 
succeeded  in  introducing  a  lot  of  confusing 
complications,  with  the  inevitable  result  of 
tearing  the  continuity  all  to  pieces. 

A  false  note  is  struck  early  in  the  proceed- 
ings when  the  cafe-keeper  has  such  an  easy 
time  luring  the  heroine  away  from  the  pro- 
tection of  her  convent  walls.  A  Mother  Su- 
perior would  certainly  require  better  creden- 
tialsthan  those  presented  for  the  purpose  of 
gaining  possession  of  the  innocent  Mitsi  by 
an  underworld  grafter. 

Mary  Philbin's  exquisite  work  in  the  part 
of  Mitsi  demands  unlimited  commendation. 
Her  slender  beauty  and  keen  sense  of  dra- 
matic values  invest  a  rather  unconvincing 
role  with  undeniable  charm  and  strong  sen- 
timental appeal.  In  fact,  with  one  exception, 
the  players  are  well  cast  and  capable.  That 
exception  is  Robert  Cain,  who  has  so  fre- 
quently scored  in  the  past  in  villainous  char- 
acterizations, and  finds  himself  altogether 
out  of  place  when  called  upon  to  pose  as 
hero  Christian.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
said  Christian  never  manages  to  enlist  the 
spectators'  sympathies,  he  being  a  somewhat 
double-faced  sort  of  gent,  whose  intentions 
toward  the  heroine  in  the  beginning  are,  to 
say  the  least,  of  a  doubtful  color. 

It  won't  do  to  promise  much  as  regards 
the  story  when  exploiting  this  feature.  Your 
best  plan  is  to  feature  Mary  Philbin,  refer- 
ring to  the  hit  she  made  in  "The  Merry-Go- 
Round"  and  stressing  her  fine  work  in  this 
feature.  The  title  is  an  attractive  one  and 
should  have  a  general  appeal. 


'WELCOME  STRANGER' 

HAS  HUMAN  APPEAL 

Adaptation  of  Stage  Success  Should 
Prove  Box-Office  Winner 

'WELCOME  STRANGER.'  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corp.  Photoplay.  Adapted  From 
the  Stage  Play  by  Aaron  Hoffman.  Di- 
rector, James  Young.    Length,  6,700  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Isadore  Solomon   Dore  Davidson 

Mary  Clark   Florence  Vidor 

Essie   Solomon   Virginia   Brown  Faire 

Icabod   Whotson   Noah  Beery 

Ned  Tyler   Lloyd  Hughes 

Ed  Hooker   Robert  Edeson 

Clem  Beemis   William  V.  Mong 

Seth  Trimble   Otis  Harlan 

Gideon  Tyler   Fred  J.  Butler 

Detective   Pat  Hartigan 

Isadore  Solomon,  Hebrew  lingerie  dealer,  comes  to 
settle  in  Valley  Falls,  a  New  England  burg,  and  is 
bitterly  opposed  by  the  townsfolk.  He  and  Mary 
Clark,  who  arrived  in  town  the  same  time,  are  be- 
friended by  Clem  Beemis,  general  man  at  the  hotel. 
Ned  Tyler,  banker's  son,  falls  in  love  with  Mary_ 
Solomon  is  endeavoring  to  put  over  a  project  for 
lighting  the  town  with  electricity.  After  many  ad- 
ventures, including  an  attempt  by  her  enemies  to 
smirch  Mary's  good  name,  Ned  proclaims  his  mar- 
riage to  her,  Solomon  and  Ned  start  a  big  power 
plant  and  all  ends  well. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

THE  stage  play  from  which  "Welcome 
Stranger"  is  adapted  has  a  remarkably 
successful  run  in  both  New  York  and  Chi- 
cago. In  its  screen  translation  it  registers 
as  excellent  comedy  drama,  cleverly  acted, 
well  directed  and  possessing  a  general  audi- 
ence appeal  which  should  make  it  a  fine 
drawing  card  for  all  classes  of  theatres. 

Human  nature  at  its  worst  and  best  is 
sharply  outlined  in  this  story  of  ■  a  small 
town  and  intolerant  inhabitants  who  display 
such  animosity  to  the  Hebrew  stranger  in 
their  midst.  Little  Isadore  Solomon,  patient 
and  persistent  in  the  face  of  malignant  per- 
secution, is  a  bravely  appealing  figure,  as  is 
the  heroine,  Mary  Clark,  whose  mysterious 
past  makes  her  the  target  for  the  suspicions 
and  insults  of  the  scandal-mongers. 

Director  James  Young  has  done  an  ex- 
cellent job  in  handling  his  material.  With 
unerring  skill  and  good  judgment  he  mingles 
pathos  and  comedy.  Tears  and  laughter  are 
alternately  provoked  by  situations  which 
move  with  refreshing  smoothness  of  detail, 
the  melodramatic  sequences  are  immensely 
effective  and  the  action  never  drags. 

The  plot  pivots  upon  the  attempt  of  Isa- 
dore and  Clem  Beemis,  a  far-seeing  in- 
ventor, to  light  the  town  with  electricity. 
Solomon  furnishes  the  capital  to  buy  the 
water-power,  in  Mary's  name,  but  from  the 
start  they  meet  with  steady  opposition,  the 
Mayor  being  one  of  their  bitterest  enemies. 
Isadore  cannot  rent  a  store  to  harbor  his 
goods  on  account  of  the  hatred  the  towns- 
folk have  for  him.  Ned  Tyler,  banker's  son, 
comes  to  his  aid  and  lends  him  a  house  in 
which  to  keep  his  stock. 

They  light  the  house  with  electricity  and 
the  mayor  throws  a  switch  which  blows  up 
the  building  and  incidentally  destroys  Isa- 
dore's  goods.  This  is  a  well  staged  episode 
and  provides  one  of  the  best  thrills  in  the 
picture.  A  scheme  to  discredit  Mary  fails, 
Ned  marries  her,  the  faithful  quartette  find 
financial  backing,  erect  a  big  power-house, 
and  are  finally  recognized  and  honored  by 
their  former  foes. 

Dore  Davidson  covers  himself  with  artistic 
glory  by  giving  a  wonderfully  realistic  por- 
trayal of  Isadore  Solomon,  Florence  Vidor 
adds  fresh  lustre  to  her  screen  laurels  in  a 
thoroughly  appealing  performance  as  heroine. 

Florence  Vidor,  Noah  Beery,  Dore  David- 
son, Virginia  Brown  Faire,  Lloyd  Hughes 
and  Robert  Edeson  are  all  names  worth  fea- 
turing in  your  exploitation.  Boost  this  as  a 
comedy  drama  of  unusual  interest,  with  hu- 
mor and  dramatic  interest  holding  sway  from 
start  to  finish.  Your  patrons  will  not  be 
disappointed. 


SWANSON  SCORES  HIT 

IN  'HER  LOVE  STORY' 

Romantic  Tale  of  Mythical  Kingdom 
A  Good  Drawing  Card 

'HER  LOVE  STORY.'  Paramount  Photo- 
play. Author,  Mary  Roberts  Rinehart.  Di- 
rector, Alan  Dwan.  Length,  6,750  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Princess  Marie   Gloria  Swanson 

Captain   Rudi   Ian  Keith 

Archduke   George  Fawcett 

King   Echlin  Gayer 

Prime  Minister   Mario  Majeroni 

Archduke's  Adviser   Sidney  Herbert 

Court  Physician   Donald  Hall 

Lady-in-Waiting   Baroness  de  Hedemann 

Clothilde   Jane  Auburn 

The  Boy   Bert  Wales 

Princess  Marie,  of  the  Balkan  kingdom  of  Via- 
tavia,  falls  in  love  with  Captain  Rudi  of  the 
Guards.  They  wed  secretly  in  a  gypsy  camp.  Her 
father  ignores  the  ceremony  and  compels  her  to 
marry  the  king  of  a  neighboring  country.  Rudi  is 
exiled.  A  child  is  born.  Marie  defies  the  king  and 
tells  him  the  child  is  not  his.  She  is  declared  insane 
and  confined  in  a  convent.  Rudi  learns  of  her  im- 
prisonment, returns  and  helps  her  to  escape.  To- 
gether they  enter  the  royal  palace  and  abduct  the 
child.  The  king  dies.  Marie  refuses  to  allow  her 
child  to  claim  the  crown  and  finds  happiness  with 
Rudi. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 
'T'HIS  picture  is  strong  in  box-office  values, 
produced  on  a  lavish  scale  as  regards 
handsome  settings,  offers  a  story  rich  in  sen- 
timental and  romantic  angles,  provides  a  role 
for  the  star  which  is  sure  to  please  the  large 
army  of  Gloria  Swanson's  admirers  and 
should  prove  a  good  investment  for  all  ex- 
hibitors. 

These  tales  of  mythical  Balkan  kingdoms 
with  a  charming  princess  heroine,  dashing 
young  soldier  lover  and  ugly  king  who  wants 
her  for  his  wife  all  have  a  certain  family  re- 
semblance, but  none  the  less  possess  a 
powerful  appeal  for  the  average  movie  fan, 
and  "Her  Love  Story,"  well  directed,  clever- 
ly acted  and  replete  with  colorful  atmos- 
phere is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  The 
women  folks  in  particular,  will  be  pleased 
with  its  pathetic  side,  as  exemplified  in  the 
separation  of  the  young  mother  and  her 
baby,  and  cannot  fail  to  go  into  raptures  of 
admiration  over  Gloria's  gorgeous  gowns. 

In  this  connection  it  is  as  well  to  mention 
the  fact  that  Miss  Swanson's  wedding  outfit 
cost  the  neat  sum  of  $100,000.  Director  Alan 
Dwan  has  been  very  successful  in  handling 
the  foreign  atmosphere  and  no  expense 
seems  to  have  been  spared  in  the  line  of 
elaborate  mountings. 

The  scene  in  which  the  two  lovers  are 
united  in  the  gypsy  camp  is  uncommonly 
well  done,  there  are  a  number  of  thoroughly 
dramatic  situations  and  pungent  thrills,  the 
action  moves  briskly  and  a  big  emotional 
punch  is  put  over  with  tremendous  effect 
when  the  desperate  queen  tells  her  unwel- 
come consort  that  he  is  not  the  father  of 
her  child.  The  return  of  the  lover,  his  res- 
cue of  Marie,  the  carrying-off  of  the  baby 
boy  follow  in  due  course  and  a  satisfac- 
tory happy  climax  is  attained. 

The  role  of  Princess  Marie  is  something 
altogether  different  from  previous  charac- 
terizations contributed  to  the  screen  by  Miss 
Swanson,  who  displays  her  versatility  by 
giving  a  touching  and  sympathetic  perfor- 
mance as  the  innocent,  clinging  type  of  girl. 
She  is  well  supported,  Ian  Keith  appearing 
to  excellent  advantage  as  the  young  captain 
of  the  king's  guards,  and  George  Fawcett 
and  Echlin  Gayer  giving  clean-cut,  convinc- 
ing portrayals  respectively  as  the  Archduke 
and  king. 

The  photography  is  exquisite,  exteriors 
and  interiors  being  filmed  with  good  taste 
and  judgment,  among  the  castle  sets  and 
gypsy  wedding  ceremony  stand  forth  in  bold 
relief. 

Mention  the  author's  name  in  your  exploi- 
tation, as  Mary  Roberts  Rinehart  has  a  wide 
circle  of  readers,  play  up  Gloria  Swanson, 
and  arrange  for  fashion  displays  with  mo- 
diste establishments  in  connection  with  the 
gowns  worn  by  the  star. 


October  25,  1924 


The  cBi^  Little  Feature 


Page  47 


Pathe  News  Film 

Sealed  in  Cornerstone 

A  unique  tribute  was  paid  Pathe 
News  last  week  at  Kansas  City  when  a 
portion  of  film  was  sealed  in  the  cor- 
nerstone of  the  Liberty  Memorial.  The 
film,  showing  scenes  of  the  dedication 
ceremonies,  which  took  place  Novem- 
ber 1.  1921,  on  the  site  of  the  memorial, 
was  sent  on  at  the  request  of  the  Asso- 
ciation in  charge  of  building  the 
memorial,  and  this  week  the  Pathe 
News  received  the  following  letter  of 
thanks. 


"Mr.  E.  Cohen,  Editor— 
Pathe  News — 
New  York  City — 

"May  I,  on  behalf  of  the  Liberty 
Memorial  Association,  thank  you  for 
your  courtesy  in  presenting  us  with  a 
copy  of  the  film  showing  scenes  at  the 
dedication  of  the  Liberty  Memorial  Site 
on  November  1,  1921. 

"The  film  arrived  this  morning  and 
will  be  delivered,  in  its  original  con- 
tainer, to  Mr.  George  W.  Curtiss, 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Photo- 
graphic Privileges.  Mr.  Curtiss  will  ar- 
range for  a  bronze  container  and  for 
the  inscription  thereon,  which  no  doubt 
will  meet  with  your  approval. 

"Yours  very  truly, 
J.  E.  McPherson 
Secretary." 


FEATURE 
YOUR  SHORTS 


Skilful  exploitation  of  your 
short  subjects  will  prove  a 
good  investment. 

Play  up  the  stars,  for  the 
featured  players  of  comedy 
roles  are  well  known  to  the 
fans. 

Such  advertising  will  serve 
the  exhibitors  as  good  draw- 
ing influence. 


Alberta  Vaughn,  star  of  F.  B.  O.'s  "Go 
Getters,"  has  been  signally  honored.  She 
has  been  made  a  part  of  the  Mural  deco- 
rations on  the  walls  in  a  Count's  Villa  at 
Deauville,  France. 


THE  WOOLLY  WEST'  NEXT 
FOR  BUDDY  MESSINGER 

Buddy  Messinger's  next  starring  ve- 
hicle for  Century  comedies  will  be 
"The  Woolly  West,"  a  screen  satire 
on  the  popular  western  feature  picture. 
Productions  has  already  started  on 
this  under  the  direction  of  Edward  I. 
Luddy  with  a  notable  cast  in  support 
of  the  clever  young  comedian. 

Dolores  Brunkman,  beautiful  blonde 
child  actress  who  has  been  seen  oppo- 
site Buddy  in  many  of  his  Century 
comedies  will  play  the  leading  femi- 
nine role.  Lois  Boyd,  popular  screen 
ingenue  will  play  opposite  Hilliard 
Karr  who  will  be  Buddy's  chief  com- 
edy support.  Joe  Bonner,  who  has 
been  seen  in  many  Century  comedies 
and  who  is  noted  for  his  many  clever 
portrayals,  will  play  the  part  of  a  wes- 
tern sheriff  in  "The  Woolly  West." 
This  production  will  be  on  the  early 
1925  release  schedule  of  Century  come- 
dies. 

Ben  Turpin  Has 

An  Eye  to  Beauty 

Mack  Sennett  announces  that  he  has 
hired  a  well  known  bathing  instructor 
to  teach  his  bathing  beauties  to  swim. 
What  we  next  expect  to  hear  is  that 
Ben  Turpin  has  probably  become  en- 
gaged to  Gloria  Swanson.  Ben  says 
the  only  thing  that  could  possibly  in- 
terfere with  the  above  mentioned  ar- 
rangement is  the  present  Mrs.  Turpin. 


Theatre  Stages  Program 
Based  on  Review  Subject 

As  a  general  rule,  exhibitors  in  fram- 
ing a  prologue  for  their  house  will  base 
it  on  the  feature  picture.  Kunsky's 
Adams  Theatre,  Detroit,  proved  an  ex- 
ception to  that  rule  recently  when  the 
management  staged  a  full-stage  color- 
ful program  and  adapted  it  to  Pathe 
Review,  a  one-reel  subject. 

The  magazine  film  carried  a  short- 
subject  on  the  making  of  ukeleles.  The 
scene  in  the  film  was  set  in  the  tropics 
and  in  arranging  the  prologue  a  stage 
set  of  the  screened  scene  was  dupli- 
cated. Beautifully  arranged  in  stage 
lighting,  a  dancer,  supported  by  a 
chorus,  held  the  stage  for  four  minutes. 
The  idea  was  well  received  and  it  is  the 
intention  of  the  management  of  this 
house  to  follow  out  the  scheme  of  bas- 
ing their  prologues  on  the  short  sub- 
jects when  the  feature-length  lack  pro- 
duction strength. 

This  is  the  first  time  that  a  stunt  of 
this  kind  has  been  done  by  any  of  the 
larger  exhibitors.  Magazine  subjects 
such  as  the  Pathe  Review  have  gener- 
ally been  considered  in  the  past  in  the 
nature  of  something  to  fill  out  a  pro- 
gram and  never  in  the  past  has  a 
thought  been  given  to  basing  the  big 
spectacle  of  the  program  on  any  of  the 
features  of  the  Review. 


H.  Grindell-Mathews,  noted  Scientist  and 
inventor  of  the  Death  Ray  has  produced 
a  film  describing  his  invention.  This  two 
reel  subject  was  filmed  under  supervision 
of  the  French  Government  and  released 
by  Pathe 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Century  Issues  Handsome 
Folder 

Century  Comedies  this  week  mailed 
to  all  exhibitors  a  handsome  folder,  de- 
scribing in  detail  that  company's  pro- 
duct and  stars.  The  following  will 
make  a  handy  reference  for  the  thou- 
sands of  exhibitors  who  make  Century 
Comedies  a  regular  part  of  their  pro- 
grams, as  well  as  for  those  exhibitors 
who  have  not  yet  discovered  the  great 
box-office  value  of  these  exceptional 
two-reelers. 


Ralph  Graves  and  Alice  Day  in  a  scene 
from    "Riders    of   the    Purple    Cows" — 
a  Mack  Sennett  Pathecomedy. 


The  folder  is  done  in  black  and  red 
on  heavy  cream  colored  stock  and 
shows  views  of  the  Century  studios, 
portraits  of  all  their  stars  and  has 
many  little  pen  and  ink  sketches  made 
from  action  stills  on  recent  produc- 
tions. These  sketches  show  the  many 
ingenious  stunts  employed  to  make 
Century  comedies  the  best  that  can  be 
had.  Many  of  them  cost  hundreds  of 
dollars  and  are  only  serviceable  for  one 
production. 

The  folder  was  produced  by  the  ad- 
vertising department  of  Universal, 
distributors  of  Century  product. 

*    *  * 

Sparks  New  Comedy  Star 

Ned  Sparks,  formerly  a  comedian 
of  several  New  York  stage  productions 
produced  under  the  management  of  Al 
Wood,  has  joined  the  Educational- 
Mermaid  Comedy  Company  and  will 
be  starred  in  these  comedies.  He  is 
already  at  work  in  a  Mermaid  Comedy 
which  is  as  yet  untitled. 

Mr.  Sparks  has  been  on  the  screen 
before.  He  was  seen  in  support  of 
Constance  Talmadge  in  a  number  of 
her  recent  feature  comedies  and  also 
had  the  leading  role  in  Tuxedo  Come- 
dies released  through  Educational  Film 
Exchanges,  Inc. 


National  Board  of  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
Laud  "Keep  Fit" 

Following  a  special  screening  of  the 
first  four  chapters  of  "Keep  Fit,"  the 
second  feature  to  be  published  in  chap- 
ters in  keeping  with  the  new  policy 
adopted  by  the  Pathe  Review,  the  Pathe 
Home  Office  was  recipent  of  a  letter  of 
praise  from  the  National  Board  of  the 
Young  Womens  Christian  Associations, 
whose  headquarters  are  in  New  York 
City. 

Jane  Bellows,  Director  of  Health 
Education  of  the  Young  Womens 
Christian  Associations  and  the  author 
of  the  letter  said : 

"Having  seen  the  first  four  of  the 
six  reels  of  Dr.  C.  Ward  Crampton's 
film,  Physical  Culture,  we  are  glad  to 
endorse  them  for  use  in  health  pro- 
grams in  schools,  organizations  and 
communities  in  general. 

"These  reels,  as  we  have  seen  them, 
could  be  used  very  advantageously  in 
our  local  Associations  during  their 
Health  Weeks." 

Strong    Short  Subjects 
Released  by  Universal 

"Andy's  Hat's  in  the  Ring,"  is  the 
opportune  title  of  the  Andy  Gump  2- 
reeler  being  released  by  Universal  this 
week.  In  these  days  of  political  clap- 
trap, a  hilarious  take-off  on  political 
subtleties  and  subterfuge  is  welcome  to 
the  average  citizen  and  movie  fan. 

This  is  what  Universal  has  tried  to 
do  in  turning  out  "Andy's  Hat's  in  the 
Ring." 

This  time  Andy  poses  as  a  candidate 
for  President,  and  undergoes  the  usual 
throes  of  stump-speaking,  hand-shaking 
and  promise-making  that  marks  politi- 
cal candidacy.  Sidney  Brown,  who 
wrote  the  story,  hasn't  missed  a  bet,  ac- 
cording to  those  who  have  seen  this 
two-reeler.  It  is  a  great  show  subject 
for  any  time  between  now  and  Elec- 
tion Day. 

The  Universal  Short  Product  release 
schedule  for  the  week  also  includes 
"Pocahontas  and  John  Smith,"  another 
Hysterical  History  comedy.  It  is  a  take- 
off on  the  well-known  tradition  of 
Capt.  John  Smith  and  his  Indian  res- 
cuer, the  Princess  Pocahontas.  It  is 
a  one-reel  picture  and  moves  at  a  fast 
speed,  being  full  of  gag  lines  and  situa- 
tions. 

*    *  # 

Up  in  the  Air 

Hal  Roach's  rascals  in  "Our  Gang" 
comedies  have  found  a  new  line  of  en- 
deavor. Each  and  every  one  of  them 
have  made  known  their  intentions  to 
Director  Bob  McGowan  that  they  are 
going  to  be  aviators. 


'On  Leave  of  Absence' 

Pathe  2  reels 

Pat  Britton,  detective  of  police,  arranges  a  fish- 
ing trip  during  his  vacation  period.  He  goes  to 
a  small  village  up-state,  and  there  plans  to  rest  and 
fish.  Instead  he  comes  upon  the  trail  of  a  noted 
crook,  and  catches  him  and  his  gang  in  a  notorious 
bond  robbery  and  successfully  brings  the  criminals 
and  the  loot  back  to  the  city  headquarters.  Then, 
his  vacation  incompleted,  returns  to  the  country 
miss  he  met  there. 

THIS  is  the  first  release  of  a  series  of 
"True  Detective"  stories  filmed  from  the 
pen  of  Major  Ross  D.  Whitock.  The  major 
is  a  well  known  newspaper  correspondent 
and  police  reporter,  and  if  this  subject  is  a 
good  example,  then  the  whole  series  will 
sell  like  wildfire. 

Leslie  Austen  portrays  the  character  of  the 
police  detective  and  does  the  job  well.  He 
is  real,  and  depicts  the  dangers  that  our  civil 
servants  undertake  when  they  accept  their 
commissions.  Further,  the  story  definitely 
shows  that  though  away  on  leave  of  absence, 
a  policeman  always  remains  "on  the  job"  if 
duty  calls 

There  are  some  thrills  in  this  short  sub- 
ject. The  scene  where  he  finds  the  gang's 
seemingly  abandoned  shack,  learns  their  en- 
trance signal  and  goes  in  single  handed — 
add  laurels  to  Pathe. 

Nellie  Burt  as  Bessie  Hilton  acts  a  diffi- 
cult role  decidedly  well.  The  rest  of  the 
company  too  show  to  advantage. 

We  are  certain  that  the  mere  advertising 
of  a  showing  of  detective  tales  that  are  true 
to  fact  instead  of  merely  fiction  should  find 
immediate  response.  Not  only  are  men  and 
boys  interested  in  such  film  material,  but, 
we  fear,  women  and  children  are  as  well. 


"Every  Man  for  Himself"  features  Hal 
Roach's  group  of  rascals,  in  an  "Our 
Gang"  comedy.    The  gang  grows  athletic. 


'Bungalow  Boobs' 

Pathe  1  «eI 

The  newly  married  pair  take  possession  of  the 
bungalow  they  have  saved  for  for  a  lifetime.  Tpey 
are  quiet,  unassuming  young  people.  Their  neigh- 
bors drop  in  to  get  acquainted.  And  they  bring 
along  their  children.  Scores  of  them.  To  prove 
that  the  bungalow  is  cheaply  constructed  one  neigh- 
bor generously  punctuates  each  point  by  tearing 
walls  apart  and  breaking  through  floors.  In  short 
order,  with  the  help  of  the  kids,  the  whole  house 
is  a  mass  of  wrecked  ruins. 

C CHARLEY  CASE  and  Beth  Darlington 
u  are  the  happy  pair  who  seek  the  solitude 
of  a  home  and  the  monopoly  of  each  other's 
company. 

To  their  chagrin  they  are  disturbed  by 
seemingly  friendly  neighbors — to  the  end 
that  this  film  becomes  one  of  the  funniest 
one-reel  subjects  we  ever  saw.  The  picture 
is  one  laugh  from  beginning  to  end,  and  we 
are  certain  that  exhibitors  will  be  the  losers 
unless  they  prepare  now,  to  book  it. 

How  rapidly  a  group  of  children  can  tear 
a  living  room  apart,  can  only  be  imagined. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  49 


To  actually  know,  one  must  see  "Bungalow 
Boobs."  There  are  no  dull  stretches  in  this 
picture  and  throughout  it  all  Charley  Case 
is  funny  indeed. 

All  sorts  of  people  will  revel  in  the  antics 
in  "Bungalow  Boobs" — for  many  have  found 
themselves  in  similar  situations. 

E'  ^  ^ 


The  Race 


Fox 


2  reels 


At  a  picnic  party,  Stephen  Parker  arrives  in  his 
smart  racing  car.  Sylvia,  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
old  Colonel  leaves  the  table  to  take  a  ride  with 
Parker.  This  peeves  the  Colonel,  who  bets  that 
Reggy  Van  Bibber,  another  suitor,  could  race  Park- 
er and  win.  They  race ;  and  though  Van  is  but  an 
amateur,  learning  to  drive,  he  wins  by  luck.  The 
impending  "Free  for  All"  elimination  motor  race  is 
to  be  the  deciding  factor  as  to  who  will  marry  Syl- 
via, and  the  Colonel  bets  ten  thousand  dollars  on 
Peggy.  After  many  mishaps  and  much  fun,  Van 
wins. 

"C1  ARLE  FOX  continues  his  series  of  the 
Van  Bibber  comedies,  based  on  stories 
written  by  Richard  Harding  Davis,  with  this 
latest  laugh  maker  "The  Race."  It  is 
thoroughly  thrilling  throughout  and  should 
prove  a  box-office  winner. 

The  subject  has  been  generally  rather  over- 
done, and  yet  there  is  so  much  flapper  hi- 
larity throughout  this  one  that  the  comedy 
gets  across  notwithstanding  the  trite  theme 
today. 

Earle  Fox  as  Van  is  the  "life  of  the  par- 
ty," and  when  he  is  forced  to  race  with 
Parker,  seems  to  wish  that  the  earth  oughi 
to  open  up  and  swallow  him — for  he  alone 
knows  his  lack  of  driving  ability. 

When  his  sleeve  catches  in  the  gas  control 
lever  on  the  wheel  his  car  unexpectedly  shoots 
forward  and  he  goes  at  such  a  speed  that  he 
cannot  even  stop  when  he  arrives  again  at 
the  starting  point,  completing  the  race  far 
ahead  of  his  rival. 

The  elimination  contest  is  a  good  idea  in 
motion  picture  comedies.  Dozens  of  entrants 
start  off  with  the  understanding  that  each  is 
to  change  cars  at  the  stopping  places  ar- 
ranged. All  manner  of  cars  await  them  and 
the  fun  is  fast  and  furious.  Van  runs  part 
of  the  race  in  a  caterpillar  tractor  which  he 
draws,  then  later  in  a  rickety  flivver  that  his 
rival  takes  away  from  him. 

Parker  however  is  held  up  by  an  angry 
mob  of  farmers  whose  fields  have  been 
trampled  by  Van,  while  Van  regains  the 
Ford  in  the  excitement,  and  wins. 

There  are  so  many  laughs  and  funny  sit- 
uations in  this  that  it  will  appeal  to  all  the 
family.  The  kids  will  especially  appreciate 
it,  for  auto  racing  has  a  definite  appeal  for 
them.  Exhibitors  should  do  well  with  "The 
Race"  we  feel  certain. 


Some  Tomboy 


Universal-Century  2  reels 

Wanda  Wiley,  sent  to  the  home  of  her  slick  city 
feller's  mother  as  hairdresser,  is  invited  to  stay  for 
the  party.  When  the  hair  has  been  waved,  it  is 
found  to  have  been  entirely  spoiled  and  she  flees. 
In  making  her  getaway,  she  discovers  two  burglars 
and  courageously  captures  them,  and  is  forgiven. 

In  this  two-reeler  there  is  nothing  of  the 
outstanding,  inspiring  sort  of  comedy  we 
expected  to  see — yet  it  will  find  many  a  re- 
sponsive audience  no  doubt,  and  will  fill  the 
exhibitors  program-lapse  very  nicely. 

At  any  rate  it  will  have  the  approval  of 
the  young  folks,  for  they  like  to  get  into  mis- 
chief themselves  and  readily  sympathize  with 
those  who  also  are  mischievous  even  though 
they  are  caught  at  it.  There  are  a  number 
of  laugh  creating  spots  throughout  the  film, 
but  the  story  is  not  well  connected,  nor  the 
star  particularly  funny ;  and  exhibitors  who 
are  rapidly  learning  to  know  Wanda  Wiley's 
work  will  better  tell  through  their  own  ex- 


Ann   Cornwall,   dapper  little  comedienne, 
appearing   in    Educational-Bobby  Vernon 
comedies    and    to    unusually  responsive 
audiences. 

perience  whether  or  not  they  may  safely 
book  this  comedy. 

True,  she  rides  to  do  her  hairdressing 
work  in  a  kiddie  express  wagon,  she  wears 
the  butler's  clothes,  and  generally  gets  into 
mischief — but,  whether  or  not  this  kind  of 
foolishment  will  "take"  generally,  is  rather 
problematical. 


Fox 


The  Age  of  Oil 


1  reel 


The  oil  producing  and  refining  industry  is  shown 
in  its  present  day  development ;  the  comparative 
statistics  of  the  past,  together  with  those  of  today, 
show  the  great  advances  that  have  been  made. 

T  N  educational  films  such  as  this  one  Fox 
is  giving  the  public  excellent  material  for 
study  and  knowledge  of  the  natural  resources 
of  the  country. 

The  "fountain  of  Black  Gold"  that  a  gusher 
becomes  after  the  vein  of  oil  has  been  struck, 
is  but  the  result  of  energetic  efforts  and  usual- 
ly after  large  financial  investment  has  been 
made. 

The  world  at  large  is  a  big  oil  producer, 
and  the  fields  of  Roumania,  Australia,  Russia 
and  others  have  been  filmed  to  give  some 
concrete  idea  of  this  enormous  industry, 
which  has  taken  but  seventy  years  to  reach 
the  large  and  important  position  it  holds  in 
commerce  today. 

According  to  the  statistics  given,  in  the 
United  States  alone  227  gallons  are  annually 


consumed  for  each  man,  woman  and  child. 

The  exhibitor  may  well  show  such  edu- 
cational films  in  increasing  abundance  for 
the  public  likes  to  learn — if  the  instruction 
is  imparted  in  a  pleasant  way. 


*  * 


Educational 


The  Speed  Kid 


2  reels 


Two  young  men  m  love  with  the  same  girl  de- 
cide to  allow  the  forthcoming  motor  race  in  which 
they  are  bcnh  entrants,  to  decide  who  shall  marry 
follow  th    ♦  •       3  5rran,ete,ment  she  agrees,  and  we 

an  tn  .1  ■  3  .ST^ndotnbV1^'.ons  of  a  cross  country 
auto  classic.  "The  Speed  Kid"  wins  the  race  after 
many  mishaps,  and  also  wins  the  hand  of  the  girl. 

rTHE  screen  comedy  attains  speedy  action 
indeed,  when  a  motor  race  is  the  impor- 
tant factor,  and  directors  welcome  any  story 
that  dwells  around  this  subject.  This  week 
we  have  seen  two  of  such  similar  pictures 
that  doubtless  it  has  come  to  stay  just  like 
summer  furs  and  city  traffic  towers.  "The 
Speed  Kid"  has  in  addition  however,  much 
comedy  and  will  pack  the  house. 

Larry  Semon  is  improving  in  his  comedy 
characterizations— having  for  one  thing  for- 
sworn the  derby  hat  and  wide  breeches  in 
favor  of  nifty  tailored  apparel  and  seems 
every  inch  the  gentleman.  Though  all  about 
him  are  soiled  through  contact  with  smoky 
motor  exhausts  and  pools  of  muddy  water, 
"no  metal  shall  touch  him"  for  he  escapes 
it  all,  except  once  in  a  while  his  face  gets 
dirty  with  soot. 

He  is  clever  as  a  comedian  and  his  eye- 
brows and  laugh-provoking  smile  will  "get" 
any  audience,  no  matter  how  cold  or  high- 
brow. 

The  rival  has  his  "gang"  ready,  who  try 
their  best_  to  prevent  Larry's  winning,  but 
fail,  trapping  their  employer's  car  instead. 

It's  all  very  interesting,  and  the  direction 
of  Noel  Mason  Smith  who  also  aided  Larry 
Semon  in  the  writing  of  the  script,  takes  the 
picture  out  of  the  rut  of  similar  two  reel 
comedies.  In  this  film,  we  see  again  old  time 
pugilist  champion  James  J.  Jeffries  who 
handles  his  role  rather  well. 

Larry  Semon  is  well  advertised  and  serves 
as  a  good  drawing  card  for  exhibitors  who 
show  his  comedies.  We  rather  liked  "The 
Speed  Kid"  and  exhibitors  can  safely  book 
it. 

*       *  * 

'The  Sky  Plumber' 

Pathe  2  reels 

No  rain  for  weeks  in  Dust  Valley— therefore  no 
crops  to  sell,  to  raise  money.  Along  comes  a  man 
who  claims  to  be  a  rain-maker.  Though  engaged 
to  do  his  stuff,"  he  is  prevented  from  accom- 
plishment through  the  villain's  desire  to  foreclose 
and  obtain  possession  of  the  farm.  However,  the 
hired  man  meddles  with  the  sky  plumber's  gim- 
cracks  with  dire  results.  Not  only  rain,  but  storms 
and  cyclones  as  well,  are  his  reward. 

RTHUR  STONE  as  the  farmer's  hired 
man  can   get  into  more  trouble  in  a 
shorter  time,  than  any  one  else  in  comedies. 

He  is  shown  to  rather  good  advantage, 
and  "The  Sky  Plumber"  should  go  over  big, 
because  of  the  many  laughs  and  tricks  re- 
sorted to  in  accomplishing  them. 

There  are  some  excellent  effects  produced 
during  the  wind  storms,  and  these  include 
the  sweeping  away  into  space  of  the  entire 
farm  house.  Throughout,  the  direction  is 
very  good,  and  the  comedy  touches  abound, 
creating  laughs  aplenty. 

The  slow  footed,  simple,  boob  type  that 
Arthur  Stone  depicts  has  entered  the  ranks 
of  comedian  material  that  the  public  will 
surely  be  pleased  with.  While  nothing  sensa- 
tional, contrary  to  early  reports,  there  is 
something  in  the  make-up  and  characteriza- 
tions of  Stone  that  will  appeal  to  many  types 
of  picture-playgoers. 

The  exhibitor  may  successfully  book  this 
subject  and  exploit  both  star  and  producer, 
Hal  Roach. 


A 


Page  50 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Robinson  Crusoe 


Universal 


reels 


The  story  book  character  comes  to  life  to  reveal 
to  a  "waiting  world"  the  true  facts  concerning  his 
life  on  the  lonely  island.  He  shows  how  he  meets 
Friday,  and  how  together  they  save  a  white  girl 
from   the  cannibals,   who   are   holding   her  captive. 

THIS  is  another  of  the  Hysterical  History 
comedies,  ^nd  is,  on  the  whole,  a  rather 
tame  affair. 

The  director  neglected  the  opportunity  of 
showing  how  Crusoe  arrived  at  the  island, 
and  how  he  lived.  We  are  simply  shown  a 
brief  episode  of  his  meeting  Friday,  and 
how,  when  attacked,  they  vanquished  the  can- 
nibals. 

In  the  chief's  hut  is  a  white  girl,  who  has 
been  held  prisoner  by  the  cannibals. 

Friday  spears  a  number  of  the  wild  men 
through  their  nose  rings,  offering  the  one 
novelty  thought  in  the  entire  comedy.  The 
rescue  is  easily  effected,  and  there  is  mighty 
little  punch  to  the  entire  matter. 

Children  are  the  greatest  sort  of  audience 
for  these  historical  sort  of  comedies,  for 
they  all  believe  they  would  prefer  to  study 
history  from  the  screen  than  by  way  of 
study-books. 

Exhibitors  who  run  afternoon  shows  for 
the  children  will  do  well  with  these  subjects. 
Adults  would  like  them  too,  if  they  only 
were  made  sufficiently  interesting. 


Crushed 


Educational 


2  reels 


Jones  inherits  a  fortune,  provided  he  marries  be- 
fore a  given  date.  His  lawyer  offers  his  daughter 
as  the  bride — but  Love  interferes,  and  a  widow 
sitting  m  the  courtroom  volunteers  just  so  the  for- 
tune may  be  saved.  They  are  married  and  go  to 
the  house  bequeathed  him.  A  storm  breaks  and 
the  house  is  inundated.  Jones  floats  off  into  space 
with  part  of  the  roof  he  went  up  to  repair. 

LLOYD  HAMILTON  in  the  second  of  his 
new    series,    has    shown    marked  im- 
provement over  his  first  comedy. 

There  are  many  laughs  scattered  through- 
out the  scenes,  and  though  Hamilton  seems 
to  be  overpresent,  yet  the  comedy  can  stand 
unaided  by  artificial  respiration. 

There  are  several  subway  scenes  bur- 
lesqueing  the  subways  of  New  York.  Well, 
in  these  Hamilton  is  superb. 

The  situations  themselves  are  funny  and 
anyone  would  shriek  with  laughter — but 
when  a  live  duck,  live  and  willful,  he  is  tak- 
ing home  for  dinner,  gets  away  from  him, 
and  hides  behind  a  lady's  petticoat,  poor 
Hamilton  shows  ideal  control.  These  scenes 
afford  more  laughs  than  any  we  have  re- 
cently noted. 

Fred  Hibbard  who  directed  this  two-reeler 
as  well  as  many  others  starring  Hamilton, 
has  done  a  good  job  of  it.  Dorothy  Sea- 
strom,  playing  opposite  Hamilton,  is  both 
decorative  and  talented. 

In  the  early  scenes  where  the  mosquitoes 
infest  the  village,  Hamilton  treads  the  boards 
of  Main  Street,  carrys  an  unbrella 
draped  with  mosquito-netting  thereby  earn- 
ing his  title  "the  village  Edison."  The  com- 
edy gives  mothers  many  an  opportunity  to 
see  their  children  as  others  see  them — for  the 
widow's  brood  of  six  know  how  indeed 
to  make  the  poor  lady  suffer  from  their 
rough-house  affection. 

The  last  bit — where  the  roof  of  the  house 
is  blown  off,  while  Hamilton  is  nailing  on 
some  shingles,  is  a  fine  bit  of  picture  taking 
and  closely  resembles  the  similar  stunt  in 
"The  Thief  of  Bagdad." 

Exhibitors  ought  to  find  immense  satisfac- 
tion, resulting  from  booking  this  comedy. 


NEWS 

REELS 

IN 

BRIEF 


International 
News  No.  80— 
Frisco,  Cal. — Huge 
column  of  Pro- 
gress topples  in 
mighty  crash.  Last 
relic  of  Panama 
Exposition  finally 
pulled  down.  San 
Pablo,  Cal.— 
Thousand  years  of 
styles  portrayed  on 
clay  dolls.  Wo- 
man evolves  strik- 
ing method  of 
showing  feminine 
fashions  through- 
out the  ages.  In- 
teresting Snap- 
shots from  the 
News  of  the  Day 
— Los  Angeles, 
Cal. — At  the  age  of 
four  Bobby  Mar- 
sten,  Jr.,  learns 
some  extremely 
difficult  golf  shots. 
Hollywood,  Cal. — 
A  new  film  star  ar- 
rives at  the  home 
of  James  Kirk- 
wood  and  his  wife 
(Lila  Lee).  Ro- 
chester, N.  Y. — 
Col.  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  Ass't 
Sec'y  of  the  Navy 
is    nominated  for 

Governor  of  New  York  by  the  Republicans — 
thus  following  exactly  in  his  famous  father's 
footsteps.  The  Colonel  in  a  favorite  role — 
preaching  sound  Americanism  to  Boy  Scouts. 
Giving  his  youngster  (the  smaller  chap) 
pointers  on  the  manly  art.  N.  Y.  City. — Jules 
Mastbaum,  famous  film  theatre  chief,  arrives 
home  after  a  tour  to  Europe — confident  that 
an  era  of  prosperity  is  ahead  of  us.  A  mes- 
sage of  welcome  from  Mayor  Kendrick  of 
Philadelphia  on  behalf  of  the  "home-town" 
folks.  Cape  Serge,  Siberia — Walrus  hunters 
busy  amid  Arctic  floes.  Siberians  brave 
dangers  of  ice-laden  seas  to  get  winter  sup- 
ply of  meat.  Boston,  Mass. — Steamship  sunk 
in  harbor  collision.  S.  S.  Edward  Pierce 
smashed  by  freighter  Mundelta  and  is 
doomed  for  Davy  Jones'  locker.  Tokio — 
Yokohama,  Japan. — First  anniversary  of 
world's  worst  disaster  sees  Japan  rid  of 
earthquake's  scars  in  remarkable  display  of 
pluck 

Pathe  News  No.  81 :  Washington,  D.  C. — 
Capital  welcomes  "home  town"  pennant  win- 
ners ;  Los  Angeles,  Cal. — 9  months  old  baby 
a  finished  acrobat :  Here  and  There — Repair 
radio  on  U.S.S.  Richmond ;  Denver,  Colo. — 
Pathe  News  films  string  bean  3  ft.  long, 
weighing  10  pounds ;  New  York  City. — 
Theodore  Roosevelt  formally  notified  of  can- 
didacy for  Governor  of  New  York.  Seattle, 
Washington. — U.  S.  airmen  complete  last  lap 
of  "round-the-globe"  journey.  Washington, 
D.  C. — Opening  game  of  World  Series.  Day- 
ton, O. — First  annual  Animal  Day  a  unique 
event.  Boston,  Mass. — Boston  College  opens 
gridiron  season  with  brilliant  victory.  Mer- 
mentau,  Ala. — Formal  opening  of  $143,000. 
bridge.  Unita  Basin,  Utah.— 25,000,000-year- 
old  disonaurs  for  University  of  Utah. 

Pathe  News  No.  82:  San  Francisco, 
Cal. — California  Indians  visit  U.  S.  S.  Cali- 
fornia. Dayton,  Ohio. — Aerial  speed  kings 
compete  for  Pulitzer  trophy.  Launch  air- 
plane from  Army  dirigible — Operate  tank  by 


For  four  years  the  standby  of  big  showmen 
everywhere  for  fast  action,  broad  comedy. 

MERMAID 
COMtmSS 

18  of  these  2-reel 

Jack  White  Productions 

this  season,  beginning  with 

"WILD  GAME" 
"ROUGH  and  READY" 
"FAST  and  FURIOUS" 
with  LIGE  CONLEY 

HAVE  YOU  PLAYED  ALL  THESE? 

"High  Life"         "Flying  Finance"  "Air  Pockets" 
"RunningWild"  "Neck  and  Neck"  "Hot  Air" 
"Uncle  Sam"       "Wide  Open" 
"Exit  Caesar"      "Family  Life" 

"There  He  Goes" 


"Wedding  Showers" 
"Pigskin" 


vol.  (f^LctuA^^ 


"THE  SPICE  OF  THE  PROGRAM" 


radio  control.  In  the  Limelight,  London, 
England. — Zaghlul,  Egyptian  Premier  con- 
fers with  McDonald  on  Sudan  riots.  Cal- 
cutta, India. — Heroic  explorers  make  second 
attempt  to  climb  Mt.  Everest  despite  deaths  of 
two  expedition  members.  Berlin,  Germany. — 
ZR-3  crosses  all  of  Germany  in  33-hour  trip. 
Oakland,  Cal. — Fireworks  bombardment  fea- 
tures brilliant  lake  fiesta.  Aberdeen,  Md. — 
Mammoth  guns  roar  as  Army  test  newest  de- 
fense weapons — including  tanks  and  "cater- 
pillars." Aberdeen,  Md.  —  Air-pilot  "sky 
writer"  in  daring  swoops  and  curves.  Wash- 
ington. D.  C. — Pres  Coolidge  officiates  at 
dedication  of  First  Division  Memorial  Monu- 
ment. New  York  City, — Giants  defeat  Wash- 
ington in  third  game  of  world  series.  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. — Harvard  defeats  Virginia  by 
14-0  in  its  first  football  game  of  season. 
San  Antonio,  Texas. — Captains  and  privates 
rub  elbows  in  game  of  "galloping  dominoes." 

Sinograms  No.  5020 — Race  for  Pulitzer 
Cup :  Bomb  Toy  City — Every  sort  of  flying 
craft  is  brought  for  contest  at  Wilbur 
Wright  Field.  Steamer  Hurled  on  Rocks  by 
Big    Wave — Santa    Cruz,    Cal. — La  Feliz, 

tossed  ashore  by  big  seas  in  a  heavy  fog, 
is  pounding  to  pieces.  Does  100  Miles  an 
Hour  for  200  Miles — Brooklands,  Eng. — 
World's  record  for  the  distance  broken  by 
Guinness  in  Junior  Club  race.  James  Wie- 
dersberg  Goes  Up  in  the  Air — Chicago — He 
stops  when  he  gets  spang  up  to  the  top  of 
flagpole  on  Tribune  building.  Rough  Water 
Swim  Champ  Wins  Again — San  Francisco — 
Girls  race  around  Seal  Rocks — Florence 
Chambers  repeats  1923  victory.  World  Series 
On  :  Senators  Battle  Giants — Washington — 
President  and  40,000  others  at  fy-st  game. 
Giants  Win  First  Game  in  New  York — Polo 
Grounds  jammed  as  battle  ground  is  moved 
to  metropolis. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  51 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Does  Your  Theatre 
Get  An  Even  Break? 


Or,  Do  You  Still  Adhere  To 

the  Old-Fashioned 
Definition  of  Showmanship  ? 


WHO  was  it,  we  wonder, 
that  first  denned  show- 
manship as  the  art  of 
selling  the  picture  to  the  public  ? 

One  thing  is  sure.  He  was 
an  exploitation  man.  And  he 
was  primarily  interested  in  "put- 
ting over"  the  product  of  the  or- 
ganization employing  him. 

Which  is  quite  in  order.  Ev- 
ery Saturday  the  cashier  handed 
him  a  fat  envelope.  And  he 
spent  the  contents  with  a  clear 
conscience.  For  he  knew  he  had 
been  paid  for  value  received. 
That  he  had  served  his  employ- 
ers to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
That  he  was  a  successful  exploi- 
teer,  and  had  demonstrated  his 
worth  as  a  showman.  He  had 
sold  their  pictures  to  the  public. 

Was  he  interested  in  you  or 
your  theatre?  Surely.  Very 
much  so.  Just  as  long  as  you 
were  showing  in  your  theatre  the 
particular  product  which  he  was 
paid  to  put  across.  If  you 
played  another  brand  of  film 
next  week,  his  heartfelt  interest 
in  you  and  your  showhouse  was 
visibly  diminished. 


DESLY 

SISTER 
REVUE 


Youth— Beauty 
Talent 

Im 

Songl — Dane* — Manic 


pgffuruumcf  I,  8,  S,  7.  9 


SS£* 


HOLD 
YOUR 


15c 

Bargain  M&Unees 


Tto  Flan 

Concert 
Orchestra 


Ona  0.  Brinks 


Prof.  Mu  Harvey 

On  the  Kixnb&U  Organ 


Our  Music  Alone  Is  Worth  tho 
Prlro  of  Admlsaion 


'ert  W—fc  o-- 

Hubifte* 

10c» 

10C-DUO 

ISc 


Bargain  Matinees 

Bin  mt»  j    TTiiti-ml»T  frllir 


Kindly  Attend  the  lariy  Matinees— Wo  Can  Better  Oar«  for  Your  Comtortc 


ALL  okeh  for  him.  But  what  ^s== 
about  you— and  your  thea- 
tre? After  all,  you  are  working  for 
yourself  and  your  playhouse.  You  two 
are  inseparable.  Make  friends  for  your 
theatre  and  you  make  friends  for  your- 
self— and  vice  versa.  Your  theatre  re- 
flects you  and  you  reflect  it.  At  least — 
its  prosperity,  or  the  lack  of  it. 

Yet,  can  you  truthfully  say  that  you 
have  been  giving  the  house  itself  an 
even  break?  Have  you  been  shouting 
about  its  wonders,  or  have  you  spent 
your  time  and  your  money  to  exploit 
merely  the  pictures  that  are  shown  in- 
side? 

Mind  you,  the  exploitation  of  the  pic- 
ture is  essential — but  does  not  the  frame 
also  reserve  some  ballyhooing  ?  Is  it 
fair  to  neglect  a  solid  structure  of  steel 
and  stone,  in  order  to  publicize  the  film 
it  houses  for  a  brief  period? 

Your  theatre  should  be  a  local  insti- 
tution. It  should  be  a  showplace  as 
well  as  a  showhouse.  Folks  should 
point  out  to  strangers  along  with  the 


This  is  one  way  to  publicize  your  theatre. 
Alexander  Frank  did  so  when  he  showed 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  big 
picture,  "Hold  Your  Breath"  at  the  Plaza's 
fall  opening — which    was    a    big  event. 

library,  and  the  monument,  and  the 
bank,  and  the  church,  and  all  the  other 
piles  of  masonry  identified  with  the 
town,  and  loved  by  its  inhabitants. 

AND  you,  in  turn,  as  its  proprietor, 
take  your  place  in  public  esteem 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  banker, 
the  minister,  and  the  other  first  citizens 
of  the  community. 

This  is  not  difficult  of  accomplish- 
ment. Begin  now,  and  give  your  thea- 
tre a  50-50  publicity  break  each  week. 
Devote  half  your  exploitation  energy  to 
the  attraction,  and  the  other  half  to 
your  theatre.    It  will  pay. 

Consider  the  Capitol  Theatre  in  New 
York — or  the  world  famous  New  York 
Hippodrome.  People  from  everywhere 
attend  these  showhouses  almost  regard- 


less of  the  attraction.  Why? 
Because  the  theatres  themselves 
have  been  advertised.  And,  of 
course,  also  because  folks  know 
that  the  management  of  each 
house  is  too  proud  of  its  reputa- 
tion to  offer  anything  but  highly 
satisfactory  entertainments. 

This  is  true  of  theatres  large 
and  small,  in  towns  as  well  as  in 
the  largest  cities.  Wise  show- 
men are  awakening  to  the  wis- 
dom of  publicizing  their  theatres. 
Some  relegate  the  program  to  a 
position  of  secondary  impor- 
tance, but  keep  on  pounding 
home  the  virtues  of  the  show- 
house.  And  before  long  they, 
and  their  theatres,  are  part  and 
parcel  of  the  town,  and  its  social 
life. 

Out  in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  there 
is  a  theatre  that  has  become  an 
institution.  All  because  Alexan- 
der Frank  is  a  showman  who  be- 
lieves in  showmanship  for  the 
showhouse  first. 

Observe  the  illustration.  It  is, 
as  you  see,  the  announcement  of 
the  fall  opening  of  the  Plaza. 
And  that  opening  was  indeed  an 
event  just  as  described.  Folks 
wouldn't  miss  it.  And  they 
won't  miss  attending  each  week,  either. 

T^OTICE  that  the  Plaza  comes  first. 
-L  *  Its  name  and  its  announcement  oc- 
cupy a  full  share  of  space.  The  pro- 
gram truly.  For  Mr.  Frank  knows  that 
it  would  be  futile  to  establish  a  theatre 
in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  his  patrons, 
and  then  offer  inferior  bills. 

He  has  a  fine  theatre.  He  is  proud 
of  it.  And  he  runs  good  shows — and 
is  proud  of  them  too.  The  best  part  of 
all  is  that  the  people  of  Waterloo  are 
likewise  proud  of  the  Plaza,  of  the  en- 
tertainment it  presents  for  them,  and 
of  Mr.  Frank  himself. 

What  he  has  done  for  himself  and 
for  the  Plaza,  you  may  do  for  your 
theatre  and  for  yourself. 

See  that  your  next  ad  gives  your  the- 
atre an  even  break  in  the  exploitation. 
Let  us  begin  right  now  to  change  that 
showmanship  definition  so  that  it  will 
read :  "Showmanship : — the  art  of  sel- 
ling the  theatre  to  the  public." 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Building  Business  From  Press  Sheets 

By  HERBERT  BERG 


TOO  many  exhibitors  are  under 
the  impression  that  a  press  sheet 
is  just  a  necessary  piece  of  litera- 
ture to  help  distributors  sell  the  pic- 
ture, but  they  are  wrong. 

A  press  sheet  contains  no  selling  ar- 
gument; the  main  purpose  of  these 
handy  sheets  is  to  promote  tie-ups,  to 
give  exhibitors  many  valuable  points 
on  exploitation,  and  to  advise  them 
how  to  plan  their  advertising  cam- 
paigns. 

A  press  sheet,  to  be  of  any  valuable 
assistance  to  exhibitors,  must  contain 
some  of  the  following  items.  As  an  ex- 
ample, which  will  easily  illustrate  these 
vital  items,  we  will  use  the  press  sheets 
as  issued  by  Warner  Bros.,  especially 
the  recent  one  on  "The  Tenth  Wo- 
man." Warner  Bros,  always  _  have 
used  one  standard  press  sheet  similar 
to  a  newspaper  in  size  and  make-up 
and  having  eight  pages  chock  full  of 
material  valuable  to  any  box-office. 

THE  first  page  of  this  handy  sheet 
contains  a  big  four  inch  deep  head- 
ing illustrating  the  title  in  a  line  cut,  a 
talk  to  exhibitors  telling  them  just  what 
the  picture  contains  and  proper  meth- 
ods for  putting  it  over. 

A  two  column  cut  of  the  star 
with  a  story,  a  brief  synopsis  of  the 
screen  version,  and  some  publicity 
stories  complete  the  page. 

Page  two  has  a  splendid  array  of  one 
and  two  column  half-tone  production 
cuts  suitable  for  newspaper,  a  program 
reader,  and  a  snappy  supply  of  more 
publicity  stories. 

These  production  cuts  are  just  the 
thing  for  advance  campaigns.  Place 
them  in  the  newspapers  for  results.  On 
the  third  page  is  a  number  of  advance 
stories,  and  current  reviews,  catch 
lines,  a  clever  cartoon  of  the  picture, 
biographs  and  cuts  of  the  important 
actors,  and  more  valuable  publicity 
stories. 

An  editor  would  be  glad  to  have 
these  stories.  These  stories  are  written 
by  men  who  know  just  what  news- 
papers want. 

TlHE  fourth  page  is  devoted  to  many 
-I-  original  exploitation  stunts  and  co- 
operative tieups.  Novelties,  a  herald, 
slides,  window  cards,  snipe  and  insert 
cards  are  neatly  illustrated  on  the  fifth 
page.  The  sixth  page  is  decorated  with 
a  splendid  array  of  photographs  of  the 
lithographs,  the  silent  sellers.  The 
lobby  and  oil  paintings  are  shown  on 
the  seventh  page.    The    eighth  page 


contains  effective  one,  two,  three  and 
four  column  ad  cuts,  also  suitable  for 
newspapers. 

Exhibitors  who  handle  the  Warner 
Bros.'  products  know  just  where  to 
look  for  material  they  seek,  thus  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  most  effective  press 
sheets  ever  put  out  by  any  organiza- 
tion. 

THE  sooner  exhibitors  begin  to  real- 
ize the  importance  and  practical  val- 
ue of  these  sure-fire  stunts,  the  better 
for  them.  The  best  method  of  getting 
the  full  benefit  of  the  abundance  of  ma- 
terial suggested  in  these  press  sheets,  is 
to  follow  these  effective  suggestions. 
Results  will  be  more  than  expected. 


IF  motion  picture  exhibitors  would 
only  realize  how  cheaply  they  may 
present  effective  prologues,  their 
patrons  would  receive  better  entertain- 
ment. And  there  would  be  more  pa- 
trons. 

Showmen  are  anxious  to  improve 
their  presentations,  but  the  prevalent 
idea  of  big  expense  holds  them  back. 
While  it  is  true  that  many  of  the  larg- 
er theatres  spend  large  sums  weekly 
on  prologues,  the  man  in  the  smaller 
town  may  offer  equally  effective  enter- 
tainment at  a  cost  within  his  reach. 

The  big  thing  is  the  initial  invest- 
ment for  materials.  But  if  this  outlay 
be  spread  over  a  period  of  time,  the 
average  cost  of  weekly  prologues  may 
be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

There  are  some  things  that  you  will 
need  constantly.  And  with  them  you 
will  be  able  to  stage  a  great  variety  of 
interesting  subjects.  You  will  require 
a  blue  drop,  a  gauze,  three  large  spot- 
lights, three  baby  spotlights,  two  bunch 
lights,  and  a  prop  tree. 

The  gauze  hangs  in  front  of  your 
picture  sheet,  your  blue  drop  at  the 
back  wall.  In  this  space  you  stage  your 
presentation.  Keep  available  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  boxes  and  barrels.  Make 
sure  that  you  are  on  very  friendly 
terms  with  the  man  who  runs  the  junk 
shop  in  your  town.  You  will  need 
him. 

In  presentation,  the  principle  factor 
is  one  of  contrast.  Light  and  shade 
are  the  main  things  for  you  to  study. 
Lighting  effects  will  prove  your  best 
assistants  for  bringing  out  the  gold  in 
the  curls  of  your  local  Mary  Pickford. 

You  will  require  the  services  of  only 
one  or  two  people  weekly. 


In  another  field,  that  of  co- 
operative tie-ups,  connections  can  be 
made  with  a  phone  call.  How  about  the 
street  ballyhoo  to  arouse  interest? 
These  suggestions  are  all  valuable  as- 
sets to  your  box-office,  and  few  ex- 
hibitors ever  put  them  over  and  then 
they  blame  the  picture. 

NOW  is  the  time  to  step  out  and  get 
ahead  of  the  other  fellow.  He  is 
also  showing  pictures.  But  by  getting 
behind  your  picture  with  the  aid  of  the 
stunts  suggested  in  the  press  sheet,  you 
cannot  fail  to  come  out  on  top. 

Clever  exploitation  makes  all  roads 
lead  to  your  theatre. 


In  starting  out  to  prepare  the  pro- 
logue a  good  way  to  begin  is  by  select- 
ing a  prominent  still  from  the  picture. 
It  should  be  an  actionful  picture,  and 
mark  one  of  the  highlights  of  the  pro- 
duction. With  this  picture  as  inspira- 
tion you  lay  your  plans. 

It  will  be  possible  for  you  to  borrow 
most  of  the  things  you  need  from  the 
local  merchants  in  exchange  for  an  ad 
in  your  program,  a  slide  or  a  lobby 
card  of  acknowledgment.  If  you  de- 
sire to  represent  a  Chinese  pagoda,  or 
a  Russian  city  in  the  distance,  you 
need  only  get  busy  with  your  knife  and 
cardboard. 

CUT  in  silhouette  an  outline  of  the 
scene  you  want.  Place  this  off  stage 
before  a  spotlight,  and  you  have  a  full 
sized  pagoda  or  city  thrown  in  shadow 
on  your  back  drop.  The  same  thing 
holds  good  for  trees.  If  you  have  a 
garden  scene  simply  multiply  the  pro- 
cess. And  by  again  multiplying  your 
tree  you  may  have  a  jungle. 

As  to  your  people  for  the  prologue, 
one  may  always  be  a  super,  but  the 
other  must  be  a  girl  or  man  familiar 
with  the  work.  You  should  be  in  touch 
with  a  girl  trained  in  all  types  of  danc- 
ing. 

Keep  on  hand  a  generous  supply  of 
cardboard.  From  it  you  make  steer- 
ing wheels,  boats,  moons.  Do  not  omit 
the  American  flag  from  your  property 
list,  and  remember  that  fitting  music 
is  absolutely  requisite  to  presentation. 

If  you  wish  definite  advice  or  sug- 
gestions on  prologues  for  any  particu- 
lar pictures,  a  line  to  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will  bring  information. 


Staging  Inexpensive  Prologs 

By  ALBERTINA  RASCH 


October  25,  1924  Page  53 


Page  54 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Even  the  remonstrances  of  a  patient  husband  are  ineffectual 
in  curbing  this  wife's  love  of  the  jazz-age  life.  Percy  Mar- 
mont  and  Jackie  Saunders  present  striking  characterizations 
In  "Broken  Laws,"  the  true  to  life  F.  B.  O.  photodrama. 


Percy  Marmont,  as  the  home-loving 
husband  in  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws," 
is  gradually  driven  to  ruin  by  the  mad 
whims  of  the  foolish  wife  he  adores. 


There  is  nothing  that  has  greater  appeal  than  childhood,  and 
in  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  there  is  a  stirring  story  of 
children,  and  how  they  are  made  to  suffer  in  after  life  because 
of  the  lax  supervision  of  parents  in  their  tender  years. 


Mrs.  Wallace  Reid  portrays  the  adoring 
mother  in  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws." 
The  blind  love  she  lavishes  upon  her  son 
is    the    cause    of    his    final  downfall. 


*  Broken  Laws' 


With  an  Ounce  of  Showmanship  You  Can  Bring  the  Whole  Town  to  Your 
Theatre  for  the  Showing  of  This  Big  F.  B.  O.  Photodrama 


r 


NATION 


SECTION 


'Broken  Laws'  Means 
Broken  Box-Office  Records 

Thrilling  F.  B.  O.  Photodrama,  Starring  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid,  Will 

Bring  Throngs  to  All  Theaties 


a  tragic  indictment 
of  the  great  joss  jazz, 
"Broken  Laws"  will 
enthrall  the  men  and 
women  of  America. 
And,  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
the  younger  genera- 
tion will  heed  the 
warning  pointed  in  a 
flaming  finger. 

It  has  been  said 
that  motion  pictures  are  the  hope  of 
the  world.  And  if  there  is  one  medium 
through  which  our  time  may  be  eman- 
cipated from  the  soul  strangling  grip 
of  maddened  syncopation — it  is  provid- 
ed by  the  screen. 

In  "Broken  Laws"  F.  B.  O.  offers 
a  great,  dramatic  picture.  One  whose 
story  depicts  a  cross  section  of  life  as 
it  exists,  not  only  in  the  clash  and 
clang  of  the  metropolis,  but  in  ever'} 
hamlet  where  family  sanctity  has  been 
disrupted  by  the  insidious 
institution — Jazz ! 

The  Star 

It  is,  perhaps,  sig- 
nificant that  Mrs.  Wal- 
lace Reid,  who  has  suf- 
fered so '  deeply  because 
of  the  modern  mael- 
strom, has  been  selected 
for  the  stellar  role  in  the 
him. 

She  brings  to  her  char- 
acterization a  heart  full 
of  understanding,  and 
her  histronic  effectiveness 
in  this  drama  far  eclipses 
her  best  previous  efforts. 

er  part  is  that  of  the 
indulgent  mother,  whose 
very  kindness  almost  kills 
the  child  upon  whom  she 
lavishes  her  blind  love. 


In  the  early  sequences  of  the  picture 
we  see  lawless  manhood  in  the  mak- 
ing. We  are  introduced  into  the  house- 
hold of  Ralph  Allen.  He  is  a  common- 
sense  sort  of  chap,  utterly  wrapped  up 
in  his  beautiful  wife,  Joan,  and  their 
eight  year  old  son,  Bobby. 

There  is  but  one  rift  in  the  lute  of 
their  marital  happiness.  It  is  a  differ- 
ence regarding  the  rearing  and  charac- 
ter molding  of  the  one  both  hold  so  dear. 

'Spare  the  RocP 

Joan  Allen  refuses  to  see  in  her  son 
anything  but  a  being  combining  all  the 
virtues — an   earthly   angel   devoid  of 


This  is  a  card  stand  that  will  help  publicize  your  showing  of  F.  B.  O.'s 
"Broken  Laws."  It  also  shows  one  way  in  which  you  may  have  the 
taxis  and  motor-cars  of  your  town  help  sell  tickets  for  your  attraction. 


fault.  And  with  her  his  word — his 
lightest  whim — is  law. 

Never  has  Bobby  known  a  parental 
reprimand,  never  has  he  experienced 
the  warmth  caused  by  the  well-placed 
application  of  a  slipper.  Rules  of  con- 
duct have  no  place  in  his  scheme  of 
things. 

Ralph  Allen,  his  father,  recalling  the 
beneficial  effects  of  wood-shed  visits  in 
his  own  boyhood,  views  the  situation 
with  much  misgiving.  He  visualizes 
the  result  of  this  over-indulgence  on 
plastic-minded  youth.  Gently  he  re- 
monstrates— but  without  avail.  His  at- 
tempts at  correction,  precipitate  un- 
pleasant scenes.    And  so  things  drift. 

Next  Door 

The  Heaths  are  neighbors  of  the  Al- 
iens. Their  family  consists  of  Muriel 
Heath,  her  husband  Richard,  and  their 
ittle    daughter    nicknamed  "Patsy." 

These  three  form 
another  type  of  family 
triangle.  Muriel,  beau- 
tifully  charming,  but 
utterly  frivolous,  is  a  true 
product  of  the  age.  She 
is  no  stranger  to  any  of 
the  forbidden  fruits.  She 
plays  at  love  with  many 
men,  toys  with  "the  cup 
that  cheers,"  prefers  a 
special  brand  of  cigar- 
ettes and  is  quite  familiar 
with  how  to  draw  to  her 
hand  in  a  stiff  poker 
game. 

"Dick"  her  husband,  is 
the  sort  of  chap  who  will 
make  any  sacrifice  for  do- 
mestic peace.  Engrossed 
in  his  home  and  his  li- 
brary, he  permits  his  wife 
full    freedom.     All  too 


Page  56 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revii 


Percy  Marmont  and  Jackie  Saunders  play  important  roles  in  F.  B.  O.'s 
true-to-life  drama  "Broken  Laws".  The  picture  proves  that  the  children 
must  always  suffer  for  the  carelessness  of  parents  as  well  as  for  their 
sins.    More  than  love  is  necessary  in  the  proper  raising  of  youngsters. 


"BROKEN 
LAWS" 


Mrs.  Wallace  Reid,  widow  of  the  well- 
beloved  player,  has  the  leading  part  in 
F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws."  She  is  the  too 
indulgent  mother  of  a  spoiled  son,  who 
awakens  to  her  mistakes  when  it  is  too  late 


F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  abounds  in  situ- 
ations such  as  here  depicted.  The  story 
is  brimfull  of  heart  interest  coupled  with 
thrills  and  suspense.  It  also  offers  excep- 
tional opportunity  for  real  showmanship. 


There  are  many  beautiful  pictures  in  "Broken  Laws".  Stills  like  this  one 
will  help  make  many  windows  attractive  for  tie-up  window  displays  offered 
with  the  F.  B.  O.  film  by  national  advertisers  of  nationally  known  products. 


F.  B.  0.  Photodrama  Has  Big  Popular  Appeal.    It  Will  Develop 
Exceptional  Patronage  for  Every  Type  of  Theatre 


October  25,  1924 


NATIONAL  fWlfgo 


late  he  realizes  her  inability  to  dis- 
tinguish liberty  from  license.  And  be- 
tween these  two  little  "Patsy"  Heath 
receives  her  start  along  the  street  of 
sorrows. 

The  Wheel  Turns 

Conditions  change.  And  grow  worse. 
Little  by  little,  Joan  Allen's  selfish  in- 
fatuation for  her  son,  loses  her  hus- 
band's love.  But  she  is  too  bound  up 
in  child  worship  to  sense  the  situation 
she  has  created. 

Ralph  Allen,  fearful  for  the  future, 
and  discontented,  seeks  elsewhere  that 
measure  of  happiness  which  is  his  right. 
And  Jazz,  with  ever-ready  tentacles, 
entwines  him.  First  rumors — then 
confirmation  of  his  digressions. 

You  know  the  rest.  It  is  an  ancient 
story — one  that  is  repeated  every  day — 
the  tale  of  a  good  man's  downfall. 
Women — liquor — cards  for  high  stakes. 
And  through  it  all  the  son  is  slowly  ap- 
proaching maturity.  A  spoiled,  reck- 
less, selfish  youngster  respecting  noth- 
ing but  his  own  desires. 

Jazz  Age  Love 

To  make  it  worse  for  the  boy,  his 
father  dies,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  is  absolutely  without  any  restrain- 
ing influence. 

Meantime,  Destiny  is  busy  weaving 
her  tangled  threads.  Naturally  Bobby 
meets  the  girl  next  door.  And  as  both 
are  young — quite  naturally  they  fall  in 
love.  Youth  is  ever  in  love  with  love — 
and  in  the  case  of  Bobby  and  Patsy 
propinquity  does  the  rest. 
I  Now  we  meet  this  willful  boy,  and 
the  girl  who  is  alike  a  creature  of  cir- 
cumstance and  environment,  as  they 
stand  at  the  threshold  of  maturity. 

She  has  developed  into  that  peculiar 
species  which  has  sprung  like  some 
rank  orchid  from  the  mire  of  jazz.  She 
is  an  exotic,  convention-defying  thirty- 
third  degree  flapper. 

Inevitable  Ruin 

Madly  the  youth  and  girl  race  through 
life  along  the  high  road  to  destruction. 
W  ithout  parental  supervision  they  slip 
along  the  greased  skids  toward  ruin. 

There  are  wild  parties  and  liquor — ■ 
and  all  that  follows  in  its  wake.  Then 
comes  one  fatal  night.  How  many  oth- 
ers have  ended  like  it  ?  A  racing  speed- 
ster, bootleg  rum,  eyes  befogged  and 
hand  unsteady  on  the  wheel — 

Crash !  A  wrecked  car,  a  youth 
shaken  and  shocked  into  sobriety,  and 
an  old  woman,  a  victim  of  "Broken 
Laws,"  crushed  to  death. 

The  Law 
Then  the  wheels  of  Justice.  Slowly 
but  inexorably  grinding  to  bits  those 
who  defy  man-made  laws  and  conven- 
tions. The  boy  is  arrested,  and  for 
once  there  is  no  power  that  can  inter- 
vene for  him. 


If  the  sequence  of  the  picture  to  this 
point  seems  enthralling,  the  scenes  now 
enacted  rise  to  heights  of  heartrending 
drama. 

Finally,  Bob's  poor  mother  realizes 
that  she  alone  is  responsible  for  her 
son's  position.  She  faces  the  hideous 
reality  that  her  great  love  for  the  boy 
has  proven  a  most  monstrous  curse. 

The  Verdict 

Every  agency  that  may  be  used 
to  circumvent  the  law  is  enlisted  in  the 
boy's  behalf.  The  finest  legal  talent  is 
arrayed  on  his  side.  Powerful  influ- 
ence is  brought  to  bear. 

The  district  attorney  is  scathing  in 
his  arraignment,  the  counsel  for  the  de- 
fense is  eloquent  in  his  plea.  The  judge 
charges  the  jury.  And  the  boy's  fate 
is  left  with  them. 

Slowly,  and  with  a  befitting  sense  of 
their  dignity,  the  "twelve  good  men  and 
true"  file  into  the  box  from  the  jury 
room.  The  air  is  heavy  .with  stillness. 
Then  comes  the  verdict. 

Manslaughter 

"Guilty  of  manslaughter  as  charged  \" 
Frantically  Joan  beseeches  the  judge 
for  mercy.  Vividly  she  unfolds  the 
story  of  the  events  that  have  led  her 
child  to  the  prison's  gates.  With  soul 
rending  sobs  she  admits  her  fault,  takes 
the  blame  upon  her  own  frail  shoulders. 

But  to  no  avail.  Justice  ignores  the 
errors  of  a  mother's  love.  She  pleads 
in  vain  to  serve  her  son's  term.  The 
boy  is  sentenced,  and  is  led  away.  Joan 
and  Patsy  go  home — to  wait. 

New  Life 

If  happiness  is  transient — so  is  suf- 
fering. Bobby  emerges  from  confine- 
ment with  a  new  outlook  upon  life. 


This  is  a  good  atmosphere  still  for  F.  B. 
O.'s  "Broken  Laws."  It  is  No.  30  and 
may  be  used  for  tie-up  windows  on  gowns, 
evening    wear,    jewels,    and  silverware. 


Still  No.  83  will  help  you  secure  windows 
from  tobacconists,  costumers,  modistes, 
and  others  for  your  showing  of  F.  B.  O.'s 
realistic     photodrama     "Broken  Laws." 

There  is  a  general  readjustment  of  af- 
fairs. And  just  before  those  words 
"The  End"  are  projected  upon  the 
screen,  we  see  him,  and  Joan  and  Patsy 
beginning  anew.  And  this  time  they 
travel  the  road  of  understanding  that 
will  surely  lead  to  happiness. 

Names  of  Note 

To  such  a  story  F.  B.  O.  has  added 
names  of  players  that  glitter  like  gold: — 
box-office  gold.  The  cast  includes  an 
aggregation  of  histrionic  talent  such  as 
is  seldom  assembled.    Look  it  over. 

In  addition  to  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid,  as 
Joan,  the  ever-popular  Percy  M'armont 
contributes  a  fine  characterization  as 
Richard  Heath.  The  part  of  Ralph  Al- 
len is  capably  cared  for  by  Ramsey 
Wallace,  while  Jackie  Saunders  plays 
the  role  of  Muriel  Heath,  the  modern 
mother. 

Never  have  there  been  more  appeal- 
ing kids  than  little  Pat  Moore  and  Jane 
Wrey  who  portray  Bobby  and  Patsy 
at  the  age  of  eight  years.  And  when 
the  children  arrive  at  the  flapper  stage, 
the  parts  are  taken  by  Arthur  Rankin 
and  Virginia  Lee  Corbin. 

The  Background 

The  frame  of  the  picture  either  adds 
or  detracts  from  the.  effectiveness  of 
every  production.  The  setting  for 
"Broken  Laws"  helps  the  film  attain 
perfection. 

The  backgrounds  are  in  every  case 
superb.  They  breathe  realism  and 
beauty.  Each  carries  conviction,  and 
will  transport  your  audience  from  the 
confines  of  the  theatre,  direct  to  the 
scene  of  the  action. 


Page  58 


NATIONAL 


You  Be  the  Judge 
/These  National 


HE  National  Tie-Ups 
on  "Broken  Laws" 
have  been  selected 
with  a  view  to  assist- 
ing yon  in  securing 
windows  from  mer- 
chants in  highly  di- 
versified lines  of  busi- 
ness. 

The  fact  that  the 
story  stresses  the 
presence  of  children  makes  it  possible 
to  secure  the  cooperation  of  many  mer- 
chants handling  products  manufactured 
for  the  consumption  of  young  America. 

The  two  types  of  women  portrayed 
in  the  photoplay  afford  the  opportunity 
to  tie-up  effectively  with  every  sort  of 
article  having  feminine  appeal.  And 
there  are  many  stills  of  the  leading 
masculine  characters  that  will  secure 
you  windows  from  dealers  in  men's 
wear — both  ''collegiate"  and  conserva- 
tive. 

Headwear 

Stills  such  as  No.  41,  14,  72,  39, 
92,  38,  and  numerous  others,  may  be 
used  for  window  displays  of  hats  and 
caps.  For  this  purpose  the  manufac- 
turers of  "Society  Club"  hats  and 
"Sure-Fit"  caps  will  lend  their  best  co- 
operation. 

If  there  are  no  merchants  in  your 
town  who  handle  these  particular 
brands  the  stills  may  be  used  in  local 
tie-ups  with  department  stores,  haber- 
dashers, clothiers,  hatters,  and  all  other 
establishments  selling  headwear  for 
men  and  boys. 

Razors 

There  are  several  stills  similar  to  No. 
86,  which  shows  one  of  the  leading 
characters  manipulating  a  safety  razor. 
Not  only  will  these  photographs  enable 
you  to  tie-up  with  all  merchants  sell- 
ing "Auto-Strop"  razors,  but  you  may 
also  secure  the  cooperation  of  dealers 
in  shaving  brushes,  soaps,  powders  and 
the  various  other  requisites  of  a  beard- 
less face. 

The  "Auto-Strop"  people  will  give 
their  assistance  by  furnishing  as  many 


sets  of  their  display  ma- 
terial as  you  can  use.  And 
it  is  a  foregone  conclusion 
that  both  you  and  the 
merchants  will  profit. 

You  should  secure  win- 
dows from  druggists,  de- 
partment stores,  and  all 
others  who  sell  articles 
of  this  nature. 

Milk 

The  Borden's  "Eagle  Brand"  Milk 
tie-up  is  quite  logical  because  of  the 
great  value  of  the  product  in  rearing 
children.  While  there  is  no  still 
specifically  sh  owin  g  one  of  the 
children  in  the  picture  drinking  milk, 
there  are  a  number  of  human  interest 
kid  stills  that  will  answer  your  pur- 
pose. 

The  rest  may  be  accomplished  with 
the  Borden  display  material,  and  win- 
dow cards  worded  appropriately.  For 
instance,  one  might  contain  the  thought 
"Broken  Laws"  of  health  in  childhood, 
lead  to  serious  consequences  later.  Or 
"Buy  Borden's  Milk  and  See  'Broken 
Laws.'    Both  Will  Do  You  Good." 

Cosmetics 

The  prospects  for  exceptional  tie-ups 
on  cosmetics  are  very  bright.  If  you 
will  glance  at  stills  Nos.  83,  43,  30,  90, 
54,  79,  55,  48,  49,  58,  56,  60  and  a 
whole  raft  more,  you  will  see  why. 

The  many  pictures  of  the  little  girl 


offer  a  fine  chance  to  tie-up  with  the 
'school  girl  complexion'  idea.  And  the 
pretty  flappers  and  charming  women 
will  also  help  cosmetic  windows. 

Some  of  the  pictures  that  may  be 
used  in  this  regard  are  distinctly  novel. 
Those  showing  the  children  "making 
up"  with  the  aid  of  mother's  rouge, 


Here  is  tie-up  material  for  window  dis- 
plays featuring  evening  apparel,  punch 
bowls,  silverware  and  housefurnishings.  It 
is  No.  42  from  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws." 


Still  No.  43  from  "Broken  Laws"  the  big 
F.  B.  O.  photodrama,  offers  a  unique  op- 
portunity to  tie-up  with  merchants  hand- 
ling cosmetics,  powder,  perfume,  atomizers 
etc.,  beside  having  lots  of  human  interest. 

mascara  and  powder,  are  good  for  a 
laugh,  and  will  attract  attention  any- 
where. 

Cheramy,  Inc.,  manufacturers  of  the 
nationally  advertised  "Cappi"  products, 
have  special  display  material  which  will 
help  you  in  arranging  some  wonderfully 
attractive  windows.  Just  specify  your 
playdates  and  the  amount  of  display 
sets  required,  and  you  will  receive 
prompt  assistance. 


Perfumes 

The  perfume  angle  is  cared  for  by 
the   National   Tie-Up  with  Fontanis, 
Inc.,  whose  delicately  fragrant  prod-  i 
ucts  are  nationally  famous. 

Select  any  of  the  numerous  stills 
showing  beautiful  women — and  combine 
them  with  the  Fontanis  display  mater- 
ial for  a  window  beautifully  alluring. 
Many  of  the  pictures  feature  perfume, 
atomizers,  and  so  on,  and,  of  course, 
these  are  particularly  appropriate. 

The  Fontanis  display  material  is 
something  very  special,  so  do  not  neg- 
lect to  secure  the  cooperation  of  every; 
merchant  in  town  who  sells  the  prod- 
uct. The  same  stills  may  be  used  for 
tie-ups  of  local  nature,. but  because  of 
the  assistance  vouchsafed  by  the  na- 


October  25,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  59 


of  The  Value 
Tie  -  Ups 


good — and  will  also 
increase  sales  for 
your  merchant 
friend. 

Pebeco 


tional  advertisers  included  in  the  tie- 
ups,  it  is  possible  to  secure  more  far 
reaching  results  with  the  use  of  tie-up 
products. 

Neckwear 

Throughout  the  picture  Percy  Mar- 
mont,  and  the  other  mere  men  in  the 
production  are  especially  well-dressed. 
Therefore  great  care  seems  to  have 
been  given  to  the  matter  of  neckwear. 
And  fortunately,  there  are  any  quan- 
tity of  stills  for  use  in  a  window  dis- 
play tying-up  "Broken  Laws"  with  the 
product  of  the  Franklin  Knitting  Mills 
— "Fashionknit"  scarves. 

Almost  any  stills  in  which  the  men 
appear  are  appropriate.  Nos.  7,  114,  52 
— selected  at  random — will  give  you  the 
idea.  There  are  some  specially  posed 
close-ups  of  Mr.  Marmont,  and  the 
others  which  may  also  be  secured. 


This  still — No.  2 — will  win  the  cooperation 
of  the  local  shoe  merchants  in  boosting 
business  for  your  showing  of  "Broken 
Laws."  The  F.  B.  O.  film  offers  many 
window  tie-ups  both  National  and  local. 


Clothes 

Almost  the  same  thing  may  be  said 
for  the  National  Tie-Up  with  "GGG" 
clothes.  Every  variety  of  apparel  is 
represented.  There  are  stills  of  the 
leading  characters  in  sport  clothes,  busi- 
ness suits,  and  evening  wear.  And 
plenty  of  "party"  pictures,  showing 
good  looking  things  to  wear. 

Nos.  39,  41,  115,  72,  90,  124,  99,  45, 
36,  37,  38,  41— are  just  a  few  that  will 
indicate  the  thought.  The  "GGG"  peo- 
ple have  some  very  fine  posters  and 
other  display  material.  The  sort  that 
makes  folks  stop  and  look.  This  win- 
dow display  will  do  your  show  much 


Lehn  and  Fink, 
Inc.,  manufacturers 
of  "Pebeco"  denti- 
frice, and  other  things,  are  one  of  the 
most  extensive  advertisers  in  America. 
You  may  cash  in  on  their  advertising 
appropriation  by  tying-up  your  show- 
ing of  "Broken  Laws"  with  their  pro- 
duct. 

They  have  pledged  cooperation  and 
will  be  happy  to  assist  you  and  their 
dealers  in  making  this  National  Tie-Up 
one  hundred  percent  effective.  There 
are  no  special  stills  featuring  "Pebeco," 
but  there  are  a  number  of  pictures 
showing  smiles  and  fine  teeth,  and  these 
will  answer  your  purpose.  Cleverly 
worded  window  cards  referring  to 
"Broken  Laws"  will  do  the  rest. 

Brassieres 

Tie-up  with  dealers  in  lingerie,  bras- 
sieres, hosiery,  and  the  other  intimate 
apparel  of  femininity,  by  skilfull  ar- 
rangement of  those  stills  from  "Broken 
Laws"  showing  the  women  characters 
in  all  their  splendor  of  raiment. 

So  far  as  brassieres  are  concerned, 
the  manufacturers  of  Model  (Criss- 
Cross)  Brassieres  are  right  in  back  of 
you  to  make  a  big  mutual  publicity 
campaign  for  your  show  and  then- 
product. 

Here  again  the  window  card  may  be 
relied  upon  to  do  its  share  in  selling 
both  picture  and  product.  The  idea  of 
"Broken  Laws"  of  good  form  in  dress, 
is  one  that  lends  itself  to  ready  adap- 
tation. 

Knitted  Wear 

A  timely  tie-up  is  that  offered 
"Broken  Laws"  by  the  New  York 
Knitting  Mills,  manufacturers  of  knit- 
ted outer  things  for  men,  women  and 
children.  There  are  appropriate  stills, 
for  this  display — such  as  No.  67 — and 
as  this  is  a  really  seasonable  tie-up,  you 
should  secure  as  many  windows  as 
possible. 

The  mills  will  be  glad  to  forward  as 
much  window  material  as  you  can  use. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  advise  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review  as  to  the  quantity 
of  displays,  and  the  dates  upon  which 
you  will  show  "Broken  Laws." 

Boys'  Clothes 

Another  exceptional  tie-up  is  pre- 
sented by  Ben.  Weiner  and  Co.,  who 
are  the  originators  of  "Penrod"  clothes. 
These  are  special  boys'  things,  and  tie- 
up  remarkably  well  with  some  of  the 
kid  stills  from  the  picture. 

Nos.  34,  42  and  others  will  show  you 
how.  The  "Penrod"  people  have  agreed 
to  back  your  showing  of  this  F.  B.  O. 


An  appealing  still  is  No.  43  from  F.  B. 
O.'s  "Broken  Laws."  Beside  creating  at- 
mosphere for  the  picture  it  will  tie-up  well 
with  merchants  selling  children's  articles. 


picture,  and  the  tie-up  is  bound  to  make 
friends  for  your  theatre  as  well  as  for 
the  merchants  lending  their  window  co- 
operation. 

In  arranging  your  windows  do  not 
neglect  to  inject  some  pictures  denot- 
ing the  atmosphere  of  the  picture. 
Scenes  of  the  dances,  the  parties,  the 
children,  the  trial,  and  others  will 
arouse  interest  and  curiosity  regarding 
your  showing. 


Obviously  the  tie-up  here  is  with  razors, 
shaving  soaps,  and  similar  articles.  The 
picture  is  still  No.  86  from  F.  B.  O.'s 
"Broken  Laws,"  and  is  but  one  of  the 
many  that  will  secure  you  window  ads. 


Page  60 


Exhibitors  Trade  Ritk-k 


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October  25.  1924 


Page  61 


markable  Adv.  Matter 


Page  '62 


NAT  I  ORAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


These  Suggestions  Will  Build  Business  For  Your 
Showing  of  F.  B.  O.'s  'Broken  Laws' 

In  Addition  to  Advertising  Your  Attraction  Through  Window  Displays, 
Here  Are  Other  Mediums  of  Exploitation  That  Will 
Help  You  to  a  Big  Gross 


IN  some  productions  there  is  one 
particular  angle  through  which  the 
attraction  may  be  publicized,  but 
with  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  every 
exploitation  element  is  one  hundred  per- 
cent present. 

There  is  a  crackerjack  title,  an  ex- 
cellent cast,  a  fine  story.     And  wise 
showmen  will  make  every  one  of  these 
attributes  do  its  bit  for  ex- 
ceptionally  heavy  box-office 
intake.  I 

Your  income  from  an  at- 
traction may  be  measured  ex- 
actly by  the  amount  of 
exploitation  you  attach  to  your 
showing  of  the  film.  If  you 
tell  the  town  in  no  uncertain 
tones  what  entertainment  you 
are  offering,  the  town  will  re- 
spond gladly.  But  if  you  are 
lukewarm — your  potential  pa- 
tronage will  be  so  too. 

One  of  the  best  publicity 
mediums  in  advertising  mo- 
tion pictures  is  the  daily 
press.  Not  the  direct  adver- 
tising announcing  the  pic- 
ture showing  at  your  theatre 
— but  the  indirect  advertising 
that  you  may  secure  on  the 
reading  pages  through  stunts 
and  contests. 

pOR  your  showing  of  F.  B. 

1  O.'s  "Broken  Laws,"  co- 
operate with  your  local  news- 
paper in  staging  contests  for 
letters  and  essays  from  read- 
ers. And  also  arrange  for  a 
series  of  articles  which  will 
have  direct  bearing  on  your 
picture  and  give  it  indirect 
advertising. 

For  instance,  the  boy  in  the 
picture  finally  goes  to  prison 
mainly  because  of  the  lax 
manner  in  which  he  has  been 
brought  up.  How  many  cases 
in  real  life  are  almost  iden- 
tical? A  newspaper  story  en- 
titled "Are  Parents  to  Blame?", 
"Broken  Laws  of  Childhood,"  "Mothers 
to  Blame  for  Broken  Laws,"  or  any 
similar  head  will  surely  be  read  by  your 
potential  patrons.  The  picture  may  be 
mentioned  casually,  and  the  title  fea- 
tured as  boldly  as  possible.  The  story 
will  remain  in  the  mind  of  the  public, 
and  the  title  will  recur  to  them  when 
they  see  your  other  ads. 


Other  articles  might  be  a  series  on 
bringing  up  children,  and  a  very  inter- 
esting group  of  stories  may  be  written 
around  the  title  "Consequences  of 
Broken  Laws." 

A  humorous,  and  also  interesting 
angle  would  be  to    write  an 

of 


circulation  for  their  paper  as  well  as 
patronage  for  your  theatre. 

Another  important  medium  of  pub 
licity  may  be  enlisted  in  your  behal 
on  this  particular  picture.  It  is  th 
pulpit. 

article 


showing  how  each  of  us  breaks  T^HE  church  is  always  a  force  fo 
some  law  each  day — almost  each  hour.       ^  good,  and  ministers,  since  the  be 

ginning,  have  been  preachin 
against  the   breaking  of  th 
laws.    There   could  scarcel 
be  a  finer  title  for  a  sermon 
than    that   offered   by  your 
attraction    "Broken  Laws," 
and  you  should  experience  no 
difficulty  whatever  in  securing 
church  cooperation. 

The  chance  offered  for  a 
split-a-page  cooperative  ad  in- 
cluding your  theatre  and 
many  of  the  town's  mer- 
chants is  too  good  to  be  over- 
looked. There  may  be 
"Broken  Laws"  of  health,  of 
success,  of  entiquette,  of  hap- 
piness, of  life  itself.  And  there 
is  not  a  merchant  who  cannot 
increase  business  for  himself 
by  coming  in  on  this  idea. 

Remember  that  in  this  page, 
or  double-truck  advertising — 
every  participant  receives  the 
same  publicity  that  would  ac- 
crue to  an  individual  ad  of 
the  same  size.  And~the  cost 
is  a  mere  trivial  fraction  of 
what  it  would  ordinarily  be. 

Get  after  the  merchants  on 
this  one.  The  newspaper  will 
help.  And  make  sure  that 
every  ad  carries  the  words 
"Broken  Laws"  in  some  con- 
nection. . 

The  bigger  the  tie-up  the 
better   the    exploitation.  So 

Still  No.  38  from  F.  B.  O.'s  picture  "Broken  Laws"  may  be  beside  working  with  the 
used  for  displays  in  connection  with  house  furnishings,  dresses,  churches,  the  newspapers  and 
and  men's  apparel.  The  players  appearing  in  the  scene  are  the  merchants  of  your  city, 
the  popular  stars,  Mrs.   Wallace  Reid  and  Percy  Marmont.    gecure  the  cooperation  0f  the 

,  city  itself.    This,  of  course, 

Of  course,  these  laws  are  not  the  big, 
important  ones,  but  the  little  ones  that 
are  neglected,  forgotten  or  never  en- 
forced. Another  slant  would  be  to 
write  of  the  things  that  are  legal  *in 
one  state,  and  illegal  in  another. 


must  be  done  through   the  municipal 
authorities.    You    may    inaugurate  a 
"Broken  ' Laws  of  Health"  week  with 
the  cooperation  of  the  Health  Depart- 
ment ;  you  may  secure  police  co-opera- 
tion for \a  week  during  which  every 
citizen  will  observe   the   traffic  rules 
npHE  newspaper  boys  will  be  only  too     and  regulations — and  so  on  through  al- 
glad  to  cooperate  with  you  along  the    most  every  department  of   the  civic 
lines  mentioned,  for  they  are  increasing  government. 


October  25 


Nat  i  oral 


SECTION 


Page  63 


Beside  being  a  good  "atmosphere"  still,  No.  81,  will  help  in  arranging  a  window  dis- 
play of  motor  accessories.  Four  characters  in  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  are  shown, 
played  by  Mrs.  Reid-  Percy  Marmont,  Arthur  Rankin  and  Virginia  Lee  Corbin. 


If  you  desire  to  secure  the  ac- 
tive and  hearty  cooperation  of  the  po- 
lice force  for  your  showing  it  is  only 
necessary  to  donate  the  proceeds  of 
one  performance,  or  some  certain  per- 
centage of  your  receipts  to  the  Police 
Fund.  In  return  the  bluecoats  will  sell 
tickets  for  your  show — and  they  are 
the  best  ticket  sellers  in  the  world. 

/  \  NE  idea  might  be  a  duplicate  sum- 
mons,  summonsing  citizens  to  your 
theatre  because  of  "Broken  Laws" — 
and  fining  them  the  price  of  admission. 

Another  might  be  a  subpoena  calling 
upon  all  law  abiding  citizens  to  visit 
your  theatre  to  witness  "Broken  Laws." 

And  then  there  is  the  old  stunt 
of  affixing  fake  "tickets"  to  parked 
motor  cars.  Any  idea  a  bit  out  the  or- 
dinary will  attract  attention  and  pa- 
tronage to  your  theatre. 

Any  sort  of  parade  will  "line  them 
up"  at  the  curb,  and  as  there  is  an  au- 
tomobile accident  in  the  picture  you 
have  an  excuse  to  line  up  the  automo- 
bile club,  and  all  car  owners  and  agents 
in  a  motor  car  parade  for  the  observ- 
ance of  speed  laws  and  careful  driving. 

The  cooperation  of  Mothers'  Clubs, 
Parents'  Associations,  schools,  and  sim- 
ilar organizations  having  to  do  with 
child  welfare  may  be  secured  to 
assist  in  publicizing  your  showing.  Af- 
ter all,  the  rearing  of  children  is  a 
serious  matter — as  is  well  shown  in 
"Broken  Laws." 

TEASER  ads,  throwaways,  and  sim- 
ilar paper  may  be  made  to  carry 
your  theatre's  message  in  a  "different" 
way.  Just  as  an  idea,  an  ad  reading 
something  about :  "Five  Hundred  Citi- 
zens of  Smithtown  Wanted  for  Broken 
Laws,"  will  start  comment  and  conver- 
sation which  will  get  folks  headed  for 
your  lobby. 

Another  movement  which  you  may 


organize  will  bring  you  the  thanks  of 
the  entire  community.  Get  the  coopera- 
tion of  the  school  teachers  and  the  boy 
scout  officials  in  starting  an  associa- 
tion of  older  children  who  are  pledged 
to  take  care  of  the  younger  kids  out 
side  of  school  hours.  The  idea  is  in 
line  with  the  proper  rearing  of  children 
by  starting  them  along  the  right  road, 
thus  avoiding  "Broken  Laws"  later  in 
life- 

IN  addition  to  other  accessories  F. 
B.  O.  has  originated  some  small 
standing  cut-outs  showing  "necking 
parties"  in  motor  cars.  These  may  be 
used  in  window  displays,  on  cigar 
stands,  cashiers'  counters,  and  any 
number  of  places.    They  are  well  done 


and  will  attract  attention  and  favorable 
comment. 

There  are  dozens  of  ideas  that  will 
boost  business  for  you.  For  instance 
there  are  any  number  of  stills  showing 
Mrs.  Wallace  Reid,  Percy  Marmont 
and  the  others  registering  various  emo- 
tions. A  display  of  stills  of  this  na- 
ture together  with  an  offer  of  prizes — 
tickets — for  the  best  letters  stating 
what  the  actors  may  be  registering  is 
one  thought  that  will  get  attention. 

The  mixed  letter  idea  will  also  at- 
tract patronage  to  your  theatre.  Offer 
prizes  of  passes  for  those  who  can  ar- 
range the  letters  contained  in  the  words 
"Broken  Laws"  in  the  manner  neces- 
sary to  spell  the  title  of  the  attraction. 
Another  interesting  contest  would  be 
one  to  ascertain  how  many  different 
words  can  be  made  from  the  letters 
contained  in  the  picture's  title. 

In  offering  prizes  of  passes  remem- 
ber to  always  give  single  admissions 
only.  Each  single  pass  you  issue  is 
sure  to  bring  one  or  more  cash  cus- 
tomers back  with  it. 

A  NOTHER  idea  in  which  the  mer- 
xjl chants  of  the  town  will  assist  is 
that  of  converting  your  lobby  into  a 
sort  of  arcade.  Have:  the  shops  which 
work  with  you  on  the  window  dis- 
plays and  split-a-page  advertisements 
show  some  of  their  merchandise  in  the 
lobby.  Attractive  displays  may  be 
made,  your  lobby  beautified  and  made 
more  alluring,  and  the  cooperation  will 
result  in  additional  business  for  the 
merchants. 

The  inauguration  of  a  "Better  Win- 
dow Week"  will  meet  with  the  hearty 
approval  of  the  merchants,  and  it  is 
possible  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the 
citv  authorities  on  this  one. 


Mrs.  Wallace  Reid  and  Ramsey  Wallace  are  shown  in  still  No.  19  from  F.  B.  O.'s 
"Broken  Laws."  The  picture  may  be  used  in  displays  of  interior  furnishings,  table- 
ware, glassware,  linen,  ornaments,  furniture  and  clothing  for  either  men  or  women. 


Page  64 


National 


section 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  Importance 

of  The  Lobby 

It  Is  the  Closing  Argument 
That  Sells  Your  Show 

Y  OUR  exploitation  campaign  is  sadly 
incomplete  if  you  neglect  your  lobby. 
Its  appeal  is  the  final  point  in  your 
selling  talk — the  knockout  punch  that  wins 
the  day. 

You  will  gain  publicity  for  your  showing 
of  "Broken  Laws"  through  National  Tie- 
Ups,  window  displays  in  local  shops,  news- 
paper publicity,  civic  cooperation,  contests, 
stunts,  and  ballys.  But  all  of  these  are 
designed  to  turn  the  tide  of  traffic  toward 
your  box-office — your  lobby. 

In  addition  to  presenting  an  attractive 
appearance  the  lobby  should  contain  mater- 
ial affording  a  direct  tie-up  with  the  attrac- 
tion showing  within.  The  use  of  posters, 
cut-outs,  and  novelties  will  all  help  in  this 
regard. 

The  aspect  of  the  lobby  should  be  pleas- 
ing. No  unpleasant  detail  of  a  picture 
should  be  selected  as  a  theme  to  guide  dec- 
oration. For  instance,  although  the  boy  in 
"Broken  Laws"  serves  a  penitentiary  sen- 
tence, it  would  not  be  wise  to  put  up  a 
lobby  front  in  any  way  reminiscent  of  a 
jail  entrance,  nor  would  it  be  good  business 
to  attire  your  ushers  as  convicts. 

However,  it  is  good  showmanship  to 
dwell  upon  the  thrilling  incidents  depicted 
— such  as  the  automobile  episode  in 
"Broken  Laws."  One  idea  might  be  to  have 
a  wrecked  motor  car  in  your  lobby  with  a 
card  explaining  that  this  is  one  result  of 
"Broken  Laws."  A  display  that  will 
surely  attract  attention — even  though  it 
may  be  somewhat  morbid — would  be  to 
secure  from  the  museum  or  the  local  police 
force  a  number  of  the  various  types  of 
handcuffs  and  other  implements  used  at 
present  and  in  bygone  days  for  those  who 
have  paid  the  penalties  for  "Broken  Laws." 

Another  thought  might  be  to  make  a 
huge  speedometer  out  of  card  board  and 
have  the  hands  point  to  the  number  of  acci- 
dents that  occurred  during  thirty  days  be- 
cause of  "Broken  Laws." 

These  are  but  suggestions.     The  point  is 
to  remember  that  your  lobby  is  your  last 
word  of  salesman-showmanship.  It  is  what 
makes  your  patrons  "sign  on    the  dotted 
line"  at  the  box-office. 


October  25,  1924 


National 


section 


Page  65 


THE  ballyhoo  is  one  of  the  exploitation 
mediums  through  which  you  may  bring 
word  of  your  attraction  directly  to  the 
people  of  your  city.  In  some  other  mani- 
festations of  showmanship  it  is  necessary  for 
the  public  to  come  to  you — or  at  least,  to 
your  advertisement.  But  the  "bally"  car- 
ries the  battle  into  the  enemies'  territory. 

There  are  any  number  of  ways  in  which 
to  publicize  your  showing  of  "Broken 
Laws"  through  ballyhoos.  And  those 
that  cover  the  most  territory  are  bound  to 
be  most  effective.  Therefore  it  is  recom- 
mended that  you  consider  the  mileage  cov- 
ered by  taxicabs. 

It  will  be  a  simple  matter  to  arrange 
a  tie-up  with  the  local  cab  company  where- 
by the  spare  tire  on  the  rear  of  each  cab 
may  carry  a  card.  One  way  of  wording 
it  might  be:  "Our  Drivers  Obey  the  Speed 
Laws — See  the  Result  of  'Broken  Laws' 
at  the  City  Theatre." 

The  same  idea  may  be  used  in  a  civic 
tie-up  to  advertise  your  show  on  every  cor- 
ner where  there  is  a  traffic  semaphore.  The 
thought  woud  be  the  same  and  it  would 
serve  the  double  purpose  of  impressing 
folks  with  the  importance  of  the  traffic 
laws  —  and  the  importance  of  seeing 
"Broken  Laws." 

If  there  is  a  garage  in  your  town  that 
makes  a  business  of  hauling  in  stalled  or 
wrecked  cars,  it  will  also  be  simple  to  ar- 
range for  each  of  their  emergency  cars  to 
carry  appropriate  signs. 

There  are  many  more  elaborate  ideas 
that  may  be  worked  out — and  they  are  all 
sure  attention  attractors.  But  the  ideas 
that  are  simple  and  inexpensive  are  gener- 
ally the  most  effective.  For  instance  the 
old  idea  of  tags,  throwaways,  bell  hangers 
have  boosted  business  for  many  another 
showing — and  will  do  so  for  yours. 

Another  way  to  exploit  your  showing  of 
"Broken  Laws"  will  be  through  a  tie-up 
with  some  topic  of  local  importance.  It 
should  be  possible  to  arrange  with  the  papers 
to  carry  the  caption  "Broken  Laws"  on 
every  story  of  infringements  of  the  law. 

The  more  thought  you  give  to  publicizing 
your  picture — the  greater  will  be  the  gross 
at  the  pay-box. 


Page  66 


National 


section 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


An  atmosphere  picture  from  F.  B.  O.'s  "Broken  Laws"  which  also  may  be  used  in  w  indow  display  tie-ups.    It  is  Still  No.  64. 

Local  Tie-Ups  Win  Additional  Windows 

Ppn't  Forget  the  Local  Stores  Are  Institutions  of  the  Town 


IT  sometimes  happens  that  the  show- 
man secures  advantages  from  local 
tie-ups  that  are  equal  to  those  ob- 
tained through   cooperation  with  na- 
tional advertisers. 

Therefore  it  is  wise  to  consider  every 
tie-up  picture  with  an  eye  for  coopera- 
tion of  local  character.  For  instance, 
while  no  National  Tie-Up  has  been  ob- 
tained on  cigarettes,  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  stills  such  as  No.  83  which  will 
fit  in  admirably  with  the  window  dis- 
play of  your  local  tobacconist. 

The  particular  still  referred  to  fea- 
tures a  special  brand  of  smokes,  but  it 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 


"THE  story  of  th«  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos,"  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 


'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

220  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


may  be  used  with  equal  effectiveness  in 
a  general  way,  or  in  a  specific  tie-up 
with  any  brand  desired. 

There  are  a  number  of  tie-ups  pos- 
sible with  toy  stores,  dealers  in  chil- 
drens'  apparel,  shoes,  and  so  on.  Look 
at  still  No.  68.  Is  it  not  a  corker  for 
use  with  window  displays  of  dolls,  kids' 
slippers,  pajamas,  dressing  robes,  and 
even  a  general  tie-up  on  "Do  Your 
Christmas  Shopping  Early"  ? 

NO.  81,  beside  being  a  good  atmos- 
phere still,  may  be  used  in  connec- 
tion with  an  automobile  tie-up — either 
for  machines  or  motor  accessories. 

A  picture  such  as  still  No.  2  is  cer- 
tainly sufficient  to  secure  the  help 
through  window  displays,  of  any  mer- 
chant selling  shoes— whether  they  be 
for  children  or  grown-ups.  And  No.  19 
is  good  for  tableware,  interior  decora- 
tions, house-furnishers  and  a  great 
variety  of  windows. 


Still  No.  87  ties-up  well  with  displays  of 
perfumes,  atomizers  or  other  articles  hav- 
ing feminine  appeal.  It  is  from  a  scene 
in  F.  B.  O.'s  photoplay,  "Broken  Laws." 


No.  114  may  be  of  service  in  secur- 
ing the  window  of  an  establishment 
wishing  to  sell  any  sort  of  hair-dressing. 
There  are  a  series  of  similar  pictures, 
and  every  one  of  them  will  arouse  in- 
terest in  the  dealer's  merchandise  and 
the  picture  you  are  showing. 

HERE  are  many  pictures  that  may 
-"-  be  used  as  general  tie-ups.  Look  at 
No.  16  and  think  of  how  many  different 
ways  it  may  be  used.  The  idea  of 
gifts  —  birthdays  —  anniversaries,  and 
again  the  Christmas  thought.  The  same 
applies  to  No.  15,  which  has  the  child 
appeal. 

If  you  play  the  picture  around  the 
Christmas  season  there  are  a  number  of 
stills  showing  Christmas  trees,  toys,  and 
the  usual  atmosphere  of  celebration. 
You  should  make  use  of  every  one  of 
these.  They  are  all  available,  and  they 
will  all  help  to  increase  the  box-office 
gross.  .. 

Stills  like  Nos.  51  and  13  may  be 
used  in  connection  with  children's  ap- 
parel. And  don't  forget  that  most 
folks  are  as  foolish  over  their  kids  as 
the  heroine  of  "Broken  Laws"  was  over 
her  Bobby.  They  will  stop  to  look  at 
children's  pictures,  and  will  buy  the 
product  with  which  such  stills  are  tied- 
up. 

You  may  cooperate  in  an  "own  your 
own  home"  campaign.  with  stills 
Nos.  41,  72,  14  and  similar  ones.  And 
can  boost  attendance  at  your  theatre  at 
the  same  time. 

Inject  a  bit  of  comedy  in  your  win- 
dows with  stills  like  No.  84.  They  are 
good  for  a  laugh,  and  will  make  folks 
curious  to  see  the  show. 


October  25,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  67 


National  Advertisers  Who  Will  Furnish 
Window  Display  Material  For 
Tie-Ups  on  "Broken  Laws" 


WHEN  you  book  "Broken  Laws"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  listed  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  number  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
each  National  Tie-Up.   Your  communication  will  receive  our  prompt  attention. 


AUTO-STROP  SAFETY  RAZOR  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  Safety  Razors 
Display  Material:   Window  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores,  Hardware  Stores 


FRANKLIN  KNITTING  MILLS 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Fashipnknit"  Neckwear 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


THE  BORDEN  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "Eagle  Brand"  Milk 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Groceries,  Department  Stores 


WM.  P.  GOLDMAN  &  BROS.,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "G.  G.  G."  Clothes 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Clothiers,  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


CHERAMY,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Cappi"  Cosmetics 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters,  Dummies 
Tie-Up:  Specialty  Shops,  Druggists,  Department  Stores 


LEHN  AND  FINK,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Pebeco"  Dentifrice 
Disjday  Material:   Posters,  Cutouts 

Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores 


FINE  AND  LEVY,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Sure-Fit"  Caps 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:   Hatters,  Clothiers,  Department  Stores 


MODEL  BRASSIERE  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Model"   (Criss-Cross)  Brassieres 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Specialty  Shops,  Department  Stores,  Women's 
Wear  Shops 


FONTANIS,  INC. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  Perfumes  and  Toilet  Requisites 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 

Tie-Up:  Perfumers,  Druggists,  Specialty  Shops, 
Department  Stores 


NEW  YORK  KNITTING  MILLS 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:   "ISynit"   Knitted  Outerwear 
Display  Material:    Posters,  Cutouts 

Tie-Up:  Men's   Wear,   Women's    Wear  and  Children's  j 
Wear  Shops,  Department  Stores 


BEN  WEINER  &  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:    "Penrod"  Clothes 
Display  Material:  Cut-Outs,  Posters,  Cards 

Tie-Up:  Boys'  Wear 


FRANK  KATZ  HAT  CO. 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

Product:  "Society  Club"  Hats 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 

Tie-Up:  Hatters,  Department  Stores,  Men's  Wear  Shops 


Page  68 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


If  you  were  one  of  the  more  than  9200  Exhibitors 
who  played  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid  in  "HUMAN 

■ 

W  R  E  C  K  A  G  E  you  will  be  able  to  understand 
and  appreciate  the  immensity  of  her  second  bi^ 
production, 


lam 


«... 

when  we  tell  you  that  it  is  a  bigger  picture  thar 
"  Human  Wreckage  Outside  of  "The  Birth  of  A 
Nation",  no  picture  in  history  had  a  bigger  pla) 
than  "  Human  Wreckage  We  predict  even  \ 
bigger  play  for  "BROKEN  LAWS", 

* 

A  tremendous  Nation  wide  exploitation  campaigi 
in  work  now  for  more  than  six  months  is  only  oik 
of  the  giant  features  behind  this  second_J)i| 
picture — Distributed  thruout  the  world  by 


FILM  BOOKING  OFFICES 

Brilliant  east  includes  Percy  Marmont 
Adapted  by  Marion  Jackson  &  Bradley  King 


723  Seventh  Ave.  N.  Y.  City 
Exchanges  Everywhere 

Story  by  Adela  Rogers  St.  Joh 
Directed  by  R.  William  Neil 


Oe">her  25,  1924 


Page  69 


Exploitation  Ideas 

Showmen  Publicity  Schemes  That 
Build  Up  Big  Audiences 


STOCKINGS  and  hairbob  were 
the  two  channels  through  which 
were  secured  the  cooperation  of 
Arbaugh's  department  store  in  Lansing, 
Mich.,  when  Gloria  Swanson  in  "Man- 
handled" played  the  Gladmor  theatre 
Arbaugh's  gave  the  entire  window  to 
the  hosiery,  and  featured  the  Gloria 
Swanson  Bob  in  their  Ladies'  Hair- 
dressing  Department.  In  the  window 
display,  the  window  dresser  costumed 
a  wax  model  completely  in  "Humming 
Bird  Hosiery." 

In  addition  to  this  splendid  co-opera- 
tion, the  store  took  a  fair  sized  ad  in 
the  Saturday  before  opening  paper, 
playing  up  the  Gloria  Swanson  Bob  and 
the  hosiery,  not  overlooking  to  mention 
the  showing  of  the  picture  at  the 
Gladmor  theatre. 
*    *  * 

POSTERS 


Douglas  MacLean 
is  being  cleverly 
posterized.  The  de- 
signer of  these  post- 
ers has  held  to  a 
true  psychology  of 
the  picture  in  each 
instance.  At  the 
same  time  he  has  se- 
cured a  dominating 
presentation  of  his 
star's  most  likeable 
and  smiling  face, 
which  has  gotten  to 
be  a  trade-mark  for 
MacLean's  unique 
brand  of  humor. 

It    is    simple    Reproduction  of  th 
enough  to  design  a    Vitagraph  floats  in 
poster  for  a  star  who    ful  bathing  girls  it 
effects  eccentricity 
in  dress  or    conduct    on    the  screen, 
but  Douglas  MacLean  resorts  to  none 
of  these  burlesque  tricks.    He  always 
dresses  in  the  latest  style,  his  hair  is 
never  ruffled,  his  trousers  never  bag 
at  the  knees  nor  drag  on  the  ground 
over  a  pair  of  ridiculous  brogans.  His 
face  is  his  own  and  he  wears  his  own 
clothes  and  they  always  fit. 

For  "Going  Up"  he  was  pictured  as 
the  pleasing  victim  of  a  roguish  boy 
cupid  driving  a  baby  plane  and  shoot- 
ing cupid  arrows  at  the  star's  smiling 
visage,  the  while  said  cupid  did  a  bit  of 
sky  writing,  showing  the  name  of  the 
picture  in  smoke  letters  across  the  sky. 
It  was  a  happy  way  to  give  an  idea  that 
the  feature  was  an  airplane  comedy 
with  a  pretty  romance  and  thrills  to 
entertain  the  fans. 


In  the  screen  version  of  "The 
Yankee  Consul"  the  poster  man  was 
just  as  clever  in  devising  a  striking 
idea.  He  combined  the  story  with  the 
comedy  smile  of  the  star  by  superim- 
posing the  MacLean  face  over  an  affec- 
tionate American  eagle  wearing  one  of 
Uncle  Sam's  old  fashion  beaver  top 
hats.  The  comic  eagle  seemed  to  be 
taking  the  star  under  its  wing  with  a 
sort  of  loving  protection.  That  was 
the  spirit  of  the  story. 

One  might  expect  the  poster  man 
would  have  his  back  to  the  wall,  as  it 
were,  when  it  came  to  an  appropriate 
poster  for  the  abstract  declarative  title 
of  "Never  Say  Die."  But  he  had  an 
inspiration  when  he  decided  to  intro- 
duce the  saucy  cupid  flapper  standing 


e  "Arabella,"  flagship  of  "Captain  Blood"  used  as  one  of  the 
the  Los  Angeles  "Greater  Movie"  pageant.  Filled  with  beauti- 
later  won  second  prize  at  the  annual  Venice  Bathing  Parade. 


on  the  stars  shoulder  whispering  a  love 
message  into  his  attentive  ear.  It  is 
labelled  "live,  love  and  laugh,"  which, 
with  the  pictured  suggestion,  is  the  en- 
tire spirit  of  the  action,  romance  and 
run  in  this  comedy  version  of  Willie 
Collier's  great  stage  success. 

*    *  * 

FLAP'-JACK 

Frank  Holland,  Manager  of  the  Vic- 
tory Theatre,  Evansville,  Ind.,  staged  a 
flapper  contest  in  connection  with  the 
showing  of  First  National's  "The  Per- 
fect Flapper." 

Cash  prizes  were  offered  for  the 
girls  adjudged  the  most  perfect  flap- 
pers. The  winner  of  first  prize,  was  a 
twelve  year  old  girl,  Edith  Simms, 
whose  portrait  was  printed  in  the 
Evansville  dailies  in   connection  with 


the  announcement  of  the  prize  winners. 

The  advance  and  current  newspaper 
publicity  on  the  contest  was  of  great 
value  in  bringing  the  picture  to  the  at- 
tention of  the  public.  The  result  was 
that  receipts  for  the  week  went  up  con- 
siderably. 

if      *  * 

GET  ABOARD 

Somewhat  like  the  coloring  contest 
that  has  been  getting  good  results  for 
"The  Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland,"  is 
the  drawing  contest  that  has  been  get- 
ting over  in  New  England  for  "The 
Covered  Wagon."  The  contest  is  open 
to  all  school  children  under  twelve. 

To  win  a  prize  they  are  required  to 
make  a  drawing  of  the  covered  wagon 
as  it  appears  in  the 
H|  production.  Pencil, 
crayon,  water  color, 
or  any  medium  pre- 
ferred by  the  artist 
is  permitted  by  the 
judges. 

The  best  drawing 
usually  receives  a 
set  of  forty  stills 
and  a  couple  of 
tickets  to  the  wagon, 
with  the  other  two 
prizes  graduated 
down  accordingly. 
*    *  * 

WITNESSES 

If  the  newspaper 
readers  of  your 
town  should  open 
their  favorite  ga- 
zette and  read  that 
local  business  men 
w  ere  aiding  the 
search  for  witnesses  of  the  Shooting  of 
Dan  McGrew,  you  know  the  shock  it 
would  give  them !  Then  imagine  the 
jolt  to  the  readers  of  the  Daily  Journal 
in  Beaumont,  Texas,  when  they  read 
this  headline  : 

Beaumont  Witnesses  Summoned 
To  Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew 


Circumstantial  Evidence  Plays  Impor- 
tant  Part   in   Noted  Tragedy; 
Beaumont  Business  Men  Aid 
in  Search  of  Witnesses 

And  here  was  the  story  that  followed: 
"Efforts  to  locate  witnesses  for  the 
Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew  received 
added  impetus  when  many  business 
men  of  the  city  agreed  to  take  active 
part,  and  it  is  expected  that  when  all 
the  facts  and  events  leading  up  to  the 


Pa^e  70 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


tragedy  are  visualized,  there  will  be 
many  thrills  and  sensations.  It  is  ad- 
mitted that  the  central  figure  in  this 
mighty  conflict  of  human  emotions, 
known  to  some  as  Lou  Lorraine,  has  a 
remarkable  personality  and  no  doubt 
will  exert  a  strong  influence  on  the 
many  witnesses  that  will  be  present. 

"Seldom  has  it  been  that  business 
men  have  displayed  such  keen  interest 
in  an  affair  of  this  kind  that  they  have 
voluntarily  offered  their  aid  in  locat- 
ing these  witnesses.  They  have  there- 
fore inserted  in  their  advertisements  in 
this  paper  the  names  of  residents  of 
Beaumont,  picked  at  random  from  the 
telephone  directory,  to  whom  they  will 
give  free  tickets  to  witness  The  Shoot- 
ing of  Dan  McGrew,  which  opens  at 
the  Liberty  theatre  tomorrow!" 

Window  tie  -  ups 
were  arranged  with 
music  stores  on  var- 
i  o  u  s  instruments, 
with  restaurants, 
jewelry  stores  on 
Richelieu  pearls, 
bookstores  on  the 
photoplay  edit  i  o  n, 
drug  stores  on  per- 
fumes, Pond's  Cold 
Cream,  and  Gaines- 
borough  powder 
puffs ;  and  with  the 
Victor  people  on  the 
Barbara  La  Man- 
recorded  recitation 
of  the  Robert  W. 
Service  poem. 

Cut-outs  were  ex- 
tensively used  in  the 
lobby  and  the  "can- 
ned" recitation  of 
the  Service  Poem 
was  played  in  the  lobby  continuously. 
The  instrument  for  this  use  was  do- 
nated by  the  Victor  people. 

I  #    *  * 

WARNING! 

Manager  H.  Browning  of  Gordon's 
Olympia  Theatre,  New  Haven,  has 
used  another  advance  exploitation 
scheme  to  interest  dwellers  in  that  city 
in  the  First  National  Special,  "The  Sea 
Hawk." 

Some  two  or  three  weeks  in  advance 
of  the  opening  he  had  several  thousand 
small  manila  envelopes  prepared  for 
distribution.  On  the  outside  of  the  en- 
velope was,  printed  in  red,  a  skull  and 
crossbones,  with  the  warning,  "Your 
turn  is  coming!"  also  in  red. 

The  explanation  of  the  warning  was 
found  inside  the  envelope.  On  a  straw- 
colored  card,  about  2>y2  by  2  inches, 
was  printed,  in  red:  "Your  turn  is 
coming  to  see  the  greatest  picture  of 
the  year,  Frank  Lloyd's  production  of 
Sabatini's  thrilling  novel,  'The  Sea 
Hawk.'  It  thrills  with  romance,  it 
abounds  with  adventure ;  it  will  sweep 
you  away  with  its  immensity  and  mag- 
nificence." 


Nothing  was  said  as  to  the  theatre 
or  date  of  showing. 

When  he  was  ready  to  announce  the 
date  of  the  opening,  Manager  Brown- 
ing used  a  quantity  of  small,  white 
bookmarks,  carrying  his  advertisement 
under  the  caption :  "This  marker  will 
serve  you  for  any  book  but  'The  Sea 
Hawk.'  "  #    *  * 

'BREAD'  LINE 

Full  12  cent  loaves  of  bread  were 
given  away  to  each  lady  patronizing 
the  Valentino  Theatre  in  Toledo  re- 
cently during  the  run  of  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer's  "Bread,"  the  picture  di- 
rected by  Victor  Schertzinger  from 
the  Charles  G.  Norris  novel,  with  the 
result  that  enormous  crowds  were 
drawn  to  the  theatre. 


ment  made  by  bakers, 
complied  with  alacrity. 


the 


company 


Manager  Hurley,  Chief  Displayman  of  the  Owl  Drug  Company,  Los  Angeles,  fixed 
up  a  real  showmanship  window  for  the  run  of  Universal's  "Butterfly."  Laura  La 
Plante,  star,  is    shown    using    the    Harriett    Hubbard    Ayer    toilet  preparations. 


Manager  Lake  of  the  Valentine  The- 
atre effected  this  successful  tie-up  with 
the  Sherlock  Bread  Company. 

An  attractive  booth  was  erected  in 
the  lobby  of  the  theatre  from  which 
were  presented  the  loaves.  The  sample 
given  away  advertised  a  new  loaf  being 
featured  by  the  Sherlock  Company. 

Forty  delivery  wagons  carried,  mean- 
while, announcements  of  the  presen- 
tation of  the  photoplay  "Bread"  at  the 
Valentine  Theatre,  and  of  the  free  dis- 
tribution of  the  loaves,  to  every  part 
of  the  city. 

Full  sized  loaves  of  bread  were  also 
given  away  by  the  Ward  Baking  Corn- 
pan)',  in  Los  Angeles,  in  the  lobby  of 
the  Miller  Theatre.  When  first  ap- 
proached by  the  California  and  Miller 
Theatres  with  the  suggestion  that  cou- 
pons and  advertising  matter  be  put  in 
with  the  loaves  the  Ward  Company  re- 
plied that  it  could  not  do  so,  an  agree- 
ment having  been  signed  by  all  bakers 
to  that  effect.  A  member  of  the  Miller 
Theatre  staff  then  returned  to  the 
Ward  Baking  Company,  which  has  just 
entered  the  local  field,  and  suggested 
that  it  advertise  its  product  by  giving 
loaves  free  to  patrons  of  the  picture. 
As  this  procedure  violates  no  agree- 


'APPEAR'  BY  WIRE 

The  Paramount  producing  unit  that 
is  making  "North  of  36"  thirty-five 
miles  outside  of  Houston,  is  not  only 
preparing  the  state  of  Texas  for  the 
exhibition  of  the  Irvin  Willat  picture, 
but  is  putting  over  "The  Covered 
Wagon"  with  the  assistance  of  the 
stars  in  "North  of  36"  who  appeared 
in  the  former  picture. 

When  "The  Covered  Wagon"  played 
the  Queen  theatre,  Houston,  telegrams 
were  read  on  the  stage  of  the  theater 
from  Ernest  Torrence  and  Lois  Wilson 
greeting  the  audience  from  the  scenes 
of  their  present  work  on  the  great  pic- 
ture of  early  Texas. 

The  same  "tele- 
graphic personal  ap- 
pearance"  was 
worked  in  Cisco  and 
Laredo  with  excel- 
lent results. 


LIBRARIES 

Placing  15,000 
book  marks  in  books 
taken  from  the 
Cleveland  Public  Li- 
brary proved  a  real 
go-gett'em  stunt  for 
the  State  Theatre's 
engagement  of  "Yo- 
landa,"  the  Marion 
Davies  Cosmopolitan 
special,  in  the  Ohio 
city. 

The  library  also 
made  special  dis- 
plays of  stills  from  the  picture  in  wing 
cases,  and  wall  cases.  The  State  thea- 
tre reciprocated  by  calling  attention  on 
the  trailer  it  ran  in  advance  of  the 
showing  to  the  books  being  available 
at  the  public  library. 

"Yolanda"  is  being  received  by  a  lar- 
ger public  than  that  regularly  composed 
of  picture  followers,  for  the  famous 
novel  is  one  of  the  most  widely  read 
modern  books. 


GUARANTEE 

A  guarantee  that  his  patrons  would 
get  250  laughs  out  of  the  First  National 
picture,  "Why  Men  Leave  Home," 
when  shown  at  the  Strand  Theatre, 
Sunbury,  Pa.,  was  an  exploitation 
stunt  with  a  kick  used  by  the  manager 
of  the  Strand  in  Sunbury,  Pa. 

A  card,  headed  "Guarantee,"  was 
printed  and  circulated  through  the 
mails,  at  the  theatre  and  from  house 
to  house.  At  the  bottom  of  the  card, 
after  the  refund  offer  of  one  cent  for 
each  laugh  short  of  the  total,  was  the 
note :  "We  reserve  the  right  to  send 
any  claimant  to  our  medical  expert  for 
examination." 


October  25.  1924 


Page  71 


The  Exhibitors  Round  Table 


St.  Louis  Music  Suit 

The  Irving  Berlin,  Inc.,  has  filed  suit  in 
the  United  States  District  Court  in  St.  Louis, 
asking  $250  damages  of  the  management  of 
the  Excursion  steamer  Golden  Eagle,  plying 
on  the  Mississippi  River  out  of  St.  Louis,  al- 
leging that  on  the  night  of  July  26  the  or- 
chestra of  the  steamer  played  "That  Old  Gang 
ot  Mine"  without  paying  proper  tribute  in 
coin  of  the  realm  to  the  plaintiff,  which  com- 
pany holds  the  copyright  to  the  song.  The 
Eagle  Packet  Company,  Inc.,  is  named  de- 
tendent  in  the  bill  of  complaint  filed  by 
Anthony  O'Halloran,  attorney  for  the  society 
of  Authors  and  Composers  in  the  St.  Louis 
district. 

The  petition  charges  that  on  the  night  in 
question  the  steamboat  management  "gave  a 
public  performance,  not  for  a  charitable  or 
educational  purpose,  but  for  entertainment  of 
patrons  of  the  Eagle  Packet  Company,"  and 
further  "that  the  wrongful  public  perform- 
ance and  presentation  of  "That  Old  Gang 
of  Mine'  attracted  many  persons  to  the  de- 
fendant's boat  and  that  the  defendant  threat- 
ens to  continue  the  unlawful  and  wrongful 
performance  of  'That  Old  Gang  of  Aline' 
and  that  the  Berlin  Corporation  has  been 
damaged  to  the  minimum  sum  of  $250." 

-fc 

D.  R.  Faunce  Goes  Ahead 

The  appointment  of  D.  Roscoe  Faunce, 
formerly  manager  of  the  Criterion  Theatre 
in  Oklahoma  City,  Oklahoma,  to  manage  the 
Strand  and  the  Galax  Theatres,  property  of 
Birmingham  Enterprises,  has  been  announced. 

Mr.  Faunce  succeeds  Lloyd  Towns  who  has 
resigned  the  management  of  the  theatres  to 
go  into  the  retail  flower  business. 

*    *  ❖ 

Newspaper  Tie-Up 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  of  newspaper 
co-operative  stunts  ever  staged  in  Canada 
with  a  moving  picture  theatre  was  that  which 
was  conducted  by  the  Edmonton  Journal  for 
the  presentation  of  a  special  film  release  at 
the  Empress  Theatre,  Edmonton,  Alberta, 
the  manager  of  which  is  Frank  Robson,  broth- 
er of  Clarence  Robson,  Toronto,  general  man- 
ager of  theatres  for  Famous  Players  Cana- 
dian Corp.  The  newspaper  conducted  an 
"Own  Your  Home  Week"  and  a  feature  of 
the  celebration  was  the  showing  of  "The 


Great  Idea",  a  special  topical  film  release  of 
appropriate  nature,  at  the  Empress  Theatre. 

The  Edmonton  Journal  published  a  special 
section  of  no  less  than  12  pages  on  each  of 
which  there  was  a  large  flare  line  or  other 
announcement  regarding  the  picture  at  the 
theatre.  "The  Great  Idea"  was  screened  in 
conjunction  with  the  regular  programme.  The 
newspaper  edition  carried  the  advertising  of 
all  local  firms  interested  in  house  building  or 
home  furnishing. 

*  *  * 

New  Buffalo  Zone  Office 

J.  H.  Michael,  chairman  of  Buffalo  Zone, 
M.  P.  T.  O.,  of  N.  Y.,  announces  that  head- 
quarters of  the  organization  have  been  opened 
at  71  Root  building,  Chippewa  and  Franklin 
streets.  Mr.  Michael  urges  all  members  to 
make  this  office  their  headquarters  while  in 
town. 

Miss  Marian  Gueth  has  been  engaged  as  a 
secretary  for  the  office.  Any  exhibitor 
troubles  will  be  handled  from  this  office. 
The  board  of  directors  of  the  zone  have  de- 
cided on  the  following  plans  of  dues :  Thea- 
tres in  towns  with  population  up  to  2500,  re- 
gardless of  number  of  seats,  $12  a  year; 
population,  2500  to  5000,  $25  annually;  pop- 
ulation, 5000,  to  10,000,  five  cents  a  seat,; 
10,000  to  75,000,  seven  and  one  half  cents 
a  seat ;  over  75,000,  ten  cents  a  seat.  A.  C. 
Hayman,  treasurer  of  the  state  body,  declares 
that  this  system  will  not  work  hardship  on 
the  smallest  exhibitor. 

*  *  * 

Atlanta  Agreement 

Stage  hands  in  the  Atlanta  theatres  have 
signed  a  new  agreement  upon  the  same  terms 
as  last  year.  Loew's  Grand  had  previously 
signed  a  new  agreement,  independently  of  the 
other  theatres  in  the  city,  but  all  other  thea- 
tres sat  in  together  for  an  adjustment  of  all 
differences. 

^  -Is 

Miss  Shulsinger  Dead 

The  St.  Louis  motion  picture  colony  was 
grieved  to  learn  of  the  death  on  September 
26,  at  Lake  Placid,  N.  Y.,  of  Miss  Rose  Shul- 
singer, former  St.  Louis  newspaper  writer 
and  later  publicity  director  in  New  York  for 
various  motion  picture  stars  and  film  com- 
panies. Her  first  newspaper  work  was  in 
St.  Louis  some  ten  years  ago.  Later  she  went 
to  New  York  and  accepted  the  post  of  press 


agent  for  Marion  Davies.  After  that  she  was 
associated  with  Famous  Players-Lasky  Cor- 
poration. News  of  her  death  was  brought 
to  St.  Louis  by  Fannie  Hurst,  well  known 
author,  who  is  visiting  with  her  parents  in 
this  city.  Miss  Hurst's  mother  is  seriously 
ill  which  brought  her  here  at  this  time. 

*  *  * 

Wolfe  a  Dog  Fancier 

Ernest  J.  Wolfe,  of  Lowville,  N.  Y.,  a  well 
known  exhibitor  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
state,  is  dividing  his  interests  these  days  be- 
tween his  theatre  and  a  notable  kennel  of 
Great  Dane  dogs.  Mr.  Wolfe  purchased  two 
Danes  last  week,  one  of  which  was  featured 
with  Robert  Dix  in  the  motion  picture  play 
"Manhattan." 

#  *  * 

Monte  Bain  Promoted 

Of  interest  to  the  film  and  theatre  frater- 
nity of  the  entire  southeastern  territory 
throughout  which  he  is  widely  and  favorably 
known,  is  the  announcement  made  by  D.  Mon- 
te Bain,  of  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  that 
he  will  on  or  before  November  first  become 
affiliated  with  the  rapidly  expanding  chain  of 
theatres  being  operated  by  S.  S.  Stevenson 
and  associates  of  Henderson,  North  Caro- 
lina, in  the  capacity  of  general  director  of 
exploitation  and  publicity  for  all  the  theatres 
in  the  chain. 

Mr.  Bain  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been 
in  exclusive  charge  of  all  buying,  booking 
and  exploitation  for  the  Howard-Wells  thea- 
tres in  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  and  has 
literally  grown  up  with  this  pioneer  firm  of 
motion  picture  people,  since  the  days  of  the 
old  nickelodeon,  although  still  a  young  man. 

He  has  for  these  years  been  the  right  hand 
man  of  Percy  W.  Wells  who  was  for  eight 
years  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners,  and  through  this 
association  has  gained  a  wide  knowledge  of 
every  branch  of  the  show  game,  both  legiti- 
mate and  pictures. 

At  the  present  time  he  is  in  active  manage- 
ment of  all  their  Wilmington  theatres  han- 
dling pictures,  road  shows  and  vaudeville  in 
their  various  houses. 

Previous  to  his  coming  to  the  show  game 
Mr.  Bain  had  an  experience  of  nine  years 
in  the  newspaper  game,  in  Wilmington,  on 
North  Carolina's  oldest  daily  newspaper,  the 
"Wilmington  Star,"  having  started  on  that 
newspaper  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 


Expertness  in  presentation  is  evidenced  by  this  scene  of  a  ship's  hold,  designed  as  a  prologue  for  the  recent  showing  of  First 
National's  "The  Sea  Hawk,"  at  the  Brooklyn  (N.  Y.)  Mark-Strand  Theatre,  arrangement  by  Managing  Director  Edw.  L.  Hyman. 


Page  72 

Fashion  Show 

The  big  fall  fashion  show  which  Man- 
ager Vincent  R.  McFaul  staged  at  Shea's 
Hippodrome,  Buffalo,  the  past  week  with 
the  aid  of  the  Hengerer  department  store, 
was  one  of  the  most  successful  events 
ever  presented  at  the  Hipp  from  a  box- 
office  viewpoint.  Over  $50,000  worth  of 
gowns  were  shown  on  live  models  against 
an  ever  changing  scenic  background. 
Dance  numbers  were  interspersed.  The 
symphony  orchestra  played. 

=i=    *  ^ 

Basehall  Tie-Up 

Manager  W.  J.  Stewart  of  the  Tivoli 
Theatre,  a  Toronto  downtown  theatre, 
made  an  interesting  tie-up  with  the 
World's  Baseball  Series  at  New  York  and 
Washington  by  distributing  Spalding  base- 
balls which  had  been  autographed  by 
prominent  ball  players  at  matinee  perfor- 
mances during  the  period  of  the  series. 
Six  baseballs  were  distributed  by  means 
of  numbered  tickets  each  afternoon,  the 
stunt  being  arranged  to  advertise  the  news 
bulletin  service  which  was  employed  to 
announce  the  games  at  the  Tivoli.  The 
baseballs  were  displayed  in  the  window  of 
the  Spalding  Toronto  store  with  appro- 
priate announcement  cards. 

%        ^  ^ 

Perrin  Is  Satisfied 

While  Oscar  Perrin,  manager  of  the  Le- 
land  theatre  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  has  never 
yet  complained  over  the  size  of  his 
crowds,  things  got  the  best  of  him  one 
night  last  week,  necessitating  the  calling 
of  two  policemen  to  the  theatre.  It  oc- 
curred during  the  run  of  "The  Sea  Hawk," 
which  incidentally  broke  the  house  rec- 
ords. Mr.  Perrin  announced  that  no  more 
tickets  would  be  sold  at  the  box  office 
about  8:30  o'clock.  The  crowd  in  line  re- 
fused to  disperse,  however,  and  began 
shoving  and  pushing.  Realizing  that  the 
crowd  would  soon  become  unmanageable, 
with  disorder  imminent,  Mr.  Perrin  sum- 
moned the  police. 

#  ^ 

Morning  Showings 

When  a  picture  draws  unusually_  well 
and  booking  arrangements  make  it  incon- 
venient for  a  two-weeks'  run,  there's  a  way 
out  of  it,  as  was  demonstrated  by  Frank 
L.  Newman  of  the  Newman  theatre,  Kan- 
sas City,  last  week.  "Feet  of  Clay,"  a 
Paramount  production,  gave  all  advance 
indications  of  a  "packer."  Whereupon  Mr. 
Newman  promptly  announced  through 
daily  newpapers  and  his  screen  that  two 


morning  performances,  at  half  the  regular 
admission  price  of  50  cents,  would  be 
shown,  beginning  Monday.  The  forenoon 
shows  were  at  9:15  o'clock  and  11:20 
o'clock  and  they  did  a  big  business,  ac- 
cording to  the  Newman  management. 
*    *  * 

Straw  Votes 

The  Orpheum  theatre,  Kansas  City, 
adopted  a  rather  old,  but  still  timely, 
method  of  exploitation  this  week.  Each 
patron  received  a  presidential  ballot  with 
his  ticket,  which  he  marked  and  deposited 
in  the  lobby.  The  result  of  the  "voting" 
was  posted  in  the  lobby  each  day.  The 
stunt  was  worth  a  story  in  daily  news- 
papers and  attracted  curious  persons  to 
the  lobby,  many  of  whom  eventually  en- 
tered the  theatre,  who  otherwise  would 
not  have  come. 

Newman  a  Golfer 

Not  all  of  Frank  L.  Newman's  ability 
lies  in  the  operation  of  a  theatre.  Last 
week  Mr.  Newman  won  the  consolation 
flight  of  the  club  championship  golf  tour- 
nament at  the  Oakwood  Golf  Club.  And 
many  of  the  best  golfers  in  the  city  were 
in  that  tournament.  He  defeated  Dave 
Werby,  4  and  3. 

=K      *  * 

Formal  Opening  for  Majestic 

Remodeled  and  newly  decorated,  Joe 
Goldberg's  Majestic  Theatre,  in  Clarks- 
ville,  Tennessee,  had  its  big  formal  open- 
ing on  Thursday,  September  25  just  one 
more  achievement  to  the  credit  of  one  of 
Tennessee's  most  energetic  exhibitors. 

Mr.  Goldberg,  now  owner  of  the  newly 
equipped  and  beautifully  remodeled  Ma- 
jestic is  one  of  the  best  liked  exhibitors 
in  the  state  of  Tennessee.  The  gala  open- 
ing of  the  Majestic  in  Clarksville  signified 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  in  Ten- 
nessee, since  he  has  only  recently  recov- 
ered from  a  long  and  severe  illness. 

Mose  Klein  will  be  managing  director  of 
the  new  house  most  ably  assisted  by  Ralph 
Goldberg,  son  of  its  owner.  Mr.  Klein  at 
first  managed  the  Lillian,  another  Gold- 
berg house.  Young  Mr.  Goldberg  though 
only  recently  graduated  from  high  school 
is  auditor  of  the  Goldberg  Amusement 
Company. 

❖        ^  ^ 

Bnell  Risinger  111 

Buell  B.  Risinger,  conductor  of  the 
Howard  Theatre  orchestra,  Atlanta,  is 
confined  to  his  room  in  the  Piedmont  Ho- 
tel, critically  ill  following  a  nervous  break- 


W   L  Flint  and  his  ballyhoo  for  Harold  Lloyd's  "Girl  Shy"  which  is  distributed 
through  Pathe    Mr.  Flint  is  owner  of  the  Gem  Theatre  in  Arlington,  Wash.,  and  he 
put   the  old   family   gas  wagon   to    good    use   in   exploiting    his    feature  picture. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review  I 

down.    For  several  days  his  condition  has 
been  very  alarming  to  his  many  friends  | 
there,  but  he  is  now  out  of  danger  and  is 
taking  a  prolonged  rest   cure   prescribed  I 
by  his  physician. 

*  *  * 

Crescent  Adds  Three  More 

Tony  Sudekum,  of  the  Crescent  Amuse- 
merit  Company  has  added  three  more  :. 
houses  to  his  already  long  string  in  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee  and  Alabama.  The  new 
additions  are  the  Howard  theatre,  Leban- 
on, Tennessee,  formerly  operated  by  Mr. 
Hatcher,  and  the  Gay  and  Temple  Thea- 
tres, Harriman.  Tennessee,  bought  from 
A.  G.  Jenkins. 

%  % 

Schenectady  Depression 

The  situation  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  motion  picture- 
theatres  in  that  city  offers  little  encour- 
agement for  the  winter  months.  Many 
of  the  larger  manufacturing  concerns  of 
the  city  are  laying  off  men  and  as  a  direct 
result  the  theatres  are  complaining  of  poor 
business  at  a  time  when  it  should  be  of 
the  best. 

Owners  of  theatres  in  that  city  declare 
that  those  who  are  still  working  at  the  ! 
manufacturing  establishments  are  afraid 
of  being  laid  off  and  are  not  attending  the 
theatres  with  any  degree  of  regularity, 
while  those  who  are  out  of  work  are  con- 
tenting themselves  with  the  radio  as  a 
means  of  entertainment. 

*  *  ❖ 

Play  for  Turkey  Dinner 

Bowling  teams  from  the  Troy  and  Am-  , 
erican  theatres  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  are  rolling 
a  series  of  games  and  the  loser  will  pay 
for  a  turkey  supper.  Up  to  the  present 
time,  the  American  team  is  ahead.  Walter 
Roberts,  manager  of  the  Troy  theatre,  is 
captain  of  one  team,  while  Ben  Apple, 
owner  of  the  American  theatre,  heads  the 
other. 

*  *  * 
New  Zone  Offices 

Elaborately  furnished  in  mahogany  and 
with  every  available  spot  filled  with 
flowers  the  new  headquarters  of  Buffalo 
Zone,  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
New  York,  was  opened  on  Monday,  Oc- 
tober 13.  The  office  was  filled  with  ex- 
hibitors all  day. 

J.  H.  Michael,  chairman  of  Buffalo 
Zone,  Charles  Hayman  of  Niagara  Falls, 
state  treasurer;  Arthur  L.  Skinner,  secre- 
tary; Vincent  R.  McFaul,  treasurer  and 
several  members  of  the  board  of  directors 
were  in  attendance  to  act  as  a  reception 
committee.  The  office,  which  consists  of 
three  rooms,  is  located  at  71  Root  build- 
ing, Chippewa  and  Franklin  streets,  Buf- 
falo. Miss  Marion  Gueth  is  corresponding 
secretary.  J.  H.  Michael,  chairman,  urges  , 
all  members  of  the  state  body  to  make 
the  office  their  headquarters  while  on  busi- 
ness in  Buffalo. 

All  complaints  as  to  film  shipments  or 
any  other  business  can  also  be  transacted 
from  this  office  by  phoning  or  writing  the 
office  at  any  time.  The  headquarters  arc 
open  all  day. 

*  *  * 
Ready  for  Frolic 

The  Yankee  Six  orchestra  augmented 
to  12  pieces  has  been  engaged  to  play  at 
the  Hallowe'en  Frolic  of  the  Film  Board 
of  Trade  of  Buffalo  to  be  held  in  the  ball- 
room of  the  Hotel  Statler  on  the  evening 
of  Friday,  October  31.  Several  local  ex- 
hibitors, including  Eddie  Weinberg,  Al 
Beckerich,  J.  H.  Michaels,  Charlie  Hay- 
man  of  the  Falls  and  others  are  attending 
gymnasium  daily  to  get  in  trim  for  the 
ball.  All  promise  to  be  in  shape  to  dance 
the  night  through. 

Bill  Caliban  is  coming  from  Rochester 
but  it  is  said  that  his  wife  also  insists  on 
coming  with  him. 


October  25,  1924 


Page  73 


Among  those  present  to  welcome  home  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jules  Mastbaum  who  recently 
arrived  on  the  Berangaria  was  the  popular  fan  idol  Thomas  Meighan,  of  Paramount 
fame.     Mr.   Mastbaum's   daughters  are  being   "saved"  by   Tom.     Nice  situation. 


Capital  Enterprises  Expand 

Four  new  Kansas  theatres  have  been  ac- 
quired by  Capitol  Enterprises  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  making  twenty-four  now  under  the  con- 
trol of  that  organization.  The  new  theatres 
obtained  are  Hetrick,  Peoples  and  Main 
Street,  at  Chanute,  Kas.,  and  the  Wareham 
at  Manhattan,  Kas.  The  company  also  is 
building  a  large  first  run  house  in  Lincoln. 
Neb. 

Samuel  L.  Harding  of  Kansas  City  is  pres- 
ident of  the  company. 

*  *  * 

Device  to  Help  Projectionist 

Seattle  is  the  home  of  a  young  inventor 
who  has  lately  perfected  a  device  for  taking 
the  heat  out  of  light  used  in  the  projection 
of  pictures,  without  destroying  the  value  of 
the  light.  This  device  was  subjected  to  an 
eighteen  hour  demonstration  at  the  Gem  the- 
atre here,  on  Labor  Day.  R.  N.  Kendig,  the 
inventor  used  to  be  an  operator  at  the  Gem. 
Mr.  Kendig  has  just  returned  from  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  where  he  has  applied  for  a 
patent.  The  device  will  be  manufactured 
here  beginining  in  a  small  way  pending  the 
granting  of  the  patent. 

^  ^ 

Good  Exploitation 

Manager  LeRoy  Johnson  of  the  Liberty 
Theatre,  Seattle,  has  placed  totem  poles  over 
all  the  light  poles  on  Pike  Street.  These  bear 
the  Legend  :  "Alaskan  Way,"  leading  the  way 
to  the  Liberty  which  is  playing  "The  Alas- 
kan" to  big  business. 

%    i£  % 

Tom  Kennedy  Busy 

Tom  Kennedy  of  Champlain,  N.  Y.,  is 
without  question  the  busiest  exhibitor  in  the 
Empire  State.  Aside  from  running  the  mo- 
tion picture  theatre,  Mr.  Kennedy  is  the  ex- 
press agent  in  his  home  town,  federal  of- 
ficer and  a  few  other  things.  Last  week  he 
was  in  Syracuse  appearing  in  federal  court 
in  connection  with  some  bootlegging  cases. 

*  *  * 

Film  Salesmen  Win 

The  film  salesmen  proved  themselves  bet- 
ter ball  players  at  the  first  annual  outing  of 
the  Albany  Film  Board  of  Trade,  and  the 
salesmen  last  Saturday.  The  game  lasted 
only  one  inning  with  the  result  that  the  sales- 
men claimed  victory  with  a  score  of  9  to  0. 
The  outing  was  attended  by  about  seventy. 
^    #  % 

Everett,  Wash.  Tax 

If  plans  materialize,  Everett,  Wash.,  exhibi- 
tors will  soon  be  paying  an  increased  tax 
into  the  city  coffers.  The  idea  is  to  outlaw 
the  present  code  which  now  covers  the  an- 
cient admission  price  of  10c  and  15c  and  put 
into  effect  a  city  tax  on  theatres  to  equal  the 
income  of  one  night  a  year  at  35c 
a  seat.  This  would  make  an  aggregate 
sum  to  the  city  of  $1,150.  The  City  Com- 
mission has  the  plan  under  consideration. 

%  % 

Crescent  Buys  Chain 

At  a  forced  sale  of  the  theatre  properties 
operated  by  the  North  Alabama  Amusement 
Corporation  held  in  Florence,  Alabama,  Sep- 
tember 22,  the  theatres  under  their  control 
were  purchased  by  the  Crescent  Amusement 
Company  and  Louis  Rosenbaum,  paying  there- 
fore a  cash  consideration  of  $14,600  in  addi- 
tion to  assuming  the  indebtedness  against  the 
company,  amounting  to  $71,040.20. 

The  Crescent  Amusement  Company  is  con- 
trolled by  Tony  Sudekum,  and  operates  thea- 
tres in  Nashville  and  many  other  points  in 
Tennessee.  The  transfer  of  properties  in- 
cludes the  Princess  Theatre  building  in  Flor- 
ence and  leases  on  the  Majestic,  in  Florence, 
the  Strand  in  Tuscuma,  The  Lyric  and  Oak- 
ace  in  Sheffield,  and  all  property  owned  by 
the  North  Alabama  Enterprises  including  pic- 


ture franchises.  Mr.  Rosenbaum,  who  be- 
come: interest!  d  with  Mr.  Sudekum  in  the 
control  of  the  properties  was  a  large  stock- 
holder in  the  retiring  North  Alabama  En- 
terprises. 

*    *  * 

Referendum  on  Censorship 

The  Atlanta  Georgian  has  come  out  in  a 
broad  statement  that  motion  pictures  need  no 
censorship  except  by  patronage,  after  an- 
nouncing the  results  of  a  "Telephorum"  in- 
quiry inaugurated  by  the  paper  to  ascertain 
the  personal  opinion  of  leaders  in  every  walk 
of  life  and  enterprise  in  the  city  of  Atlanta. 
The  paper  published  in  detail  the  result  of  the 
inquiry  quoting  many  leading  men  and  wo- 
men of  Atlanta. 


Round  Table  Briefs 

Miss  Elberta  Pierson,  office  manager  for 
Southern  States  Film  Co.,  at  Dallas,  Texas, 
has  resigned  to  enter  private  business. 

*  *  =J: 

J.  E.  Adams  and  Mrs.  Cooper,  operators 
of  two  moving  picture  theaters  at  Norphlet, 
Ark.,  were  fined  $1.00  and  costs  each  for 
keeping  their  houses  open  on  Sunday. 

jj;      ijt  ^ 

The  Texas  Theater  at  Houston,  Texas,  will 
open  about  December  1.  The  new  theater 
will  be  strictly  modern  and  up  to  date  in 
every  particular,  and  will  be  equipped  with  a 
style  235  Wurlitzer  Hope-Jones  Unit  Organ, 
and  will  also  have  an  up  to  date  powerful 
broadcasting  radio  station,  to  be  operated  in 
connection  with  the  theater. 

*  *  * 

The  new  Lyric  Theater  at  Brady,  Texas, 
will  be  opened  in  the  near  future.  It  will  be 
equipped  with  a  $15,000  pipe  organ  and  other 
modern  equipment  and  furnishing. 

The  Brooks  Amusement  Co.,  has  leased 
the  Jensen  theaters  at  Pauls  Valley  and  Gra- 
ham, Okla.,  from  J.  G.  Jensen.  Mr.  Jensen 
will  continue  as  manager. 

*  *  * 

The  Capitol  Theater  at  Oklahoma  City, 
Okla.,  reopened  Oct.  31,  after  having  been 
completely  remodelled,  now  in  Egyptian  style. 


New  boxes  and  seats  and  modern  equipment 
installed.  Earl  Settle  is  the  new  manager. 
Paramount  pictures  will  be  featured. 

^    =fc  ^ 

The  Coy  theater  at  Wagoner,  Okla.,  has 
been  sold  by  L.  W.  Brophy  to  E.  D.  Looney 
of  Siloam  Springs,  Ark.,  who  has  taken 
charge. 

*  *  * 

The  Okla.  theater  at  Bartlesville,  Okla., 
reopened  Labor  Day,  Sept.  1.  The  theater 
has  been  renovated  and  remodeled. 

~¥      H*  ^ 

Three  hundred  new  seats  are  about  to  be 
installed,  wiring  put  in  for  side  lights,  and  a 
complete  job  of  redecorating  done.  The 
White  Center  theatre  enjoys  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  quietest  and  best  con- 
ducted houses  in  the  territory.  With  all 
these  jobs  on  his  hands  is  it  any  wonder 
George  can't  take  time  to  be  sick  ? 

%       ^  % 

W.  Flint,  owner  of  the  American  theatre, 
Arlington,  Wash.,  has  bought  the  theatre  in 
Colville,  Wash.,  from  H.  D.  Williams.  Mr. 
Flint  will  remodel  and  redecorate  extensively. 
The  Colville  hou:e  seats  400. 

t-    *  * 

Jack  Howard  is  new  manager  at  the  Nep- 
tune, the  Jenren  &  Von  Herberg  house  in  the 
University  district  of  Seattle.  Prior  to  this 
transfer,  he  had  been  handling  all  the  pub- 
licity for  the  J.  &  V.  houses  here. 

*  *  * 

Columbia  theatres  in  Seattle  and  Portland 
are  preparing  an  excellent  campaign  for  Oc- 
tober which  is  Al  Lichtman  month.  Univer- 
sal Jewels  will  be  played,  during  the  entire 
month  with  the  additional  attraction  of  an 
augmented  orchestra. 

sfc       #  # 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Thomas  have  bought 
the  South  Park  theatre,  South  Park,  Wash., 
and  are  planning  to  clean  up  the  house  with 
first  class  feature  attractions.  "Dorothy 
Vernon"  was  their  opening  attraction.  The 
policy  of  former  owners,  lamentably,  had 
been  a  dubious  brand  of  Westerns,  and  very 
little  effort  made  to  run  a  first  class  picture 
theatre.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  are  from 
Oakland. 


Page  74 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Put  on  'Merton  of  the  Movies 
and  see  how  many  people 
your  theatre  will  really  hold!" 


MOTION   PICTURE  NEWS 


Hundreds  of  exhibitors  are  playing  "Merton"  and  reaping  the 
golden  harvest.  It's  a  howling  success  in  every  city  and  town  in 
which  it  has  played.  Already  it's  being  hailed  as  the  greatest  com- 
edy-drama of  the  year.  It's  James  Cruze's  biggest  triumph  since 
"The  Covered  Wagon."    Book  it  and  get  your  share. 


James  Cruze's 


"MERTON  OF 
THE  MOVIES" 

Starring  GLENN  HUNTER 
with  Viola  Dana 


Adapted  by  Walter  Woods  from  the  novel  by  H.  L.  Wilson  and  the  play 
by  Kaufman  and  Connelly.  Presented  by  Adolph  Zukor  and  Jesse  L.  Lasky. 


ONE  OF  THE  FAMOUS  FORTY 


paramount  ^pictures 


"Merton" 

"Boy,  what  a  picture  Jimmy 
Cruze  has  turned  out!  Great 
stuff!  Again  hats  off  to  the  man 
who  made  'The  Covered 
Wagon.'  One  of  the  finest  pic- 
tures of  any  season.  Hunter 
troups  as  only  he  can.  If  Cruze 
had  not  leaped  to  the  forefront 
with  'The  Covered  Wagon,' 
this  one  would  have  given  him  a 
big  push  forward.  Looks  sweet 
to  the  box-office.  Probably  will 
prove  a  clean-up." 

— Danny  in 
Film  Daily 

"Only  too  rarely  does  one  see  a 
cinema  gem  as  well  nigh  perfect 
as  this  one.  Cruze  has  directed 
'Merton  of  the  Movies'  like  a 
master,  as  one  hardly  dared 
hope  it  could  be  done.  It  is 
such  a  good  picture  that  we  in- 
tend seeing  it  again  at  our  very 
first  opportunity." 

— New  York  Times 


"It's  here  at  last — the  perfect 
picture!" 

— N.  Y.  Daily  News 


"'Merton'  is  one  of  the  best  pic- 
tures ever  made  and  far  ahead 
of  anything  I  have  seen  this 
summer.  It  deserves  a  special 
theatre  on  Broadway.  If  there 
were  any  other  way  I  could  be 
more  emphatic  in  praise  of  it,  I 
should  take  advantage  of  it." 

— New  York  World 


"There  was  a  line  a  block  long 
waiting  to  buy  tickets.  Amused 
and  entertained  us    more  than 
any  picture  we  have  ever  seen. 
— Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle 

"You  don't  need  to  hesitate  in 
making  up  your  mind  about 
'Merton.'     Just  go!" 

— Chicago  American 

"Mtrton  of  the  Movies"  repre- 
sents the  greatest  piece  of  film 
to  come  from  the  F.  P.-L.  stu- 
dios since  'The  Ten  Command- 
ments.' Far  above  the  rank  and 
file  of  features.  It  is  built  for 
everyone,  will  suit  all  audiences. 
It  filled  the  Rivoli  overflowing 
with  people  and  laughs.  It 
should  do  the  same  elsewhere. 
There  in  a  dozen  different 
ways  and  can  be  played  to  the 
limit.  As  near  the  ideal  picture 
as  yet  seen." 

— Variety 


October  25.  1924 

inilllflilMIM    i  ,  1  .  .  i.  i:  ''V:i 1 1  :;iiii  ;i,'!!l,ii,i|i:i!iiiiui:ii;i|:irill 


Page  75 

I1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR 


^ried  and  Proved  Pictures 


The  Exhibitor  View 

VS.  The  Producers'  Angle 

Make  Pictures  With  An  Aim  in  View,  the  Only  Way 
to  Win  Box-Office  Success,  Asserts  One  Exhibitor 


AN  exhibitor  was  doing  some 
curb-stone  panning  recently,  and 
meeting  with  such  enthusiastic 
approval  from  his  listeners-in  that  a 
passer-by  would  think  that  the  "Knock- 
er's Club"  was  in  executive  session 
and  were  holding  a  meeting  on  the 
him  curb. 

Anyway,  what  he  had  to  say  might 
just  be  expressive  of  what  many 
other  exhibitors  are  thinking. 

The  producers  and  their  pictures 
were  the  subjects  for  the  one-man 
debate — and  there  were  no  "re- 
solve's" nor  "whereas's"  to  his  talk. 
He  wasn't  altogether  destructive 
without  being  constructive,  yet  his 
side  was  definitely  negative — and 
there  was  no  affirmative. 

To  a  "fare-thee-well"  all  the  pro- 
ducers and  sundry  were  placed  on 
the  griddle  and  panned  brown. 

"If  they  only  would  make  pictures 
with  some  aim  in  view,"  was  the 
trend  of  his  talk.  "I'm  not  beyond 
the  point  where  I  talk  about  the 
money  I  lost  on  this  picture  or  on 
that,"  he  went  on  to  say,  recently  I 
lost  so  heavily  on  one,  partly  by 
overpaying,  and  partly  by  underfill- 
ing my  house,  that  I  must  call  a  halt. 

"No  one  in  business  can  continue 
to  pick  losers  every  time — and  while 
sometimes  when  you  bet  on  a  horse  race 
and  you  lose,  you  feel  sure  that  it  was 
a  'fixed'  race — yet  in  business  you  ex- 
pect the  favorites  to  win  hands  down. 

TAKE  for  instance  a  recent 
picture,  we'll  call  it  "Satin  and 
Satan,"  well  it  looked  like  a  winner 
to  everybody.  A  Broadway  first  run 
house  was  one  way  of  looking  at  the 
future  of  it — and  so  I  strolled  over, 
paid  my  eighty-five  cents,  and  sat  down. 
I  must  confess  it  had  me. 

It  interested  the  people  around  me. 
And,  from  all  angles  you  would  say 
that  it  was  due  for  a  run.  The  house 
was  well  filled  and  the  line  outside  was 
I  should  say  straggling  but  more  or  less 
continuous. 

"I  called  up  the  district  manager,  and 
after  being  stunned  over  the  cost- 
booked  the  feature  anyway. 


"In  my  town,  fifty-nine  thousand,  my 
house  gets  the  cream,  and  is  looked  up 
to  for  the  real  goods.  So  to  insure 
full'  houses  and  plenty  of  box-office  ac- 
tivity, I  plastered  the  country  side  with 


In  this  instance  the  Rex  Theatre,  Eugene, 
Ore.,  arranged  this  book  tie-up  display  dur- 
ing their  showing  of  the  First  National  ver- 
sion of  the  novel,  "When  a  Man's  a  Man." 


posters  large  and  small,  ran  ads  in  all 
the  papers,  prepared  several  ingenious 
ballyhoos  that  played  up  the  Devil  and 
the  Lady  characters  and  so  forth. 

"Spent  a  lot  of  money,  too  much  I 
guess,  but  looked  for  the  real  results. 

W7"  HAT'S    that,     did    I    get  it? 

Yes,  if  you  expect,  the  neck  to  be 
the  proper  receiving  center.  I  sure 
caught  it  in  the  neck  all  right — and  it 
is  the  last  time  that  I  knowingly  re- 
place my  collar  with  an  axe. 

"Funny  thing,  on  thinking  back,  my 
advertising  sure  paid  for  the  investment 
I  made  on  it — but  the  picture  couldn't 
draw  smoke  out  of  a  bad  cigar. 

"Summing  it  all  up — the  picture  was 
O.  K.  for  New  York— but  double  N. 
G.  for  Countyport.  The  national 
fame  of  the  star  was  no  apparent  at- 
traction :  the  thousands  of  books  the 


author  wrote,  no  seeming  invitation  to 
my  theatre.  My  people  won't  digest 
that  sort  of  fodder.  "I'm  through!" 

All  around  him  there  was  silent 
cheering  and  knowing  looks  exchanged 
by  others  who,  too,  had  been  touched 
by  the  flaming  brand.  The  rest  of 
the  talk  I  didn't  get  verbatim,  but 
the  substance  is  here,  for  others  took 
up  his  plaint  from  where  he  left  off. 

IF  only  producers  would  look 
ahead  a  little,  the  smaller  cities 
would  be  able  to  capitalize  propor- 
tionately upon  their  investments  in 
feature  pictures — but  the  trade  of  the 
small  towns  is  so  completely  over- 
looked in  a  large  majority  of  the  pic- 
tures turned  out.  Except  by  some 
independents. 

While  the  country  at  large  don't 
all  want  Westerns — they  do  have 
certain  standards  that  it  would  be 
just  as  easy  to  anticipate,  as  not. 

One  test  producers  might  make, 
they  asserted,  should  be  to  ask  the 
question :  "Will  this  picture  ever  be- 
come a  'Tried  and  Proved'  film?" 
Will  it  be  able  to  show  the  country 
over — and  then  go  back  again  for  a 
return  engagement  a  year  later? 
This  seems  rather  sensible. 
The  end  would  thereby  always 
justify  the  means. 

If  the  picture  were  good,  if  the 
feature  was  filmed  with  this  one  idea 
in  mind,  the  motion  picture  industry 
would  well  profit  by  the  departure. 
Better  pictures  would  result,  with  larger 
profits  to  the  producers  and  a  similarly, 
proportionately  larger  share  for  the  ex- 
hibitors. 

More  continued  activity  of  the  films 
would  doubtless  result,  and  the  screen 
fans  would  willingly  see  the  revival  of 
a  picture  as  gladly  as  the  first  showing 
— just  as  it  is  customary  to  re-read  a 
good  book,  if  it  just  happens  to  appeal 
to  us. 

Rather  than  play  pictures  of  un- 
known quality,  it  would  be  far  more  ad- 
visable, they  concluded,  for  exhibitors 
to  play  features  whose  box-office  values 
are  known. 


Page  76 


TRIED    AND    PROVED    PICTURES  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


"21's"  Chalked  All  Over  Town 
Had  Sandusky  Guessing 

When  George  J.  Schade  showed 
"Twenty-One"  at  the  Schade  Theatre, 
Sandusky,  Ohio,  he  attracted  attention 
to  his  offering  in  a  manner  appropri- 
ately termed  "Schadesque"  by  the  San- 
dusky press. 

A  week  before 
"Twenty-one"  was 
announced  as  a  com- 
ing attraction 
Schade  sent  two 
members  of  his  ad- 
vertising force  into 
the  highways  and 
byways — at  night,  of 
course — with  a  lib- 
eral supply  of  ordin- 
ary chalk  and  in- 
structions to  write 
the  numerals  "21" 
everywhere  and  any- 
where. 

The    result  was 
that  when  Sandusky 
awoke     the  next 
morning  it  was  to  be 
mystified   as  never 
before.    There  were 
21  's    on    the  side- 
walks, the  pavements,  fences,  doors,  the 
sides   of   buildings  of  all   kinds  and 
descriptions;  in  fact  there  were  21's 
wherever  one  happened  to  look. 

And  to  make  matters  even  more  per- 
plexing there  was  one  bigger  than  the 
rest,  on  the  door  of  the  main  entrance 
to  the  Sandusky  police  station. 

Everything  from  the  Ku  Klux  Klan 
to  mischevious  boys  were  blamed  but, 
when  it  came  to  evidence — there  was 
none. 

*    *  * 

Winner  of  Bathing  Contest 

Poses  in  Shop  Window 

Unique  exploitation  and  presentation 
methods  were  put  into  effect  by  the 
Wells  Theatre,  Norfolk,  Va.,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  showing  of  "Miami,"  the 
Betty  Compson  Special  released  by 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation. 

The  orchestra  wore  bathing  suits, 
and  was  directed  by  Miss  Uhler,  the 
Southern  beauty  who  recently  won  the 
Norfolk  bathing  beauty  contest,  whose 
costume  was  the  one-piece  bathing  suit 
which  she  wore  at  the  bathing  beauty 
contest. 


Miss  Uhler  also  posed  for  one  hour 
a  day  for  three  days  in  the  afternoon 
and  for  one  hour  three  times  a  night  in 
the  show  window  of  one  of  the  largest 
stores  in  Norfolk. 

The  stunt  proved  a  splendid  bit  of 
exploitation  and  resulted  in  crowded 
houses  during  the  entire  showing  of 
the  Betty  Compson  feature,  "Miami," 
at  this  theatre. 


methods  being  used  by  the 
ment  to  make  it  a  success. 


manage- 


An  ingenious  street  ballyhoo  idea  recently  was  arranged  for  Selznick's  production 
"Daughters  of  To-day".  Each  girl  in  the  line  wore  a  single  letter  of  the  title  and 
then  strolled  through  the  main  streets  of  the  town  in  single  file  and  attracted  a 

crowd  wherever  they  walked. 


Tie-Ups  on  East  Side,  N.  Y. 

In  the  heart  of  New  York's  lower 
East  Side,  where  things  are  pretty  well 
congested,  there's  a  theatre —  "The 
Clinton" — which  is  worthy  of  particu- 
lar mention  because  of    the  energetic 


When  Warner  Bros,  production  "Babbitt" 
was  shown  at  the  Clinton  Theatre,  New 
York  City,  a  radio  window  tie-up  brought 
the  showing  attention-compelling  publicity. 


First  of  all  the  house  is  playing  the 
best  attractions  it  can  get — and  is  pay- 
ing rental  prices  which  justify  the  in- 
terests which  producers  and  distribu- 
tors in  general  are  taking  in  it.  And 
after  that,  Jack  Cohen,  the  manager, 
is  constantly  on  the  alert  to  do  the 
things  which  he 
thinks  will  let  the 
folks  in  his  neigh- 
borhood know  that 
he  has  something 
worth  while  to  offer 
for  entertainment. 

The  accompany- 
ing photograph 
shows  a  radio  win- 
dow tie-up  which 
Mr.  Cohen  arranged 
in  conjunction  with 
the  recent  presenta- 
tion of  the  Warner 
Bros.  "Babbitt."  The 
lead  was  given  him 
in  work  which  was 
done  by  the  Warner 
home  office  when 
"Babbitt"  played  the 
Rivoli  some  weeks 
ago.  His  interest  in 
the  project  was  sufficient  to  have  him 
secure  a  big  cut-out  of  Willard  Louis, 
featured  member  of  the  "Babbitt"  cast, 
have  the  necessary  window  card  made, 
arrange  with  the  radio  merchant,  and 
personally  dress  the  window. 

It  is  properly  a  part  of  this  narration 
to  say  that  "Babbitt"  did  a  great  deal 
more  business  than  is  considered  aver- 
age at  the  Clinton — and  the  lower  East 
Side  of  New  York  where  one  would 
expect  to  find  complete  understanding 
of  the  basic  plot  of  a  picture  which 
deals  entirely  with  small-town  idiosyn- 
cracies. 

Mr.  Cohen,  of  the  Clinton,  was  one 
of  the  first  exhibitors  in  the  country  to 
make  practical  and  definite  use  of  the 
National  Tie-Up  idea  which  Exhibi- 
tors Trade  Review  developed  for  the 
motion  picture  industry. 

When  the  plan  was  inaugurated  with 
the  Warner  Bros.  "Beau  Brummel"  he 
got  in  touch  immediately  with  a  number 
of  the  national  advertisers  who  had 
signed  up  and  his  entire  neighborhood 
was  covered  with  tie-up  advertising 
during  his  "Beau  Brummel"  engage- 
ment with  the  inevitable  result  that  he 
did  a  tremendous  business. 


October  25.  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  77 


Mother  and  Boy  Ballyhoo 
in  Sandusky 

To  attract  the  attention  of  his  public 
to  "Boy  of  Mine."  a  recent  attraction 
at  the  Schade  Theatre,  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
George  J.  Schade,  owner  and  manager, 
kept  two  ballyhoo  artists — one  made  up 
as  a  matron  from  the  rural  districts 
and  the  other  as  her  son — on  the  streets 
|f  Sandusky  throughout  the  run  of  the 
picture. 

The  antics  of  the  "mother"  and  "that 
boy  of  mine"  caught  and  held  the  at- 
tention of  crowds  wherever  they  "per- 
formed." 

The  mimics  did  not  bear  "satchels" 
inscribed  with  the  title  of  the  picture 
as  those  of  their  calling  most  always  do 
in  staging  their  stunt ;  in  fact  the  only 
reference  to  "Boy  of  Mine"  was  made 
by  way  of  remarks  directed  by  the 
"Woman"  to  her  companion. 

The  "stunt"  boosted  the  Schade's 
business  materially.  "As  interest-ex- 
citers of  the  kind  always  do,"  Schade 
declared.  "Boy  of  Mine,"  exploited  as 
it  was,  pulled  steady  business  as  Mr. 
Schade  says  when  he  pocketed  a  profit. 

*  *  * 

Gloria's  Bob  in  Rockford,  111. 

The  Gloria  Swanson  Bobbed  Hair 
card  which  Russell  Moon  designed  for 
the  engagement  of  "Manhandled"  at 
McVickers  Theatre,  and  which  was 
displayed  in  hundreds  of  barber  shops 
in  Chicago  has  been  repeated  by  the 
Paramount  exploiteer  for  the  engage- 
ment of  the  picture  in  the  Orpheum, 
Rockford,  111.  Manager  Louis  St. 
Pierre  succeeded  in  landing  at  least  two 
in  every  barber  shop  and  beauty  shop 
in  town.  They  were  displayed  for  three 
weeks. 

It  was  practically  the  same  card  that 
was  used  in  Chicago.  At  the  top  was 
a  foot  square  halftone  of  Gloria  Swan- 
son  showing  the  new  bob,  while  the  text 
underneath  read : 

Ask  for  the  Gloria  Swanson  Cob 
Miss  Swanson  as  she  appears  in 

"MANHANDLED" 

Her  latest  Paramount  Picture  at  the 
Orpheum 

*  *  * 

Marshall    Field  Displays 
'The  Covered  Wagon' 

When  Balaban  &  Katz  showed  Para- 
mount's  "The  Covered  Wagon"  at  the 
Roosevelt  Theatre,  Chicago,  one  of  the 
most  outstanding  features  of  the  entire 
campaign  was  a  window  display  in  the 
Marshall  Field  store  which  has  never 
before  been  swung  into  line  for  co- 
operation with  a  picture  engagement. 
The  window  was  given  over  to  featur- 


ing a  toy  wagon,  about  the  size  of  a 
kid's  express  wagon,  which  had  been 
made  up  as  a  Covered  Wagon  with  a  . 
canvas  top  on  which  "Covered  Wagon, 
Jr.,  model  '49"  had  been  stenciled  in 
black. 

Another  surprise  for  the  many  local 
press-agents  who  have  tried  to  hook  up 
with  Marshall  Field  was  a  good  sized 
ad  in  all  the  Chicago  papers  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  this  toy  wagon. 

*    *  * 

Panel  Paintings  of  Norma 
Talmadge  Used 

A  very  striking  and  beautiful  lobby 
display  was  made  for  First  National's 
Norma  Talmadge  picture,,  "The  Song 
of  Love,"  when  it  was  shown  at  Loew's 
State  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  through 
the  free  use  of  special  painted  panels. 

The  panels  consisted  of  a  series  of 
portraits  of  the  star  of  the  production 
in  various  costumes  and  poses  from  the 
production.  The  panels  were  painted 
by  Hubbard  Robinson,  a  well-known 
Los  Angeles  artist,  and  attracted  the 
finest  kind  of  comment  among  observ- 


ers in  the  lobby.  The  panels  were  used 
in  advance  of  the  showing  and  during 
the  engagement. 

♦  3fc  3fc 

Good  Lobby 

Manager  Al  Finkelstein  of  the 
Seattle  Strand,  hooked  up  with  the 
Baker  Fur  Co.,  for  a  fur  fashion  re- 
vue, during  showings  of  Capt.  Klein- 
schmidt's  "Adventures  in  the  Far 
North."  He  trimmed  a  stunning  lobby 
hung  with  several  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  fine  pelts,  and  with  a  stuffed 
seal  mounted  on  a  pedestal  in  front  of 
the  ticket  booth.  A  special  Saturday 
morning  matinee  was  given  for  children 
under  twelve,  who  were  presented  with 
"Polar  cakes,"  free. 

*  *  * 

Kid  Contest 

Manager  LeRoy  Johnson  of  the  Lib- 
erty, Seattle,  Wash.,  fairly  had  the  town 
sprouting  Jackie  Coogan's  during  the 
run  of  "Little  Robinson  Crusoe."  A 
drawing  contest,  with  clothing  and 
merchandise  orders  for  prizes,  brought 
out  lots  of  embryonic  talent. 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY — Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Mareno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 


THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


Page  78 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 

Here  Will  Be  Found  the  Essential  Details  of  Productions  That  Have  Been 
Reviewed  in  the  Columns  of  This  Journal  in  Preceding  Months, 
Including  Name  of  Director  and  Length  of  Film. 


MARCH 


Title  Star 

West    Bound   J.   B.  Warner  

Slow  as  Lightning   Kenneth-McDonald. 

Love's  Whirlpool   Kirkwood-Lee  .... 

Try  and  Get  It  Bryant  Washburn.. 

The  Average  Woman  Pauline  Garon  ... 

My  Man   Miller-Farnum  ... 

The  Hill  Billy   Jack  Pickford  

The  Goldfish   C.  Talmadge 

The  Unknown  Purple   Walthall   

Drums  of  Jeopardy   E.  Hammerstein  .  . 

On  Time   Richard  Talmadge. 


Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Sunset   Mar.  15 

Sunset   Mar.  1 

Prod.    Dist  6177  Mar.  2 

Prod.    Dist  5707  Mar.  9 

Burr   Mar.  1 

Vitagraph    ...7,000  Mar.    9   Feb.  23 

Allied  P.   &  D  Mar.  9 

First    National.  . .  .  Mar.  30 

Truart   Mar.  23 

Truart   Mar.  1 

Truart   Mar.  1 


APRIL 


Title 

$20  a  Week   

Borrowed  Husbands  .  .  . 
Wandering  Husbands   . . 

Miami   

The  Covered  Trail 

The  Lone  Wolf   

King  of  Wild  Horses  .  . 

Girl  Shy   

The  Average  Woman  .  . 
Pal  O'Mine   


Title 

After  A  Milion   

Behind  2  Guns   

White  Shadows   

What  Shall    I  Do   

The  Lightning  Rider   

Between  Friends   

Virtuous  Liars   

One  Law  for  the  Woman.. 

The  Desert  Secret   

The    Perfect    Flapper    .  .  . 

The   White  Moth   

Cytherea   

The  Circus  Cowboy   

Kentucky  Days   

No  Mother  To  Guide  Her. 

High  Speed   

The  Dangerous  Blonde  .  .  . 

The  Chechahcos   

Unseen  Hands   

The  Spitfire   

Traffic  in  Hearts   


Star  Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Geo.  Arliss   Selznick   Apr.  12 

Florence  Vidor  ...Vitagraph  .  .  .7,000  Apr.  13  May  1C 
Kirkwood-Lee   ....  Prod.  Dist.  . .  .4695  Apr.  20   May  17 

Compson   Prod.  Dist  6317  Apr.  27  June  14 

J.  B.  Warner  Sunset   Apr.  15 

Holt-Dalton   Asso.   Exhb  Apr.  27 

Spec.   Cast   Pathe   5,000  Apr.  13 

H.  Lloyd   Pathe   8,000  Apr.  20  Apr.  12 

H.   Ford-Garon    .  .  Burr   Pict  6400  Apr.  15 

Irene   Rich   C.  B.  C  6070  Apr.  18  June  14 

MAY 

Star  Distributor    Length  Release 

K.    McDonald  Sunset   May  1 

J.    D.    Warner.  ...  Sunset   Mai  15 

Betty  Compson    .  .  Selznick   May  5 

D.   Mackaill   Prod.  Dist.  . .  .61 1 1  May  1 1 

,  H.    Carey   Prod.  Dist  5771  May  18 

Calhoun-Telligen    .  Viagraph   6936  May  1 1 

,  Powell   Vitagraph  .  . .  .5500  May  18 

.  Landis-Harris    ....  Vitagraph   May  25 

Bill  Patton   Madoc   

Colleen  Moore  ..  First  National  ....  May  25 
LaMarr-Tearle  ...  First  National  ....  May  11 
Rubens-Stone    ....  First  National  ....  May  4 

,  Buck  Jones   Fox   4000  May  11 

.  D.   Farnum   Fox   4508 

Spec.   Cast   Fox   6650 

H.  Rawlinson   ....  Universal    .■  May  25 

Laura   LaPlante    .  .  Universal   May  19 

Eva  Gordon   Assoc.  Exhib  May  18 

 Assoc.  Exhib  May  25 

Blythe-Dexter     ...  Assoc.  Exhib  May  4 

Robt.   Fraser   C.  B.  C  5549  May  23 


Review 


May  31 
June  28 


July  5 


July  5 
June  28 

May  3 

May  17 
May  11 

May  24 
June  28 

May  31 

May  17 
June  7 
June  14 

July  26 


JUNE 


Title 

For  Sale   

The  Self-Made  Failure 
Every  Woman's  Secret 
Lend  Me  Your  Husband 

Another  Scandal   

Daring  Youth   

The  Good  Bad  Boy  

Love  of  Women   

Wanted  by  the  Law  .  .  . 

The  Lone  Chance   

Western  Luck   

Daring  Love   

Broadway  or  Bust   .  .  .  . 
The  Reckless  Age 
The  Fighting  American 
The  6th  Commandment 


Title 

Yankee  Soeed   

The  Hellion   

listen  Lester   

The  Masked  Dancer  . . . 
Daughters  of   Pleasure.  . 

Girls   Men  Forget   

Tiger  Thomcson   

Her  Own  Free  Will  .  . . 
Code  of  the  Wilderness. 

Fiehtin  Thru   

Girl  in  the  Limousine  . 

The  Arab   

Revelation   

Romance  Ranch   

In  Fast  Comtiany   

Behind  the  Curtain  

Young  Ideas   

The  New  Schoolteacher  . 


Star 

Windsor-Menjou 
Miller-Moore 


Kenyon   

Lois  Wilson  . 
Daniels-Kerry 


Chadwick-Love  .  . 
J.  B.  Warner  .... 
John  Gilbert  .  . . 
Buck  Jones  .... 
E.  Hammerstein  . 
Hoot  Gibson  .... 
Denny-La  Plante 
Astor-O'Malley 


Distributor  Length  Release 
First  National  .  . .  June  15 
First   National    .  . .  [une  22 

Lumas   June  1 

Burr  Pict.   ...6700  June  1 

Prod.  Dist  7322  June  22 

Principal    .  .  .  .5975  June  15 

Principal   5198  June  29 

Selznick   June  30 

Sunset   June  15 

Fox   4385 

Fox   5020 

Truart   June  15 

Universal   June  9 

Universal   June  17 

Universal   June  22 

Assoc.  Exhib  June  1 


JULY 


Star  Distributor    Length  Release 

K.   McDonald    ....  Sunset   July  1 

J.  B.  Warner  ....  Sunset   July  15 

Moran-Fazenda    ...Principal    ....6242  July  6 

Chadwick   Principal    ...  .4720  July  13 

Prevost   Principal    ....  5698  July  20 


Patsv  R.  Miller   .  .  Principal 


.5166  July  27 
.4920  July  12 
.5959  July  20 
.6480  July  6 


H.  Carev   Prod.  Dist 

Helene  Chadwick  .Prod.  Dist 
Bowers-Calhoun  .  .  Prod.  Dist 

Bill  Patton   Prod.  Dist 

1  arry  Semon   First  National    .  .  .  July  20 

Navarro-Terry    ...Metro   6710Iulv21 

V.    Dana   Metro   8752  July  28 

Gilbert   Fox   4741 

R.   Talmadge    ....  Truart   July  15 

All  Star   Universal   June  21 

I  aura  La  Plante  .  .  Universal   July  7 

Mickey  Bennett    .  .  C.  C.  Burr.  .  .5900  July  1 


Review 
July  5 
June  28 


May  17 
June  7 
Aug.  2 

June  21 
June  28 
July  10 
Jne  21 
June  7 
May  31 
July  5 


Review 
Aug. 16 

May  10 
June  14 
June  14 

July  12 
Oct.  4 
July  12 


July  5 
Julv  26 
July  5 
July  1 
June  17 
July  5 
July  26 


AUGUST 


Title 


Star 


Distributor    Length  Release  Review 


Manhandled   Swanson   Famous  P  6998  Aug.  4  Aug.  9 

Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland  Jack    Holt   Famous  P.  . .  .7000  Aug.l  1  May  31 

Changing    Husbands    .  . .  .  L.  Joy   Famous  P.  . .  .6799  Aug.1 1  July  5 

Monsieur  Beaucaire   Valentino   Famous  P.  ..  .9100  Aug. 18  Aug.23 

Unguarded  Women   Daniels-Dix   Famous  P.... 6051  Aug25  July  5 

The  Enemy  Sex   Compson   Famous  P.  . .  .7861  Aug25  July  5 

Lily  of  the  Dust   Negri   Famous  Players    .  Aug25  Sect.  6 

Bread   All  Star   Metro   6726  Aug.  4  Aug.  2 


Tess  of  the  D'urbervilles . 

Broken  Barriers   

Little  Robinson  Crusoe   .  . 

Messalina   

American  Manners   

Unmarried  Wives   

America   

Coyote  Fangs   

Behold  This  Woman 

The  Speed  Spook   

Youth    For  Sale   

The   Fire  Patrol   

Truth  About  Women 
Legend  of  Hollywood    .  .  . 

The  Wise  Virgin   

The  Siren  of  Seville.... 

Welcome  Stranger   

World    Strugle    for  Oil.. 

In    High  Gear   

Horse  Shoe  Luck   

Against   All  Odds   

That  French  Lady   

The  Heart  Buster   

The  Desert  Outlaw   

Lash  of  the  Whip   

Two  Fisted  Justice   

Circus  Lure   

Three  Women   

The  Back  Trail   

The  Signal  Tower   

The  Sawdust  Trail   

Fighting  Fury   

Wine   

Lure  of  the  Yukon   

Stranger  of  the  North    .  . 

Who's  Cheating   

Lights  of  London   

Love,  Life  and  Laughter.  . 

Heart  of  Alaska   

For  Woman's   Favor  .... 

Never  Say  Die   

The  Battling  Fool   

Foolish  Virgin   


Title 

Ramshackle  House   

Barbara  Frietchie   

Chalk  Marks   

The  House  of  Youth  .... 

Sinners  in  Silk   

The  Red  Lily   

Yolanda   

Wine  of  Youth   

One  Night  in  Rome  .... 

His  Hour   

In   Every  Woman's  Life.. 

Sideshow    of    1  ife   

The  Covered -Wagon  .... 
Man  Who  Fiehts  Alone.. 

Sinners   in  Heaven   

The  Alaskan   

Feet  of  Clay   

The  Female   

Vanity's  Price   

Thundering  Hoofs   

Stepping  Lively   

Dorothy  Vernon   

Smoking  Trails   

Captain  Blood   

Meddling  Women   

Man  without  a  Heart  .... 

F.mptv  Hearts   

Captain  January   

Bowerv  Bishop   

Dvnamite  Dan   

1  ast  of  the  Duanes   

The  Man  Who  Came  Back 

Honor  Among  Men   

The  Cvclone  Rider   

Dante's  Inferno   

Last  Man   on   Earth  .... 

Oh  You  Tony   

Painted  Lady   

The  Cowboy  Prince   

Notch    No.  1   

Sell    'em  Cowbov   

The  Ragged  Robin   

Reckless  Rrdin'  Bill   

Billv's  Week-End   

Find  Your  Man   

Lover  of  Camille  

This  Woman   

Big  Timber   

The  Turmoil   

The  Family  Secret   

Wolves  of  the  North  .... 

Passion's  Pathway   

Why  Worry   

The  Call  of  the  Wild  .. 

Youth  For  Sale  

Race    for  life   

Price  She  Paid  


B.  Sweet   

All  Star   

J.  Coogan   

Countess  Liguoro. 
R.   Talmadge  .... 

M.  Harris   

All  Star   

Jack  Perrin   

I.  Rich   

J.  Hines   

May    Allison  .... 

All  Star   

Hampton-Sherman. 

Marmont   

Patsy  Ruth  Miller 
Priscilla  Dean  .  .  . 
F.  Vidor   

K.  McDonald   

J.  B.  Warner  .... 

Buck  Jones   

S.  Mason   

T.  Mix   

Buck  Jones   

Ashton  Dearbolt  . . 

Dick  Hatton   

Matty  Mattison  .  .  . 
Marie  Prevost  .... 

Jack  Hoxie   

Virginia  Valli  .... 

Hoot  Gibson   

Hoxie   

All  Star   

Eva  Novak   

Richard  Travers  .  . 
Montague  Love  .  . 
Nigel  Barrie  .... 
Betty  Balfour  .... 
Maurice  Costello.  . 
Owen-Dexter  .... 

D.  McLean   

Fairbanks-Novak  . 

E.  Hammerstein  .  . 


Metro   7500 

Metro   5717 

Metro   6126 

F.  B.   0  8473 

F.   B.   0    5200 

Lumas   

United  Artists  .... 

Madoc   

Vitagraph  ...6425 
East    Coast...  6700 

Burr  Pict  

Chadwick   6600 

Banner   

Prod.    Dist... 5.414 

Prod.  Dist  5991 

Prod.  Dist  6724 

Prod.  Dist  6618 

Selznick  (Selc.) .  . 
Sunset   

Fox   4809 

Fox   5470 

Fox   4500 

Fox   

Arrow   

Arrow   

Sanford   

Warner  Bros  

Universal   

Universal   

Universal   

Universal   

Universal   

Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 
Lee-Bradford  .... 

Assoc.  Exhib  

C.  B.   C  4978 

C.  B.  C  5900 


Aug.l  1 
Aug. 18 
Aug. 25 
Aug.24 
Aug.31 
Aug.  1 
Aug.15 


Aug.  9 
Aug. 16 
Aug.30 
Sept.13 
Sept. 13 


Aug.  3 
Aug.30 
Aug.  1 
Aug.15 
Aug.15 
Aug.  3 
Aug. 10 
Aug.17 
Aug.24 
Aug.15 
Aug.15 
Aug.15 


Aug.24 
Aug.  1 
Aug.30 
Aug.  1 
Aug. 18 
Aug.  8 
Aug.  3 
Aug.10 
Aug.24 
Aug.31 


Aug.l  1 
Aug.30 

May  31 

Aug.23 


Aug.30 
Aug.30 
Aug.  2 


Aug. 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Aue. 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Aus?.31 
Aug.  1 
Aug.15 


July  26 
Aug.23 


Aug.  2 


SEPTEMBER 


Star 

B.  Compson   

F.  Vidor   

Marguerite  Snow. 
Jacqueline  Logan.  . 

All  Star   

Navarro   

M.  Davies   

All  Star   

Laurette  Taylor  . . 

All  Star   

Valli   

Torrence   

Lois  Wison   

I  ois  Wison   

Danies-Dix   

Tavlor-Meighan  .  . 
LaRocque-Cortez-R 

B.  Compson   

Nilsson   

Ann  May   

R.  Tamadge   

M.  Pickford   

Bill  Patton   

Kerrigan   

1  .  Barnrnore  .... 
Novak-Harlan 

Cara  Bow   

Babv  Peggy   

Walthall   

K.  McDonald   

T.  Mix   

Geo.  O'Brien 
Edmund  Lowe   . . . 

Spec  

Spec  

Spec  


D.  Mackaill   

A.  Dearbolt   

B.  Wilson-M.  Daw 

D.  Hatton   

Matty   Mattison    . . 

Dick  Carter   

Bill  Fran»v   

Rin  Tin  Tin  

Monte  Blue   

I  .  Rich   

Wm.  Desmond   .  . . 

All  Star   

Pabv  Peeev   

Wm.  Duncan  .... 
Estelle  Tavlor  .  . . 
Harold    Lloyd    .  .  . 

Spec.  Cast   

Sierid  Holmqu'st  . 
Novak-Fairbanks 
Alma  Reubens   .  . . 


Distributor    Length  Release 

Prod.  Dist  6257  Sept.  1 

Prod;  Dist  7179  Sept.  7 

Prod.  Dist  Sept.14 

Prod.  Dist  Sept.28 

Metro   5750  Sept.  1 

Metro   6975  Sept.  8 

Metro   10125  Sept.15 

Metro   6600Sept.22 

Metro   5S83Sept.29 

Metro   6300  Sept.29 

First  National  ^  . . .  Sept.28 

Famous   "...  Sept.  1 

Famous   Sept.  8 

Famous   5891  Sept.15 

Famous   6768  Sept.15 

Famous   6757  Sept. 22 

Famous   9746  Sept. 22 

Famous   Sept.22 

F.  B.  O  Sept.  7 

F.  B.  O  Sept.21 

F.  B.  O  Sept.28 

United  Artists  9500  Sept.15 

Madoc   Sept.15 

Vitagraph  ..10086 

Chadwick   

Banner   SeDt.17 

 Sept.15 

Principal   6194  Sept.15 

5elco   Sept.  1 

Sunset   Sept.15 

Fox   6942 

Fox   8293  Sept.28 

Fox   Sept.28 

Fox   ■  •  .6700SeDt.14 

Fox   Sent.  7 

Fox   Sert.28 

Fox   Sept.21 

Fox   SeDt.28 

Fox   Sept.  1 

Fox   Sept.  13 

Fox   Sept.27 

Sanford   Sept.15 

Sanford   Sept.  1 

Sanford   Sept.10 

Warner   Sent.  1 

Warner   Sept.15 

Warner   Sept.29 

Universal   Sept.  7 

Universal   Sept.14 

Universal   Sept.28 

Universal  .  .  Serial  Sept.29 
I  ee-Bradford    ....  Sept.  1 

Pathe   6000  Sept.  16 

Pathe   8000Sept.23 

Burr  Pict.   .  .  .6500  Sept.  1 

C.  B.  C  4954  Sept.  1 

C.  B.  C  5957  Sept.15 


Review 


Sept.27 
Aug. 16 

July  26 


Aug. 16 
Sent.27 
Oct.  4 
Oct.  4 


May  17 

Sent.  21 
Sept.15 


Sept.  6 
Sept.  6 

Sept.13 


Aug.  2 
Tune  21 
June  28 
Aug.30 


October  25.  1924 


Page  79 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Coming  Productions 


FAMOUS  PLAYERS 

Title  Star 

Her  Love  Story    Swanson   

Empty    Hands    Holt-Shearer  ... 

The  Fast  Set    Compson-Dexter 

Dangerous  Money    Daniels-Moore 


Length 


Re 
.Oct. 
.Oct. 
.Oct. 
.Oct. 

The  Border   Legion    Moreno    Chadwick   Oct. 

Story  Without  a  Name    Ayers-Moreno   Oct. 

Wages   of  Virtue    Swanson-Lyons   Nov. 

Manhattan    Logan-Kelly   Nov. 

A  Sainted  Devil    Valentino   Nov. 

Worldly   Goods    Agnes  Ayres   Nov. 

Forbidden    Paradise   Negri   Nov. 

The  City  that  Never  Sleeps...   Cortez   Dec. 

The  Garden   of  Weeds   Compson   Dec. 

Tongues  of  Flame    Meighan-Love   Dec. 

North  of  36    Holt   Dec. 

Argentine  Love    .•   Daniels-Cortez   Dec. 

Peter  Pan    Betty  Bronson   Dec. 

Locked   Doors    Compson   Jan. 

Interlocutory   ••   Ayres  Ian. 

A  Woman  Scorned   Negri   Jan. 

Miss  Bluebeard    Daniels   Jan. 

The  Golden  Bed    La  Rocque   Jan. 

Man  Must  Live    Richard  Dix   Jan. 

Bed-Rock    Meighan   Jan. 


leased 

6 
13 
20 
20 
27 
27 
10 
10 
17 
24 
24 

1 

8 
15 
22 
29 
29 

5 

5 
12 
19 
19 
26 
26 


FIRST  NATIONAL 


Title 

Heart  Trouble   

Frivolous  Sal   

Idle  Tongues   

Inez   from  Hollywood   

The  Lady   

The  Lost  World   

The  Only  Woman  

Sundown   

The  Silent  Watcher   

Madonna  of  the  Streets   

Christine   of  the   Hungry  Heart 

Husbands   and  Lovers   

Classmates   

Wilderness   

So  Big  

If  I  Marry  Again   

Sandra  _  _  

As  Man  Desires   


Star 


Length 


C.  Talmadge   Nov. 

Spec.  Cast  Jan. 

Marmont-Kenyon  Nov. 

Nilsson-Stone   Jan. 

N.  Talmadge   

Stone- Love -Beery 


Released 


N.  Talmadge   ".  Nov  2 

Spec.    Cast   Nov.  23 

Hunter-B.  Love   Oct.  5 

Nazimova-SMIs   ...Oct.  19 

Florence  Vidor   Oct.  12 

Vidor-Cody   Dec.  28 

R.  Barthelmess   Nov.  30 

Corinne  Griffith   Dec.  7 

Colleen  Moore   Dec.  14 

Kenyon-Hughes   Dec.  21 

B.   LaMarr  ...Oct  26. 

Spec.  Cast  Jan.  11 


Title 

Greatest  Love  of  All. 


SELZNICK 

Star 

Geo.  Beban  . . . 


Length 


Released 
Oct.  15 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Price  of  a  Party    Hope  Hampton   Oct.  19 

Barriers  Burned  Away    Spec.  Cast   Nov.  30 

East   of   Broadway   Owen  Moore   ....Nov.  23 

Why  Women  Sin   Jan. 

Children   of  the  Whirlwind  Feb. 


11 


PATHE 

Title  Star  Length 

Dynamite   Smith    Chas.  Ray    7000... 

The  Battling  Orioles    Glenn  Tryon    6000... 

Hot  Water    Harold  Lloyd    5000... 


Released 
.Oct.  12 
.Oct.  26 
.Nov.  2 


SANFORD  PRODUCTIONS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Pirate  Peter  Pepper    Matty  Mattison   Nov.  1 

Let  Him  Buck   Dick  Carter   Oct.  1 

Battlin'    Billy    Dick  Carter   Nov.  1 

The  Captivatin'  Cannibal    Bill  Franey   Oct.  1 


J.  J.  FLEMING  PRODUCTIONS,  INC. 


Title  Star  Length 

Shackles  of  Fear   Ferguson-Conley     ....5000  . 

Trail  of  Vengeance    Ferguson-Conley    ....  5000  . 

PRINCIPAL 

Title  Star  Length 

Helen's  Babies    Baby  Peggy    6200... 

The  Mine  with  the  Iron  Door..  Mackail!   6180... 

Taming  of  the  Shrew    Daniels   

Daughters  of  Pleasure   Prevost   

Good  Bad   Boy    Spec.  Cast   

Daring  Youth    Daniels- Kerry   

Listen  Lester   Fazenda-Myers   


Released 


Released 
.Oct.  12 
.Oct.  2 


ARROW 


Title 


Star 


Length 


Released 


Come  On  Cowboys    Dick  Hatton   Dec.  6 

The  Rip  Snorter    Hatton-Mills   Feb.  14 

Western  Feuds    Edmund  Cobb   Feb.  14 

The  Diamond  Bandit    Ashton  Dearholt   Oct.  15 

The  Lash  of  Pinto  Pete    Ashton  Dearholt   Nov.  15 

Ridin'  Mad    Yakima  Canutt   Oct.  11 

The  Desert  Hawk    B.   Wilson-M.   Harris  Oct.  25 

Horse  Sense    Hatton-Mills   Nov.  8 

His  Majesty,  the  Outlaw    B.  Wilson-V.  LaPIante  Nov.  22 

Branded  a    Bandit    Yakima  Canutt   Dec.  20 

Vic  Dvson  Pays    B.  Wilson-N.  Gerber  '  Jan.  3 '25 

The  Cactus  Cure    Dick  Hatton-Mills   Jan.  17  '25 

Sand  Blind    Ben  Wilson   Jan.  31  '25 

Where  Romance  Ends    D.  Hatton-M.  Mills   Mar.  28  '25 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING 

Title  Star  Lengths 

Roaring   Rails    H.  Carey   

Another  Man's  Wife    Kirkwood-Lee   Oct. 

Trouping  with  Ellen    Chadwick   Oct. 

Reckless   Romance    T.  Roy  Barnes   Nov. 

Girl  on  the  Stairs    P.  R.  Miller   .Nov. 

The  Chorus  Lady   Margaret  Livingston   ..Nov. 

A   Cafe  in  Cairo    Priscilla  Dean   Dec. 

Flaming  Forties    H.  Carey   Dec. 

The  Mirage    F.   Vidor   Dec. 

On  the  Shelf    All  Star   Jan. 

Soft  Shoes    H.  Carey   Jan. 

Off  the  Highway    Logan   Jan. 

METRO 


Released 
Oct.  6 
19 
26 
2 
9 
16 
1 
7 
21 
4 
11 
25 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

Circe  the  Enchantress    Mae  Murray    6882  Oct.  6 

The  Navigator    Buster   Keaton    5600  Oct.  13 

The  Bandolero    All  Star    8000  Oct.  20 

Janice    Meredith    Marion   Davies   Oct.  27 

Mrs.   Paramour   All   Star   Oct.  27 

The  Great  Divide    Alice    Terry   Nov.  3 

The   Snob    N.    Shearer-Gilbert  Nov.  3 

He   Who   Gets   Slapped    Lon  Chaney   Nov.  17 

Along  Came  Ruth    Viola  Dana   5161  Nov.  10 

The  Rag  Man    Jackie  Coogan   

The  Silent  Accuser    All  Star   Nov.  24 

So  This  Is  Marriage    All  Star   Nov.  24 

Beautv  

The  Beauty  Prize    Viola  Dana   

Ben  Hur  •.  

The  Charity  Ball   

Cheaper  to  Marry  

Excuse  Me   ■•   • ...  • 

Fast  Life  in  New  York   

A  Girl's  Rebellion   

Dixie   

Green   •  •  


Title 

The    Brass  Bowl   

Gerald  Cranton's  Lady   

My  Husband's  Wives   

The  Race   

Winners  Take  All   

The  Wolf  Man   

Daughters    of   the  Night   

Darwin    Was  Right   

Every  Man's  Wife  

Dick  Turpin   

Flame  of  Desire   

The  Fool   

Gold  Heels   

The  Great  Diamond  Mystery  . . . 

Hearts  of  Oak   

The   Hunted  Woman   

Hunting  Wild  Animals  in  Holly 

In  Love  with  Love   

Teeth   ■  •  

Thorns   of  Passion   

Troubles  of  a  Bride   

Warrens  of  Virginia   


FOX 

Star  Length  Released 

Edmund  Lowe   Nov.  2 

Alma  Rubens   

Sherley  Mason   Nov.  16 

 Oct.  12 

 Oct.  12 

John  Gilbert   Feb.  17 

Special  Cast   Oct.  19 

 Oct.  19 

Special-   

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix  

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix   

S.  Mason   .  Oct.  5 

Special   Oct.  5 

Special   Oct.  5 

wood    Special  cast   


Tom  Mix   

Special   :  

Special   

Special   Oct.  12 


TRUART 


Title 

Stepping  Lively  . 
Going    High  .... 


Star  Length  Released 

R.  Talmadge   Oct.  1 

R.  Talmadge   Nov.  1 


WARNER  BROS 


Title 


Star 


Length 


Released 


The  Narrow  Street    Dorothv  Devore   Oct.  15 

A  Lost  Ladv    Irene  Rich   Nov.  24 

The    Dark    Swan   Prevost-Blue   Oct.  29 

Age  of  Innocence    Beverly  Bayne    .  Nov.  10 

How  Baxter  Butted  In    Willard  Louis   

The  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea....  Rin  Tin  Tin   Dec.  15 

Recompense    Blue-Rich   

Bridge  of  Sighs    Blue-Rich   

The  Dear  Pretender    Marlow-Roche   

A  Man   without  a  Conscience  

Eve's  Lover   '.  

My  Wife  and  I  •  ;  

The  Broadway  Butterfly  

The   Eleventh  Virgin  


LUMAS  FILM 


Title 

Black    Lightning    Thunder 

Women  and  Gold    All  Star 

The  Night  Ship    All  Star 


Srar  Length  Released 

(dog)   Oct.  1 

 Dec.  1 

 Feb.  1 


F.  B.  O. 


Star 


Length 


Title 

Life's   Greatest   Game   Johnnie  Walker   Oct. 

Stranger   from  Nowhere    Gloria  Gray   Oct. 

Broken  Laws    Mrs.  Wallace  Reid   Oct. 

The   Prude   ••   Evelyn  Brent   Oct. 

The  Third  Talmadge    Richard  Talmadge   Oct. 

Ouemado    Ann  May   Nov. 

Hard  Cash    Harlan-Bellamy   Nov. 

Cheap  Kisses   I.  Rich-C.  Landis   Nov. 


Released 
5 
5 
12 
19 
26 
2 
9 
23 


Pa^e  80 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Coming  Productions- 


-Continued 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

No  More  Women    Bellamy-Moore   Feb.  15 

Loving   Lies    Monte  Blue-Brent   Feb.  15 

A   Woman's   Secret    Mae  Marsh   Feb.  15 

The   End  of  the  World    Jack  Pickford   

MADOC 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

A  Game   Fighter    Bill  Patton   November 

Ridin'    West    Jack   Perin   October 

Desert  Madness   December 

(3  more  to   follow)  • 

VITAGRAPH 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Clean   Heart    Marmont    7950  Oct.  26 

Greater  Than  Marriage    Daw-Tellegen   Nov. 

The  Magnificent  Ambersons   Nov.  30 

The  Beloved   Brute    .  . ;   M.  de  la  Motte   Dec.  21 

Baree,  Son  of  Barzan    1925 

Pearls  of  the  Madonna    1925 

Steele  of  the  Royal  Mounted   1925 

In  the  Garden  of  Charity    1925 

The  Happy  Warrior    1925 

The   Alibi    1925 

The  Road  that  Led  Home   1925 

The  Unknown  Story    1925 

EAST  COAST  FILMS,  INC. 


Title 

The  Early  Bird  .  .  . 


Star                Length  Released 
.  Johnny    Hines   Nov.  15 

BANNER 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

Daughters  Who  Pay    All  Star   Jan    15  '25 

Those  Who  Judge    P.    R.  Miller-Tellegen  Nov.  15 


INDEPENDENT 


Title 


Star 


Length 


Released 


Billy  the  Kid    F.  Farnum   Feb.     1  '25 

Dangerous    Pleasure    Special  cast   Nov. 

The  Gambling  Fool    F.  Farnum   Jan.     1  '25 

Outwitted    Desmond-Holmes   Nov. 

A   Woman   Under   Oath    Florence  Reed   Nov. 

Border  Intrigue    F.  Farnum   Nov. 

Corsican  Bros   Dustin    Farnum   Nov. 

Courage   F.  Farnum   Dec. 

Her  Code  of  Honor    Florence  Reed   Dec. 

Her  Game    Florence  Reed   Jan.     1  '25 

Offended    Marjorie  Wilson   Nov. 

Blood  and  Steel    Desmond-Holmes   Dec.  15 

Moccasins    Bill  Cody   Dec. 

Border  Justice    Bill  Cody   Jan.     1  '25 

When  Winter  Went    F.  Farnum   Dec. 

Calibre  45    Raymond  Griffith   ....Oct. 

Riders  of  Mystery    Bill   Cody   Nov.  1 

CHADWICK 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Painted  Flapper    Kirkwood-Garon   Oct.  15 

I  Am  the  Man   Lionel  Barrymore   Nov.  15 

The   Tomboy    Devore  Rawlinson   Dec.  15 

The  Street  Singer    Not  cast  yet   Jan.    15  '25 

Flattery    Bowers-de  la  Motte   Feb.  15 

Romance  of  an  Actress    Not  cast  yet   Mar.  15  '25 

Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley   ...  Not  cast  yet   Apr.  '25 

RAYART 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Midnight  Secrets    George   Larkin   Oct.  1 

The  Street  of  Tears    Sanchie  &  Clayton   Oct.  15 

Just  Mary    Harlan   Nov.  1 

The  Pell  Street  Mystery   George  Larkin   Nov.  1 

Trail  Dust    David  Dunbar   Nov.  1 

B.  P.  SCHULBERG  PRODUCTIONS 


Title  Star 

Frivolity   

White  Man    Alice  Joyce  .  . 

The   Boomerang    Special  cast  . 

riint  Perfume    Special  cast  . 

Mansions  of  Aching   Hearts    .  .  Special  cast  . 


Length 


i  Released 


Title  Star               Length  Released 

The  Triflers    Special  cast   

When  a  Woman  Reaches  40  .  .   Special  cast   

My  Lady's  Lips  .   Special  cast   


UNIVERSAL 


Title 

Hit  and  Run   

Rose  of  Paris   

"K"  the  Unknown   

Riding  Kid  from  Powder  River. 

Western  Wallop   

The  Measure  of  a  Man   

The  Tornado  

Dangerous  Innocence   

The  Hurricane  Kid   

California  Straight  Ahead  .... 

Captain  Fearless   

The  Price  of  Pleasure   

The  Flower  of  Napoli   , 

Fighting  Back   

The  Gaiety  Girl   ■  ■  

Head  Winds   

Jazz  Parents   

Ridin'  Pretty   

Let  Her  Buck   

Oh  !  Doctor   

Secrets  of  the  Night   


Star  Length  Released 

Gibson   Oct.  5 

M.    Philbin   Nov.  9 

V.   Valli  Nov.  23 

Gibson   Nov.  30 

Hoxie    4t'll  Dec.  14 

Desmond   Dec.  28 

House   Peters   Jan.     4  '25 

Mary  Philbin   Jan.  21  '25 

Hoot    Gibson   Jan.  25  '25 

Reginald  Denny   Apr.  26 '25 

Reginald  Denny   

Valli-Kerry   Mar.  15 '25 

Bellamy   

Desmond   Apr.     5  '25 

Mary  Philbin   Dec.  21  '24 

House  Peters   

May    McAvoy   Mar.     1  '25 

Desmond   Feb.  22 '25 

Hoot  Gibson   May   31  '25 

Reginald  Denny   Feb.     1  '25 

Bellamy-Kirkwood   Feb.     1  '25 


LEE-BRADFORD  CORP. 


Title  Star 

Lure  of  Love    Zeena  Keefe 

Pearl  of   Love    Leslie-Sherry 


Length 


Released 


EAST  COAST  FILMS,  INC. 


Title  Star  Length 

The  Speed  Spook    J.  Hines    6700... 

The   Early    Bird    J.  Hines    6400... 

The   Cracker  Jack    J.  Hines    6500... 


Released 
.Nov.  1 
.Jan.     1  '25 
.Mar.      1  '25 


ERNEST  SHIPMAN  PRODUCTIONS 

Length  Released 


Title  Star 
The   River   Road    Hamilton-Allison 


C.  B.  C. 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

Fight  for  Honor    Fairbanks-Novak    ....  4570  Oct.  1 

The  Beautiful   Sinner    Fairbanks-Novak   Oct.  1 

Midnight   Express    Elaime   Hammerstein  Oct.  15 

Women   First    Fairbanks-Novak   Nov.  1 

One  Glorious  Night    Elaine    Hammerstein  Nov.  15 

A  Fool  and  His  Money   

Fighting  the  Flames   

After  Business  Hours   

Who  Cares   

Tainted  Money  

The  Fearless  Lover   

The  Fatal  Kiss   


Short  Subjects 


Title 

Friend  Husband   

Running  Wild   

Seein'  Things   

The  Swift  and  Strong  .... 

Birds  of  Passage   

Our  Little  Nell   

If  Noah  Lived  Today   

Brothers  Under  the  Chin.. 

The  Medicine  Hat   

The  King  of  Wild  Horses.. 

One  at  a  Time   

A  Trip  to  the  Pole   

Hit  the   High  Spots   

The   Hollywood  Kid   

Sun  and  Snow   

Gateway  to  the  West   

An  Ideal  Farm   

Highbrow  Stuff  

Fliskering  Youth   

The  Guest   

Get  Busy   

Publicity  Pays   

Homeless  Pups   

Commencement  Day   

Sporting  Speed  

North   of  50-50   

When  Winter  Comes   

Near    Dublin    .  .  .  

April  Fool   

Jealous  Fisherman   


PATHE 

Subject  Length  Released 

Snub  Pollard                           1000  Apr.  6 

Cartoon    (Terry)                       1000  Apr.  6 

Our  Gang                               2000  Apr.  6 

Grantland   Rice    (Sport)....  1000  Apr.  6 

  3000  Apr.  6 

Animal  Comedy                        1000  Apr.  13 

Cartoon  (Terry)                       1000  Apr.  f3 

Stan   Laurel                              2000  Apr.  13 

All  Star   •  •                 2000  Apr.  13 

Roach  Feature-                        5000  Apr.  13 

Earl  Mohan                             1000  Apr.  20 

Cartoon  (Terry)                        1000  Apr.  20 

Spat  Family                            2000  Apr.  20 

All    Star                                    2000  Apr.  20 

Grantland    Rice    (Sport)     ..  1000  Apr.  20 

All    Star                                   3000  Apr.  20 

Cartoon    (Terry)                      1000  Apr.  27 

Will    Rogers                            2000  Apr.  27 

Harry  Langdon                        2000  Apr.  27 

All   Star                                   1000  Apr.  27 

Snub  Pollard                           1000  Apr.  27 

Charles   Chase                         1000  May  4 

Cartoon  (Terry)                       1000  May  4 

Our  Gang                               2000  May  4 

Grantland  Rice                        1000  May  4 

Dippy  Doo  Dad                      1000  May  11 

Cartoon    (Terry)                       1000  Mav  11 

Stan   Laurel                             2000  May  It 

Charles  Chase                         1000  May  18 

Cartoon    (Terry)                      1000  May  18 


October  25,  1924 


Page  81 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Short  Subjects  Continued— PATHE 


Title 

Bottle  Babies   

Black  Oxfords   

The  Pilgrims   

Fishin'  Fever   

Position  Wanted   

The  Jolly  Jail-Bird   

Going  to  Congress   

The  Cat's  Meow   

Before  Taking   

One  Good  Turn   

Building  Winners   

Cradle  Robbers  .  . . .  

Yukon  Jake   

Handle  'Em  Rough   

The  Flying  Carpet   

Rupert  of  Hee-Haw   

Fast  Black   

That  Old  Can  of  Mine   

Suffering  Shakespeare  .... 
The  Lions  and  the  Souse.. 
Declaration  of  Independence 

On  Guard   

Young  Oldfield   

The  Organ  Grinders   

Don't  Park  There   

His  New  Mamma   

Her  Memory   

Stolen  Goods   

Home  Talent   

Jubilo,  Jr  

Solitude  and  Fame   

Jeffries,  Jr  

The  Body  in  the  Bag  .... 
The  Wide  Open  Spaces  .... 
Why  Husbands  Go  Mad   . . 

Desert  Sheiks   

Radio  Mad  

The   Finer  Points   

Yorktown   

Maud  Muller   

A  Ten  Minute  Egg   

A  Woman's  Honor   

Our  Congressman   

Seeing  Nellie  Home   

The  Sport  of  Kings   

It's  a  Bear   

Our  Defenders    . .  •  •  

Flying  Fever   

Short  Kilts   

Romeo  and  Juliet   

Amelia  Comes  Back   

A  Hard  Boiled  Tenderfoot. 

Wall  Street  Blues   

Hobbies  

The  Puritans   

Sweet  Daddy   

House  Cleaning   

A  Truthful  Liar   

The  First  100  Years   

The  Prodigal  Pup   

High  Society   

East  of  the  Water  Plug 

Hoof-Beats   

One-Third  Off   

Why  Men  Work   

A  Message  from  the  Sea  .  . 

Barnyard  Olympics   

South   o'   the  North   Pole.  . 

The  Happy  Years   

Lizzies  of  the   Field  ...... 

Alexander  Hamilton   

Outdoor  Pajamas   

The  Good  Old  Summer  Time 
The  Luck  o'  the  Foolish.. 

Three  Foolish  Weeks   

The  Mouse  that  Turned   .  .  . 

The  Sundown  Limited   

Spikes  and  Bloomers  

Little  Robinson  Corkscrew.. 

Sittin'  Pretty   

Hawks  of  the  Sea   

Should  Landlords  Live 

Gee  Whiz  Genevieve   

Noah's  Outing   

Lost  Dog   

Wandering  Waistlines   

The  Danger  Lure   

Dixie   

Too   Many  Mammas   

A  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea  . . 

The  Hansom  Cabman   

The  Goofy  Age   

Black  Magic   

Every  Man  for  Himself  . . . 

Sporting  Rhythm   

Riders  of  the  Purple  Cows. 

The  Death  Ray   

Leather  Stocking   

The  Fortieth  Door   

Into  the  Net   


Subject  Length  Released 

Spat  Family   2000  May  18 

Ait    Star    2000  May  18 

Ail  Star    3000  May  18 

Grantland   Rice    (Sport)    ..  1000  May  18 

Charles  Chase    1000  May  25 

Cartoon    (Verry)    1000  May  25 

Will  Rogers    2000  May  25 

Harry    Langdon    2000  May  25 

Mohan  &  Engle    1000  June  1 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  June  1 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  June  1 

Our  Gang    2000  June  1 

Ben  Turpin    2000  June  8 

Dippy    Doo    Dad    1000  June  8 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  June  8 

Stan    Laurel    2000  June  8 

Mohan  and   Engle    1000  June  15 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  June  15 

Spat  Family    2000  June  15 

All  Star    2000  June  15 

All   Star    3000  June  15 

Grantland   Rice    (Sport)    ..  1000  June  15 

Charles  Chase    1000  June  22 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  June  22 

Will   Rogers   ••   2000  June  22 

Harry    Langdon    2000  June  22 

All  Star    1000  June  22 

Charles  Chase    1000  June  29 

Cartoon   (Terry)    1000  June  29 

Our  Gang    2000  June  29 

Grantland  Rice  (Sport)    1000  June  29 

Charles  Chase    1000  July  6 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  July  6 

Stan  Laurel    2000  July  6 

Charles  Chase   ••   1000  July  13 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  July  13 

Spat  Family    2000  June  13 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  July  13 

All   Star    3000  July  13 

All   Star    2000  July  20 

Charles  Chase    1000  July  20 

Cartoon     (Terry)    1000  July  20 

Will  Rogers    2000  July  20 

Charles   Chase    1000  July  27 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  July  27 

Our1  Gang    2000  July  27 

Grantland  Rice    (Sport)    ...  1000  July  27 

Cartoon  (Terry)    2000  Aug.  3 

Stan    Laurel   1000  Aug.  3 

Ben  Turpin    2000  Aug.  3 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  Aug.  10 

Spat  Family    2000  Aug.  10 

All  Star    2000  Aug,.  10 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  Aug.  10 

All  Star    3000  Aug.  10 

Charles  Chase    1000  Aug.  17 

Cartoon  (Terry)   1000  Aug.  17 

Will    Rogers    2000  Aug.  17 

Harry    Langdon    2000  Aug.  17 

Cartoon   (Terry)    1000  Aug.  24 

Our  Gang    2000  Aug.  24 

Ralph   Graves    2000  Aug.  24 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  Aug.  24 

All   Star    2000  Aug.  31 

Charles  Chase    1000  Aug.  31 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  Aug.  31 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  Sept.  7 

Spat  Family    2000  Sept.  7 

Grantland  Rice    (Sport)    ...  1000  Sept.  7 

All  Star    2000  Sept.  7 

All  Star    3000  Sept.  7 

Charles   Chase    1000  Sept.  14 

Cartoon    (Terry)   1000  Sept.  14 

Harry  Langdon    2000  Sept.  14 

Ben  Turpin    2000  Sept.  14 

Cartoon   (Terry)   •■  1000  Sept.  21 

Our  Gang    2000  Sept.  21 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  Sept.  21 

Ralph  Graves    2000  Sept.  21 

Charles  Chase    1000  Sept.  28 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  Sept.  28 

Arthur  Stone    2000  Sept.  28 

Will     Rogers    2000  Sept.  28 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000  Oct.  5 

Spat  Family    2000  Oct.  5 

All   Star    2000  Oct.  5 

Grantland  Rice    1000  Oct.  5 

All   Star   3000  Oct.  5 

Charles  Chase    1000  Oct.  12 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  Oct.  12 

Harry  Langdon    2000  Oct.  12 

Glenn  Trvon   ••   2000  Oct.  12 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  Oct.  19 

Our   Gang    2000  Oct.  19 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  Oct.  19 

Ralph   Graves    2000  Oct.  19 

Special   •  ■ . .  2000  Oct.  19 

Serial    (Edna   Murphy)    ...  10  Chap.    Mar.  23 

Serial    (B.   Gordon)    10  Chap.    May  25 

Serial    (Edna  Murphy)    ....  10  Chap.    Aug.  3 


UNIVERSAL 

Title  Subject  Length  Released 

All  Swell  on  the  Ocean  ....  Jack  Dempsey  series   Aug.  17 

Bring  Him  In    Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.     1  '24 

Kayo  and  Cupid    Jack  Dempsey  series   Oct.   26  '24 

A  Society  Knockout    Jack  Dempsey  series   July  7 

So  This  Is  Paris    Jack  Dempsey  series   Aug.  3 


Title 

The  Title  Holder   

Town  Hall  Tonight   

Winning   His  Way   

West  of  the  Water  Bucket.. 

Health   Farm  Wallop   

The   Fiddlin'  Doll   

Empty  Stall   

The  Shooting  Star   

The  Christmas  Handicap   .  . 

Hot  Dog  Special   

Get  Away  Day   

Big  Boy  Glue   

Between  Fires   

Blue  Wings  Revenge   

Boss  of  Bar  Twenty  

Bull  Tosser   

College  Cowboy   

Columbus  and  Isabella  

Fast  Express   

Battling  Cowboy   

Fighting  Ranger   

Memorial   to   W.   Wilson    .  . 

Flying  Eagle   

Wolves  of  the  North   

Ghost  City   

Gun  Packer   

Honor  of  Men   

The  Iron  Man   

Kings  Command  

The   Little  Savage   

The  Lone  Roundup   

The  Phanton  Fugitive   

Poor  Kid   

The  Powerful  Eye 

A   Prisoner  for  Life   

Red    Raymond's  Girl   

The    Riddle  Rider   

The    Sagebrush  Vagabond.. 

A  Society  Sensation   

Tempest  Cody  Gets  Her  Man 
Tempest  Cody  Turns  Tables 

The  Traitor   

Uncle   Bims  Gift   

Watch  Papa   

Oh   What  a  Day   

Aggravatin'  Mama   

What's  the  Use   

Oh  Min   

Andy's  Temptation   

A  Day  of  Rest  

West  Bound   

Andy's   Hat's   in  the   Ring.  . 

Winning  a  Bride   

Tale  of  a  Cat   

Taxi  Taxi   

That  Oriental  Game   

That's  Rich   

A  Tin  Type   

Tired  Business  Men   

Traffic  Jams   

Trailing  Trouble   

Trouble  Fixer   

Why  Be  Jealous?   

Sweet  Dreams   

One  Wet  Night   

On  Duty   

Paying  Money   

Patching   Things  Up   

Please  Teacher   

Politics   

Pretty    Plungers    ■  •  

The   Racing  Kid   

Rest  in  Pieces   

Rip  Van  Winkle   

A    Royal  Pair   

Sahara  Blues   

Sailor  Maids   

Scared  Stiff  

Ship  Ahoy   

Should  Poker  Players  Marry 

Snappy  Eyes   

Sons-in-Law   

Speed  Boys   

Spring  of  1964   

Starving  Beauties   

Stepping  Some   

Her  City  Sport   

Here  He  Comes   

Her   Fortunate  Face   

His  First  Degree   

Hit  'Em  Hard   

Jack  and  Beanstalk   

Kid  Days   

A   Lofty  Marriage   

Low  Bridge  

Mind  the  Baby   

Miners    Over  Twenty-One.. 

Nobody  to  Love   

My  Little  Brother   

William"  Tell   

Benjamin  Franklin   

The  Blow  Out   •  ■  

Bluffing  Bluffers   

Case  Dismissed   

The  Cry  Baby   

The  Cute  Little  Devil 

Delivering  the  Goods  

Eat  and  Run  

Fair  and  Windy  

Fearless  Fools   

Game  Hunter   

Green  Grocers   


Subject  Length  Released 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.  14 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.  29 

Jack  Dempsey  series   June  23 

Jack  Dempsey  series   July  21 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Oct.  12 

Fast  Steppers   May  12 

Fast  Steppers   May  26 

Fast  Steppers   June  9 

Fast  Steppers   June  23 

Fast  Steppers   July  7 

Fast  Steppers   July  21 

Leather  Pushers   Mar.  10  '23 

Cobb  and  Lee   Sept.  27 

Indian   June  21  '24 

Western   May  31 

Pete   Morrison   May  10 

Joseph   Bonomo   Sept.  13 

 Aug.  24 

Duncan   and  Johnson   Apr.  10 '24 

Billy  Sullivan   

Jack  Dougherty   

International    News   Feb.     7 '24 

William    Lawrence   July  19 

William  Duncan  serial   Sept  22 

Serial  Dec.  24  '23 

Pete  Morrison   July   26 '23 

Neal   Hart   May  24 

Serial   June  16 

William   E.   Lawrence   Aug.  2 

Pete   Morrison   June  28 

Jack    Dougherty   May     17  '24 

E.   Polo  Aug.  9 

Baby  Peggy   June  22 

Pete  Morrison   June  7 

Eddie   Polo   Sept  20 

Pete  Morrison   July    12  '24 

Serial   Mar.     2  '25 

Steward  and  Lee   July  18 

Valentino  and  Myers   Mar.  3 

Marie  Walcamp  Sept.  6 

Marie  Walcamp   July  5 

Wm.   H.   Lawrence   Aug.  30 

The  Gumps   Sept.  17  '23 

The  Gumps   Oct.  15  '23 

The  Gumps   Nov.  12  '23 

The  Gumps   Dec.  17 '23 

The  Gumps   May     5  '24 

The  Gumps   Jan.   14  '24 

The  Gumps   June    2  '24 

Joe  Murphy   July  7 

Joe  Murphy   Aug.  4 

Joe  Murphy   Oct.  6 

Hays  and   Ridgeway   June  14 

Lyons  and  Moran   June  9 

Harry  McCoy   May  7 

Pal    (Dog)   ••  Mar.  12 

Auther   Trimble     Mar.  7 

B.  Messenger     Mar.  1 

Special  Cast  May  21 

McCoy  and  Karr     Sept.  3 

B.  Messineer   May  14 

Wanda  Wiley     Sept.  24 

Roach  and  Howell   June  23 

Wanda    Wiley     Nov.  5 

Edwards   and   Roach     Apr.  14 

Wanda  Wiley    

Murdock  and  O'Donnell    ...   July  30 

Roach  and  Howell     July  7 

B.    Messinger   ••   June  18 

Roach  and  Edwards     Apr.  28 

Special   Cast     Apr.  23 

B.  Messinger     

Bert  Roach    .....   June  2 

Hysterical   History   Sept.  21 

Earle  and  Alt     June  25 

Soecial    Cast   Oct.  15 

Wanda    Wiley   Apr.  20 

Special  Cast     Aug.  13 

Summerville   and    Dunn   Mar.  24 

Edwards   and   Roach     Mar.  3 

Wanda  Wiley     Oct.  1 

Earle  and  McCoy   Mar.  5 

Special  Cast     Sept.  10 

Edwards   •  ■  ■   Apr.  7 

Wanda   Wiley     July  9 

Baby  Peeev     

Wanda   Wiley     July  21 

B.  Messinger    

Wanda   Wiley    Aug.  6 

B.  Messinger     

Earle   and   McCoy   Mar.  31 

Baby  Peggy     July  7 

Harry  Burns     July  21 

Earle  and  Murdock     Apr.  30 

B.    Messinger    Sept.  17 

Pal     (Doe)     Sept.  10 

Summerville   and  Dun    ....   June  16 

Summerville   and  Dun    ....   May  12 

Edwards   and   Roach     Mar.  17 

Hysterical   History    Aug.  10 

Hysterical  History   Sept.  8 

B.    Messinger  Aug.  20 

Roach    and    Howell   July  14 

Summerville  and  Dunn   May  26 

Summerville  and  Dunn   June  30 

Wanda  Wiley    

Pal  (Dog)   May  28 

Alt  and  McCoy   Aug.  27 

Bert    Roach  Aug.  3 

Alt   and  McCoy   June  4 

Roach   and  Edwards   Apr.  19 

Summerville    and    Dunn   Apr.  21 


Page  82 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Bright  and  smiling  carbon  babies 

DOES  you-all  crave  brightness?    National  Projector 
Carbons  are  nothing  else  but.    Give  'em  the  juice 
and  they  radiate  brilliance. 

National  Projector  Carbons  never  get  fussy,  never 
cry,  yell,  shriek  or  go  into  convulsions.  Projectionists 
adopt  these  babies  with  joy  and  delight  to  themselves, 
to  theatre  owners,  and  to  audiences. 

National  Projector  Carbons  are  not  puny  infants,  but 
strong,  husky  giants  that  produce  strong,  husky  light; 
full,  rich  light,  eye-easy  but  powerful;  light  that  throws 
on  the  screen  all  that  is  in  the  film. 

Our  service  engineers  are  always  at  your  call 

Manufactured  and  guaranteed  by 
NATIONAL     CARBON      COMPANY,  INC. 
Cleveland,  Ohio  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Canadian  National  Carbon  Co.,  Limited,  Toronto,  Ontario 


Nationa 


Projector  Carbons 


\ 


October  25,  1924 


Page  83 


Equipment  Notes 


FILM  PROCESS 

The  Counsell  Film  Process  recently 
brought  to  this  country  by  the  Coun- 
sell Film  Company  from  Australia  has 
been  found  under  extended  and  severe 
tests  to  accomplish  unusual  results  in 
the  preservation  of  film  and  the  elimi- 
nation of  scratches  and  other  deface- 
ments therefrom. 

The  Australasian  Film.  Ltd.,  had  the 
process  in  use  for  over  six  months  dur- 
ing which  period  all  their  new  hims 
had  been  coated  and  careful  record 
kept  of  each  film  This  company  re- 
ports that  although  they  were  at  first 
pessimistic  regarding  the  results  of  the 
process  they  can  now  frankly  state  that 
it  has  exceeded  all  their  expectations 
and  they  have  decided  to  release  no 
films  whatsoever  which  are  not  coated 
by  the  process. 

They  report  that  films  which  have 
been  in  constant  use  for  six  months  on 
all  classes  of  machines  have  withstood 
the  severest  tests. 

Sprocket  holes  remain  perfectly  in- 
tact and  although  many  of  the  films 
were  saturated  with  oil,  no  stains  re- 
mained. The  scratching  of  the  photo- 
graphic emulsion  by  carbon  dust  in  the 
operating  box,  which  is  one  of  the  worst 
troubles  film  owners  have  to  contend 
with  has  entirely  been  eliminated. 

They  also  report  that  it  is  an  abso- 
lute prevention  of  the  film  becoming 
brittle  and  that  films  which  have  been 
coated  by  the  process  retain  their  pli- 
ancy. They  claim  that  after  testing 
the  process  for  six  months  they  are 
fully  satisfied  that  it  increases  the  life 
of  the  film  fully  50%,. 

Recently  other  tests  have  been  made 
by  some  of  the  large  and  well  known 
companies  of  New  York  with  results 
Avhich  we  understand  have  been  highly 
satisfactory. 

Mr.  A.  H.  Rubinstein  of  the  Coun- 
sell Film  Company  of  No.  236  West 
55th  Street,  states  that  he  will  be  glad 
to  process  short  pieces  of  film  for  any 
concern  who  is  interested  to  prove  the 
unquestionable  worth  of  their  process. 

*    *  * 

NEWSPAPER  FILES 

In  the  rest  rooms  there  should  be 
files  for  daily  papers  and  several  maga- 
zines for  the  use  of  patrons  who  are 
waiting  for  friends.  Files  can  be  had 
cheaply  and  they  are  excellent  to  keep 
papers  from  being  torn  or  scattered 
about. 

The  files  should  be  kept  up  to  date 
and  you  will  be  surprised  how  much 
good  will  this  small  item  will  develop 
for  your  theatre. 


FOAMITE 

There  is  a  fire  extinguisher  on  the 
market  that  should  be  in  every  projec- 
tion room.  It  is  manufactured  by  the 
Foamite  Firefoam  Company  and  for 
efficiency  it  is  hard  to  excel. 

The  liquid  comes  in  a  container  very 
much  like  the  ordinary  extinguisher 
but  when  put  into  action  there  are  sev- 
eral liquids  combine  to  make  a  heavy 
foam  which  smothers  a  fire  by  cutting 
off  the  oxygen  supply. 

It  spreads  the  coat  of  foam  as  quick- 
ly as  water  and  in  case  of  film  fires 
it  should  prove  its  worth. 

*    >:=  * 

AIR  DRYER 

A  machine  now  in  use  in  many  thea- 
tres is  rapidly  replacing  towels  for  dry- 
ing the  hands.  It  is  used  in  the  wash 
rooms  of  many  public  buildings  and 
has  proved  a  complete  success. 

The  machine  is  small  and  stands  on 
a  pedestal  about  four  feet  high.  There 
is  a  nozzle  arrangement  through  which 
the  warm  air  is  forced  and  the  drying 
process  completed. 

The  person  who  wishes  to  dry  his 
hands  simply  stands  in  front  of  the 
machine,  pushes  a  pedal  with  his  foot 
and  a  blast  of  warm  air  issues  from 
the  nozzle. 

The  machine  is  operated  electrically 
at  a  low  cost. 

^    ^  ^ 

STEEL  LOCKERS 

Your  employees  are  entitled  to  some 
consideration.  Each  should  be  provid- 
ed with  a  steel  locker  in  which  per- 
sonal belongings  migh  be  kept.  There 
are  many  lockers  on  the  market  that 
will  answer  the  purpose. 

The  lockers  should  be  provided  with 
a  strong  lock  and  built  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  there  is  thorough  ventilation. 

The  lockers  take  up  little  space  and 
thev  will  be  greatly  appreciated. 

jfc  5jC  % 

VENDING  MACHINES 

There  is  a  vending  machine  on  the 
market  that  provides  soap  and  towels. 
It  is  used  extensively  in  railroad  sta- 
tions and  in  many  theatres. 

The  machine  is  a  neat  box-like  af- 
fair with  a  mirror  panel.  The  user 
inserts  a  nickel  and  upon  turning  a 
ci-ank  a  small  cake  of  soap  and  a  towel 
are  released. 


Projection  Hints 

 By  WESLEY  TROUT  

What  Is  the  Correct  Projection 
Speed? 

I  have,  frequently  received  inquiries 
just  what  is  the  correct  speed  for  pro- 
jection. The  correct  speed  for  projec- 
tion is  the  speed  at  which  individual 
scene  was  taken,  which  speed  may,  and 
very  often  does,  vary  widely.  One  of 
the  very  highest  functions  of  motion  pic- 
ture projection  is  to  watch  your  screen 
and  regulate  the  speed  of  projection  to 
synchronize  with  the  speed  of  taking. 

Remember  that  over-speeding  is  bad, 
very  bad.  The  over-speeding  of  a  pro- 
jection machine  is  an  outrage  to  the 
movie  going  public;  it  is  an  outrage  to 
the  producer  ;  an  outrage  to  the  film  ex- 
change and  other  brother  projectionists 
as  any  time  you  speed  a  film  you  are 
sure  to  tear  it  up  badly  and  cause  other 
harm  to  the  film.  There  is  no  need  of 
fast  projection  at  any  time.  Over- 
speeding  your  picture  simply  ruins  the 
entire  program,  and  the  interest  of  the 
patron  in  your  picture  when  speeding 
the  film  through  at  race  horse  speed. 

If  you  have  a  crowded  house  it  is 
much  better  for  the  exhibitor  to  cut  out 
a  reel  or  two  of  his  program  than  to 
butcher  the  entire  performance.  The 
usual  speed  of  a  projector  is  about  fif- 
teen minutes  to  a  thousand  feet  of  film, 
but  this  speed  will  vary  according  to 
the  action  of  the  picture.  It  is  the  best 
policy  for  the  projectionist  to  watch  the 
action  of  his  picture  and  then  run  his 
machine  accordingly. 

The  speeding  of  your  machine  will 
wear  it  out  faster  and  cause  you  to 
purchase  more  parts  and  repairs.  How 
are  you  going  to  keep  your  picture 
steady  on  the  screen  with  fast  projec- 
tion. It  takes  more  tension,  on  speed 
projection,  which  causes  more  strain  on 
the  film  and  working  parts  of  your  ma- 
chine. As  I  said  before,  run  your  ma- 
chine according  to  the  action  of  the 
various  scenes  and  you  will  secure 
better  screen  results  and  better  patron- 
age for  your  house.  Better  projection 
pays.  Perfect  projection  means  better 
business  at  all  times. 

*    *  * 

Ritzville,  Wash.,  is  to  have  a  new  home.  It 
will  be  called  the  Ritz.  L.  R.  Dillingham  of 
Maiden  is  building  it. 

*    *  * 

Dad  Abbott,  who  owns  the  Dream,  Sedro 
Woolley,  Wash.,  is  building  a  new  600  seat 
house  which  will  cost  $50,000.  He  plans  to 
keep  the  Dream  open  also. 

%    %  % 

The  Mutual,  Portland,  has  been  taken  over 
by  C.  M.  Sandblast,  from  W.  F.  Simpson. 


Page  84 

Slides  &  Announcements 


RadiO -^fc:- Mat 

*ml  PATENTED 


WHITE,  AMBER 


At  your  Dealer. 


is  the  Stationery  of  the  Screen 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Arc;  New  York 


Lobby  Displays 


Who  turns  "on"  and  "off"  your 
lobby  displays,  electric  signs,  etc? 
Let  me  do  it.  I  am  a  TORK 
CLOCK.  I  turn  electric  lights  on 
and  off  regularly.  Get  description 
and  prices  by  return  mail. 
TORK  COMPANY 
8  West  40th  St.,  New  York 


Hotel  Accommodations 


54*  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $32? 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


Mailing  Lists 


ailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  sales 

Send  for  FHKE  catalo?  fc-lvlng 
counts  and  prices  on  classified  names 
of  y  our  best  prospective  customers— 
National,  State,  Local— Individuals, 
Professions,  Business  Firms. 

OQO/  Guaranteed   £  <j> 
yy/O  by  refund  of  J  peach 


i-hSt1 


t.  Louis 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Classified  Opportunities 


LASSIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


For  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,   N.  Y. 

POWERS  NO.  S  MECHANISM,  in  Al  shape, 
ready  to  run,  slightly  used,  price  is  very  reasonable, 
Mechanism  $30.  Rheostat,  slightly  used,  40  to  50 
amperes,  $15.  Small  rheostat,  25  amps.,  good  con- 
dition $7.  Powers  Arc  Lamp  without  base,  good 
condition,  complete  $12.50.  Cash  with  order.  W. 
TROUT,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


SIMPLEX      INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

each  $4.25 ;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each 
$4 ;  Edison  or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprocket, 
each  $4.45.  Take-up  or  Feed  sprockets  for  Powers, 
Simplex,  Edison  or  Motiograph,  each  $2.88.  Baird 
Rewind,  complete  $7.25.  Condensers,  any  focus, 
Piano  Convex,  each  $1.25;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55.  All  the  above  goods  are  BRAND  NEW 
and  SENT  POSTAGE  PREPAID.  CASH 
WITH  ORDER.  This  is  complete  list  of  supplies 
we  handle.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
Box  No.  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 

ROAD  SHOWS  and  Theatre  Machines  and  Equip- 
ment, Mazda  or  Calcium  Light ;  Auto  Generators 
for  traveling  shows,  Films  and  Supplies.  Bargain 
lists  free.  NATIONAL  EQUIPMENT  CO.,  409 
West  Michigan  Street,  Duluth,  Minnesota. 


500  OPERA  CHAIRS  $1.75  EACH.  Mercury 
Arc  rectifier  guaranteed  the  finest  condition.  $175.00. 
Silver  screen  paint  $3.00  quart.  Repair  parts  for 
any  picture  machine.  Imported  carbons  discount 
10%.  Variable  speed  picture  machine  motors  $20.00. 
Everything  for  the  theatre.  We  can  save  you  money. 
Write  for  catalog.  Western  Motion  Picture  Co., 
Danville,  111. 

BONA-FIDE  BUSINESS  OPPORTUNITY— UP 
TO-DATE  THEATRE  FOR  SALE— Strictly  mod- 
ern theatre  in  Sask.  Town  of  1,000,  splendid  farm- 
ing area  to  draw  from,  main  line  C.  P.  R.,  no  oppo- 
sition, brick  building,  attractive  exterior,  cosy  in- 
terior, mosaic  tiled  entrance,  seating  capacity  500, 
inclined  floor,  large  well  equipped  stage  for  road 
shows,  excellent  dressing  rooms.  Powers  latest  pro- 
jection equipment,  up-to-date  projection  room,  gold 
fibre  screen.  First  class  apartments  over  theatre,  six 
rooms,  completely  furnished,  with  bath  room,  toilet, 
etc.  Large  brick  garage,  building  steam  heated 
throughout.  Admission  prices :  children  20c,  adults 
35c,  top  price  $1.00,  no  war  tax.  Has  store  in 
building  leased  as  a  drug  store,  being  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  in  the  Town,  bringing  in  good  rev- 
enue, property  is  situated  on  the  main  street,  choice 
location,  and  in  one  of  the  very  best  Towns  in  Sask. 
Owner  has  been  in  the  Town  in  no  other  business 
for  eleven  years  without  being  closed  for  one  night ; 
new  house  erected  in  1916.  The  building,  contents 
and  all  equipment-  is  in  first  class  condition.  This 
Theatre  has  never  been  offered  for  sale  or  rent  be- 
fore, and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated,  reason 
for  selling,  retiring.  Fifteen  thousand  cash,  will 
give  immediate  possession  to  the  entire  described 
property,  bal.  easy  terms,  low  interest,  clear  title. 
This  proposition  will  stand  the  most  rigid  investi- 
gation. Further  particulars  apply  Saml.  R.  Tyler. 
Owner  Lyceum  Theatre,  Gull  Lake,  Sask.  Canada. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


Used  Equipment- 
Sell  It! 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE 
REVIEW  will  bring  you 
into  contact  with  BUYERS. 
Why  not  look  over  the  equip- 
ment, jot  down  what  you 
have  no  use  for  and  send  in  a 
classified  advertisement. 
Or,  ir  you  want  to  buy  used 
equipment,  write  us  telling 
what  you  desire. 
The  EXHIBITORS 
TRADE  REVIEW  is  read 
with  interest  by  EXHIBIT- 
ORS all  over  the  country 
each  week.  Many  of  these 
have  what  you  want  to  buy 
or  are  looking  for  the  equip- 
ment you  want  to  sell. 


At  Liberty 


A    FIRST-CLASS    THEATRE    ORGANIST  who 

works  for  the  interest  of  the  house ;  fine  large 
library  ;  twelve  years'  experience ;  wire  or  write ;  will 
go  anywhere.  Organist,  8021  Melrose  Ave.,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

POSITION  wanted  by  experienced  projectionist. 
Ivan  Fry,  Box  382,  Minerva,  Ohio. 


AVAILABLE:  Violinist-Leader.  Schooled,  experi- 
enced, carefully  selected  library.  For  references : 
Peoples  Trust,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Address,  Elbert 
Akin,   Bramblee  Ho. el,   Kansas   City,  Mo. 

ORCHESTRA  CONDUCTOR  and  DIRECTOR  of 
PRESENTATION  AT  LIBERTY  October  1st. 
Last  three  years  employed  in  4,000-seat  picture 
theatre.  Expert  in  cueing  pictures  and  arranging 
prologues,  ballets  and  condensed  versions  of  grand 
and  light  operas.  Extensive  and  modern  library  for 
full  symphony  orchestra.  Box  11,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 


For  Rnt 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Can.<;ras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


Theatre  Wanted 


Wanted:  Moving  Picture  Theatre  in  town  of  2,000 
or  larger.  Have  the  cash.  Address,  W.  T.  Themer, 
Box  51,  Kankakee,  111. 


Miscellaneous 

CAPITAL  SEEKERS  confronted  with  difficult 
financing  problems  should  consult  Amster  Leonard, 
First  Nat'l  Bank  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT  ~  TWENTY-  ElCHT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

ROLL  CSSS?)  FOLDED 
■T  ic\         T  ITKFT  CL== 

352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE         \VF  I     I   W   «X  I  *-* 

CEII'CAGO,  ILLINOIS  ^— '  ntsi  to*  i»(  hasi  homv  '     Quicurer  numm       owbktuks  <,u<«mm> 


The  Jilm  that  carries  quality 
from  studio  to  screen — 


EASTMAN 
POSITIVE  FILM 

— has  the  identification  "Eastman" 
"Kodak"  in  black  letters  in  the 
transparent  margin.    Look  for  it. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


For  the  peppy  Fall  days 
there  are  a  lot  of  peppy 
two-reel  comedies  from 


HAL  ROAC 


The  Spats : 


"LOST  DOG";  the  family  of  battlers  try  to  get  away  with  it  in  a  hotel  by 
hiding  a  dog  in  their  room.  You  can  "try  this  on  the  dog"  anywhere  and 
get  a  thousand  laughs.  Oct.  5. 


Roach  Star  Comedy  : 


"THE  GOOFY  AGE" ;  with  Glenn  Tryon ;  did  you  ever  hear  of  a  wedding 
that  started  in  a  building  on  fire  and  ended  with  all  hands  on  a  speeding  fire 
truck?    That's  this,  fast  and  furious.  Oct  12. 


Our  Gang: 


"EVERY  MAN  FOR  HIMSELF" ;  the  wonderful  kids  start  a  shoe-shining 
establishment  and  then  build  up  a  business.    A  million  laughs.  Oct.  19. 


Arthur  Stone  : 


"THE  SKY  PLL'MBER" ;  the  farmer's  hired  man  tries  his  hand  at  rain- 
making  to  save  the  crops  in  a  drought.  But  Noah  would  have  been  lost 
in  the  flood  that  followed.  Oct.  26. 


The  Spats : 

"HOT  STUFF" ;  the  bellicose  boobs  install  a  fire  department  of  their  cwn 
and  then  start  a  fire  to  try  it  out.    It's  a  panic.  Nov.  2. 

Roach  Star  Gomedy : 

"HOT  HEELS" ;  with  James  Finlayson ;  a  mile-a-minute  slapstick  comedy 
with  oodles  of  gags.  Nov.  9. 

Our  Gang : 

"FAST  COMPANY" ;  the  gang  invades  a  hotel  in  search  of  a  little  health- 
ful amusement.    They  find  it !    So  will  your  audience.  Nov.  16. 

Arthur  Stone : 

"JUST  A  GOOD  GUY" ;  in  which  the  famous  vaudevillian  doubles  for  a 
mechanical  man.  But  there's  nothing  mechanical  about  the  fun  that  follows. 
Nov.  23. 


Laughter  Insurance  for  October  and  November 


Paftecomedy 

TRADE       (  &Gl\  MARK 


National  Tie-Ups  for  "The  House  of  Youth  " 


EXHIBITORS 

Oracle  RE VI E W 

%e  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  'Picture  Industry 


another  of  Cparamount's  FAMOUS  FORTY/ 


William 
deMille 


Op 


PRODUCTION  OF  THE  PLAY 
*  SPRING    CLEANING  * 
BY  FREDERICK  LONSDALE 


WITH 


BETTY  CO  MPS  ON 
ADOLPHE  MENJOU 
ELLIOTT  DEXTER- 
ZASU  PITTS 

SCREEN    PLAY  BY 

CLARA  BERANGER. 


cents 


November  1,  1924 


KENNETH  HARLAN 


DOROTHY  REVIER, 


WALTER  H/ERS 


JAMES  MASON 


PHIL  60LDST0N6 

r~ej-  e  n  £g 


ALL  STAR  SPECIALS 
REASON 


Lan^don  McCormicl^ 

(Author  of^ 

%  STORM 

u  cA?l  Jill  Star  <2ast 


cMr.  Exhibitor  : 


/F  YOU  MADE  MONEY  ON  THE  STORM 
YOU'LL  MOP  UP  WfTH  THE  TORRENT 


JOWL 


7k>  VIRGIN, 

^      Qrom  the  Story 

%  the  Virgin  of  san  blas 

3*  Julio  SaJbello 

J  ^ifii  an  All  Star  ©asb 

i/C^h  fin  Unusual  Dramatic  Story 
Gorgeously  Produced—  of  an 
Jfmer lean's  Jfdtfentures  Dourn 
by   the  Syuator 


EDQIE  6RIBBON 


FRANK  BLL/OTT 


ROSA  ROSANOVA 


FRANK  LAC  TEE 


Howard  E^tabr ooK  c^TcXn 

presents 

"The  Trice  of  a  Tarty  " 

From  the  Cosmopolitan  Magazine  story  by  William  Mac  Harg" 
Adapted  for  the  screen  by  Charles  Forrest  "RoebucK 

toith  Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  Ford,  Mary  A^stor, 
Arthur  Edmund  Caretv,  Hagmar  Godotv*sK.y 

If  it*s  your  sister  ka>ho  is  the  price  of 
a  party,  it  maKes  a  difference! 

She  was  a  good  girl  and  the  jazzy  atmosphere  of  the  cabarets  where  she 
danced  left  her  unharmed. 

She  needed  money.  To  earn  it  she  became  the  accomplice  of  an  unscrupu- 
lous financier,  and  persuaded  his  young  rival  to  remain  in  town  to  the  neglect 
of  his  business. 

Love  spoiled  the  plan;  and  her  little  innocent  sister  made  her  the  foe  and 
not  the  ally  of  her  employer.  She  could  take  money  to  be  the  lure,  but  not  when 
her  sister  was  to  pay  the  price ! 

,A  great  bis  cast  in  a  real  money  picture, 

ASSOCIATED  E. X H I*B  IT O  KS 

Arthur  S.  /Cane,  "Prejident 

Vhyjical  "Dijtribulor  PwTltf»d"bI*tf*  Foreign  'Representative 

Talbe  Exchange,  Inc.  JLdH-AJ'*  V-  Sidney  Garrett 


Johtl  J.  McKjeon  present s 


Dorothy  DaHon  w  JacK.  Holi 


in 


THE  LOJVE  WOLF 


\y  Louis  Joseph  \fante 


'Directed  by  S".  E.  V.  Tay  lor 


With  its  great  cast  and  great  story  no  bvonder  ifs  one  of 
the  most  bvidely  praised  pictures  of  the  day 

"You're  bound  to  get  a  thrill  out  of  it." — Los  Angeles  Examiner. 

"Of  more  than  passing  interest.  The  suspense  is  good.  None  of  the  flavor  of 
Vance's  work  is  lost." — Los  Angeles  Herald. 

"Action-packed  and  a  highly  sensational  tale." — Omaha  Bee. 

"A  lot  of  action,  real  suspense.  There  are  thieves,  spies,  pearls,  murders,  inven- 
tions, secret  service  agents,  gendarmes,  exciting  chases,  fights  and  hair-breadth 
escapes."— Omaha  World-Herald. 

"All  reports  on  this  were  igood.  Has  what  they're  looking  for,  action.  Tone 
okay,  Sunday  yes.  Good  audience  appeal.''— R.  J.  Relf,  Star,  Decorah,  Iowa,; 
M.  P.  World. 


ASSOCIATED  EXHl'BITO'RS 


"Physical  Distributor 
Tatbt  Exchange.  Inc. 


Arthur  S.  Kane.  "President 

Encore 


Foreign  "Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


of  HftDDOn  HRLL ' 

^Jrom  the  romantic  novel  by  Charles  cTHajor  *■  ~   Gdapted  by  (^XU-aldemar  ryhun£ 

ft  fllftRSH&LL  neiLM)  PRODUCSIOO? 

.Photc^raphy  by  Charles  JZosher 


"This  picture  is  just  full  of  the  elements  that  make  for  box-office  success 
It  takes  rank  well  up  at  the  head  of  screen  productions  and  should  prove 
one  of  the  season's  best  attractions  and  roll  up  tremendous  totals  at  the  box- 
office."  Charles  S.  Sewell,  Moving  Picture  World 

"It  is  Mary  Pickford  at  her  best.  And  it  is  the  motion  picture  at  its  best 
and  greatest."  Qeorge  Blaisdell,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

"We  recommend  this  picture  unconditionally  for  all  ages.  The  young  will 
be  thrilled  and  instructed,  and  the  old  will  be  entertained  and  refreshed, 
and  all  will  be  satisfied."  R  R  R,  in  The  Film  Bulletin 


Now  Booking 

UNITED  ARTISTS  CORPORATION 

[Mary  Pickford  Charlej-  Chaplin 

JDouqlaj-  Jairbankj-r  D.W.Qriffith. 
crfiram  Qbrarriif,  President 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Executive,    Editorial  Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City,  Subscription 
$2.00  year.     Entered   as  second-class  matter,   Aug.    25,    1922,    at  postoffice  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  under  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


I'  Testimony  to  the  Popularity  of 
HAROLD  BELL  WRIGHT 


»  i  to 


FIFTY  million  people  have  read  the  works  of  Harold  Bell  Wright, 
the  greatest  living  author.  Ten  million  have  read  "THE  MINE 
WITH  THE  IRON  DOOR,"  his  latest  story.  "When  a  Man's  a 
Man,"  the  first  big  Wright  picture  to  be  presented  by  Sol  Lesser,  has 
proved  a  tremendous  attraction.  Every  exhibitor  knows  that.  Every 
showman  knows  "THE  MINE  WITH  THE  IRON  DOOR"  will  have 
unlimited  drawing  power ;  chiefly  because  of  Wright's  name ;  next 
because  of  the  splendid  cast  and  the  power  of  the  director,  Sam  Wood. 
This  is  why  the  picture  is  being  booked  EVERYWHERE  "sight 
unseen." 

"Opportunity  will  prevail,"  said  Diogenes,  the  Greek  philosopher. 
Your  opportunity  is  NOW. 

READ  THESE  "SIGHT  UNSEEN"  BOOKINGS 

Criterion,  Los  Angeles,  for  indefinite  run.  This  theatre  has  just 
finished  big  showings  of  "The  Sea  Hawk,"  "Secrets,"  "Abraham 
Lincoln"  and  "The  Hunchback"  at  increased  admission  prices. 

Capitol,  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  the  A.  H.  Blank  Circuit.  The 
Capitol  shows  pictures  such  as  those  played  at  the  Criterion.  Mr. 
Blank  wants  only  THE  BEST  for  this  house. 


Circle,  Indianapol 
Capital,  Dallas 
Southern  Enterprises  Circuit 
Nathan  Gordon  Circuit 
West  Coast  Theatres,  Inc. 
Comerford  Circuit 
Grey  Circuit 
Sparks  Circuit 
Col.  Fred  Levy  Circuit 


is,  Robert  Lieber 
Consolidated  Circuit 
Poli  Circuit 
T»  &  D.  Jr.  Circuit 
Phillips-Egypt,  Forth  Worth 
Warfield,  San  Francisco 
Colorado,  Denver 
Empress,  Oklahoma  City 
Howard  Theatre,  Atlanta 


1 


1    /.    y   -r  *  M 


1  *.         :  "\,*v 


With  Pat  O'Malley,  Dorothy  Mackaill 
Robert  W.  FrAzervMary  CARR,CREi6HTm 
Hau  and  A  Superb  Cast. 


handled  By  our  Own  Territorial  franchise  holders 


Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Distributors  of  America.  Inc. 


WILL  H.  HAYS,  President. 


I  < .-  ' . 


\ 


77^ 


i 
f 


FRED  NIBLO'S  pro- 
duction of  his  own 
story.  With  Ramon 
Novarro,  Enid  Bennett, 
Wallace  Beery,  Rose- 
mary Theby,  Mitchell 
Lewis. 


'"Red  Lily*  just  finished  playing  at  the 
Dreamland  breaking  all  house  records. 
Ramon  Novarro  outstanding  star.  Whole 
Columbus  is  wild  about  Novarro." — T.  J. 
Pekras,  Dreamland,  Columbus,  O. 

"Best  picture  I  have  seen  in  months." — Geo. 
W.  Fuller,  Palace,  Washington,  D.  C. 


i 


TOLANDA 


1 


r 


MARION  DAVIES 
in  Charles  Major's 
famous  novel.  Adapted 
by  Luther  Reed.  Direct- 
ed  by  Robert  G. 
Vignola.  Settings  by 
Joseph  Urban. 

A  Cosmopolitan  Production. 


"'Yolanda'  is  a  great  picture,  not  only  from 
my  own  judgment,  but  also  from  my  pa- 
trons. Owing  to  very  satisfactory  business 
I  voluntarily  inform  you  that  pictures  of 
this  calibre  will  always  find  open  time  in 
my  theatre." — J.  E.  Thompkins,  America, 
Colorado  Springs,  Col. 


44IS 
440UR 


ELINOR  GLYN'S  pro- 
duction  of  her  own 
story.  Directed  by  King 
Vidor.  With  Aileen 
Pringle,  John  Gilbert, 
Bertram  Grassby,  Dale 
Fuller  and  a  great  cast. 


"  'His  Hour'  tremendous  success  at  State 
Theatre.  Business  built  every  day.  Will 
immediately  play  entire  West  Coast  circuit. 
Congratulations." — Harry  C.  Arthur,  Jr., 
State  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

"His  Hour"  equals  record  of  "Way  Down 
East"  at  Tower  Theatre,  St.  Paul.  Joe 
Friedman,  proprietor  of  this  house  sets 
aside  regular  weekly  change  policy  to  run 
Elinor  Glyn's  sensation  a  second  week! 


Circe 


MAE  MURRAY  in  an 
original  story  by  Blasco 
Ibanez,  author  of  "The 
Four  Horsemen." 
Adapted  by  Douglas 
Doty.  Directed  by 
Robert  Z.  Leonard.  A 
Tiffany  production. 


Philadelphia  Transcript  says:  "A  remark- 
able motion  picture.  Without  doubt  one 
of  the  best  pictures  in  which  this  beautiful 
star  has  appeared." 

And  what's  more  it's  packing  them  in  at 
everv  box-office  of  the  land  I 


/t  Triumphs 


BUSTER  KEATON 
in  his  greatest  comedy 
success.  Story  by  Jean 
Havez,  Joseph  Mitchell, 
Clyde  Bruckman. 
Directed  by  Donald 
Crisp.  Presented  by 
Joseph  M.  Schenck. 


"Buster  Keaton  in  'The  Navigator'  break- 
ing all  records.  Topped  previous  record  by 
1900  people  in  one  day.  Give  us  more 
like  this."— State  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Sunday  and  Monday's  total  at  The  Capitol 
Theatre,New  YorkCitytotalled$27,981.55, 
setting  the  world's  high  money  mark  rec- 
ord for  motion  pictures.  Ran  for  two 
phenomenal  weeks! 


JACKIE  COOGAN  in 
an  original  story  by 
Willard  Mack.  Pro- 
duced under  the  per- 
sonal supervision  of 
Jack  Coogan,  Sr. 


"Here's  your  picture!  Splendid  entertain- 
ment," says  the  Cleveland  Press. 

"A  box-office  winner.  One  of  Jackie's  best," 
says  Moving  Picture  World. 

YOU  CAN  BET  JACKIE  IS  GETTING 
THE  JACK  IN  CROWDED  HOUSES 
THROUGHOUT  THE  COUNTRY? 


HOBART  HENLEY'S 
production.  With 
Eleanor  Boardman, 
Adolphe  Menjou,  Con- 
rad Nagel,  Edward 
Connelly.  Adapted  by 
Carey  Wilson. 


"Bright  and  brilliant  comedy.  Unusually 
good  picture,"  says  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer. 

"A  riot  of  gorgeous  gowns,  swimming  pools, 
modern  manners  and  a  magnificent  apart- 
ment on  top  of  a  skyscraper.  Consistently 
entertaining,"  says  Evening  Journal,  New 
York. 

THE  STUFF  OF  WHICH  BOX-OFFICE 
RECORDS  ARE  MADE! 


THE 


r 


TOM  TERRISS'  pro- 
duction. With  Pedro 
de  Cordoba,  Renee 
Adoree,  Gustav  von 
Seyffertitz,  Manuel  Gra- 
nado.  Written  by  Paul 
Gwynne. 


Opens  October  26th  at  the  Cameo  Theatre, 
New  York  City,  For  Indefinite  Run.  "The 
Bandolero"  Is  a  Box-Office  Attraction  That 
Will  Fill  Houses-And  Thrill  Houses! 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

Invested  this  way  will 
plug  up  leaks  in  your 
business  that  you  may 
have  never  suspected 
were  there.  Spend  a 
little  and  save  a  lot. 


Insurance 
Against 
Leaks 
That 
Eat  Up 
Profits 


TWENTY 
DIMES 

That's  the  price.  It's 
not  what  you  gross, 
it's  what  is  left  after 
you  pay  out.  Know 
where  you  stand. 


Clip  the  coupon  and  check  up  on  your  coin  with — 

„  yd 

A  Real  Ledger  System  for  Showmen 


CLIP 

THIS  COUPON 


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A  FEW  sample  sheets 
from  the  showman- 
ship ledger  that  keeps 
track  of  every  deal  you 
make  and  inventories* 
everything  you  possess. 


^Another  Itlan 


Released  by 

Producers  Distributing 

^/y Corporation 


A  powerful  drama  with  a  galaxy  of 
pre-eminent  stars  including  James 
Kirkwood  Lila  Lee,  Matt  Moore, 
Wallace  Beery,  Chester  Conklin  and 
Zena  Keefe 


This  box-office  smash  now  book- 
ing at  all  Producers  Distribut- 
ing Corporation  Exchanges 

Foreign  Distributor:  WM.  VOGEL  DISTRIBUTING  CORP. 


Should  tax  die  capacity  of 


the  best  houses  in  the  land 


Sundown 

(First  National— Nine  Reels) 

(Reveiwed  by  Laurence  Reid) 

ANOTHER  picture  of  America  in  the  making  has, reached  the 
shadow  stage.    "Sundown,"  like  "The  Covered  Wagon  The 
Iron  Horse,"  and  other  similar  productions  deals  with  the 
trials  and  tribulations  of  the  pioneers  who  blazed  the  long,  long  trail 

into  the  unmapped  wilderness  of  the  west.   

Specifically  we  are  shown  the  losing  battle  which  the  cattlemen 
waged  agai  st  the  advance  of  the  homesteaders  and  civilization.  And 
"nteVwoven  into  the  historical  fabric  are  threads  of  powerful  drama 
Sn  cut cpmedy,  appealing  romance  and  for  good  «  «1 
of  "biff  moments,"  such  as  the  thrilling  stampede  of  thousands  ot. 
e^ttle  inThich  part  of  the  vast  herd  crashes  into  the  homesteaders 
ctwn  and  raz   it  to  the  earth;  the  wonderfully  staged  prair.e ,  fire 
and  the  tense  sequences  surrounding  it  as  the  cowb ,oys  seek  to  dr  ve 
the  cattle  to  the  river  and  safety  ;  the  knockout _ of  «^m" 
two  transcontinental  trains  are  held  up  until  the  entire  150,000  cat 
ttehave  .passed  over  the  tracks  and  into  their  new  grazing  land- 

MThe°' thing  that  stands  out  in  "Sundown,"  is  its  humanness  It 
deals  with  real  folks.  It  reaches  the  heart  as  it  tells  the  story  of 
fbose  pioneer  plainsmen,  forced  to  leave  their  native  land  after  years 

*FT&5U  in  the  history  of  ^industry  have  had  more 
remarkable  scenic  settings  than  "Sundown  »  All  the  bean taes ;  of  the 
west  the  mountains  the  plains  the  streams  the  deserts,  are  unfolded  m 
Their  natural  charm.  The  cast  is  one  that  shows  great  care  in  selec- 
tion of  tyues.  Hobart  Bosworth  gives  an  inspiring  portrayal  ot 
he  role  offjohn  Brent,  cattle  king.  Roy  Stewart  is  an  appealing 
Hugh  Brent  son,  lover  and  cattleman.  Bessie  Love  ,s  immense  as 
Ellen  Crawley,  the  heroine  of  the  picture  paries  Murray  and 
Arthur  Hoyt  furnish  a  wealth  of  comedy  relief.  E.  J  Radclitte  is 
an  exact  prototype  of  Roosevelt.  PVents  at- 

THEME.    An  historical  human  drama  of  the  events  at 
tendine  the  last  great  drive  of  the  cattle  kings  of  the  old 
Sestl  llled  with  quaint  humor,  impelling  drama  and  patn- 

^PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS.  The  stampede  of  the 
herds.  The  prairie  fire.  The  holding  up  of  the  transconti- 
nental trains  to  allow  the  cattle  to  pass  into  Mexico.  The 
fine  characterizations  ,  , 

DIRECTION.    A  tremendous  piece  of  work  has  been 
well  done.   The  story  has  been  transferred  to  the  screen  in 

^EXPLOITATION  ANGLES.  It  would  take  a  page  to 
enumerate  them  all.  Displays  of  the  book.  Include ^Roose- 
velt's "The  Winning  of  the  West,"  and  use  photos  of  the 
Radcliffe  characterization  in  the  display. 

DRAWING  POWER.    Should  tax  the  capacity  of  the_ 

best  houses  in  the  land.  rom:i„  Tf- 

SUMMARY .    Here  is  a  picture  for  the  entire  family.  It 
cannot  fail  to  interest  all  classes  of  fans.    It  is  something 
new  under  the  sun  of  film  production.   It  is  admirably  acted 
wonderfully  mounted  and  beautifully  photographed.    It  is 
BIG  in  the  true  meaning  of  that  word. 


MOTION  PICTURE  NEWS 


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CONTRACT  gets  you 

Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  mut  Distributors  of  America  lnc.-Will  Hays  President 


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©C1BG2842  4 

OCI  28  1924 


Page  11 


EXHIBITORS 

Grade  REVIEW 

9fo  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  ftctun  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 


H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY.  Reviews  Editor 

JAMES  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 


CONTENTS 

November  1,  1924  / 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 

Booking  World's  Largest  Theatre    14 

Editorials   26 

HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

According  to  Exhibitor  Hoyle    38 

Paramount  Studios  Reach  Maximum    39 

Warner  Studios — Comprehensive  Productions    40 

Universal  Completing  Feature    42 

F.  B.  O.  Studios  Humming    43 

Vitagraph  Programs — An  Eventful  Year    44 

First  Nat'l  Studios  Offering  Program    45 

Studios  Busy  for  Producers  Distributing    46 

United  Artists-Schenck  Merger  Assured    18 

Receiver  for  Selznick   19 

Famous  Wins  Decison    19 

PICTORIALS 

"Mine  With  Iron  Door"    Frontispiece 

"Price  She  Paid"   28 

"House  of  Youth"    56 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Showmanship    67 

Tried  and  Proved  Pictures    69 

News  of  Exhibitor  Activities   73 

The  Modern  Theatre   75 

Production  Highlights    36 

Box  Office  Reviews    47 

Big  LitAe  Feature    50 

Independent  Section    29 

Natic&al  Tie-Up  Section    57 



'  Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation.  ' 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  street,  New  York. 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3;  Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


ym$  IN  TOE  w 


r 


STATION  E.    T.  R. 
45  West  45th  Street, 
New    York,  broad- 
casting bits  of  this  and 
that  about  a  number  of 
things.  Some  of  the  com- 
ments may  not  be  new — 
^  but  perhaps  they  are  so 
■j  old  you  have  forgotten 


them.    Read  and  see. 


No  man  is  always  wise  in  all  things 
and  at  all  times.  But  that's  no  reason 
why  any  one  should  be  a  damned  fool 
all  his  life.  The  main  idea  is  not  to 
make  the  same  mistake  twice. 


Not  even  a  hound-dawg  will  bite  the 
hand  that  feeds  it.  And  that's  one  of 
the  differences  between  some  men  and 
all  dogs.  One  that  makes  us  feel  that 
mankind  is  not  so  vastly  superior. 


They  say  that  clothes  makes  the 
man.  But  a  suit  that  costs  a  hundred 
bucks  without  extra  pants,  can't  do 
muoh  for  a  fellow  who  fights  shy  of 
barbers  and  safety  razors. 

Collier's  says  about  politics : 

The  oratory  days  have  come, 
The  saddest  of  the  year, 
Of  windy  wails  and  naked  bunk 
And  hokum  flat  and  drear. 

Say,  brother,  read  that  over  again 
Do  you  suppose  it  really  is  poli- 
tics they  are  talking  about? 


//  you  save  time  and  save  money 
you  will  have  a  long  life  and  good  busi- 
ness. Neither  one  of  them  is  worth 
much  without  the  other,  but  together 
they  make  a  hundred  percent. 


If  there  is  a  soul  in  town  who 
doesn't  know  what  is  showing  at  your 
theatre,  then  you  are  sadly  deficient 
in  showmanship,  and  your  competi- 
tion has  a  good  chance  to  buy  you 
out   cheap    before  long. 


Did  you  ever  hear  the  one  about  the  kid 
looking  at  the  tatooed  man?  He  said  to  his 
dad,  "Wait  a  minute,  pop,  till  he  changey  the 
picture." 


Fellow  came  in  for  a  job  the  other 
day.  Said  he  quit  his  paper  because 
the  editor  was  so  particular  he  raised 
"Dante's  Inferno"  if  a  period  was  up- 
side  down.     Now  you    tell  one. 


XSr5ffir5r5EEf5cW5Kr5tfc^^ 


Pajre  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieiv 


Dorothy  Mackail  and  Pat 
O'Malley  live  their  parts 
in  this  picture.  They  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  dramatic 
touches    in    the  picture. 


Principal  Makes  a  Truly  American  Picture 

Frontier  Life  with  All  Its  Sacrifices    in  "The  Mine  With  the  Iron  Door " 


EXHIBITORS 

Qraie  REVIEW 

9Jf  Sitf  iness  &pcr  of  the  Motion  fetun Industry 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


After  several  weeks  of  negotiating,  United  Artists  and  Joseph  Schenck  will  merge 
their  companies.  This  will  bring  Norma  and  Constance  Talmadge  and  Buster 
Keaton  under  the  United  Artists'  banner. 

Balaban  &  Katz  and  Kunsky  interests  have  joined  forces.  This  move  takes  in  two  of  the  largest  chain 
theatres  in  the  country  valued  at  millions  of  dollars  and  brings  peace  to  the  Middle  West. 

E.  M.  Asher,  vice  president  of  Corrine  Griffith  Productions,  announces  that  he  has  abandoned  New 
York  as  a  producing  center.  He  will  send  his  company  back  to  the  Coast  without  making  a 
picture  in  the  East. 

Louis  M.  Sagal,  national  treasurer  of  M.  P.  T.  O.  A.,  has  started  on  a  tour  of  the  country  to  learn 
exhibitor  conditions  first  hand. 

First  National  district  salesmanagers  will  meet  in  New  York  on  October  27  to  discuss  plans  for  mar- 
keting the  company's  "Specials." 

Cleveland  exhibitors  go  on  record  as  opposed  to  distributing  companies  that  insist  on  naming  the 
admission  prices  for  the  theatres  on  certain  pictures. 

$3,000,000  changed  hands  in  Philadelphia  when  the  Stanley  Company  took  over  the  Fred  Zimmer- 
mann  chain  of  theatres  last  week.    Mr.  Zimmermann  will  retire  to  his  farm. 

Famous  Players-Lasky  have  won  their  suit  against  the  Weiss  Brothers  in  which  Famous  will  have 
sole  right  to  the  use  of  the  title  "The  Ten  Commandments." 

The  Will  Hays  organization  together  with  a  group  of  banking  and  business  associations  will  start  an 
active  campaign  to  clean  the  picture  industry  of  frauds. 

Claude  Friese-Green,  English  inventor  of  a  colored  film  process,  will  arrive  in  America  next  week  to 
erect  a  laboratory  for  the  manufacture  of  colored  films. 

Maude  Adams,  well  known  actress,  has  organized  the  Maude  Adams  Company,  Inc.,  to  engage  in  the 
production  of  motion  pictures.  The  company  was  chartered  in  Delaware  with  a  capital  of 
$3,500,000. 

An  involuntary  petition  in  bankruptcy  against  the  Selznick  Distributing  Corp.,  was  filed  Wednesday, 
October  22,  in  the  Federal  Court  by  three  creditors  for  the  sum  total  of  $3,121.  It  was  also 
intimated  that  Lewis  J.  Selznick  might  return  as  operating  head  of  the  organization. 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Mark  A.  Luescher,  Director  General  of 
B.  F.    Keith's    New    York  Hippodrome. 


r  I  1  HE  taking  over  of  the  internation- 
! 1  ally  famous  New  York  Hippo- 
drome  at  a  time  when  it  was  about 
to  be  eliminated  in  favor  of  a  vast  com- 
mercial structure,  marked  a  new  epoch 
in  the  history  of  the  show  business  in 
the  United  States.  To  President  E.  F. 
Albee  of  the  B.  F.  Keith  organization, 
the  then  impending  fate  of  the  beloved 
Hippodrome  presented  two  opportuni- 
ties which  instantly  appealed  to  him. 

One  was  the  chance  to  save  to  the 
American  people  the  historic  playhouse 
which  had  come  to  be  recognized  as 
a  national  institution.  The  other  was 
to  realize  a  plan  long  envisioned  by  Mr. 
Albee,  to  give  the  largest  and  finest 
show  to  the  greatest  number  of  people 
at  the  lowest  possible  charge. 

It  was  reconstructed  and  enlarged, 
transformed  and  beautified  at  a  total 
cost  of  over  $500,000  and  became  the 
largest  theatre  in  the  world  with  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  more  than  six  thousand 
chairs  everyone  of  which  is  in  full  and 
direct  view  of  the  stage. 

He  determined  to  make  it  the  ideal 
theatre,  always  adhering  to  the  fine  tra- 
ditions, the  international  reputation  and 
the  spacious  productions  which  through 
so  many  years  had  combined  to  make 
the  New  York  Hippodrome  the  recog- 
nized representative  American  play- 
house for  the  people  of  the  whole 
United  States,  as  well  as  for  the  New 
York  public  and  distinguished  tourists 
and  visitors  from  foreign  countries. 

A large  order,  you  may  say,  but  quite 
characteristic  of  Mr-  Albee  whose 
pride  in  and  devotion  to  entertainment 
enterprise  is  forever  finding  practical 
and  new  expression  in  the  construction 
of  the  finest  and  most  costly  theatres 
ever  built,  in  the  advancement  of  every 
artistic   and   educational   standard  in 


How  World's  Biggest  Theatre 
Is  Booked  and  Managed 

By  MARK  A.  LUESCHER 

Director  General  of  Keith's  New  York  Hippodrome. 


amusements,  in  unwavering  faith  in  the 
vaudeville  public  which  he  has  seen 
grow  from  a  mere  handful  of  curiosity- 
seekers  in  a  little  old  Boston  "store 
show"  over  thirty  years  ago,  to  the 
clientage  of  many  millions  who  now 
witness  and  applaud  the  Keith  stand- 
ard in  over  300  modern  theatres  scat- 
tered all  over  the  United  States  and 
Canada. 

It  would  not  have  been  possible  for 
any  individual,  or  even  group  of  in- 
dividuals, to  fully  carry  out  Mr.  Albee's 
courageous  and  unique  plans  for  the 
Hippodrome  without  the  vast  re- 
sources and  the  highly  trained  show- 
manship of  the  B.  F.  Keith  organiza- 
tion. The  dynamic  machinery  was  set 
in  motion  months  before  the  Hippo- 
drome reopened  as  Keith's  house  de 
luxe. 

Harry  J.  Mondorf,  European  repre- 
sentative of  Keith's,  was  sent  on  a 
globe-encircling  scouting  expedition. 
His  instructions  were  to  comb  the 
world  for  material  suitable  and  feasible 
for  American  entertainment.  In  a  gen- 
eral way  it  was,  and  is,  planned  to  pre- 
sent these  imported  novelties  at  the 
Hippodrome  for  the  first  time  in 
America.  In  addition  the  newest  and 
best  American  offerings  were  lined  up 
for  the  biggest  theatre. 

THE  vastness  of  the  Hippodrome 
stage,  as  well  as  the  extraordinary 
dimensions  of  the  auditorium,  de- 
manded equally  spacious  and  striking 
methods  of  production.  In  this  regard 
the  fame  of  the  house  for  pageantry, 
for  populous 
scenes,  for 
splendid  scenery 
and  for  perfect 
lighting  effects, 
is  not  forgotten. 
Entertainm  e  n  t 
values  were  en- 
hanced a  hun- 
dred-fold  by  a 
method  of  stag- 
ing and  presen- 
tation which  al- 
ready has  come 
to  be  known  as 
"The  Hippo- 
drome Style."  In 
a  general  way 
this  "style"  con- 
sists of  elabora- 
tion with  the 
finest  scenery  B  F  Keith,g  New 
and   investiture,    world's    largest  and 


suitable  light  effects  and — a  wholly  new 
and  now  highly  successful  method  of 
presentation. 

The  process  of  combining  two  or 
more  acts  of  first-rate  importance  into 
one  large  and  harmonious  feature,  is 
another  phase  of  the  Hippodrome  style 
made  necessary  as  well  as  desirable  by 
the  large  proportions  of  the  stage  and 
further  carrying  out  the  traditional 
methods  in  pageantry  which  the  public 
will  always  expect  of  their  favorite 
playhouse. 

THESE  are  but  a  few  of  the  modern 
methods,  expansive  innovations  and 
original  ideas  which  have  already  re- 
warded the  Hippodrome  management 
with  the  largest  average  of  patronage 
that  has  ever  been  known  in  a  single 
theatre  anywhere,  over  two  million 
people  having  paid  attendance  during 
the  short  first  season  1923-24,  which 
began  Dec.  19,  1923  and  ended  the  first 
week  in  August.  The  programmes  are 
changed  every  week,  even  the  few  stel- 
lar attractions  which  are  held  for  a 
second  week,  undergoing  radical  better- 
ments and  ingenious  alterations.  Unique 
tribute  to  the  children  is  presented  in 
"Toytown,"  the  Lilliputian  city  in  the 
basement  where  human  midgets  from 
every  land  surrounded  by  a  whole  zoo 
of  dwarf  animals,  tiny  houses,  stores 
and  a  complete  Main  Street  with  every 
civic  convenience  in  miniature,  offer  a 
free  playground  before  and  after  each 
performance. 

The  success  of  the  new  methods  has 

promoted  ex- 
pansion of  the 
idea  so  as  to  in- 
clude 3  other 
New  York 
houses  making 
them  "model 
neighbor  hood 
theatres."  Here, 
as  at  the  Hippo- 
drome, though 
necessarily  on  a 
smaller  scale, 
entertainment  is 
produced  with 
individual  char- 
acter and  beauty 
and  as  best 
suited  to  the 
tastes,  the  pref- 
erences and  the 
finest  traditions 
of  neighborhood. 


York 
most 


Hippodrome — the 
popular  theatre. 


November  1,  1924 


Picture  Industry  To  Be 
Cleaned  of  Frauds 

Business  Organizations  to  Cooperate  With 
Will  Hays  to  Drive  Out  Crooks 


A LARGE  and  important  move- 
ment in  a  nation-wide  fight 
against  commercial  frauds  was 
begun  at  a  luncheon  in  the  Princeton 
Club  given  by  J.  Homer  Platten,  Treas- 
urer of  the  Motion  Pictures  Producers 
and  Distributors  of  America,  who  was 
representing  Will  H.  Hays,  President 
of  that  organization. 

Six  large  business  groups  were  repre- 
sented and,  after  learning  what  the 
Hays  association  had  been  doing  in  the 
way  of  exposing  fraudulent  movie- 
stock  sales,  improper  production,  pro- 
motions, fake  acting  and  scenario 
schools  and  the  like,  the  representatives 
of  these  important  business  interests  of- 
fered to  join  forces  with  the  motion 
picture  industry  as  directed  by  Mr. 
Hays  in  fighting  all  sorts  of  fraudulent 
commercial  enterprises. 

Those  present  were  Clarkson  Potter 
of  the  Investment  Bankers  Association, 
R.  J.  Kenner,  of  the  Better  Business 
Bureau,  A.  H.  Alexander,  of  the  New 
York  Credit  Men's  Association,  C.  D. 
West,  of  the  National  Association  of 
Credit  Men,  E.  A.  Schwalb,  of  the  Na- 
tional Vigilance  Committee  and  Leroy 
A.  Marshon,  F.  W.  Simmonds,  W.  E. 
Albig  and  Don  Mullen,  all  representing 
the  American  Bankers  Association, 
their  respective  branches,  of  that  or- 
ganization being  the  Trust  Company, 
State  Bank,  Savings  Bank  and  National 
Bank  Divisions. 

This  is  the  first  time  these  various 
interests  have  ever  worked  together  to 
protect  the  general  public  against  un- 
wise investment  of  its  money,  although 
each  organization  has  long  been  active 
in  tracing  and  suppressing  frauds.  They 
were  brought  together  at  the  suggestion 
of  Will  H.  Hays  in  the  furtherance  of 
his  desire  to  secure  the  cooperation  of 
these  bodies  in  the  stabilization  of  the 
motion  picture  industry. 

Indicative  of  the  serious  and  earnest 
attention  which  is  being  given  to  the 
general  problem  of  the  suppression  of 
fraud  and  the  development  of  public 
confidence  in  legitimate  business  was  an 
announcement  made  by  Mr.  Alexander 
that  the  National  Association  of  Credit 
Men  was  about  to  raise  a  large  fund  for 
the  institution  of  a  national  campaign  to 
stamp  out  as  far  as  possible  the  opera- 
tions of  commercial  crooks.  The  re- 
sponsible heads  of  large  industries  of 
the  type  of  Mr.  Hays  will  be  adminis- 
trators and  advisors  in  this  campaign. 

Through  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
above  named  associations  it  can  be  seen 
that  fraudulant  stock  schemes  will  have 


little  opportunity  to  flourish  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  industry. 

Mr.  Hays  has,  since  his  entry  into  the 
motion  picture  business  been  tireless  in 
his  efforts  to  keep  out  undesirables  and 
place  motion  pictures  on  as  high  a  plane 
as  any  other  legitimate  business. 

This  concrete  step  on  the  part  of  the 
substantial  business  organizations  in  co- 
operation with  the  Hays  organization  is 
one  that  will  make  itself  felt  and  will 
be  of  great  benefit  to  every  legitimate 
producer  and  distributor  in  the  country. 

Motion  pictures  have  been  given  a 
figurative  black  eye  in  the  public's  gaze 
through  fraudulent  methods  of  stock 
selling  and  crooked  business  on  the  part 
of  a  few  crooks  and  it  is  the  desire  of 
business  men  to  erase  this  stigma  by 
driving  out  all  parasites. 

In  this  move  the  various  organiza- 
tions in  the  combine  will  cooperate  very 
closely,  and  judging  by  what  has  al- 
ready been  accomplished,  the  various 
promotions  that  are  beyond  the  pale  of 


Will  H.  Hays,  President  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of 
America,  which  organization  has  joined 
with  other  powerful  interests  to  wage  war 
against  all  sorts  of  fraudulent  commercial 
enterprises. 


legitimate  enterprise  had  better  fold 
their  tents  without  further  delay. 

Each  organization  is  relying  upon  as- 
sistance from  each  individual  member, 
and  every  one  in  the  motion  picture  in- 
dustry is  expected  to  back  up  the  Hays 
organization  without  reserve. 


Kansas-Missouri  M.P.T.O.  Agree 
On  New  Dues  Schedule 


AT  the  first  meeting  of  the  execu- 
tive board  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O. 
Kansas  and  Missouri  since  the 
merger  at  the  recent  convention,  a  real 
problem  was  ironed  out — probably  for 
all  time.  Not  only  was  a  new  schedule 
of  dues  arranged,  but  in  the  arrange- 
ment was  included  an  incentive  for  each 
exhibitor  to  do  his  utmost  in  obtaining 
additional  members  of  the  organization. 
In  other  words,  the  more  exhibitors  in 
a  town  who  are  members  of  the  asso- 
ciation the  less  individual  dues  will  be, 
according  to  the  plan  of  equalization. 

The  new  dues  in  towns  in  less  than 
50,000  are  based  on  1^  cents  per  capi- 
ta, while  in  towns  of  more  than  50,000 
the  rate  will  be  one  cent  per  capita. 
There  will  be  no  initiation  or  member- 
ship fees.  Dues  will  be  paid  annually 
in  advance.  If  there  are  three  theatres 
in  a  town  and  two  exhibitor  members, 
it  naturally  will  be  1o  the  interest  of  the 
member  exhibitors,  as  well  as  the  paid 
organizer  of  the  association,  to  include 
all  theatres  thus  lowering  dues. 

A  contract  with  the  Theatre  Owners' 
Service  Bureau,  entered  into  by  the  M. 
P.  T.  O.,  Kansas  prior  to  the  merger, 
also  was  made  to  include  Western  Mis- 
souri. 


Due  to  the  illness  of  L.  M.  Miller  of 
Wichita,  chairman  of  the  organization 
committee's  report  was  postponed.  The 
committee  on  by-laws  also  postponed  its 
report. 

The  exhibitors'  club  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  and  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  organized 
prior  to  the  merger  for  the  purpose  of 
handling  purely  local  affairs,  will  con- 
tinue to  function,  it  was  announced. 

The  meeting  was  well  attended,  and 
unusual  interest  was  manifested  in  the 
action  of  the  executive  board  by  the 
various  members  of  the  organization. 
The  merger  is  considered  to  be  a  step  in 
the  right  direction  by  those  interested, 
and  great  things  are  expected  of  the 
new  body. 


Sw! 

*BoicT* 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Philadelphia  Theatre  Deal  In- 
volves Sum  of  $3,000,000 

/.  Fred  Zimnterman  Disposes  of 
Chain  of  Theatres  to  Stanley 


J FRED  ZIMMERMAN,  long 
identified  with  theatricals  in  this 
city  and,  in  recent  years  con- 
ducting his  four  theatres — the  Lib- 
erty, Keystone,  Orpheum  and  Fair- 
mount  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  Edge- 
mont  in  Chester,  announced  that  on 
November  1  he  will  turn  them  over 
to  the  Stanley  Company  ^  of  America. 

 Beginning  on  that  day  those  houses 

will  be  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Stanley  corporation  and  thereafter 
they  will  be  conducted  in  the  same 
liberal  manner  that  has  always  pre- 
vailed, but  with  the  additional  benefit 
of  Stanley  efficiency.  M.  W.  Taylor, 
who  supervised  the  construction  of 
these  houses  and  who  has  been  gen- 
eral manager  of  them,  will  continue  in 
his  present  capacity  and  he  will  have 
his  office  at  the  Stanley  headquarters 
at  No.  1916  Race  street. 

"I  am  truly  gratified  to  make  this 
announcement,"  said  Mr.  Zimmer- 
man. "The  theatres  have  been  my 
pride  and  it  was  pleasing  to  me  to  be 
associated  with  my  two  sons,  Fred 
and  Frank,  in  the  conduct  of  the 
houses.  But  I  have  come  to  that 
time  of  life  when  I  am  eager  to  be 
relieved  of  business  cares.    I  want 


to  be  free  to  spend  ray  time  in  travel 
— to  go  to  Florida  in  the  winter,  to 
take  motor  trips  and  even  to  go  to 
Europe.  My  beautiful  home,  Buena 
Vista,  at  Glenside  is  so  restful  that  I 
would  like  to  be  there  as  much  as 
possible  and  my  boys  too  ought  to 
be  unhampered.  Fred  is  now  abroad 
and  Frank  is  with  me  here. 

"If  I  were  younger  I  might  wish 
to  continue,  with  the  able  assistance 
of  Mr.  Taylor,  to  'carry  on.'  But  I 
am  happy  in  that  I  am  able  to  turn 
over  those  splendid  properties  to 
such  a  progressive  and  admirable  or- 
ganization as  the  Stanley  Company. 
For  years  I  have  watched  its  growth 
and  have  admired  the  business  integ- 
rity and  the  public  spirit  of  Jules 
E.  Mastbaum,  the  president.  There 
is  no  one  in  whom  I  have  greater 
confidence  than  he  and  he  is  sure  to 
keep  abreast  of  the  times  and  to  give 
the  public  the  very  best  of  entertain- 
ment in  all  those  houses. 

"I  am  turning  over  to  the  Stanley 
Company  five  excellent  properties. 
They  are  splendidly  equipped  and 
are  without  a  dollar  of  indebtedness. 
The  Orpheum  in  Germantown  is  of 
a  seating  capacity  of  2000.    It  is  on 


"Try  that  again,"  says  Director  Reginald  Barker  to  Alice  Terry  and  Conway  Tearle. 
They  are  taking  one  more  rehearsal  before  shooting  a  scene  for  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer's  pretentious  drama  in  Western  locale,  "The  Great  Divide." 


Marie  Prevost  and  her  director,  George 
Fitzmaurice  chat  rather  socially  a  moment 
between  scenes  of  "Tarnish,"  a  Finrt  Na- 
tional   picture,    just    recently  completed. 

Chelten  avenue  west  of  Germantown 
avenue.  The  Keystone  at  Eleventh 
street  has  accommodation  for  2800 
people.  Each  of  these  theatres  pre- 
sents Keith  vaudeville. 

"The  Liberty  on  Columbia  avenue 
below  Fifteenth  street  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  1600  and  the  Fairmount, 
at  Twenty-sixth  street  and  Girard 
avenue  accommodates  2000  visitors. 
Those  houses  show  motion  pictures. 

"The  Edgemont  Theatre  in  Chester, 
the  most  recently  constructed  house 
in  the  group,  was  opened  in  1917.  It 
has  accommodation  for  300D  people 
and  is  devoted  to  Keith  Vaudeville 
and  to  pictures." 

It  is  estimated  that  the  value  of 
these  theatres  is  at  least  $3,000,000. 
Just  what  financial  arrangements 
have  been  made  in  the  transfer  of  the 
theatres  is  not  stated.  They  trill  un- 
questionably be  conducted  'with  great 
efficiency  and  will  have  shows  that 
will  be  thoroughly  up-to-date  and 
in  accord  with  the  best  that  tfce  Stan- 
ley name  has  come  to  signify. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  is  the  dean  of 
American  theatrical  managers.  His 
career  began  in  1864  when  oa  May 
30  he  accepted  the  position  of  treas- 
urer of  the  National  Theatre,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  Later  his  old  friend, 
Augustin  Daly,  gave  young  Zimmer- 
man the  management  of  the  English 
actress,  Avonia  Jones.  Grand  opera 
next  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
budding  impressario  and  lie  went 
with  the  Leonard  Grover  opera  com- 
pany. When  Grover  leased  the 
Olympic  Theatre,  New  York,  Mr. 
Zimmerman  became  the  treasurer  of 
the  house.  During  the  Centennial 
year  Mr.  Zimmerman  was  interested 
in  the  exhibition  of  the  cyclorama, 
"The  Siege  of  Paris"  and  he  also  was 
concerned  in  the  shows  at  the  Coli- 
seum at  Broad  and  Locust  streets 
where  was  shown  "Paris  by  Night." 


>  m  ember  1,  1924 


Page  17 


Metro-Goldwyn  Weeks  Get  Great 
Play  From  Exhibitors 


THE  Stanley  Company  of  Ameri- 
-a,  the  Crandall  Circuit  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  the  Comerford 
Circuit  in  Pennsylvania,  are  among 
the  big  exhibitors  whose  contracts 
for  100  per  cent.  Metro-Goldwyn 
product  featured  the  celebration  na- 
tionally of  Metro-Goldwyn  weeks. 

During  Metro-Goldwyn  Weeks 
lames  R  .Grainger,  eastern  sales  head, 
lias  been  on  a  swing  around  the  east- 


A  pretty  welcome  for  George  Sidney. 
Belle  Bennett  presents  the  compliments  of 
Hollywood  to  George,  who  is  arriving  to 
play  his  role  in  Samuel  Goldwyn's  produc- 
tion of  "Potash  and  Perlmutter."  Alex 
Carr  is  also  present  to  meet  his  co-star  in 
this  First  National  release. 


ern  territory,  including  Washington, 
Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  and  Norfolk. 
In  Cleveland  Mr.  Grainger  and  W. 
C.  Bachmeyer,  division  manager, 
held  a  central  district  meeting.  In 
Buffalo  Mr.  Grainger  conferred  with 
S.  Eckman,  Jr.,  division  manager. 

Edward  M.  Saunders,  western 
sales  head  of  Metro-Goldwyn,  has 
been  for  several  weeks  on  a  tour  of 
the  western  territory,  and  has  closed 
a  number  of  important  contracts. 
Paul  Burger  is  also  on  a  tour  of  the 
west  and  Canada.  W.  F.  Rodgers  of 
the  home  office  sales  department  has 
returned  from  a  trip  to  Boston,  and 
W.  P.  Garyn,  of  the  New  York  head- 
quarters, has  returned  from  a  trip  to 
Pittsburgh. 

The  deals  with  Mr.  I.  Libson  of 


Cincinnati  for  Metro-Goldwyn  prod- 
uct in  his  Cincinnati  and  Louisville 
theatres,  and  with  the  Stanley  Com- 
pany of  America  for  first  run  show- 
ings of  Metro-Goldwyn  pictures  in 
all  their  leading  Philadelphia  houses, 
were  closed  by  Mr.  Grainger. 

The  Crandall  Circuit  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  will  play  Metro-Goldwyn 
pictures  immediately  after  the  first 
run  in  Loew's  Palace  and  Columbia 
Theatres.  "Yolanda"  was  sold  in 
Washington  to  the  Rialto  Theatre, 
and  has  ended  an  engagement  of  un- 
usual success. 

In  the  Cleveland  territory  Metro- 
Goldwyn  pictures  will  play  first  runs 
at  the  Allen,  State  and  Stillman 
Theatres. 

In  Pittsburgh  Loew's  Aldine  is 
playing  Metro-Goldwyn  product,  as 
Loew's  Theatre  is  doing  in  Dayton, 
Ohio,  and  Loew's  Valentine  in 
Toledo. 

Louis  Mueller,  controlling  the  Pal- 
ace and  Casto  Theatres  in  Ashtabula, 
Ohio,  has  purchased  the  entire  Metro- 
Goldwyn  product. 

In  Baltimore  Dr.  C.  H.  White- 
hurst  has  purchased  thirty-two  Metro- 
Goldwyn  pictures  for  the  Century 
and  New  Theatres,  and  will  play  a 
number  of  others  at  the  Parkway  and 
Garden  Theatres.' 

When  complete  reports  are  re- 
ceived it  is  expected  that  Metro- 
Goldwyn  weeks  will  be  shown  to  be 
the  most  successful  of  its  kind. 


Lesser-Shaw 

Irving  Lesser,  vice  president 
of  Principal  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion, enacted  the  leading  role 
in  a  production  yesterday,  but 
the  cameras  were  absent  on 
this  occasion. 

The  truth  is,  Irving  Lesser 
and  Miss  Helen  Shaw  marched 
to  the  alter  and  became  man 
and  wife.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  in  New  York  in  the 
presence  of  close  friends  of 
both  families. 

They  left  immediately  on  a 
honeymoon  trip. 

Mrs.  Lesser  is  a  member  of  a 
well  known  Pennsylvania 
family,  and  Irving  Lesser  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent 
figures  in  the  motion  picture 
industry. 

We  hereby  offer  heartiest 
congratulations  to  the  happily 
wedded  couple. 


Lon  Chaney  was  recently  presented  with 
a  chair  by  the  working  staff  on  the  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  production,  "He  Who 
Gets  Slapped,"  in  which  he  takes  the  title 
role.  The  chair  bears  numerous  auto- 
graphs of  the  donors.    Now  Lon  can  rest. 

"HOT  WATER"  MAKES 
HIT  ON  COAST 

Word  has  been  received  at  the 
Pathe  offices  that  Harold  Lloyd's 
latest  comedy  "Hot  Water"  has 
broken  all  existing  records  of  Grau- 
man's  Metropolitan  Theatre  for  the 
first  two  days'  business  and  the  out- 
look is  that  the  picture  will  break 
all  records  for  a  two  week  run  at  this 
house. 

The  wire  received  by  Elmer  R. 
Pearson,  Vice-President  and  General 
Manager  of  Pathe  from  Pathe's  Los 
Angeles  Branch  Manager,  W.  H. 
Jenner,  reads : — 

"Mister  Albert  Kaufman,  Manag- 
ing director  of  Grauman's  Metropoli- 
tan Theatre,  informs  us  that  'Hot 
W ater'  opened  Saturday,  breaking  all 
existing  records  for  one  day's  busi- 
ness, but  on  the  following  day,  even 
this  record  was  broken,  making  the 
two  biggest  days'  gross  in  the  history 
of  the  house.  No  question  but  what 
it  will  be  the  biggest  week  the  house 
has  ever  had  and  will  probably  take 
another  Lloyd  to  break  this  record. 
Los  Angeles'  funny  bone  has  been 
cracked  by  'Hot  Water.'  " 


Sot 


a  Cbo-Coo 

still  a  SJT^C 

"Coo-Coo" 


5 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


United  Artists-Schenck 
Merger  Is  Assured 

Meeting  in  Los  Angeles  Will 
Close  Much  Rumored  Deal 


FOLLOWING  on  the  heels  of  the 
rumors  that  United  Artists  would 
undergo  a  reorganization,  comes 
the  announcement  that  there  will  be  a 
meeting  of  United  Artist  executives  and 
Joseph  Schenck  at  Los  Angeles  on 
Monday,  October  20,  at  which  time  a 
complete  reorganization  will  take  place. 

It  is  predicted  that  Joseph  Schenck 
will  become  president  of  the  produc- 
tion group  and  Hiram  Abrams  will  have 
charge  of  distribution. 

If  the  deal  goes  through,  Norma  Tal- 
madge  will  distribute  her  pictures 
through  the  United  Artists  and  there 
is  a  possibility  that  Constance  Talmadge 
and  Buster  Keaton  may  also  be  includ- 
ed, which  would  make  this  group  of 
stars  a  wonderful  asset  to  the  new  com- 
pany. 

Mr.  Schenck  has  six  more  pictures  to 
deliver  to  First  National.  There  are 
three  from  Norma  and  three  from  Con- 
stance Talmadge.  Keaton  is  now  re- 
leasing through  Metro-Goldwyn  and  he 
still  has  some  time  to  go  on  his  con- 
tract before  he  will  be  at  liberty  to  join 
United  Artists. 

Hiram  Abrams,  president  of  United 
Artists  would  not  give  any  statement 
before  leaving  for  Los  Angeles. 


Those  leaving  on  Wednesday  for  Los 
Angeles  were:  Joseph  Schenck,  presi- 
dent of  Norma  Talmadge,  Constance 
Talmadge  and  Buster  Keaton  Produc- 
tions;  Hiram  Abrams,  president  of 
United  Artists ;  Robert  Fairbanks,  rep- 
resenting Douglas  Fairbanks ;  and  Den- 
nis O'Brien,  counsel  for  Mary  Pick- 
ford  ;  and  Edward  Loeb,  who  is  said  to 
be  advising  Mr.  Schenck. 

It  is  understood  that  all  details  have 
been  agreed  upon  for  the  merger  of 
United  Artists  and  Joseph  Schenck  in- 
terests and  that  the  meeting  in  Los  An- 
geles is  merely  for  the  purpose  of  ob- 
taining the  signatures  of  the  interested 
parties. 


FRIESE-GREENE  WILL 
OPEN  LABORATORY  HERE 

Claude  Friese-Greene,  inventor  of 
the  Friese-Green  Color  Film  Process, 
and  Stuart  M.  Johnston,  his  general 
manager,  arrived  in  New  York  on  the 
Aquitania  on  October  24.  Mr.  Friese- 
Greene  gave  an  invitation  showing  of 
his  color  films  at  the  Town  Hall  while 
in  New  York  last  Spring  and  received 
the  highest  praise  for  the  particularly 
delicate  blending  of  his  colors. 


Shirley  Mason  goes  over  the  script  of  "My  Husband's  Wives"  with  her  director, 
Maurice  Elvey.    The  story,  by  Barbara  LaMarr  is  to  be  presented  by  William  Fox. 


John  Jasper,  production  manager  for  Prin- 
cipal Pictures  Corp.,  who  returned  to  the 
Coast,  after  three  weeks  in  New  York. 
Some  time  since,  upon  his  entering  the 
field  of  motion  pictures,  he  was  production 
manager  for  Charles  Chaplin.  He  is  known 
as  the  wealthiest  production  manager. 

His  is  the  cheapest  color  process  so> 
far  invented  and  is  heralded  as  the 
most  practicable  method  in  every  way.. 

Mr.  Friese  -  Greene  has  recently 
opened  laboratories  in  London,  equipped 
to  turn  out  three-quarters  of  a  million 
feet  of  color  films  per  week  and  having 
a  capacity  for  double  this  amount  later 
on.  His  return  to  New  York  is  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  similar  labora- 
tories in  America. 

PATHE  CAST  CHOSEN 
FOR  NEW  SERIAL 

Pathe  announces  the  completed  cast 
this  week  on  the  Malcolm  Strauss  race- 
track serial,  starring  Allene  Ray  and 
Johnnie  Walker,  entitled  "Galloping 
Hoofs." 

The  story  is  being  filmed  in  the  East: 
under  the  direction  of  George  B.  Seitz 
from  an  adaptation  made  by  Frank 
Leon  Smith.  The  two  featured  play- 
ers in  the  cast  have  been  working  for 
some  weeks,  having  been  brought  on 
from  the  Coast. 

The  supporting  cast  as  announced 
this  week  consists  of  J.  Barney  Sherry, 
who  will  be  remembered  especially  for 
his  work  in  "The  White  Sister,"  Ar- 
mand  Cortes,  William  Nally,  Walter- 
Lewis,  George  Nadelli,  Albert  Rocardi 
and  Ernest  Hilliard. 

The  production  when  finished  will 
be  in  ten  chapters  and  is  scheduled  to 
follow  the  present-running  Patheserial,. 
"Ten  Scars  Make  A  Man." 

This  is  the  first  picture  that  Johnnie- 
Walker  has  ever  appeared  in  for  Pathe. 


November  L  1024 


Page  19 


BETTY  COMPSON  AND 
JAMES  CRUZE  MARRY 

James  Cruze  and  Betty  Compson  were 
married  October  14,  at  Criize's  home, 
"Flintridge"  near  Hollywood,  by  Judge 
Robert  H.  Scott.  The  attendents  were 
Mrs.  Ethel  Fishback,  lifelong  friend  of 
Miss  Compson,  and  Luke  Cosgrove, 
long-time  friend  of  Cruze. 

Present  also  were  Mrs.  Mary  Eliza- 
beth Compson,  Betty's  mother,  and  Joe 
Dill,  friend  of  Jim  and  Betty.  The 
ceremony  was  extremely  informal. 

The  fact  that  Betty,  now  working  in 
the  William  de  Mille  picture,  "Locked 
Doors,"  is  not  scheduled  to  finish  until 
the  last  week  of  October,  and  that  Mr. 
Cruze  is  scheduled  to  begin  "The  Goose 
Hangs  High"  on  November  3,  pre- 
vented the  marriage  being  held  in 
Frisco,  Utah,  as  intended. 

No  honeymoon  will  be  possible  un- 
til early  in  Spring. 

*    *  * 

SCHULBERG  STARTS  TWO 
MORE  PRODUCTIONS 

B.  P.  Schulberg,  producer  of  Pre- 
ferred Pictures,  will  start  work  this 
week  on  two  productions.  The  first  of 
these  is  "Capital  Punishment,"  based 
on  an  original  screen  story  which  the 
producer  says  is  one  of  the  most  un- 


Adolph  Menjou,  Paramount  star,  poses  for  his  artist-wife,  Kathryn.  She  delights  in 
in  recording  her  husband's  popular  roles  in  oils.  Mr.  Menjou  due  to  his  excellent 
screen  work  in  the  Lasky  studios,   has   won   for   himself   a   wide   fan  following. 


usual  film  plots  he  has  ever  read.  The 
second  will  be  a  picturization  of  Fred- 
erick Orin  Bartlett's  novel,  "The  Trif- 

lers'."- 


B.  &  K.- Kunsky  Merger 

SAM  KATZ,  representing  Balaban  and  Katz,  and  George  W.  Trendle, 
representing  John  H.  Kunsky,  together  issued  the  following  state- 
ment October  17: 

"A  complete  agreement  between  the  Kunsky  Theatre  Circuit  and 
the  Balaban  and  Katz  Circuit  has  been  reached,  under  the  terms  of 
which  the  new  Balaban  and  Katz  Theatres  and  the  Kunsky  chain  be- 
come one  company. 

"This  agreement  includes  the  purchase  of  a  block  of  stock  in  the 
Kunsky  Circuit  by  the  Chicago  people,  and  is  a  constructive  advance 
for  the  entire  industry,  as  it  not  only  gives  the  Kunsky  Circuit  the 
benefit  of  the  strength  of  the  Chicago  Circuit,  but  will  prove  a  wonder- 
ful thing  for  Balaban  and  Katz.  With  this  new  theatre  in  Detroit,  to- 
gether with  the  new  State  Theatre  now  being  built  by  Mr.  Kunsky, 
Detroit  will  be  prepared  to  adequately  take  care  of  all  high  grade  mo- 
tion pictures." 

It  is  undersood  according  to  the  terms  of  this  statement  that  both 
Balaban  and  Katz  have  invested  heavily  in  the  Kunsky  Circuit.  The 
details  of  this  transaction  were  discussed  at  the  Atlantic  City  convention, 
and  the  agreement  brings  the  B.  and  K.  forces  to  Detroit,  but  there  will 
be  no  contest  between  the  Kunsky  and  B.  and  K.  chains. 

Those  in  close  touch  with  the  subject  believe  that  such  an  agree- 
ment will  avert  a  war  among  the  film  exhibitors  in  Detroit.  It  was 
stated  at  Atlantic  City  that  if  Katz  invaded  Detroit  in  opposition  to 
Kunsky's  wishes,  that  the  latter  might  possibly  turn  his  houses  into 
the  hands  of  a  leading  national  circuit. 

This  transaction,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  theatre  deals 
in  many  years  would  seem  to  indicate  that  Balaban  and  Katz  will  in- 
vade other  sections  of  the  West  and  Mid- West. 

It  is  also  reported  that  this  organization  will  start  extensive  opera- 
tions in  Michigan  along  the  same  lines  as  the  Mid-West  Circuit  which 
books  for  over  50  houses  in  Illinois.  Kunsky  is  said  to  be  booking  about 
18  houses  through  his  office  in  Detroit,  of  which  eight  are  in  his  chain. 


M.P.T.O.A.  TREASURER 
TO  TOUR  COUNTRY 

Mr.  Louis  M.  Sagal,  Vice  President 
and  General  Manager  of  the  Poli 
Circut  of  New  England,  and  the 
National  Treasurer  of  "the  Motion 
Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  America, 
and  his  daughter,  Miss  Dorothea 
Sagal,  were  the  guests  of  honor  at  a 
dinner  tendered  to  them  at  the  Metro- 
polis Club  in  New  York  City  on  the 
eve  of  their  departure  for  an  extended 
trip. 

Mr.  Sagal  will  make  several  stops 
en  route  to  the  Coast  to  attend  ,  ex- 
hibitors meetings  which  have  been 
called  in  his  honor,  and  Mr.  Glenn 
Harper,  a  Director  of  the  Motion  Pic- 
ture Theatre  Owners  of  America,  and 
Secretary  of  the  Southern  California 
division  has  prepared  a  most  fitting 
reception  to  Mr.  Sagal  on  his  arrival 
on  the  Coast,  which  includes  a  round 
of  sight-seeing  and  entertainment, 
visit  to  the  studios,  presentation  of 
the  keys  of  the  city,  a  banquet  and 
business  session  to  which  exhibitors 
in  California,  Arizona  and  the  North- 
west have  been  invited  and  other  fes- 
tivities. 

Mr.  Sagal  expects  to  return  to  New 
York  about  the  first  of  the  year. 


&*re  /  It'* 
an"orioIe, 

what  for 


Page  2D 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


44 


Famous  Wins  Decision  In 
Commandments"  Title  Case 


THE  Ten  Commandments  are  the 
exclusive  property  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation. 
This  was  the  decision  contained  in 
a  report  filed  in  the  Supreme  Court 
by  Robert  L.  Luce,  who,  as  referee, 
recommended  the  granting  of  the 
Famous  Players-Lasky  Corporation's 
petition  for  an  injunction  restraining 
Artclass  Pictures  Corporation  and 
others  from  using  the   words  "The 


make  theatres  lible  to  action  if  they 
do  likewise.  Referee  Luce  also  ruled 
that  Artclass  and  the  other  defend- 
ants must  account  to  Famous  Players- 
Lasky  Corporation  for  all  profits 
which  they  received  from  their  pro- 
duction and  pay  all  damages  sus- 
tained by  Famous  Players-Lasky 
Corporation  resulting  from  their 
fraudulent  advertising. 

The  decision  is  considered  of  great 


How  a  West  Point  cadet  is  married  off  by  his  fellow  students.    In  First  National's 
forthcoming  production,  "Classmates."    Richard  Barthelmess  has  a  real  West  Point 
wedding,  in  the  authentic  surroundings  with  just  the  proper  amount  of  military  flavor. 


Ten  Commandments"  cither  as  the 
title  or  as  part  of  the  title  of  a  motion 
picture,  and  from  using  those  words 
and  the  picture  of  Moses  in  advertis- 
ing a  motion  picture. 

The  defendants  in  the  case,  besides 
the  Artclass  Pictures  Corporation, 
comprise  Louis  Weiss,  Adolph  Weiss, 
Max  Weiss,  Edward  Grossman, 
Standard  Office  and  Charles  La- 
Lumiere,  officers  and  representatives 
of  Artclass  Pictures  Corporation. 

The  suit  arose  over  the  action  of 
the  Artclass  Picture  Corporation  in 
changing  their  Biblical  serial  picture, 
*'  After  Six  Days"  into  a  feature, 
"which  they  advertised  prominently  as 
a  picture,  "featuring  Moses  and  the 
Ten  Commandments."  This  change 
in  the  type  and  advertising  of  their 
picture  was  made  after  Cecil  B.  De- 
Mille's  Paramount  picture,  "The  Ten 
Commandments,"  had  proved  to  be  a 
big, success,  and  was  done,  the  referee 
finds,  for  the  purpose  of  deceiving  the 
public  and  capitalizing  on  the  DeMille 
picture's  success. 

Not  only  does  the  report  restrain 
Artclass  and  the  other  defendants 
from  featuring  the  words  "Moses  and 
the  Ten  Commandments"  in  their 
picture  and  advertising,  but  it  also 


importance  in  motion  picture  circles, 
as  it  establishes  a  precedent  against 
the  infringement  of  titles  or  features 
in  successful  pictures. 


SCHULBERG  OFFICIALS 
IN  CONFERENCE 

J.  G.  Bachmann,  treasurer  of  B.  P. 
Schulberg  Productions,  arrived  this 
week  in  Hollywood  where  he  is  confer- 
ring with  Mr.  Schulberg  on  production 
plans  for  the  coming  months.  Several 


interesting  announcements  concerning 
the  new  Preferred  product,  are  prom- 
ised by  the  officials  within  the  next 
week. 

Mr.  Bachmann  will  remain  on  the 
coast  until  a  director  and  cast  are  se- 
lected for  "Capital  Punishment,"  the 
additional  picture  with  which  Schulberg 
Productions  recently  augmented  its 
schedule  for  this  year.  From  Los 
Angeles,  Mr.  Bachmann  will  visit  the 
company's  exchanges,  returning  to  New 
York  in  about  seven  weeks. 


New  York  Reviewers  to 
Shun  Projection  Rooms 

WORD  comes  from  the  office 
of  Will  H.  Hays  that  for 
the  first  time  a  consultation 
of  motion  pictures  reviewers  was 
called  at  the  Hays'  office  on  Wed- 
nesday, October  22.  Representa- 
tives of  all  the  New  York  dailies 
were  present  in  answer  to  the  call 
from  the  Czar  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry. 

The  purpose  of  this  meeting  was 
to  discuss  the  comparative  merits 
of  reviewing  pictures  in  the  pro- 
jection room  or  at  the  initial  pres- 
entation in  the  theatre.  It  has  been 
the  custom  to  review  pictures  in 
the  projection  room  under  con- 
ditions that  are  not  always  the 
most  favorable,  and  it  is  the 
belief  of  the  producers  that  in  this 
way  the  pictures  are  not  shown  to 
the  best  advantage,  for  they  lack 
the  musical  score,  dramatic  pro- 
logue, artistic  lighting  and  num- 
erous other  details  which  contrib- 
ute to  the  best  showing  of  a  pic- 
ture.." j 

The  question  was  discussed  at 
some  length,  and  the  critics  final- 
ly decided  to  confine  their  reviews 
to  the  first  showings  at  the  thea- 
tres during  the  next  month.  The 
reason  for  this  decision  was  that 
the  reviewers  would  be  better  able 
to  judge  the  audience  reaction  to 
the  picture,  and  thus  determine 
what  the  public  does  or  does  not 
like. 


Frank  Mayo  is  pointing  out  the  Zeppelin  he  sees  in  the  air — and  seeking  to  attract 
the  attention  of  Walter  McGrail  and  Lilyan  Tashman.    They  are  on  location  filming 
scenes  for  Associated  Exhibitor's  production,  "Is  Love  Everything." 


November  1,  1924 


Page  21 


A  shot  of  shooting  a  scene.  The  exhibitor  here  gets  a  brief  yet  comprehensive  idea 
of  the  details  of  studio  construction.  An  elaborate  dining  room  set  used  in  the  film- 
ing of  "Trouping  With  Ellen,"  for  the  Producers  Distributing  Corp.,  receives  the 

critical  survey  of  the  director. 

Producers  Distributing  Corp. 
Makes  Spring  Announcement 


ALBERT  E.  SMITH  SAILS 
ON  EUROPEAN  TRIP 

fo  renew  acquaintance  with  Rafael 
Sabatini,  author  of  "Captain  Blood," 
as  one  of  the  purposes  of  their  voy- 
age, Albert  E.  Smith,  president  of 
Vitagraph,  and  Mrs.  Smith  left  on  the 
Berengaria  last  week  for  Liverpool. 
Mrs.  Smith,  it  will  be  recalled,  is  the 
Tean  Paige  whose  impersonation  of 
Arabella  is  playing  a  notable  part  in 
the  great  triumph  achieved  in  Vita- 
graph's  special  production  of  the 
novel. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  London, 
Mr.  Smith  will  make  arrangements 
for  the  formal  opening  of  "Captain 
Blood's"  run  in  that  city,  and  he  and 
Mrs.  Smith  expect  to  have  Mr.  Saba- 
tini as  their  guest  on  that  occasion. 
On  his  last  previous  trip  to  England, 
Mr.  Smith  purchased  from  the  novel- 
ist the  world  picture  rights  to  the 
story. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  expect  to  be 
abroad  about  five  or  six  weeks.  In 
London  Mr.  Smith  will  confer  with 
George  H.  Smith,  Director  of  the 
Vitagraph  Company,  Ltd.,  the  British 
organization.    Also  he  will  visit  the 


Albert  E.  Smith,  President  of  Vitagraph, 
and  Mrs.  Smith,  who  recently  sailed  for  a 
European  trip.  Mrs.  Smith  is  known  on 
the  screen  as  Jean  Paige,  and  successfully 
played  the  heroine  of  the  Vitagraph  fea- 
ture picture,  "Captain  Blood." 

Paris  office,  which  is  under  the  super- 
vision of  Ronald  A.  Reader,  and  will 
examine  Vitagraph's  continental  prod- 
uct, which  is  made  for  European  con- 
sumption and  is  in  increasingly  heavy 
demand. 

*    *  * 

"CURLEY  TOP"  FINISHED 

"Curley  Top,"  the  fifth  of  the  Wil- 
liam Fox  program  features  starring 
Shirley  Mason,  has  been  finished  at  the 
Fox  West  Coast  Studios.  Frederick 
and  Fanny  Hatton  adapted  this  story 
for  the  screen  from  the  original  by 
Thomas  Burke,  author  of  the  famous 
"Limehouse  Nights"  short  stories. 


THE  releasing  plans  of  the  Produc- 
ers Distributing  Corporation  for 
the  spring  and  summer  season  of 
1925  are  partially  disclosed  in  a  state- 
ment issued  by  John  C.  Flinn,  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Company,  in  which  he  an- 
nounces the  signing  of  contracts  with 
Renaud  Hoffman,  Regal  Pictures  Inc., 
and  the  Peninsula  Studios  of  San  Ma- 
teo, Calif.,  for  a  continuation  of  their 
product  during  the  coming  season. 

Renaud  Hoffman  who  contributed  the 
two  successful  productions  "Not  One 
To  Spare"  and  "The  Legend  of  Holly- 
wood" during  the  present  year  has 
signed  a  contract  for  four  more  of  his 
distinctive  creations  to  be  released  by 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation. 

One  of  the  first  of  the  Renaud  Hoff- 
man productions  will  be  released  under 
the  title  of  "The  Unknown  Soldier." 
This  will  be  an  adaptation  of  a  startling 
French  story  which  is  quite  similar  to 
"Havoc"  the  sensational  stage  play  at 
the  present  time  on  Broadway,  New 
York. 

Full  details  of  the  production  to  be 
made  by  Regal  Pictures  are  not  dis- 
closed in  Mr.  Flinn's  announcement, 
but  it  is  understood  that  Florence  Vidor 
and  Jacqueline  Logan  will  each  be 
starred  in  at  least  one  of  the  produc- 
tions to  be  made  by  this  company  at 
the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studios. 

The  Edward  Belasco  Productions 
Inc.,  are  to  contribute  at  least  one  pro- 


duction to  the  spring  progress.  This 
picture  like  their  current  offering,  " Wel- 
come Stranger,"  will  be  an  adaptation 
of  a  famous  stage  play  the  film  rights 
for  which  have  been  purchased  by  Mr. 
A.  H.  Sebastian,  General  Manager  of 
the  Belasco  Productons. 

A  contract  has  also  been  closed  with 
Wm.  J.  Connery  of  the  Peninsula  Stu- 
dios at  San  Mateo,  Calif.,  for  the  re- 
lease of  two  big  pictures  to  be  made 
from  stage  plays.  One  of  these  will  be 
produced  under  the  supervision  of  El- 
mer Harris  and  the  other  under  the 
personal  supervision  of  Frank  Woods. 

The  productions  announced  in  this 
first  statement  are  but  the  beginning  of 
the  elaborate  progress  that  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  is  planning  for 
the  coming  season.  Contracts  are  now 
being  negotiated  with  a  number  of  pro- 
ducers of  the  highest  standing  in  the 
industry  and  as  rapidly  as  these  ne- 
gotiations are  consummated  they  will 
be  made  public. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


RITZ  PREPARING  FOR 
VALENTINO  PICTURE 

"We  are  now  actually  at  work  on  the, 
production  of  Valentino's  first  Ritz- 
Carlton  Picture,"  states  J.  D.  Williams, 
"and  when  our  star  starts  work  on  the 
big  stage  at  United  Studios,  Hollywood, 
he  becomes  the  master  of  his  own  pro- 
duction ship — the  captain  of  his  own 
artistic  soul."  Continuing,  Mr.  Wil- 
liams says : 

"Only  those  intimately  associated 
with  him  can  appreciate  the  high  ideals 
and  lofty  ambitions  with  which  he  em- 
barks upon  his  career  as  a  producing 
star.  With  our  Company  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  group  whose  hopes  for 
his  success  are  second  only  to  his  own. 
Of  course  we  want  to  make  money,  but 
we  are  a  unit  in  believing  that  the  fine, 
the  artistic,  the  intelligent  picture  will 
appeal  to  the  greatest  number.  We  do 
not  believe  it  necessary  to  play  down  to 
the  so-called  fourteen  year  old  intellect. 
Nor  do  we  believe  in  paltry  or  blatant 
sex  appeal.  Our  pictures  will  never 
bring  a  blush  of  shame  to  the  cheeks  of 
the  decent  American  family." 

Mr.  Joseph  Henaberry  will  direct.  He 
was  chosen  by  the  star  because  of  his 
work  on  "The  Sainted  Devil,"  Valen- 
tino's last  for  Paramount. 

George  Ullman,  Valentino's  manager, 
will  assume  the  duties  of  production 
manager  on  this  first  Ritz-Valentino 
production.  The  casting  is  only  partly 
completed.  The  Valentinos,  now  in 
Europe  securing  special  costumes  and 
studying  locale,  character  and  atmos- 
phere in  the  old  Moorish  sections  of 
cities  in  Southern  Spain,  will  start  work 
in  Hollywood  about  December  1. 

William  Cameron  Menzies,  the  art 
director  who  designed  the  wonderful 
settings  for  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad," 
has  been  working  on  the  settings  since 
July.  Harry  Fischbeck,  whose  photo- 
graphic treatment  contributed  so  much 
to  the  beauty  of  "Monsieur  Beau- 
caire,"  is  cooperating  with  Mr.  Menzies 
in  working  out  the  photographic  and 
lighting  qualities  of  the  settings. 

June  Mathis  is  doing  the  continuity 
for  the  story,  "The  Scarlet  Power"  by 
Justus  Layne.  Miss  Mathis  declares 
herself  fascinated  by  the  acting  possibil- 
ities of  the  role  to  be  played  by  Mr. 
Valentino.  A  young  noble  of  the  de- 
cadent Spanish  court  of  the  period  of 
the  Inquisition,  grows  to  manhood  in  a 
society  noted  for  its  profligacy  and  sel- 
fishness. Accustomed  to  exercising  the 
perquisites  of  his  casts,  he  becomes  in- 
volved in  a  mighty  struggle  of  the  soul 
when  he  finds  himself  in  love  with  a 
beautiful  Moorish  princess,  the  flower 
of  the  beauty  and  culture  of  her  race 
and  civilization.  "The  Scarlet  Power"  is 
that  rare  combination,  a  dramatic  love 
tale  and  swift-moving  kaleidoscope  of 
colorful  action.  Something  doing  every 
minute  with  the  outcome  in  doubt  un- 
til the  final  happy  finish. 


John  M.  Stahl,  directing  Florence  Vidor 
in  a  scene  for  "Husbands  and  Lovers"; 
Tony  Gaudio  is  at  the  camera. 


"GOING  UP"  HAS  PLAYED 
5,000  THEATRES 

Less  than  a  year  since  its  release  date 
Douglas  MacLean's  first  comedy  tri- 
umph released  through  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors, "Going  Up,"  has  reached  its 
5000th  theatre. 

During  that  period  "Going  Up"  has 
established  records  which  has  still  been 
unsurpassed  and  the  smiling  star, 
Douglas  MacLean,  through  that  initial 
independent  effort  and  his  succeeding 
successes  in  "The  Yankee  Consul"  and 
"Never  Say  Die,"  has  climbed  to  a 
point  where  he  is  acknowledged  by  the 
press  and  the  public  alike  as  the  leading 
exponent  of  his  type  of  comedy. 

"Going  Up"  is  still  .booking  exten- 
sively and  the  present  record  of  5,000 
bookings  points  definitely  to  the  fact 
that  before  it  is  retired  from  the  market 


it  will  have  established  another  record 
in  playing  not  less  than  7,500  theatres 

and  probably  8,000. 

*    *  * 

"JANICE  MEREDITH" 
LECTURE  SUBJECT 

One  of  the  features  of  the  opening 
of  the  new  American  wing  at  the  Met- 
ropolitan Museum  of  Art  in  New  York 
City,  and  given  to  the  museum  by  its 
president,  Robert  W.  de  Forest,  will  be 
a  short  talk  by  Anna  Curtis  Chandler, 
museum  instructor,  on  "Janice  Mere- 
dith," the  big  screen  epic  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  in  which  Marion  Davies 
is  now  achieving  such  success  at  the 
Cosmopolitan  Theatre  on  Broadway. 

Miss  Chandler  won  great  popularity 
for  the  story  hours  she  conducted  at 
the  museum  for  members'  children. 
The  opening  of  the  American  wing  in 
the  museum  will  take  place  early  in 
November.  At  that  time  Miss  Chand- 
ler will  talk  on  early  America  and  dis- 
cuss "Janice  Meredith."  She  will  ap- 
pear in  one  of  the  charming  Colonial 
costumes  used  in  the  big  Cosmopolitan 
production. 

I.  HENRY  MORRIS  DIES 

Sam  E.  Morris,  Warner  Bros,  execu- 
tive, returned  to  New  York  Monday 
morning  from  Cleveland  where  he  at- 
tended the  funeral  of  his  only  brother, 
I  Henry  Morris,  who  died  in  that  city 
Tuesday,  October  14.  Mr.  Morris  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife. 

I.  Henry  Morris  was  known  in  the 
motion  picture  business,  having  operat- 
ed a  theatre  in  Cleveland  for  a  number 
of  years. 


Director  William  Christy  Cabanne  and  the  stars  Frank  Mayo  and  Alma  Rubens 
find  drama  is  the  forte  of  the  comedian.    Monty  Banks  interrupts  the  shooting  of  a 
scene  of  Associated  Exhibitors  production,  "Is  Love  Everything?"  to  tell  his  friends 
they  don't  know  all  their  is  to  know  about  love. 


November  1.  1924 


Page  23 


Malcolm   Strauss,  who  is  producing  "Galloping   Hoofs,"  Pathe's  new  serial  play 
enjoys  a  moment  of  relaxation  with  Allene  Ray,  the  star.    These  scenes  are  being 
filmed  at  the  Belmont  race  track,  N.  Y.     Miss  Marie  Murray,  one  of  the  beauties  of 
George  White's  "Scandals,"  makes  her  picture  debut  in  this  production. 


VITAGRAPHS  LATEST 
GIVEN  PREVIEW 

Yitagraph  officials  had  their  first 
view  a  few  days  ago  of  the  completed 
rilm  of  "Greater  Than  Marriage,"  the 
first  of  several  productions  which  Vic- 
tor Hugo  Halperin  is  making  for  dis- 
tribution by  that  organization  during 
the  current  season. 

This  is  an  adaptation  of  Louis 
Joseph  V  ance's  best-seller,  "Joan 
Thursday,"  and  the  Vitagraph  execu- 
tives are  enthusiastic  over  it,  express-, 
ing  confidence  that  it  will  rank  high 
among  the  year's  offerings. 

Marjorie  Daw,  just  back  from 
Europe,  has  the  role  of  Joan  Thursday 
dramatic  star,  with  Lou  Tellegen  ap- 
pearing as  the  husband.  The  conflict 
between  Joan's  ambition  to  continue  her 
career  on  the  stage  and  the  husband's 
insistence  that  she  devote  her  life  to  the 
duties  of  wifehood,  form  the  basis  of 
the  story,  and  gives  rise  to  situations 
that  seem  destined  to  grip  the  interest 
of  every  picture-lover  as  it  has  en- 
thralled millions  of  readers  of  the  novel. 

As  followers  of  Louis  Joseph  Vance 
know,  it  is  a  theme  that  appeals  in  par- 
ticular to  women  and  girls,  and  every- 
body who  has  had  a  preview  of  the  film 
is  predicting  that  it  will  prove  a  picture 
every  woman  and  girl  will  want  to  see. 

Moreover,  as  the  decision  of  the  ac- 
tress-wife respecting  the  old  but  ever- 
recurring  contest  between  home  and 
career  affects  men  also,  and  as  the  film 
is  briming  over  with  action,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  interest  will  by  no  means  be 
confined  to  one  sex. 

Besides  Marjorie  Daw  and  Lou  Tel- 
legen, whose  work  in  this  production 
is  said  to  carry  them  to  new  heights  of 
artistry,  the  cast  is  composed  of  such 
popular  players — each  a  box-office  fav- 
orite, as  Peggy  Kelly,  Tyrone  Power, 
.  Mary  Thurman,  Dagmar  Godowsky 
Raymond  Bloomer,  Effie  Shannon  and 
Blanch  Craig. 

*    *  * 

E.  H.  GRIFFITH  SIGNS 
WITH  ST.  REGIS 

E.  H.  Griffith  has  been  signed  by  St. 
Regis  Pictures  Corporation  to  direct  its 
first  production,  an  adaptation  of  "The 
Ultimate  Good,"  by  J.  C.  Brownell, 
which  appeared  in  Everybody's  Maga- 
zine. The  picture  is  scheduled  for  As- 
sociated Exhibitors  release. 

Mr.  Griffith  is  one  of  the  best-known 
and  capable  directors  in  the  industry 
and  has  recently  produced  some  of  the 
big  Cosmopolitan  Productions  for  both 
the  Metro-Goldwyn  and  Paramount  or- 
ganizations. "The  Go-Getter"  and  "Un- 
seeing Eyes"  are  two  of  Mr.  Griffith's 
late  outstanding  successes  and  he  has 
just  completed  and  delivered  to  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation,  "An- 
other Scandal"  by  Cosmo  Hamilton, 
starring  Lois  Wilson. 


ANOTHER  LOEW  THEATRE 
FOR  ST.  LOUIS 

Marcus  Loew  will  build  a  new 
vaudeville  theatre  in  down-town  St. 
Louis  to  cost  upwards  of  $1,000,000. 
One  site  for  the  house  has  been  taken 
under  option,  but  has  not  been  revealed 
publicly  because  the  preliminary  ar- 
rangements for  the  transfer  of  title 
have  not  been  perfected.  Two  other 
sites  are  also  under  consideration  for 
the  new  house,  which  is  another  reason 
for  not  giving  its  location  to  the  public. 

A  definite  announcement  that  he 
would  build  in  St.  Louis  was  made  by 
Loew  personally  on  Sunday,  October 
12,  during  a  brief  visit  to  St.  Louis,  and 
following  an  inspection  of  his  new 
Loew's  State  Theatre  at  Eighth  street 
and  Washington  avenue,  opened  on 
August  21  which  to  date  has  proven  a 
vertiable  gold  mine. 

Loew  stated  that  he  was  convinced 
that  the  State  Theatre  had  reclaimed 


down-town  night  life  in  St.  Louis,  and 
that  there  is  an  excellent  field  for  a 
new  vaudeville  house  in  the  district  east 
of  Twelfth  Boulevard  between  Market 
street  and  Washington  avenue. 

*    *  * 

JACKSON  JOINS 
RITZ  STAFF 

Joseph  Jackson,  former  president  of 
the  Western  Motion  Picture  Adver- 
tisers (The  Wampas)  has  been  engaged 
as  personal  publicity  representative  for 
Rudolph  Valentino,  according  to  an- 
nouncement by  C.  L-  Yearsley  of  Ritz- 
Carlton  Pictures. 

Jackson  will  remain  in  New  York 
until  Valentino  arrives  from  Europe 
and  will  then  accompany  the  star  to 
Hollywood  where  the  first  Ritz-Valen- 
tino  will  be  produced. 

Jackson  was  for  four  years  director 
of  publicity  at  the  Goldwyn  Studios  and 
is  the  author  of  several  one-act  plays 
which  have  been  produced  in  vaude- 
ville. 


Pafhepicture 
— 


greatest  flght  ev/er 
*  ?</Jted  in  a  picture 
When  yoxiawt  ihminf 
vw/tfTt/ie  thr///  of  it  you're  laughing  your  heal 

THE  fy\TT/-lN(r  ORJOtES 

A  Mtx.  £oacw  Poverty  mature  Gmed/ 


It's  in 


Pa-c  21 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Madge  Kennedy,  long  a  favorite  on  screen  as  well  as  stage,  and  whose  recent 
absence  from  the  silver  sheet  has  been  widely  commented  upon  by  film  fans- 
is  coming  back.    Her  return  debut  is  to  be  made  with  the  St.  Regis  Pictures  Corp. 


ST.  REGIS  SIGNS 
MADGE  KENNEDY 

Madge  Kennedy,  vivacious  star  of 
the  stage  and  screen,  who  has  just  com- 
pleted one  of  the  most  successful  en- 
gagements of  Broadway  record  in 
"Poppy,"  has  been  signed  by  St.  Regis 
Pictures  Corporation,  as  co-star  in  its 
initial  production  "The  Ultimate  Good," 
from  J.  C.  Brownell's  Everybody's 
Magazine  story,  which  is  to  be  released 
and  distributed  by  Associated  Exhib- 
itors. 

Conway  Tearle,  as  was  previously 
announced  by  St.  Regis  will  have  the 
starring  male  role. 

Unquestionably  this  new  producing 
organization  is  going  about  the  produc- 
tion of  worth-while  box-office  attrac- 
tions in  a  thorough,  business-like  and 
intelligent  manner.  With  such  names 
as  they  have  acquired  for  the  cast  of 
their  initial  picture,  with  directors  of 
the  calibre  of  E.  H.  Griffith,  and  the  at- 
tention that  is  reported  to  have  been 
given  the  story,  followed  out  in  its  suc- 


ceeding pictures,  St.  Regis  cannot  help 
but  become  prominent. 

Already,  it  is  reported  that  this  com- 
pany is  dickering  for  a  star  of  inter- 
national calibre  for  its  second  produc- 
tion, "The  Million  Dollar  Doll." 


A  duel  according  to  the  best  Continental 
standards,  is  arranged  by  Director  Denni- 
son  Clift.  The  contending  parties  arc  Ed- 
mund Lowe  and  Fred  Malatesta  in  a  scene 
from  William  Fox's  "Honor  Among  Men." 


FIRST  NATIONAL  SALES 
CONFERENCE  OCT.  27-29 

A  call  to  First  National  district  man- 
agers to  come  to  New  York  for  a  sales 
conference,  beginning  on  Monday,  Oc- 
tober 27,  and  continuing  for  three  days 
has  been  issued  by  E.  A.  Eschmann, 
chief  of  the  Distribution  Department. 

The  purpose  of  this  three-day  session 
in  New  York  is  to  give  the  district  man- 
agers instructions  on  the  selling  play  to 
be  placed  back  of  the  new  group  of 
First  National  pictures  which  will  be 
marketed  between  February  1,  1925  and 
the  31st  of  the  succeeding  August. 

Included  in  the  new  group  of  pro- 
ductions will  be  the  next  block  of 
specials  which  First  National  has  in  ac- 
tive preparation.  The  marketing  of  the 
specials  will  continue  under  the  direc- 
tion of  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  who  is  hand- 


Portland  Leads  in 
Eschmann  Drive 

FIRST  NATIONAL'S  Esch- 
mann Month  Drive  passed  the 
half-way  mark  last  week  with 
the  field  force  still  a-tiptoe  in  its 
effort,  conspicuously  successful  so 
far,  to  roll  up  the  biggest  business 
that  any  sales  drive  in  the  history 
of  the  company  has  achieved. 
The  sales  contest  has  four  weeks 
still  to  run. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  week 
a  new  percentage  record  of  suc- 
cessess  had  been  reached.  The 
sales  for  the  entire  country  were 
98.97  percent  of  the  assigned  quo- 
ta, a  substantial  increase  over  the 
second  week  with  96.63%  the  high 
mark  of  the  first  three  weeks. 

Portland  still  heads  all  of  the 
branches  with  a  bigger  lead  over 
its  closest  competitor  than  it  had 
at  the  end  of  the  third  week.  The 
race  is  not  yet  over  by  any  means 
and  any  one  of  a  dozen  or  more 
branches  still  has  an  opportunity 
to  capture  first  prize. 


ling  the  current  specials  with  conspicu- 
ous success. 

Mr.  Eschmann  and  his  aids  in  the 
Distribution  Department,  A.  W.  Smith, 
Jr.,  Charles  M.  Steele,  W.  J.  Morgan, 
and  Stanley  W.  Hatch,  will  spend  three 
days  with  the  district  managers  mak- 
ing them  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  details  of  the  sales  plan  for  the 
new  product  which  has  been  perfected. 

The  district  managers  will  then  re- 
turn to  their  respective  territories, 
reaching  their  offices  by  November  1, 
when  they  will  issue  calls  for  local 
meetings  of  the  branch  managers  in 
their  respective  districts  at  which  they, 
in  turn,  will  instruct  the  branch  mana- 
gers in  the  details  of  the  new  picture 
group  sales  plan. 


November  1,  1924 


Page  25 


LOUISE  CARTER  IN 
"THE  LOST  CHORD" 

Louise  Carter,  well  known  stage 
engenue,  has  an  important  part  in 
"The  Lost  Chord"  just  made  by  Whit- 
man Bennett  for  Arrow  release. 

Miss  Carter  was  with  May  Robson 
in  "The  Rejuvenation  of  Aunt  Mary" 
last  season  on  tour,  and  was  added  to 
the  cast  of  "The  Lost  Chord"  to  play 
the  part  of  Phyllis.  Others  in  the 
cast  are  Faire  Binney,  Dagmar  Go- 
dowsky,  David  Powell,  Alice  Lake 
and  Charles  Mack. 

"THIEF  OF  BAGDAD" 
OPENS  IN  PARIS 

^  Exceptional  glamour  attended  the 
Continental  premiere  of  Douglas 
Fairbanks  in  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad" 
in  Paris  on  September  18.  The  bril- 
liant first  night  audience  presented 
the  aspect  of  a  grand  opera  season  be- 


Frances  Howard,  nineteen  year  old  stage 
star,  who  has  been  chosen  by  Paramount 
to   play   the   lead   in    "The  Swan." 

ing  inaugurated.  General  Gourad, 
military  governor  of  the  city,  and 
many  other  prominent  officials  were 
present,  and  the  Salle  Marivaux  thea- 
tre was  filled  to  capacity,  with  a  sen- 
sational overflow. 

"The  Thief  of  Bagdad,"  which  is 
being  distributed  abroad  by  United 
Artists  Corp.,  rolled  up  a  first  week 
which  shattered  the  previous  Paris 
box  office  record  for  any  one  week. 
This  record  had  been  held  by  "Doug- 
las Fairbanks  in  Robin  Hood"  for  its 
opening  week  last  year,  but  the  open- 
ing week  of  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad" 
beat  "Robin  Hood's"  figures  by  thirty 
per  cent. 

The  Paris  press  gave  the  new  Fair- 
banks film  a  reception  rivalling  that 
of  the  public.  Says  "Le  Journal": 
'Of  all  his  parts  his  performance  in 
"The  Thief  of  Bagdad"  oveshadows  all 
he  has  done  in  the  past." 


CONDITIONS  ARE  GOOD, 
SAYS  EDWARD  AUGER 

Brimful  of  enthusiasm  over  picture 
conditions  in  general,  and  highly  grat- 
ified with  the  enthusiastic  reception  of 
current  Vitagraph  attractions  by  lead- 
ing exhibitors  of  the  country,  Edward 
Auger,  assistant  general  manager  of 
Vitagraph,  returned  to  New  York  late 
last  week  from  a  six  weeks'  trip  across 
the  continent. 

Mr.  Auger  went  North  into  Canada, 
West  to  the  Pacific  Coast  and  South 
to  the  Gulf,  conferring  with  Vita- 
graph branch  managers  and  renewing 
acquaintance  with  exhibitors  in  most 
of  the  principal  key  centers.  The 
cities  which  he  visited  included, 
among  others,  Chicago,  Minneapolis, 
Winnipeg,  Seattle,  Tacoma,  Portland, 


San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  Salt  Lake 
City,  Denver,  Omaha,  Kansas  City, 
St.  Louis,  Oklahoma  City,  Dallas, 
New  Orleans,  Atlanta.  Washington, 
Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia. 

Ib  Washington,  Mr.  Auger  was 
joined  by  John  B.  Rock,  general  mana- 
ger of  Vitagraph,  who  accompanied 
him  to  Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia 
and  back  to  New  York. 

"Viewed  from  whatever  stand- 
point, my  trip,  was  a  complete  suc- 
cess," said  Mr.  Auger,  upon  his  return 
to  the  Vitagraph  general  offices.  "It 
was  made  primarily  to  ascertain  con- 
ditions throughout  the  country,  and 
in  order  to  get  in  close  touch  with 
the  actual  situation  I  made  it  a  point 
to  talk  directly  with  exhibitors.  In 
no  locality  did  I  find  a  single  person 
who  was  not  thoroughly  optimistic." 


Love  foet  ttrange  tVjinpY  rrmee.  It  rrtfe/e  a 
dmn  Yooftfc  hie<  wvaAe  the  toughest  />/ace 
I  \rt  towj  m  iwrch  of  V'Z  lady  love;  a/»d 
it  wakeA  <//>  the  s/eef>\e^ 
oU  dodoes  you  ever  saw 
and  made  them  \>*K  3  ... 

It's  all  in 


Thg  tantiNfi  Orioles 


A  HAL  "ROACW  NoVeUty  fEAWE  C&VAED/ 

Pafhepicture 


"ST 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


*      Editorial  ■ 

The  Truth  About  Independent  Distribution 


THERE  has  been  altogether  too  much  loose 
comment  on  the  independent  situation  lately. 
Comment  that  might  prove  harmful  by  de- 
stroying confidence  in  the  independents  and  their 
product. 

Some  of  the  independent  distributors  have  said, 
Avith  reason,  that  the  future  of  their  businss  de- 
pends on  exhibitor  cooperation.  But  there  is 
ample  evidence  to  show  that  they  have  been  get- 
ting that  cooperation,  perhaps  not  as  fully  as  they 
should,  but  in  any  event  to  an  extent  that  insures 
their  ability  to  market  their  product. 

Feeling  that  any  published  statement  prophesy- 
ing the  failure  of  independent  distribution  should 
be  forcefully  answered.  Exhibitors  Trade  Re- 
view recently  called  to  the  attention  of  I.  E.  Chad- 
wick,  President  of  the  independents,  an  article 
which  predicted  the  collapse  of  the  independents 
within  two  years.  Mr.  Chadwick's  forceful  reply 
tells  the  whole  story  and  merits  the  attention  of 
every  exhibitor: 

Editor,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review — I  am  in  receipt  of 
your  letter  of  the  17th  of  October  in  which  you  request  me 
to  answer  the  article  which  appeared  in  V ariety  under  date 
of  October  8th,  headed  "Independent  Market  'Shot' — 
Given  Two  Years  to  Live." 

It  is  difficult  to  disagree  with  you,  because  your  intent  is 
undoubtedly  to  encourage  independent  producers  and  dis- 
tributors, but  the  article  you  mention  discloses  such  pro- 
found want  of  knowledge  of  the  situation  it  attempts  to  dis- 
cuss, that  where  it  is  not  humorous,  it  is  harmlessly  banal. 

Lest  utter  silence  be  mistaken  however,  for  assent,  may 
I  be  permitted  a  word  as  to  the  independent  selling  market. 
[  believe  I  am  in  no  sense  exaggerating  when  I  say  that  not 
in  the  .last  ten  years  has  a  keener,  more  active  or  more  hope- 
full  selling  market  been  experienced  by  the  independents 
than  the  current  one.  Merely  to  recite  the  activities  of  a  few 
of  the  independents  will  lend  confirmation  of  this  statement 
and  disclose  the  utter  absence  of  knowledge  of  the  facts  dis- 
closed by  the  artical  in  Variety.  At  least  four  new  inde- 
pendent state-right  producing  and  distributing  organizations 
are  in  the  field  this  year.  Each  of  the  four  has  in  its  first 
year  produced  worthwhile  pictures  which  give  promise  by 
reason  of  the  showmanship  and  box  office  value  of  the  pro- 
reason  of  the  showmanship  and  box  office  value  of  the  prod- 
uct released  and  which  is  doing  a  business  which  I  believe 
Companies.  Not  a  single  state-right  exchange  in  the  country, 
is  "up  against  it  for  product."  As  a  matter  of  actual  fact, 
Commonwealth  Film  Corporation,  one  of  those  specified  as 
being  "up  against  it  for  product"  will  release  not  less  than 
fifty  feature  pictures  during  the  current  season.  And  the 
most  hopeful  sign  of  all,— "every  independent  state-righter, 


i.  e.,  producers,  distributors  and  exchange  men  are  already 
setting  their  plans  for  the  season  1925-26."  Does  that 
sound  like  the  echo  of  the  disaster  pictured  in  Variety,  or  is 
it  the  encouraging  note  of  sound  business  men  finding  con- 
ditions both  promising  and  favorable? 

The  writer  knows  of  more  than  one  firm  that  can  now 
list  its  productions  for  1925-26  by  title,  star  and  director. 
The  independent  productions  will  not  only  be  ready  for 
1925-26,  but  they  will  be  ready  five  months  before  the  sell- 
ing season  gets  under  way.  The  plans,  and  in  many  cases 
productions  of  the  leading  independents  are  already  com- 
pleted. March  will  see  the  end  of  the  current  producing 
season  for  independent.  April  and  May  will  show  some  of 
the  product  ready  for  early  summer  selling,  so  that  as  far 
as  the  second  half  of  the  season  1924-25  and  the  season 
1925-26  are  concerned,  no  exhibitor  need  rush  into  a  block 
hooking  of  any  national  company  and  the  national  companies 
will  not  again  get  the  jump  on  the  independent  exhibitors 
and  distributors. 

With  one  thought  expressed  by  the  article  in  Variety,  this 
writer  has  no  quarrel, — "What  the  Independent  Field  Needs 
Most  Is  A  Real  Leader."  On  this  subject,  we  are  in  com- 
plete accord.  The  writer  in  his  capacity  as  President  of 
the  Independent  Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Distributors 
Association,  can  naturally  merely  perfunctorily  give  a  very 
small  share  of  time  to  the  many  many  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities which  that  office  entails.  The  requirements  of  his 
own  business  prevent  the  devotion  of  sufficient  time  to  the 
many. duties  of  that  office.  The  members  of  the  association 
understand  this  and  consequently  neither  attempt  nor  ex- 
pect too  much.  No  one  member  would  request  the  writer 
to  neglect  his  own  business,  and  yet,  despite  the  handicap, 
the  organization  fills  a  definite  need  and  is  bound  to  grow  in 
usefulness,  strength  and  let  me  add,  in  prestige. 

The  trade  papers  can  be  of  definite  service  to  this  industry 
by  pointing  out  to  their  exhibitor  readers  the  salient  point 
that  between  the  industrial  freedom  of  the  independent  ex- 
hibitor and  the  encircling  wall  being  erected  through  the 
ever-growing  amalgamations  and  combinations,  stands  the 
doughty,  little,  often  despised  and  frequently  abused  inde- 
pendent producer  and  distributor.  Independent  producers 
and  distributors  in  the  state-right  field  are  meeting  that  issue 
fairly  and  squarely  and  realize  the  stern  fight  that  must  be 
waged,  and  exhibitors  and  trade-papers  ought  not  to  snipe 
from  behind.  {Signed)  1.  E.  CHAD  WICK. 

Comment  is  superfluous,  unless  it  is  to  drive 
home  this  point.  The  Independents  are  fully 
aware  of  the  advantages  of  organized  effort  in 
their  own  behalf.  They  are  not  straggling.  They 
are  gaining  in  prestige  to  such  an  extent  that  any 
exhibitor  may  well  take  them  into  account  as  a 
source  of  good  product. 


November  I.  1924 


Page  27 


The  Pessimist's  Window 


IT'S  interesting  to  get  the  old-world  slant  on  what  counts 
in  the  making  of  pictures.  Because,  for  one  thing,  it 
demonstrates  that  there  is  more  than  one  way  of  doing 
the  job.  The  European  idea,  as  told  by  Ehrich  Poramer,  of 
the  Ufa  organization,  Berlin,  and  Fritz  Lang,  producer  of 
the  Niebelungen  Saga  "Siegfried,"  who  have  been  visiting 
in  New  York  recently,  is  to  a  considerable  extent  the  reverse 
of  ours.  It  is  different,  not  merely  in  the  production  stages, 
but  in  exploitation  as  well.  The  theory,  to  put  it  concisely, 
is :  Make  a  picture  as  a  work  of  art.  Forget  about  stars 
and  their  supposed  box-office  values.  In  exploitation,  lead 
the  public  to  expect  a  little  less  than  you  are  going  to  de- 
liver. Let  realization  out-run  anticipation.  Then  depend,  to 
a  considerable  extent,  on  public  appreciation  to  insure  a 
profit. 

As  a  theory,  it's  attractive.  As  a  business  policy,  it 
wouldn't  work  in  America;  not,  at  least,  with  this  genera- 
tion. But  perhaps  the  time  will  come  when  our  methods 
will  change. 

*  *  * 

Those  who  have  seen  "Siegfried"  say  it  is  a  marvelous 
picture.  It  is  a  product  of  the  European  idea,  embracing 
many  novel  methods  and  processes  in  the  studio.  Notably 
free  from  "stunt"  features.  How  American  audiences  will 
take  to  it  remains  to  be  seen. 

^    %  jfc 

Michigan  exhibitors  are  going  in  for  a  cooperative  distri- 
bution plan  that,  according  to  reports,  is  going  to  start  with 
150  members.  Again  it  seems  they  have  surplus  money  in 
Michigan. 

*  *  * 

From  classic  Cambridge  (Mass.)  comes  some  interesting 
comment  on  "The  Eve  of  the  Revolution,"  which  was 
given  a  society  presentation  in  Boston  recently.  E.  H. 
Packard,  writing  in  the  Cambridge  Tribune  says  this  pic- 
ture, first  of  the  series  of  thirty-three  to  be  produced  by 
Yale  University  Press,  is  an  accurate,  faithful  presentation 
of  history,  but  that  it  lacks  the  punch  and  driving  force 
needed  to  put  it  over  in  competition  with  pictures  made  by 
experienced  producers  under  less  favorable  educational  aus- 
pices. "Every  man  to  his  trade,"  says  Packard.  Let  our 
schools  and  churches  supply  the  ideas  if  they  will — the 
motif — but  when  they  come  to  dramatizing  the  material,  let 
them  put  themselves  absolutely  into  the  hands  of  showmen, 
for  no  other  business  ever  existed  that  knew  how  to  attract 
and  grip  the  public  as  well.  The  showman  knows  the  game." 
Thank  you,  Brother  Packard,  for  the  kind  words.  It  isn't 
every  day  that  our  producers  are  lauded  thus. 

Not  long  ago  the  Hays  organization  got  into  the  lime- 
light with  some  very  commendable  activity  aimed  at  sup- 
pressing fake  promotions  that  have  been  to  numerous  on 
the  fringe  of  the  motion  picture  business.  Wonder  if  it 
isn't  about  time,  also,  to  get  busy  and  stop  some  of  the  "re- 


organizations" that  are  altogether  too  common  a  source  of 
easy  money  inside  the  industry.  One  thing  this  industry  can 
do :  Supply  the  most  foolishly  cheerful  bunch  of  spineless 
creditors  on  record. 

*  *  * 

Late  news  from  the  front  indicates  that  the  battle  over 
the  Selznick  business  is  warming  up.  The  Federal  Dis- 
trict Court  appointed  a  receiver  in  bankruptcy  Wednesday 
evening,  on  petition  of  three  creditors  who,  obviously,  acted 
in  behalf  of  L.  J.  Selznick,  one  of  them  being  Myron. 
Thursday  morning  creditors  received  a  telegram  from  the 
committee  headed  by  Ellwood  Rabenold,  which  has  been 
planning  a  new  corporation  to  take  over  the  Selznick  busi- 
ness, asking  them  to  attend  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the 
Bar  Association  Friday  afternoon.  Meanwhile  the  lawyers 
are  getting  busy,  the  court  costs  are  beginning  to  accumulate 
and  the  creditors  are  hoping  that  someone  will  happen 
along  who  can  tell  them  what  it's  all  about.  Why  is  a 
Creditor,  anyway? 

*  *  * 

William  R.  Fraser,  who  general-manages  the  Harold 
Lloyd  studio,  is  going  to  Europe.  John  Ragland  is  probably 
going  with  him.  And  if  someone  doesn't  watch  him,  W.  R. 
will  spend  a  lot  of  his  time  abroad  looking  at  trees.  He 

was  a  forester  before  he  became  a  picture  man,  so  he  earned 
his  hobby  honestly. 

Among  others  who  are  going  over  to  leave  some  Ameri- 
can lucre  with  the  obliging  hotel-keepers  may  be  mentioned 
Sidney  Kent,  of  Famous,  and  Richard  Rowland,  of  First 
National.  So  it  won't  be  long  now  before  we  shall  find  the 
British  trade  press  filled  with  new  akrms  over  the  American 
invasion. 

^    ^  ^ 

Meanwhile,  Carl  Laemmle  starts  westward  and  Univer- 
sal City  is  to  be  the  dynamic  center  of  Universal  activities. 
Which  reminds  us  that  we  read  in  some  English  paper  re- 
cently some  comment  on  Carl  Laemmle,  to  the  effect  that  he 
looked  tired  and  worn  when  he  passed  through  London  on 
his  way  home.  If  that  was  true,  New  York  restored  him 
quickly,  for  he  has  been  looking  anything  but  tired  the  last 
few  days.  He  looks,  rather,  like  the  personification  of 
energy. 

*  * 

German  court  has  decided  recently  that  Charlie  Chaplin 
is  a  type  rather  than  an  individual  and  that  anyone  may 
wear  shoes  which  don't  fit.  So  Chaplin  can't  prevent  the 
German  actors  from  dressing  as  they  usually  do. 

*  *  * 

St.  Louis  takes  its  punishment  with  a  smile.  It  is  to 
have  four  more  new  theatres.  Seemingly  the  trend  is  toward 
down-town  locations,  which  will  be  a  big  thing  for  most  of 
the  city's  business  interests. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Here  are  a  few  of  the 
scenes  from  C.  B.  C.'s 
production  in  which 
Alma  Rubens  shows 
her  ability  as  a  sterling 
screen  actress  ar.d 
wins  new  laurels. 


The  theme  in  this  pic- 
ture has  an  unusual 
twist  that  will  find  fa- 
vor with  any  audience. 
It  has  an  appeal  of  a 
beautiful  young  girl  in 
the  great  battle  of  life. 


Alma  Rubens  Makes  "The  Price  She  Paid"  A  Classic 


This  C.  B.  C.  Feature  Is  Filled  With  Tense  Dramatic  Situations 
That  Compel  Interest  and  Retain  Suspense 


November  J,  1924 


Page  29 


Wi  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


THE  Independent  market  is  gradually  coming  into  its  own.  It  is  doing  so  by  the  sheer  bigness  and  exceptional 
quality  of  its  product.  Never  before  in  the  history  of  State-right  production  have  there  been  so  many  unusual- 
ly big  productions  planned  for  the  independent  market. 
Despite  this  condition,  producers  who  had  faith  in  the  sale  ability  of  their  product,  continued  to  carry  on  with 
their  schedules.  In  many  instances,  production  costs  mounted  higher  than  the  limit  originally  set,  with  the 
result  that  producers  who  had  already  disposed  of  the  majority  of  the  territory  on  a  franchise  basis,  felt  that  they 
would  be  pushed  to  the  wall  unless  the  exchanges  were  willing  to  accept  an  increase  over  and  above  the  original 
price  contracted  for.  To  the  everlasting  credit  of  the  exchanges,  they  realized  the  acuteness  of  the  situation  and 
satisfied  that  the  productions  in  question  were  really  made  on  a  larger  scale  than  originally  planned,  accepted  the 
increase. 

This  more  than  anything  else  helped  to  solidify  the  independent  entities  with  the  result  that  the  independent 
situation  is  in  a  better  position  today  than  it  ever  has  been.  It  remains  for  all  of  us  to  continue  the  good  work, 
for  it  is  only  by  unified  effort  that  we  will  ever  be  able    to  continue  our  work  successfully. 

C.  C.  BURR, 
President,  East  Coast  Film  Corp. 


J" 


H.  F.  Jans  to  Start  New  System 
For  Independent  Distribution 


BEGINNING  with  his  first  new 
production,  "Playthings  of  De- 
sire," H.  F.  Jans,  president  of 
Jans  Productions,  Inc.,  will  inagurate 
what  promises  to  be  a  revelation  to  buy- 
ers of  state  rights,  a  plan  that  should 
revolutionize  the  independent  market 
and  make  each  exchange  the  outright 
owner  of  the  product. 

In  a  nutshell  Mr.  Jans'  plan  is  just 
this.  Beginning  with  "Playthings  of 
Desire,"  he  will  sell  his  productions  to 
the  various  independent  distributors 
outright,  there  will  no  percentage  ar- 
rangement and  once  the  purchaser  of 
a  Jans  picture  has  closed  his  contracts 
the  product  becomes  his  to  do  with  as 
he  sees  fit  without  any  dictation  from 
the  producer,  with  no  book  keeping 
worries  to  trouble  him  and  no  orders 
to  take  from  any  one.  In  short  it  is  a 
live  and  let  live  proposition  if  there 
ever  was  one. 

Mr.  Jans  is  a  believer  in  quick  sales 
and  small  profits.  He  knows  that  the 
quicker  he  makes  a  turnover  on  one 
production  the  sooner  he  can  begin  his 
work  on  the  next  picture  on  his  sched- 
ule and  that  is  the  plan  he  is  working 
under  now  that  he  has  resumed  produc- 
tion once  more. 

In  discussing  his  plans  Mr.  Jans  said. 
"I  have  been  in  the  business  for  over 
fifteen  years.  A  great  part  of  that  I 
have  devoted  to  a  conscientious  study 
of  the  indepndent  exchange.  I  believe 
that  the  productions  I  will  make  and 
the  method  by  which  they  will  be  sold 
is  bound  to  prove  exceedingly  satisfac- 
tory. My  selling  plan  makes  every 
buyer  of  territory  the  absolute  owner  of 
the  picture  and  after  his  contracts  are 
signed  and  the  deal  closed  he  will  have 
no  one  hanging  around  his  neck  asking 


for  percentage  checks,  reports,  etc. 
The  only  way  in  which  he  will  hear 
from  us  is  through  the  continued  pub- 
licity we  will  give  all  of  the  pictures 
and  our  untiring  efforts  to  aid  him  in 
selling  our  pictures  to  the  public. 

"I  haven't  resumed  production  on  a 
moments  notice.  I  have  given  the  mat- 
ter many  months  of  thought  and 
waited  until  the  time  seemed  ripe  to 
provide  the  independent  market  with  an 
unusually  high  quality  series  of  pic- 
tures, with  casts  composed  of  well 
known  stars,  produced  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  most  capable  directors 
and  with  stories  that  stand  second  to 
none. 

"From  contracts  already  closed  with 
many  of  the  biggest  independent  ex- 
changes, and  this  mind  you,  before  the 
buyers  had  even  seen  a  picture,  I  am 
convinced  that  my  plan  is  right  and  my 
contemplated  pictures  the  sort  that  are 
needed,"  concluded  Mr.  Jans. 


The  reference  by  Mr.  Jans  to  several 
exchanges  who  have  already  closed 
contracts  with  him  for  his  new  series 
of  productions,  it  has  been  learned,  re- 
fer to  such  well  known  independent 
distributors  as  Ben  Amsterdam  who  has 
taken  over  the  Eastern  Pennsylvania, 
Southern  Jersey,  Washington  and  West 
Virginia  territory;  H.  M.  Hoffman,  of 
Renown  Pictures,  who  will  control  the 
New  York,  Northern  New  Jersey  and 
Illinois  rights  and  the  Export  and  Im- 
port Corporation  who  have  contracted 

for  all  foreign  rights. 

*    *  * 

ARROW  CLOSES  LARGE 
ATLANTA  CONTRACT 

W.  E.  Shallenberger,  President  Ar- 
row Pictures  Corporation,  announces 
the  closing  of  a  contract  with  Arthur 
Bromberg  of  Progress  Pictures  Cor- 
poration, Atlanta,  for  a  number  of  Ar- 
row attractions. 

Broadway  Comedies  for  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama,  Tennessee,  North 
and  South  Carolina. 

Mirthquake  Comedies  for  North  and 
South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Ala- 
bama and  Tennessee^ 


A  scene  from  "Flattery"  which  is  one  of 
been  staged  by  Chadwick.    John  Bowers 


the  most  elaborate  productions  that  has 
and  Marguerite  de  la  Motte  are  featured. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


JOHNNY  HINES'  NEXT 
"THE  CRACKER  BOX" 

Announcement  is  made  this  week  by 
producer  C.  C.  Burr  that  Johnny  Hines' 
next  feature  vehicle,  following  'The 
Early  Bird"  will  be  a  newspaper  story 
entitled  "The  Cracker  Jack."  The  story 
is  by  Richard  Friel  who  is  also  the  au- 
thor of  Hines'  present  feature.    In  this 

3  v 


Another 

I  LIONEL  BARRYMORE 

1 

|  Special — A  Box-Office  Pic- 
ture to  the  Core 


Lionel 
Barrymore 


in 


I  Am  The  Man 


Of  Course  Its  One  in  the 
Famous    Independent  Unit 

The  Chadwick  9 

"LIONEL  BARRYMORE 
AT  HIS  BEST,"   Says  the 
TRADE  REVIEW 

A  REAL  EXHIBITOR'S  PIC- 
TURE NOW  AVAILABLE 

See  These  Exchanges  Now 


1 


Atl-l,    Bos-l,    Buf-1,     Chi-1,     Cin-1,     CIe-1,  1 

1 

Dal-l,  Den-1,  Det-1,  KC-1,  LA-1.  Mil-l,  NO-2,  g 
NY-1,  Oma-1,  Phi-1,  Pit-1,  SF-,  SL-1,  Sea-1,  1 
Tor-1,  Wash-i. 


^iiKi[«](s)isi[giia[giii!iBigisiiiii 


story  Johnny  Hines  will  be  cast  in  the 
role  of  a  cub  reporter,  which  according 
to  C.  C.  Burr,  will  give  his  versatile 
star  a  most  unusual  character  role. 

This  story  was  chosen  from  a  host  of 
others  due  to  its  excellently  contrived 
plot  and  the  variegated  avenues  of 
comedy  and  thrills  it  presents.  Work 
on  the  continuity  of  this  production  will 
begin  immediately  after  the  completion 
of  "The  Early  Bird." 

Mr.  Friel's  long  experience  as  a 
"gag"  man  for  the  Mutt  and  Jeff  com- 
edies and  the  series  of  All  Star  Com- 
edies which  C.  C.  Burr  produced  and 
released  through  Educational  last  year, 
has  stood  him  in  good  stead  since  he 
has  been  able  to  successfully  write  what 
will  be  the  latest  two  Johnny  Hines 
features. 

Johnny  Hines  upon  C.  C.  Burr's  pur- 
chase of  the  story  of  "The  Cracker 
Jack"  expressed  himself  as  being  great- 
ly pleased  with  the  wide  possibilities  of 
entertainment  offered  in  this  fast-mov- 
ing story. 

The  same  technical  staff  that  sur- 
rounded the  star  in  his  last  four  pro- 
ductions will  again  be  at  the  helm  when 
production  begins.  These  include 
Charles  Hines  as  director  with  photo- 
graphy in  the  hands  of  Charles  Gilson 
and  John  Geisel. 

*    *  * 

C.  B.  C.  FEATURE  OPENS 
MOLINE  THEATRE 

Several  weeks  ago  the  brothers  Brot- 
man  of  Moline,  111.,  opened  their  re- 
modelled Mirror  Theatre,  at  the  open- 


ing they  used  "The  Foolish  Virgin,"  as 
the  feature.  They  have  reported  on  the 
picture  as  follows. 

"This  picture  certainly  is  everything 
you  said  about  it.  It  is  very  very  good 
and  received  many  compliments.  You 
are  to  be  congratulated  in  having  such 
a  picture.    More  power  to  you." 

■  *    *  * 

NEXT  DESMOND-HOLMES 
TO  BE  BIG  FEATURE 

"Barriers  of  the  Law,"  the  next  Wil- 
liam Desmond,  Helen  Holmes  picture 
which  is  now  in  the  process  of  filming 
for  Independent,  is  to  be  the  most 
elaborate  of  the  series  of  eight.  The 
story  was  written  by  and  purchased 
from  Travers  Vale,  a  prominent  direc- 
tor and  scenarist. 

The  story  was  originally  written  as 
a  superspecial  production  and  has  as 
its  locale,  the  eastern  coast  of  Florida, 
the  California  coast,  a  mythical  South 
American  Republic,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  the  underworld  of  New  York. 

A  great  deal  of  money  will  be  spent 
in  making  each  locale  as  realistic  as 
possible,  and  for  the  South  American 
scenes  several  hundred  extras  have  been 
hired  to  act  as  revolutionists. 

Another  outstanding  feature  of  the 
production  is  the  display  of  gowns  worn 
by  Helen  Holmes.  Previously  her  pic- 
tures did  not  boast  much  in  the  line  of 
fashion  display,'  but  in  her  latest  she 
will  have  nineteen  changes  of  costume 
in  clothes  of  the  most  modish  type. 


"This  is  the  life,"  says  George  Blaisdell,  former  editor  of  the  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review,  now  West  Coast  production  manager  for  Rayart.    This  still  was  taken  dur- 
ing the  filming  of  the  George  Larkin  picture,  "The  Pell  Street  Mystery." 


November  1,  1924 


Page  31 


^th  The  Independent  Distridutors 


ARROW'S  STUDIO 
ACTIVITIES  WELL  AHEAD 

With  all  the  various  needs  of  the  In- 
dependent exhibitor  in  mind,  W.  E. 
Shallenberger  laid  out  a  program  of 
productions  for  1924-25  to  carry  the 
Arrow  Pictures  trade  mark  that  is  the 
most  comprehensive  in  their  history. 

This  line  up  is  either  finished  or  in 

lSHSH5H52S2SE5HSH5ES2SSS2SHSH5HSHS2S2SSSHSHSH5SS2SHS2SHS?a 

EARLY  BIRD 

Definition:  Showmen  who 
book  the  big  JOHNNY  HINES 
SPECIALS  ahead  of  the  next 
man! — They're  the  birds  who 
will  get   the  "golden  worm!" 

C.  C.  BURR  presents 

JOHHNH 
HINEX 


NEARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.  C.    Burr,    Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following 
EXCHANGES 

(See   Editorial   List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.R.-l,  Dal-5,  Chi-4, 
.  N.Y.S.-l,  FR-1. 


production  and  will  compare  favorably 
with  the  releases  on  any  program. 

A  series  of  26  Arrow-Great  Westerns 
which  include  8  wherein  that  sterling 
actor  and  producer,  Ben  Wilson  returns 
to  the  screen  in  person,  with  such  sup- 
port as  Marjorie  Daw,  Mildred  Harris, 
Violet  La  Plante,  Reed  Howes,  Arthur 
Mackley  and  Joe  Girard — 6  starring 
Yakima  Canutt,  the  World's  Champion 
Cowboy  who  won  the  Roosevelt  Cham- 
pionship Trophy  last  year,  and  12  star- 
ring Dick  Hatton,  the  Cowboy  Com- 
edian, supported  by  Marilyn  Mills  with 
the  two  most  wonderful  horses  ever 
seen  on  the  screen,  "Star"  and  "Bev- 
erly." 

Four  "Pinto  Pete"  Stunt  pictures 
featuring  Ashton  Dearholt  in  the  name 
part  as  a  lovable  Robin  Hood  of  the  old 
West,  the  type  of  athletic  role  that 
made  "Doug"  Fairbanks  famous  in  the 
old  Triangle  days. 

■A  Third  Series  of  13  Broadway 
Comedies,  starring  Billy  West,  sup- 
ported by  Ethlyn  Gibson  as  well  as  a 
Third  Series  of  13  Mirthquake  Com- 
edies featuring  Bobby  Ray  and  Glen 
Cavender.  These  are  directed  by  Jess 
Robbins  who  is  a  record  laugh  maker. 

Three  specials  in  production  are 
"The  Lost  Chord,"  a  picture  of  ex- 
quisite sentiment,  by  Whitman  Bennett, 
from  an  adaptation  of  Sir  Arthur  Sul- 
livan's famous  song  of  that  name,  with 
a  striking  cast  including  Alice  Lake, 
David  Powell,  Dagmar  Godowsky, 
Henry  Sedley  and  Faire  Binney — 
"Winning  A  Continent,"  a  big  thrilling 
spectacle  in  which  over  10,000  savage 
warriors  massacre  some  600  heroic  pa- 
triots, 300  mounted  police  on  the  spot 
being  unable  to  prevent  a  number  of 
fatalities,  —  "California  in  '49,"  a 
graphic  portrayal  of  the  winning  of  the 
Golden  State  for  the  Union  by  a  hand- 
ful of  Americans  in  1848,  made  with 
the  assistance  of  the  California  His- 
torical Society. 

Last,  but  not  least,  is  the  Arrow 
Chapter-play,  "Riders  of  the  Plains," 
starring  Marilyn  Mills,  Jack  Perrin  and 
those  wonderful  horses  "Star"  and 
"Beverly,"  which  practically  finished, 
is  now  being  released. 

*    *  * 

BANNER  CLOSING 
TERRITORY 

On  behalf  of  Banner  Production,  Inc., 
George  H.  Davis  announces  the  follow- 
ing territories  closed  this  week  by  his 
associate  Samuel  J.  Briskin,  on  both  the 
Banner  Big  Four  Series  and  the  four 
Ben  Verschleiser  productions,  released 
under  Banner  auspices  in  the  independ- 
ent field : 

California,  Arizona  and  Navada  to 


the  All  Star  Feature  Distributors,  Inc., 
with  offices  in  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Francisco. 

These  series  include:  "The  Truth 
About  Women,"  "The  Man  Without  A 
Heart"  and  "Those  Who  Judge,"  prints 
of  all  of  which  are  now  in  the  ex- 
changes handling  Banner  product  or 
about  to  be  shipped.  These  subjects 
will  be  followed  by  "The  Three  Keys" 
and  "Daughters  Who  Pay." 


CRANFIELD     &     CLARKE,     INC.  | 


JUST  RELEASED 

Three 
Top-Hole 
Productions 


"Lily  of  the  Alley' 
Starring  CHRISSIE  WHITE 


"Strangling  Threads 
Starring  ALMA  TAYLOR 


AND 


"A  Soul's  Awakening" 
Starring 
FLORA  Le  BRETON 


ALSO 


12  Hep  worth  Gems 

Single  reels  of  exceptional  merit 


Ask  your    independent  ex- 
change   for     Cranfield  & 
Clarke    Hepworth  produc- 
tions.   They  are  all 
WINNERS. 


CRANFIELD 
&  CLARKE 

729  Seventh  Ave. 


CRANFIELD     &     CLARKE,  INC. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ifith  The  Independent  Distributors 


CP  ' 


John  Bowers  and  Lillian  Rich  enact  a  dramatic  scene  in  Ben  Verschle  ser's  produc 
rion,  "Empty  Hearts,"  for  Banner  Distribution.    This  picture  is  full  of  human  in- 
terest and  unfolds  an  interesting  theme. 


BANNER  PRODUCTIONS 
BUYS  "SPEED" 

In  line  with  the  reported  plans  of 
George  H.  Davis  and  Samuel  J.  Bris- 
kin,  directing  heads  of  Banner  Produc- 
tions, Inc.,  to  produce  for  the  State 
Right  field,  a  series  of  attractions  more 
elaborate  and  ambitious  than  any  that 
have  yet  been  available  in  this  market, 
comes  the  announcement  this  week  by 
Mr.  Davis  of  the  purchase  of  "Speed," 
a  rural  melodrama  of  the  most  modern 
type,  by  Grace  Sartwell  Mason,  which 
begins  publication  in  the  October  15 
issues  of  the  Saturday  Evening  Post. 

It  is  known  that  in  securing  "Speed" 
for  production  under  Banner  auspices, 
Mr.  Davis  competed  directly  with  bid- 
ders representing  several  of  the  leading 
national  distributors  and  it  is  reliably 
stated  that  immediately  following  the 
conclusion  of  his  purchase  of  the  story 
from  the  author,  Mr.  Davis  was  offered 
a  price  for  the  story  which  would  have 
afforded  him  a  net  profit  on  the  trans- 
fer, greater  by  a  considerable  margin 
than  the  entire  sum  he  has  frequently 
paid  for  previous  Banner  vehicles. 

According  to  Mr.  Davis'  announce- 
ment, "Speed"  will  at  once  be  put  into 
continuity  form  for  production  and 
will  then  be  put  into  work  on  the 
Coast  under  the  supervision  of  Ben 


Verschleiser,  following  the  completion 
>of  "The  Three  Keys,"  which  that  pro- 
ducer is  now  making  from  the  novel  of 
Frederic  Ormond  for  Banner. 

Edward  Le  Saint,  now  directing 
"The  Three  Keys,"  may  be  put  under 
contract  to  produce  Miss  Mason's  story 
for  the  screen,  though  this  is  not  yet 
determined.  In  any  event  it  is  certain 
that  this  feature  will  be  made  on  a 
scale  of  costs  and  elaborate  technical 
detail,  hitherto  not  approached  by  any 
attraction  distributed  under  the  Ban- 
ner brand. 


RAYART  IS  CLOSING 
TERRITORY  RAPIDLY 

W.  Ray  Johnston,  President  of  Ray- 
art  Pictures  Corporation,  announced 
this  week  that  the  new  serial,  "Battling 
Brewster,"  starring  Franklyn  Farnum 
and  Helen  Holmes  and  produced  by 
Dell  Henderson  Productions,  has  been 
sold  to  Eltraban  Film  Company  for  the 
Southeastern  Territory — this  includes 
North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
Florida,  Alabama  and  Tennessee. 

The  Eltraban  Company  operates  Ex- 
changes in  Charlotte  and  Atlanta  and 
will  release  the  new  serial  on  Decem- 
ber 1. 

Rayart  has  sold  the  rights  to  "Bat- 


tling Brewster"  for  upper  New  York 
State  to  First  Graphic  Exchanges  of 
Buffalo  and  Albany.  The  serial  will 
be  released  in  that  territory  January  1. 

%    *  * 

INDEPENDENT  TAKES 
NEW  OFFICES 

The  Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  has 
just  moved  its  New  York  Executive 
offices  into  new  quarters  which  occupy 
twice  the  space  in  the  Lowe  State 
Building  that  were  used  by  the  offices 
heretofore. 

The  necessity  for  increasing  the 
amount  of  office  space  is  another  in- 
dication of  the  steady  growth  of  the 
organization  which  started  two  years 
ago  in  a  modest  little  one  room  office. 
Since  then  progress  has  been  so  rapid 
that  it  was  found  impossible  to  accom- 
modate the  constantly  growing  staff  in 
even  the  roomy  quarters  which  suc- 
ceeded the  initial  miniature  office. 

In  addition  to  the  Eastern  executive 
office,  Independent  will  retain  its  fully 
equipped  Hollywood  quarters  which 
are  operated  ad  year  around. 

The  establishment  of  the  new  offices 
in  New  York  is  .  intended  as  a  surprise 
to  Jesse  J.  Goldburg  who  will  return 
this  week  from  a  ten  week's  stay  in 
Hollywood,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
supervising  productions.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  new  offices  will  be  entirely 
completed  by  the  first  of  November. 

pp         jjc         *|C    _  , 

LEONARD  SERIES  IS 
WINNING  FAVOR 

Reports  from  exchanges  throughout 
the  country  indicate  that  the  Benny 
Leonard  films  are  receiving  a  warm 
welcome  wherever  shown.  Henry 
Ginsberg,  who  is  distributing  the  "Fly- 
ing Fists"  series,  reports  that  exhibitors 
are  now  booking  the  pictures  heavily 
and  that  they  are  getting  an  immediate 
reaction  at  the  box-office. 

Leonard,  it  is  understood,  will  make 
several  personal  appearances  following 
the  conclusion  of  his  work  in  the  stu- 
dio on  the  last  film  of  the  series.  Sam 
Hellman  is  now  engaged  in  titling  the 
fourth  bout  of  the  series,  and  will  com- 
plete the  others  within  a  few  weeks. 
*    *  * 

C.  B.  C.  STARTS  FOURTH 

West  Coast  studio  advices  announce 
that  Scott  Dunlap  has  taken  his  com- 
pany out  and  has  started  the  actual 
shooting  of  "One  Glorious  Night,"  the 
fourth  in  the  series  of  eight  Columbia 
Pictures  featuring  Elaine  Hammerstein 
with  Alan  Roscoe,  Phyllis  Haver,  Free- 
man Wood,  Lillian  Elliot,  Mathilde 
Brundage  and  Clarisse  Selwynne. 


November  1,  1924 


Page  33 


^ith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


C.  B.  C.  PRODUCTION  IS 
AHEAD  OF  SCHEDULE 

Jack  Cohn  Vice-President  of  C.  B. 
C.  has  returned  to  the  home  office  in 
New  York.  In  commenting  on  the 
state  of  affairs  on  the  coast  he  says 
"Our  plans  for  production  have  exceed- 
ed by  far  our  expectations.  We  are 
many  months  ahead  of  our  schedule. 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 


If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 

ALL   FIVE    REEL  DRAWING 

CARDS  TH  T  PILE  UP  MONEY! 

 r  

Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 

WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St. 


New  York  City 


"The  plans  laid  so  carefully  in  the 
season  have  now  born  fruit.  The  num- 
ber of  pictures  which  we  promised  and 
advertised  will  be  forthcoming  to  the 
very  last  item.  Our  greatest  progress 
has  been  wth  the  Perfection  series  in 
which  we  star  William  Fairbanks  and 
Eva  Novak.  The  exhibitors  who  have 
used  these  pictures  so  successfully  will 
be  glad  to  know  that  pictures  which  had 
been  scheduled  for  release  as  late  as 
next  March  are  almost  completed. 

"In  the  Columbia  series  we  are  also 
well  advanced.  Stars  and  directors 
have  been  assigned  to  all  pictures  and 
they  will  come  through  in  regular  order. 
"The  Foolish  Virgin"  was  good,  I  be- 
lieve that  "The  Price  She  Paid"  is  equal 
to  it  in  every  way,  and  the  others  will 
only  enhance  the  regard  that  the  exhib- 
itors and  the  public  will  have  for  the 
Columbia  trademark." 

Mr.  Cohn  also  brought  with  him  the 
first  print  of  "The  Midnight  Express," 


which  was  finished  the  day  he  left.  A 
special  office  showing  of  this  film  makes 
those  who  saw  it  feel  sure  that  it  will 
be  judged  better  than  many  big  and  well 
advertised  specials  now  on  the  market. 


*  * 


ROCHESTER  THEATRE 
TAKES  26  ARROWS 

Freedom  Film  Corporation,  Roches- 
ter, New  York  of  which  L.  D.  Wolfe 
is  President,  and  Homer  Howard, 
Sales  Manager,  have  secured  the  26 
Arrow-Great  Westerns,  starring  Ben 
Wilson,  Marjory  Daw,  Mildred  Har- 
ris, Violet  La  Plante,  Dick  Hatton, 
Yakima  Canutt,  World's  Champion 
Cowboy,  Ruth  Stonehouse,  Marilyn 
Mills  and  her  equine  wonders,  "Star" 
and  "Beverly." 

They  are  instituting  an  extensive  ad- 
vertising and  exploitation  campaign  on 
these  super  Westerns  for  upper  New 
York  State. 


.  \  \  \  I  /  /  /  /  : 

RAYARX 
^PICTURES/ 
W.RAY  JOHNSTON 

presents 


mm 


tfhe  Seasons  Greatest 
Pioneer  Picture 


PRODUCED  BY 
K.LEE  WILLIAMS 


I  PRODUCED  ON  MILLER  BROS. 
FAMOUS  lOl  RANCH 


DIRECTION!  BY 
CORDON  HINES 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Jfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


"Speed  Spook"  Ballyhoo  Creates 
Big  Stir  On  Broadway 


THE  Times  Square  and  Fifth  Ave- 
nue sections  of  New  York  City 
were  all  agog  with  excitement 
this  week  when  the  "Speed  Spook."  car 
used  by  Johnny  Hines  in  his  latest  "The 
Speed  Spook"  made  its  appearance  in 
New  York's  busiest  streets  during  the 
noon  hours. 

This  car  constructed  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  make  it  appear  that  there  were 
no  one  at  the  wheel  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  thousands  of  pedestrians, 
who  could  not  fathom  how  this  weird 
automobile  going  at  the  rate  of  about 
25  miles  per  hour  through  the  maze  of 
traffic,  was  operated. 

The  exploit  resulted  in  a  traffic  jam 
in  front  of  the  Criterion  Theatre. 
Hundreds  of  people  crowded  around  to 
see  what  would  happen,  their  curiosity 
naturally  having  been  piqued  at  this 
driverless  car  which  wended  its  way 
without  mishap  through  Broadway's 
busiest  centre. 

Comments  as  to  its  being  electrically 
driven  thus  doing  away  with  the  driver 
and  other  such  far-fetched  guesses  were 
ventured  by  the  bystanders  until  the 
hood  of  the  car  was  raised  from  the 
inside  and  the  driver  found  underneath 
it.  This  was  made  possible  by  recon- 
structing a  Buick  automobile  so  that  the 
entire  mechanism  was  lowed  almost  to 
the  base  of  the  chassis.  When  the  hood 
was  brought  over  a  small  aperture  was 
left,  so  that  the  driver  who  was  entire- 
ly concealed  could  nevertheless  see  ev- 
erything ahead  of  him. 

So  great  was  the  crowd  that  collected 
around  the  "Speed  Spook"  that  com- 
plete traffic  was  held  up.  When  the 
"why"  of  the  car  was  discovered  by  the 
curiosity  seekers,  there  was  much  laugh- 
ter and  shaking  of  heads  by  the  wise- 
acres who  wondered  what  next  the  pic- 
ture people  would  be  up  to.  From  all 
sides  came  the  comment,  "Clever" 
"unique,"  "original"  and  othe^  descrip- 
tive terms  of  the  ingenuity  tnat  made 
possible  the  making  of  the  "speed 
spook"  car. 

Following  this  brief  stop  at  the  Cri- 
terion, the  car  made  its  way  down  4'4th 
Street  to  Fifth  Avenue,  and  with  klax- 
on sounding,  the  "spook"  had  clear  traf- 
fic until  it  reached  Fifth  Avenue. 

When  the  car  approached  the  Public 
Library  one  of  the  pedestrians  thinking 


that  the  car  was  running  wild  dashed 
through  the  maze  of  traffic  and  was 
almost  seriously  hurt  when  the  emer- 
gency break  which  he  grasped  came 
down  bodily  causing  him  to  lose  his 
balance.  Fortunately  he  only  sustained 
a  slight  wrench  of  the  wrist  when  he 
fell  off  the  car. 

The  gathering  crowds  superceeded 
that  on  Broadway  and  in  less  time  than 
no  time  Fifth  Avenue  traffic  was  also 
at  a  standstill.  Whenever  the  crowd 
collected  word  was  passed  around  by 
specially  "planted"  men  that  it  was  a 
"ipecd  spook"  car  used  by  Johnny 
Hines  in  his  latest  picture,  "The  Speed 
Spook." 

Stills  of  the  crowds  .  following  the 
"Speed  Spook"  were  taken  in  front  of 
the  C.iterion  theatre,  the  Piccadily  thea- 


Yakimo  Canutt,  world's  champion  cowboy, 
is  appearing  in  a  series  of  Great  Westerns 
for  Arrow  and  is  giving  his  many  fans  un- 
limited thrills  with  his  daring  horsemanship. 


tre  and  the  Public  Library  on  Fifth 
Avenue. 

The  unusual  manner  in  which  the 
complete  stunt  was  handled  brought 
"The  Speed  Spook"  some  very  valuable 
advertising  and  publicity  that  was  at 
once  unique,  original  and  decidedly 
clever. 


SELLING  CAMPAIGN  FOR 
"THE  WIZARD  OF  OZ" 

Two  hundred  first  run  exhibitions  of 
"The  Wizard  of  Oz"  during  the  holi- 
day season,  is  the  aim  of  the  intensive 
selling  campaign  inaugurated  last  week 
by  I.  E.  Chadwick,  President  of  Chad- 
wick  Pictures  Corporation,  for  Larry 
Semon's  latest  feature  picture  now  in 
production,  a  screen  version  of  one  of 
the  world's  most  famous  fantastic 
stories  which  was  also  a  great  stage 
play — the  play  that  made  Fred  Stone  a 
star. 

Following  the  plans  formulated  by 
Mr.  Chadwick,  his  organization  is  now 
establishing  contact  with  the  leading  ex- 
hibitors in  the  country,  an  exhaustive 
campaign  that  is  easily  the  largest  and 
most  embracing  campaign  ever  conduct- 
ed in  the  industry  on  a  single  produc- 
tion. Within  a  few  days  personal  rep- 
resentatives of  the  Chadwick  organiza- 
tion will  leave  for  various  territories 
and  they  will  be  supplemented  by  a 
nation-wide  direst  selling  campaign 
from  the  home  offices  and  by  extensive 
trade  and  national  advertising. 

Contact  has  already  been  established 
with  a  number  of  nationally  known 
manufacturers  who  will  participate  in 
the  exploitation  of  the  production.  De- 
tails of  these  tie-ups  will  be  forthcom- 
ing in  the  near  future,  and  as  with  the 
rest  of  the  campaign,  they  overshadow 
in  magnitude  anything  hitherto  attempt- 
ed on  a  motion  picture  production. 

sK       %  % 

GINSBERG  CLOSES 
COAST  TERRITORIES 

Henry  Ginsberg  announces  that  he 
has  completed  arrangements  for  the 
distribution  of  "Flying  Fists,"  starring 
Benny  Leonard,  champion  lightweight 
of  the  world,  with  Louis  Hyman,  of  the 
Ail-Star  Feature  Distributors,  in  San 
Francisco. 

Jacob  Wilk  reports  that  the  Inter- 
Globe  Export  Corporation  has  conclud- 
ed arrangements  with  distributors  for 
the  Leonard  series  in  England,  Cuba, 
Phillipine  Islands  and  the  Argentine  ter- 
ritory, which  includes  Peru,  Chili  and 
other  nations  on  the  west  coast  of 
South  America. 

C  &  C  EXPANDS 

In  the  firm  of  Cranfield  &  Clarke 
Inc.,  business  has  been  increasing  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  and  as  more  space 
was  required  for  new  departments  to 
be  opened,  this  new  and  enterprising 
firm  have  removed  to  more  commodi- 
ous premises  on  the  6th  floor  in  729 
Seventh  Avenue. 


November  I,  1924 


Page  35 


''With  The  Independent  Distributors 


Picture  Production 
Like  Manufacturing 

Says  Jack  Cohn 

Vice  President  of  C.  B.  C. 

THE  STUDIO  force  of  the  Wal- 
production  name  of  the  C.  B.  C. 
dorf  Studios  Inc.  which  is  the 
organization  has  much  to  congratulate 
itself  on  since  the  pictures  have  been 
sent  on  to  the  East  for  this  season's 
production.  Early  in  the  year  Harry 
Cohn  and  Jack  Cohn  got  together  and 
worked  out  a  plan  of  production  and 
stuck  to  it. 

They  had  with  them  such  directors 
as  George  W.  Hill,  Henry  MacRae, 
Reeves  Eason  and  W.  S.  Van  Dyke. 
There  are  two  large  production  units. 
The  unit  making  the  Columbia  Pictures 
and  the  one  making  the  Perfection 
series.  Each  series  consists  of  eight 
pictures.  Stars  stories  and  directors 
were  land  out  in  a  regular  schedule  and 
work  was  begun. 

Directors  have  been  alternated  and 
set  work  planned  so  that  when  one 
company  was  making  exteriors  another 


was  using  one  of  the  sets  in  the  studio 
and  whenever  and  as  often  as  possible 
all  sets  have  been  kept  busy. 

"Production,"  'says  Jack  Cohn,  "in 
the  motion  picture  industry  can  be 
planned  and  executed  just  the  same  as 
manufacture  in  any  well  run  factory. 
Orders  are  routed  through  and  work 
kept  on  a  schedule  laid  out  with  the 
sole  purpose  of  keeping  every  machine 
and  employee  busy  all  the  time." 

The  result  of  this  sort  of  intensive 
planning  has  been  that  pictures  that 
were  calculated  to  keep  the  studio 
forces  busy  for  a  whole  year  have  been 
finished  months  ahead  of  time. 

All  the  Columbia  Pictures  have  been 
provided  for.  Four  have  been  completed 
and  shipped  and  two  are  now  in  work. 
In  the  perfection  series  all  the  pictures 
for  release  as  late  as  next  March  have 
been  practically  completed. 


J  hematic  Music 


Cue  ^She.e.t' 


M,  J,  Ml  NTZ  p»ti 


IS  FURNISHED  WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 
INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 

Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


Additions  to  the  studio  force  have 
not  been  made  in  a  hurry.  The  policy 
of  the  Cohn  Brothers  has  been  to  wait 
till  a  good  man  was  available  to  fill  the 
place  and  then  to  go  and  get  him.  Re- 
cent acquisition  of  Walter  Anthony  to 
write  titles  and  Douglas  Doty  the  for- 
mer editor  of  Century  and  Cosmo- 
politan magazines  to  write  continuities 
and  edit  stories  puts  a  finish  on  the 
studio  organization  that  speaks  well  for 
the  pictures  to  be  put  out. 

The  work  on  the  forthcoming  pro- 
ductions, in  the  matter  of  writing  adap- 
tations and  continuities,  of  George  Barr 
McCutcheon's,  "A  Fool  and  His  Mon- 
ey," and  Cosmo  Hamilton's,  "Who 
Cares,"  will  be  in  their  hands.  This  is 
the  sort  of  work  which  does  not  show 
directly  on  the  screen  but  must  be  done 
well  in  order  that  the  director  may  do 
his  work  well. 


Where  To  Book  Them  ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


WANDA  HAWLEY 
NIGEL  BARRIE 

Harding  Steerman 
H.  R.  Hignett 
Mary  Brough 
John  Harris 
Warburton  Gamble 
Cecil  Morton  York 
James  Lindsay 
Mary    Claire,  in 

George  R.  Sim's  Famous 
Melodrama 

"THE  LIGHTS 
OF  LONDON" 


An  A.  C. 


and  R.  C.  Bromhead 
Production 


"nftnici  bjj,  d/ 
L  LEC-BKADFORP  corporation  l! 
701  SeventhAve  New  York. 


ALBANY,   N.  Y. 
Alb — 1   First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First   Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi — 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard  Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle~3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal- -4  Midwest  Film  Ex..  2111   Moser  Av. 
Dal — 5  All  Star  Feature  Films,  Film  Exch.  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den— 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 
Den — 3  De  Luxe  Feature  Film  Co.,  2020  Stout  St., 
Denver,  Colo.,  for  territories  of  Colo.,  Utah, 
Wyo.,  Ariz.,  and  New  Mex. 
DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind— 1  Standard  Playr's  Corp.,  144  W.  Vermont  St. 
Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC — 1  Independent  Film  Co.,   117  West  17th  St. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  Ark. 
LR — 1  Homestate  Film  Co..  1114  W.  Markham  St. 


LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 

LA— 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 

MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 

Mil — 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions    (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min — 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon — 1   Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 

NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,   Inc.,   1401   Tulana  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY  —  1  Commonwealth  Film  Com..   7"29-7th  Ave. 
NY — 2  A-l   Film   Exchange,   729-7th  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  STATE 
NY— 1  Dependable  Pict.  Corp.,  7219  7  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty    Films    Inc.,    1514    Davenport  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 

Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street. 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 
PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 

Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC— 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co..  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  209  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,  15  Richmond  St.,  E. 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Wash — 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash— 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch.,  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN   RIGHTS,   N.  Y.  CITY 
FR — 1  Simmons-Kabn    Enterprises,   220  W.  42nd  St. 
FR — 2  Inter  Ocean  Film  Corp.,  218  W.  47th  St- 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


Warner  Bros,  announce  the  purchase  of 
the  motion  picture  rights  to  E.  Phillips  Op- 
penheim's  "The  Passionate  Quest"  recently 
published  by  Hodder  &  Stoughton,  London, 
Eng.  Production  will  be  begun  soon  after 
the  announced  twenty  for  1924-25  have  been 
finished. 


A  strong  cast  has  been  selected  for  Zane 
Grey's   "The   Code   of  The   West,"  which 


Hugo  Halperin  a  few  days  ago,  is  being 
rushed  through  the  laboratories,  so  that  it 
will  be  ready  for  Vitagraph  release  about 
the  middle  of  November. 

*   *  * 

"East  of  Suez,"  Pola  Negri's  next  star- 
ring picture  for  Paramount,  which  Raoul 
Walsh  will  produce,  goes  into  production 
October  20. 

"East  of  Suez,"  has  been  adapted  by  Sada 


Harry  Carey  Troupes  De  Luxe.  For  the  railroad  scenes  in  "Roaring  Rails"  Hunt 
Stromberg  arranged  for  a  private  car  completely  fitted  up  with  an  office  for  director 
Tom  Forman  as  seen  in  the  photograph,  and  de  luxe  sleeping  quarters  for  Harry 
Carey  and  the  other  members  of  the  troupe.  "Roaring  Rails"  is  the  fourth  in  the 
series  of  Harry  Carey  westerns  to  be  released  by  Producers  Distributing  Corporation. 


the  camera  has  ever  imported  for  the  Ameri- 
can screen. 


In  the  part  of  a  modern  Southern  gentle- 
nan,  a  sort  of  Twentieth  century  version  of 
his  famous  "Colonel"  in  "The  Birth  of  a 
Nation,"  Henry  Walthall  has  been  signed  by 
Cecil  B.  de  Mille  to  appear  in  that  produc- 
er's forthcoming  Paramount  picture,  "The 
Golden  Bed." 

*    *  * 

The  second  stampede  scene  lor  Emerson 
Hough's  "North  of  36,"  has  just  been  com- 
pleted, according  to  word  received  today 
from  Camp  Irvin  Willat  in  Texas  where 
the  Paramount  company  is  now  on  location. 

Although  more  than  four  thousand  long- 
horn  cattle  were  used  in  this  stampede,  not 
an  injury  resulted,  either  to  the  men  or  to 
the  horses  and  cattle. 


Gasnier  finished  this  week  the  direction  of 
"White  Man,"  George  Agnew  Chan;  berlain's 
novel  which  will  be  the  next  Preferred  Pic- 
ture to  be  released  by  B.  P.  Schulberg  Pro- 
ductions, Tnc. 


The  name  of  Charles  A.  (Buddy)  Post, 
one  of  the  best  known  of  the  younger  vil- 
lains of  the  screen,  was  today  added  to  the 
cast  of  "The  Top  of  the  World,"  the  new 
George  Melford  production  for  Paramount 
according  to  an  announcement  made  by 
Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice-president  of  Fa- 
mous Players-Lasky  Corporation  in  charge 
of  production. 


"The  Dark  Swan,"  which  has  just  been 
completed  at  .  the  Warner  Bros.  West  Coast 
studios,  is  the  second  production  which  this 
young  director  has  finished  for  the  Warner 
company.  Marie  Prevost,  Helene  Chadwick 
and  Monte  Blue  are  prominent  in  the  cast. 


William  K.  Howard  is  directing  for  Para- 
mount. 

Owen  Moore,  featured  player  in  many 
productions  heads  the  list  in  the  role  of  an 
awkward,  Arizona  cowboy.  Constance  Ben- 
nett, plays  the  feminine  lead  opposite  Moore. 
Mabel  Ball.in,  Charles  Ogle  and  David  But- 
ler, popular  heavy,  are  other  featured  play- 
ers. 

*  *  * 

Work  has  started  at  Universal  City  in  a 
big,  spectacular  "circus  serial,"  with  Joe 
Bonomo,  Universal  prize  stunt  and  strong 
man,  in  the  leading  role,  and  directed  by  Jay 
Marchant,  maker  of  several  popular  serials. 
The  chapter  is  called  "The  Leopard's  Lair." 
It  will  be  in  fifteen  chapters,  each  of  two 
reels. 

^    $  $ 

"Let  'er  Buck!"  coming  from  the  lips  of 
fifty  workers  this  week  marked  the  comple- 
tion of  the  most  interesting  production  in 
the  career  of  Hoot  Gibson  at  Universal  City. 
The  picture  is  "Let  'er  Buck !"  It  is  a  rodeo 
drama. 

*  *  * 

"Greater  Than  Marriage,"  the  production 

work  on  which  was  completed  by  Victor 


Cowan  from  the  remarkable  novel  of  orien- 
tal life  by  Somerset  Maugham. 
The  full  cast  has  not  yet  been  selected. 

*    *  * 

Jane  Jennings  and  Lucius  Henderson  have 
been  added  to  the  cast  of  Richard  Dix's  sec- 
ond Paramount  starring  picture,  "A  Man 
Must  Live."  They  are  to  play  "Mr.  and  Airs. 
Ross-Fayne." 


Erich  von  Stroheim  has  just  passed  an- 
other mile-stone  in  his  career.  The  Metro- 
Goldwyn-Mayer  director  celebrated  his  thir- 
ty-ninth birthday  by  working"  eighteen  hours 
at  the  Culver  City  studio  preparing  for  his 
production  of  "The  Merry  Widow,"  which 
will  star  Mae  Murray. 


At  his  Mamaroneck  studio  D.  W.  Griffith 
is  engaged  on  the  interior  scenes  of  his  new 
picture,  "The  Dawn,"  which  is  to  be  his  next 
release  through  United  Artists  Corp.  These 
scenes  will  complete  the  work  on  the  pro- 
duction, since  the  exteriors  were  already 
made  by  Mr.  Griffith  abroad,  where  he  went 
seeking  backgrounds  different  from  anything 


Frank  Tuttle,  who  will  direct  Bebe  Daniels 
in  "Miss  Bluebeard,"  her  second  starring 
picture  for  Paramount,  has  returned  to  the 
Famous  Players  Long  Island  studio  from 
Asheville,  N.  C,  where  he  and  Townsend 
Alartin,  scenarist,  have  been  preparing  the 
script  for  the  new  picture.  Work  on  it 
will  be  started  as  soon  as  Miss  Daniels 
finishes  her  present  role  in  "Argentine  Love." 

*  *  * 

Lambert  Hillyer  is  to  direct  for  First  Na- 
tional. The  youthful  author-director  who 
made  more  than  25  pictures  with  Bill  Hart 
and  more  recently  handled  the  adaptation 
and  directorial  reins  of  Thomas  H.  Ince's 
"Those  Who  Dance,"  "Barbara  Frietchie," 
and  "Idle  Tongues,"  has  been  signed  by 
Earl  Hudson,  supervisor  of  First  National's 
own  producing  units. 

*  *  * 

Helen  Lindroth  has  been  signed  for  the 
eccentric  character  part  of  "Amphriosa"  in 
"The  Swan,"  which  Dimitri  Buchowetzki  is 
producing  at  the  Paramount  Long  Island 
studio.  ■ 

Miss  Lindroth  has  been  seen  in  a  greai 
many  Paramount  pictures,  the  most  recent  of 


November  1,  1924 


Page  37 


which  were  "Unguarded  Women,"  "The 
Humming  Bird,"  and  "The  Confidence  Alan." 
Her  first  role  in  a  Famous  Players  picture 
was  with  Pauline  Frederick  in  "The  Spider," 
made  in  1917  by  Robert  Yignola. 

Harry  Carey  is  about  to  step  forth  as  a 
comedian ! 

In  "Soft  Shoes,"  the  final  production  of 
his  present  series  for  Hunt  Stromberg,  the 
popular  Western  star  is  going  to  prove  that 
he  can  make  an  audience  laugh  as  well  as 
thrill. 

*  *  * 

Vic  Potel  is  a  member  of  the  Warner 
Bros,  cast  now  at  work  in  the  company's 
West  Coast  studios  producing  the  photoplay 
version  of  Willa  Gather's  popular  novel,  "A 
Lost  Lady." 

*  *  * 

Millard  Webb,  Warner  Bros,  director,  has 
just  finished  the  final  shots  of  "The  Dark 
Swan,"  which  has  been  in  production  at  the 
Warner  studios  in  Hollywood  for  the  past 
few  weeks.  The  picture  will  be  edited,  cut, 
and  titled  at  top  speed  and  early  prints  are 
expected  in  New  York  within  the  next  two 
or  three  weeks.  The  release  date  is  set  for 
November  1. 

^  ^ 

Mary  Philbin  and  Norman  Kerry,  who 
played  together  in  "Merry-Go-Round,"  one 
of  last  year's  greatest  successes,  and  Lon 
Chaney,  of  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre 
Dame,"  another  of  the  world's  greatest  pic- 
tures, are  all  to  play  together. 

One  by  one  the  characters  which  Bert 
Harte  endowed  with  so  much  color  and 
charm  in  his  "Tennessee's  Partner"  are  com- 
ing to  life  at  the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studios  where 
Hunt  Stromberg  is  producing  "The  Flaming- 
Forties,"  starring  Harry  Carey,  an  adapta- 
tion of  the  Bret  Harte  novel,  "The  Flaming 
Forties"  is  the  new  title  of  this  subject  which 
was  originally  announced  as  "The  Man  From 
Texas." 

t&  %  $ 

Edward  Sloman  has  started  production  at 
Universal  City  on  "Up  the  Ladder,"  the 
story  of  a  young  American  inventor's 
struggle  to  fame.  Virginia  Valli  is  the  star 
of  the  new  story  with  Forrest  Stanley  play- 
ing the  youthful  scientist. 

*  #  * 

October  8  saw  the  start  of  production 
work  on  "The  Pearls  of  the  Madonna"  at 
the  Vitagraph  studios  in  Hollywood.  J. 
Stuart  Blackton  is  directing.  The  picture 
will  be  an  adaptation  of  L.  V.  Jefferson's 
colorful  novel  of  Parisian  life. 


^       +  ^ 


Wesley  Ruggles  has  concluded  the  actual 
filming  of  his  first  feature  for  Warner  Bros. 
"The  Age  of  Innocence,"  from  Olga  Printz- 
lau's  screen  adaption  of  the  famous  Pulitzer 
prize  novel  by  Edith  Wharton,  starring  El- 
liott Dexter,  Beverly  Bayne,  Theodore 
Roberts  and  Stuart  Holmes. 

*    *  * 

Paul  Powell,  who  has  just  completed 
"Marriage  Morals,"  in  which  Taylor  Holmes 
and  Agnes  Ayres  are  starred,  has  been  en- 
gaged by  Frank  Woods  to  di  rect  "On  The 
Shelf,"  at  the  Peninsula  Studios  in  San 
Francisco. 


Work  on  "Fear-Bound,"  a  Smith  H.  Nigh 
production  for  Vitagraph  distribution,  is  well 
under  way.  After  passing  a  week  on  loca- 
tion near  Tuxedo,  in  the  Ramapo  Mountains 
of  New  York,  the  company  has  returned  to 
New  York  City  and  is  now  "shooting"  in- 
teriors at  the  Tec-Art  Studios. 

*  *  * 

Two  additional  First  National  pictures  are 
finished  with  the  photographic  stage  and  have 
been  put  in  the  cutting  room — "As  Man  De- 
sires," from  Gene  Wright's  novel  of  India, 
"Pandora  La  Croix,"  featuring  Milton  Sills, 
and  Corinne  Griffith's  first  starring  venture 
for  First  National,  "Love's  Wilderness," 
from  Evelyn  Campbell's  story  called  "Wil- 
derness." 

*  *  * 

Robert  Frazer,  one  of  the  screen's  most 
popular  leading  man  yesterday  was  signed  to 
play  leading  male  role  in  the  Paramount  pro- 
duction "Miss  Bluebeard"  in  which  Bebe 
Daniels  will  appear  as  star,  according  to  an 
announcement  by  Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice 
president  of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corpora- 
tion, in  charge  of  production. 

%  's|e 

Clara  Bow,  famous  film  flapper,  is  the  lat- 
est to  hear  the  call  of  the  eastern  studios. 
This  clever  young  player  finished  last  week 
a  three  months'  engagement  in  the  special 
production,  "The  Birth  of  the  West"  and  al- 
most immediately  caught  an  eastbound  train 
for  New  York  where  she  will  play  the  prin- 
cipal role  in  Howard  Estabrook's  next  pic- 
ture, "The  Adventurous  Sex." 

*  *  * 

First  National  has  selected  "Love's  Wil- 
derness" as  the  final  title  for  its  first  pro- 
duction starring  Corinne  Griffith.  This  is 
the  picture  formerly  known  as  "Wilderness," 
from  Evelyn  Campbell's  story  of  that  title. 

Raymond  Hatton,  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  character  actors  on  the  screen  to- 
day, was  placed  under  long  term  contract  to 
appear  exclusively  in  Paramount  Pictures, 
according  to  an  announcement  made  by  Jesse 
L.  Lasky,  first  vice-president  of  the  Famous 
Players-Lasky  Corporation  in  charge  of  pro- 
duction. 

*  *  * 

With  camera  work  completed  on  B.  P. 
Schulberg's  Preferred,  "White  Man,"  the  film 
is  now  being  cut  and  edited  in  preparation  for 


the  feature's  general  release  on  November  1. 
Gasnier  directed  this  novel  by  George  Agnew 
Chamberlain  which  Eve  Unsell  and  Olga 
Printzlau  prepared  for  the  screen.  In  the 
c?st  are  Alice  Joyce,  Kenneth  Harlan  and- 
Walter  Long. 

*  *  * 

Pat  O'Malley,  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
present  day  leading  men,  has  been  engaged 
by  the  Peninsula  Studios  at  San  Mateo,  Cal., 
to  play  the  principal  male  role  in  "On  the 
Shelf"  the  Frank  Woods  Production  that  will 
be  the  first  1925  release  by  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corporation. ' 

*  *-  t- 

Edmund  Lowe  has  started  work  at  the 
William  Fox  West  Coast  Studios  on  his  third 
starring  picture  titled  "Ports  of  Call."  Deni- 
son  Clift  is  directing  this  production  from 
the  story  by  Garrett  B.  Ford  and  the  scenario 
by  Edfrid  Bingham. 

*  *  * 

An  exceptionally  well  balanced  cast  has 
been  announced  by  Warner  Bros,  for  "The 
Broadway  Butterfly,"  which  has  just  been 
put  in  production  in  the  company's  West 
Coast  studios.  Dorothy  Devore  and  John 
Roche  play  opposite  each  other  in  the  leading 
roles  with  Louise  Fazenda,  Cullen  Landis, 
Willard  Louis,  Wilfred  Lucas,  and  Lilyan 
Tashman  prominent  in  their  support. 

:J:  ifc 

First  National  has  signed  Lambert  Hillyer, 
who  has  directed  several  recent  productions 
for  Thomas  H.  Ince  and  who  wrote  and  di- 
rected many  of  William  S.  Hart's  greatest 
successes,  to  wield  the  megaphone  on  the  fi  m 
version  of  Maxwell  Struthers  Burt's  novel, 
"The  Interpreter's  House,"  which  will  be  one 
of  that  company's  first  production  at  the  old 
Biograph  Studios  in  New  York. 

Renaud  Hoffman  who  will  make  a  series 
of  four  productions  for  release  by  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  during  the  coming 
season  has  announced  the  signing  of  Henry 
B.  Walthall  for  the  first  picture,  work  on 
which  will  be  started  within  the  next  ten 
days. 

Following  the  selection  of  Syd  Chaplin  to 
play  the  stellar  role  of  "Babs"  in  the  fi'rn 
production  of  "Charley's  Aunt,"  Al  Christie 
has  selected  a  big  list  of  well  known  names 
to  fill  the  other  roles  in  the  picture,  which 
will  be  directed  by  Scott  Sidney,  starting  this 
week. 


Laurette  Taylor  enjoys  a  movie  luncheon  with  Clarence  Badger,  her  director,  be- 
tween scenes  of  her  latest  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  picture,  "One  Night  in  Rome." 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"According  To  Exhibitor  Hoyle" — 

Is  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  Studio  Motto 

W  herein  "Hoyle"  Stands  for  "Showmanshiv  and  Exploitation''  Written  Directly  into  the 
Script  of  Possibilities  Before  Production  Starts  at  Culver  City 


T 


HE  policy  of  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review  publishing  a  studio  num- 
ber at  regular  intervals  is  indeed 
a  commendable  one.  There  has  never 
been  enough  trade 
discussion  of  studio 
activities  and  the  im- 
portance  of  the 
source  of  supply. 

The  principal  rea- 
son I  have  for  mak- 
ing that  statement  is 
that  I  believe  the 
real  "boss"  of  the 
studio  is  the  exhibi- 
tor himself ! 

There  is  little  ne- 
cessity of  clarifying 
that  statement.  At 
least,  the  production 
executives  of  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn  believe 
there  is  not,  for  we 
all  believe  in  it  as 
the  only  solution  to  the  problem  of  how 
to  continually  make  better  and  more 
profitable  box-office  attractions. 

After  all  is  said  and  done,  the  exhibi- 
tor, who  these  days  must  essentially  be 
a  thorough  showman,  is  the  true  pulse 
of  the  public.  Local  conditions  through- 
out the  country  are  too  varied  for  any 
producer  to  attempt  to  assemble  his 
specifications  directly  from  any  public 
survey. 

Far  too  often  such  attempts  have  re- 
sulted in  the  "public"  fooling  the  pro- 
ducer. The  prolific  "fans"  who  have 
loudly  signified  their  preference  for  this 
or  that  type  of  picture  in  answering 
questionnaires  have  many  times  had 
their  requests  fulfilled  to  the  box-office 
sorrow  of  the  exhibitor  himself. 

The  highlight  of  the  situation  is  that 
the  general  public  has  an  uncanny  way 
of  tabooing  what  the  so-called  "fans" 
say  is  "What  the  Public  Wants!" 

Working  on  that  policy,  my  associates, 
Mr.  Thalberg  and  Mr.  Rapf,  and  my- 
self have  set  ourselves  to  the  task  of 
first  studying  exhibitor  requirements 
and  then  fulfilling  them  by  primarily 


By  LOUIS  B.  MAYER 

Vice-President  and  General  Manager 
of  Production. 


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  produc- 
tion executives.  Left,  Irving 
C.  Thalberg,  executive  assist- 
ant, Louis  B.  Mayer.  Center. 
Mr.  Mayer,  vice-president  of 
the  organization.  Right,  Harry 
Rapf,  Associate-Studio-Execu- 
tive,    Supervising  production. 


building   of    "showmanship"  pictures. 

And  just  what  are  showmanship  pic- 
tures ?  And  what  is  showmanship  it- 
self ? 

You  all  have  your  own  separate  def- 
initions, undoubtedly,  but  we,  who  are 
responsible  for  the  production  of  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn  features,  are  proud  to  say 
that  we  have  your  general  answer  pretty 
well  defined. 

It  comes  from  over  twelve  thousand 
box-offices,  through  which  the  answer 
has  been  clearly  told  to  us  in  profitable 
dollars. 

And  the  answer  is  that  "showman- 
ship" on  the  part  of  the  exhibitor  is 
the  art  of  assembling  the  best  b<~>x-of- 


fice  entertainment  material  and  then 
shouting  from  the  house  tops  that 
you've  got  it. 

"Showmanship  Productions,"  there- 
fore are  pictures 
built  according  to 
Exhibitor  Hoyle 
giving  him  first  the 
ultimate  in  box-of- 
fice values  of  attrac- 
tion, and  then  the 
ultimate  in  exploita- 
tion ammunition  for 
"shouting"  purposes. 

In  fact,  that  has 
actually  become  the 
Metro  -  Goldwyn  - 
Mayer  studio  motto 
which  guides  us 
through  every  step 
of  production  from 
the  selection  of  the 
script  to  the  final  O. 
K.  of  the  tints  and 
tones  of  the  laboratory  prints. 

It  is  our  very  religion,  so  true  has 
become  the  proof  that  we  are  on  the 
only  real  right  track.  We  feel  we  do 
not  dare  deviate  from  the  showmanship 
formula  any  more  than  we  would  try 
to  stage  a  story  without  romance,  sus- 
pense, or  mystery. 

Every  week  Messrs.  Rapf  and  Thal- 
berg hold  conferences  with  the  con- 
tinuity writers  to  discuss  primarily  the 
box-office  angles  of  the  scripts  and 
what  "continuity  aids"  can  be  written  in 
for  the  exhibitor. 

I  could  take  you  over  a  tour  of  the 
Culver  City  studios  and  I  believe  amaze 
you  with  the  eye-proof  of  the  practical 
way  we  follow  out  this  principle  in 
every  step  and  stage  of  production. 

You  would  see  scores  of  still  photo- 
graphers staging  special  "shots"  that 
are  alive  with  cut-out,  special  enlarge- 
ment or  smashing  poster  possibilities 
because  they  operate  under  showman- 
ship specifications. 

You  would  see  the  directorial  staffs 
throughout  the  fifty-two  acres  of  Cul- 
(Continued  on  page  39) 


November  1,  1924 


Page  39 


Paramount  Studios  Reaching 
Maximum  Production 


FALL  production  activities  at  the 
Paramount  Long  Island  studio 
reached  a  peak  this  week.  With 
four  companies  actually  working  and 
two  more  units  making  preparations  for 
forthcoming  productions  the  huge  stu- 
dio presented  a  maelstrom  of  action. 

More  than  eleven  hundred  extra 
people  in  addition  to  the  regular  mem- 
bers of  the  cast  were  used  for  the  four 
productions  that  are  in  work.  Allan 
Dwan  directed  some  of  the  biggest 
scenes  for  his  new  picture,  "Argentine 
Love,"  featuring  Bebe  Daniels  and 
Ricardo  Cortez.  For  the  grape  fiesta 
scenes  in  the  Argentine  he  used  483 
extras,  depicting  peons,  gauchos,  mer- 
chants, dancing  girls  and  townspeople 
as  a  colorful  background  for  Miss  Dan- 
iels and  Mr.  Cortez,  who  perform  a 
Spanish  dance  as  a  climax  to  the  en- 
tertainment which  comes  at  grape  har- 
vest time  in  all  South  American  com- 
munities. 

These  scenes  were  filmed  in  a  pic- 
turesque Spanish  village  which  was 
built  in  the  back  yard  of  the  big  studio 
while  on  the  main  stage  of  the  budd- 
ing Paul  Sloane  had  250  soldiers  and 
guests  in  a  big  regimental  reception  co- 
incident with  the  departure  of  soldiers 
for  Europe,  a  part  of  his  new  picture, 
"A  Man  Must  Live."  Richard  Dix,  the 
star,  Jacqueline  Logan,  and  Edna 
Murphy  were  the  principals. 

OUT  in  Great  Neck,  L.  L,  near  the 
waters  of  the  Sound,  Thomas 
Meiehan  made  scenes  on  an  Indian  res- 
ervation for  his  latest  production, 
"Tongues  of  Flame."  In  these  scenes 
Director  Joseph  Henaberry  had  a  mix- 
ture of  Indians  and  white  people  num- 
bering over  four  hundred.  The  com- 
pany worked  night  and  day  on  this  lo- 
cation for  three  days  getting  gripping 
scenes 

In  direct  contrast  to  these  scenes 
Dimitri  Buchowetzki  used  fifty  soldiers 
and  court  attendants  for  action  m  the 
Swan"  as  background  for  Adolph  Men- 
iou,  who  has  the  role  of  the  prince. 
'  While  all  this  activity  was  going  on 
in  the  studio  and  on  location  Sidney 
Olcott  was  making  preparations  for  the 
production  of  "Salome  of  the  Tene- 
ments" in  which  Jetta  Goudal  will  have 
the  title  role.  He  expects  to  start  filming 
this  picture  within  ten  days.  Prank 
■Turtle  also  is  busv  with  the  preliminary 
plans  for  his  second  picture  for  Para- 
mount, "Miss  Bluebeard",  which  will 
have  Bebe  Daniels  for  a  star.  He  and 
Townsend  Martin,  who  wrote  the  scen- 
ario, have  just  returned  from  Asheville, 
N.  C.  where  they  have  been  for  the  last 
week  working  on  the  story. 


Betty  Bronson,  chosen  by  Sir  James  M.  Barrie  to  play  the  title  role  in  "Peter  Pan," 
salutes  her  director,  Herbert  Brenon,  who  is  to  direct  the  Paramount  production. 
Jesse  L.  Lasky,  first  vice  president  in  charge  of  production  of  Famous  Players  Lasky 

Corporation,  was  the  judge  of  points. 


In  the  Western  studios  of  the  Fa- 
mous Players-Lasky  Corp.,  many  new 
productions  are  being  whipped  into 
shape.  These  include  Herbert  Brenon's 
production  of  J.  M'.  Barrie's  "Peter 
Pan,"  Victor  Fleming's  production  of 
"The  Devil's  Cargo,"  which  lead  the 
way.  Anna  O.  Nilsson,  James  Kirkwood 
are  being  screened  in  colorful  South 


Another  corner   of  the   "Peter   Pan"  set 
where  Director   Herbert  Brenon  is  read 
ing  from  the  book  to  Crystal  Rapp  and 
Sadie  Campbell,  who  play  fairy  roles  in 
this  Paramount  production. 


African  scenes  of  "The  Top  of  the 
World,"  with  Mr.  Kirkwood  in  an  in- 
teresting dual  role.  On  location  "The 
Code  of  the  West,"  Zane  Grey's  story 
is  giving  Owen  Moore,  Constance  Ben- 
nett, and  Mabel  Ballin  excellent  dra- 
matic opportunities  under  the  direction 
of  William  K.  Howard. 


ACCORDING  TO  HOYLE 

(Continued  from  page  38) 

ver  City  painstakingly  building  up  this 
or  that  scene  because  it  was  a  bit  of 
sequence  teeming  with  exploitation 
wealth — or  "boiling  down"  a  bit  be- 
cause it  might  disturb  this  or  that  ele- 
ment of  theatre  patronage. 

You  would  see  the  advertising  and 
exploitation  men  themselves  actually 
delighted  in  literal  overtime  efforts  to 
build  up  distinctive  eye-catching  and 
attention-gripping  material  and  "stunts" 
for  the  best  "cashing  in"  possibilities 
for  the  exhibitor  on  each  production. 

And,  above  all,  you  would  quickly 
see  that  every  man  in  charge  of  this  or 
that  department  is  a  showman,  himself, 
like  the  men  who  built  up  such  organi- 
zations as  Metro,  and  Goldwyn,  and 
Mayer,  and  then  brought  about  the  big 
merger,  which  in  itself  is  the  most  out- 
standing and  significant  example  of 
showmanship  developed  within  the 
year. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Warner  Studios'  Comprehensive  Production 
Unit — Every  Detail  Performed  On 

Fourteen-Acre  Lot 


IM  Los  Angeles,  where  motion  picture 
studios  represent  the  lost  work  in 
equipment  and  production  results, 
the  Warner  Bros.  Studio  has  been 
selected  by  visitors,  directors  and  com- 
peting producers  themselves,  as  the 
one  best  qualified  to  take  first  rank  as 
the  show  place  of  the  motion  picture 
world,  from  the  angles  of  perfection  of 
apparatus,  size  and  output,  as  well  as 
the  more  abstract  question  of  impres- 
siveness  of  architecture. 

Located  at  Sunset  Boulevard  and 
Bronson  Avenue,  it  covers  fourteen 
acres  of  ground,  every  inch  of  which  is 
devoted  to  the  art  of  motion  picture 
production  in  all  its  infinite  detail,  from 
the  inception  of  the  scenario  that  is  to 
be  picturized  to  the  finished  photoplay, 
without  once  having  recourse  to  any 
outside  source  whatsoever. 

The  main  building,  a  striking  example 
of  classic  beauty,  rises  majestically 
three  stories  high,  in  a  frame  of  shrub- 
bery that  covers  a  frontage  of  200  feet 
on  Sunset  Blvd.,  and  houses  the  execu- 
tive offices,  star  dressing  rooms,  di- 
rectors offices,  scenario  and  publicity 
departments,  which  form  the  central 
nucleus  that  gives  life  to  the  whole  in- 
tricate system  of  ceaseless  activity. 

WITH  a  view  to  accommodating  six 
producing  companies  at  one  and 
the  same  time,  Stage  No.  1  is  an  enor- 
mous structure  that  is  the  seat  of  huge 
and  elaborate  sets,  which  frequently 
run  over  200  feet  in  length.  Stage  No. 
2,  which  leads  directly  off  Stage  No.  1 
which  is  admittedly  the  largest  indoor 
stage  on  the  coast,  -has  carried  as  many 
as  five  interior  sets  in  the  course  of 
production,  while  stage  No.  3  is  one 
especially  designed  for  the  tenser  dra- 
matic scenes  that  require  complete  con- 
centration. 

On  the  "back  lot,"  are  streets,  houses 
and  all  the  other  various  types  of  ar- 
chitecture needed  in  a  studio,  but  more 
important  than  any  other  feature,  is  the 
hugh  electrical  system,  under  the  per- 
sonal direction  of  Frank  Murphy.  The 
success  of  a  production  studio  may  be 
said  to  rest  upon  its  electric  equipment, 
and  inasmuch  as  the  Warner  lot  is 
known  to  have  an  output  of  25,000  am- 
pere of  current,  sufficient  to  furnish 
light  and  power  to  an  average-sized  city, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  about  the  light- 
ing efficiency  of  the  Warner  studio. 

ANOTHER  major  department,  that 
contributes  largely  to  the  success 
of  the  studio,  is  the  technical  staff,  un- 
der Lewis  Geib,  whose  daily  task  it  is 


Irene  Rich,  star  in  Warner  Bros.'  produc- 
tion "This  Woman"  whose  fan  popularity 
makes  her   an  exceptional  drawing  card. 

to  furnish,  without  warning  of  any 
kind,  such  little  bagatelles  as  a  French 


Theatre,  authentically  complete  as  to  in- 
terior and  exterior,  storm-wrecked 
bridges,  and  other  articles  of  like  na- 
ture, which  appear  as  if  by  magic,  as 
per  schedule. 

"Doc"  Solomon  is  the  man  in  charge 
of  the  Warner  property  rooms,  which 
are  known  all  over  the  coast  for  the 
priceless  collection  of  period  furniture, 
decorations,  historical  antiques  and  in- 
numerable accessories  that  go  to  furn- 
ish sets  of  every  conceivable  type.  One 
million  dollars  is  a  conservative  figure 
to  set  on  the  "props"  in  use  at  the  War- 
ner studio. 

The  last  link  added  to  the  huge  pro- 
duction chain,  was  the  completely 
equipped  laboratory,  which  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  one  million  feet  of  finished 
film  per  week,  sufficient  to  take  care  of 
all  the  producing  companies  now  oper- 
ating in  Los  Angeles. 

This  fourteen-acre  studio  was  de- 
signed and  laid  out  under  the  super- 
vision of  Sam  L.  Warner,  erected  en- 
tirely by  members  of  the  Warner  tech- 
nical staff,  and  is  operating  smoothly 
and  effectively  under  the  personal 
guidance  of  Jack  L  Warner,  to  the  ad- 
miration of  the  entire  movie  colony. 


Big  Stars  Working  for  Schulberg 

Joyce,  Long  and  Harlan  Under  Preferred  Flag 


yrWTJ  ITH  its  first  Preferred  Picture, 
W/  "The  Breath  of  Scandal"  al- 
*  ready  playing  first  runs,  B.  P. 
Schulberg  Productions  is  busily  en- 
gaged on  the  completion  of  their  second 
release,  "White  Man." 

This  story  which  reached  records  in 
book  sales  is  by  George  Agnew  Cham- 
berlain and  its  picture  version  will  be 
one  of  the  highlights  on  the  Preferred 
schedule  for  this  year.  Mr.  Schulberg 
believes  that  its  unique  background  of 
the  African  jungles,  plus  an  unusually 
powerful  plot,  will  render  it  one  of  the 
outstanding  pictures  available  to  exhib- 
itors this  fall. 

Gasnier,  who  has  made  many  of  the 
most  conspicuous  successes  produced 
by  B.  P.  Schulberg,  has  been  chosen  to 
direct  "White  Man" — although  the 
story  is  a  distinct  departure  from  the 
society  type  of  picture  which  he  has 
adhered  to  recently. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features 
of  the  production  is  the  fact  that  it  will 
mark  the  return  of  Alice  Joyce  to  the 
American  motion  picture  field.  Last 


seen  in  "The  Green  Goddess,"  Miss 
Joyce  makes  "White  Man"  her  first  ve- 
hicle in  her  permanent  return  to  the 
star  ranks.  Supporting  her  is  Kenneth 
Harlan  whose  role  in  this  film  will  be 
similar  to  the  part  he  playec".  last  season 
in  "The  Virginian."  Walter  Long  is 
playing  the  heavy. 

Eve  Unsell  and  Olga  Printzlau,  scen- 
ario experts,  collaborated  on  the  screen 
version  of  Chamberlain's  book.  Harry 
Perry,  cameraman,  finished  this  week 
the  interior  scenes  at  the  F.  B.  O.  Stu- 
dio and  shortly  thereafter,  the  entire 
company  left  to  go  on  location  for  an 
extended  period  of  time. 

Meanwhile,  advance  preparations  for 
the  next  Preferred  Picture,  "The  Trif- 
lers,"  is  well  under  way.  This  novel 
of  Parisian  life  is  being  adapted  for  the 
screen  by  Eve  Unsell.  Sets  are  now 
being  built  on  the  F.  B.  C.  lot  so  that 
camera  work  can  start  as  soon  as  work 
upon  "White  Man"  is  completed.  The 
direction  of  "The  Triflers"  will  also  be 
entrusted  to  Gasnier  and  is  third  upon 
the  Preferred  releasing  schedule. 


November  L  1924 


Page  41 


Pathe  Producing  Centers 
Running  Full  Blast 


ACTIVITIES  on  Pathe 
Productions  are  going 
full  blast  at  five  dif- 
ferent centers. 

Four  organizations  on  the 
Coast  are  busily  engaged 
turning  out  pictures  while 
one  company  is  at  work 
in  the  East.  The  Eastern 
company  w  i  t  h  Ma'colm 
Strauss  as  producer  are 
working  on  the  latest  Pathe- 
serial  under  the  direction  of 
George  B.  Seitz.  The  pic- 
ture is  an  adaptation  from  a 
race  track  story  that  fea- 
tures Allene  Ray  and  John- 
nie Walker.  It  will  be  releas- 
ed in  ten  chapters  and  is  be- 
ing made  at  Fort  Lee. 

Of  the  Coast  organiza- 
tions at  work  Mack  Sennett 
and  Hal  Roach  lead  in 
amount  of  product  turned 
out.  On  the  Hal  Roach  lot 
five  units  are  engaged  for 
Pathe.  Leading  this  list  are 
Hal  Roach's  rascals  "Our 
Gang."  Others  are  "The 
Spat  Famil  y,"  Charles 
Chase  (one  reel  comedies,) 
Arthur  Stone  and  Glenn 
Tryon  units.  The  last  nam- 
ed in  addition  to  making 
two  real  comedies  co-featur- 
ed with  Blanche  Mehaffey  is 
also  making  an  occasional 
feature  length  comedy 
drama  production.  The  latest 
Tryon  and  Mehaffey  production  to  be 
released  was  "The  Battling  Orioles.*' 
Jay  A.  Howe,  who  has  directed  "The 
Spats"  in  some  of  their  most  successful 
comedies,  is  again  working  with  Frank 
Butler,  Laura  Roessing  and  Sidney 
D'Albrook  on  domestic  satires,  Leo 
McCarey  is  directing  Charley  Chase, 
with  Fred  Guiol  and 
Albert  Austin  work- 
ing with  the  Glenn 
Tryon  unit  in  which 
James  Finlayson  is 
one  of  the  featured 
players. 

On  the  Mack  Sen- 
nett lot  there  is  also 
five  companies 
working.  The  Ben 
Turpin  unit  leads 
this  list  program- 
med to  make  pic- 
tures dealing  with 
burlesque  and 
satire.  His  latest 
release  is  "The  Reel 


This  happy  group  are  the  players  and  directors  of  the  Pathe 
serial,  "Galloping  Hoofs"  being  produced  by  Malcolm  Strauss. 
Reading  down,  they  are:  Ernest  Hilliard,  Marie  Murray, 
Barney  Sherry,  Allene  Ray,  George  B.  Seiu  and  Spencer  Bennett. 


Alice  Day  in  the  role  of  Mollie,  the 
school  teacher.  The  second  unit  is  the 
Harry  Langdon  company  making 
"situation"  humor  of  the  lot  under  the 
direction  of  Harry  Edwards.  The 
Sennett-All  Star  unit  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Del  Lord  is  busily  at  work  on 
slap-stick  comedies  featuring  Sid 
Smith,  Vernon  Dent,  Andy  Clyde  and 


Virginian"  based  on 
the  stage  play  "The 
Virgin  ian"  with 


Hope  Hampton,  of  Associated  Exhibitors  productions,  riding  with  Harrison  Ford. 
Howard  Estabrook,  in  gray  suit  speaking  to  star,  Charles  Giblyn  (pointing)  director 


Madeline  Hurlock.  Ralph 
Graves  is  p  roducing 
"straight"  comedies  with 
Ed  Kennedy  directing.  The 
fifth  company  is  working 
under  the  direction  of 
Ralph  Cedar  making  com- 
e  d  i  e  s  featuring  Raymond 
McKee,  Billy  Bevan  and 
Alice.  Day. 

Over  on  the  Thomas  H. 
Ince  lot  activities  have  be- 
gun on  Charles  Ray's  sec- 
ond production  for  Pathe. 
His  first  picture  under  the 
Pathe  banner,  "Dynamite 
Smith,"  has  been  released 
and  is  already  piling  up  a 
large  gross.  The  new  Ray 
story  has  been  selected  and 
is  being  cast  at  this  time.  It 
follows  the  line  of  material 
for  which  Ray  is  famous 
and  has  a  working  title  of 
"The  Desert  Fiddler." 

At  the  Patton  Studios 
plans  are  being  laid  for  the 
production  of  another 
Patheserial  to  be  released  at 
the  holiday  season.  The 
most  recent  Pathe-Patton 
serial  is  now  being  released 
in  ten  chapters  under  the  ti- 
tle of  "Ten  Scars  Make  A 
Man,"  in  which  Allene  Ray 
is  featured. 

Harold  Lloyd  Studios  are 
buzzing  with  excitement 
starting  of  his  next  Pathe 
production.  Little  is  known  of  the  new 
Lloyd  picture  other   than    it's   to  be 

based   on   college  life. 

*    *  * 

ASSOCIATED  WORKING  IN 
NEW  YORK  STUDIO 

Actual  production  on  Associated  ex- 
hibitors pictures 
for  the  next  two 
months  has  been  fin- 
ished with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  pro- 
ductions one  of 
which  will  be  started 
soon  and  the  other 
now  in  the  course 
of  production  in 
New  York. 

"The  Great  Air 
Mail  Robbery,"  a 
production  featur- 
ing the  famous  war 
ace  Captain  Nun- 
gesser  in  a  story 
written  by  Jack  Lait 
will  go  into  produc- 
tion within  the  next 
month. 


over 


the 


Page  42  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

Universal  Completing  Many 
Feature  Productions 


EVER  since  Carl  Laemmle  decided 
upon  a  policy  of  more  and  bigger 
pictures,  Universal  City  has  been 
one  of  the  busiest  spots  on  earth.  With 
the  first  twelve  Jewels  of  the  year 
1924-25  safely  tucked  away  and  all  of 
them,  with  the  exception  of  "The  Tor- 
nado," actually  in  the  exchanges,  the 
main  portion  of  the  work  at  Universal 
City  has  been  directed  at  the  next 
twelve.  These  pictures  will  be  released 
as  have  the  others,  every  other  week 
from  January  to  June. 

Already  this  studio  effort  has  carried 
six  of  these  pictures  to  completion, 
while  all  of  the  other  six  are  either  in 
work  or  awaiting  the  completion  of  a 
former  picture,  as  is  the  case  with 
House  Peters.  Peters  started  on  his 
Universal  contract  so  late  that  his  pic- 
tures have  been  crowding  over  each 
other.  The  first  of  the  pictures  of 
these  twelve,  already  completed,  is 
"The  Marrying  Age,"  with  Pauline 
Frederick  and  Laura  La  Plante. 
Upon  its  completion  Clarence 
Brown,  who  directed  it,  hopped  on 
to  New  York  City  to  see  the  sights 
and  get  inspiration  for  "Folle  Fa- 
Tine,"  which  will  be  the  first  time 
he  has  had  an  opportunity  to  di- 
rect Mary  Philbin.  This  picture, 
"The  Marrying  Age,"  was  written 
on  the  lot  especially  to  suit  the  tal- 
ents of  Pauline  Frederick  by  Soda 
Cowan  and  Howard  Higgin. 

THE  second  of  the  series  is  "Oh, 
Doctor"  and  from  all  accounts 
in  the  cutting  room  this  Harry 
Leon  Wilson  Saturday  Evening 
Post  story  and  novel  has  provided 
Denny  with  the  best  vehicle  that 
he  has  ever  had.  "Secrets  of  the 
Night"'  with  James  Kirkwood  and 
Madge  Bellamy  is  also  completed. 
This  is  the  film  title  for  "The 
Nightcap,"  the  well  known  play  by 
Max  Marcin  and  Guy  Bolton. 

A  special  rush  had  to  be  ordered 
on  "Jazz  Parents,"  adapted  from 
Richard  Washburn  Child's  story 
"Here's  How,"  in  order  to  enahle 
May  McAvoy  to  catch  the  boat  for 
Rome  where  she  is  going  to  do  a 
little  Ben-Hurring,  but  William 
Seiter,  the  director,  cracked  the 
whip  and  an  excel' ent  cast  of  real 
troupers  responded  nobly. 

Another  picture  completed  is  the 
Virginia  Valli-Norman  Kerry  pic- 
ture entitled  "The  Price  of  Pleas- 
ure," in  which  Louise  Fazenda,  T. 
Roy  Barnes,  Kate  Lester  and  Betty 
Francisco  are  also  cast.  One  of 
the  hits  of  this  piece  is  the  debut 
of  Charles  Murphy,  Jr.,  aged  two. 
The  sixth  picture  completed  is 


"Fifth  Avenue  Models,"  with  Mary 
Philbin  and  Norman  Kerry,  the  initial 
work  in  this  country  of  Svend  Gade, 
noted  Norweigan  director  and  artist, 
who  had  the  assistance  of  a  cast  in- 
cluding Josef  Swickard,  Rosemary 
Theby,  Ruth  Stonehouse,  Lee  Moran, 
Betty  Francisco,  Helen  Lynch,  Jean 
Hersbolt,  and  Rose  Dione.  An  inter- 
esting studio  happening  during  the 
making  of  this  picture  was  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Swickard  to  Margaret 
Campbell. 

THE  other  six  pictures  which  are  in 
die  spring  schedule  are  also  well  in 
hand.  Edward  Laemmle  has  spent 
considerable  time  in  obtaining  at  first 
hand  color,  atmosphere  and  inspiration 
for  Clarence  Buddington  Kelland's 
wonderful  Ladies  Home  Journal  story, 


"Miracle."  Being  unable,  of  course,  to 
use  this  title,  Universal  has  changed 
it  to  "The  Great  Miracle."  Those  who 
have  followed  the  story  are  greatly  in- 
trigued by  the  cast  which  has  been 
chosen.  How  Laemmle  will  make  a 
forest  fighter  out  of  Percy  Marmont  is 
the  talk  of  Hollywood,  but  the  choice 
for  Cluny — Jean  Hersholt — will  make 
the  combat  more  even  than  if  he  had 
chosen  Joe  Bonomo.  Alma  Rubens  will 
play  the  girl  and  the  cast  also  includes 
Zasu  Pitts,  Andre  de  Beranger,  Cesare 
Gravina,  Hughie  Mack,  Rose  Rosan- 
ova  and  William  H.  Turner. 

Tremendous  preparations  are  being 
made  for  the  Byron  Morgan  story, 
"California  Straight  Ahead."  Harry 
Pollard  and  Reginald  Denny  in  "Sport- 
ing Youth." 


House  Peters,  soon  to  be  presented  by  Universal  in  "Raffles,  the  Amateur  Cracksman." 
This   will   be   directly  adapted   from   the   famous   character   stories  by  Hornung. 


November  1,  1924 


Page  43 


F.  B.  0.  Studios  Humming 
With  Activity 


Despite  the  recent  accidents  to  Fred 
Thomson  and  Dick  Talmadge  as  a  re- 
sult of  which  these  young  stars  were 
incapacitated  for  several  weeks,  produc- 
tion activities  are  going  on  at  a  livelier 
pace  than  ever  at  the  Film  Booking 
Offices  Studios  in  Hollywood. 

F.  B.  O.'s  own  production  units  to- 
gether with  those  of  prominent  inde- 
pendent producers  are  keeping  the  big 
plant  at  Gower  Street  and  Melrose 
Avenue  humming  with  activity. 

Emory  Johnson  is  casting  for  his 
seventh  production  for  F.  B.  O.,  a  sea 
story,  as  yet  unnamed.  The  cast  will 
include  all  box-office  favorites.  The 
story  comes  from  the  pen  of  the  young 
director-producer's  mother,  Mrs.  Emilie 
Johnson.  F.  B.  O.  is  arranging  one  of 
the  biggest  exploitation  campaigns  in 
the  history  of  the  show  business.  It 
will  even  exceed  the  campaign  for 
"The  Spirit  of  the  U.  S.  A."  and 
"Life's  Greatest  Game,"  Johnson's  lat- 
est two  successes. 

Del  Andrews  is  on  location  with  his 
"Go-Getters"  company  co-starring  Al- 
berta Vaughn  and  George  O'Hara. 
Episode  No.  8  of  the  series  is  being 
filmed.  They  are  based  on  stories,  by 
George  Marion,  Jr. 

Doty  Hobart  is  preparing  the  con- 
tinuity on  "Parisian  Nights,"  the  sec- 
ond Gothic  special  production  to  follow 
"Vanity's  Price."  The  cast  will  be  all- 
star,  and  the  production  will  be  di- 
rected by  Al  Santell,  who  won  his 
laurels  with  two  other  F  B.  O.  suc- 
cesses, "Lights  Out"  and  "Fools  in  the 
Dark." 

Tod  Browning  has  just  finished 
shooting  "The  Dangerous  Flirt,"  Eve- 
lyn Brent's  first  starring  vehicle  for 
Gothic.  The  cast  includes  Pierre  Gen- 
dron,  Sheldon  Lewis,  Edward  Earle 
and  Clarissa  Selwyne.  The  story  is  by 
Julie  Heme  and  adapted  by  Richard 
Schayer. 

Harry  Garson  started  shooting  on 
"The  No-Gun  Man"  this  week,  "Lefty" 
Flvnn's  second  starring  vehicle  for  F. 
B.'  O..  "The  Millionaire  Cowboy," 
"Lefty's"  first,  is  a  new  type  of  Wes- 
tern. Gloria  Grey  is  Mr.  Flynn's  lead- 
ing lady  in  both  productions. 

"Broken  Laws."  Mrs.  Wallace  Reid's 
second  production  for  F.  B.  O.,  has 
been  concluded.  This  picture  deals 
with  law  observance  and  the  responsi- 
bility of  mother  love.  "Broken  Laws" 
is  being  sponsored  by  women's  clubs 
throughout  the  United  States  and  F. 
B.  O.  is  planning  one  of  their  biggest 
exploitation  campaigns  for  this  produc- 
tion. The  leading  roles  are  played  by 
Mrs.  Reid,  Percy  Marmont,  Ramsay 
Wallace  and  Jackie  Saunders.  R.  Wil- 
liam   Neil    directed    "Broken  Laws" 


Kenneth  Harlan  has  been  cast  to  play  an 
important  part  in  "Sold  for  Cash,"  one  of 
the  F.  B.  O.  productions  now  in  the  studio. 

from  a  story  by  Adela  Rogers  St. 
Johns.  The  continuity  was  prepared  by 
Marion  Jackson  and  Bradley  King. 

Shooting  on  Fred  Thomson's  second 
production,  "Quemado"  commenced 
this  week.  Silver  King  will  play  a 
prominent  part  in  the  new  picture.  Ann 
May  is  Mr.  Thomson's  leading  woman. 

Jesse  Goldburg,  President  of  Inde- 
pendent Pictures  Corporation,  is  cast- 
ing for  the  first  Western  production 
this  company  will  make  for  F.  B.  O. 
release,  starring  Bob  Custer.  Mr.  Cus- 
ter's first  production,  "Trigger- 
Fingers"  was  written  especially  for 
Douglas  Fairbanks,  and  repurchased 
for  Mr.  Custer. 

Harmon  Weight  finished  shooting  on 
"Sold  for  Cash,"  produced  by  Asso- 
ciated Arts  Corporation  for  F.  B.  O., 
and  in  which  Kenneth  Harlan  and 
Madge  Bellamy  are  co-starred. 

"Cheap  Kisses,"  C.  Gardner  Sulli- 
van's first  production  for  F.  B.  O.  fea- 
turing Cullen  Landis,  Lillian  Rich, 
Vera  Reynolds  and  Lincoln  Stead- 
man,  was  concluded  this  week.  The 
story  and  continuity  come  from  the  pen 
of  Mr.  Sullivan.  He  is  busily  at  work- 
preparing  the  script  for  his  second  F. 
B.  O.  film. 

On  the  whole,  it  looks  like  a  very 
busy  season  ahead  with  every  indica- 
tion of  excellent  productions  to  offer 
exhibitors. 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Jean  Paige  who  plays  the 
heroine  in  Vitagraph's  Pro- 
duction of  "Captain  Blood," 
takes  tea  with  her  movie 
magnate  husband,  Albert  E. 
Smith,  president  of  Vita- 
graph  at  Oyster  Bay  estate. 


Vitagraph  Programs  an  Eventful  Year 


Four  Triumphant  Productions  Already 
Part  of  Vitagraph? s  History 


11  HE  coming  of  autumn  saw  the 
launching  by  Vitagraph  of  two 
"  big  specials  to  which  reviewers 
accorded  a  high  place  among  the  out- 
standing attractions  of  the  year — 
"Captain  Blood,"  from  Rafael  Saba- 
tini's  latest  novel  and  "The  Clean 
Heart"  or  "The  Cruelties  of  Life," 
adapted  from  A.  S.  M.  Hutchinson's 
novel  "The  Clean  Heart." 

Before  the  close  of  the  world  pre- 
miere of  "Captain  Blood,"  at  the  Astor 
Theatre,  New  York,  this  David  Smith 
production  opened  runs  also  at  the  Or- 
pheum,  Chicago,  The  Rialto,  Los  An- 
geles, and  the  Temple  Theatre,  Bir- 
mingham, Ala.,  thus  scoring  a  triumph 
in  four  picture  capitals — Eastern, 
Middle  Western,  West  Coast  and 
Southern.  J.  Warren  Kerrigan  has  the 
title  role,  with  Jean  Paige  as  Arabella, 
and  a  notable  supporting  cast. 

Besides  the  superlative  work  of  each 
of  the  stars,  "Captain  Blood"  won  par- 
ticular praise  because  of  the  picture's 
remarkable  fidelity  to  the  novel.  As 
told  by  Mr.  Sabatini,  the  story,  a  nau- 
tical romance,  with  blood-thirsty  buc- 
caneers, exploits  on  the  high  seas  and 
realistic  ship  battles,  with  an  enthrall- 
ing love  story  throughout,  afforded  un- 
common opportunities  for  sumptuous 
sets,  magnificent  exteriors  and  thrilling 
episodes — opportunities  of  which  full 
advantage  was  taken. 

"The  Clean  Heart" 

PERCY  MARMONT,  Marguerite 
de  la  Motte  and  Otis  Harlan  are 
the  principals  in  "The  Clean  Heart"  or. 
"The  Cruelties  of  Life"  which  also  had 
its  world  premiere  on  Broadway  and 
leaped  into  instant  favor.  The  news- 
paper comments  on  this  attraction  were 
unique  in  the  unanimity  of  their  un- 
qualified approval,  some  of  the  most 


discriminating  critics  declaring  the  pic- 
ture beyond  criticism.  It  is  a  J.  Stuart 
Blackton  production. 

These  two  triumphs,  Vitagraph 
makes  plain,  are  only  the  advance 
guard  of  a  procession  of  other  big  at- 
tractions, each  promising  a  special  box- 
office  appeal  and  giving  assurance  that 
the  high  standard  of  production  al- 
ready set  is  to  be  maintained. 

Booth  Tarkington  is  to  be  repre- 
sented on  the  Vitagraph  schedule  with 
"The  Magnificent  Ambersons,"  one  of 
his  Pulitzer  prize-winners.  A  careful- 
ly selected  cast — the  casting  is  now  in 
progress — will  interpret  this  typical 
Tarkington  story  of  life  among  "every 
day  American  folks."  David  Smith  is 
to  direct. 


"The  Beloved  Brute 

S OON  to  be  released  is  "The  Be- 
loved Brute,"  a  Blackton  picturi- 
zation  of  Kenneth  Perkins'  gripping 
novel  of  the  same  name.  Marguerite 
de  la  Motte,  Victor  McLaglen.  who 
came  here  from  England  especially  to 
olav  the  title  role,  William  Russell, 
Marv  Alden.  Stuart  Holmes.  R.  D. 
McLean  and  other  popular  stars  have 
the  important  roles. 

Under  the  screen  title,  "Greater  Than 
Marriage,"  "To^n  Thursday"  from  one 
of  Louis  Joseph  A^ance's  best-sellers, 
will  be  the  first  of  four  Victor  Hugo 
Halperin  productions  to  be  released  by 
Romance  Pictures,  Inc.,  through  Vita- 
graph. Marjorie  Daw  will  play  the 
role  of  Joan,  with  Lou  Tellegen  as  the 
male  lead,  and  Peggy  Kelly,  Tyrone 
Powers,  Mary  Thurman,  Dagmar 
Godowsky,  and  Effie  Shannon  among 
the  others  in  the  cast.  Production  is 
now  well  under  way. 


As  indicated  in  the  list  so  far  given 
many  of  the  productions  on  the  Vita- 
graph schedule  are  adaptations  of 
stories  by  celebrated  authors — works 
which  have  "sold  themselves"  to  the 
public  even  before  reaching  the  screen. 

New  Curwood  Series 

TWO  of  James  Oliver  Curwood's 
absorbing  novels — "Baree,  Son  of 
Kazan,"  and  "Steele  of  the  Royal 
Mounted,"  will  soon  be  in  production. 
Both  are  to  be  directed  by  David 
Smith.  Mr.  Smith  will  produce  also 
"The  Happy  Warrior,"  another  of  A. 
S.  M.  Hutchinson's  masterpieces. 

Yet  others  of  the  1924-25  attrac- 
tions which  will  bear  the  Vitagraph  la- 
bel are :  "The  Pearls  of  the  Madon- 
na," from  L.  V.  Jefferson's  novel;  "In 
the  Garden  of  Charity,"  by  Basil  King 
and  "The  Alibi,"  by  George  Allan  Eng- 
land, all  J-  Stuart  Blackton  produc- 
tions; Will  G.  Ingersoll's  "The  Road 
That  Led  Home,"  "Fear-Bound."  a 
Nigh-Smith  production ;  "Two  Shall 
Be  Born,"  by  Marie  Conway  Oemler. 
a  Whitman  Bennett  production  and 
"The  Unknown  Story,"  a  yet  unnamed 
prize-winner  selected  by  vote  of  the 
Vitagraph  field  salesman  for  produc- 
tion by  Mr.  Blackton. 

The  themes  in  this  list  and  the  qual- 
itv  of  entertainment  w  h  i  c  h  they 
promise  are  in  keeping  with  the  policy 
announced  by  Vitagraph  at  the  begin- 
ning of  its  career,  and  to  which  it  has 
even  since  adhered.  "In  our  more  than 
twenty-six  years  of  producing  we  have 
sought  constantly  to  provide  clean  en- 
tertainment," said  Albert  E.  Smith,  the 
president  recently.  "When  we  can  no 
longer  do  that  we  will  shut  up  shop. 
A  glance  at  a  few  of  our  1924-25  re- 
leases proves  my  point." 


November  1.  1924 


Page  45 


First  National  Studios  Offering 
Pretentious  Program 


FIRST  NATIONAL  PICTURES, 
Inc.,  is  in  the  midst  of  one  of  its 
busiest  seasons.  Its  own  produc- 
tions are  more  numerous  than  last  year 
and  the  number  of  its  releases  from 
other  producers  is  unusually  large.  It 
will  begin  production  in  the  East  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  month,  although, 
for  the  present,  at  least  one  producing 
unit  will  remain  in  Hollywood. 

The  Colleen  Moore  unit  is  the  one 
remaining  in  the  West  for  the  time  be- 
ing. Director  Charles  Brabin  is  now 
finishing  the  camera  work  on  her  first 
stellar  vehicle  for  First  National,  "So 
Big,"  from  Edna  Ferber's  best-selling 
novel.  Upon  completing  this  picture, 
Miss  Moore  will  begin  work  in  June 
Mathis'  story,  "Bobbed  Hair,"  the  pro- 
duction of  which  will  be  under  the  su- 
pervision of  Miss  Mathis. 

Camera  work  has  recently  been  com- 
pleted on  Doris  Kenyon's  first  picture 
under  her  contract  with  First  National, 
"If  I  Marry  Again,"  and  she  is  now 
playing  the  feminine  lead  in  Samuel 
Goldwyn  and  George  Fitzmaurice's 
production  of  "A  Thief  of  Paradise," 
from  Leonard  Merrick's  novel,  "The 
Worldlings,"  for  First  National  re- 
lease. Following  .  that  picture  Miss 
Kenyon  will  be  brought  East,  accord- 
ing to  present  plans,  and  begin  work. 

Milton  Sills,  of  "Sea  Hawk"  fame, 
who  has  just  completed  "Madonna  of 
the  Streets,"  from  W.  B.  Maxwell's 
"The  Ragged  Messenger,"  playing  op- 


posite Nazimova,  is  expected  to  arrive 
in  New  York  immediately  after  finish- 
ing work  on  the  picturization  of  Gene 
Wright's  novel,  "Pandora  La  Croix," 
retitled  for  the  screen,  "As  Man  De- 
sires," to  start  on  a  new  production. 

CORINNE  GRIFFITH  has  just 
completed  work  on  a  picturization 
of  the  novel  "Wilderness,"  which  will 
reach  the  screen  under  a  different  title, 
and  is  in  New  York  preparatory  to  be- 
ginning work  on  her  next  First  Na- 
tional picture  "Declasse,"  Zoe  Akins 
big  stage  success. 

Norma  Talmadge  recently  completed 
"The  Only  Woman,"  by  C.  Gardner 
Sullivan,  and  is  now  acting  the  stellar 
role  in  Joseph  M.  Schenck's  produc- 
tion of  Matrin  Brown's  successful 
stage  melodrama,  "The  Lady."  Her 
sister,  Constance,  is  putting  the  finish- 
ing touches  to  "Her  Right  of  Ro- 
mance," written  by  Hans  Kraeli,  au- 
thor of  "The  Marriage  Circle,"  under 
the  direction  of  Sidney  Franklin. 

Richard  Barthelmess  has  been  work- 
ing on  his  new  Inspiration  picture, 
"Classmates,"  from  William  C.  De- 
Mille's  stage  success,  for  six  weeks, 
and  is  nearing  the  end  of  photography. 
John  S.  Roberston  is  directing. 

"Born  Rich,"  made  by  Garrick  Pic- 
tures, directed  by  Will  Nigh,  from 
Hughes  Cornell's  novel,  with  Claire 
Windsor  and  Bert  Lytell  in  the  lead, 
is  awaiting  release. 


Thomas  H.  Ince  has  two  pictures 
ready  for  First  National  release  in  the 
lead,  from  Kathleen  Norris'  novel;  and 
"Idle  Tongues,"  made  from  Joseph  C. 
Lincoln's  new  Cape  Cod  novel,  "Doc- 
tor Nye."  "Christine"  was  directed  by 
George  Archainbaud,  while  Lambert 
Hillyer  directed  "Idle  Tongues." 
Percy  Marmont  and  Doris  Kenyon 
play  the  leads  in  the  latter. 

FRANK  LLOYD,  producer  of  "The 
Sea  Hawk,"  has  just  completed  his 
new  First  National  Picture,  "The  Si- 
lent Watcher"  from  Mary  Roberts 
Rinehart's  story,  "The  Altar  on  the 
Hill,"  with  Glenn  Hunter  and  Bessie 
Love  in  the  leads,  and  is  preparing  to 
start  on  "Judgment." 

M.  C.  Levee's  production  of  "In 
Every  Woman's  Life,"  with  Virginia 
Valli,  Lloyd  Hughes,  Stuart  Holmes 
and  Marc  MacDermott,  directed  by 
Irving  Cummings,  has  just  been  re- 
leased and  is  receiving  the  finest  kind 
of  notices. 

Samuel  Goldwyn,  having  completed 
his  own  production  of  "In  Hollywood 
with  Potash  and  Perlmutter,"  and,  in 
association  with  George  Fitzmaurice, 
the  film  version  of  Gilbert  Emery's 
stage  success,  "Tarnish,"  is  now  mak- 
ing "  A  Thief  in  Paradise,"  with  Fitz- 
maurice directing,  from  Leonard  Mer- 
rick's novel,  "The  Worldlings." 

Edwin  Carewe's  production  of  "Ma- 
donna of  the  Streets,"  with  Nazimova 
and  Milton  Sills  featured,  will  be  re- 
leased this  month.  It  was  based  upon 
W.  B.  Maxwell's  novel,  "The  Ragged 
Messenger." 

The  Mayer-Stahl  production  of 
"Husbands  and  Lovers,"  with  Lewis 
Stone,  Florence  Vidor  and  Lew  Cody, 
is  another  October  release. 

First  National's  big  special,  "Sun- 
down," an  epic  of  the  cattle  ranges, 
will  be  released  on  October  26  with 
showings  in  most  of  the  key  city 
points.  Work  is  nearing  completion  on 
the  next  special,  "The  Lost  World," 
from  Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle's  novel. 

Constance  Talmadge,  having  finished 
Hans  Kraeli's  "Her  Night  of  Ro- 
mance," is  now  at  work  on  her  next 
Joseph  M.  Schenck  production  for  First 
"National,  "Learning  to  Love,"  by  John 
Emerson  and  Anita  Loos,  who  in  the 
past  have  fitted  the  star  with  some  of 
her  best  parts.  Sidney  Franklin  is  di- 
recting and  Victor  Milner  is  the  head 
cameraman. 

Players  so  far  selected  to  appear  in 
support  of  the  star  are  Antonio  Mo- 
reno, Wallace  MacDonald,  Emily  Fitz- 
roy,  Johnny  Harron,  Ray  Hallor,  Alf 
Goulding,  Byron  Munson,  Edythe 
Chapman  and  Edgar  Norton. 


Milton  Sills  in  "As  Man  Desires,"  now  being  produced  by  First  National,  is  the  man 
entirely  surrounded  by  a  body  of  pretty  women.    No  wonder  Milt  is  keen  for  his  art. 


Page  4* 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Studios  Busy  on  Releases  for 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation 


Hunt  Stromberg  who  has  the  soft  chair  is  waiting  for  the  clouds  to  pass  away  so 
that  Director  Lloyd  Ingraham  may  continue  his  shooting,  "The  Lightning  Rider," 
starring  Harry  Carey  which  will  be  released  by  Producer's  Distributing  Corporation. 


THE  production  activities  of  the 
companies  now  filming  pictures 
for  release  through  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  are  centered 
at  present  on  Hunt  Stromberg's  pro- 
duction of  "A  Cafe  in  Cairo"  starring 
Priscilla  Dean,  the  Regal  Pictures  pro- 
ductions "The  Chorus  Lady"  and  "The 
House  of  Youth,"  starring  Margaret 
Livingston  and  Jacqueline  Logan  re- 
spectively, the  Elmer  Harris  produc- 
tion "The  Girl  on  the  Stairs"  starring 
Patsy  Ruth  Miller  and  the  Eastern 
Productions  feature  "Trouping  with 
Ellen"  starring  Helene  Chadwick. 

At  the  Thos.  H.  Ince  studio  Regal 
Pictures  are  working  on  the  final 
scenes  of  "The  Chorus  Lady"  in  which 
Margaret  Livingston  is  starred  under 
the  direction  of  Ralph  Ince  and  every- 
one is  optimistic  in  their  expectations 
that  the  feature  will  prove  a  big  suc- 
cess and  establish  Miss  Livingston  as  a 
star  of  the  first  magnitude. 

The  story  is  an  adaptation  of  the 
famous  stage  play  in  which  Rose  Stahl 
scores  a  great  triumph  and  it  is  confi- 
dently expected  that  the  film  version 
will  be  a  greater  hit  than  the  spoken 
drama. 

The  final  touches  are  now  being  put 
onto  Jacqueline  Logan's  first  starring 
picture  "The  House  of  Youth"  and 
contrary  to  the  popular  belief  that  Cali- 
fornia is  all  sunshine,  Resral  Pictures 


are  using  some  of  the  downtown 
streets  in  Los  Angeles  for  the  tene- 
ment house  scenes  depicting  the  pover- 
ty supposed  to  exist  only  in  the  slums 
of  New  York  City. 

A  clever  arrangement  of  automobile 
wheels  and  chassis  as  supports  for  the 


camera  is  being  used  by  the  director 
to  follow  Miss  Logan  over  all  of  the 
set  while  she  does  a  dance  in  one  of 
"The  House  of  Youth"  scenes  with  the 
result  that  every  moment  of  the  dance 
will  be  shown  in  a  semi-closeup  on  the 
screen. 

Under  Hunt  Stromberg's  supervision 
Chet  Withey  is  rapidly  bringing  Pris- 
cilla Dean's  next  picture  "A  Cafe  in 
Cairo"  to  i  conclusion.  During  the 
past  week  several  exciting  scenes  were 
filmed  on  the  streets  of  Los  Angeles 
with  Miss  Dean  clinging  to  the  rear  of 
a  speeding  automobile  while  the  direc- 
tor was  hooked  on  behind  with  his 
camera  crew  and  now  the  company  is 
camped  out  on  the  Mojave  Desert  film- 
ing the  desert  shots  that  will  complete 
the  production. 

Eastern  Productions  are  whipping 
their  feature  "Trouping  With  Ellen" 
into  final  shape  at  the  Biograph  Studio 
after  having  completed  the  exterior 
scenes  on  Long  Island.  A  particularly 
elaborate  drawing  room  set  on  the 
stage  of  the  studio  will  be  the  locale  of 
the  final  scenes  of  this  Helene  Chad- 
wick offering  which  will  be  released  by 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation  on 
October  26. 

The  Harry  Carey  company  is  active 
at  present  in  making  preparations  for 
the  starting  of  his  sixth  picture  "Soft 
Shoes"  which  will  be  directed  by  Lloyd 
Ingraham  with  Lillian  Rich  and  Fran- 
cis Ford  in  the  main  supporting  roles. 


To  follow  Jacqueline  Logan  in  one  of  her  dancing  scenes.  Director  Ralph  Ince  is 
using  an  auto  chassis  for  the  camera  and  his  directorial  chair  during  the  production 
of  "The  House  of  Youth,"  to  be  released  by  Producers  Distributing  Corporation. 


November  1.  1924 


Page  47 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


HOUSE  OF  YOUTH" 

WELL  DONE  JAZZ  FILM 

Good  Story  Value  and  Plenty  of  Ac- 
tion in  Book  Adaptation 

'•THE  HOUSE  OF  YOUTH."  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation.    Adapted  by  C. 

.  Gardner  Sullivan  from  the  novel  by  Maude 
Radford  Warren.  Director,  Ralph  luce. 
Length,  6,669  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Corinna   Endicott   Jacqueline  Logan 

Spike    Blaine   Malcolm  MacGregor 

Rhodes  Winston   Vernon  Steele 

Amy   Marsden   Gloria  Gray 

Cornelius    Endicott   Edwin   Booth  Tilton 

Aunt  Maggie   Endicott   Aileen  Manning 

Mitch    Hardy   Richard  Travers 

Linda  Richards    Lucila  Mendez 

Corinna  Endicott,  spoiled  daughter  of  an  honored 
house,  is  enjoying  a  jazz-age  life,  with  her  equally 
wild  pal  and  suitor  "Spike  Blaine."  She  meets 
Rhodes  Winston,  a  conservative  writing  man  whom 
she  has  nursed  overseas.  He  points  the  tawdry  of 
her  existence,  and  becomes  engaged  to  her.  Through 
the  machinations  of  a  country  club  sheik,  Mitch 
Hardy.  Corinna  is  badly  compromised  during  a 
rum  raid.  Winston  deserts  her,  but  "Spike"  sticks. 
They  leave  the  wild  life  to  conduct  a  "Fresh  Air 
Farm"  for  poor  children.  Winston  returns  and 
pleads  his  love,   but  she  marries  "Spike." 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

A  JAZZ  film  with  a  real  plot  and  a  big 
surprise  ending.  You  can  count  on 
this  one  to  pa}'  for  the  winter's  coal.  The 
syncopated  part  of  the  production  will  ap- 
peal to  those  who  like  "whoop  it  up"  pic- 
tures, and  the  genuine  story  value  will  draw 
those  who  like  something  more  than  saxo- 
phones in  their  photoplay  diet. 

The  title  and  the  cast  may  be  included 
among  the  pictures  assets,  and  the  fact  that 
the  novel  has  already  made  many  friends 
among  book-lovers,  will  also  increase  the  box- 
office  gross  for  the  photoplay. 

There  is  a  distinct  surprise  when  the  her- 
oine marries  the  wild,  hard  drinking  "Spike." 
Everyone  will  be  pleased  at  the  outcome, 
however,  for  "Spike"  braces  up  in  fine  fash- 
ion, and  Malcolm  MacGregor  builds  audience 
sympathy  for  the  youth  throughout  the  action. 

The  "wild"  parties  are  somewhat  over- 
done. But  quite  probably  there  are  "on  sich 
animals,"  and  the  director  has  to  imagine 
something  spectacular  to  supply  the  want.  In 
any_  event  the  scene  where  Corinna  and 
"Spike"  arrive  at  the  scene  of  one  celebra- 
tion and  drive  right  through  the  long  win- 
dows onto  the  dance  floor  establishes  the 
party  as  distinctly  jazzy. 

The  scene  in  the  "bull  pen"  where  society 
debutantes,  chorine  entertainers  and  under- 
world denizens  are  confined  together  is  well 
depicted.  Such  an  experience  would  surely 
be  sufficient  to  make  any  girl  see  the  error 
of  her  ways — and  mend  them. 

There  are  many  interesting  shots  of  the 
simple  life  the  two  "jazz  babies"  Spike  and 
Corinna  lead  on  the  "Fresh  Air  Farm."  And 
when  we  see  the  reformed  Spike  playing 
piano  for  the  kids  with  equal  frenzy  to  that 
employed  during  the  party  episodes — and  en- 
joying it — we  are  quite  "sold"  on  him. 

Jacqueline  Logan  does  good  work  as  the 
flapper,  and  the  rest  of  the  cast  is  entirely 
adequate.  Special  mention  is  deserved  by 
Edwin  Tilton  and  Aileen  Manning  as  the 
eminently  respectable  relatives  who  seem  ut- 
terly confused  by  the  change  in  morals  and 
manners. 

The  title  and  cast  of  the  picture  should  be 
fully  exploited,  and  many  tie-ups  may  be  ar- 
ranged. This  is  a  National  Tie-Up  picture, 
and  full  details  as  to  its  exploitation  will  be 
found  in  this  week's  National  Tie-Up  Sec- 
tion. 


GREAT  ACTING  IN 

"I  AM  THE  MAN" 

Barrymore  Superb,   While  Flora  Le 
Breton  Steals  Honors 

"I  AM  THE  MAN."  Chadzvick  Pictures 
Corporation  Production.  Author  and  Di- 
rector. Ivan  Abranison.   Length  7,460  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

James  McQuade   Lionel  Barrymore 

Corinne  Stratton   Flora  Le  Breton 

Julia  Calvert   Seena  Owen 

Daniel  Harrington   Gaston  Glass 

Robert  McQuade   Martin  J.  Faust 

George   Lawson    .  .  James  Keane 

Billy  Gray   Joseph  Striker 

James  McQuade,  all-powerful  politician,  secures 
Julia  Calvert  as  wife  in  exchange  for  saving  her 
father  from  prison.  Julia  loves  Harrington,  and 
fails  to  transfer  her  affections  to  her  husband,  Rob- 
ert, worthless  brother  of  the  "boss,"  forces  his  ad- 
vances upon  Julia.  James  discovers  and  kills  him, 
blaming  the  murder  on  Corinne  Stratton,  a  show 
girl.  There  is  sufficient  circumstantial  evidence  to 
convict  the  girl.  But  James,  discovering  that  she 
is  his  daughter  by  his  wife  he  deserted,  commits 
suicide   leaving   a  confession. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 
"D  IG  screen  names,  excellent  acting,  and  a 
gripping  story  make  "I  Am  The  Man"  a 
sure  winner  with  every  type  audience.  Ivan 
Abramson  has  lavished  a  wealth  of  story 
material  on  the  production.  There  is  enough 
plot  for  several  interesting  photodramas,  and 
welded  together  a  powerful  vehicle  has  been 
created.  Unfortunately,  there  is  a  certain 
lack  of  sureness  in  the  direction,  and  this 
robs  the  production  of  the  distinction  of  be- 
ing: really  great. 

The  "Barrymore  Tradition,"  alone,  would 
be  sufficient  to  crowd  your  theatre,  and  the 
other  popular  names  in  the  cast  should  sell 
out  the  standing  room.  There  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  getting  them  in,  and  they  will 
leave  the  show  well  satisfied  with  the  enter- 
tainment you  offer. 

Lionel  Barrymore  dominates  the  picture 
with  his  characterization.  He  plays  the  part 
of  James  McQuade,  who  holds  the  city  tight 
in  his  political  grasp.  He  should  be  heartily 
hated,  yet  somehow  this  forceful,  unscrupu- 
lous being  whose  passionate  love  and  hatred 
sear  all  they  touch,  will  receive  great  meas- 
ure of  sympathy. 

Everytime  Barrymore  is  on  the  set  he 
creates  the  impression  that  he  is  just  about 
to  "start  something."  Suspense  is  sustained 
throughout.  He  conveys  the  thought  of  ter- 
rific power  which  he,  himself,  can  scarce  con- 
trol. He  dies  well,  and  the  scene  in  which 
he  commits  suicide  is  magnificently  terrible. 
It  is  the  best  piece  of  acting,  and  the  finest 
direction  in  the  picture. 

Flora  Le  Breton,  cast  as  a  flapper  show 
girl,  "stops  the  show."  She  runs  away  with 
the  feminine  honors.  Her  interpretation 
breathes  realism,  and  in  the  trial  scene  she 
rises  to  histrionic  heights  as  the  hysterical 
victim  of  circumstantial  evidence. 

Martin  Faust  is  convincing  as  the  evil,  be- 
loved brother  of  the  boss,  who  pays  the  pen- 
alty for  his  defection  from  loyalty  with  his 
life.  Seena  Owen  and  Gaston  Glass  are 
competent,  and  also  have  their  big  moments. 

Exploit  the  cast.  Lionel  Barrymore  is 
among  the  leaders  of  American  theatrical 
aristocracy,  and  is  so  recognized.  Flora  Le 
Breton  is  making  a  strong  bid  tor  as  great 
popularity  on  this  side  of  the  water  as  she 
has  gained  in  England.  And  it  looks  as 
though  she  has  been  successful.  The  others 
also  have  their  following.  The  title  is  good 
for  some  unique  stunts.  It  will  fit  in  well 
with  split-a-page  ads,  and  its  value  in  mys- 
tery ballys  is  obvious. 


"RIDIN'  KID"  AN 

EXCEPTIONAL  WESTERN 

Fine  Characterizations  and  Good  Story 
Make  Box-Office  Picture 

"THE  RIDIN'  KID  FROM  POWDER 
RIVER.'  Universal  Photoplay.  Author, 
LeRoy  Armstrong,  Scenario,  Raymond  L. 
Sehrock.  Director,  Edward  Sadgzvick. 
Length,  5,727  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Pete   Watkins   Hoot  Gibson 

"Missy"   Gladys  Hulette 

Palomina    Kate   Gertrude  Astor 

"Spider"   Tully  Marshall 

Steve   Lanning   Walter  Long 

Lightnin'   Bill   Smith   William  A.  Steele 

Scorpion   Fred  Hume 

Luke   Meggary   Nelson  McDowell 

Pete,  "The  Ridin'  Kid,"  encounters  the  rancher 
who  years  before  has  slain  his  boyhood  protector. 
In  the  melee  that  follows  the  rancher  is  shot  to 
death  and  the  kid  flies  to  the  headquarters  of 
"Spider,"  master  mind  of  a  notorious  band  of 
criminals.  He  falls  in  love  with  Spider's  daughter, 
and  is  betrayed  to  the  sheriff's  posse  by  Steve 
Lanning,  his  rival.  The  girl  rescues  him  but  is  her- 
self wounded.  She  recovers,  but  is  kidnapped  by- 
Steve  who  kills  "Spider."  After  a  thrilling  battle 
"The  Ridin'  Kid"  rescues  and  marries  the  girl  fol- 
lowing the  confession  of  another  man  to  the  crime 
for  which  he  was  wanted. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

HERE  is  a  picture  that  will  increase  the 
army  of  Western  fans,  and  make  money 
for  exhibitors  in  large  towns  or  small  ones. 
It  is  the  type  of  film  that  will  do  better  busi- 
ness the  second  day  than  the  first,  because 
it  will  receive  favorable  'word-of-mouth.' 

It  is  an  exceptionally  fine  picture  of  its 
class,  and  with  a  few  alterations  would  be 
a  great  example  of  how  types  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  "open  spaces"  may  be  used  in 
a  production  of  real  dramatic  importance. 

Flying  horses  and  flying  bullets  are  both  in 
evidence,  but  there  is  sufficient  restraint  in 
the  action  to  create  realism.  The  usual 
obvious  theatrics  identified  with  Westerns 
are  happily  missing. 

How  could  it  be  otherwise  with  such  a 
cast?  Hoot  Gibson,  Tully  Marshall  and 
Walter  Long  give  characterizations  of  bor- 
der-men such  as  really  exist.  Each  is  a  dis- 
tinctive type,  yet  they  are  all  the  same  breed 
with  the  same  habitat.  Marshall,  the 
"Spider,"  is  cold  and  sinister ;  Walter  Long, 
a  colorful,  boastful  bandit,  and  Gibson,  a 
creature  of  environment  ready  for  either 
fight  or  frolic — but  preferring  the  latter. 

There  are  a  number  of  scenes  that  are 
tensely  dramatic.  Picture  the  "Spider's  sa- 
loon— a  rendezvous  for  "wanted"  men  at 
liberty  only  because  of  organization  and 
"Spider's"  powerful  protection.  "The  Ridin' 
Kid"  enters.  He  and  "Spider  appraise  one 
another  in  chill  calculating  silence.  In  the 
various  doorways  lounge  the  hard-boiled 
gunmen  of  the  aggregation,  trigger  fingers 
nervous  for  action.  Even  the  evil  looking 
Mexican  porter,  sweeping  away  at  nothing, 
contributes  his  bit  to  the  suspense. 

The  locale  of  the  story  is  in  Arizona,  and 
thus  a  new  background  is  provided  that  ads 
materially  to  the  different  quality  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

As  every  showman  knows,  when  you  have 
a  picture  to  shout  about,  don't  fail  to  shout. 

Play  up  the  cast,  put  up  a  lobby  front  that 
looks  like  a  wild-west  lean-to,  if  possible 
have  a  hitching  rail  and  a  few  "cayuses"  and 
cowpunchers  riding  through  the  town  and 
stopping  before  your  showhouse. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"SILENT  WATCHER" 

GREAT  HEART  DRAMA 

Frank  Lloyd's  Latest  Production 
Promises  Rich  Box-Office  Returns 

"THE  SILENT  WATCHER."  First  Na- 
tional Photoplay.  Author,  Mary  Roberts 
Rinehart.  Director,  Frank  Lloyd.  Length 
7,575  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Joe  Roberts   Glenn  Hunter 

Mary  Roberts   Bessie  .Love 

John  Steele   Hobart  Bosworth 

Mrs.  Sceele   Gertrude  Astor 

Jim   Tufts   George  Nichols 

Mis.   Tufts   Aggie  Herring 

Barnes   Lionel  Belmore 

Detective   Stuart   DeWitt  Jennings 

Lily   Elliott   Alma  Bennett 

Reporter  Herrold   Brandon  Hurst 

Joe  Roberts  is  secretary  to  John  Steele,  candidate 
for  Senator.  Steel's  wife  neglects  him  and  he  be- 
comes involved  with  actress  Lily  Elliott.  She  kills 
herself  in  an  apartment  which  Joe  rented  for  Steele 
under  his  name.  Joe  is  arrested  on  suspicion. 
Loyalty  to  Sieele  keeps  him  silent,  thinking  that 
his  wife  knows  the  truth,  which  is  kept  from  her 
by  Steele's  campaign  manager.  Steele  is  elected, 
but  Mrs.  Roberts  leaves  home  believing  her  hus- 
band false  to  her.  Through  Steele  s  efforts  they 
are  reconciled  and  all  made  clear  to  the  wife. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

AN  uncommonly  fine  picture,  a  treat  for 
everyone  who  enjoys  really  poignant 
and  heart-arresting  drama,  director  trank 
Lloyd  and  his  players  have  every  reason 
to  teel  proud  of  "The  Silent  Watcher." 
That  it  will  prove  a  big  commercial  asset 
can  scarcely  be  doubted,  no  exhibitor  can 
make  a  mistake  in  booking  a  film  with 
such  trenchant,  universal  audience  appeal. 

The  story  is  altogether  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary, original  in  conception  and  treatment, 
an  intimate  study  of  domestic  life,  with 
nothing  spectacular  in  the  action,  but  so 
thoroughly  human  and  convincing  that  it 
grips  and  holds  the  spectators'  attention 
from  beginning  to  end  without  the  slight- 
est slackening  of  suspense. 

The  plot  pivots  upon  the  unswerving 
— some  might  call  it  ' mistaken — loyalty  of 
secretary  joe  Roberts  to  his  boss,  John 
Steele,  who  is  a  candidate  for  the  U.  S. 
Senate.  The  Roberts  are  a  devoted 
couple,  but  the  wife  does  not  share  her 
husband's  enthusiasm  for  the  great  Mr. 
Steele.  So  when  the  latter's  reputation 
is  threatened  by  the  death  of  the  little  ac- 
tress in  whom  he  is  interested,  Joe  ac- 
cepts the  suspicion  thrust  upon  him  in  the 
case  and  keeps  silent,  lest  Steele's  chances 
of  entering  the  Senate  be  ruined.  Mrs. 
Roberts  reaches  a  false  conclusion  as  to 
Joe's  silence  and  their  home  is  temporarily 
broken  up. 

It  is  in  his  clever  handling  of  his  situa- 
tions that  director  Frank  Lloyd  shines  su- 
preme. Nothing  could  be  more  artfully 
managed  than  his  shaping  of  the  narrative, 
the  true-to-life  touches  which  make  the 
domestic  drama  of  loving  wife  and  hus- 
band stand  forth  in  such  bold  relief,  a 
veritable  triumph  of  realism  and  sympa- 
thetic appeal. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the 
value  of  the  services  of  the  leading  play- 
ers in  this  instance.  The  merest  sugges- 
tion of  melodramatic  bunkum  would  have 
utterly  ruined  the  characterizations,  but 
never  for  an  instant  did  Glenn  Hunter, 
Bessie  Love,  Hobart  Bosworth  of  Ger- 
trude Astor  err  in  this  direction.  Mr.  Hun- 
ter's portrayal  of  Joe  Roberts  adds  fresh 
lustre  to  his  screen  laurels  as  a  finished 
craftsman,  Bessie  Love  gives  a  really  su- 
perb performance  as  the  young  wife,  Ho- 
bart Bosworth  is  immense  as  the  ruggedly 
impressive  Steele.  Excellent  support  is  ac- 
corded the  principals  by  other  members  of  the 
cast. 

Feature  the  members  of  the  cast  as 
mentioned  above,  stress  the  loyalty  theme, 
and  the  story's  tremendous  emotional  ap- 
peal. You  might  also  include  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Lloyd  directed  the  "Sea  Hawk." 


"DANGEROUS  MONEY" 

HAS  BROAD  APPEAL 

Bebe  Daniels  Scores  in  Frank  Tuttle's 
First  Paramount  Production 

"DANGEROUS  MONEY."  Paramount 
Photoplay.  Adapted  from  Robert  Her- 
nck's  Novel,  "C lark's  Field."  Director, 
Frank  Tuttle.   Length,  6,864  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Adele  Clark   ttbt  Daniels 

lim  Sullivan   Tom  Moore 

Prince  Arnoifo  da  Pescia   William  Powell 

Signorina  Vitale    Dolores  Cassineili 

Auntie    Claik   Maiy  boy 

Sheamus  Sullivan   Edward  O  Connor 

Judge  Daniel  Orcutt   Peter  Eang 

O'hara   Charles  Slattery 

Adele  Clark,  boarding-house  drudge,  is  in  love 
with  young  contractor,  Tim  Sullivan.  Her  aunt 
dies.  Adele  is  found  to  be  heiress  to  a  valuable 
tract  of  land  on  the  Brooklyn  waterfront.  Her 
trustees  place  her  in  a  fashionable  finishing  school, 
wnose  mistress  persuades  Tim  that  the  girl  needs 
the  advantages  of  a  trip  abroad  belore  wedding 
him.  In  Italy  Adele  mixes  with  a  fast  set.  Tim 
visits  her  but  it  unable  to  check  her  extravagances 
and  leaves  her  in  anger.  Adele  marries  Prince 
Arnofolo,  who  wants  her  money.  A  will  is  dis- 
covered which  names  Tim  as  the  real  heir  to  Adele's 
property.  She  and  her  husband  go  to  New  York. 
Adele  prepares  to  restore  the  will  to  Tim.  A  fire 
breaks  out  in  her  hotel  apartments,  Tim  saves  her. 
Her  husband  is  killed  trying  to  escape.  Tim  and 
Adele  are  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

DEBE  DANIELS  is  at  her  best  in  this 
picture,  which  is  artistically  produced, 
offers  a  wealth  of  luxurious  settings,  gor- 
geous interiors,  some  exquisite  exterior 
shots  of  Italian  scenery,  an  appealing  ro- 
mance, and  qualifies  as  excellent  enter- 
tainment for  any  theatre. 

The  opening  scenes  show  the  heroine 
working  amid  the  drab,  depressing  sur- 
roundings of  her  aunt's  boarding  house, 
the  only  bright  spot  in  an  otherwise 
squalid  existence  being  her  love  for  Tim 
Sullivan,  sturdy  young  contractor.  Right 
from  the  start  you  feel  a  whole  lot  of 
sympathy  for  pretty  Adele,  and  when  later 
an  unexpected  stroke  of  fortune  turns  her 
into  a  wealthy  heiress,  there  seems  to  be 
ample  excuse  for  her  extravagance  and  in- 
clination to  hit  up  a  merry  pace. 

The  point  is  that  nine  out  of  ten  people 
situated  as  Adele  was  would  be  likely  to 
lose  their  heads  and  go  the  limit,  so  that 
in  this  respect  the  story  runs  pretty  close 
to  actual  life.  It  may  seem  a  trifle  exag- 
gerated at  times,  but  on  the  whole  the  hu- 
man interest  note  rings  true,  and  director 
Frank  Tuttle  has  done  a  remarkably  good 
job  in  this,  his  first  production  under  the 
Paramount  banner. 

For  one  thing,  he  has  succeeded  in 
marking  an  admirable  contrast  between 
the  heroine's  earlier  backgrounds  and  the 
glow,  glitter  and  magnificence  of  her  lux- 
urious life  in  the  palace  by  the  shores  of 
beautiful  Lake  Maggiore,  where  honest 
Tim  Sullivan  seems  so  out  of  place  when 
he  comes  to  remonstrate  unavailingly 
with  Adele  in  an  endeavor  to  curb  her 
impetuous  pursuit  of  pleasure.  Tim's  re- 
turn home,  the  discovery  of  the  will  which 
makes  him  heir  to  Adele's  property,  and 
the  subsequent  adventures  of  Adele  and 
her  titled  wastrel  of  a  husband,  when  they 
come  to  New  York,  are  all  set  forth  in 
appealing  style,  and  a  bully  melodramatic 
climax  atained. 

Bebe  Daniels  has  never  appeared  to  bet- 
ter advantage  than  in  the  role  of  the  vi- 
vacious Adele  Clark.  Both  in  the  comedy 
and  dramatic  situations  which  fall  to  her 
share  she  makes  a  lasting  impression,  and 
the  work  of  Tom  Moore  as  the  young 
Celtic  lover  will  surely  please  the  many 
admirers  of  that  popular  actor. 

Bebe  Daniels  and  Tom  Moore  should 
be  featured  strongly  in  exploiting  this 
film,  as  each  has  a  goodly  following  of 
fans.  Praise  the  story's  heart  interest  and 
thrills  to  the  limit,  and  stress  its  scenic 
charm. 


THRILLS  AND  COLOR 

IN  "THE  BANDOLERO" 

Spanish    Romance    Filmed  Abroad 
Looks  Like  Sure  Money-Maker 

"THE  BANDOLERO."  Metro  -  Goldwyn 
Photoplay.  Adapted  from  Novel  by  Paul 
Gwynne.  Director,  Tom  Terriss.  Length 
6,994  Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dorando   Pedro  DeCordoba 

Petra   Renee  Adoree 

Marques  DeBazan   Gustav  Von  Seffertitz 

Ramon   Manuel  Granado 

*,aare   Goidon  Jbegg 

Concha   Dorothy  Rush 

Juan  Arthur  Donaldson 

Maria   Maria  Valray 

El  Tuerta   jose  Rueda 

Because  his  wife  was  killed  in  an  attempt  at  ab- 
duction by  Marques  De  Bazan,  Dorando,  captain 
of  the  Marques'  troops,  turns  bandit  and  becomes 
known  as  the  Bandolero.  The  latter  kidnaps  Ra- 
mon, son  of  De  Bazan.  When  grown  to  maturity 
Ramon  falls  in  love  with  Dorando's  daughter, 
Petra.  Repulsed  by  her  father  Ramon  goes  away 
and  becomes  a  famous  matador.  Because  the  au- 
thorities are  unable  to  capture  Dorando,  he  is  made 
chief  of  the  mountain  police.  De  Bazan,  during  a 
bullfight,  urged  by  an  adventuress,  orders  Ramon  to 
kill  a  bull  before  the  animal  is  sufficiently  tired  out. 
Ramon  is  badly  gored.  De  Bazan  learns  that  Ra- 
mon is  his  own  son.  Ramon  recovers,  weds  Petra, 
Dorando  and  De  Bazan  are  reconciled. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

rPHIS  picture  was  filmed  in  Spain,  where 
the  action  of  the  story  takes  place,  and 
as  might  be  expected,  is  rich  in  pictur- 
esque scenery  and  colorful  backgrounds. 
Judged  from  a  spectacular  standpoint  it 
ranks  high,  there  are  thrills  galore,  love- 
making  unlimited,  a  bullfight  of  gorgeous 
proportions  and  extraordinary  realistic  ap- 
peal, in  fact  "The  Bandolero"  possesses  a 
little  of  everything  likely  to  intrigue  the 
average  fan  and  should  prove  a  good 
money-maker. 

The  plot  is  intensely  melodramatic,  yet, 
probably  ^ecause  of  its  foreign  atmosphere 
the  spectator  is  inclined  to  accept  this 
lurid  tale  of  revenge,  love  and  romance 
without  disputing  its  probabilities.  Di- 
rector Tom  Terriss  selected  a  bully  cast 
for  this  occasion,  every  member  of  which 
fills  his  or  her  role  like  the  proverbial 
glove,  kept  the  action  swinging  along  at  a 
cracking  pace,  and  dotted  the  picture  with 
genuine  pictorial  jewels,  the  net  result 
being  to  put  "The  Bandolero"  in  that  all 
too  rare  classification  of  "something  differ- 
ent" in  the  film  feature  line. 

Of  course  the  attraction's  big  punch  is 
put  over  in  the  bullfighting  episodes,  al- 
though this  statement  must  not  be  taken 
as  detracting  from  the  story's  general  in- 
terest. But  we  can  conscientiously  say 
that  nothing  more  vividly  realistic  in  the 
line  of  this  far-famed  Spanish  sport  has 
ever  come  to  our  attention.  It's  great 
stuff  when  the  crowd  throngs  the  arena 
to  witness  the  prowess  of  their  favorite 
matador,  and  that  ill-fated  hero  goes  down 
in  the  sand  before  the  infuriated  animal's 
rush.  Yet  so  cleverly  have  camera-man 
and  director  combined  their  efforts  that 
nothing  is  shown  likely  to  arouse  feelings 
of  disgust  in  the  onlooker.  There  is  no 
suggestion  of  cruelty  to  either  bull  or  hu- 
man— but  the  thrill  is  there. 

Of  course,  the  hero  doesn't  die  and  a 
happy  climax  is  attained,  though  his 
chances  of  surviving  appear  pretty  dubious 
at  the  crucial  moment.  The  matador  role 
is  played  by  Manuel  Granado,  a  splendid 
type  for  the  part,  Renee  Adoree  registers 
as  a  bewitchingly  handsome  heroine  and 
Pedro  De  Cordoba  gives  an  exceedingly 
fine  performance  as  the  outlaw  chief. 

In  exploiting  this  feature  pay  particular 
attention  to  the  bullfight  episodes  which 
are  marvelously  effective  and  sure  to  go 
over  big  with  your  patrons.  Make  it  clear 
that  the  scenes  were  taken  in  Spain,  praise 
the  story's  romantic  lure  and  mention 
Renee  Adoree,  Gustav  Von  Seffertitz,  Pe- 
dro DeCordoba  and  Manuel  Granado. 


Voi  -ruber  I,  1924 


Page  49 


NAZIMOVA  RETURNS 

TO  SILENT  DRAMA 

In    "Madonna    of    the    Streets"  She 
Seores  a  Big  Success 

■■MADONNA  OF  THE  STREETS.-  First 
National  Picture  Story  by  W .  B.  Maxwell. 
Director,  Edwin  Carewe.  Length,  7507 
Feet. 

CAST   AND  SYNOPSIS 
Mary   Carlson  ) 

Mary   Ainsleigh      )   Nazimova 

Rev.  John  Morton   Milton  Sills 

Lord    Patrington   Claude  Gillingwater 

Dr.  Colbeck   Courtney  Foote 

Bill  Smythe   Wallace  Beery 

"Bull"    Morgan   Anders  Randolf 

Eddie  Foster   John  Murray 

Mary  Carlson,  mistress  of  Mr.  Carlson,  finds  on 
the  death  of  Carlson  that  he  has  left  all  his  money 
to  his  nephew,  John  Morton,  a  clergyman,  in  Lon- 
don. She  determines  to  marry  him  and  eet  the 
money.  She  finds  him  preaching  in  the  Limehouse 
district  and  he  falls  in  love  with  her  and  marrj.es 
her.  He  discovers  that  she  is  carrying  on  an  affair 
w.th  his  secretary  and  turns  her  out  of  the  house. 
He  later  repents  and  tries  to  find  her  and  at  last 
she  returns  and  they  are  reconciled. 

By  Len  Morgan. 

WITH  Nazimova  and  Milton  Sills  in 
the  cast,  the  exhibitor  can  feel  as- 
sured of  an  entertaining  production.  In 
"The  Madonna  of  the  Streets"  director 
Edwin  Carewe  has  made  a  good  nicture 
from  a  rather  overworked  theme. 

The  story  follows  very  closely  the  stage 
play  "The  Fool"  and  deals  with  a  minster 
who  determines  to  practice  as  closely  as 
possible  the  teachings  of  Christ.  He,  how- 
ever, shows  the  human  failing  of  unfor- 
giveness  and  is  taught  his  lesson  through 
suffering. 

This  picture  marks  Nazimova's  return 
to  the  screen  after  an  absence  of  several 
years.  She  has  lost  none  of  her  dramatic 
ability,  but  she  seems  to  have  taken  on 
some  additional  temperament,  for  at  times 
she  wriggles  so  vigorously  she  almost 
spoils  the  scenes. 

Her  best  scenes  are  when  she  is  called 
upon  for  heavy  dramatic  portrayals  and 
she  does  well  in  each  of  these.  Her  re- 
turn to  the  screen  will  be  welcomed  by  her 
many  fans. 

Milton  Sills,  as  the  minister,  is  excep- 
tionally good.  He  makes  the  part  live 
and  to  him  falls  the  brunt  of  the  work  of 
putting  the  picture  over. 

Anders  Randolph  and  John  Murray,  two 
reformed  crooks,  furnish  the  comedy  and 
do  it  well. 

Parts  of  the  picture  are  rather  sordid 
but  they  all  work  up  to  a  good  climax  and 
a  happy  ending.  This  is  a  picture  that 
will  have  the  cooperation  of  the  pulpit 
as  it  teaches  a  strong  moral  lesson. 

The  highlights  of  the  picture  are  the 
scenes  in  the  Limehouse  district  and  the 
final  scene  where  Mary  is  brought  back  to 
life  by  prayer.  This  is  an  exceptionally 
strong  scene. 

Give  heavy  advertising  to  the  stars. 
Make  it  known  that  this  is  Nazimova's  re- 
turn to  the  screen.  Use  green  lights  and 
cut-outs  in  the  lobby  for  atmosphere. 


ACTION  APLENTY  IN 

GRIPPING  WESTERN 

"Hard  Hittin    Hamilton"  Will  Draw 
Where  Audiences  Like  Westerns 

"HARD  HITTIN'  HAMILTON."  Released 
by  Weiss  Bros.  Artclass  Pictures  Corp.  Di- 
rected by  Richard  Thorpe.  Length  4600 
feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Bill  Hamilton    Buffalo  Bill,  Jr. 

Mary  Downing   Hazel  Keener 

Buck  Wilson    Gordon  Russell 

"Skinflint"  Bressler    William  Rvno 

Jim  Downing   "Lafe"  McKee 

Seeking  to  obtain  possession  of  a  ranch  be- 
queathed him,  Bill  Hamilton  goes  West.  Incog- 
nito, he  sizes  up  the  town  near  the  ranch  and  gets 
into  several  fistic  battles  with  Buck  Wilson,  fore- 
man of  the  ranch..  Mary  Downing  befriends  him, 
and  when  he  is  accused  of  killing  Bressler  aids  him 
in  securing  evidence  that  sets  him  free. 

By  R.  E.  Copeland 

'T'HE  smiling  personality  of  Buffalo  Bill, 
Jr.,  lends  greatly  to  the  success  of  "Hard 
Hittin'  Hamilton,"  as  a  Western  program 
picture.  There  is  little  of  novelty  about  the 
story — yet  the  scenes  are  so  well  depicted  and 
the  thrills  so  carefully  placed,  that  exhibitors 
will  find  no  trouble  playing  to  filled  houses 
wherever  fans  of  the  drama  or  the  plains  are 
found. 

Without  doubt  Bill  packs  a  wallop,  rides 
with  thrilling  precision,  makes  love  hand- 
somely and  takes  a  beating  like  a  man.  This 
all  adds  to  his  growing  popularity. 

In  this  picture  it  would  seem  that  there 
are  almost  too  many  fight  affairs,  all  care- 
fully decided  in  favor  of  the  hard  slamming 
hero.  Yet,  withal,  the  character  of  Bill 
Hamilton  is  a  rather  satisfactory  one,  and 
will  please  audiences  prepared  for  thrills. 

In  one  of  the  early  sequences,  there  is  a 
ride  for  life  in  a  ranchman's  buckboard.  A 
rear  wheel  snaps  off,  and  the  team  of  horses 
,  shy  and  run  away  wild.  Buck  saves  the  lives 
of  the  three  of  them  by  getting  out  on  the 
shaft  and  pulling  the  horses  up  short.  He 
then  takes  his  own  saddle  horse  which  had 
been  tied  on  behind,  and  adjusting  a  rope 
from  the  saddle  has  the  horse  serve  in  place 
of  the  other  wheel. 

Shooting  aplenty  abounds  through  the 
scenes  and  when  Buck  Wilson  attempts  to 
shoot  Bill  from  the  rear,  Bill  wheels  just 
in  time  and  pops  the  revolver  out  of  his 
hand.  Hazel  Keener,  as  Mary  Downing, 
plays  an  interesting  role,  and  deftly  handles 
a  difficult  situation.  She  secures  through  a 
clever  dodge  a  confession  out  of  Buck  Wil- 
son's right  hand  man,  which  tells  who  shot 
Bressler.  When  her  trick  has  been  discov- 
ered Buck  tries  to  force  the  return  to  his 
man  of  the  signed  confession  that  incrim- 
inates them  both.  There  is  some  good  riding 
and  excellent  fighting  scenes,  while  the  dra- 
matic tension  is  high  as  well. 

The  story  runs  true  to  form  and  has  a  di- 
rect appeal  to  all  the  movie  fans  who  find  in 
Western  drama  the  ultimate  on  the  screen. 
In  many  average  and  neighborhood  houses 
this  demand  is  constant. 

Exploitation  in  the  form  of  street  bally- 
hoo should  be  good.  Cowboys  riding  through 
the  streets,  with  cards  displayed  inviting  at- 
tendance to  see  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  do  his 
latest  riding  stunts,  should  be  used.  Ads 
that  feature  the  hero  and  stress  the  Western. 


[RENE  RICH  IN 

SYMPATHETIC  ROLE 

Human  Interest  and  Several  Surprises 
Make  "This  Woman"  Good 
Entertainment 

'•THIS  WOMAN."  Warner  Bros.  Photoplay. 
Adapted  by  Hope  Loring  and  Louis 
Leighton  front  the  novel  by  Hoivard 
Rockey.     Director,   Phil  Rosen.  Length, 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Carol  Drayton   Irene  Rich 

Whitney  Duane  Ricardo  Cortez 

Rose    Louise  Fazenda 

Gordon   Duane    Frank  Elliott 

Bobby  Bleecker    Creighton  Hale 

Stratini    Marc  MsDermott 

Mrs.  Sturdevant    Helen  Dunbar 

Aline  Sturdevant    Clara  Bow 

Carol  Drayton,  penniless  vocal  student,  is  released 
from  jail  where  she  has  been  wrongfully  confined. 
Faint  with  hunger,  she  sings  a  serenade  for  drunken 
Bobby  Bleecker  to  Aline  Sturdevant  in  return  for 
money.  Her  voice  attracts  attention  from  Stratini, 
a  famous  vo;cal  teacher,  who  is  stopping  with  the 
Sturdevants.  The  family  supply  funds  to  assure  her 
musical  education,  and  Whi.ney  Duane  falls  in  love 
with  her.  The  rascally  butler  has  found  her  jail 
release  and  attempts  to  blackmail  her.  Gordon 
Duane,  Whitney's  brother,  proves  to  be  the  man 
who  had  her  jailed  although  innocent.  Despite  her 
assurances  Whitney  doubts  her.  She  marries  Stra- 
tini with  whom  she  has  always  been  in  love,  and 
who  finally   declares  his  love  for  her. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

VY7HILE  not  especially  strong  or  dramatic 
™  picture,  this  photoplay  has  an  appeal 
that  will  win  its  audience's  appreciation.  The 
story  is  interesting,  as  the  many  readers  of 
the  novel  have  learned,  and  the  sweet 
charms  of  Irene  Rich's  personality  will  help 
your  patrons  to  enjoy  a  pleasant  evening's 
entertainment. 

The  fact  that  the  photoplay  is  an  adapta- 
tion of  a  popular  novel  assures  the  attend- 
ance of  many  who  have  read  the  book.  The 
strength  of  the  entire  cast  also  prove  a 
drawing  card. 

There  are  a  number  of  scenes  that  are 
mildly  thrilling,  but  there  is  no  big  outstand- 
ing dramatic  punch  in  the  production.  How- 
ever, interest  is  sustained,  and  the  fine  acting 
and  several  surprising  episodes  will  please 
your  audiences. 

One  of  the  surprises  is  when  Stratini 
makes  advances  to  Carol,  and  actually  in- 
sults her  in  order  to  arouse  the  fire  which 
he  feels  necessary  to  an  embryo  artist.  When 
she  hurls  a  vase  at  him  he  decides  she  has 
sufficient  temperament  and  depth  of  feeling 

The  ending,  also  is  unusual.  While  it  is 
indicated  that  Stratini  may  cherish  some 
sentiment  for  Carol,  he  often  reiterates  that 
love  has  no  place  in  the  life  of  an  artist. 
Everything  points  to  her  final  union  with 
Whitney  Duane  until  the  final  fadeout. 

It  is  sheer  joy  to  watch  Miss  Rich  every 
moment  she  appears  in  the  picture.  And 
fortunately  this  is  most  of  the  time.  Marc 
McDermott  gives  an  especially  capable  per- 
formance as  the  temperamental  maestro.  The 
rest  of  the  cast  are  convincing,  and  it  is  in- 
teresting to  watch  Louise  Fazenda  in  a 
straight  part.    She  does  finely. 

Rely  on  the  title,  the  book  tie-up,  the 
popularity  of  the  star  and  the  drawing  power 
of  the  cast  for  your  exploitation.  The  title 
may  easily  be  adapted  to  advertising  uses. 
One  way  might  be  to  run  teasers  before 
opening  asking  "Who  is  this  Woman?"  or 
"Where  is  This  Woman?"  together  with  a 
cut  of  Miss  Rich. 


Use  Your  Own  Head 

When  you  read  the  opinion  of  a  competent  reviewer  who  estimates  the  box-office  possibilities  of  a 
picture,  read  it  in  the  light  of  your  own  knowledge. 

You  know  your  customers.  Experience:  tells  you  something  of  their  likes  and  prejudices.  Couple 
this  knowledge  with  what  the  reviewer  tells  you  and  you  have  a  composite  estimate  of  the  picture's  value 
that  will  guide  you  safely  in  booking. 

Use  the  review  pages  in  this  way  and  they  will  pay  you  substantial  dividends. 


Page  50 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Biq  Little  Feature 


"Eve  of  Revolution"  Creates 

Sensation  at  Lexington,  Mass. 

"The  Eve  of  the  Revolution"  creat- 
ed a  sensation  at  its  world's  premiere 
recently,  when  it  was  shown  at  Lexing- 
ton, Mass.,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Lexington  Historical  Society. 

"The  Eve  of  the  Revolution"  is  one 
of  a  series  of  33  films  being  produced 
by  the  Yale  University  Press  for  Pathe 
release  under  the  general  title  of  "The 
Chronicles  of  America."  The  film  de- 
picts the  most  significant  incidents  of 
the  decade  from  1 765  to  1775  and  re- 
lives such  highlights  in  American  His- 
tory as  the  reaction  of  the  people  to 
the  Stamp  Tax,  the  Boston  Massacre, 
the  Boston  Tea  Party,  the  Sales  As- 
sembly, which  voted  to  send  delegates 
to  the  First  Continental  Congress  at 
Philadelphia,  the  rides  of  Paul  Revere 
and  William  Dawes,  Jr.,  the  gathering 
of  the  Minute  Men,  the  clash  between 
the  British  troops  and  American  pa- 
triots on  the  Lexington  Green  and  the 
fight  at  the  Concord  Bridge  when  the 
advance  guard  of  the  British  was  halt- 
ed and  began  its  disastrous  retreat 
toward  Boston  with  the  Americans 
harassing  every  step  of  the  way. 
Among  the  outstanding  historical  fig- 
ures portrayed  in  the  films  are  John 
Hancock,  Sam  Adams,  General  Thom- 
as Gage,  Major  Pitcairn,  Earl  Percy, 
Revere,  Dawes  and  Captain  Parker, 
who  commanded  the  Mintue  Men  at 
Lexington. 

The  original  script  of  the  production 
was  written  by  Professor  George 
Pierce  Baker  of  Harvard's  "47  Work- 
shop" fame  and  Mr.  James  P.  Munroe, 
Ex-President  of  the  Lexington  Histor- 
ical Society.  This  film  is  the  first  mo- 
tion picture  which  authentically  visu- 
alizes all  of  the  important  events  lead- 
ing to  the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities 
with  England. 

Brief  addresses,  outlining  the  scope 
and  importance  of  the  work  which  the 
Yale  Press  is  doing,  explaining  the 
manner  in  which  the  Society  assisted 
and  endorsing  the  spirit  and  portrayal 
of  the  films  were  made  at  the  preview 
by  Mr.  James  P.  Munroe,  Ex-Presi- 
dent, Mr.  S.  R.  Wrightington,  Presi- 
dent, and  Mr.  Edwin  B.  Worthen,  cor- 
responding Secretary  of  the  Lexington 
Historical  Society.  A  distinguished  au- 
dience included  guests  from  Boston, 
Concord,  Cambridge,  New  York  and 
other  cities. 


IF  THE  FEATURE  DOESN'T 
PULL— 

To  be  worth  program  room, 
short  subjects  should  pass  this 
test: 

Will  it  draw  patron- 
age —  if  my  feature 
fails  me? 

Exhibitors  may  be  certain 
that  short  features  so  selected 
will  undoubtedly  satisfy  every 
patron. 


Century  Engages  Jesse  Robbins 

Word  has  just  been  received  from 
Julius  Stern,  president  of  Century  Com- 
edies, now  in  Hollywood  supervising 
next  year's  product,  of  the  engagement 
of  Jesse  Robbins,  to  direct  Wanda  Wil- 
ey, Century  star  in  her  new  series  of 
two-reel  comedies.  These  are  to  be 
made  from  stories  by  the  well  known 
French  humorist,  George  Fouret. 

Robbins  directed  many  of  the  "Fight 
and  Win"  series  for  Universal  and  al- 
so made  comedies  for  Century  a  few 
years  back  with  signal  success. 

Production  of  the  special  Wanda  Wi- 
ley series  will  start  within  the  next  two 
weeks. 

*    *  * 

Sixth  Anniversary  of  Fox 
News  Reel 

An  important  milestone  in  motion 
picture  journalism  was  passed  last 
week  when  Fox  News  began  its  sixth 
year  of  serving  the  public  with  the 
most  important,  most  interesting  and 
the  latest  world  news  in  pictures.  Vol. 
6  No.  1  of  Fox  News  finds  this  news 
reel  an  American  institution  of  world- 
wide importance.  The  national  edition 
and  the  special  editions,  issued  for 
foreign  countries  are  seen  every  week 
by  more  than  40,000,000  people. 

More  than  1,000  Fox  News  camera- 
men are  operating  throughout  the 
world.  There  are  40  staff  men  and 
correspondents  covering  the  United 
,  States ;  more  than  a  score  in  Canada 
and  other  trained  men  following  im- 
portant new   events    in   Hawaii,  the 


Philippines  and  the  Panama  Canal 
Zone.  In  every  state  in  the  Union  and 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Alaska, 
Fox  cameramen  are  ever  on  the  alert. 

There's  a  rich  flavor  of  romance  and 
high  adventure  about  the  vast  picture 
news  gathering  organization  in  foreign 
fields.  Fox  News  cameramen  are  lo- 
cated at  35  capitals  and  principal  cities 
of  Europe,  affording  100  per  cent  cov- 
erage of  that  territory,  Fox  News  is 
represented  in  every  European  country 
except  Soviet  Russia. 

Fox  News  cameramen  are  active 
throughout  Central  and  South  America, 
Australia,  New  Zealand  and  Africa. 
Strong  Fox  News  forces  are  operating 
in  the  Near  East  and  Far  East. 

3fc        %  % 

Wanda  Wiley  Back  on 
Century  Lot 

Wanda  Wiley,  Century  star,  who  was 
injured  when  her  horse  bolted  and 
threw  her  during  the  making  of  "On 
Duty,"  has  completely  recovered  and  is 
back  on  the  Century  lot  once  more. 

The  accident  was  so  severe  Miss  Wil- 
ey was  forced  to  spend  two  weeks  in 
the  hospital  and  two  more  at  her  home 
in  Hollywood  convalescing.  In  the 
meantime  production  on  "On  Duty"  had 
to  be  held  up. 

*  *  * 

"Short  Change"  in  Premier 

At  the  opening  of  the  Senator  The- 
atre, Sacramento,  Calif.,  the  new  mil- 
lion dollar  house  erected  by  the  West 
Coast  Theatres,  Inc.,  the  Short  Subject 
selected  for  the  opening  program  was 
the  Educational-Walter  Hiers  Comedy, 
"Short  Change." 

This  was  the  Western  premier  of  the 
two-reel  comedv.  The  feature  attrac- 
tion on  the  bill  was  "The  Only  Wo- 
man," with  Norma  Talmadge  which 
was  the  world's  premier  showing  of 
this  subject. 

*  *  * 

When  Is  a  "Still"  Not  a 
"Still" 

Malcolm  Strauss,  the  Pathe-serial 
producer,  is  having  his  troubles.  At 
the  present  writing,  he  and  his  director 
George  B.  Seitz  are  wondering  how 
they  can  get  away  with  a  revenue  raid 
in  New  Jersey.  According  to  the  Jer- 
sey laws  anything  slightly  resembling  a 
"still"  is  on  the  taboo.  According  to 
the  story  they  are  now  making,  which 
will  feature  Allene  Ray  and  Johnnie 
Walker,  there  must  be  a  "still."  Who 
can  suggest  something  that  looks  like 
a  "still,"  but  isn't  a  "still." 


November  L  1924 


Page  51 


"The  Riddle  Rider"  Shown 

The  latest  serial  effort  of  the  Uni- 
versal Pictures  Corp.  "The  Riddle  Rid- 
er" was  shown  last  week  at  a  pre-view 
trade  showing. 

William  Desmond  and  Eileen  Sedge- 
wick  head  a  great  cast  which  include 
Helen  Holmes,  Claude  Paston,  and 
Hughie  Alack. 

Each  of  the  first  three  episodes 
which  were  shown  contain  excellent 
elements  of  real  story  making.  The 
climaxes  are  strong  on  suspense  and 
should  promote  interest  on  the  part  of 
patrons,  to  come  back  the  following- 
week  for  the  continuation. 

The  story  deals  with  the'plotting  of 
a  group  of  oil  speculators  who  seek  to 
obtain  all  the  available  land  in  a  cer- 
tain township,  to  prospect  for  oil.  They 
are  unsuccessful  in  their  unscrupulous 
schemes  mainly  through  the  timely  in- 
terventions of  a  mysterious  personage. 
He  rides  on  horseback,  into  all  the  im- 
portant moments  when  the  schemers 
seek  by  fair  means  and  foul  to  obtain 
this  land  they  want. 

He  rescues  the  girl,  Nan  Madden 
from  some  hair-breath  races  with 
death.  He  gives  a  good  account  of 
himself,  generally,  yet  the  town  places 
a  price  on  his  head. 

From  many  angles  it  seems  to  be 
good  exhibitor  material. 

Alice  Gets  in  Dutch 

M.  J.  Winkler  2  reels 

Alice  is  punished  for  bad  conduct  and  is  put  upon 
the  dunce's  chair  for  discipline.  She  dozes  .  off  and 
has  some  odd  adventures  with  her  dream  friends, 
the   cartoon  animals. 

THIS  one  of  the  series  of  "Alice"  come- 
dies is  quite  up  to  the  high  standard  set1 
by  these  clever  half  real-half  cartoon  laugh 
makers. 

The  brilliant  child  comedienne  who  plays 
Alice  is  disciplined  for  laughable  misbehav- 
ior in  school.  She  is  crowned  with  the 
dunce's  insignia,  and  set  upon  a  high  stool  to 
do  penance.  Soon  she  nods,  and  sleeps,  and 
dreams. 

She  and  her  cartoon  playmates  have  a  won- 
derful time.  The  cartoon  animals  play  jazz 
while  Alice  shimmies  in  approved  style.  Sud- 
denly however,  the  long  faced  school-marm 
attacks  with  an  army  of  lesson  books,  and 
a  most  amazing  combat  ensues.  Alice's 
forces  stay  the  attack  with  a  barage  of  red 
pepper  which  makes  the  books  sneeze  all 
their  pages  out,  and  the  teacher  literally 
sneezes  her  head  off.  But  in  the  end  the 
cartoon  teacher  overtakes  Alice  and  prods 
her  with  a  sword.  The  little  girl  wakes  up 
to  find  the  real  teacher  prodding  her  with 
the  pointer. 

The  picture  is   real  good  comedy,  done 
;  with  a  light  touch  o'f  fantasy  that  puts  it  in 
the  "unusual"  class.  -  It  is  a  desirable  bit  to 
put  pep  in  any  program,  and  will  please 
young  and  old  alike. 

*    * '   *  ■ 

A  Trip  to  Mars 

Red  Seal  1  reel 

This  is  an  "Out  of  the  Inkwell"  sketch  and 
is  well  up  to  the  usual  high  standard  of  Max 
Fleischer's  cartoon.    The  clown  is  chosen  to 
enter  a  rocket  and  be  sent-  ta-mars.  - 
He  objects  and  tries  to  escape.    He  places 


Jack  Dempsey,  Universal  star,  rides  with 
Clifford  Smith,  director  of  Universal  West- 
ern features.    Jack  has  just  finished  the 
series  of  "Fight  and  Win"  comedies. 


a  can  of  T.  T.  T.  under  the  chair  of  the 
cartoonist  before  he  is  caught  and  as  he  is 
sent  flying  through  the  air  in  a  rocket  the 
cartoonist  follows  closely  through  the  aid  of 
the  explosive. 

It  shows  the  Martian  people  in  action.  The 
subways  and  modes  of  living  are  worth 
many  good  laughs. 

You  can  book  this  one  safely  and  your  au- 
dience will  be  pleased. 

*  *  * 

Galloping  Bungalows 

Pathe  2  reels 

When  an  old  widow  advertises  for  a  husband 
Billy  Bevan  leads  in  the  rush.  :  After  they  are 
married  he  meets  her  grown  up  daughter  and  two 
suitors  for  the  daughters  hand.  They  decide  to 
buy  a  bungalow ;  later  this  catches  fire  and  much 
excitement    prevails   in   attempting   to  put   it  out. 

'T'HIS  really  proved  to  be  a  jolly  party, 
x  Billy  Bevan,  Sid  Smith,  Natalie  Kings- 
ton add  to  their  already  green  laurels  by 
the  excellence  of  their  comedy  work  in  this 
Mack  Sennett  picture. 

Imagine  a  demonstrator  -  bungalow, 
mounted  upon  a  horse-drawn  truck.  Sud- 
denly, the  bungalow  catches  fire,  and  then 
the  horses  run  away.  They  appeal  to  a  lo- 
cal fire  department  for  assistance  and  as  the 
chief  seems  to  take  no  interest  in  the  matter 
decide  to  take  the  machine  out  on  their  own 
hook. 

Then  the  fun  begins  and  continues  fast 
and  furiously.  They  draw,  alongside  and 
try  to  put  out  the  flames  and  all  the  while 
the  attractive  Natalie  Kingston  is  in  peril  of 
her  life.  One  of  the  suitors — the  villian — 
is  trying  to  hold  in  the  horses.  The  other 
suitor  Sid  Smith,  prances  on  the  end  of  an 
extension  ladder  seeking  to  get  her  to  join 
him  to  safety.  They  always  are  just  enough 
apart  to  prevent  the  rescue.  The' -result  be-- 
ing  interesting  suspense.  ' 

Exhibitors  will  find  that  this  picture,  wilb 
appeal  to  adults  "and  to  children.  There  is 
fun  galore  and  plenty  of  action.  It  could  be 
exploited  by  means  of  cardboard  or  beaver 
board  bungalow  set  on  a  truck  and  paraded 
through  the  town. 

*  *  * 

High  Gear 

Educational  2  reels 

Bobby,  believing  in  Safety  First  operates  an 
electric — slow,  but  sure.  His.  friend  entices  him 
to  - try  oat  a  motor-car,  and  they  hop  into  a  demon- 
strator, billed  "Coast-to- Coast- Sealed  in  High  G«ar." 
Unconsciously  he  sarts  the  car  and  races  madly, 
unable  to  stop  it,  until  rescued.  He  is  chosen  by 
his  sweetheart's  father  to  be  his  driver  in  the  forth 
coming _auto_  racC-in  the  car  of  his"  manufacture.. 
After  many  mishaps,  Bobby  wins  the  race,  and 
Mabel. 


TJIGH   GEAR"   offers  a  good,  enter- 
"taining    type    of    comedy    with  just 
enough  slapstick  to   it  to  be  acceptable.' 
It  has  very  evident  box-office  indications, 
with  Bobby  Vernon  the  drawing  card. 

A  fast  moving  comedy,  it  includes  some 
excellent  scenes  of  motor  racing  and  reck- 
less driving.  Over  hills  and  cliffs  they 
ride  with  seemingly  fearless  abandon. 

Then  there  are  some  excellent  stunts 
done  on  an  aeroplane  at  a  great  height. 
Fuddled  and  ignorant  of  the  workings  of 
a  plane  into  which  he  stumbles,  Bobby 
eventually  loses  hold,  just  as  he  grasps 
the  parachute  ropes,  and  lands  in  safety — 
right  into  the  seat  of  his  runaway,  rider- 
less, racing  auto.  It  is  however,  headed 
in  the  wrong  direction,  but  the  parachute 
still  clinging  to  him  fills  with  the  wind, 
and  draws  the  car  to  the  finish  line  of 
the  race,  ahead  of  all  others. 

The  story  is  interesting,  and  has  many 
moments  of  suspense.  Bobby  Vernon  is 
highly  amusing,  and  Marion  Harlan  as  the 
girl  lends  good  dramatic  balance,  for  she 
has  no  opportunity  for  comedy.  On  the 
whole,  the  public  will  undoubtedly  like 
this  two-reeler.  The  kids  as  well  as  the 
adult  patrons  will  be  heartily  amused. 

The  Mosquito 

Educational  1  reel 

One  of  the  "Secrets  of  Life"  series  of  Educational 
subjects,  "The  Mosquito"  takes  us  into  the  in- 
tricacies of  the  birth  and  formation  of  the  insect. 
The  four  stages  of  development  are  shown  from  the 
egg  period  to  that  of  completed,  winged  mosquito. 
Scientific  data  in  the  caption,  and  instructive  illus- 
tration through  the  microscope,  aid  in  presenting  to 
the  screen  a  complete  information-story. 

/"kUTSIDE  of  laboratories  as  they  are, 
^  the  public  has  little  opportunity  except 
from  library  sources  to  gain  any  instruc- 
tive knowledge,  except  from  the  motion  pic- 
ture. 

The  screen  has  been  found  a  useful  fac- 
tor in  presenting  to  the  patrons  of  the 
theatre,  such  informative  facts  concerning 
science  as  would  meet  general  acceptance. 

In  the  case  of  this  short  subject,  this 
thought  is  well  emplified.  Thanks  is  due 
to  Louis  H.  Tolhurst,  A.S.C.  for  the 
photography  and  microscopy,  as  well  as 
to  Principal  Pictures  Corp.  for  the  pro- 
duction. 

This  is  indeed  a  wise  move — and  such 
films  as  "The  Mosquito"  should  win  wide 
public  approval,  and  have  unqualified  co- 
operation from  exhibitor,  for  surely  the 
public  appreciates  presentations  such  as 
this. 

The  story  of  this  insect  is  told  in  this 
film  so  all  may  understand  it.  In  each 
caption  is  some  pithy  bit  of  knowledge. 

Every  school  where  students  are  study- 
ing biology,  should  arrange  with  ex- 
hibitors for  study  hours  for  the  pupils. 
Visual  study  such  as  this  will  undoubtedly 
be  far  more  helpful  than  that  derived 
from  books. 

;p        Jp  ;js 

A  Stitch  in  Time 

Red  Seal  1  reel 

Max  Fleischer,  cartoonist,  shows  what  will 
result  if  a  cartoon  figure  is  turned  loose  with 
a  spool  of  thread  and  a  needle.  The  clown 
takes  the  needle  and  sews  the  cartoonist  to 
the  chair.  He  sews  everything  in  the  house 
until  there  is  a  maze  of  tangles.  He  is 
finally  captured. 

This  one-reeler  is  up  to  the  usual  Ink 
well  series  standard  and  can  be  shown  with 
any  program, 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Marvels  of  Motion 

Red  Seal  1  reel 

In  this  remarkable  short  subject  is  shown 
ivhat  can  be  accomplished  in  motion  picture 
photography  through  a  new  invention. 

It  shows  a  series  of  aesthetic  dances,  and 
also  an  athlete  in  action. 

By  the  new  invention  the  figures  can  be 
made  to  move  at  ordinary  speed  and  then 
suddenly  be  wafted  through  the  air  by  the 
slow  motion  route,  or  else  step  completely  in 
midair. 

The  figures  can  be  made  to  reverse  or  go 
forward  and  do  many  stunts  that  arc  marvel- 
pus. 

This  reel  should  be  of  interest  to  every- 
one, and  there  is  no  doubt  but  what  this  new 
system  will  have  a  bearing  on  feature-pic- 
ture photography  soon. 

The  exhibitor  will  do  well  to  book  this 
one. 

*    *  * 

If  Matches  Struck 

Red  Seal  1  reel 

This  picture  shows  what  would  happen  if 
matches  suddenly  became  animated  and  or- 
ganized against  patent  cigar  lighters. 

The  matches  select  a  leader ;  he  in  turn 
calls  out  all  matches  in  the  household,  and 
they  mobilize  for  action.  They  march  and 
do  all  kinds  of  military  stunts. 

They  select  a  speaker  who  finally  appears 
before  the  owner  of  the  house  and  they 
reach  an  agreement  whereby  the  patent  cigar 
lighter  is  thrown  away  and  the  matches  go 
back  on  duty. 

This  subject  will  make  a  good  filler  and 
should  find  considerable  interest. 


Pathe  Review  No.  43 

Pathe  Review  No.  43  carries  three  inter- 
esting subjects.  The  first  is  a  series  of  re- 
markable aerial  tours  over  the  great  islands 
of  America's  mid-Pacific  possessions  en- 
titled "Flying  Over  Hawaii." 

The  second  is  the  continued  series  on 
"History  of  Fashions."  The  third  is  a  Pathe- 
color  subject  covering  the  most  important 
scenic  points  of  the  city  of  Cleveland. 

"Monkey  Business,"  an  animated  cartoon 
comedy  of  the  "Aesop's  Film  Fables,"  is  also 
on  it. 


News  Reels  in  Brief 

International  Sens  No.  S5:  White  Plains, 
N.  Y. — Police  dogs  compete  for  high  jump- 
ing title.  Champion  canines  of  East  set 
new  marks  in  leaping  contest;  Interesting 
Snapshots  From  The  News  of  The  Day — 
Stewkeley,  England — Pox  hunting  season 
opens  in  England  and  scores  of  hounds  fol- 
low Reynard  in  famous  Whaddon  chase; 
Frisco,  Cal. — Daring  girl  swimmers  defy 
rough  seas  in  annual  race  around  seal  rocks: 
St.  Louis,  Mo. — The  Veiled  Prophet  stages  a 
procession  of  unusual  brilliance  for  the  na- 
tional gathering  of  his  followers;  Everson, 
Wash. — Dynamite  lays  low  a  bridge  con- 
necting Seattle  and  British  Columbia  to 
make  way  for  a  new  span;  Washington, 
D.  C. — Crucial  plays  in  Senators'  World's 
Series  triumph.  Washington  wins  title  in 
most  exciting  game  in  baseball  history — 
here's  Bucky  Harris  hitting  his  homer; 
Latonia,  Ky. — Epinard  second  again  in  final 
International  race.  French  turf  star  beaten 
third  time  running  by  American  horse — 
Mrs.  W.  K.  Vanderbilt's  Sarazen  does  the 
trick  this  time;  Selig  Zoo,  Los  Angeles, 
Cal. — A  quiet  day  at  home  with  Felix  of 
darkest  Africa.  Jungle  visitor  shares 
breakfast  table  with  trainer  George  Car- 
rissello  and  displays  perfect  deportment; 
Friederichschafen,  Germany — Newest  dir- 
igible giant  ZR3  on  flight  across  Atlantic 
for  delivery  to  Uncle  Sam. 

International  News  No.  86:  Lourdes, 
France — Miracle  cures  sought  by  vast  army 


of  cripples  on  amaz- 
ing pilgrimage  from 
Ireland  to  famous 
shrines  at  Lourdest; 
Interesting  Personal- 
ities from  News  of 
Day — Rome,  Italy — 
Jackie  Coogan,  boy 
film  star,  views 
Home's  ancient  won- 
ders with  his  ma  and 
pa.  Jackie  takes  a 
spin  in  a  wine  cart: 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.- — 
Society  scandal  note 
— George  Carnisello's 
flapper  pal,  Marv 
Monko,  is  getting  to 
be  an  awful  tobacco 
fiend;  Chicago,  111. — 
The  Prince  of  Wales, 
on  horseback,  gives 
Chicago's  famous 
stockyards  the  royal 
once-over,  Bos  ton, 
Mass. — Supt.  Crowley 
leads  1500  of  Boston's 
"finest"  in  their  an- 
nual parade*  amid  the 
cheers  of  thousands; 
St.  Louis,  Mo. — Thou- 
sands cheer  St.  Louis 
police  in  an  impres- 
sive display  of  power 
— every  man  with  a 
riot  gun  —  trouble 
makers  beware!  Jer- 
sey City,  N.  J. — Ship 
sinks  at  pier.  Cable 
steamers  goes  down 
at  anchor  while 
crew's  ashore;  Haw- 
thorne, 111. — Appall- 
ing smash-up  mars 
whirlwind  auto 
races.  Speed  demons 
defy  perils  of  dirt 
track — her  ethey  go 
in  a  lightning  start; 
An  international  Spe- 
cial —  ZR3  crosses 
Atlantic;  Newest  dir- 
igible giant  flies 
from  Germany  to 
America  in  three 
days. 


Kinograms  No.  54)22: 

Reward  children  for 
work  for  "No  Fires!" 
— New  York — School 
youngsters  are  hon- 
ored at  City  Hall  for 
best  essays  on  fire 
prevention;  Ready, 
Get  Set,  Saw! — Seat- 
tle, Wash.  —  Log- 
gers in  old-time  log- 
bucking  contest  test 
their  muscle  and  sta- 
mina; saws  way  to 
victory  in  eight  min- 
utes; Still  Follow 
Sturdy  Sport  —  Port 
Huron,  Mich. — Meet 
to  see  what  farmer 
can  plow  straightest 
furrow;  Doug  Enter- 
tains Spanish  Gran- 
dees— Los  Angeles — 
The  Duke  and  Duch- 
ess of  Alba  and  party 
are  guests  at  the 
Fairbanks  home;  Put 
Star  Shehperd  Dogs 
Through  Paces  — 
White  Plains,  N.  Y. — 
They  used  to  be 
called  police  dogs, 
but  now  they  have  a 
new  name;  Get  Raw 
Material  For  Your 
Cocktail — Bivalve,  N. 
J. — Great  fleet  sails 
out  on  its  quest  but 
it  is  seeking  oysters- 
not  rum;  Parliament 
Session  Ends  Labor 
Cabinet  —  London  — 
Gather  for  meeting 
that  brings  downfall 
of  Premier  MacDbn- 
ald;  Lord  Curzon  ar- 
rives; Hail  Veiled 
Prophet  In  Night 
Procession — St.  Louis 
— Carnival  parade 
breaks  record  for 
gorgeousness — thous- 
ands salute  His  Ma- 
jesty; The  Smiths 
Are  All  Set  To  Vote- 
New  York— The  Gov- 
ernor, his  wife, 
daughter  and  son  are 
not  among  those  who 
fail  to  register;  Sar- 
azen Defeats.  The 
Great  Epinard  —  Da- 
tonia,  Ky.  —  French 
horse  is  beaten  by 
Mrs.  Vanderbilt's  en- 
try in  record-break- 
ing race. 


it 


The  AL  ST.  JOHN 

Tuxedo  Comedies 


:'Never  Again" 
"His  First  Car" 
"The  Bonehead" 
"The  New  Sheriff' 
"One  Night  It  Rained" 
"No  Loafing" 
"Front!" 

"Easter  Bonnets" 


for  Educational  are 

Going 
Great  Guns" 

says  M.  P.World, 

"and  this  latest  release 
if  anything  exceeds  its  \ 
predecessors  in  real 
entertainment  values." 


^^MJp^UUULMjfi-*^,,  Presents 

AL  ST.  JOHN 
in 

"Stupid  But  Brave" 

Produced  by 
Reel  Comedies,  Inc. 


AND  EVERY  ONE 
IS  A  FEATURE! 

Six  two-reel  features,  that  is  the  way  we 
characterize  our  series  starring 

BENNY  LEONARD 

— IN —  ;| 

"FLYING  FISTS" 

BECAUSE — Every  one  of  them  has  drama, 
thrills  and  humor. 

BECAUSE — Leonard  steps  into  the  ranks  of 
legitimate  movie  actors  with  his  acting. 

BECAUSE— Sam  Hellman,  of  Saturday 
Evening  Post  fame,  has  written  stories  and  titles 
that  mark  a  new  step  in  screen  humor. 

AND  BECAUSE— They're  produced  like  fea- 


tures. 


Distributed  nationally  by 

Henry  Ginsberg 
1540  Broadway 


Foreign   rights : 

Jacob  Wilk 
1476  Broadway 


November  1,  1924  Page 


Production  Chart 

of  Short  Subjects 


Title 

Publicity  Pays  

Homeless    Pups   ; . 

Commencement   Day  ...... 

Sporting    Speed    .  .  ■  •  

North   of  50-50   

When  Winter  Comes   

Near  Dublin   

April  Fool   

Jealous  Fisherman  ........ 

Bottle  Babies   

Black  Oxfords   

The  Pilgrims   

Fishin'  Fever   

Position  Wanted   

The  Jolly  Jail-Bird   

Going  to  Congress   

The  Cat's  Meow   

Before  Taking   

One  Good  Turn   

Building  Winners  

Cradle  Robbers   

Yukon  Jake   

Handle  'Em  Rough   

The  Flying  Carpet   

Rupert  of  Hee-Haw  ......... 

Fast  Black   

That  Old  Can  of  Mine   

Suffering  Shakespeare  .... 
The  Lions  and  the  Souse.  . 
Declaration  of  Independence 

On  Guard   

Young  Oldfield   

The  Organ  Grinders   

Don't  Park  There   

His  New  Mamma   

Her  Memory  

Stolen  Goods   

Home  Talent   

Jubilo,  Jr  

Solitude  and  Fame   

Jeffries,  Jr  

i  he  Body  in  the  Bag  .... 

The  Wide  Open  Spaces  

Why  Husbands  Go  Mad   . . 

Desert  Sheiks   

Radio  Mad   • 

The   Finer  Points   

Yorktown  

Maud  Muller   

A  Ten  Minute  Egg   

A  Woman's  Honor   

Our  Congressman   

Seeing  Nellie  Home   

The  Sport  of  Kings  

It's  a  Bear   

Our  Defenders    . .  •  ■  

Flying  Fever   

Short  Kilts  

Romeo  and  Juliet 

Amelia  Comes  Back   

A  Hard  Boiled  Tenderfoot. 

Wall  Street  Blues   

Hobbies  

The  Puritans   

Sweet  Daddy   

House  Cleaning   

A  Truthful  Liar   ■'• 

The  First  100  Years   

The  Prodigal  Pup   

High  Society   

East  of  the  Water  Plug  

Hoof-Beats  .  

One-Third  Off   

Why  Men  Work   

A  Message  from  the  Sea  .  . 

Barnyard  Olympics   

South  o'   the  North   Pole.  . 

The  Happy  Years   

Lizzies  of  the  Field   

Alexander  Hamilton   

Outdoor  Pajamas   

The  Good  Old  Summer  Time 
The  Luck  o'  the  Foolish.. 

Three  Foolish  Weeks   

The  Mouse  that  Turned  .  .  . 
The  Sundown  Limited  ..... 

Spikes  and  Bloomers  

Little  Robinson  Corkscrew.. 

Sittin'  Pretty   

Hawks  of  the  Sea   

Should  Landlords  Live  .... 

Gee  Whiz  Genevieve   

Noah's  Outing   

Lost  Dog   

Wandering  Waistlines  . .....  • 

The  Danger  Lure  ......... 

Dixie   ,.  

Too  Many  Mammas   

A  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea  .  . 
The  Hansom  Cabman  ..... 
The  Goofy  Age  


PATHE 

Subject  LenL 

Charles   Chase   1000. 

Cartoon  (Terry)    looo 

Our  Gang  :   .)...'.  .  20UO 

Grantlana  Rice   luuo 

Dippy  Doo  Dad  .  ••  iuuu 

Cartoon    (Terry)   .  iuoo 

Man   Laurel   •  ■  2000 

Charles  Chase   ..  10OO 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

All    Star   2000 

All   Star    3000 

Grantland   Rice    (Sport)    ..  1000 

Charles  Chase     1000 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000 

Will  Rogers   2000 

Harry    Langdon    2000 

Mohan  &  Engle    1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000 

Our  Gang    2000 

Ben  Turpin   ..   2000 

Dippy    Doo   Dad    1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)   .   1000 

Stan    Laurel    2000 

Mohan  and  Engle    ........  1000 

Cartoon    (Terry)   1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

All   Star   i  -  •  2000 

All   Star    3000 

Grantland   Rice    (Sport)    ..  1000 

Charles  Chase    1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Will  Rogers    2000 

Harry    Langdon    2000 

All  Star  ■  •  1000 

Charles  Chase   1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Our  Gang    2000 

Grantland  Rice  (Sport)    1000 

Charles  Chase   1 1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)   f-  1000 

Stan  Laurel    2000 

Charles  Chase   •  ■  1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000 

All   Star   3000 

All   Star   2000 

Charles  Chase    1000 

Cartoon     (Terry)     .  1000 

Will  Rogers    2000 

Charles   Chase   1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Our  Gang    2000 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    2000 

Stan    Laurel    . .  •  •   1000 

Ben  Turpin   '■   2000 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

All  Star    2000 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000 

All  Star    3000 

Charles  Chase   1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)   .,  1000 

Will    Rogers    2000 

Harry    Langdon    2000 

Cartoon  (Terry)   . .'.   1000 

Our  Gang   2000 

Ralph   Graves   .,-   2000 

Grantland  Rice   (Sport)    ...  i000 

All  Star   2000 

Charles  Chase    1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

Grantland'  Rice   (Sport)  ..-1000 

All  Star    2000 

All  Star    3000, 

Charles   Chase    .   1000 

Cartoon    (Terry)    WOO 

Harry  Langdon   •'   2000 

Ben  Turpin    2000 

Cartoon  (Terry)    1000 

Our  Gang^  .  -.   2000 

Grantland-  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000 

Ralph  Graves*   2000 

Charles  Chase  .   1000 

Cartoon-  fTetf-y)   1000 

Arthur  Stow  :  . .  .'    2000 

Will    Rogers-    2000 

Cartoon"  (Terry)    1000 

Spat  Family    2000 

All   Star  ••-  2000 

Grantland  Rice    1000 

All   Star    . .  •  •   3000 

Charles  Chase   :.  ...  1000 

Cartoon    (Terry)    1000 

Harry  Langdon   2000 

Glenn  Tryon   •  •   2000 


th 


Ri 
..May 

■  -Maj: 

. .  May 
.  .  May 
.  .May 
.  .  May 
.  .  May 
.  .May 
.  .May 
".  .May 
.  .  May 
.  .May 
.  .May 
.  .May-- 
.  .May 
.  .  May 
.  .May 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
une 
J  une 
June 
July 
July 
July 
J  uly 
July 
J  une 
July- 
July 
July 
July 
J  uly 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
•Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 

•  Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 

■  Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 
,  Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Aug. 

•  Aug. 
.Aug. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.  Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.  Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Sept. 
.Oct. 

.  .Oct. 

,  .Oct. 

.  .Oct. 

.  .Oct. 

.  .Oct. 
.Oct. 
•  Oct.  ■ 
.Oct. 


leased 

4 

4 

4 

4 
1  1 
11 
1 1 
18 
18 
IS 

18  .-■ 

18 

18 

25 

25 

25 

25 

1 

1 

1 

1 

8 


15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
15 
22 
22 
22 
22 
22 
29 
29 
29 
29 

6 

6- 

6 
13' 
13'- 
13 
13 
13 
20 
20 
20 
20 
27 
27 
27 
27. 

3. 

3 

3 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
17 
17 
17 
17 
24 
24 
24 
24 
31 
31 
31 ., 

7 

7 

7 

7 

7 
14 
14 
14 
14 
21 
21 
2i 
21 
28 
28 
28 
28 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 
12 
12 
12 
12 


Black  Magic    Cartoon    (Terry)    1000  Oct.  19 

Every  Man  for  Himself   ...  Our   Gang    2000  Oct.  19 

sporting  Rhythm    Grantlana  Rice   (Sport)    ...  1000  Oct.  19 

Riders  of  the  Purple  Cows.  Ralph   Graves    2000  Oct.  19 

The  Death  Ray    Special   2000  Oct.  19 

Leather  Stocking    Serial    (Edna    Murphy)    ...  10  Chap.    Mar.  23 

The  Fortieth  Door    Serial    (B.  Gordon)    10  Chap.    May  25 

Into  the  Net    Serial    (Edna  Murphy)    ....  10  Chap.    Aug.  3 


Title 

All-  Swell  on  the  Ocean  .... 

Bring  Him  In   

Kayo  and  Cupid   

A  Society  Knockout   '. . 

So  This  Is  Paris  .......... 

The  Title  Holder   

Town  Hall  Tonight   

Winning  His  Way   

West  of  the  Water  Bucket.. 

Health  Farm  Wallop   

The   Fiddlin'  Doll   

Empty  Stall   

The  Shooting  Star   

The  Christmas  Handicap   . . 

Hot  Dog  Special   

Get  Away  Day   

Big  Boy  Glue  

Between  Fires   

Blue  Wings  Revenge   

Boss  of  Bar  Twenty   

Bull  Tosser   

College  Cowboy   

Columbus  and  Isabella  

Battling  Cowboy   

Fighting  Ranger   

Flying  Eagle   

Wolves  of  the  North   

Honor  of  Men  .  . .  

The  Iron  Man   

Kings  Command   . .  •  •  

The  Little  Savage   

The  Phanton  Fugitive   

Poor  Kid   

The  Powerful  Eye   

A  Prisoner  for  Life   

Red    Raymond's  Girl   

The    Riddle  Rider   

The  Sagebrush  Vagabond.. 
Tempest  Cody  Gets  Her  Man 
Tempest  Cody  Turns  Tables 

The  Traitor   

Uncle   Bims  Gift   

Watch  Papa   

Oh   What  a  Day   

Aggravatin'  Mama   

What's  the  Use   

Oh  Min   

Andy's  Temptation  ........ 

A  Dav  of  Rest  

West  Bound   

Andy's  Hat's  in  the  Ring.  . 

Winning  a  Bride   

Tale  of  a  Cat   

Tired  Business  Men   

Traffic  Jams  

Trailing  Trouble   

Trouble  Fixer   

Why  Be  Jealous?   

Sweet  Dreams   

On  Duty   

Paying  Money   

Patching   Things  Up   

Please  Teacher   

The  Racing  Kid   

Rest  in  Pieces   

Rip  Van  Winkle   

A    Royal  Pair   

Sahara  Blues   

Scared  Stiff   

Snappy  Eyes   

Speed  Boys   

Spring  of  1964   

Starving  Beauties   

Stepping  Some   

Her  City  Sport   

Here  He  Comes   

Her  Fortunate  Face   

His  First  Degree   

Jack  and  Beanstalk  

Kid  Days  

Low  Bridge  

Mind  the  Baby   

Miners   Over  Twenty-One.. 

Nobodv  to  Love   

William  Tell   

Benjamin  Franklin   

The  Blow  Out   •  ■  

Bluffing  Bluffers   

Case  Dismissed  

The  Cry  Baby   

The  Cute   Little   Devil  .... 

Delivering  the  Goods   

Eat  and  Run  

Fair  and  Windy   

Fearless  Fools   


UNIVERSAL 

Subject  Length  Released 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Aug.  17 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.     1  '24 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Oct.   26  '24 


Jack  Dempsey  series   July  7 

Jack  Dempsey  series  Aug.  3 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.  14 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Sept.  29 

Jack  Dempsey  series   ,  June  23 

Jack  Dempsey  series   July  21 

Jack  Dempsey  series   Oct.  12 

Fast  Steppers  May  12 

Fast  Steppers   May  26 

Fast  Steppers   June  9 

Fast  Steppers  June  23 

Fast  Steppers   July  7 

Fast  Steppers   July  21 

Leather  Pushers   Mar.  10  '23 

Cobb  and  Lee   Sept.  27 

Indian   June  21  '24 

Western  May  31 

Pete   Morrison    May  10 

Joseph   Bonomo   Sept.  13 

 Aug.  24 

Billy  Sullivan   

Jack  Dougherty  •  

William   Lawrence     July  19 

William  Duncan  serial   Sept  22 

Neal   Hart   May  24 

Serial  ,    June  16 

William   E.   Lawrence   Aug.  2 

Pete   Morrison     June  28 

E.    Polo  Aug.  9 

Baby  Peggy     June  22 

Pete  Morrison    ...June  7 

Eddie   Polo     Sept  20 

Pete  Morrison     July    12  '24 

Serial      Mar.     2  '25 

Steward  and  Lee     July  18 

Marie  Walcamp     Sept.  6 

Marie  Walcamp     July  5 

Wm.  H.  Lawrence   Aug.  30 

The  Gumps     Sept.  17  '23 

The  Gumps     Oct.  15  '23 

The  Gumps     Nov.  12 '23 

The  Gumps     Dec.  17  '23 

The  Gumps     May     5  '24 

The  Gumps     Jan.   14  '24 

The  Gumps     June    2  '24 

Joe  Murphy   ...   July  7 

Joe  Murphy     Aug.  4 

Joe  Murphy     Oct.  6 

Hays  and   Ridgeway  June  14 

Lyons  and  Moran     June  9 


.May  21 


Special  Cast 

McCoy  and  Karr    Sept.  3 

B.  Messinger    May  14 

Wanda  Wiley     Sept.  24 

Roach  and  Howell     June  23 

Wanda    Wiley   •  •   .Nov.  5 

Wanda   Wiley   •  ■ . .   

Murdock  and  O'Donnell   ...   July  30 

Roach  and  Howell     July  7 

B.    Messinger  June  18 

B.  Messinger    

Bert   Roach    June  2 

Hysterical   History     Sept.  21 

Earle  and  Alt     June  25 

Special   Cast     Oct.  15 

Special  Cast     Aug.  13 

Wanda  Wiley     Oct.  1 

Special   Cast     Sept.  10 

Edwards   •   Apr.  7 

Wanda   Wiley     July  9 

Baby  Peggy     

Wanda   Wiley     July  21 

B.  Messinger    

Wanda   Wiley     Aug.  6 

B.  Messinger   


B.    Messinger    Sept.  17 

Pal     (Dog)   Sept.  10 

Summerville   and   Dun   June  16 

Summerville   and  Dun    ....  May  12 

Hysterical  History   Aug.  10 

Hysterical  History   Sept.  8 

B.    Messinger  Aug.  20 

Roach   and   Howell   July  14 

Summerville  and  Dunn   May  26 

Summerville  and  Dunn   June  30 

Wanda  Wiley   

Pal   (Dog)   May  28 

Alt  and  McCoy                               .  ..Aug.  27 

Bert    Roach  Aug.  3 

Alt   and   McCoy   June  4 


EDUCATIONAL 


Title 


Subject  Length 

Fun  Shop    Fun  Shop    1000  May 

Cornfed    Christie  Comedy    2000  May 

Outbound   Cameo  Comedy    1000  May 

The   Lady-Bird    Secrets  of  Life  Series    1000  May 

Going   East    Hamilton   Comedy    2000  May 

A  Tiny  Tour  of  the  U.  S.  A.  Hodge   Podge    1000  May 


Released 
4 
4 
1  1 
11 
1 1 
18 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Production  Chart  of  Short  Subjects  (Continued) 


Lost   Chords    Sing  Them  Again    1000  May  18 

Nerve  Tonic    Christie   Comedy    2000  May  18 

The  Bonehead    Tuxedo  Comedy    2000  May  18 

Flowers  of  Hate    Wilderness  Tales    1000  May  25 

Powder  Marks    Cameo   Comedy    1000  May  25 

Air  Pockets    Mermaid  Comedy    2000  May  25 

Junior   Partner    ••   Juvenile   Comedy    2000  May  25 

Pardon  Us    Cameo   Comedy   1000  July  6 

The  Chase    Special    2000  July  6 

Melodious  Moments    Sing  Them   Again    1000  July  13 

Wedding   Showers    Mermaid  Comedy    2000  July  13 

The   Ex-Bartender   Retires.  .  Wilderness  Tales   1000  July  20 

Head  On    Cameo   Comedy   1000  July  20 

His   First   Car   Tuxedo  Comedy    2000  July  27 

Turn  About    Cameo  Comedy   1000  Aug.  3 

Frozen  Water    Hodge-Podge  Series    1000  Aug.  10 

Pigskin    Mermaid  Comedy    2000  Aug.  10 

The   Farewell    Wilderness  Tales    1000  Aug.  17 

Good  News    Cameo   Comedy    1000  Aug.  17 

Never  Again   ••   Tuxedo  Comedy    2000  Aug.  24 

Savage   Love    Christie  Comedy    2000  Aug.  24 

Drenched    Cameo   Comedy    1000  Aug.  31 

Boneyard  Blues    Earl  Hurd  Comedy    1000  Aug.  31 

Dirty  Hands    Juvenile  Comedy    2000  Aug.  31 

Wild   Game    Mermaid  Comedy    2000  Sept.  7 

Don't  Fail   ••   Cameo  Comedy   1000  Sept.  14 

Bright   Lights    Bobby  Vernon  Comedy  ....2000  Sept.  14 

Jonah  Jones   Hamilton    Comedy    2000  Sept.  21 

Cheer   Up    Cameo  Comedy    1000  Sept.  28 

Her  Boy  Friend    Larry  Semon  Comedy    2000  Sept.  28 

Court   Plaster    Christie    Comedy    2000  Sept.  28 

The   Hoboken   Nightingale..   Earl  Hurd  Cartoon    1000  Oct.  5 

Short  Change    Walter  Hiers  Comedy    2000  Oct.  5 

Desert  Blues    Cameo  Comedy    1000  Oct.  12 

Fast   and   Furious    Mermaid  Comedy    2000  Oct.  12 

Dirty  Hands    Juvenile    Comedy    2000  Oct.  19 

The    Whirligig    Hodge  Podge  Series    1000  Oct.  19 

No  Fooling    Cameo  Comedy    1000  Oct.  26 

Stupid  but  Brave    Tuxedo   Comedy    2000  Oct.  26 


SELZNICK 

Title 

Something  for  Nothing  .... 

Unhappy  Husbands  

Just  a  Little  Late  Club  .... 
When  an  Apple  Hits  You.. 

Mah  Jong   

Behind  the  Scenes  ........ 

Broadway  to  Hollywood.  .  .  . 

Among  the  Girls   

Stage  and  Studio   

The  Wonderful  Chance    .  .  . 

Sauce  for  the  Goose   

Pair  of  Silk  Stockings  .... 

The  Fighter   

Buttinsky   

Fishy  Tale   

The  Lunatic   

The  Mechanic   

A  Ghostly  Night   

A  Perfect  Pest   

The   Box   Car  Limited  .... 

The  Trouble  Maker   

Pretty  Soft   

Cave  Inn  Sheik   

King  Dumb   

Polly  Voo   

Nature  Faker   

Mysterious  Case   

Ancestors   

Knighthood   

Sky   Pilot   . .  •  ■  

Daredevil   

Horse  Play   

Cave  Man   

Throwin'  the  Bull   

The  Lyin'  Tamer   

Cream  of  Hollywood   

Bishop  of  Hollywood   

One  Day  in  Hollywood  .... 

Mandarin  Mixup   

Detained   

Magic  Lamp   


(Standard  Cinema  Corp.) 

Subject  Length  Released 

Barton   Editorial   Jan.  15 

Barton   Editorial   Feb.  15 

Barton  Editorial  Mar.  15 

Barton   Editorial   Apr.  15 

How  to   Play  It   Aug.  1 

Screen   Almanac                                   .June  15 

Screen   Almanac  July  15 

Screen   Almanac   Aug.  15 

Screen   Almanac   Sept.  15 

Eugene  O'Brien   i  June  1 

Constance  Talmadge   ■  July  1 

Constance  Talmadge   Aug.  1 

Conway  Tearle   Sept.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey  Jan.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   Feb.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   ....Mar.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   Apr.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   ,  May  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   June  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   July  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   Aug.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey   Sept.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey  Sept.  15 

Jimmy    Aubrey   Oct.  1 

Jimmy    Aubrey  Oct.  15 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   Jan.  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   Feb.  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar  Mar  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   Apr.  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   May  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   June  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   July  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   Aug.  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   Sept.  1 

Col.  Heeza  Liar   ....Nov.  1 

Hollywood  Series   Jan.  15 

Hollywood  Series   Feb.  15 

Hollywood  Series   Apr.  15 

Stan  Laurel   Sept  1 

Stan  Laurel  Oct.  1 

Dinky   Doodle   Sept.  15 


SELZNICK  (Selco) 


Title  Subject  Length  Released 

Trail  of  the  North  Wind..    (Nell  Shipman)  Aug.  1 

Light  on  Lookout   Sept.  > 

White  Paper   

Newspaper  Fun   


.Oct.  1 

Weekly   Aug.  30 


FOX 

Title  Subject  Length  Released 

Blows  and  Dynamite    Imperial   Comedy  Sept.  14 

Children  Wanted    Sunshine  Comedy  June  22 

The  Diving   Fool    Sunshine  Comedy   Sept.  21 

Be  Yourself    Al    St.    John   Feb.  10 

He's  My  Pal    Monkey  Cast   Apr.  6 

His  Bitter  Haif    Al    St.    John   Sept.  14 


Monkey    •  •  Mar.  23 

Sunshine  Comedy   June  15 

Monkey  Comedy   Aug  24 

Monkey  Comedy   Mar.  9 

Sunshine  Comedy   July  30 

The"  pfnh'ead   v-  •  ■  Clyde    Cook  Aug.  31 

Sad  But  True    Sunshine  Comedy   May  25 

The   Scenario   School    Sunshine  Comedy   July  6 

Stretching  the  Truth    Sunshine  Comedy   Aug.  24 

Sweet  Papa    Imperial  Comedy   Aug.  17 


In  Bad,  the  Sailor 

jazz  Weekly   

Monkey  Romeo   .  . . 

On  the  Job   

Pain  as  You  Enter 


Unreal   News   Reel  No.  3..  Sunshine  Comedy  June  8 

Unreal  News  Reel   No.  4..  Sunshine  Comedy   Sept.  7 

When  Wise  Ducks  Meet   ..  Sunshine  Comedy   May  4 

Beaten   Gold    Educational   May  25 

Dancing  Girls  of  India   Aug.  31 

Feathered  Fishermen    Educational   '  Mar.  16 

The  Fight    Van  Bibber  series   Aug.  24 

Following  the  Hounds   ....   Educational   May  11 

The  Fur  Trapper    Educational   Aug.  17 

The  Magic  Needle    Educational   June  8 

A  New  England  Farm   ....   Educational   Mar.  30 

Paul  Jones.  Jr   Van  Bibber  Comedy   Nov.  9 

Rambles  of  a  Rainbow  ....    Educational   Sept.  28 

Rivers  of  Song    Educational   Mar.  2 

Rock  Bound  Brittany    Educational   Jan.  20 

A  Sculptor's  Paradise    Educational  Feb.  17 

Slippery  Decks    Educational   V  Apr.  13 

Ten  Minutes  in  Sardinia   .  .   Educational  Apr.  27 

The  Hunt    Van  Bibber  Comedy  Sept.  14 


Title 

Be  Brave  

The  Dumbwaiter   

Dyin'    for  Love   

Flapper  Fever   

The  Hypnotist   

I'm  Cured   

Lucky  Loser   

Meet  the  Doctor  

Nervous  Reporter  

Oh  Billy   

Once  a  Boob   

The  Wrong  Groom  

Two  After  One   

That's  That   

Don't  Slip   

Her  Other  Husband   

Days  of  '49   

Desert  Hawk   

Jungle  of  Prehistoric  Anim 
Mysteries  of  Mah  Jong  .... 
Riders  of  the  Plains   


ARROW 

Subject 


Length 


Released 


Eddie  Lyons   May  1 

Bobby  Dunn   Aug.  15 

Billy  West   May  15 

Bobby   Dunn   May  1 

Tom  and  Jerry  Cartoon  

Bobby   Dunn   July  15 

Eddie  Lyons   Apr.  1 

Eddie  Lyons  June  1 

Billy  West  Mar.  1 

Billy  West   .   .  May  1 

Bobby   Dunn   June  1 

Eddie  Lyons    Aug.  1 

Billy  West   June  1 

Billy  West   Aug.  15 

Billy  West  Sept.  1 

Eddie  Lyons   Sept.  1 


.Oct.  25 


als 


.Apr. 
.Oct. 


Title 

Getting  Going   

In  the  Knicker  Time   

And  Never  the  Train  Shall 

A  Kick  for  Cinderella   

Julius  Sees  Her   

When    Knighthood    Was.  in 

Money  to  Burn   

Sherlock's  Home   

King  Leary   

William  Tell   

For  the  Love  of  Mike  .... 

Square  Sex  

Bee's  Knees  

Love  and  Learn  

Faster  Foster  


F.  B.  O. 

Subject 


Length 


Released 


Go-Getters   Sept.  14 

Go-Getters   Sept.  28 

Meet — Go-Getters   ,  Oct.  12 

Go-Getters   Oct.  26 

Telephone-Girl   Mar.  2 

Tower.  .Telephone-Girl   Mar.  16 

Telephone-Girl   Mar.  30 

Telephone-Girl   Apr.  13 

Telephone-Girl   Apr.  27 

Telephone-Girl   May  11 

Telephone-Girl   May  25 

Telephone-Girl   June  8 

Telephone-Girl   June  22 

Telephone-Girl   July  6 

Telephone-Girl   Aug.  3 


PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING 

Title  Subject  Length  Released 

Faint  Hearts    2042   

A  Social  Error     .  1826   

The  Four  Orphans  1714   

Thei  Fatal  Photo   ;   1745   

The  Busybody    1810   

The  Pill   Pounder    1902   

So  This  Is  Hamlet    1605   

Helpful  Hogan    1816  

Wild   and  Wicked    1800   

Fiddling   Fool    1891   

Pat's   Patent   1573  

Fearless  Flannigan  ........    ..;   1808   

Life  of  Reilly  :   1635   

Movie  Chats   '  

Fun  from  the  Press   

The  Goose    Rod  and  Gun   

The  Quail   Rod  and  Gun    

Salmon    Fishing    Rod  and  Gun   

The   Duck    Rod  and  Gun  

The  Turkey    Rod  and  Gun   


BRAY 

Title  Subject 

The  Mystery  Box    Romance  'series   

The  Sky  Splitter    Romance  series   

Gambling  with  Gulph  Stree  me — Romance  series 

Romance  of  Life    Romance  series   

The   Immortal  Voice    Romance  series   

Man  at  the  Throttle    Romance  series  

Black    Sunset    Romance  series   

Treasure  Island    Col.  Heeza  Liar 

Heeza  L.  and  the  Ghost  .  .  Col.  Heeza  Liar 

Heeza  L.     Detective    Col.  Heeza  Liar 

Heeza  Liar's  Burglar   Col.  Heeza  Liar  .... 

African  Jungle    Col.  Heeza  Liar  .  . . . 

Heeza  Liar's  Vacation    Col.  Heeza  Liar  .... 


Length 


Released 


LEE-BRADFORD  CORPORATION 

Subject  Length  Released 


Title    .  . 

Australia's  Wild  Northwest.  .. 

House  of  David   

Series  Six  Lightning  Corned  ies 
Series  12  Cartoons  in  color  .. 


or  a eons 


photoplay 


teeming  with 


angles  that 

House  of- i  bring 

them  to 
your  box 
office 


"youth 


Based  on  the 
Maude  Radford  Warren  Novel 

Adapted  by 
C.  GARDNER  SULLIVAN 

Directed  by  RALPH  INCE 

Released  by 

Producers  Distributing 


Above  is  one  of  the  many  beautiful 
scenes  from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  big  box-office  picture, 
"The  House  of  Youth."  Such  pictures 
should  be  used  for  background  and 
atmosphere  to  assist  in  beautifying 
your  window  displays  in  connection 
with  the  National  Tie-Up  exploitation 
on  the  picture.  To  the  right  is  a  scene 
from  the  farm  where  the  hero  and  hero- 
ine reclaim  themselves  from  the  devas- 
tating effects  of  the  jazz  age.  There 
are  a  number  of  kid  pictures  in  the  pro- 
duction and  they  should  be  used  with 
great  effect  on  various  types  of  tie-ups. 


It  is  indeed  a  mystery  where  casting 
directors  secure  such  types  as  appear 
in  this  scene  from  Producers  Distribut- 
ing Corporation's  "The  House  of 
Youth."  This  is  one  of  several  atten- 
tion-gripping stills  showing  what  hap- 
pened to  Corinna  Endicott,  last  of  a 
famous  family,  when  the  rum  raiding 
police  broke  in  upon  one  of  the  parties 
Where  the  sheik  villain  had  placed  her 
in  a  decidedly  compromising  situation. 


"The  House 
of  Youth" 


Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  Photodrama  Which 
Breaks  Records  for  Exploitation  Possibilities 


NATION 


SECTION 


Record  Smashing  Exploitation 

on  "The  House  of  Youth" 


YOUTH,  groping  for  pearls  of 
truth  in  a  muck  of  modernism ! 
Youth,  mistaking  license  for  lib- 
erty !  Youth,  with  its  head  in  the  clouds, 
its  high  heart,  and  its  mired  heels ! 

That  is  the  subject  with  which  this 
week's  National  Tie-Up  picture  deals. 
Never  has  there  been  a  subject  with 
greater  appeal ;  and  never  has  there 
been  a  photodrama  which  handled  that 
subject  with  greater  deftness  and  deli- 
cacy. 

Every  element  of  stark  realism  is 
present ;  yet  there  is  nothing  to  which 
the  least  exception  may  be  taken. 
Throughout  the  action  there  is  a  gos- 
samer fineness  of  perception,  as  beauti- 
ful and  fragile  as  the  wings  of  a  butter- 
fly. 

The  staid  old  family  of  Endicott 
had  been  a  social  pillar  of  the  com- 
munity since  the  city  had  existed.  And 


even  before  that.  The  Endicotts  were 
inseparably  associated  with  the  very 
history  of  the  nation. 

Steeped  in  wealth,  conventionality  and 
conservatism,  the  elder  generation 
moved  in  a  little  world  apart  from  the 
modern  whirlpool.  These  left-overs 
from  a  dead  day  were  old  Grandfather 
Cornelius  Endicott,  and  the  ever  pres- 
ent maiden  Aunt.  They  were  the  sort 
of  folks  whose  silver  plate  had  been  in 
the  family  for  centuries,  whose  cellars 
were  stocked  with  rare  wines  decades 
in  age,  whose  names  had  appeared  since 
time  forgotten  in  every  social  register. 

THEY  had  but  one  contact  with  the 
sphere  so  foreign  to  their  own. 
This  was  through  the  one  they  both 
adored — the  last  of  the  Endicotts, 
Corinna. 

And  like  a  swan's  last  song  she  was 


the  most  beautiful  of  all  that  line  of 
ancient  aristocracy. 

The  spoiled  and  petted  scion  of  the 
house,  she  had  been  indulged  in  every 
whim.  In  an  age  when  supervision  of 
youth's  every  action  seems  imperative 
she  was  left  to  her  own  devices.  There 
could  be  but  one  result. 

THE  wildest  members  of  the  "smart" 
set  were  her  friends  and  followers. 
Whatever  frantic  fun  they  originated, 
her  fertile  brain  would  eclipse  their 
most  daring  efforts  in  bizarre  entertain- 
ment. 

So  when  "Spike"  Blaine  drove  Cor- 
inna in  his  speedster  straight  through 
the  long  French  windows  at  the  coun- 
try club,  right  onto  the  ball  room  floor, 
in  the  midst  of  the  dancers,  no  one  was 
surprised,  and  everyone  cheered. 

But  deep  in  her  heart  Corinna  knew 
that  her  life  was  all  froth.   Almost  sub- 


This  is  the  party  that  the  rum  raiders  interrupted  in  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  big  national  tie-up  picture  "The  House 
of  Youth."    The  still  is  No.  54,  and  it  will  lend  atmosphere  and  interest  to  any  of   your   window    displays   on   the  photoplay. 


Page  58 


National 


section 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


consciously  she 
yearned  for  other — 
better  things.  So 
when  she  met  Rhodes 
Winston,  the  soul- 
ful-eyed writer  who 
reproached  her  with 
his  glance,  she  was 
glad  to  slip  off  to 
her  home  with  him. 

She  had  nursed 
him  back  to  health 
in  a  French  war- 
hospital.  And  now 
their  interest  was  re- 
newed. In  a  burst 
of  mutual  under- 
standing he  pro- 
posed to  her  and 
was  accepted. 

Many  things  hap- 
pened that  night. 
She  was  startled 
from  dreams  of  fu- 
ture bliss  by  the 
summons  of  the  tele- 
phone. On  the  other 
end  of  the  wire  was 
'Mitch'  Hardy,  mar- 
ried sheik  of  her  set. 

"Corinna,  hurry 
back — "  there  was 
excitement  in  his 
voice  —  "your  pal, 
Spike  is  crazy 
drunk,  and  threatens 
to  shoot  up  the  place 
unless  you  return. 

THROWING  her 
she  hurried  out 
cab  and  drove  post  haste  to  the  road 
house  from  which  Rhodes  had  so  re- 
cently taken  her.  Hardy  met  her  at  the 
door. 

"Quick,  he's  upstairs,"  he  whis- 
pered. A  flight  of  stairs — an  open  door. 
It  slammed  after  them — the  key  turned 


"Spike"  proposes  to  Corinna  every  time  he  thinks  about  it.  In  this  still — No.  5  from 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  "The  House  of  Youth" — both  are  attired  in 
sport  clothes.     Consider  the  possibilities  for  window  displays  on  sport  apparel. 


wraps 
haled 


about  her 
passing 


Still  No.  95  from  -The  House  of  Youth," 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation's  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  picture,  shows  Jacqueline 
Logan  and  Malcolm  MacGregor  on  their 
"Fresh  Air  Farm.  Note  the  tie-up  possi- 
bilities on  flannel  shirts,  ginghams  and  milk. 


— and  she  faced  the  fact  that  she  had 
been  tricked.  She  and  Hardy  were 
alone. 

The  besotted  beast  came  toward  her 
— seized  her  slender  body  in  his  arms — 
then — 

"Open  in  the  name  of  the  law  !"  No 
response  to  the  summons,  a  crash  of 
wood,  and  the  bluecoated  rum  raiders 
crowded  into  the  room. 

A CLANGING  patrol  wagon,  a  cell 
peopled  by  the  draggings  of  the 
underworld.  Morning — a  police  court 
judge — the  fine — the  searing  censure 
from- the  bench.  And  then  to  cap  the 
climax — the  news  photographers. 

The  picture  of  Corinna  Endicott, 
most  famous  of  society  buds,  emerging 
from  the  police  court,  was  most  excel- 
lent. It  adorned  the  front  pages.  The 
whole  world  knew. 

Tears  were  of  no  avail.  She  braved 
the  storm  at  home,  withstood  the  scath- 
ing tongue  of  her  aunt,  the  reproaches 
of  her  grandfather,  and  sought  the  shel- 
ter of  her  room. 

She  had  two  callers  that  day.  One 
was  her  fiance,  Rhodes  Winston.  He 
was  handsome  as  ever — and  perhaps  a 
bit  more  sad-eyed.  A  glance  into  their 
depths  told  her  that  he  doubted.  Des- 
perately she  returned  his  ring.  "I  shall 
always  be  your  friend,  he  told  her. 


"That  will  be  entire- 
ly unnecessary,  Mis- 
ter Winston,"  she 
replied.  And  he  was 
gone. 

The  second  caller 
was  "Spike"  Blaine. 
Shocked  sober,  the 
boy  made  a  pathetic 
picture  as  he  told 
her  of  his  love.  Such 
confidence  was  in- 
deed touching,  but 
his  matrimonial  of- 
fer was  refused. 
And  he,  too,  de- 
parted. 

As  pleasure  passes 
so  does  pain.  Both 
go  with  time.  A  year 
later  Corinna  and 
"Spike"  are  discov- 
ered on  the  farm  she 
has  founded.  It  is 
called  "Fresh  Air 
Farm,"  and  there  in 
the  joy.  of  service  to 
the  poor,  they  were 
happily  giving  health 
and  joy  to  children 
of  the  slums. 

Then  comes  a  day 
when  a  trim  yacht  is 
moored  to  the  farm's 
anchorage. 

Rhodes  Winston 
has  come  back  for 
Corinna.    He  pleads 

hjs  cause  with  a  series  of  "I — I  1." 

Never  once  a  word  of  her  happiness — 
always  himself. 

Corinna  turns  to  "Spike."  "Will  you 
release  me  ? 

"Corinna,"  he  says,  with  tear  in 
eyes,  "I  will  do  anything  to  make  you 
happy."  And  then— "Good-bye,  Mr. 
Winston,"  says  Corinna,  "I  am  going  to 
marry  'Spike.'  "  And  that's  the  end  of 
the  story. 


Here  is  a  tie-up  on  fur  coats  and  evening 
apparel  from  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration's picture  "The  House  of  Youth." 
it  is  No.  56  showing  three  principal  char- 
acters in  the  picture,  Miss  Logan,  Mal- 
colm   MacGregor    and    Vernon  Steele. 


November  L  1924 


Page  59 


There  is  human  interest  and  atmosphere  in  still  No.  101  from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  "The  House  of  Youth,"  and  besides  it  offers  a  logical  tie-up  with 
bakeries,  dairies,  groceries,  and  any  number  of  similar  establishments. 


Make  Every  Window  An  Extra  Lobby 
for  "The  House  of  Youth" 


HAVE  you  ever  shown  a  picture 
that  seems  to  have  been  built  by 
a  director  with  a  box-office  brain  ? 
Have  you  ever  found  a  gold  mine  of 
ready  made  exploitation  awaiting  you? 
Yes?  No? 

Whatever  the  answer,  you  have  one 
now.  It  is  "The  House  of  Youth." 
And  its  so  packed  jam  full  of  publicity 
stuff  that  it  will  be  a  struggle  to  keep 
the  crowds  back  from  the  ticket  office. 
Popular  publicity,  too.  The  kind  folks 
will  like.  It  is  going  to  be  the  easiest 
show  to  sell  that  you  ever  offered  to  a 
buying  multitude. 

But,  even  if  you  were  selling  double 
eagles  (which  is  real  United  States  for 
$20  gold  pieces)  for  a  dollar  each,  you 
would  have  to  tell  people  all  about  it. 
Do  so  with  "The  House  of  Youth"  and 
business  will  be  just  as  brisk  as  though 
you  were  giving  money  away. 

FOREMOST  among  simple  exploita- 
tion stunts  that  bring  back  big  bon- 
uses is  that  of  advertising  under  glass. 
So  let  us  consider  what  you  may  do  with 
window  displays  on  this  big  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  photoplay. 

You  can  tie-up  with  merchants  man- 
ufacturing a  range  of  products  for  any 
sort  of  folk  from  kids  to  cripples.  As 
you  know,  the  hero  and  heroine  open 
up  a  "Fresh  Air  Farm"  for  the  child- 
ren. There  are  any  number  of  stills 
showing  the  kids  having  a  wonderful 
time  out  in  the  country.  Take  a  look 
at  half  a  dozen  and  you'll  get  an  inspira- 
tion right  away.  For  instance,  Nos. 
100,  106,  107,  96,  93,  98.  There  are 
lots  more  but  these  will  show  you  how 
to  secure  windows  from  merchants 
dealing  in  anything  for  children. 

Now  if  you  don't  believe  you  can  tie 
up  with  manufacturers  of  wheel-chairs 
and  similar  things,  look  at  stills  No.  102, 


103.  It  shows  pretty  Jacqueline  Logan 
all  fixed  up  like  a  red-cross  nurse,  and 
the  handsome  Vernon  Steele  as  a  sol- 
dier being  nursed  back  to  health.  It 
certainly  must  have  been  nice  to  be  sick  ! 

There  are  lots  of  similar  pictures  and 
they  will  secure  windows  that  would  or- 
dinarily be  unobtainable. 


If  you  can't  tie-up  with  the  local  cab  com- 
panies with  stills  like  this  you  may  as  well 
quit.  A  clever  card  in  every  cab  will  se- 
cure the  "carriage  trade"  for  your  showing 
of-  "The  House  of  Youth,"  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation  photodrama. 


ET  us  see  what  you  can  do  with  jew- 
J-J  elers  windows.  As  National  Tie- 
ups,  Exhibitors'  Trade  Review  has 
secured  the  national  advertisers  who 
manufacture  famous  brands  of  pearls 
and  ladies'  wrist  watches. 

It  so  occurs  there  are  a  great  many 
stills  featuring  jewels,  and  almost 
every  one  of  them  portrays  a  thrilling 
bit  of  action  from  the  photoplay.  Make 
a  note  of  these  numbers  and  glance 
over  stills  bearing  the  numerals  13,  33, 
19,  91,  89,  79,  85,  82,  83,  78,  76,  67/  63, 
52 — well  there  are  literally  dozens  of 
them.  Enough  to  tie-up  with  everv 
jewelers  window  in  the  city. 

There  are  chances  for  clever  window 
cards  with  stills  such  as  90,  72,  86,  and 
soon.  These  show  the  raid,  the  ride, 
and  the  judge.  A  card  telling  passer- 
by: "Don't  do  time — tell  it  by  a  Ben- 
rus,"  will  get  attention  and  patronage. 

MISS  LOGAN  uses  a  wonderful  fur 
coat  throughout  the  picture,  and  it 
is  featured  prominently  in  a  number  of 
actionful  stills.  Look  at  Nos.  63,  57, 
and  others,  and  let  us  know  if  you  think 
they  won't  get  the  co-operation  of  the 
fur  dealers  in  your  town.  And  the  pa- 
tronage of  window  shoppers  as  well. 

In  still  No.  85  there  is  a  camera  tie- 
up.  This  and  others  show  the  newspa- 
per cameraman  photographing  the  so- 
ciety heroine  as  she  emerges  from  a  ses- 
sion in  the  police  court. 

There  are  dozens  of  tie-ups  with 
mens'  apparel  and  womens'  wear.  Take 
gowns,  for  instance,  the  list  of  stills 
would  be  sufficient  to  fill  the  section  if 
printed.  But  take  a  look  at  No.  19,  and 
you  will  agree  that  it  will  sell  tickets  for 
your  show  and  dresses  for  the  modistes. 

If  stills  are  desired  for  hosiery  win- 
dows they  are  here  in  profusion.  Again 
the  list  would  be  too  voluminous  to 


'JACQUELINE 

K  OGAN  in 

Die  House  /Youth 

with  MALCOLM  Mac  GREGOR -VERNON  STEELE 
RICHARD  TR AVERS  and  GLORIA  GREY  ~ 

"Based  on  the  Maud  1{adford  Warren  novel 

dJdapted  by  C.  GARDNER  SULLIVAN 
-Directed  by  RALPH  INCE 


Great  roles  ma 

great  stars 

is  again  emphasized  in  this  scintillating  drama 
in  which  Miss  Logan  rises  to  dramatic  heights 
beyond  anything  heretofore  achieved  by  this 
brilliant  and  versatile  star.  In  "THE  HOUSE 
OF  YOUTH"  she  has  a  role  which  gives  her 
full  opportunity  to  display  her  inimitable  his- 
trionic talents.  The  result  is  a  production 
destined  to  score  a  veritable  triumph  at  the 
box-office. 

Producers  Distributing  Corporation 

F.C.MUNROE       RAYMOND  PAWLEY     PAUL  C.MOONEY      JOHN  C.FLl  NN 

PRESIDENT  first  V.  PRES.  AND  TREAS.  VICE  PRESIDENT  VICE  PRESIDENT 

—  FOREIGN  DISTRIBUTOR  W-VOCEL  DISTRIBUTING  COW. 


y0> 


Page  62 


National 


section 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


There  never  was  a  better  tie-up  with 
mens'  evening  wear  than  is  offered 
by  still  No.  43  from  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corporation's  National  Tie- 
Up  picture  "The  House  of  Youth." 
And  incidentally  any  modiste  in  town 
will  be  glad  to  attract  attention  to  her 
dresses  with  stills  like  this  showing 
Jacqueline     Logan's     modish  attire. 


print,  but  look  at  No.  44,  and  when  we 
tell  you  there  are  plenty  more,  you  will 
agree  that  hosiery  windows  will  be  easy 
for  "The  House  of  Youth." 

Try  to  think  up  original  ideas — dif- 
ferent ways  to  attract  attention  to  your 
window  displays.  For  instance  there 
are  a  quantity  of  stills  showing  one  of 
the  Follies  dancing  girls  minus  any 
stockings  whatever.  Suppose  you  put 
a  few  in  a  window  display  of  hosiery 
and  put  a  card  in  the  window :  "What 
is  Missing  in  These  Pictures  from  'The 
House  of  Youth'  "  and  another  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  window :  "Why, 
Rosenhain  Hosiery,  of  course.  See  For 
Yourself  at  the  City  Theatre." 

ALL  sorts  of  feminine  apparel  may 
be  utilized  in  window  displays  in 
connection  with  your  showing  of  this 
picture.    Still  No.  27  should  show  you 


How  about  still  No.  23  for  tie-ups  on 
evening  gowns,  dressing  tables,  hair- 
dressers, cosmetics,  beauty  shops,  and  so 
on.  Producers  Distributing  Corporation's 
"The  House  of  Youth"  offers  a  thousand 
exceptional  showmanship  opportunities. 


just  how  easy  it  will  be  to  get  the  whole 
hearted  help  of  lingerie  merchants. 

Stills  showing  scenes  in  the  open — 
practically  camping  scenes — may  be 
used  in  connection  with  a  display  of 
'Sterno/  a  card  being  used  to  point  the 
advantages  of  this  canned  heat. 

DISPLAYS  of  engagement  and  wed- 
ding rings  may  help  your  showing 
if  tied-up  with  stills  like  No.  126  and  a 
card  reading  "Time  to  buy  the  ring.  Be 
sure  you  see  our  display — and  'The 
House  of  Youth'  at  the  City  Theatre." 

Of  course  cosmetics  and  beautifiers 
will  help  sell  tickets  for  "The  House  of 
Youth" — and  the  pictures  of  Jacqueline 
Logan  will  help  sell  plenty  of  the  prod- 
uct for  beauty  shops  and  drug  stores. 
The  same  applies  to  perfumes,  or,  for 
that  matter,  any  of  the  articles  that  are 
so  dear  to  the  feminine  fancy. 

There  are  a  number  of  stills  in  which 
mens'  gloves  are  featured — such  as  Nos. 
39  and  40 — and  many  others  quite  ap- 
propriate for  use  in  hat  tie-ups.  dis- 
plays of  business  clothes,  shoes,  neck- 
wear and  so  on. 

When  you  book  the  picture  arrange 
with  merchants  handling  these  articles 
for  the  use  of  their  windows  dur- 
ing your  showing.  When  you  have  done 
so,  advise  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 
as  to  your  playdates,  and  there  will  be 
immediately  forthcoming  the  quantity 
of  displays  set  you  may  require. 

Such  articles  as  Hairnets  may  be  dis- 
played with  almost  any  collection  of 
stills  showing  girls  with  wonderful  hair. 
But  for  your  "House  of  Youth"  show- 
ing whv  not  show  some  like  90,  14,  47, 
50,  48/76,  78,  22,  27,  112,  115,  130,  16. 
They  all  show  some  important  bit  of 
action  from  the  picture,  and  from  dif- 
ferent reasons  the  heroine's  hair  is 
somewhat    rumpled.    Cards  reading: 


"Girls,  keep  your  hair  unruffled  under 
all  circumstances — use  Vogue  Hairnets 
as  Jacqueline  Logan  does  in  "The 
House  of  Youth."  will  get  attention  and 
bring  business. 

There  are  shots  that  will  get  win- 
dow aid  from  Merchants  selling  any- 
thing from  yachting  costumes  to  ging- 
ham aprons.  If  you  are  ordering  stills 
for  either  sort  consider  110,  11,  113, 
123,  122,  120,  116,  and  others  in  like 
vein.  Incidentally,  the  same  stills  offer 
good  opportunities  for  tie-ups  on  flan- 
nel shirts,  house  dresses,  and  other  ar- 
ticles of  every  day  wear. 

STILL  NO.  22  shows  Corinna  being 
awakened  by  her  Aunt.  Evidently 
the  girl  has  had  a  rough  night,  for  she 
seems  very  tired.  A  card  reading:  "For 
that  tired  feeling  take  Burns'  Bitters 
and  see  'The  House  of  Youth'  "  will  in- 
crease business  for  the  bitters  and  for 
the  show,  too. 


Here  is  a  tie-up  for  use  in  window  displays 
of  pearls,  engagement  rings,  wedding 
bands,  and  any  number  of  other  articles 
sold  by  the  town's  merchants.  The  still 
is  No.  18  from  "The  House  of  Youth,' 
released  by  Producers  Distributing  Corp. 


\ovrmber  1,  1^24 


NATIORAL 


SECTION 


Page  63 


A  tie-up  for  "kisses" — we  mean  the 
candy  kind — from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  "The  House  of  Youth." 

IF  you  were  showing  a  film  entitled 
"Life  of  the  Boll  Weevil"  you 
might  perhaps  be  pardoned  for  giv- 
ing up  exploitation  as  a  bad  job.  But 
with  a  picture  like  "The  House  of 
Youth,"  there  is  no  excuse  for  not 
putting  over  a  publicity  campaign  that 
will  crowd  your  theatre  every  time  it  is 
projected. 

The  title  itself  is  blazing  with  show- 
manship possibilities,  and  the  cast, 
story  in  fact  everything  about  the 
production  makes  it  practically  self- 
selling. 

The  Book 

MAUDE  Radford  Warren's  novel, 
from  which  the  screen  version  of 
"The  House  of  Youth,"  has  been 
evolved,  met  with  instant  popularity. 
The  novel  has  already  built  up  business 
for  your  showing  of  the  picture,  and 
with  a  bit  of  assistance  it  will  still  fur- 
ther increase  your  patronage. 

Of  course,  the  tie-up  with  book-shops 
and  libraries  is  obvious.  They  will  work 
hand-in-glove  with  you  for  mutual 
profit.  But  try  to  think  of  some  other 
ideas.  For  instance,  a  week  or  two  be- 
fore your  showing  stage  some  sort  of 
contest  on  your  current  atraction.  And 
make  the  prizes  volumes  of  "The 
House  of  Youth."  Be  sure  to  have 
each  copy  contain  your  announcement 
of  the  playdates  upon  which  the  screen 
dramatization  will  be  shown. 

Paper 

USE  paper  liberally  in  publicizing 
your  show.    And  put  some  "eng- 
lish"    on    it.      Producers'  Distribu- 


Make  Your  Box-Office 
a  Bank  With 
"House  of  Youth" 

Producers  Distributing  Corporation  Picture 
Blazes  With  Exploitation  Possibilities 
That  Will  Sell  Tickets  Like  "A 
House  on  Fire" 


tit 


Jacqueline  Logan  says  any 
showman  who  don't  get 
rich  with  Producers  Distrib- 
uting Corporation's  "House 
of  Youth,"  makes  her  tired. 


ing  Corporation  has  created  some 
especially  attractive  colored  lobby  cards, 
and  posters. 

Don't  just  plaster  these  about  town 


Still  No.  28  from  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  "House  of  Youth"  will  get 
you  tie-ups  with  motor  car  agencies. 


This  is  one  of  the  many  stills,  No.  87,  that 
will  enable  you  to  secure  the  cooperation 
of  fur  dealers  for  your  showing  of  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation's  big 
photodrama  "The  House  of  Youth." 

"as  is."  Get  busy  with  the  cardboard. 
Make  cut-outs  and  shadow  boxes.  Use 
your  twenty  four  sheets  as  background 
for  window  displays.  Make  cut-outs 
of  your  three  sheets. 

Exert  yourself  sufficiently  to  make 
your  paper  a  little  'different,'  and  you 
will  be  surprised  at  its  additional  pull. 


The  best  artists  have  labored  to  pro- 
vide you  with  paper  that  has  a  real  box- 
office  appeal.  If  you  fail  to  take  full 
advantage  of  your  opportunities,  you 
are  losing  a  chance  for  a  mammoth 
gross  at  the  ticket  window. 

Advertising 

YOUTH  spends.  Every  merchant  in 
your  town  knows  it.  They  all  make 
a  special  bid  for  the  up-to-the-minute 
patronage  of  the  younger  generation. 
Therefore,  the  split-a-page  ad  idea 
should  be  put  over  strong  for  your 
"House  of  Youth"  showing. 

You  might  have  some  particular 
friend  call  his  establishment  "The 
House  of  Youth."  This  concern 
of  course  would  have  to  deal  in  a  prod- 
uct demanded  by  youth.  Another  way 
might  be  to  have  each  cooperative  ad- 
vertiser call  his  establishment  "The 
House  of  Youth"  in  some  particular 
connection — as,  "The  House  of  Youth" 
for  shoes,  hats,  clothing,  confectioneiy 
— anything. 

Make  your  merchants  realize  that 
they  are  getting  a  big  smash  for  the 
price  of  a  small  ad,  and  they  will  come 
in  to  help  publicize  your  attraction. 

Children 

ONE  of  the  big  parts  of  the  picture 
is  the  introduction  of  our  jazz  are 
hero  and  heroine  as  managers  of  a 
"Fresh  Air  Farm"  for  slum  children. 
There  are  various  episodes  showing  the 
kids  gaining  health  and  happiness. 

Here  is  a  chance  to  tie-up  with  some 
"Big  Brother"  association,  womens' 
club  or  charitable  institution.  In 
order  to  secure  this  cooperation  it 
may  be  necessary  for  you  to  donate 
some  portion  of  your  receipts  to  the 
charity,  but  the  added  returns  will 
more  than  make  up  for  this.  Beside, 
consider  the  good  will  you  will  build 
with  a  good  act. 

Another  way  might  be  to  run  a 
special  performance  of  "The  House  of 
Youth" — perhaps  a  'midnight'  showing, 
and  have  the  club  with  which  you  tie- 
up  put  on  some  extra  acts — amateur — 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Page  64 


in  addition  to  your  program.  You  might 
leave  it  to  them  to  stage  a  prolog  for 
the  picture — or  be  entirely  responsible 
for  the  presentation.  You  might  sell 
them  the  house  at  some  certain  figure 
for  the  performance,  and  let  them  get 
what  they  can  in  behalf  of  charity. 

Lobby 

ONE  idea  for  lobby  dress  might  be  to 
cooperate  with  the  local  toy  store, 
securing  as  large  a  doll's  house  as  pos- 
sible and  peopleing  it  with  dolls.  A  toy 
automobile  driving  through  the  door, 
or  a  number  of  them  lined  up  before 
the  house  would  indicate  one  of  the 
scenes  in  the  picture. 

It  remains  with  you  to  see  how  at- 
tractive such  a  display  may  be  made.  It 


Here  is  a  cigarette  tie-up  for  Producers 
Distributing  Corporation's  "House  of 
Youth"  that  has  double  appeal  because  of 
the  nurse  and  soldier  elements.  It  is  No.  105. 

can  be  made  unique  if  you  will  devote 
a  little  time  to  the  idea.  And  the  best 
part  is  that  it  won't  cost  a  dime  be- 
cause the  tie-up  merchant  will  receive 

The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos."  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  chan  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

226  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


oodles  of  publicity  through  the  card 
which  will  accompany  the  display. 

Presentation 

IF  you  wish  to  do  some  real  exploita- 
tion inside  the  theatre,  you  might  at- 
tire your  ushers  in  a  similar,  but  per- 
haps somewhat  modified,  regalia  to  that 
worn  by  the  Follies  dancer  in  "Tie 
House  of  Youth." 

Balloons,  streamers,  and  the  like  will 
impart  a  festive  air  to  the  interior  of 
your  showhouse,  and  create  the  party 
atmosphere  which  prevails  in  parts  of 
the  picture. 

There  are  a  variety  of  inexpensive 
prologs  that  may  be  arranged.  The 
way  to  do  it,  is  to  first  pick  out  the  par- 
ticular highlight  of  the  picture  which 
you  desire  to  feature  in  your  prolog. 
Then  get  busy  in  the  creation  of  an  in- 
expensive setting.  The  last  issue  of 
Exhibitors  Trade  Review  told  how. 

If  you  desire  to  take  one  of  the  party 
scenes,  you  might  get  in  touch  with 
some  young  peoples'  club,  or  dramatic 
society  and  get  them  to  assist.  Of 
course  you  should  have  either  a  dancer 
or  singer  to  do  a  specialty. 

Timeliness 

TAKE  advantage  of  anything  of  note 
that  may  occur  locally  which  can  be 
made  to  exploit  your  picture.  As  an 
example,  if,  unfortunately,  some  mer- 
chant should  suffer  the  misfortune  of 
having  his  plate  glass  window  smashed, 
see  to  it  that  the  broken  window  con- 
tains a  card  reading  something  about 
"If  you  want  to  see  how  this  window 
was  broken  attend  the  City  Theatre 
now  playing  "The  House  of  Youth." 

Newspapers 

THERE  are  various  ways  in  which 
you  can  get  newspaper  publicity 
free.  Work  close  to  the  newspaper 
boys,  they  can  and  will  help  your  the- 
tre  immensely. 

One  idea  might  be  to  locate  the  fam- 
ily with  the  largest  number  of  children 


How  is  this  for  a  necktie  tie-up?  Lots 
like  Still  No.  9  in  Producers  Distributing 
Corporation's  "The  House  of  Youth." 


Jacqueline  Logan  in  Still  No.  4  will  help 
sell  silk  things  for  your  tie-up  partners 
jnd  tickets  for  showing  Producers  Distrib- 
uting Corporation's  "The  House  of  Youth." 

—or  stage  a  contest  to  find  that  family, 
and  run  pictures  of  all  the  "Houses  of 
Youth"  in  your  vicinity.  The  prize 
winners  may  be  invited  to  attend  your 
theatre  en  masse — and  the  story  of  ma 
and  pa  and  a  dozen  or  two  of  children 
going  to  your  theatre  will  be  front  page. 

There  may  be  letter  writing  and  essay 
contests  on  different  subjects — for  in- 
stance the  various  attitudes  of  the 
people  in  the  community  regarding  the 
"flapper"  and  the  age  that  has  brought 
her  into  being. 

Taxicabs 

DON'T  forget  that  taxis  go  all  over 
town.  There  are  some  stills  of  taxi- 
cabs.  Arrange  to  have  every  cab  in 
town  carry  a  cheaply  framed  still  of 
"The  House  of  Youth" — or  have  stick- 
ers for  windshields. 

Perhaps  you  can  make  a  deal  with 
the  cab  company  to  carry  patrons  to 
your  theatre  at  reduced  rates.  A  good, 
new  stunt  would  be  to  have  taxicab 
tickets  for  sale  in  advance  at  your  box- 
office  and  all  over  town.  They  would 
carry  coupons  entitling  folks  to  ride  to 
your  theatre  to  see  "The  House  of 
You'h"  at  half  rates. 


November  1.  1924 


Page  65 


Window  Display  Material 
For  National  Tie-Ups  On 
"The  House  of  Youth" 


WHEN  you  book  "House  of  Youth"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  listed  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  number  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
each  National  Tie-Up.   Your  communication  will  receive  our  prompt  attention. 


AUBRY  SISTERS  CORPORATION 
New  York  City 

Product:  Cosmetics 
Displuy    Material:      Cards,  posters 
Tie-l'p:  Druggists,  Beauty  Shops,  Specialty  Shops,  Departm  ent  Stor 


GROPPER  KNITTING  MILLS 
New  York  City 

Product :      Groppcrknit  Neckwear 
Display  Material:    Cut-Outs,  Cards 
Tie-Up:       Haberdashers,    Department  Stores 


THE  BORDEN  COMPANY 
New  York  City 

Product:    "Eagle  Brand"  Milk 
Display  Material:      Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:     Groceries,    Department  Stores 


JOSEPH  H.  MEYER  BROS. 
Brooklyn,  New  York 

Product :    Richelieu  Pearls 
Display  Material :    Shadow  Boxes,  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up :       Jewelers,    Specialty    Shops,    Department  Stores 


BENRUS  WATCH  COMPANY 
New  York  City 

Product :   Ladies*   Wrist  Watches 
Display  Material:     Cards,  posters 
Tie-Up:      Jewelers,    Department  Stores 


ROSENHAIN  CO.,  INC. 
New  York  City 

Product :  Hosiery 
Display    Material:    Cards,  Cut-Outs 
Tie-Up :       Specialty    Shops,    Department  Stores 


FOWNES  GLOVES 
New  York  City 

Product:  Gloves 
Display    Material:      Cards,  posters 
Tie-Up:     Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


SEIDNER  &  HITZIGRATH 
New  York  City 

Product :       Vogue    Hair  Nets 
Display    Material:       Cards,    Stands,  Cut-Outs 
Tie-Up:      Druggists,   Specialty   Shops,   Beauty   Shops,   Dept.  Stores 


FONTANIS,  INC. 
New  York  City 


Product:     Perfumes   and   Toilet  Requisites 
Display    Material :      Cards,  posters 
Tie-Up:      Perfumes,    Druggists,    Specialty   Shops,    Dept.  Stores 


S,  STERNAU  &  CO.,  INC. 
New  York  City 

Product :     "Sferno"    Canned  Heat 
Display   Material :      Posters,    Cards,  Cut-Outs 
Tie-Up :      Department   Stores,   Sporting   Goods,   Drug  Stores, 
Hardware   Stores,  Groceries 


BEN  WEINER  &  CO. 
New  York  City 

Product :     ''Penrod'*  Clothes 
Display    Material:     Cut-Outs,    Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:    Boysf  Wear 


FRANK  P.  HEID  CO. 
New  York  City 

Product:      **  Jackie   Coogan    Caps    and  Hats'* 
Display    Material :      Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:   Department   Stores,   Haberdashers,  Hatters 


JANTZEN  KNITTING  MILLS 
New  York  City 

Product :      Swimming  Suits 
Display    Material:       Pasters,    Posters,  Cut-Outs 
Tie-Up:     Sporting  Goods,  Specialty  Shops,  Department  Stores 


KOPS  BROS.,  INC. 
New  York  City 

Product :   **Nemo**  Corsets 
Display  Material:      Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:   Department   Stores,   Specialty  Shops 


Jacqueline 
Logan 

in 

"THE 
HOUSE  OF 
YOUTH" 

Directed  by  Ralph  Ince 

Here  is  a  high  -  powered, 
mile-a-minute  production 
that  glows  and  scintilates 
with  the  spirit  of  youth.  If 
there  ever  was  a  box-office 
attraction — this  is  it. 

NOW  BOOKING 

Released  by 

Producers  Distributing 

Corporation 


FOREIGN  DISTRIBUTOR 
W"VOCEL  DISTRIBUTING  CORP. 


November  1,  1924 


Page  67 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Buy  Your  Pictures 
To  Fit  Your  Patrons 


CAREFUL  buying  of  pictures  by 
the  exhibitor  to  suit  the  tastes 
of  his  patrons  is  as  much  a  part 
of  real  showmanship  as  showmanship's 
more  obvious  element — exploitation. 

This  is  particulary  true  of  the  com- 
munity theatre  whose  patronage  is  con- 
fined to  the  neighborhood.  The  big 
houses  on  the  main  streets  which  draw 
their  cosmopolitan  audiences  from  all 
corners  of  the  city,  are  concerned  only 
with  buying  the  biggest  pictures  avail- 
able, those  that  have 
created  a  stir  as  a  spec- 
tacular or  highly  artis- 
tic production,  or 
which  exploit  big  stars. 
Their  buying  psychol- 
ogy is  relatively  sim- 
ple; they  do  not  con- 
cern themselves  with 
the  class  of  any  neigh- 
borhood, the  neigh- 
borhood mental  make- 
up. Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  small  neigh- 
borhood exhibitor  who 
buys  wisely  and  intelli- 
gently, is  actually  confronted  with  a 
series  of  psychological  factors  which  he 
must  study,  understand  and  buy  accord- 
ingly, if  he  wishes  to  assure  himself 
of  a  steady  profit. 

There  are  no  hard  and  fast  rules 
which  one  may  lay  down  as  a  hand- 
guide  to  the  neighborhood  exhibitor. 
Certain  fundamental  principles  may  be 
applied  generally,  but  the  successful 
neighborhood  house  is  only  so  through 
intelligent  conclusions  reached  by  its 
management  after  a  period  of  experi- 
mentation. 

TO  be  specific;  take  any  large  city. 
In  one  part  we  find  the  high-class 
residential  neighborhood,  where  lives 
the  city's  society  folk — those  not  too 
exclusive  to  exclude  a  movie  theatre. 
In  another  we  find  the  city's  intelli- 
gentsia—  teachers,  artists,  etc.,  assum- 
ing that  such  people  have  a  habit  of 
living  more  or  less  as  a  community 
apart.  In  a  third  section  we  find  the 
middle-class,  tradesmen,  office  people, 
etc.,  those  who  labor  diligently  day 
after  day,  but  whose  work  does  not 
leave  them  so  tired  physically  and 
which  does  not  jade  their  minds.  And 
then  there  is  the  neighborhood  where 


By  BOONE  MANCALL 

Publicity  Director  Chadwick  Pictures 
Corporation 

live  the  workers  of  the  factories,  the 
manual  laborers  who  come  home  tired 
to  the  bone,  craving  the  relaxation  and 
rest  before  the  morrow. 

Actually  neighborhoods  do  not  line 
themselves  up  within  such  set  limits; 
they  overlap.  There  is  a  constant  shift- 


BUY  your  pictures  to  fit  your  patrons.   All  other  things 
being  equal  this  is  the  royal  road  to  profits.    You  can 
exploit  your  program  for  all  its  worth  but  the  picture's 
the  thing.   You  can  please  some  of  your  patrons  all  the  time, 
all  of  them  some  of  the  time,  but  only  by  buying  intelligently 
and  wisely  can  you  please  all  of  your  patrons  all  of  the  time. 


ing  about.  But  in  each  one  there  is  a 
rock-bottom  population  which  is  the 
bread  of  the  exhibitor  and  to  whose 
tastes  he  must  cater.  For  our  purpose, 
those  defined  above  serve  to  explain 
the  neighborhood  exhibitor's  problems. 

BUT  of  a  wide  variety  of  farce-so- 
ciety dramas,  melodramas,  west- 
erns, feature  comedies,  big  spectacular 
pictures,  what  should  Exhibitor  Smith 
offer  to  his  well-to-do  patrons,  the  so- 
ciety folk,  the  wealthy,  and  sometimes, 
the  idle,  as  the  major  portion  of  his 
seasonal  presentations?  Shall  it  be  a 
society  drama,  the  picture  of  beautiful 
clothes,  elaborate  homes,  lavish  ban- 
quets and  queer  society  pranks?  But 
since  that  is  more  or  less  a  part  of  their 
own  lives,  do  they  care  to  see  imita- 
tions on  the  screen?  Will  attendance 
drop  off?  Or  does  it  increase?  Assum- 
ing that  society  drama  is  not  what  his 
patrons  want,  what  then  shall  Exhibi- 
tor Smith  show  them  ?  Perhaps  they 
will  respond  to  melodramatic  thrillers 
or  to  big  spectacular  pictures  of  the 
sort  we  have  had  the  past  several  years, 
or  perhaps  every  time  he  plays  a  par- 
ticular group  of  stars,  they  will  crowd 
his  theatre? 


Exhibitor  Smith  must  study  his  pa- 
trons and  by  giving  them  what  they 
want,  assure  himself  a  profit  on  each 
presentation. 

And  how  about  Exhibitor  Jones,  in 
the  camp  of  the  intellectuals,  the  teach- 
ers and  artists.  Even  they  need  re- 
laxation, even  they  enjoy  the  movies. 
Certain  types  of  pictures  will  not  give 
them  much  pleasure.  Or  again  they 
may.  Close  study  of  his  patrons  will 
give  Exhibitor  Jones  the  answer  and 
assure  him  his  steady 
profit. 

Sometime  ago  it  was 
the  experience  of  this 
writer  to  witness  at  a 
neighborhood  house  a 
western.  Now  he  en- 
j  o  y  s  westerns,  al- 
though he  thought  that 
the  majority  of  the  pa- 
trons of  that  house  did 
not,  and  the  exhibitor 
might  more  profitably 
have  shown  a  good  so- 
c  i  e  t  y  picture.  But 
what  made  him  writhe, 
was  the  stupidity  of  the  story  which 
showed  the  hero,  following  his  re- 
turn from  the  war  in  1918,  go  west 
for  adventure  where  he  fought  with 
Indians  and  violent  cowboys,  each 
armed  with  long  six-shooters,  and 
peppering  away  at  one  another  from 
behind  rocks  or  in  the  open.  And 
the  Indians  have  been  tamed  for  the 
last  fifty  years,  at  least!  And  cow- 
boys no  longer  shoot  up  towns  even  in 
the  great  open  spaces.  Obviously  the 
exhibitor  was  not  a  showman,  and  the 
producer  worse. 


THE  same  problem  exists  for  the 
exhibitor  whose  house  is  patronized 
by  the  tired  workers.  Their  approval 
or  disapproval  is  almost  instantaneous. 
Show  them  one  unsatisfactory  pic- 
ture, and  sure  enough  tomorrow  they 
will  seek  their  relaxation  on  the  piazza 
with  pipe  and  paper.  Show  them  a 
good  one,  give  them  ease  and  rest,  and 
tomorrow,  actually  tomorrow,  they  are 
back  again. 

A  little  study,  a  little  intelligence  ap- 
plied, will  go  a  long  way.  The  profit 
side  of  the  ledger  will  show  just  as 
sure  as  fate. 


Page  68 


Exhibitors  Trade  RevU 


Meighan  Means  Money-Always 


ADOLPH  ZUKOR 
and 

jesse  LLASKY 

present 


THOMAS 
M6ICHAN 


JAMCS  OL1VCR 
CUROUOOD 


TH€  ALASKAN" 


A  H€RB€RT  BRCNON  PRODUCTION 


"  'The  Alaskan,'  Paramount, 
Thomas  Meighan  and  Curwood 
are  four  names  that  spell  'dol- 
lars' at  the  box-office.  One  of 
the  greatest  combinations  we 
have  had.  An  action  picture 
amid  the  most  beautiful  moun- 
tain scenery.  It  broke  our 
attendance  record  at  advance 
price."  Ben  L.  Morris,  Temple 
theatre,  Bellaire,  O.  (Exhibi- 
tors Herald) 


Scenario  by  Willis  Goldbeck 

"Fine  picture  and  we  did  a  fine 
business.  On  outdoor  pictures 
Paramount  starts  where  the 
others  leave  off.  Scenically  it 
has  never  been  surpassed. 
Bought  right?  Certainly!" 
Clark  &  Edwards,  Palace  thea- 
tre, Ashland,  O.  (Exhibitors 
Herald) 


"Lobby  of  the  theatre  was 
pack-jammed.  The  pictorial 
quality  of  'The  Alaskan'  is  very 
high.  Story  has  element  of 
mystery  and  he-man  fights." 

— Washington  Times 


"Large  and  enthusiastic 


ences. 
hero." 


audi' 
a  stalwart 
— Washington  Star 


Meighan 


Member  Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.   Will  H.  Hays,  President. 


November  1,  1924  Page  69 

pimfflRiiiiiwiiiiiiiiiiiiim 

I  ^ried  and  Proved  Pictures  I 

__  ^ 

Start  it  at  the  Studio — 

Success  in  Pictures  Is  Based  on  Perfection  Attained 
in  the  Studio  Production  Period 


EXPERIENCED  showmen  know 
the  facts.  A  theatre  can  upon 
occasion  give  its  patrons  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  service;  they  can 
expend  every  effort  in  the  way  of  ex- 
ploitation— without  avail.  If  when  the 
theatre-patron  as  consumer,  reviews 
the  product  and  it  is  bad,  then  nothing 
else  matters. 

Yet  it  is  the  exhibitor  who  has  made 
the  gamble — and  lost.  Frequently 
heavily,  usually  just  enough  to  make 
the  occasion  a  matter  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten. 

Many  exhibitors  presenting  the  same 
wares  in  many  different  cities  with  the 
same  indifferent  results — makes  an  in- 
dustrial condition  out  of  it.  As  such,  it 
assumes  proportions  of  immense  im- 
portance. The  losses  having  been  mul- 
tiplied, yet  all  paid  by  the  exhibitors, 
makes  research  into  the  problem  vitally 
necessary. 

WHAT  could  an  expert  find,  if  he 
were  to  start  with  this  premise? 
Where  would  he  turn  ?  What  would  the 
industry  do,  after  he  announced  his 
findings  ? 

AH  these  questions  are  pertinent.  But 
who  is  to  answer  them  ? 

Somewhere — with  all  the  efficiency 
men  in  the  offing — someone  will  come 
forward  and  throw  the  weight  of 
searching  endeavor  and  studied  re- 
search, into  the  breach. 

In  most  industries,  there's  a  whale  of 
a  lot  of  intelligent  production  distinctly 
lacking. 

With  regret,  it  must  also  be  admitted 
that  the  motion  picture  industry  as  a 
whole  is  no  exception  to  the  general 
rule. 

WHILE  this  condition  exists  in 
large  measure  with  all  those  arts 
and  professions  which  must  eventually 
be  capitalized,  the  tremendous  invest- 
ments in  the  making  of  a  picture,  make 
■imperative  bed-rock  business  control. 

True,  this  needed  business  direction 
must  be  conceded — yet  profits  can  only 


By  JERRY  GOULD 

be  maintained  if  the  products  are  con- 
sistently made  right.  And  in  motion 
pictures  this  includes  the  writing  of  the 
story. 

The  players,  the  continuity,  the  direc- 
tion, the  presentation, — every  contribut- 
ing factor  must  be  chosen  with  the  idea 
in  mind  that  each  picture  is  to  be  a 
success  at  the  box-office,  and  an  artistic 
triumph  withal. 

The  sales  must  depend  upon  the  pro- 
duct— not  the  product  upon  the  sales. 

WHEN  an  exhibitor  buys — he  should 
stay  sold.  Not  only  on  the  pre- 
vailing vehicle — but  also  completely  on 
the  company  behind  the  screen  presen- 
tation he  is  offering  his  "customers." 

Staying  sold  does  not  always  mean  a 
week-in-and-week-out  contract.  Stay- 
ing sold  is  sufficiently  expressed  in  the 
occasional  and  frequent  desire  for  a 
company's  picture  which  in  the  ex- 
hibitors mind  would  have  local  appeal. 
We  believe  that  this  talk  about  securing 
supreme  perfection  every  time,  is  a 
greatly  exaggerated  myth. 

None  of  us  are  perfect. 

And,  just  as  usefulness  is  the  rent  we 
pay  for  living  on  this  earth  so  active 
buying  power  can  be  generated  only  by 
products  that  will  live — that  are  better 
than  the  consumer  anticipates. 

Let  us  go  back  to  our  expert.  He 
has  been  called  in  to  point  out  the  way 


So  many  of  her  pictures  are  proving  suc- 
cessful, that  Colleen  Moore  takes  her  first 
day  of  rest  for  more  than  a  month.  She 
has  just  completed  "So  Big"  for  First  Nat'l. 


for  the  whole  motion  picture  world. 

Where  would  he  start? 

Like  as  not,  to  get  to  the  root  of  the 
problem,  he  will  start  with  the  studio. 

Here  the  stories  are  read,  edited,  con- 
tinuities written,  the  productions 
planned,  and  later  made. 

But  here,  also  should  be  considered 
the  box-office  angle. 

With  but  a  few  outstanding  in- 
stances, this  phase  finds  little  or  no 
place  here.  The  exploitation  and  ad- 
vertising departments  are  relied  upon 
for  sufficient  impetus  to  get  the  heavy 
machine  agoing — but  up  to  this  point 
everybody  has  viewed  the  final  results, 
with  adding  machine  disinterest. 

SO  our  expert  rigs  up  a  block  and 
tackle  and  goes  to  work.  He  sets 
out  to  lift  the  industry  up  by  its  own 
boot  straps. 

Doubtless  his  possible  findings  are  al- 
ready apparent  to  most  all  of  us. 

He's  going  to  say  some  important 
things.   But — will  the  industry  listen? 

W e  wonder. 

Perhaps  he  will  agree  with  the  cur- 
rent belief  that  there  would  be  less 
doubt  of  the  success  of  a  picture  if  it  be 
first  measured  before  the  cloth  is  cut? 

Maybe  he'll  tell  us  that  a  production 
can  be  made  a  success  or  a  failure  right 
on  the  lot. 

At  any  rate  it  is  certain  that  he  will 
not  be  misguided  by  existing  practices. 
It  seems  to  us  that  he  will  be  piloted  by 
the  exhibitors  point  of  view. 

For,  from  a  ledger's-eye-view,  the 
picture  may  rise  to  heights,  only  if  profit- 
able. From  the  artistic  side  it  may 
achieve  distinction  only  if  it  has  the 
qualities  that  make  the  picture  a  perfect 
composition  from  the  highest  standards 
of  Art. 

In  either  case — the  picture  must  have 
the  requirements  that  make  it  a  "Tried 
and  Proved"  picture— and  that  must 
come  from  its  earliest  studio  days. 


Page  70 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Fine  Lobby  Display  for 
"The  White  Moth" 

Nashville  had  its  first  chance  of  see- 
ing Barbara  LaMarr  in  First  National's 
"The  White  Moth"  at  Loew's  Vendome 
theatre.  Teaser  ads  were  run  a  week 
in  advance  followed  by  larger  ads  run 
in  both  Sunday  newspapers.  A  film 
trailer  was  also  run  a  week  in  advance. 
Three  thousand  heralds  were  given  out 
to  the  theatre  patrons. 

The  walls  of  the  lobby  were  filled 
with  one  and  three-sheet  posters  in  the 
wall  frames. 

The  main  entrance  was  also  filled 
with  posters  and  stills.  Beneath  the 
main  entrance  door  on  a  large  frame 
was  an  attractive  banner,  in  the 
center  of  which  was  a  poster  of  Miss 
LaMarr  cut  from  a  three-sheet.  Around 
it  was  painted  several  attractive  designs. 

The  title  of  the  picture  was  painted  in 
large  white  letters  on  a  background  of 
black.  These  displays  were  made  by 
Assistant  Manager  Stone. 

Above  the  banner  the  large  electric 
theatre  sign  blazened  the  title  of  the 
picture  in  a  strong,  white  light. 

Intensive  Campaign  Confined 

to  Newspapers  and  Posters 

Stunts  were  recently  excluded  from  a 
campaign,  advertising  "  The  White  Sis- 
ter," by  an  exhibitor  in  Dallas. 

Double  the  advertising  space  in  the 
four  daily  Dallas  newspapers  was  tak- 
en, and  in  addition  space  in  an  Italian 
newspaper  and  a  Klan  publication  were 
bought. 

Five  special  publicity  layouts  were  re- 
ceived from  the  newspapers  embracing 
many  scenes  from  the  picture. 


Manager  Jack  Rowley  of  the  Royal  Thea- 
tre, Larado,  Tex.,  displays  two  of  his 
flapper  doll  window  cards,  used  in  con- 
junction with  exploitation  made  for  First 
National's  picture  "The  Perfect  Flapper." 


On  the  out-door  display  fifty  24- 
sheets  were  used.  Twenty-five  being 
placed  on  boards  on  all  roads  leading 
into  Dallas.  These  highways  are  all 
paved,  and  brought  much  business  to 
the  theatre. 

Fifteen  thousand  heralds  were  dis- 
tributed, while  a  special  lobby  display 
of  painted  figures  attracted  much  at- 
tention. Smilax  decorated  the  walls 
and  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  during  the 
showing. 

Oil  paintings  advertising  the  picture 
were  placed  in  hotels,  and  slides  were 
also  used  in  advance. 


Old  Stunt  Proves  Profitable 

An  old  stunt  was  used  successfully 
while  exploiting,  'White  Tiger,"  for  its 
run  at  Fay's  Theatre  in  Rochester,  N. 
Y. 

An  ad  was  run  in  the  newspapers, 
offering  a  reward  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars for  the  return  of  a  white  tiger  skin, 
stolen  from  the  office  of  Fay's  theatre. 

The  skin  was  mentioned  as  being  the 
property  of  Priscilla  Dean,  the  star,  and 
the  ad  further  stated  that  "no  questions" 
would  be  asked  if  the  skin  was  returned 
to  the  theatre. 

This  ad  caused  considerable  comment 
and  the  newspapers  all  ran  long  stories 
about  the  reported  theft  of  the  tiger 
skin. 

*  *  * 

Exploit  "Why  Men  Leave 

Home"  in  Mexico  City 

Twelve  of  the  leading  theatres  of 
Mexico  City  booked  for  a  two  day 
showing  First  National's  "Why  Men 
Leave  Home"  and  gave  it  exploitation 
that  attracted  capacity  houses. 

Several  days  in  advance  of  the  open- 
ing of  "Why  Men  Leave  Home"  (ad- 
vertised in  Spanish  as  "Deserteres  del 
Hogar,"  which  means  "deserters  of  the 
home")  teaser  ads,  asking  why  men  left 
home  or  other  catchy  phases  appeared 
in  the  newspapers.  This  was  followed 
by  readers  telling  about  the  picture. 

While  this  campaign  was  in  full  prog- 
ress ballyhoos  and  a  truck  carrying 
two  twenty- four  sheets  showing  scenes 
from  the  picture  were  sent  through  the 
streets.  One  theatre  had  a  small  brass 
band  seated  on  the  truck  while  others 
resorted  to  bugles  or  drums.  Accom- 
panying the  trucks  were  small  boys  on 
each  side  of  the  street  handing  out 
handbills. 

*  *  * 

Three  Wagons  in  Parade 

Crashing  into  parades  would  almost 
seem  impossible,  yet  one  exhibitor  got 
three  covered  wagons  into  the  Defense 
Day  parade  in  Richmond,  Va.,  during 
the  showing  of  Paramount's  "The  Cov- 
ered Wagon"  this  theatre,  the  Colo- 
nial of  that  city. 

The  patriotic  angle  of  the  picture 
won  the  authorities  over.  9000  saw  the 
parade. 


The  Columbia  Theatre,  Seattle,  Wash.,  decorated  its  lobby  quite  elaborately,  during 
the  run  of  the  Chadwick  Pictures   Corporation's   production,   "The    Fire  Patrol." 


November  1,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  71 


Nothing  Overlooked  in 
Campaign  on  "Yolanda" 

"Yolanda,"  since  its  general  release 
by  Metro- Goldwyn,  has  been  receiving 
many  excellent  exploitation  campaigns, 
but  none  of  them  have  probably  been 
more  effective  than  that  put  over  at 
the  Powers  Theatre  in  Grand  Rapids, 
Mich. 

A  special  booth  was  arranged  at  the 
State  Fair,  where  "Yolanda"  her- 
alds were  distributed,  plenty  of  pa- 
per having  already  been  placed  ad- 
vantage  ously  about  the  fair 
grounds. 

A  Radio  Show  was  put  to  work 
for  "Yolanda"  too,  by  having  the 
announcer  mention  the  opening  of 
the  engagement  of  the  Marion  Da- 
vies  feature   at   the    Powers.  A 
singer  was  engaged  to  appear  at 
the  Radio  Show  and 
also  to  sing  in  the 
'Yolanda"  prologue 
at  the  Powers. 

A  special  tie-up 
was  put  over  with 
the  S  em-pray  Jo-ve- 
nay  Company,  who 
used  several  adver- 
tisements in  the 
newspaper  publiciz- 
ing "Y  o  1  a  n  d  a." 
Window  d  i  s  plays 
with  five  leading 
drug  stores  were 
also  a  striking  fea- 
ture of  the  cam- 
paign. 

There  was  also  an 
elaborate  window  in 
the  leading  department  store,  with 
a  model  costumed  to  represent  Marion 
Davies  as  Yolanda.  Twenty  special 
cards  were  displayed  in  prominent 
windows  of  the  business  section.  Dur- 
ing the  week  "Yolanda"  played  the 
Powers,  the  leading  Grand  Rapids  ho- 
tel had  printed  on  the  back  of  the  menu 
card  a  photo  of  Miss  Davies. 

Another  tie-up,  using  "Yolanda"  ad- 
vertising on  milk  bottle  caps,  was  ar- 
ranged with  a  local  dairy.  This  in- 
tensive work  on  the  big  feature  was 
strongly  felt  at  the  box-office,  where 
unusually  large  business  was  registered 
by  "Yolanda." 

*    *  * 

Trunk  Tie-Up  for 
"Covered  Wagon" 

There  is  excellent  advertising  appeal 
in  the  snappy  copy  message  used  for 
the  window  card  with  which  "The 
Covered  Wagon"  is  tied-up  with  all 
dealers  of  Hartmann  Wardrobe  Trunks 
in  Chicago. 

Although  the  tie-up  was  originated 
as  an  experiment,  the  Hartmann  com- 
pany is  anxious  to  make  it  national  and 
have  instructed  their  dealers  to  coop- 
erate with  the  Paramount  feature  in 


all  territories.  The  manufacturers  have 
designed  a  highly  effective  card  that 
can  be  used  in  any  store  window,  re- 
gardless of  the  size  of  the  store  or  its 
location. 

the   back   of    a  covered 
the    top    of    the    card,  it 
reads : 


Showing 
wagon  at 


"THE  COVERED  WAGON 
makes  you  proud   to  be 


an 


American, 


.but 


The  exhibitors  knew  the  value  of  poster  display,  in  this  instance.  He  erected  a 
large  frame  over  his  marquee,  and  set  in  it  a  24-sheet  poster.  This  display  helped 
to  break  box-office  records  during  the  run  of  Pathe's  "The  King  of  Wild  Horses." 


A  Hartmann  cushion  -  top 
wardrobe  trunk  makes  you 
glad  you  are  living  now." 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  they 
were  sold  on  the  idea,  with  a  copy 
message  like  that  and  a  card  of  the 
type  such  as  designed. 


Clever  Card  for 
"When  a  Man's  a  Man" 

A  clever  throwaway  advertising  the 
showing  of  First  National's  "When  a 
Man's  a  Man,"  was  used  by  the  man- 
agement of  the  Hippodrome,  Warren, 
Ohio. 

On  a  card,  about  three  by  five 
inches,  under  the  imprint  of  the  thea- 
tre was  printed  a  greeting,  which  an- 
nounced the  coming  of  the  picture. 
Pasted  on  the  right  end  of  the  card  was 
the  small  folder  in  the  shape  of  a 
book  which  First  National  prepared 
for  this  production. 

The  reverse  side  of  the  card  carried 
a  message  to  the  public  about  the 
"friendly  theatre"  of  Warren  —  the 
Hippodrome,  mentioning  the  showing 
of  "When  a  Man's  a  Man." 


Kansas  City  Puts  Over 
"Never  Say  Die" 

During  the  showing  of  Douglas 
MacLean  in  "Never  Say  Die"  at  the 
Royal  Theatre,  Kansas  City,  Managing 
Director  Milton  H.  Feld  of  the  Frank 
L.  Newman  Theatre  put  over  one  of 
the  biggest  exploitation  campaigns 
witnessed  in  that  territory  in  many 
months.  Building  around  the  catchy 
and  piquant  title  Mr.  Feld  was 
able  to  effect  tie-ups  with  the 
entire  chains  of  Owl  Drug  Com- 
pany and  Liggett's  stores.  In 
this  way  no  less  than  thirty-two 
stores  were  at  his  disposal  for 
window  displays  and  he  made 
effective  use  of  all  of  them. 

Prominently  displayed  in  all 
Owl  stores  was  the  legend 
"Never  Say  Die — use  the  Fam- 
ous Owl  Remedies. 
And  see  Douglas 
MacLean  in  'Never 
Say  Die'  at  the 
Royal  this  week — 
it's  another  sure- 
cure  for  what  ails 
you." 

In  the  Liggett 
windows  the  picture 
was  tied  up  in  a  leg- 
end as  follows : 
"Never  Say  Die — 
use  Liggett's  Pure- 
test  Remedies." 

In  addition  to 
these  displays  there 
was  the  usual  effec- 
tive newspaper  ad- 
vertising and  Man- 
ager Feld  had  a  corps  of  ten  pretty 
Kansas  City  girls  on  the  streets  in 
nurses'  costume  pinning  the  Douglas 
MacLean  lapel  button  on  all  men. 
This  stunt  was  put  on  every  day  at 
lunch  hour  and  early  evening  on  the 
downtown  streets. 

The  results  was  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful shows  ever  seen  in  Kansas  City 
and  the  biggest  business  done  at  the 
theatre  since  the  showing  of  "Girl  Shy." 


Swanson  Bob  Gets  Full  Page 

Another  possibility  for  the  Gloria 
Swanson  Hair  Bob  was  uncovered  by 
Maurice  Fox,  manager  of  the  American 
Theatre,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  sold  a 
full  page  of  cooperative  ads  to  all  the 
beauty  specialists  and  barber  shops  in 
Terre  Haute  featuring  the  Swanson 
tonsorial  triumph,  as  it  appears  in 
"Manhandled." 

Ten  displays  including  the  theatre's 
were  represented,  and  it  took  only  one 
day  to  line  up  the  advertisers. 

Exhibitors  can  readily  secure  co-op- 
eration of  this  sort  from  retail  stores 
everywhere. 


Page  72 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Theatre  Loaned  Copies  of  Novel 
to  Exploit  Film 

A  prominent  exhibitor  of  Minneapolis 
'worked  out  a  very  unusual  exploitation 
stunt  for  "The  Sea  Hawk,"  when  it  was 
shown  at  the  Garrick  Theatre,  Minnea- 
polis and  at  the  Capitol  Theatre  in  St. 
Paul. 

A  special  trailor  had  been  prepared 
advising  the  patrons  of  the  two  thea- 
tres that  "The  Sea  Hawk"  in  picture 
form  was  coining.  It  was  also  an- 
nounced that  copies  of  the  novel  upon 
which  the  film  was  based  might  be  ob- 
tained at  the  box-office,  free  of  charge, 
on  the  understanding  that  after  the  bor- 
rower had  finished  reading  the  book 
he  would  return  it. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  copies  of  the 
photoplay  edition  of  "The  Sea  Hawk" 
were  distributed  in  Minneapolis  and  an 
equal  number  in  St.  Paul.  This  stunt 
created  an  unusual  amount  of  interest 

in  "The  Sea  Hawk"  engagement. 

*  *  * 

Teaser  Envelope  Used  to 
Exploit  "Secrets" 

To  attract  attention  to  the  showing 
of  First  National  a  Norma  Talmadge 
picture,  "Secrets"  at  the  Rex,  Eu- 
gene, Ore.,  a  teaser  envelope  was  dis- 
tributed freely,  to  theatre  patrons,  in 
stores,  hotels,  etc. 

The  envelope,  about  2  by  4  inches, 
contained  printed  matter  in  two  corn- 
ers, in  red  ink,  "Don't  keep  SECRETS 
from  your  wife,"  was  the  sentence  in 
the  upper  left-hand  corner.  In  the 
lower  right  was  the  following,  "If  you 
really  love  her,  hand  this  envelope  to 
her  unopened." 

Inside  the  Envelope  was  a  yellow 
card  which  the  recipient,  calling  her 
husband  by  name  was  to  read  to  him : 
" — .we've  been  married — years,  and  I 
have  never  kept  a  secret  from  you. 
Let's  go  down  to  see  'Secrets'  together, 
at  the  Rex,  tonight.  "Norma  Talmadge 
is  playing  the  role  of  the  wife  and  Eu- 
gene O'Brien  plays  opposite  her,  so  let's 
go  early." 

*  *  * 

Five  Tie-Ups  At 
No  Cost 

Five  local  tie-ups  were  arranged  for 
the  showing  of  "The  Hunchback  of 
Notra  Dame"  at  the  Wysor  Grand 
Theatre,  Muncie,  Ind.,  without  spend- 
ing one  cent  of  the  exhibitor's  money, 
or  of  Universal's  money  either. 

These  included  a  window  in  the  Col- 
or Craft  shop  showing  scenes  from  the 
play  all  colored.  A  display  of  books 
which  lasted  for  nearly  two  weeks,  was 
another. 

A  ten  day  display  of  the  book  with 
a  window  card  announcing  the  showing 
at  the  Grand,  was  the  contribution  of 
the  public  library. 

Banners  were  affixed  on  the  demon- 


strator car  of  the  Flint  Motor  Car  com- 
pany. This  car  being  on  the  street  all 
day  for  three  days.  Two  windows  in 
the  main  part  of  the  city  with  oil 
painted  panels  and  other  advertising 
matter.  Heralds  were  placed  on  each 
table  of  the  leading  ice-cream  parlors. 

Every  one  of  these  tie-ups  brought 
business  to  the  theatre,  and  the  mana- 
ger states  that  they  established  new 
records  during  the  campaign. 

*    *  * 

200  Book  Store  Windows 
in  Chicago 

For  the  Paramount  picture  "Sinners 
in  Heaven"  McVickers  Theatre,  Chi- 
cago, supplied  Grossett  and  Dunlap, 
publishers  of  the  motion  picture  edition 
of  the  story  with  two  hundred  window 
cards  illustrated  with  stills  from  the 
production. 

The  cards  read : 
A  scene  from  the  Paramount  picture, 

"SINNERS  IN  HEAVEN" 

starring 
Bebe  Daniels  and  Richard  Dix 
McVickers  Theatre 
The  book  by  Clive  Arden  on  sale  here. 


Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Familv  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Moreno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 


Every  dealer  in  Chicago  received  one 
or  more  of  the  cards  depending  on  the 
size  of  his  store  for  display  in  the 
window. 

*    *  * 

"Hold  Your  Breath"  Exploited 
to  the  Limit  in  Chicago 

In  Chicago,  the  Al  Christie  feature 
comedy  "Hold  Your  Breath"  is  featured 
at  the  Orpheum  Theatre. 

Up  over  the  marquee  has  been  placed 
a  life-sized  cutout  of  Dorothy  Devore 
clinging  madly  to  an  awning  with  the 
catch  line  in  lights — "Fastest  ever 
Filmed"- — which  could  be  seen  for 
blocks  along  State  Street. 

In  the  lobby  two  three-sheet  photo- 
graphic reproductions  hang,  one,  of  a 
letter  supposedly  written  by  Dorothy 
Devore  to  her  mother  telling  of  her  wild 
experiences  on  the  sides  of  a  skyscrap- 
er, and  the  other  showing  stills  of 
scenes  during  the  filming  of  the  picture. 

A  tie-up  with  the  Life  Saver  Mint 
Company  has  been  arranged  and  three 
wagons  with  "Hold  Your  Breath"  ban- 
ners were  sent  parading  the  streets.  Not 
only  these,  but  two  pretty  girls  were 
engaged  to  distribute  free  packages  of 
Life  Saver  Mints  to  every  passerby. 


THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 

WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


November  I,  1924  Page  73 

News  of  Exhibitor  Activities 


PREPAREDNESS  FOR  MISSOURI 

The  Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of 
Missouri  are  not  going  to  take  any  chances 
with  the  reform  element  at  the  next  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  and  during  the 
course  of  the  next  few  weeks  a  question- 
naire will  be  sent  to  every  candidate  for 
the  State  Senate  and  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives to  put  them  on  record  as  to 
Sunday  Closing,  Censorship  and  other  per- 
nicious legislation  affecting  motion  picture 
theatres. 

The  theatre  owners  of  the  State  are 
not  attempting  to  dominate  its  political 
affairs,  but  they  most  certainly  intend  to 
use  their  unwarranted  attacks  by  "reform- 
ers" and  fanatics.  The  questionnaire  will 
place  each  and  every  man  seeking  a  state 
office  squarely  on  record,  and  any  attempt 
to  evade  the  issue  by  failing  to  answer 
the  questions  put  will  be  interpreted  as  an 
adverse  answer,  and  the  motion  picture 
people  and  their  friends  will  move  ac- 
cordingly. 

^     ^  -!< 

OPERATORS  PICKET  THEATRES 

Representatives  of  the  Moving  Picture 
Operators  Union  at  Hamilton,  Ontario, 
have  been  picketing  several  moving  picture 
theatres  in  that  city  which  are  not  in 
agreement  with  the  Operators  Local.  This 
is  being  done  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  Hamilton  exhibitors  secured 
court  injunctions  restraining  any  member 
of  the  union  from  interfering  with  their 
theatres.  The  houses  now  picketed  are 
those  whose  managers  had  not  secured 
this  legal  protection. 

HARRY  SYMANSKI  RESIGNS 

A  change  is  announced  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Lincoln  theatre  in  Troy,  N. 
Y.  Anthony  Veiller,  son  of  the  well  known 
writer  and  playwright,  and  a  former  man- 
ager of  the  Strand  in  Schenectady,  is  slat- 
ed to  succeed  Harry  Symansky,  in  hand- 
ling the  affairs  of  the  Lincoln.  Mr.  Veil- 
ler will  assume  his  new  duties  on  October 
19. 

Mr.  Symansky  will  associate  himself 
with  relatives  in  the  junk  business. 

The  theatre  was  built  about  three  years 
ago  by  Symansky  brothers,  and  is  located 
in  the  business  center  of  the  city.  It  was 
leased  a  few  months  ago  by  the  same 
company  which  operates  the  Troy  thea- 
tre, the  Mark  Strand  in  Albany,  the 
Strand  in  Syracuse  and  other  houses. 

*    i=  * 

POLITICIANS  INTERESTED 

The  politicians  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  have 
been  attending  the  motion  picture  theatres 
in  that  city  during  the  past  two  weeks  in 
order  to  better  compare  the  public  senti- 
ment toward  the  two  candidates  for  Gov- 
ernor. Pictures  of  both  candidates  have 
been  roundly  applauded  when  shown  upon 
the  screen. 

4>     4s  «fc 

SMALLEY  ADDS  ANOTHER 

William  Smalley  of  Cooperstown,  N.  Y., 
has_  added  another  theatre  to  his  chain, 
taking  over  the  Sheldon  Opera  House  in 
Hamilton. 

The  chain  now  includes  theatres  in 
Cooperstown,  Walton,  Sidney,  Stamford, 
Worcester,  Hamilton,  Fort  Plain  and  St. 
Johnsville.  In  the  latter  place,  a  stage  is 
being  added  to  the  theatre,  which  is  sched- 
uled to  reopen  this  month. 


Arthur  L.  Skinner,  manager  of  the  Vic- 
toria theatre,  Buffalo,  and  the  new  secre- 
tary of  Buffalo  Zcne,  Motion  Picture  The- 
atre Owners  of  New  York.  Mr.  Skinner 
is  a  live  wire  and  just  now  is  putting 
much  effort  to  get  every  available  exhibi- 
tor on  the  roster  of  the   Buffalo  Zone. 


MORNING  SHOWS 

The  Temple  Theatre,  of  which  N.  L. 
Royster  is  the  new  publicity  manager,  is 
making  a  feature  of  its  Saturday  morning 
matinees  for  children  as  a  publicity  me- 
dium. Special  pictures  are  being  chosen 
for  their  appeal  to  children  and  shown  at 
these  matinees. 

Clean  comedies  feature  every  bill  and 
special  publicity  appeals,  such  as  a  soda 
water  treat  after  the  show,  a  guessing  con- 
test with  prizes  and  other  features  calcu- 
lated to  appeal  to  the  childish  mind  are 
being  featured. 

"We  want  the  children  of  Birmingham 
to  find  their  way  to  the  Temple  and  we 
want  them  to  prefer  the  Temple  to  any 
other  moving  picture  house  in  the  city. 
That  is  why  we  are  making  every  effort 
to  make  the  morning  matinees  a  success," 
said  Mr.  Royster.  "Every  matinee  is  just 
as  near  a  party  as  we  can  make  it  and 
every  show  is  clean  from  start  to  finish, 
pictures  being  selected  that  will  amuse  and 
instruct  without  contaminating." 

^  *K 

FILM  BUILDING  PROPOSED 

A  building  sheltering  all  film  exchanges 
in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  may  be  built  in  the  near 
future.  Edgar  B.  Haines  and  Arthur 
Abeles,  of  New  York,  well  known  real  es- 
tate men,  were  in  Albany  during  the  past 
week  looking  over  possible  sites  and  as- 
certaining the  sentiment  of  exchange  man- 
agers and  others  toward  the  erection  of 
the  building. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  about  a 
dozen  exchanges  in  Albany.  Should  such 
a  building  be  erected  it  will  be  of  con- 
crete construction  and  with  two  or  three 
projection  rooms  available  to  the  com- 
panies occupying  quarters. 


DANE  GETS  PUBLICITY 

Oscar  Dane,  proprietor  of  the  Liberty 
Music  Hall,  St.  Louis,  invaded  the  sport 
pages  of  the  St.  Louis  newspaper  to  ex- 
ploit the  showing  of  Hoot  Gibson's  "Hit 
and  Run"  picture  at  his  house  recently. 
He  did  a  wonderful  business  with  the  pic- 
ture, the  best  week  since  he  took  over 
the  house,  he  reported. 

Working  with  Maurice  Davis,  exploiteer 
for  Universal,  Dane  used  small  space  per- 
sonal endorsement  ads  on  the  picture. 
George  Sisler,  manager  of  the  St.  Louis 
Browns  and  other  diamond  luminaries  put 
their  okay  on  the  film,  which  helped  to 
interest  the  fans.  Dane  also  used  several 
girls  dressed  in  baseball  suits  to  pass  out 
cut-out  cardboard  baseballs  to  the  fans  as 
they  left  the  big  league  baseball  park  dur- 
ing the  picture's  run.  This  stunt  went 
over  big. 


LANNING  GOES  AHEAD 

Livingston  Lanning  formerly  William 
Goldman's  right-hand  man  at  the  Missouri 
Theatre  for  years  and  later  at  the  Kings 
Theatre,  has  been  appointed  manager  of 
Marcus  Loew's  beautiful  new  State  Thea- 
tre, Eighth  street  and  Washington  avenue, 
St.  Louis. 

Lanning  is  an  excellent  showman  and 
knows  the  people  who  patronize  the  first 
run  houses  of  St.  Louis  and  their  wishes. 
He  should  prove  very  successful  with  such 
a  magnificent  theatre  to  work  with. 

sje      :jc  s|e 

ALBANY  FILM  DANCE 

The  first  big  social  event  to  be  spon- 
sored by  the  Albany  Film  Board  of  Trade 
this  fall  is  scheduled  for  the  night  of  No- 
vember 10,  when  a  dance  will  be  held  at 
the  Hotel  Ten  Eyck.  Sam  Burns  is  chair- 
man of  the  entertainment  committee  and 
will  be  assisted  by  Julius  Singer,  G.  A. 
Woodard  and  Herman  Stern.  Later  on 
the  film  salesmen  of  the  city  will  also 
hold  a  ball. 


CARTHAGE  FASHION  SHOW 

There  was  a  fashion  show  last  week  at 
the  Strand  theatre  in  Carthage,  N.  Y.,  The 
house  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity. 
The  management  scored  a  hit  in  bringing 
from  the  neighboring  city  of  Watertown 
a  young  lady  who  represented  that  city  at 
the  Atlantic  City  pageant. 


Exhibitor  Briefs 

The  Star  Theatre,  Hartwell,  Ga.,  for- 
merly owned  by  Joe  Burton,  who  sold  it 
some  time  ago  to  N.  G.  Kolgikalis,  has 
been  sold  again.  On  the  20th  of  Septem- 
ber Mr.  Kolgikalis  sold  the  theatre  to 
William  T.  Yobba. 

Colonel  H.  B.  Varner,  of  Lexington, 
North  Carolina,  is  at  home  again  after  a 
honeymoon  trip  to  New  York  City  and 
other  points.  He  recently  married  Miss 
Evelyn  Lucretia  Pearce,  of  Alexandria, 
Va. 

*    *  * 

E.  E.  Guer  has  been  appointed  exploi- 
teer in  the  Atlanta  territory  for  Famous 
Players-Lasky   Corporation,   according  to 


Page  74 

announcement  of  division  manager  Fred 
F.  Creswell.  The  Charlotte  and  Jackson- 
ville exchanges  will  also  have  a  new  ex- 
ploitation chief,  it  is  announced,  to  take  on 
their  duties  at  an  early  date. 

*  *  * 

Louis  C.  Barlowe  is  the  new  floor  man- 
ager at  the  Howard  Theatre,  Atlanta,  hav- 
ing already  entered  upon  his  duties  there. 
Mr.  Barlowe  was  formerly  art  director  for 
the  Fulton  Bag  and  Cotton  Mills. 

*  *  * 

L.  O.  Maher  is  opening  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
hall  in  West  Valley,  N.  Y.,  as  a  motion 
picture  theatre.  It  is  rumored  that  James 
Doyle  of  Nunda  is  soon  to  take  over  the 
operation  of  the  Babcock  theatre  in  Wells- 
ville,  N.  Y. 

*  *  * 

Firemen  and  police  are  investigating  the 
two  attempts  made  last  week  to  burn  the 
Teck  theatre  building,  Buffalo.  Both  fires 
were  quickly  extinguished  and  the  damage 
did  not  amount  to  over  $300. 

*  *  * 

Earl  Arnold  has  been  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  State  theatre  in  Oswego 
which  Meyer  Bloom  has  just  opened.  The 
house  is  the  remodeled  Gem  and  is  now 
thoroughly  up-to-date  in  furnishings  and 
equipment. 

*  *  * 

The  new  Freedom  Film  Company  of 
Rochester,  has  joined  the  Film  Board  of 
Trade  of  Buffalo,  according  to  an  an- 
nouncement by  Richard  C.  Cox,  chairman 
of  the  membership  drive  committee  of  the 
board.  Lester  Wolfe  is  president  of  the 
Rochester  concern.  He  was  formerly 
a  Selznick  manager  in  Buffalo. 

*  *  * 

Attorney  Thomas  Sheehan,  of  Massena, 
N.  Y.,  is  a  new  comer  in  the  business, 
having  just  erected  a  500  seat  house.  The 
theatre  was  to  have  opened  on  October  6, 
but  failure  on  the  part  of  the  seats  to  ar- 
rive necessitated  a  postponement  until  Oc- 
tober 20.  Mr.  Sheehan  will  do  his  own 
booking  and  buying. 

*  *  * 

Harry  Wallace,  conductor  of  the  sym- 
phony orchestra  which  is  such  a  popular 
feature  of  the  Buffalo  Shea  Hippodrome 
program,  is  now  driving  a  big  special  Lin- 
coln phaeton.  Well,  what  with  a  big 
boost  in  salary  every  year  for  the  musi- 
cians, who  wouldn't? 

^  ^ 

Otto  T.  Schroeppel,  manager  of  the 
Strand  and  Andrews  theatres  in  Salaman- 
ca., N.  Y.,  is  using  the  slogan  "Boost 
Salamanca,"  in  all  his  advertising.  Otto 
is  a  young  chamber  of  commerce  himself 
and  his  work  in  boosting  his  town  is 
making  many  local  friends  as  well  as 
bringing  in  more  business  to  the  box-of- 
fice. 

/        *    *  * 

It  is  reported  that  the  Auditorium  in 
Auburn,  N.  Y.,  is  about  to  be  leased  to 
parties  who  intend  to  turn  it  into  a  motion 
picture  house.  The  auditorium  is  owned 
by  Loeb  Brothers  of  Philadelphia. 

George  P.  Jungert  has  purchased  the 
Silver  Star  theatre,  Freewater,  Oregon, 
from  Mrs.  I.  Burrus. 

*  *  * 

Jimmy  Hollingsworth,  doorman  at  the 
Strand  theatre,  Seattle,  has  become  the 
daddy  of  a  fine  eight  pound  daughter  dur- 
ing the  past  week.  Congratulations  are 
extended. 

*  *    *  ' 

Albany,  Oct.  6. — The  Thomson  theatre 
in  Old  Forge,   N.   Y.,  narrowly  escaped 


destruction  by  fire  last  week,  when  build- 
ings were  burned  that  adjoined.  The  tar 
roof  of  the  theatre  melted  and  showered 
the  firemen  below. 

*  *  * 

Air  mail  service  is  being  used  by  many 
of  the  Atlanta  exchanges  to  speed  de- 
livery of  important  communications  from 
the  coast  studios. 

Mrs.  T.  H.  Holland  is  the  new  manager 
of  the  Strand  Theatre,  Madison,  Ga.,  the 
state  in  which  there  are  more  lady  exhibi- 
tors than  any  other  section  of  the  United 
States. 

*  *  * 

The  Ackworth  Theatre,  built  and  open- 
ed this  year  in  Ackworth,  Ga.,  is  now 
closed  for  the  purpose  of  enlarging  its 
seating  capacity. 

s|e      5}e  sjs 

The  new  theatre  recently  built  in  Lewis- 
burg,  Tenn.,  by  the  Cumberland  Amuse- 
ment Company  has  opened. 

*  *  * 

Having  disposed  of  his  motion  picture 
theatres  in  Ilion,  N.  Y.,  R.  V.  Erk,  sport- 
ing a  new  Buick  car,  was  a  visitor  along 
Film  Row  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  during  the 
past  week.  He  announced  that  he  had  no 
definite  plans  for  the  immediate  future. 

*  *  * 

Alec  Herman,  manager  of  the  First  Na- 
tional exchange  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  is  the 
latest  to  be  bitten  by  the  golf  bug.  Mr. 
Herman  is  spending  his  Sundays  on  the 
links,  and  at  least  acquiring  a  healthy  tan. 

i-s  sj; 

Bert  Brouse,  son  of  the  late  Harry 
Brouse  of  Ottawa,  for  years  one  of  the 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood 

Sid  Grauman,  Los  Angeles  Exhibitor  and 
executive  of  the  Famous  Players  motion 
picture  organization,  arriving  recently  at 
New  York  on  the  S.  S.  Berengaria,  return- 
ing from  a  trip  to  Europe.  It  is  rumored 
that  Mr.  Grauman  may  sell  out  his  Wes- 
tern interests  in  order  to  become  one 
of    New    York's    big    theatre  operators. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

most  prominent  exhibitors  in  the  Domin- 
ion, has  undergone  an  operation  that  kept 
him  from  directing  the  Imperial  Theatre, 
Ottawa,  for  some  days.  Harry  Brouse 
died  in  September  and  his  son  assumed  the 
management  of  the  theatre  only  a  month 
ago. 

*  *  * 

The  exhibitors  of  Toronto,  Ontario,  en- 
joyed a  lively  stag  party  which  was  held 
at  the  King  Edward  Hotel,  Toronto,  on 
Thursday,  October  9,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Canadian  Division  of  the  Moving 
Picture  Theatre  Owners. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Louis  Eisenberg  of  the  Elmwood  thea- 
tre installed  a  radio  set  and  loud  speaker 
in  his  office  during  the  world  series  game 
and  announced  the  progress  of  the  games 
to  his  patrons  Saturday  and  Sunday  after- 
noons. 

*  ♦  ♦ 

Albany,  Oct.  6. — Louis  Buettner,  of  Co- 
hoes,  N.  Y.,  announces  the  reopening  of 
the  Majestic  theatre  in  that  city  on  Oc- 
tober 25.  The  house  was  badly  damaged 
by  fire  several  months  ago.  Mr.  Buettner 
also  has  houses  in  Hudson  Falls  and  Me- 
chanicville. 

The  Bijou  theatre  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y., 
has  been  sold  by  J.  Van  Croix  to  Mr. 
Ford.  Mr.  Van  Croix  will  soon  move  to 
Florida  where  he  will  open  a  motion  pic- 
ture house  in  one  of  the  towns  there. 

S(S       Sj*  -fc 

There  was  no  work  done  on  Film  Row 
during  the  World's  Series  games.  Al 
Rosenberg  brought  his  radio  down  to  his 
DeLuxe  exchange  and  fitted  it  up  with  an 
"out-sized"  loud  speaker.  Then  the  gang 
assembled  and  bets  were  on.  It  was  "allee 
samee"  circus  except  that  Al  didn't  serve 
hot  dogs  and  lemonade! 

*  +  * 

F.  M.  Saunders,  sales  manager  of  the 
Western  division  for  Metro-Goldwyn  and 
his  assistant  Paul  Berger,  were  in  Seattle 
last  week,  looking  over  Manager  Carl 
Stern's  well  operated  exchange. 

*  *  * 

Exchange  members  of  the  Arbitration 
Board  were  elected  at  the  last  meeting,  in 
Seattle,  and  go  into  office  at  the  next 
meeting.  They  were:  Jay  A.  Gage,  Edu- 
cational manager,  who  has  served  on  Ar- 
bitration committees  for  the  past  four 
years,  Manager  H.  A.  Black  of  Vitagraph, 
and  Manager  George  P.  Endert  of  Fam- 
ous Players.  The  exhibitor  body  will 
name  its  new  board  members  at  its  next 
regular  meeting. 

*  *  * 

Monte  Blue  is  in  Seattle.  Furthermore 
he  slipped  in  unbeknownst,  and  nothing 
was  said  about  it  until  his  engagement 
was  announced  at  a  party,  to  a  charming 
young  Seattle  girl,  Miss  Tove  Janson.  The 
wedding  will  take  place  here  November 
1st.  Fans  are  hoping  to  get  a  glimpse  of 
the  popular  star  in  the  interim. 

Liborious  Hauptmann,  Columbia  Thea- 
tre (Seattle)  concert  orchestra  conductor, 
prepared  a  musical  novelty  last  week 
which  proved  more  popular  even  than  the 
feature.  Mr.  Hauptmann  was  recently 
given  a  trip  to  Hollywood  and  Uinversal 
City,  by  Universal  in  recognition  of  his 
services  at  the  theatre  for  eight  years.  In 
return  he  presented,  through  well  chosen 
musical  selections  which  ran  the  entire  ga- 
mut from  the  sublime  to  the  ridiculous, 
spiced  with  clever  little  witty  speeches, 
"My  Impressions  of  Hollywood." 


November  1,  1924 


Page  75 


THE  MODERN  THEATRE 


An  exterior  of  the 
Apollo  Theatre,  in  For- 
ty-second Street  New 
York  City.  The  lime- 
stone face  gives  it  an 
appearance  of  beautiful 
grace    and  stateliness. 


Limestone  For  Permanence 


THE  trend  toward  higher  artis- 
tic standards  in  the  theatres 
and  moving  picture  houses  of 
today  is  noticeable  not  only  in  the 
attainment  of  more  and  more  genu- 
ine and  realistic  stage  effects  but 
also  in  the  interior  and  exterior  con- 
struction of  the  buildings  themselves. 
No  longer  do  we  see  the  over- 
elaborate  ornamentation  that  former- 
ly characterized  the  interior  of  our 
play-houses.  They  are  now  being 
decorated  in  a  more  artistic  man- 
ner, with  much  less  of  gaudy  display. 
The  exteriors,  also, 
are  being  designed 
along  more  dignified 
and  simple  lines, 
which  is  a  return  to 
the  period  of  a  cen- 
tury or  more  ago 
when  the  play-house 
was  designed  and 
built  as  a  permanent 
part  of  a  city's  cul- 
tural equipment,  like 
the  public  library  or 
museum. 

The  present  tend- 
ency in  architecture 
to  consider  beauty 
of  material  more, 
and  decoration  less 
is  distinctly  notice- 
able in  some  of  the 
new  theatres  and 
motion  picture 
houses  which  are  be- 
ing built  of  stone — 
a  material  chosen  on 
account  of  its  per- 
manence and  the 
dignified  and  hand- 
some effect  that  can 


Stone  Lends  an  Air  of  Dis- 
tinction to  a  Structure 
That  Compels  Admiration 

be  obtained  from  its  use  in  well  de- 
signed exteriors. 

Indiana  limestone,  on  account  of 
its  beautiful  light  color  tone  and 
loveliness  of  texture  as  well  as  its 
economy,  due  to  the  ease  with  which 
it  can  be  worked  by  machinery,  has 
quite  naturally  been  the  stone 
selected.  It  is  a  material  that  attracts 
attention  on  account  of  its  light, 
ever  fresh  appearance  and  its  rich- 


The  above  view  shows  the  remarkable  effect  that  can  be  obtained  by  the  use  of 
limestone.  It  lends  itself  to  every  form  of  architecture.  The  first  cost  is  above 
ordinary  material,  but  retains  its  beauty  and  is  almost  impervious  to  the  elements. 


ness  of  effect,  and  it  is,  therefore,  pre- 
ferred for  modern  theatre  buildings 
of  the  better  type  where  the  slight 
extra  cost  of  a  handsome  stone  exte- 
rior is  warranted  by  the  character  of 
the  house  and  its  location.  In  fact, 
there  is  no  other  material  to  take  its 
place  under  these  circumstances. 
Where  its  use  for  the  entire  exterior 
may  not  be  justified  for  any  reason, 
the  execution  of  all  of  the  architec- 
tural trim  in  limestone  has  become 
quite  general  practice.  The  illustrations 
show  some  of  the  recently  erected  fine 
theatres  that  are 
built  of  limestone. 
Note  the  simplicity 
of  line  and  absence 
of  useless  ornamen- 
tation which  gives 
them  the  dignity  of 
a  public  institution. 

Compare  the 
modern  stone  the- 
atres with  the  store- 
room nickel  theatres 
of  a  few  years  ago 
and  the  contrast 
is  almost  a  shock. 
Theatres  are  now 
being  constructed 
for  durability  as  well 
as  beauty  and  lime- 
stone is  more  and 
more  playing  an  im- 
portant part  in  mod- 
ern theatre  construc- 
tion. The  growth  of 
picture  theatre  con- 
struction has  reach- 
ed a  stage  where  it 
far  surpasses  in 
beauty  the  legitimate 
theatre. 


Page  76 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Appropriate  Music  Creates 
Atmosphere  For  Pictures 


By  JOSEPH  E.  ZIVELLI 


MANY  persons  are  apt  to  remark 
"Oh,  those  western  pictures — 
why  do  they  make  them  ?  They 
are  all  so  alike."  The  writer  has  heard 
the  remark  several  times  and  feels  that 
sometimes  we  musicians  are  the  cause 
of  it  in  no  small  way.  The  average 
person  attends  the  movie  theatre  for 
relaxation  from  his  daily  grind.  He 
does  not  want  to  be  lectured  to  or  ques- 
tioned. In  other  words  he  wants  rest 
and  diversion.  He  wants  to  forget  his 
tiredness  and  worries.  He  must  have 
action  and  pep. 

Of  course  at  times  we  enjoy  mystery, 
sorrow,  a  play  with  a  moral,  etc.,  etc. 
But  what  we  most  desire  is  action,  fun, 
a  litle  love,  and  a  hero  knocking  the 
"stuffings"  out  of  the  villain. 

To  prove  the  above  just  walk  up 
the  aisle  of  the  average  theatre  and  look 
at  the  faces  of  the  patrons  during  the 
screening  of  a  western  and  you  will  see 
them  wide-eyed  and  "eating"  it.  Walk 
up  the  aisle  when  a  society  drama  is 
showing  and  you  will  find  the  laborer 
asleep,  the  others  half  so,  and  the  little 
ones  talking  to  one  another.  The  only 
ones  awake  are  the  musicians — be- 
cause they  must  keep  awake — and  the 
"loving  couple"  holding  hands. 

Then  why  do  we  hear  the  remarks : 
"Oh,  those  westerns — they're  all 
alike?"  Because  the  musician  fits  ev- 
ery western  with  the  same  music,  be- 
cause to  him  also  a  "western  is  a  west- 
ern." 

I  agree  with  the  complaint  that  there 
is  very  little  typical  western  music,  but 
that  does  not  release  us  from  our  dutv 
which  is — to  make  every  picture  speak 
for  itself.  Very  little  western  music  ? 
Then  let  us  look  for  some  that  can  be 
made  "western." 

Use  'Highbrow'  Music 

If  a  western  feature  is  interesting — 
as  it  always  is — it  can  be  made  doubly 
so  by  a  little  more  interest  and  care  on 
the  musical  director's  part  in  arranging 
his  setting  for  it. 

Gun  and  cattle  pictures  may  not  be 
very  interesting  to  the  highly-educated 
person,  yet  why  not  make  it  interesting 
by  giving  "highbrow"  music  with  it? 
Where  it  fits,  of  course. 

You  will  thereby  create  interest 
among  the  musicians,  the  average  lover 
of  westerns,  and  the  "highly-educated" 
person.  It  can  be  done  and  you  can 
do  it  if  you  will  only  take  a  little  more 
care  in  selecting  your  music. 

We  use  the  same  hurries,  agitatos, 
etc.,  for  the  western  that  have  been 
worn  out  using  for  dramas — social  and 
otherwise.  Those  hurries  art-  valuable 
and  effective  in  the  last-named  because 


the  fights  and  quarrels  are  of  short  du- 
ration, but  in  the  western  where  the 
agitation  is  usually  of  five  or  more  min- 
utes they  become  boresome  and  detract 
the  attention  of  those  who  do  not  like 
westerns  because  of  "their  sameness." 

Wealth  of  Good  Music 

There  is  a  wealth  of  good  music  al- 
ready printed  which  is  so  good  that  the 
best  of  music  yet  to  be  written  will  be 


Joseph  E.  Zivelli 

amateurish  when  compared  to  it ;  you 
will  soon  agree  with  me  on  that  point. 

Will  anyone  ever  write  another  "Un- 
finished Symphony"  ?  Yet  how  many 
ever  think  of  using  it  for  a  lengthy  pe- 
riod of  agitation  where  three  or  four 
worked-to-death  hurries  must  be  used ! 

For  a  heavy  mysterious  scene  lead- 
ing up  to  a  fight  there  is  no  more  ef- 
fective number  than  Beethoven's  Co- 
riolan  Overture.  It  can  be  played  "to 
action"  so  well  that  you  will  have  the 
audience  holding  their  seats  if  you  want 
to.  And  mind  you  I  am  mentioning 
real  good  music  effective  for  small  as 
well  as  large  orchestra. 

For  eight  or  ten  minutes  of  agitation 
and  fighting  try  the  "Mill  on  the  Cliff" 
overture  and  I'll  wager  your  five-piece 
orchestra  will  raise  them  off  their  seats. 
And  I  need  not  call  your  attention  to 
Yelva,  Don  Juan — by  Mozart ;  Lust- 
spiel,  and  other  good  overtures  which 
are  known  as  the  best  of  music. 

Do  you  now  agree  with  me  that  the 
most  effective  movie  music  was  written 
many,  many  years  ago? 


Ernst  Luz,  General  Music  Director 
of  Lowes',  and  dear  old  George  Rosey, 
than  whom  there  are  no  better  musi- 
cians, are  arranging  extracts  from  the 
classics  into  effective  photoplay  music 
for  short  scenes.  That  is  very  good 
also.  It  will  enable  you  to  play  the 
cream  of  good  music  when  you  cannot 
use  a  long  standard  composition. 

Now  is  there  any  reason  why  the 
western  cannot  be  made  to  appeal  also 
to  the  most  fastidious  movie  patron? 
We  do  not  eat  meat  or  fish  every  day 
nor  can  we  enjoy  stupendous  produc- 
tions every  day.  The  "western"  fills 
an  important  place  in  our  "change  of 
menu."  And  many  of  them  are  really 
worthwhile  because  they  have  plot,  ac- 
tion, love  and  comedy. 

They  are  getting  better  all  the  time. 
See  Leo  Maloney  in  "Ridin'  Double," 
Franklyn  Farnum  in  "Baffled"  and 
"Two-Fisted  Tenderfoot."  You  will 
find  them  chock-ful  of  musical  possi- 
bilities. 

It  is  up  to  you  to  bring  out  the  dif- 
ference between  westerns — in  fact  all 
photoplays. 

Music — the  right  music  will  cover  the 
faults  in  a  picture  (if  there  are  any) 
and  make  a  good  picture  better — espe- 
cially westerns. 


Announcement 

Beginning  next  week,  the 
Exhibitors  Trade  Review  will 
run  a  series  of  articles  on  thea- 
tres abroad.  The  articles  will 
tell  of  existing  theatres  in 
cities  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
and  of  conditions  under  which 
they  are  operated. 

The  data  has  been  collected 
through  the  U.  S.  Consular 
Service  and  this  paper  now 
has  enough  material  to  make 
up  a  series  of  articles  that 
should  prove  of  interest  to 
every  exhibitor  in  this  country. 

If  you  think  you  have 
trouble,  wait  until  you  read  of 
the  difficulties  encountered  by 
foreign  exhibitors  to  put  their 
war;s  across. 

The  stories  will  be  long 
enough  to  be  instructive  and 
short  enough  to  be  easily  di- 
gested. 

We  advise  you  to  start  the 
first  of  the  series  and  we  feel 
that  you  will  find  them  inter- 
esting enough  to  cause  you  to 
look  forward  to  each  succeed- 
ing article. 


November  1,  1924 


Page  77 


From  studio  to  screen — 

EASTMAN  FILM 

Just  as  in  the  studio  where  East- 
man Negative  Film  makes  the  most 
of  the  cameraman's  skill,  so  in  the 
theatre  Eastman  Positive  Film  carries 
quality  through  to  the  screen. 

Look  for  the  identification 
"Eastman"  "Kodak"  in  the 
film  margin. 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Page  78 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection 

PRACTICAL  IDEAS 
—Wesley  Trout  ■ 


A  Time  Table  for  the  Busy  Projectionist 

Let  us  suppose  that  you  received  your  film  before 
the  show  starts.  When  you  measure  same  with  a 
good  measuring  machine  and  for  example  find  the 
entire  program  to  consist  of  around  8,080  feet  of 
film.  Not,  of  course,  counting  the  leaders  and  the 
tail  pieces. 

The  time  allowed  for  each  show  to  be  about  two 
hours,  or  we  will  say  about  120  minutes  including  a 
5  minute  overture  and  a  6  minute  intermission  be- 
tween each  show  run.  This  leaves  us  around  110  or 
109  minutes  for  the  entire  program  to  be  projected  in. 

Dividing  8,080  feet  by  110  minutes,  shows  that 
projection  must  be  maintained  at  an  average  speed 
of  about  72>y2  feet  per  minute.  This  is  easy  to  do 
if  there  is  a  good  speed  indicator  on  the  projection 
machine. 

Every  projectionist  should  try  to  have  a  speed  in- 
dicator on  his  projection  machine  in  order  to  main- 
tain the  correct  speed  for  picture  presentation. 

In  the  above,  slow  marching  scenes  and  slow  ac- 
tion are  allowed  for,  and  the  proper  speed  noted  at 
your  first  show. 

You  will  find  that,  making  allowance  for  them, 
your  running  speed  must  be  about  75  feet  per  minute, 
slowing  to  65  and  then  70  for  special  scenes  in  your 
program. 

From  the  above  data,  the  projectionist  can  easily 
compile  a  time  table  that  will  be  of  help  for  him  in 
timing  his  show. 

Make  three  tables,  one  for  the  house  manager, 
one  for  the  box-office  and  retain  one  in  the  projec- 
tion room. 

Baird  Rewind 

C.  R.  Baird  and  Company,  New  York  City,  are 
manufacturing  an  excellent,  strong  rewind  that  sells 
at  a  reasonable  price.  Well  constructed  throughout, 
it  has  two  elements  which  may  be  spaced  any  dis- 
tance apart.  This  rewind  will  handle  either  thousand 
or  two  thousand  foot  reels. 

A  one-eighth  horsepower  motor  can  be  readily  at- 
tached or  you  can  rewind  by  hand,  while  a  pulley 
can  be  easily  attached  by  the  average  projectionist 
in  a  very  short  time. 

Use  a  small  pulley  on  the  motor,  and  about  an  eight 
or  ten  inch  pulley  on  the  rewind. 

Polarity  Changer-Switch 

Every  projection  room  using  direct  current  should 
install  a  polarity  changer.   Where  a  small  D.  C.  plant 


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BEAUTIFY  YOUR  THEATRE 

by  using  our  DECORATIVE  ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS,  PLANTS, 
VINES  AND  TREES,  all  of  which  are  illustrated  in  our  FALL 
CATALOGUE  NO.  2  MAILED  FREE  FOR  THE  ASKING. 


No.  2156 — Camouflaged  Window  Box  with  Begonia  Plants,  Blooming 
Geranium  Sprays,  Sedium  Sprays  and  Ivy  Vines,  complete  $6.00. 

FRANK  NETSCHERT.  INC. 

61  Barclay  Street  New  York,  N.  Y. 


STANLEY  FRAME  CO. 

727  7th  Ave.,  New  York  City 
Manufacturers  of 

Theatre  Lobby  Display  Frames 


Wall  Cases 
Framed  Mirrors 


Ticket  Booths 
Ticket  Boxes  (non 
choppers) 


Easel  and  Pedestal  Frames 

Let  us  know  your  requirements  or  let  us  tell  you. 
Sketches  and  prices  on  request. 


November  1,  1924 

has  been  installed  it  sometimes  occurs 
that  when  dynamos  are  changed  the 
polarity  changes.  This  requires  the  in- 
stant switching  of  your  own  wires  to 
bring  the  positive  back  to  the  upper  car- 
bon. 

It  is  especially  advisable  to  have  such 
a  switch  when  using  a  generator  set. 

A  double  throw  switch  will  act  as  a 
good  polarity  changer  for  the  projec- 
tion room,  and  can  be  installed  easily 
by  the  average  projectionist  at  small 
cost. 

Making  lour  Own  Slides 

A  very  satisfactory  way  for  making  a 
good  slide  is  to  coat  glass  over  with  a 
opaque  coating.  This  may  easily  be 
made  by  thinning  coach  painter's  black 
with  turpentine. 

Coating  the  glass,  and  allowing  it  to 
become  good  and  dry.  When  writing 
on  the  glass,  use  a  sharp  instrument 
with  a  fine  point.  This  will  produce 
clear  letters,  and  make  a  neat  slide. 

Coating  glass  with  a  solution  of  Bon 
Ami,  and  allowing  it  to  become  dry, 
produces  similarly  satisfactory  results. 
The  glass  should  be  perfectly  clean 
when  making  slides. 

Don't  project  a  dirty  slide  on  the 
screen. 


Page  79 


Equipment  Notes 


DRIP  PAN 

Waste  oil  on  the  floor  of  the  projec- 
tion room  is  not  only  unnecessarily 
messy,  but  offers  a  great  fire  hazard. 

There  is  a  small  drip  pan  on  the  mar- 
ket, made  especially  for  Simplex  ma- 


Baco  BATIK  Dyes 

Packed  in  2-oonce  tins — Shipped  Parcel  Post. 
A  wide  assortment  of  highly  concentrated 
eolors  covering  every  requirement.  Used 
generally  by  artists  and  commercial  houses. 
Write   for  list  with  prices. 

BACHMEIER  &  COMPANY,  Inc. 
435  West  37th  Street,  New  York  City 

Department  10. 


REMOVE  SCREWS 
AFTER  TOY  IS  SET 


chines,  that  will  eliminate  all  the 
troubles  of  oil  dripping.  The  pan  is 
attached  by  means  of  a  few  screws  and 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  sale; 

Send  for  FREE  catalog  giving 
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one    order    to    write.      Send    today    for  free 
catalog. 

Send  your  cue  sheets  to  us. 

ORCHESTRA  MUSIC  SUPPLY  CO. 

1656  BROADWAY  NEW  YORK 


No.  2,140  Rolled  Top  Basket, 
IS  x  22  inches,  filled  with 
Roses,  Asparagus  Ferns,  etc., 
with  bow,  complete  $2.50,  per 
dozen  $25.00. 

Write  today  for  our  FALL 
CATALOGUE  No.  2  in  col- 
ors, of  Artificial  Flowers, 
Plants,  Hanging  Baskets, 
Vines,  Trees,  etc.,  mailed 
FREE  FOR  THE  ASKING. 

FRANK  NETSCHERT,  INC. 

61  Barclay  Street  New  York,  N.  Y. 


FILL 

WANTS 
WITH 
WANT 
ADS 
HERE 


is  of  'such  simple  design  there  is  nothing 
to  do  but  attach  it  and  forget  it  until  it 
fills  with  waste  oil. 

It  is  manufactured  by  the  Blue  Seal 
Products  Co.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

*  *  * 

KICK  PLATES 

Cold  weather  is  just  around  the  cor- 
ner and  soon  the  lobby  doors  will  be 
kept  closed.  If  you  have  not  equipped 
your  doors  with  kick  plates,  take  a  look 
at  the  bottom  of  the  doors  and  see  how 
much  damage  has  been  done  by  pa- 
trons using  their  feet  to  assist  in  open- 
ing the  doors. 

Kick  plates  do  not  detract  from  the 
good  appearance  of  the  doors.  The 
plates  come  in  highly  polished  brass  or 
rich  bronze  and  lend  color  to  the  lobby. 

Plates  may  be  had  from  the  Pitts- 
burgh Brass  Company. 

*  *  * 

COCOA  MATS 

When  old  man  Slush  and  Snow  make 
their  appearance  you  can  expect  the 
worst,  for  no  matter  how  hard  you  try, 
there  will  always  be  a  certain  amount 
of  dirt  tracked  into  the  theatre  on  the 
feet  of  the  patrons. 

A  great  deal  of  this  dirt  can  be  parked 
outside  if  the  proper  precautions  are 


THEATRE 

DROPS 
CURTAINS 
DRAPERIES 
STAGE  SETTINGS 
PROLOGUE  SETS 

NO  CATALOGUE. 
ALL  DESIGNS  ORIGINAL. 

THEODORE  KAHN 
SCENIC  STUDIOS 

155  West  29th  St.  New  York. 

TELEPHONE:   PENNSYLVANIA  2288 


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Page  80 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


taken.  From  childhood,  the  great  mass 
of  American  people,  have  been  taught 
to  wipe  their  feet  before  entering  the 
house  and  the  common  garden  variety 
of  cocoa  mats  with  the  "welcome"  are 
part  of  the  American  home. 


If  you  place  mats  at  the  entrance  of 
your  theatre  doors,  leading  in  from  the 
sidewalks,  you  will  find  that  force  of 
habit  will  cause  the  people  to  wipe  their 
feet.- 

Haywood- Wakefield     Company  of 


HELIOS  REFLECTOR  LAMP 

25%  Better  Screen  Illumination 
Approved  by  Underwriters  Laboratories 


OUR  DISTRIBUTORS 

Cleveland:  The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 

Cincinnati:  The  Theatre  Supply  Co.,  Inc. 

Omaha:  U.  S.  Theatre  Supply  Co. 

Philadelphia:  Williams,  Brown  &  Earle 

Chicago:  Movie    Supply  Co. 

San  Francisco :  Theatre  Equipment  Supply  Co. 

Dallas:  Simplex  Theatre  Supply  Co. 

Baltimore:  V.  C.  Haefele  &  Co. 

WARREN  PRODUCTS  CO. 
•261  CANAL  ST.  NEW  YORK 


TICKETS 

ROLL,  MACHINE  FOLDED 
and 

RESERVED  SEAT  COUPON 

Elliott  Ticket  Co. 


101  Varick  St. 

Colonial  Trust  Bldg. 


New  York 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Boston,  manufacture  several  grades  of 
cocoa  mats  than  can  be  used. 

*  *  * 

FLAGS 

Columbus  Day  brought  to  our  atten- 
tion that  many  small  theatres  failed  to 
display  the  American  flag  on  that  day. 
It  either  slipped  the  minds  of  the  ex- 
hibitors or  else  they  had  no  good 
method  of  displaying  the  National  Em- 
blem. 

Every  theatre,  no  matter  how  small, 
should  have  a  flag  and  flag-pole.  The 
pole  can  be  arranged  in  a  socket  so  it 
may  be  taken  down  at  will,  and  the  flag 
should  be  large  enough  to  make  a 
proper  display. 

Ennis  &  Company,  of  New  York 
City,  carry  a  complete  line  of  flags  and 

will  be  glad  to  send  catalogs. 

*  *  * 

CHANGEABLE  SIGNS 

There  are  many  varieties  of  change- 
able signs  on  the  market  but  perhaps 
the  simplest  and  best  looking  kind  is 
that  which  is  provided  with  a  frame 
and  the  letters  are  inserted  in  slots.  The 
letters  can  be  had  in  any  colors  and  they 
make  a  good  appearance. 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  insert  the  let- 
ters and  thus  announce  coming  attrac- 
tions or  use  the  frame  above  the  ticket 
window  to  announce  the  prices. 

Davenport-T  a  y  1  o  r  Manufacturing 
Company,  Chicago,  carry  a  complete 
line  of  changeable  signs  and  will  send 
catalogs. 

*  *  * 

ELECTRIC  FLASHERS 

It  is  an  established  fact  that  animated 
signs  attract  the  most  attention.  The 
eye  is  caught  by  moving  figures  and 
compels  reading.  If  you  are  using  an 
electric  sign  in  front  of  your  theatre 
you  are  passing  up  a  good  bet  if  you 
have  not  already  installed  a  flasher  to 
give  the  words  life. 

Westinghouse  Electric  put  out  flash- 
ers that  are  adaptable  to  almost  any 
size  theatre. 

rfc  Sfl  9fc 

New  Theatres 

Gloversville,  N.  Y. — Charles  Ses- 
onske,  former  manager  of  the  Avon, 
Watertown,  is  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  Miraiste  Theatre  Co.,  which  will 
build  an  amusement  park  and  theatre 
here. 

*  *  * 

Evanston,  111. — The  Park  Theatre 
Bldg.  Corp.,  has  altered  a  building  on 
Chicago  Ave.,  opposite  Washington  St-, 
into  a  theatre  at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  The 
house  will  seat  700. 

*  *  * 

Greensboro,  N.  C. — Nat  S.  Ferber 
and  H.  Sommerville  will  manage  the 
Durham  and  Greensboro  houses  of  the 
Pryor  chain  when  the  fall  season  opens. 

*  *  * 

Madison,  N.  C. — H.  Somerville  has 
sold  his  Orpheum  to  a  Mr.  Wright. 


November  1,  1924 


P  ige  81 


Bath,  N.  Y. — The  new  Babcock, 
which  Associated  Theatres  Inc.,  re- 
cently built,  will  be  ready  for  business 
on  Thanksgiving  Day. 

*  *  * 

Cincinnati,  O. — The  Hollywood  The- 
atre Company  is  building  a  theatre  in 
the  suburbs  here,  to  be  known  as  the 
Hollywood. 

*  *  * 

Arkansas  City,  Kans. — Roy  Bur- 
ford's  new  theatre  will  open  some  time 
this  month.   It  cost  about  $125,000. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va- — Work  on  the 
new  Capitol  is  under  way.  The  house 
will  probably  open  in  November. 

*  *  * 

Forest  Park,  111. — Ground  has  been 
broken  for  the  new  Amsterdam  here. 

*  *  * 

Appalachia,  Va. — A  new  theatre  is 
scheduled  to  open  its  doors  here  soon. 

*  *  * 

Stuart,  Fla. — The  Lincoln,  a  theatre 
for  colored  people  has  opened. 

*  *  * 

Norton,  Va. — J.  D.  Ammons  will 
shortly  open  his  new  theatre. 

*  *  * 

Putnam,  Tex. — Putnam  opened  its 

first  picture  house  last  week. 

*  *  * 

Fort  Worth,  Tex— A.  A.  Cheteay  is 

erecting  a  new  theatre. 

*  *  * 

Latonia,  Ky. — A  new  theatre  is  un- 
der construction  here. 

*  *  * 

Stamford,  Tex. — A  new  theatre  is 

being  erected  here. 

*  *  * 

Point  Breeze,  Pa. — Bob  Lynch  has 
sold  the  Pastime  to  Clarence  Hexter 
and  associates. 

*  *  * 

Watts,  Calif. — The  Graham  has 
opened  by  S.  A.  McConnell. 

*  *  * 

Cowden,  111. — The  Liberty  has  closed 
until  fall. 

*  *  * 

San  Francisco — The  Flag  has  been 
closed  and  the  equipment  sold  to  Wal- 
ter Preddey. 

*  *  * 

L'Anse,  Mich.— The  New  Mazda, 
seating  800,  has  been  opened  by  Gro- 
l)asko  Brothers. 

*  *  * 

Seattle — Excavation  has  been  started 
for  the  new  $125,000  theatre  building 
to  be  erected  by  the  Columbia  Amuse- 
ment Company. 

*  *  * 

Black  Mountain,  N.  C. — F.  S.  Terry 
is  building  a  theatre  which  will  seat 
470.    It  will  be  the  first  picture  house 

here  in  three  years. 

*  *  * 

Shippensburg,  Pa. — Charles  W.  Boy- 
^r's  New  Lyric  has  opened  with  W. 
D.  Van  Valkenburg  as  managing  di- 
rector. 


ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS 

AND  GRASS  MATS 

SPECIALLY  MADE  UP  TO  FIT  YOUR  IDEAS 
SEND  US  A  SKETCH  OF  YOUR  REQUIREMENTS  &  LET  US  FIGURE 

JOHN  E.  PHILLIPELLI 

GENERAL  FLOWER  &  DECORATING  CO. 

NO  CATALOGUE  ISSUED 

311  W.  50  ST.  NEW  YORK  CITY 


COERZ 

LENSES 

KINO  HYPAR 

For   clean   cut     movie     negatives — made  in 
1  5/8  in.  to  3  in.  focal  lengths. 

KINO  TELEGOR 

A  practical  and  compact  telephoto,  9  1/2  in. 
focus,  f:  6.3 — complete  with  precision  focus- 
ing mount  and  hood  can  be  fitted  to  any 
standard  camera. 

MICROMETER  MOUNTS 

For  precision  focusing — one  mount  for  sev- 
eral interchangeable  lenses  if  preferred.  ' 


We  are  headquarters  for  movie  trick  devices 
— round  and  square  closing  shutters  for  vig- 
netting effects,  mask  boxes,  double  and  mul- 
tiple exposure  devices,  and  special  work  of 
all  kinds. 

Camera  men  will  appreciate  the  conveniences 
of  our  4-power  Magnifiers  which  fit  directly 
on  Bell  &  Howell,  Pathe,  Universal  and 
other  cameras.  They  give  a  brilliant,  rec- 
tilinear image,  and  there  is  no  cutting  off 
at  the  corners.  No  special  fitting  is  required: 
The  price  is  $12.00. 

Our  Focusing  Microscopes  are  fitted  to  many 
standard  cameras-  In  asking  for  informa- 
tion, do  not  fail  to  give  specific  details  as  to 
the  name  and  the  model  of  the  camera. 

Give  name  of  your  camera  in  asking  for  in- 
formation and  prices. 

We  make  the  celebrated 

GOERZ  DAGOR 

lenses  for   still  cameras 
— O  

C.  P.  GOERZ  AMERICAN 
OPTICAL  CO. 

317  E.  34th  St.,  New  York  City 


S  O  L  I  D  H  E  D 

POSTER  ^^TACKS 


No.  448  -  1-2  IN.  Per  100  -  25c. 

10,000  Lots  @  $1.50  Per  1,000 

SOLIDHED  TACK  COMPANY 

39  MURRAY  ST.        NEW  YORK  CITY 


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ARTIFICIAL  FLOWERS 


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FOR  THE 

HOLIDAY  SEASON 
DECORATIONS 

Should  be  ■  ordered  at  once 

Giant  Chrysanthemums 

In  Yellow,  Capusine,  White,  etc. 
5"  diameter,  $5.25  per  doz. 
6l/2"   diameter,  $8.75  per  doz. 


Poinsettias 

$1.10  to  $18.00  per  dozen  q 
Send  for  Descriptive  Circular  No.  48 

DOTY  &  SCRIMGEOUR 
SALES  CO.,  INC. 

30  READE  ST.     NEW  YORK  CITY 


"Decorations  for  all  Occasions'' 
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Page  82 

Hotel  Accommodations 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


w 

feMPIRE 


HOTEL ^% 


New  York's  newest  and  most 
beautifully  furnished  hotel - 
^accomodating  1034-  Quests 

Broadway  at  63- Street. 

«mJ\TH  PRIVATE  Tnt 
ROOM  WITH  PRIVATE  DATH- 
N  ALL  OUTSIDE  ROOMS  j# 


50 


Pern 


and  upward 


\ 


is  one  reason  for  the  rapidly 
growing  popularity  of  the 
Hotel  Martinique. 

Another  is  the  consistent 
economy  of  the  entire  estab- 
lishment. Here  you  may  enjoy 
a  Club  Breakfast  at  45c,  con- 
sisting of  Fruit  or  Cereal,  Bacon 
and  Egg,  and  Rolls  and  Coffee 
—  Special  Luncheon  and  Din- 
ners of  superior  quality  are  also 
served  at  the  most  moderate 
possible  prices. 

No  location  can  be  possibly 
more  convenient  than  that  of 
the  Martinique.  One  block 
from  the  Pennsylvania  Station 
(via  enclosed  subway)  —  Nine 
blocks  from  Grand  Central  — 
one  block  from  the  greatest 
and  best  Shops  of  the  City- 
half  a  dozen  blocks  from  the 
Opera  and  the  leading  Theatres 
— and  directly  connected  with 
the  Subway  to  any  part  of  the 
»  City  you  wish  to  reach 


e 

*  Hotel  ^ 

Martinique 

<Aff dialed  with  Jfotel  MUlpin 

Broadway~32-/0  33-Stsi 

NEW  YORK 

A.E.S'mg\eton,cManagen 


Classified  Opportunities 


LAS  SIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


At  Liberty 


WILL  BE  AT  LIBERTY  THE  20TH  OF  NO- 
VEMBER— Sixteen  years  experience.  Can  handle 
any  equipment.  Union  and  married.  Write  P.  O. 
Box  243  L.  Schmidt,  Michigan  City,  Mich. 

POSITION  wanted  by  experienced  projectionist. 
Ivan  Fry,  Box  382,  Minerva,  Ohio. 

AVAILABLE:  Violinist-Leader.  Schooled,  experi- 
enced, carefully  selected  library.  For  references : 
Peoples  Trust,  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Address,  Elbert 
Akin,  Bramblee  Hotel,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

ORCHESTRA  CONDUCTOR  and  DIRECTOR  of 
PRESENTATION  AT  LIBERTY  October  1st. 
Last  three  years  employed  in  4,000-seat  picture 
theatre.  Expert  in  cueing  pictures  and  arranging 
prologues,  ballets  and  condensed  versions  of  grand 
and  light  operas.  Extensive  and  modern  library  for 
full  symphony  orchestra.  Box  11,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 

MUSICAL  CONDUCTOR-ARRANGER.  (Baton 
or  Violin)  wishes  to  make  change.  15  years  experi- 
ence cueing  pictures — concert.  Large  library.  Ad- 
dress Apartment  1-C,  203  W.  107th  St.,  New  York 
City. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


Miscellaneous 


CAPITAL  SEEKERS  confronted  with  difficult 
financing  problems  should  consult  Amster  Leonard, 
First  Nat'l  Bank  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 

THE  SMALL  SUM  that  it  costs  to  insert  an  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Classified  Section  of  EXHIBI- 
TORS TRADE  REVIEW  enables  you  to  place 
your  desires  in  the  minds  of  men  who  are  always 
interested  in  a  good  proposition. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


Theatre  Wanted 


Wanted :  Moving  Picture  Theatre  in  town  of  2,000 

or  larger.  Have  the  cash.  Address,  W.  J.  Themer, 
Box  51,  Kankakee,  111. 

WANTED:  PICTURE  THEATRE  OR  COM- 
BINATION HOUSE  offering  possibilities.  Strictest 
investigation  required.  Have  cash.  F.  F.  Von 
Court,  Princeton,  W.  Va. 


54- ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $325 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $629 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


F or  Sale 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

POWERS  NO.  5  MECHANISM,  in  Al  shape, 
ready  to  run,  slightly  used,  price  is  very  reasonable, 
Mechanism  $30.  Rheostat,  slightly  used,  40  to  50 
amperes,  $15.  Small  rheostat,  25  amps.,  good  con- 
dition $7.  Powers  Arc  Lamp  without  base,  good 
condition,  complete  $12.50.  Cash  with  order.  W. 
TROUT,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


SIMPLEX      INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

each  $4.25 ;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each 
$4 ;  Edison  or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprockets, 
each  $4.45.  Take-up  or  Feed  sprockets  for  Powers, 
Simplex,  Edison  or  Motiograph,  each  $2.88.  Baird 
Rewind,  complete  $7.25.  Condensers,  any  focus, 
Piano  Convex,  each  $1.25;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55.  All  the  above  goods  are  BRAND  NEW 
and  SENT  POSTAGE  PREPAID.  CASH 
WITH  ORDER.  This  is  complete  list  of  supplies 
we  handle.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
Box  No.  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 

ROAD  SHOWS  and  Theatre  Machines  and  Equip- 
ment, Mazda  or  Calcium  Light ;  Auto  Generators 
for  traveling  shows,  Films  and  Supplies.  Bargain 
lists  free.  NATIONAL  EQUIPMENT  CO.,  409 
West  Michigan  Street,  Duluth,  Minnesota. . 


500  OPERA  CHAIRS  $1.75  EACH.  Mercury 
Arc  rectifier  guaranteed  the  finest  condition.  $175.00. 
Silver  screen  paint  $3.00  quart.  Repair  parts  for 
any  picture  machine.  Imported  carbons  discount 
10%.  Variable  speed  picture  machine  motors  $20.00. 
Everything  for  the  theatre.  We  can  save  you  money. 
Write  for  catalog.  Western  Motion  Picture  Co., 
Danville,  111. 

BONA-FIDE  BUSINESS  OPPORTUNITY— UP 
TO-DATE  THEATRE  FOR  SALE — Strictly  mod- 
ern theatre  in  Sask.  Town  of  1,000,  splendid  farm- 
ing area  to  draw  from,  main  line  C.  P.  R.,  no  oppo- 
sition, brick  building,  attractive  exterior,  cosy  in- 
terior, mosaic  tiled  entrance,  seating  capacity  500, 
inclined  floor,  large  well  equipped  stage  for  road 
shows,  excellent  dressing  rooms.  Powers  latest  pro- 
jection equipment,  up-to-date  projection  room,  gold 
fibre  screen.  First  class  apartments  over  theatre,  six 
rooms,  completely  furnished,  with  bath  room,  toilet, 
etc.  Large  brick  garage,  building  steam  heated 
throughout.  Admission  prices :  children  20c,  adults 
35c,  top  price  $1.00,  no  war  tax.  _  Has  store  in 
building  leased  as  a  drug  store,  being  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  in  the  Town,  bringing  in  good  rev- 
enue, property  is  situated  on  the  main  street,  choice 
location,  and  in  one  of  the  very  best  Towns  in  Sask. 
Owner  has  been  in  the  Town  in  no  other  business 
for  eleven  years  without  being  closed  for  one  night; 
new  house  erected  in  1916.  The  building,  contents 
and  all  equipment  is  in  first  class  condition.  This 
Theatre  has  never  been  offered  for  sale  or  rent  be- 
fore, and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated,  reason 
for  selling,  retiring.  Fifteen  thousand  cash,  will 
give  immediate  possession  to  the  entire  described 
property,  bal.  easy  terms,  low  interest,  clear  title. 
This  proposition  will  stand  the  most  rigid  investi- 
gation. Further  particulars  apply  Saml.  R.  Tyler, 
Owner  Lyceum  Theatre,  Gull  Lake,  Sask.  Canada. 

ADDRESSOGRAPHS.  Letter  Folders,  Multi- 
graphs,  Envelope  Sealers,  Duplicators,  less  than  half 
price.  Guaranteed.  Pruitt  Co.,  170  North  Wells, 
Chicago. 

FILMS  FOR  SALE.  Features  and  short  subjects 
of  every  character  at  extraordinary  low  prices.  Send 
for  lists.  Films  RENTED  to  permanent  theatres  at 
75c  per  reel.  References  required.  NATIONAL, 
FILM  BROKERS,  1710  West  45  Street,  Kansas 
City.  Mo.  

FOR  SALE:  Few  thousand  copies  Cameron's 
book,  Motion  Picture  Projection  for  few  hundred 
dollars.  Doenges,  373  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York, 
4th  Floor.   j 

CLEAN  UP  SALE — Everything  must  go  regard- 
less of  cost.  Features,  $3.00  per  reel  up ;  one,  two 
and  three-reelers,  $2.50  per  reel  up;  list  free.  All 
films  subject  to  examination;  also  a  number  _of  sub- 
jects suitable  for  church  and  school  work  APOLLU 
FILM  CO.,  286  Market  St.,  Newark,  N.  J.  

General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  A»e.;  N«w  York 


Duplex  Motion  Picture  Industries,^ 

Xpng  Island  City,Neu>7drk,  


H.  Grindell  Matthetvs 

DEATH  -RA $? 

The  Amazing  DijccVery  of  the  Age 

Tbvo  Heels 


Will  it  A  bo  Ush  War  by  Exterminating 
the  Peoples  of  the  World? 


Before  the  Wright  Brothers  actually  flew  down  in  North 
Carolina  scientists  pooh-poohed  the  idea  of  a  heavier-than-air 
flying  machine. 

Before  Marconi  sent  messages  by  wireless,  the  very  thought 
of  such  a  thing  was  laughed  at. 

Before  Bell  invented  the  telephone,  persons  thought  the  very 
idea  smacked  of  witchery. 

This  picture,  made  by  the  discoverer,  shows  that  this  deadly 
thing,  The  Death  Ray,  kills  at  a  distance! 

The  newspapers  of  the  world  are  filled  with  it.  It  is  arousing 
the  greatest  popular  interest. 


It's  the  Topic  of  the  Day9  —  a.  Sure  Clean-up 


EXH I B I  TORS 

Oracle  REVIEW 

%e  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  ftcture  Industry 


A  powerful  drama  with  a  galaxy  of 
pre-eminent  stars  including-  James 
Kirkwood,  Lila  Lee,  Matt  Moore, 
Wallace  Beery,  Chester  Conklin  and 
Zena  Keef  e 


a.  I  1> 

'  /i 


This  box-office  smash  now  book 
ing  at  all  Producers  Distribut 
ing  Corporation  Exchanges 

Foreign  Distributor:  WM.  VOGEL  DISTRIBUTING  CORP 

■ 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Executive,     Editorial  Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City,  Subscription 
$2  00    year      Entered    as    second-class   matter,    Aug.    25,    1922,     at  postoffice  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  under  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


J.t  the  PICCADILLY 


IRENE  RICH 


Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation 


presents 

"FLATTERY" 

BY 

H.  H.  VAN  LOAN 

Featuring  JOHN  BOWERS,  GRACE  DARMOND, 
ALAN  HALE  and  MARGUERITE  DE  LA  MOTTE 

DIRECTED  BY 

TOM  FORMAN 

PRODUCED  BY 

Mission  Film  Corporation 

LEON  RICE,  pres. 
Now  available  at  all  the  leading  Independent  Exchanges 


CONSOLIDATED  CERTIFIED  PRINTS 


^W7 


SCREEN  BEST  V>V  LAST  LONGEST 

SELECTED  FOR  LEADING  PICTURES  LIKE 


F.  B.  0. 

Picture 

Starring 
Evelyn  Brent 

Directed  by 
Tod  Browning 

Story  by 
Julie  Heme 

Adapted  by 
Richard  Schayer 

Photographed  by 
Lucien   Androit  & 
Maynard  Rugg 

CONSOLIDATED 
CERTIFIED 
PRINTS 

AND 

O  \     SERVICE  W 


ERTIFIED  PRINTS 


TT  is  dangerous  to  flirt  with  anything  but  CERTIFIED 
-■-  PRINTS,  or  with  laboratories  whose  equipment  and  skill 
does  not  equal  the  Consolidated. 

CERTIFIED  PRINTS  are  guaranteed  to  give  satisfaction. 
They  screen  best  and  last  longest. 

Producers,  distributors  and  exhibitors  everywhere  are  specify- 
ing CERTIFIED  PRINTS  because  they  know  that  they  are 
the  Best  that  Can  be  Made. 


New  York 


Executive  Offices 
729  Seventh  Avenue 


Los  Angeles 


I 


iTlie  CONSOLIDATED  FILM  INDUSTRIES,  Inc. 

\   :  :  :  '  :  : 


Page  4 


Exhibitors  Trade  lictvicm 


Read  By 

3  o ,  o  o  o 

EXHIBITORS 

every  month 

■ 
I 

■ 

EXHIBITORS  TRADE  REVIEW 

The  Showman  s  Bible 
The  Exhibitors  Equipment  Blue  Book 
The  Theatre  Owner's  Weekly  Newspaper 

 -  '-^f '  : 


D.W.GRIFFITH 

presents 

AMERICA 

0  thrillind  story  of  Cove  and  Romance 
by  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS 

YOUR  AUDIENCES  WILL  DO  LIKEWISE 

"I  am  a  hard-boiled,  hard-shelled  critic,  and  I  say  with  equal  frank- 
ness that  the  tears  coursed  down  my  cheeks  during  several  climatic 
moments  in  'America.'  Yes,  and  at  other  moments  I  discovered  my- 
self applauding." 

"  'America'  is  a  cinema  of  tears  and  cheers,  of  gulps  in  the  throat,  of 
wet  eyes,  of  rousing  Yankee  cheers  and  of  a  pulse  quickened  by 
patriotic  fervor." 

"As  a  historical  epic,  it  is  the  America  of  Americans.    And  I  defy 
anyone  to  see  it  wtthout  cheering  and  applauding." 
"Test  your  patriotism  -  see  'America'.  " 

Chester  B.  Bahn  Jr.,  Dramatic  Editor  of  the 
Syracuse  Telegram  and  the  Sunday  American 

Now  Booking 

UNITED  ARTISTS  CORPORATION 

Ifflary  Pickford  Charlew  Chaplin 

Bouglaj-  Jairbankxr  D.W.Qriffith 
Oiiram  Qbramj-j  President 


) 


J  — — — — —  .      ior  feminine 

r.TTTT5>'R  *    Sure-fire  attrac u  tronage. 
DRAWING  POWEK.  {or  hlgh  class  p 


and  when  a  picture  has 
that  appeal  it  will  go  big 

anywhere  f 


Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  and  Distributors  of  America.  Inc. -~  Will  Hays  PnsidenT^ 


:i||||lll<>MIUIIinitllll»MIIUnilltlUIMIII»llllll"UII|[|||lllllllllltlll|||||||il|llllltMllllllllirillllllllllltllllllIlll«lllfllllllllll»Hl»lllllllltltlll 


Pictures  that  hit  the  high  spots 
in  daily  profits  come  with  the 

FIRST  NATIONAL  CONTRACT 


November  8,  1924 


Page  7 


EXHIBITORS 

cfode  REVIEW 

We  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  lecture  Industry 

VVILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 

H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  Kews  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY.  Reviews  Editor 

JAMES  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 
H.  J.    SCHLEIER,   Business  Manager 

CONTENTS 

November  8,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 
I  Am  An  Optimist — L.  J.  San   


10 


HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 


United  Artists-Schenck  Merger   11 

Allied  Organizations  Threaten  Battle    11 

Children's  Programs    12 

Nazimova  With  Vitagraph    13 

Paramount  Announces  "Second  40"    14 

Selznick  Reorganization    17 

Warner  Brothers  Shakeup   18 

First  National  Conference   18 

White  List  Published   19 

Fox  Birthday  Announcement   21 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

"Beloved  Brute"   _  Frontispiece 

"Lightning  Romance"    24 

"Riddle  Rider"   50 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Editorials   22 

Independent  Section   24 

Exhibitors  News   32 

Production  Highlights    34 

Box-Office  Reviews    36 

Big  Little  Features   .'.   38 

Production  Charts    41 

Tried  And  Proved  Pictures    45 

Showmanship    47 

National  Tie-Up  Section    49 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation.!/ 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C.  Howe.  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Ferns  ler.  Executive  and  Editorial 
offices:  Hearn  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  street.  New  York- 
Telephone  Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Execu- 
tive Offices.  Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors 
Review  Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations. 
Subscription  rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada 
$3 ;  Foreign  $6 ;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


WB&  IN  THE  AIR 


1 
1 

i 

* 


STATION  E.  T.  R. 
45  West  45th  Street, 
New  York,  broad- 
casting a  few  little  laughs 
and  a  couple  comments 
that  should  be  taken  ser- 
iously. The  thoughts 
aren't  new — but  the  fact 
that  they  have  lived  so 
long  proves  them  true. 


A  daily  paper  tells  the  world  that 
radio  manufacturers  report  increased 
sales  of  loud  squeakers.  All  of  which 
shows  just  how  important  it  is  that  we 
mind  our  Ps  and  Qs. 


When  you  are  writing  showmanship 
copy  remember  the  value  of  words. 
Much  may  be  said  briefly.  A  farmer 
hung  out  a  sign :  "Trespasers  will  be 
persekuted  to  the  full  extent  of  3  mean 
mongral  houn  dawgs  which  wouldn't 
even  be  soshabil  with  their  own  mam- 
my, 1  nasty  bull  which  near  kilt  me 
last  spring  and  1  dubbel  barelt  shot 
gun  which  ain't  loaded  with  no  idydown. 
Dam  if  I  ain't  sik  and  tired  of  this 
her  hel  raisin'  all  over  my  proputty." 
Of  course,  he  might  have  said  "Keep 
Out."  / 


"It  made  good  because  one  man 
told  another."  So  says  the  advertise- 
ment for  a  brand  of  cigars.  Why  not 
make  the  same  thing  apply  to  your 
theatre  ?  You  can  do  it  by  giving  ser- 
vice that  will  cause  favorable  com- 
ment. 

It's  not  so  much  where  we  came 
from — or  where  we're  going  to — 
as  what  we  do  while  here,  that 
counts.  Pay  attention  to  today, 
'  and  you  won't  have  time  to  worry 
about  yesterday  or  tomorrow. 

If  any  of  us  possessed  everything  in 
the  world  that  he  wanted,  life  wouldn't 
be  worth  living.  Ifs  the  battle  to  win 
your  heart's  desire  that  puts  the  zip 
into  existence. 


The  more  you  know  about  your 
business,  the  better  that  business  will 
be,  and  the  greater  the  fun  you  will 
get  from  attending  to  it. 


In  the  nature  of  things  man  cannot  ac- 
complish much  single  handed.  Cooperation 
is  needful.  The  great  corporations^  prove  it. 
Take  your  public  into  partnership.  Have 
them  all  working  for  you  by  boosting  your 
showhouse.    Make  friends.    It  pays. 


If  you  don't  get  a  perpetual  "kick" 
out  of  your  work,  you  should  get  a 
new  job  or  see  a  doctor.  There's  some- 
thing wrong — with  you. 


i 


"The 
Beloved 
Brute" 


J*.  WEnt 


Heart  Interest  Is 
Supreme  In  This 
Vitagraph  Feature 


Victor  McLaglen,  "The  Brute,"  is 
shown  at  the  left.  He  was 
brought  from  England  to  play  the 
part.  Above  is  a  scene  of  the 
gypsy  wagon  which  figures 
prominently  in  the  picture.  Below 
is  a  rough-and-tumble  fight  be- 
tween McLaglen  and  William 
Russell. 


1111111111111 


W/HKHKi 


©C1B644497  1/ 
NOV  -3  1324  J 


EXHIBITORS 

trade  REVIEW 

°&e  Business  fyper  of the  Motion  ft  dure  Industry 

NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 

Joseph  M.  Schenck  announced  on  his  arrival  in  Los  Angeles,  that  the  United  Artists- 
Schenck  merger  has  been  completed.  This  will  bring  Norma  and  Constance 
Talmadge,  Mary  Pickford,  Douglas  Fairbanks  and  Charles  Chaplin  under 
one  banner.    No  distribution  plan*-  have  been  made. 

Selznick  creditors  agree  to  a  $250,000  stock  issue  in  reorganization  plans.  $20,000  has  been  raised  by 
receiver  certificates  to  keep  the  exchanges  operating. 

Warner  Brothers'  shakeup  in  the  advertising  and  publicity  departments  may  spread  to  the  contract 
and  auditing  departments. 

Spokane  exhibitors  band  together  to  demand  justice  from  a  certain  newspaper  whose  reviewer  has  been 
condemning  every  picture  and  hurting  their  business. 

President  Steffes,  of  the  Allied  Organizations,  threatens  an  open  battle  with  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  A.,  charg- 
ing the  latter  organization  with  trying  to  disrupt  the  new  group. 

The  Hays  organization  has  heeded  the  demands  of  exhibitors  for  suitable  pictures  for  children's  mati- 
nees with  the  result  a  list  has  been  compiled  with  a  proviso  that  admissions  shall  not  be  above 
ten  cents. 

Harold  Dygert  has  sold  his  interests  in  Buffalo  and  neighboring  towns  for  more  than  a  half  million 
dollars. 

Exhibitors  of  second  run  pictures  in  Denver  held  a  meeting  and  decided  that  owing  to  high  rentals  and 
other  expenses,  the  day  of  the  ten  cent  movie  has  gone.  Fifteen  cents  will  be  the  minimum 
admission  in  that  city. 

John  M.  Kunsky  Enterprises  are  back  in  the  fold  of  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  Michigan  after  an  absence  of  two 
years.    They  left  owing  to  a  disagreement  over  a  resolution  passed  by  the  organization. 

Weiss  Brothers  will  appeal  the  decision  Avhich  stopped  them  from  using  "The  Ten  Commandments"  m 
connection  with  their  picture  "After  Six  Days."  The  decision  forces  them  to  make  an  account- 
ing of  all  past  sales  in  which  the  "Ten  Commandments"  inference  was  drawn. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


**IAm  an  Optimist 


Since  the  consolidation  of  the  leading  Mov- 
ing Picture  laboratories  of  America,  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been 
expended  to  further  the  interests  of  pro- 
ducers, distributors  and  exhibitors.  This 
move  must  enormously  benefit  the  industry 


COMMENTING  on  a  Review  of 
the  Motion  Picture  Industry  re- 
cently published  by  the  National 
Bank  of  Commerce,  one  of  the 
country's  great  financial  institutions, 
which  emphasized  the  steadily  growing 
stability  of  the  industry  particularly 
from  a  banking  standpoint;  Louis 
James  San,  President  of  the  Consoli- 
dated Film  Industries,  Inc.,  of  New 
York  and  Los  Angeles  stated  that  the 
same  progress  away  from  the  haphaz- 
ard methods  and  organizations  of  the 
early  days  has  also  taken  place  in  the 
Developing  and  Printing  branch  of  the 
Industry,  which  today  has  become  a 
highly  specialized  business  in  itself. 

"I  am  a  decided  optimist  about  the 
Industry"  says  San.  "The  period  of 
mushroom  speculative  growth  has  prac- 
tically passed  and  standardization  along 
the  broad  principles  that  underlie  other 
great  American  industries  like  Steel, 
Tobacco  or  Automobiles  is  the  tend- 
ency of  the  present. 

"The  proof  of  business  stability  is 
the  attitude  of  the  banker, — the  most 
conservative  element  in  business,  who 
began  by  nibbling  gingerly  and  suspi- 
ciously and  has  ended  by  placing  Mo- 
tion pictures  on  his  daily  menu  as  a 
part  of.  his  steady  diet. 

"The   field  of   Motion-Picture  De- 


LOUIS  J.  SAN 

President 
Consolidated  Film  Industries 

veloping  and  Printing  has  kept  step  in 
the  march  toward  industrial  stability. 
The  formation  of  the  Consolidated 
Film  Industries,  Inc.  on  April  of  this 
year  was  a  milestone  in  Laboratory 
progress.  The  consolidation  of  these 
leading  laboratories — the  Craftsmen 
Laboratory,  the  Erborgraph  Company 
and  the  Republican  Laboratory  in  the 
East,  and  the  Standard  Laboratory  the 
finest  on  the  West  Coast  has  provided 
hitherto   unequalled    facilities  for  the 


Says 

Louis  J.  San 


production  of  uniformly  high  quality 
negatives  and  prints. 

'X'HE  exact  methods  of  machine  ac- 
A  curacy  have  been  substituted  for 
the  hit  or  miss  procedure  of  the  pio- 
neer film  developers.  Hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars  have  been  spent  in 
research  work  to  perfect  methods  and 
create  automatic  machinery  and  super- 
lative laboratory  conditions  that  insure 
a  perfection  to  the  output  that  produc- 
ers, distributors,  and  exhibitors  are  uni- 
versally depending  upon. 

"Service  to  the  Industry  is  the  aim 
of  the  Consolidated  which  is  constantly 
improving  its  plants  and  processes 
in  every  department.  Technical  su- 
periority is  not  the  only  advantage  re- 
sulting from  consolidation.  Quality  and 
Service  have  been  coupled  with  finan- 
cial strength.  The  Consolidated  Film 
Industries,  Inc.  are  eminently  organized 
to  meet  all  legitimate  demands  for 
Money  and  Credit  which  the  producer 
is  rightly  entitled  to  seek. 

"Sound  financing  methods  are  just  as 
essential  to  the  Developing  and  Print- 
ing branch  of  the  Industry  as  technical 
perfection  and  wellrounded  service  and 
in  offering  a  happy  combination  of 
these  features  to  the  Movie  world  the 
Consolidated  Film  Industries  has  cer- 
tainly taken  the  leadership." 


These  are  the  four  laboratories  of  the  Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc.,  where  hundieds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  have  and  are  being  spent  for  research  work  upon  which  producers,  distributors  and  exhibitors 

are  depending. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  11 


United  Artists— Schenck 
Merger  Completed 

Three  Major  Companies  Negotiating 
for  Distribution  Rights 


WORD  from  the  Coast  announces 
that  Joseph  Schenck,  president 
of  Norma  and  Constance  Tal- 
madge  and  Buster  Keaton  Productions, 
has  made  it  publicly  known  that  he  has 
merged  his  interests  with  the  United 
Artists. 

This  does  not  come  as  a  surprise  for 
it  was  stated  in  these  columns  last  week 
that  everything  had  been  arranged  for 
the  deal  and  it  needed  only  the  signa- 
tures of  the  stars  concerned  to  make 
the  merger  complete. 

Joseph  Schenck  and  Robert  Fair- 
banks, brother  of  Doug,  left  New  York 
last  week  for  the  Coast,  accompanied 
by  Hiram  Abrams,  president  of  United 
Artists,  and  it  was  intimated  at  that 
time  that  the  stage  was  set  for  the 
combination. 

The  merger  will  bring  Mary  Pick- 
ford,  Douglas  Fairbanks,  Charles 
Chaplin,  Norma  and  Constance  Tal- 
madge and  possibly  Buster  Keaton  un- 
der the  same  banner. 

With  this  array  of  stars,  the  new  or- 
ganization will  be  one  of  the  most 
powerful  in  the  business  and  there  will 
be  keen  bidding  for  the  distribution 
rights  to  the  productions. 

There  is  no  hint  as  to  how  the  pic- 
tures will  be  distributed.  It  is  possible 
that  United  Artists  will  do  the  dis- 
tributing and  again  First  National  or 
Metro  may  come  in  for  the  work. 

It  was  announced  that  in  order  that 
he  would  have  no  other  affiliations, 
Joseph  Schenck  sold  his  interests  in  the 
Loew's. 

The  completion  of  the  merger  has 
caused  considerable  comment  as  it 
forms  one  of  the  biggest  deals  that  has 
materialized  from  the  long  list  of  ru- 
mors. 

It  is  understood  Mr.  Schenck  will 
have  charge  of  the  new  organization 
and  will  probably  look  after  the  dis« 
tribution  of  the  product  of  the  com- 
pany. 

It  will  be  some  time  before  Mr. 
Schenck  can  actually  get  the  new  com- 
pany under  way  as  he  has  a  contract 
with  First  National  for  the  Norma  and 
Constance  Talmadge  Productions  and 
Keaton  has  some  time  to  go  with 
Metro. 

There  will  be  a  meeting  on  Novem- 
ber 10  in  Los  Angeles,  to  go  over  the 
deal  more  thoroughly  and  map  out  a 
campaign.    At  that  time  every  inter- 


ested party  will  be  present  and  some 
very  interesting  developments  may  be 
forthcoming. 

It  has  been  learned  that  Eddie  Man- 
nix,  Joseph  Schenck's  right  hand  man 


Hiram  Abrams,  president  of  United  Ar- 
tists, whose  company  is  merged  with  the 
Joseph  Schenck  interests,  it  is  announced. 

for  many  years,  will  leave  for  the 
Coast  to  make  arrangements  for  pro- 
duction for  the  new  company  when  it 
is  ready  to  operate.    It  is  understood 


Mr.  Mannix  will  have  charge  of  the 
entire  production  for  the  new  group  of 
stars. 

It  is  understood  Mr.  Mannix  will 
go  direct  to  Culver  City,  where  the 
Metro-Goldwyn  studios  are  located,  and 
this  in  itself  might  indicate  that  the  new 
organization  will  distribute  through 
Metro,  although  there  is  a  vast  silence 
as  regards  distribution  plans. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schenck  (Norma  Tal- 
madge) will  leave  for  Europe  next 
month  and  will  be  gone  about  three 
months.  In  the  meantime  the  United 
Studios  where  Miss  Talmadge  has  been 
working,  will  be  turned  over  to  another 
unit  and  Mr.  Minnix  will  look  after  the 
work  in  addition  to  keeping  busy  at  the 
Metro-Goldwyn  plant. 


SCHULBERG  TREASURER 
VISITING  EXCHANGES 

J.  C.  Bachmann,  treasurer  of  B.  P. 
Schulberg  Productions  and  head  of  the 
company's  Eastern  office,  returned  to 
New  York  this  week  for  a  few  days 
after  a  partial  tour  of  the  company's 
exchanges.  He  will  leave  again  im- 
mediately to  complete  his  visits  to 
Schulberg  offices  in  the  middle  west. 
His  trip  is  being  made  in  the  in- 
terest of  special  sales  and  exploita- 
tion campaigns  for  the  new  Preferred 
Picture,  "The  Breath  of  Scandal." 


Tearle  Not  With  Kane 

According  to  a  wire  from  the  Coast, 
Conway  Tearle  has  not  signed  a  con- 
tract to  appear  in  a  series  of  pictures 
for  Robert  Kane. 

It  was  reported  a  week  ago  that  the 
famous  star  would  start  work  soon  on 
the  first  Kane  production  for  release 
through  Paramount. 


Allied  State  Organization 
Ready  to  Battle  M.  P.  T.  0.  A. 


W.  A.  STEFFES,  president  of  the 
Allied  States  Organization,  has 
come  out  in  a  denounciation  of 
President  Michael  O'Toole,  president 
of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  A. 

Steffes  charges  that  the  M.  P.  T.  O. 
A.,  is  making  a  strenuous  effort  to  in- 
duce members  of  the  Allied  organiza- 
tion to  desert  to  the  old  body  and  have 
been  trying  to  collect  dues  from  the 
Steffes  group. 

Mr.  Steffes  is  in  a  fighting  mood  and 
is  ready  to  declare  war  on  the  M.  P. 
T.  O.  A.,  unless  the  work  of  attempt- 
ing to  undermine  his  organization  is 
stopped. 

Steffes  is  quoted  in  Greater  Amuse- 


ments as  saying  "If  O'Toole  and  his 
paper  organization  want  a  fight  we  will 
give  it  to  them." 

Officers  of  the  Allied  group  threaten 
reprisals  against  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  A., 
if  the  practice  is  not  stopped.  The  re- 
prisals would  consist  of  an  invasion  of 
the  Allied  organization  into  M.  P.  T. 
O.  A.  territory,  but  according  to 
Steffes,  this  would  not  be  resorted  to 
except  as  a  final  thrust. 

Michael  O'Toole  was  asked  for  a 
statement  regarding  the  Steffes  atti- 
tude and  he  stated  he  knew  nothing  of 
any  statements  made  by  the  Allied 
chief  and  did  not  care  to  say  anything 
until  he  was  fully  informed. 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Hays'  Organization  Outlines 
Programs  for  Children 

Demand  for  Programs  Suitable  for 
Children  s  Matinees  Brings  Results 


THE  Committee  on  Public  Rela- 
tions, which  works  in  cooperation 
with  the  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Distributors  of  America — 
Ihe  Hays'  organization — is  about  to 
take  a  very  definite  step  towards  sup- 
plying the  increasing  demand  for  chil- 
dren's matinee  programs  which  has 
been  coming  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. 

After  many  months  of  study  and  the 
examination  of  thousands  of  long  and 
short  subjects,  about  100  complete  pro- 
grams suitable  for  children  have  been 
selected  and  within  a  short  time  will  be 
available  for  showing  in  all  the  key 
cities. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Committee, 
a  sample  children's  matinee  program 
was  screened  and  met  the  approval  of 
the  Committee  members  who  were  pres- 
ent and  who  have  an  especial  interest 
in  the  plan  of  having  motion  picture 
showings  exclusively  for  the  very 
young  folks. 

This  program  consisted  of  "Seven 
Swans"  (a  5-reel  Paramount  subject)  ; 
a  2-reel  comedy,  "The  Balloonatic"  (a 
First  National  Buster  Keaton  subject)  ; 
and  a  Fox  1-reeler,  "A  Dutch  Treat." 

That  is  a  typical  example  of  the  sort 
of  program  which  will  be  held  shortly 
in  Atlanta,  Ga.  It  is  proposed  to  have 
one  feature  subject,  one  comedy  and  a 
one-reel  filler  in  each  program. 

Another  sample  program  includes  5 
reels  of  "Where  the  North  Begins" 
(Warner  Bros.)  ;  2  reels  of  "Snooky's 
Treasure  Island"  (Educational)  ;  and 
one  reel  of  "The  Spider"  (Education- 
al.) 

Still  another  includes  the  famous 
Chaplin-Coogan  classic  "The  Kid,"  ac- 
companied by  "Frogland"  (a  Fox  1- 
reeler),  and  the  single  reel  Educational 
subject  "The  Bee." 

All  the  companies  making  up  the 
Hays'  organization  have  cooperated 
heartily  with  the  Committee  on  Public 
Relations  in  getting  together  these  pro- 
grams. The  feature  subjects  are  not 
exactly  new,  it  is  true.  Indeed,  most 
of  them  have  been  withdrawn  from 
general  circulation.  So  that  there  need 
be  no  fear  on  the  part  of  exhibitors 
as  to  unfair  competition. 

It  is  realized  by  the  thinking  and 


forward-looking  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Public  Relations  that  all  pic- 
tures cannot  be  made  solely  for  juve- 
nile consumption.  If  they  were,  the 
grown-ups  would  not  attend  the  the- 
atres, and  if  exhibitors  had  to  rely  for 
patronage  on  the  children,  they  would 
soon  go  out  of  business. 

Nevertheless,  there  has  been  much 
criticism  on  the  part  of  the  unthinking 
along  this  line:  "The  movies  are  evil 
because  there  are  many  of  them  which 
our  children  should  not  see  "  But  this 
mental  attitude  has  not  been  held  by 
the  good  people  who  have  been  cooper- 
ating with  the  Hays'  organization  and, 
therefore,  they  set  about  trying  to  ar- 
range the  experiment  which  is  shortly 
to  begin.  '' 

The  operation  of  this  plan  has  been 
worked  out  in  detail.  Special  contain- 
ers have  been  prepared  which  will  hold 
a  complete  program — the  feature,  the 
Comedy  and  the  one-reel  instructional 
subject.  These  reels  will  be  frequently 
owned  by  three  different  companies 
but  they  will  be  kept  together  in  the  one 
container  and  will  be  handled  physically 
in  one  exchange  center  in  each  key  city. 

The  admission  price  for  the  children, 
it  is  stipulated  in  the  contracts,  must  not 
be  above  10  cents.  Attractive  rental 
prices  have  been  arranged  for  these 
programs,  so  that  the  exhibitor  may 
fully  clear  the  expense  incurred  by  this 
good  work  and  perhaps  in  a  majority 
of  cases  he  will  make  a  reasonable 
profit  as  well  as  aid  in  winning  thou- 
sands of  good  friends  and  future  pa- 
trons for  the  industry. 


HARRY  WEIL  RETURNS 
WITH  PRINCIPAL 

Harry  Weil,  for  many  years  produc- 
tion manager,  and  assistant  to  Frank 
Lloyd  in  the  filming  of  his  many  suc- 
cesses, has  been  engaged  by  Principal 
Pictures  to  assist  on  the  next  Sam 
Wood  production. 

This  is  to  be  "The  Re-Creation  of 
Brian  Kent"  which  Mary  Alice  Scully 
and  Arthur  Statter  are  adapting  from 
Harold  Bell  Wright's  popular  story. 

Weil  resumes  his  relationship  with 
Principal  after  an  absence  of  over  a 
year.  On  the  occasion  of  his  previous 
connection  with  the  Lesser  forces,  Weil 
assisted  in  the  direction  of  "Oliver 
Twist"  and  "Circus  Days." 

He  is  at  present  busily  engaged  in 
searching  for  location  sites  suitable  for 
the  filming  of  the  new  story,  which  Di- 
rector Sam  Wood  is  now  casting. 


CHARLES  CHRISTIE  HERE 
FOR  CONFERENCE 

Charles  H.  Christie  of  the  Christie 
Film  Company  arrived  in  New  York 
this  week  for  a  conference  with  the 
executives  of  Producers  Distributing- 
Corporation  on  plans  for  the  produc- 
tion and  distribution  of  a  number  of 
Christie  features  during  the  coming 
season. 

"Hold  Your  Breath,"  the  current 
Christie  release  on  the  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corporation  program  is  regis- 
tering a  decided  financial  success  and 
the  second  Christie  Special,  "Reckless 
Romance,"  scheduled  for  release  on 
November  9,  created  so  decided  an  im- 
pression when  it  was  given  a  public 
tryout  in  Los  Angeles  prior  to  being 
shipped  East  that  both  the  Christies 
and  the  releasing  company  executives 
are  enthusiastic  over  plans  for  addi- 
tional Christie  features  on  an  even  more 
elaborate  production  scale. 


Irving  Cummings  rehearsing  a  scene  of  "In  Every  Woman's  Life"  for  First  National. 
The  musicians  are  trying  to  put  over  "Hearts  and  Flowers"  with  plenty  of  pathos. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  13 


UNFAIR  CRITIC 
HURTS  BUSINESS 


"'HOT  WATER"  BREAKS 
N.  Y.  STRAND  RECORD 

According  to  a  statement  issued  this 
week  by  Joseph  Plunkett,  Managing 
Director  of  the  Mark  Strand  Theatre, 
Harold  Lloyd's  latest  picture,  "Hot 
Water,"  broke  all  existing  records  of 
this  house  for  the  opening  date  of  a 
production. 

As  early  as  twelve  noon  on  Sunday, 
October  26,  the  line  started  to  form, 
and  from  then  on  it  was  a  constant 
stream  of  people  demanding  admittance. 
"  From  the  start,"  states  Mr.  Plunkett. 
"it  looked  like  we  were  going  to  do  a 
record  business,  but  I  had  no  idea  that 
the  stream  of  patronage  would  be  un- 
ending. Crowds  stormed  the  theatre  as 
late  as  ten  o'clock. 

In  addition  to  breaking  all  records 
for  an  opening  day  at  this  theatre  the 
new  Lloyd  picture  broke  the  record  of 
"Girl  Shy"  by  several  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Plunkett  went  to  unusual  lengths 
in  the  staging  of  Lloyd's  latest  produc- 
tion. "Hot  Water"  in  five  reels  was  sup- 
ported by  four  single  reel  subjects  and 
a  staged  prologue  that  is  said  to  have 
cost  the  Strand  management  $5,000  to 
produce.  The  prologue  consisted  of  a 
"Toonerville  Trolley  Car"  run  on  the 
stage,  with  the  Harold  Lloyd  business 
of  the  street  car  sequence,  used  by  the 
players. 

VITAGRAPH  SIGNS 
ALLA  NAZIMOVA 

An  event  of  outstanding  importance 
in  picture  circles  this  week  was  the 
enlisting  of  Mme.  Alia  Nazimova,  the 
celebrated  Russian  screen  and  stage 
star,  under  the  banner  of  Vitagraph. 
Her  first  role  will  be  that  of  Joan  in 
"The  Redeeming  Sin,"  which  is  being 


produced  by  J.  Stuart  Blackton,  at  the 
Vitagraph  Hollywood  studios. 

It  was  Nazimova  who  first  flashed 
the  brilliance  of  Ibsen  successfully  to 
American  audiences,  dispelling  the  tra- 
ditional "fog"  with  which  the  work  of 
the  Norwegian  playwright  had  been 
surrounded  by  pedantic  critics.  Her 
first  dramatic  work,  was  as  leading  wo- 
man of  a  stock  company  in  Russia,  in 
which  she  starred  in  "L'Aiglon," 
"Zaza,"  "Camille,"  "The  Second  Mrs. 
Tanqueray,"  and  several  of  the  Ibsen 
dramas.  After  the  Russian  company 
had  enacted  "The  Chosen  People"  in 
England,  she  came  to  New  York. 

&        $Z  5(i 

SOBLER  HEADS  B  &  K 
PUBLICITY  STAFF 

In  keeping  with  the  rapidly  widening 
scope  of  its  activities,  the  Balaban  Katz 
Midwest  Theatres,  Inc.,  have  estab- 
lished an  exploitation  and  publicity 
division. 


How  much  confidence  the 
public  places  in  the  reviews  of 
dramatic  critics  in  the  newspa- 
pers, is  shown  by  the  present 
situation  in  Spokane,  where  a 
feminine  dramatic  critic  of  the 
two  newspapers,  both  of  which 
are  under  the  same  manage- 
ment, has  been  pleased  of  late 
to  roast  severely  every  first  run 
attraction  that  has  been  shown, 
both  during  and  after  its  en- 
gagement. 

Business  has  dropped  off, 
and  exhibitors  believe  that 
public  confidence  is  being  de- 
stroyed by  these  unfair  and 
biased  opinions  which  would 
not  seem  even  intelligent  in  the 
face  of  the  fact  that  the  ma- 
jority of  these  films  are  re- 
ceiving high  praise  all  over  the 
country. 

Exhibitors  have  called  upon 
the  management  of  these  pa- 
pers, demanding  a  cessation  of 
these  criticisms,  and  have  been 
assured  of  relief,  which  has 
not,  however,  been  forthcom- 
ing. 

Much  of  the  poor  business 
is  directly  traceable  to  this 
source,  by  the  fact  that  second 
runs,  not  subject  to  review  in 
the  papers,  are  doing  the  bulk 
of  the  business. 

.  


Al  Sobler  who  for  the  past  two  years 
has  been  First  National's  exploitation 
representative  in  the  Middle  West  has 
been  appointed  to  head  the  new  depart- 
ment. Before  joining  First  National, 
Sobler  managed  Goldwyn's  exploitation 
and  service  departments  and  prior  to 
that  was  general  press  representative 
for  such  attractions  as  "The  Miracle 
Man,"  and  "Over  The  Hill." 


This  f'e  the  bird  w/>o  once  wae  tou^h, 
V/ho'jf  -forgotten  that 
be  wai  ever  rou£h, 

But  once  he  got 

ftdjhiw£  Could  never 
<fet  enough, 
Oh  M4MA(  A 

THE  BaTTL  I U  6  U  RfOLESv^ 

A  Kctl  Roach  Kove(4y  Feature  0^^' 

Pafhepicture 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Famous  Novels  Make 
"Famous"  Pictures 


WE  are  out  to  beat  our  record!" 
This  is  the  declaration  of  Para- 
mount officials  in  discussing  the 
Second  Famous  Forty,  announced 
October  24. 

Never  before,  it  is  held,  has  box-of- 
fice h-story  been  written  and  then  re- 
vised for  new  records  as  much  as  it 
was  for  the  First  Famous  Forty. 
Nevertheless,  executives  of  the  com- 
pany declare  the  Second  Famous  Forty 
will  surpass  the  first  forty  in  box-office 
strength.  "And  this  claim,  'Paramount 
says'  is  not  unmindful  of  what  has  been 
done  by  such  productions  as  'Man- 
handled', 'Monsieur  Beaucaire',  'Wan- 
derer of  the  Wasteland',  'The  Covered 
Wagon'  and  other  pictures  which  piled 
dollars  and  cents  figures  on  what  have 
heretofore  been  regarded  by  exhibitors 
as  maximum  business.  Paramount  has  a 
record.  The  Second  Famous  Forty  are 
dedicated  to  the  purpose  of  beating 
that  record. 

"Because  of  the  confidence  that  has 
been  created  by  the  promises  which 
Paramount  made  for  the  First  Famous 
Forty — and  made  good — exhibitors  are 
looking  forward  to  this  new  group  con- 
vinced that  new  records  will  be  estab- 
lished. 

"This  confidence  is  justified  b>  the 
tremendous  investment  Paramount  has 
made  to  secure  the  biggest  stage  hits 
of  the  present  season — new  plays  with 
modern  ideas  that  have  already  estab- 
lished their  values  at  the  box-office ;  the 
best  stories  of  fiction  purchased  from 
magazines  with  enormous  circulation, 
and  novels  which  have  been  classified 
in  the  best  seller  division.  With  Para  ■ 
mount's  great  stars  and  directors,  and 
the  producing  organization  which  has 
been  perfected  by  ten  years  of  contin- 
uous production,  these  elements  com- 
bining them  with  the  Second  Famous 
Forty,  will  have  even  greater  drawing 
power  than  their  predecessors. 

Here  is  the  line-up  of  the  Second 
Famous  Forty : 

"LORD  CHUMLEY"— Here  is  the 
second  big  success  produced  by  the 
brilliant  directors,  Paul  Iribe  and 
Frank  Urson,  who  were  responsible 
for  "Changing  Husbands."  It  is  a 
light,  fast-and-furious  comedy,  adapt- 
ed by  Bertram  Millhauser  from  the 
famous  play  by  David  Belasco  and 
Henry  C.  DeMille.  It  marks  the  re- 
turn to  the  screen  of  Theodore  Rob- 
erts after  a  long  absence  Besides  Mr. 
Roberts,  the  cast  includes  such  fea- 


Paramount's  "Second  40" 
Adaptations  of  Best  Sellers 

tured  favorites  as  Raymond  Griffith, 
who  plays  the  title  role,  Viola  Dana, 
Cyril  Chadwick  and  Anna  May 
Wong. 

*  #  # 

"THE  SWAN"— Paramount's  sensa- 
tional new  star  discovery,  Frances 
Howard,  is  featured  along  with 
Adolphe  Menjou  and  Ricardo  Cortez 
in  Dimitri  Buchowetski's  production 
of  Franz  Molnar's  notable  stage 
success,  "The  Swan."  Here  is  surely 
the  perfect  comedy  of  the  year — a  de- 
lightful satire  on  royalty  based  on 
class  distinction. 

*  :>:  * 

"THE   THUNDERING  HERD"— 

This  is  the  latest  of  the  Zane  Grey- 
Paramount  pictures.  An  all-star 
cast,  including  Jack  Holt,  Louis  Wil- 
son and  Noah  Beery,  will  be  seen  in 
this  Western  thriller,  which  William. 
Howard  will  produce. 

*  *  * 

"SACKCLOTH  AND  SCARLET"— 

One  of  screendom's  outstanding  art- 
ists, Alice  Terry,  will  be  featured  in 
a  picturization  of  George  Gibbs'  lat- 
est best-seller,  "Sackcloth  and  Scar- 
let." 


"SALOME  OF  THE  TENE- 
MENTS"—Sidney  Olcott,  brilliant 
producer  of  "The  Humming  Bird" 
and  "Monsieur  Beaucaire"  is  pro- 
ducing the  screen  version  of  the  pop- 
ular new  novel  by  Anzia  Yerierska, 
author  of  "Hungry  Hearts."  Jetta 
Goudal,  the  sensational  new  French 
beauty  who  gave  such  an  excellent 
account  of  herself  in  "Open  All 
Night,"  will  play  the  leading  female 
role. 

*  *  * 

"THE  AIR  MAIL"— A  tale  of  roar- 
ing action,  feats  of  daring,  humor  and 
heart  interest — that's  "The  Air  Mail" 
an  original  screen  story  from  Byron 
Morgan,  the  author  of  the  Wallace 
Reid  auto  successes,  of  "Code  of  the 
Sea"  and  other  Paramount  hits.  Jack 
Holt,  Billie  Dove,  and  Douglas 
Fairbanks,  Jr.,  will  head  a  big  star 
cast.    Irvin  Willat  will  direct. 

*  *  * 

"CONTRABAND"— Alan  Crosland 
is  making  a  special  production  of 
"Contraband,"  which  was  first  pub- 
lished as  a  serial  in  the  Red  Book 
magazine  and  was  later  brought  out 
in  book  form.  Clarence  Budington 
Kelland  wrote  the  story  and  Lois 
Wilson,  Noah  Beery  and  a  superb 


supporting  cast  will  appear  in  the 
screen  version. 

*  #  * 

"THE  GOOSE  HANGS  HIGH"— 

Chalk  up  another  hit  for  James 
"Covered  Wagon"  Cruze !  He's  go- 
ing to  add  another  feather  in  his  di- 
rectorial cap  with  "The  Goose  Hangs 
High,"  the  Lewis  Beach  stage  play 
which  had  such  a  long  and  success- 
ful run  at  the  Bijou  Theatre.  Walter 
Woods,  who  collaborated  with  Cruze 
on  his  previous  screenplays,  will  also 
do  the  adaptation  for  this  one.  Con- 
stance Bennett  will  be  one  of  an  es- 
pecially selected  cast. 

*  *  * 

"NONE   BUT   THE   BRAVE"  — 

Richard  Dix  has  another  ideal  star- 
ring vehicle  in  "None  But  the  Brave" 
based  on  a  Cosmopolitan  Magazine 
short  story  by  John  Monk  Saunders. 
It  is  a  story  full  of  color  and  flashing 
action.  A  specially  selected  cast  will 
support  this  brilliant  new  star.  Paul 
Sloane  will  direct. 

*  *  * 

"A  MODERN  BABYLON"— This 
production  marks  the  return  to  the 
screen  of  one  of  screendom's  greatest 
artists — Leatrice  Joy.  The  story  was 
adapted  from  Anthony  Pride's  grip- 
ping novel,  "Marqueray's  Duel."  Paul 
Bern  has  been  chosen  to  produce  it. 

ifc     $z  ->H 

"NEW    LIVES    FOR    OLD" — An 

emotional  romantic  drama  revolving 
around  a  notorious  woman  of  Paris 
— that's  "New  Lives  For  Old"  written 
by  Emile  Augier,  Betty  Compson, 
right  now  upon  the  crest  of  a  great 
box-office  wave  of  popularity  is  the 
star  of  this  production  which  Clar- 
ence Badger  will  direct. 

*  *  * 

"THE  CODE  OF  THE  WEST"— 

Picturized  against  marvelous  natural 
backgrounds  and  abounding  in  breath- 
taking thrills,  here  is  another  Zane 
Grey  knockout,  in  which  the  jazz  life 
of  the  East  is  contrasted  with  the 
wholesome  simplicity  of  the  open 
spaces.  William  K.  Howard,  who 
produced  "The  Border  Legion,"  will 
direct.  Constance  Bennett,  Owen 
Moore,  Noah  Beery  are  some  of  the 

favorites  who  will  appear  in  the  cast. 

*  *  * 

"THE  GATE  OPENS"— Will  Irwin, 
famous  author  of  a  score  of  hits,  has 
provided  an  ideal  starring  vehicle  for 
Bebe  Daniels  in  his  recent  Saturday 
Evening  Post  story,  "The  Gate  Opens."' 
Frank  Tuttle  will  do  directorial  honors. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  15 


"THE  WRATH  OF  THE  GODS"— 

Irvin  YVillat  has  been  picked  to  direct 
"The  Wrath  of  the  Gods,"  a  fast- 
moving,  thrill-crowded  super-melo- 
drama, certain  to  appeal  to  every  pic- 
ture fan  from  eight  to  eighty.  The 
story,  from  the  Saturday  Evening  Post 
serial,  "Evered"  by  Ben  Ames  Wil- 
liams, teems  with  action,  hand-to-hand 
fights,  hair-breadth  escapes,  which  skill- 
fully balanced  with  romance,  insures  a 
100  per  cent  box-office  attraction. 
Ernest  Torrence,  the  screen's  outstand- 
ing character  actor  will  be  featured  at 
the  head  of  a  pluperfect  cast. 

*    *  * 

"NEW  YORK  LIFE"— Another  of 
the  Second  Famous  Forty  is  Allan 
Dwan's  elaborate  production,  "New 
York  Life."  With  a  cast  of  big  names 
to  be  especially  selected  by  Jesse  L. 
Lasky  and  a  story  as  big  as  the  title 
stands  for,  a  realistic  and  ultra-mod- 
ern photoplay  of  dynamic  power  and 
audience  appeal  may  be  expected. 

"THE  EARLY  BIRD"— In  this  pic- 
ture Richard  Dix  has  a  subject,  a  sup- 
porting cast  and  a  production  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  importance  as  a  star. 
The  same  red-blooded  romance  that 
made  "Manhattan,"  his  initial  starring 
vehicle  such  a  box-office  attraction,  is 
an  integral  part  of  "The  Early  Bird" 
which  is  to  be  directed  by  Paul  Sloane. 

"MEN  AND  WOMEN"— William  de 
Mille's  production  of  "Men  and  Wo- 
men" is  destined  to  be  something  more 
than  a  great  picture — it  will  be  ac- 
claimed a  powerful  document  of  human 
love,  frailty  and  courage.  The  story 
was  written  by  Henry  B.  DeMille, 
father  of  William  and  Cecil.  It  was 
one  of  David  Belasco's  great  stage  suc- 
cesses and  its  picturization  marks  the 
consummation  of  a  life-long  ambition 
on  the  part  of  William  de  Mille.  Rod 
La  Rocque  and  Grethe  Nissen  will  have 
important  parts  in  the  picture. 


"THE  DRESSMAKER  FROM 
PARIS" — A  comedy  romance  by  Al- 
fred Savoir,  who  wrote  "Bluebeard's 
8th  Wife,"  "Kiki"  and  other  romantic 
plays,  in  which  Betty  Compson  will 
play  the  title  role  and  Raoul  Walsh 
will  direct.  The  story  deals  with  a 
celebrated  French-American  motion 
picture  star  who  hits  upon  an  ingeni- 
ous method  for  revenging  herself  up- 
on a  Parisian  banker  who  had  loved 
her  and  then  deserted  her  sixteen 
years  ago  When  she  had  been  the  ob- 
scure daughter  of  a  small  town  tobac- 
conist. 

sj-       A  :!; 

"OLD  HOME  WEEK"— Thomas 
Meighan  and  George  Ade — the  win- 
ning combination  that  gave  us  "Back 
Home  and  Broke"  and  "Our  Leading 
Citizen"  are  reunited  in  "Old  Home 
Week"  which  George  Ade  wrote  es- 
pecially for  the  screen's  greatest  male 
star  and  which  Eddie  Sutherland  will 
produce.  Mr.  Ade  will  personally 
write  the  titles,  thereby  preserving 
the  flavor  of  the  original  plot. 

"MAN  AND  THE  LAW"— Nothing 
Thomas  Meighan  has  done  since  "The 
City  of  Silent  Men"  resembles  that 
picture  so  much  as  the  story  of  "Man 
and  the  Law,"  based  on  Tristram 
Tupper's  Ladies  Home  Journal  serial 
"King-Pin."  Eddie  Sutherland  will 
direct. 

ifc  rf: 

"THE  DEVIL'S  CARGO"— A  big 

smashing  melodramatic  story  written 
around  the  gold-rush  days  of  Califor- 
nia— that  "The  Devil's  Cargo,"  which 
has  been  adapted  from  Charles  Whitt- 
aker's  original  screenplay,  "The  Riv- 
er Boat."  In  this  picture,  which  will 
be  directed  by  Victor  Fleming,  Wal- 
lace Beery  has  the  greatest  role  of 
his  career.  The  other  featured  mem- 
bers of  the  cast  are  Claire  Adams, 
Pauline  Starke  and  William  Collier, 
Jr. 


"BEGGAR    ON  HORSEBACK"— 

The  great  stage  novelty  success,  by 
those  versatile  playwrights,  George  S. 
Kaufman  and  Marc  Connelly  who 
wrote  "To  the  Ladies"  and  "Merton 
of  the  Movies,"  will  be  adapted  by 
Walter  Woods  and  produced  for 
Paramount  by  the  one  and  only  James 
Cruze. 

*  *  * 

"ADVENTURE"  —  Jack  London's 
greatest  dramatic  novel,  "Adven- 
ture," will  reach  the  screen  via  the  di- 
rectorial guidance  of  Victor  Fleming. 
In  this  vigorous  and  refreshing  story, 
a  brave  girl,  wrecked  on  a  lonely 
South  Sea  isle,  fights  through  stirring 
adventure  to  love  and  happiness. 
Pauline  Starke  and  a  notable  cast  will 
portray  the  various  roles. 

*  *  * 

"THE  COAST  OF  FOLLY"— Gloria 
Swanson  in  an  Allan  Dwan  produc- 
tion. Adapted  by  Forrest  Halsey 
from  Coningsby  Dawson's  famous 
novel,  "The  Coast  of  Folly"  is  the 
story  of  a  society  girl  whose  high 
spirits  lead  her  innocently  into  a 
position  where  her  reputation  is  at 
stake.  How  she  extricates  herself, 
discovers  the  folly  of  her  ways  and 
wins  true  love,  is  fascinatingly  pic- 
tured against  a  background  of  New 
York's  smart  set  and  the  idlers  at 
Monte  Carlo. 

*i* 

"ANY  WOMAN"  —  An  original 
screen  story,  especially  written  by 
Arthur  Somers  Roche,  one  of  Ameri- 
ca's most  popular  writers  of  fiction. 
This  is  the  second  of  the  two  pictures 
that  feature  Alice  Terry.  The  tremen- 
dous popularity  of  this  favorite  is 
sufficient  to  insure  the  success  of  any 
production,  and  with  the  added  pull 
of  the  magnetic  title,  a  record-break- 
ing picture  may  be  confidently  looked 
for. 

(Continued  on  page  19) 


i 


These  four  characters  figure  prominently  in  Famous  Players  Second  Forty.    They  are  easily  recognizable  as  Cecil  B.  DeMille, 
Gloria  Swanson,  Poli  Negri  and  Thomas  Meighan.    The  Second  Forty  are  expected  to  eclipse  the  first  series. 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Selznick  Creditors  Agree  to 
$250,000  Stock  Issue 

$20,000  Receivers  Certificates  Taken  Up  to 
Keep  Exchanges  Functioning 


AT  a  meeting  of  the  Selznick  Dis- 
tributing Corporation  creditors 
held  October  29  at  the  Bar  As- 
sociation, New  York  City,  it  was  de- 
cided to  organize  a  new  company  and 
issue  $250,000  in  eight  per  cent  pre- 
ferred stock  to  be  retired. 

According  to  the  plan,  all  two  year 
note  holders  will  be  given  new  notes. 

The  assets  of  the  Selznick  Distribut- 
ing Company  to  be  sold  and  the  ex- 
penses of  the  receiver  deducted.  The 
balance  to  go  to  a  fund  for  the  pay- 
ment of  trade  creditors.  In  addition 
a  percentage  of  the  profits  are  to  be 
set  aside  to  satisfy  trade  creditors.  Af- 
ter the  above  has  been  set  aside,  the 
second  per  cent  will  be  reserved  for  a 


Louis  J.  Selznick,  who  stated  at  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Selznick  Company  creditors, 
that  he  wishes  all  claims  satisfied  before 
he    receives    any    share    of    the  funds. 


fixed  amount  to  be  paid  to  the  Selz- 
nicks.  The  amount  to  be  determined 
by  a  committee. 

Louis  J.  Selznick  announced  that  he 
does  not  wish  any  share  in  the  returns 
until  every  creditor  has  been  paid. 

A  committee  will  be  named  to  take 
over  the  management  of  the  bankrupt 
company  and  J.  S.  Fraser,  of  the  Utica 
Investment  Company  will  be  at  the 
head. 

It  was  decided  to  raise  $20,000  im- 
mediately to  keep  the  exchanges  oper- 
ating and  it  was  agreed  to  issue  $20,000 
in  receivers  certificates.  Edward  M. 
Brown,  of  the  Utica  Investment  Com- 
pany agreed  to  take  $15,000  in  cer- 
tificates and  the  producers  committee 
will  take  over  the  remaining  $5,000. 


The  Court  passed  favorably  on  the 
issuing  of  the  certificates  and  the 
money  is  now  available  to  keep  the 
company  functioning  until  the  new 
plans  get  under  way. 

Present  indications  point  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  reorganization  without  dis- 
rupting the  work  of  the  exchanges. 
The  exchanges  must  be  kept  alive  at  all 
costs  for  it  is  the  vital  part  of  the 
distributing  machinery. 

The  management  committee  will 
have  some  further  plans  to  announce 
shortly  and  it  is  expected  they  will 
present  a  complete  line  of  action  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  creditors. 


DOES  RADIO  REVIEWING 
HURT  OR  HELP 

THE  power  of  radio  reviewing  of 
motion  pictures  to  do  good  rather 
than  harm  to  the  film  industry  as 
a  whole  got  in  its  innings  at  the  last  reg- 
ular meeting  of  the  Associated  Motion 
Picture  Advertisers,  Inc.,  held  Thurs- 
day, October  23,  at  the  Cafe  Boulevard, 
New  York. 

The  principal  speaker  was  Sam  Com- 
ly motion  picture  editor  of  The  Morn- 
ing Telegraph,  who  endeavored  to  dispel 
the  expressed  fears  of  the  publicity 
men  and  explained  his  purpose  and  sys- 
tem of  broadcasting  reviews  of  current 
films  and  chatty  news  of  the  cinema  in- 
dustry so  supplementary  to  the  matter 
published  in  his  newspaper. 

At  a  meeting  several  weeks  ago  of 
A.  M.  P.  A.,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  investigate  reports  of  alleged  abuses 
in  the  radio  reviewing  field,  into  which 
certain  important  New  York  newspa- 
pers had  entered 

Mr.  Comly  declared  his  newspaper 
had  always  been  the  friend  of  the  mo- 
tion picture  and  added  it  always  would 
be.  "The  motion  picture  is  our  bread 
and  butter."  he  said,  "and  it  would  be 
folly  for  us  to  do  anything  to  injure  it. 
The  motive  behind  our  broadcasting  of 
radio  reviews  and  news  of  motion  pic- 
tures was  simply  our  desire  to  increase 
interest  and  attendance  at  the  theatre. 
I  have  from  the  first  looked  upon  the 
radio  as  a  potential  enemy  of  motion 
pictures.  With  this  idea  in  mind  I  be- 
lieve that  the  thing  to  do  is  to  put  it  to 
work  for  us.  Thus,  in  entering  into  the 
radio  reviewing  field,  our  purpose  has 
been  to  link  the  gigantic  radio  army 
with  the  movies." 

Mr.  Comly  declared  that  his  newspa- 
per had  completed  arrangements  under 


which  its  motion  picture  notes  and  re- 
views are  being  broadcast  by  corre- 
spondents in  twenty  of  the  key  cities  of 
the  country.  He  estimated  that  they 
reached  approximately  4,000,000  people. 

"To  have  this  radio  reviewing  in  the 
hands  of  those  out  of  smypathy  with 
the  motion  picture  business  would  do 
incalculable  harm  to  it,"  said  Arthur 
James,  who  followed  Mr.  Comly  with  a 
short  talk.  "But  to  have  it  in  the  hands 
of  those  who  are  warm  friends  and  sup- 
porters of  the  films  should  be  inconceiv- 
ably good  for  our  industry.  If  you, 
Mr.  Comly,  can  reach  even  100,000  peo- 
ple, instead  of  4,000,000,  you  are  en- 
titled to  all  the  support  we  can  give  and 
our  greatful  thanks." 

HERBEL  CENTURY  SALES 
MANAGER 

Abe  stern,  {.vice-president  of  Century 
Comedies,  announced  yesterday  that  H. 
M.  Herbel,  former  Universal  sales  ex- 
ecutive, and  recently  busy  in  the  produc- 
tion end  of  the  business,  has  been  ap- 
pointed sales  manager  for  Century 
Comedies. 

Herbel  has  already  left  for  New  York 
where  he  will  have  his  headquarters, 
for  a  tour  of  several  of  the  Universal 
exchanges,  through  which  Century 
product  is  distributed.  He  will  concen- 
trate his  efforts  on  the  three  Jewel  pro- 
ductions featuring  Baby  Peggy  and 
made  jointly  by  Universal  and  Century; 
on  the  special  two-reelers  starring  Baby 
Peggy  and  on  Century  comedies. 

The  three  Jewel  productions  in  which 
Herbel  will  be  especially  interested  are 
"The  Darling  of  New  York,';  "The 
Law  Forbids"  and  "The  Family  Se- 
cret." These  ,  three  Jewels  are  already 
proving  themselves  big  box-office  suc- 
cesses. 

Until  six  months  ago  when  he  re- 
signed to  enter  the  producing  field,  Her- 
bel was  one  of  Universal's  keenest  sales 
executives.  He  started  with  the  big 
film  company  as  a  salesman  of  their 
Indianapolis  exchange  and  later  was  put 
in  charge  of  fourteen  different  ex- 
changes and  finally  made  division  man- 
ager. A  number  of  other  prominent  A. 
M.  P.  A.  guests  spoke  at  this  meeting. 

GERMAN  PRODUCERS 
TOURING  U.  S. 

Ehrich  Pommer,  of  the  Ufa  Film 
Producing  Corporation,  Berlin  and 
Fritz  Lang,  producer  of  the  Nibelun- 
gen  Saga  "Siegfried"  arrived  in  this 
country  last  week  and  are  now  engaged 
in  making  a  tour  of  this  country. 

They  are  studying  methods  of  pro- 
duction and  theatre  presentations.  They 
will  make  a  trip  to  Los  Angeles  to  see 
how  the  work  is  done  in  Americas  pro- 
ducing center. 

Ufa  has  opened  an  office  at  1540 
Broadway,  New  York  City  and  are  pre- 
paring to  send  their  best  productions 
to  this  country  and  compete  with 
American  films. 


November  8.  1924 


Pa«r  1 7 


HAROLD  DYGERT  SELLS 
THEATRE  INTERESTS 

Harold  P.  Dygert,  Western  New 
York's  pioneer  in  grouping  theatres  in- 
to a  successful  circuit,  and  President, 
Treasurer,  and  General  Manager  of  As- 
sociated Theatres,  Inc.,  has  sold  his 
controlling  interest  in  that  company  to 
the  Schine  Theatrical  Co.  Inc.,  which 
owns  and  controls  the  Schine  circuit  of 
theatres. 

The  play  houses  involved  in  this  deal 
are  all  in  the  Buffalo  Exchange  district 
and  are  located  in  such  cities  as  Geneva, 
East  Rochester,  Salamanca  and  other 
similar  cities  totaling  twenty-five  the- 
atres in  all. 

Associated  Theatres,  Inc.  was  started 
by  its  President  with  one  theatre  in 
East  Rochester.  Through  Dygert's 
own  efforts,  he  has  been '  able  to  build 
this  successful  and  enterprising  Asso- 
ciated Theatres,  Inc.  to  where  it  now 
owns  and  controls  such  theatres  in 
Western  New  York  which  makes  As- 
sociated the  largest  and  strongest  cir- 
cuit in  that  part  of  the  state. 

The  actual  sum  paid  H.  P.  Dygert 
for  his  controlling  interest  in  the- com- 
pany cannot  be  ascertained  but  it  is 
stated  that  upwards  of  half  a  million 
dollars  has  exchanged  hands,  and  this 
is  considered  conservative,  on  account 
of  many  valuable  pieces  of  real  estate 
located  in  the  various  towns  which  have 
been  included  in  this  transaction. 


Col.  Fred  Levy,  Louisville  exhibitor  who 
has  entered  the  theatrical  producing  field. 
He  is  staging  his  first  play,  "March  On." 


COL.  LEVY  TURNS  TO 
PLAY  PRODUCING 

News  has  been  received  by  First  Na- 
tional Pictures  that  Col.  Fred  Levy,  its 
franchise  holder  in  Louisville,  has 
branched  out  as  a  theatrical  producer 
in  addition  to  his  activities  as  an  ex- 
hibitor. 

His  first  production  is  a  play  from 
the  pen  of  Howard  Irving  Young  en- 


Too  Much  Realism 
In  ^Dante's  Inferno" 

The  presentation  of  the  Fox 
production  "Inferno,"  at  the 
Centre  Theatre,  Ottawa, 
seemed  to  be  too  much  for  the 
projection  equipment  at  the 
theatre  because  a  fire  broke  out 
in  the  projection  room  during 
a  performance  when  the  house 
was  crowded,  causing  damage 
to  the  extent  of  $1,000. 

Some  smoke  entered  the  au- 
ditorium of  the  theatre  and 
about  75  people  left  the  build- 
ing but  the  performance  was 
continued  after  a  delay  of  only 
15  minutes  under  the  direction 
of  Manager  Don  Stapleton. 
The  fire  and  the  name  of  the 
picture  were  booked  together  in 
varied  comments  by  local  fans 
for  some  days  afterwards. 


titled  "March  On."  Charles  Hemmer- 
slough,  formerly  with  Klaw  &  Er- 
langer  offices  in  New  York,  is  supervis- 
ing the  production  for  Colonel  Levy. 
Rehearsals  have  been  under  way  for 
some  time  under  the  active  direction  of 
Maurice  Campbell,  well  known  as  a  the- 
atrical and  screen  director. 

Clarke  Silvernail  and  Carroll  Mc- 
Comas,  both  popular  Broadway  players 
in  great  demand,  are  the  stars  of  the 
production. 

*    *  * 

FINKELSTEIN  BOOKS 
LLOYD  OVER  CIRCUIT 

While  on  a  flying  trip  last  week  to 
New  York  City,  M.  L.  Finkelstein  of 
the  Finkelstein  and  Ruben  Circuit  of 
theatres  of  Minneapolis  booked  Harold 
Lloyd's  latest  Pathe  comedy  "Hot 
Water"  over  the  entire  circuit  of  thea- 
tres controlled  by  this  firm. 


Thk  /S  the  guy  ttat  made 

Became  he  tn>4  to  make 

them  glacf, 
Bc/t  how  ehey  -foc^fjt  when 
he  got  in  badr, 

oh  papa/ 


c 


The  BArawfr  Or/oie$  ~£ 

A  Ha/  Roach  Move/ty  Feature  (Smedy 
Pafhepicture 


E.  A.  Eschmann,  Manager  of  Distribution 
for  First  National,  in  whose  honor  a  sales 
drive  is  being  conducted.  The  race  for 
selling  honors  is  neck  and   neck  so  far. 

PORTLAND  LEADS 
IN  F.  N.  DRIVE 

The  fifth  week  of  the  First  National 
Eschmann  Month  sales  contest  has 
come  and  gone  with  the  entire  field 
force  still  working  at  top  speed. 

The  most  notable  single  thing  about 
the  fifth  week  was  the  remarkable 
spurt  made  by  the  Chicago  branch.  In 
the  one  week  it  jumped  from  twenty- 
eighth  place  to  tenth  place. 

The  Portland  branch  is  still  in  the 
lead,  quite  a  bit  in  the  lead,  but  another 
spurt  such  as  Chicago  made  on  the  part 
of  one  of  several  of  the  other  leading 
branches,  may  at  my  moment  threaten 
Portland's  hopes  of  capturing  first  prize 
money.  On  the  other  hand,  since  Port- 
land took  the  lead  at  once  and  has  con- 
sistently maintained  it,  Portland  itself 
may  take  such  a  spurt  on  its  own  ac- 
count and  put  itself  beyond  danger  of 
being  overtaken. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Warner  Shake-Up 

Watt  Parker  and  Lon  Young 
Leave;  Randy  White  Promoted 

With  their  1924-25  product  eighty- 
five  percent  completed,  and  on  the  eve 
| of  a  bigger  and  more  aggressive  cam- 
paign to  press  the  many  advantages 
|  which  they  have  been  winning  in  the 
industry  in  the  past,  the  Warner  Bros. 
3iave  just  announced  a  complete  re- 
organization of  their  publicity  depart- 
ments. 

I  Randall  M'.  White,  familiarly  known 
[tq  the  trade  as  "Randy"  by  reason  of 
■some  ten  or  twelve  years'  experience  in 
:the  advertising  and  publicity  end  of  the 
i'lbiismess,  has  been  chosen  to  reorganize 
the  departments  and  serve  as  their  re- 
sponsible head. 

jLon  A.  Young  and  Watt  L.  Parker, 
"who  have  been  jointly  in  charge  of 
Warner  Bros,  publicity  and  advertising 
for  the  past  two  or  three  years,  are 
leaving  the  employ  of  the  company. 

Sam  E.  Morris,  general  sales  mana- 
ger of  the  Warner  organization,  has 
this  to  say  of  the  changes  which  are  be- 
ing made,  effective  November  8th : 

"In  the  light  of  our  experiences  dur- 
ing the  past  few  months,  Warner  Bros, 
have  made  a  very  exhaustive  and 
definite  analysis  of  their  needs  as  re- 
gards publicity  and  advertising.  Our 
business  has  shown  development  upon 
•certain  specific  lines  which  we  think  it 
wise  to  follow.  The  new  policy — 
Which  does  not  mean  a  change  in  gen- 
■eral  business  policy,  but  only  as  to  our 
■advertising  and  publicity  methods — 
•calls  for  radical  changes.  To  achieve 
the  results  we  expect  most  quickly,  the 
reorganization  has  been  decided  upon. 
-  "Mr.  Young  and  Mr.  Parker  are  both 
leaving  us  with  our  best  wishes  for 
their  success  in  such  new  connections  as 


"Fritz  Lang,  producer  of  the  Nibelungen 
Saga  "Seigfried,"  who  arrived  last  week, 
is  here  to  study  our  production  methods. 


they  may  have  in  mind,  or  may  make, 
suited  to  their  unquestioned  capabil- 
ities." 

Randal  M.  White,  who  succeeds  to 
the  direction  of  Warner  Bros,  adver- 
tising and  publicity  affairs,  entered  the 
general  amusement  field  many  years 
ago  after  newspaper  training  in  various 
cities. 

Lon  Young  will  leave  in  about  a  week 
for  his  old  home  in  St.  Paul  where  he 
will  spend  a  few  weeks  visiting  old 
friends.  On  his  return  to  New  York 
he  will  announce  his  plans  for  the  fu- 
ture. 

*    *  * 

FIRST  NATIONAL  SALES 
CONFERENCE  OVER 

The  sales  conference  on  First  Na- 
tional's new  group  of  releases  for  the 
first  half  of  1925,  called  together  by  E. 
A.  Eschmann,  manager  of  distribution 
for  the  company,  was  attended  by  every 
District  Manager,  and  by  the  staff  of 
salesmen  who  have  been  aiding  A.  W. 
Smith,  Jr.,  in  the  handling  of  the  First 
National  special  productions  for  the 
current  year. 

The  men  from  the  field  in  attendance 
at  the  conference  were  Harry  H.  Bux- 
baum,  manager  of  the  Eastern  district ; 
R.  C.  Seery,  manager  Of  the  Mid- West 
district ;  H.  A.  Bandy,  manager  of  the 
Central  Western  district ;  W.  E.  Calla- 
way, manager  of  the  Southern  district ; 
Joseph  S.  Skirboll,  manager  of  the 
Western  district ;  Harry  T.  Nolan, 
manager  of  the  Mountain  district ; 
Louis  Bache,  manager  of  the  Canadian 
district ;  C.  W.  Bunn,  Stanley  W.  Hand 
and  A.  Hickox,  salesmen  on  the 
specials. 

At  the  conference,  Mr.  Eschmann 
and  his  associates  instructed  the  district 
managers  in  the  sales  policy  which  has 
been  decided  upon  in  the  handling,  of 
the  group  of  First  National  Pictures 
to  be  released  between  February  1,  1925 
and  August  31st  following.  The  con- 
ference started  Monday  morning,  Oc- 
tober 27,  and  continued  until  Wednes- 
day evening,  when  the  managers  left 
for  their  respective  territories  to  call 
meetings  of  the  branch  managers  to 
pass  on  the  sales  instructions  imparted 
to  them  in  New  York. 

Within  a  few  days  after  the  close 
of  this  conference,  A.  W.  Smith,  Jr., 
in  charge  of  special  picture  sales,  Wil- 
liam J.  Morgan,  in  charge  of  open  mar- 
ket sales,  and  Stanley  W.  Hatch,  in 
charge  of  franchise  sales,  will  leave 
the  home  office  to  go  out  on  the  firing 
line  and  aid  in  lining  up  the  field  force 
for  carrying  out  the  new  sales  plan  with 
efficiency  and  dispatch. 

The  itineraries  arranged  for  the  three 
men  follow.: 

William  J.  Morgan — Philadelphia, 
Washington  and  Cleveland,  in  the  order 
named. 

Stanley  W.  Hatch— New  Haven,  Al- 
bany and  Boston. 

A.  W.  Smith,  Jr.,  Buffalo  and  Toron- 


Ehrich  Pommer,  of  the  Ufa  Film  Produc- 
ing Corporation,  Berlin  is  "covering" 
America    accompanied    by    Fritz  Lang. 


to,  the  latter  town  being  headquarters 
for  all  of  Canada. 

During  their  absence,  their  duties  at 
the  home  office  will  devolve  upon  their 
associates. 

Mr.  Eschmann  has  arranged  to  start 
on  another  swing  about  the  branches 
beginning  about  November  1  for  the 
purpose,  primarily,  of  checking  up  on 
the  proper  assimilation  by  the  field 
force  of  the  new  sales  plan. 

*    *  * 

PRINCIPAL  WILL 
FEATURE  WRIGHT 

With  Harold  Bell  Wright's  "The 
Mine  With  the  Iron  Door"  an  assured 
success,  Sol  Lesser,  president  of  Prin- 
cipal Pictures  Corporation,  is  in  New 
York  with  Mrs.  Lesser  taking  a  brief 
rest  preparatory  to  returning  to  the 
Coast  and  starting  work  on  the  next 
big  Harold  Bell  Wright  picture,  "The 
Re-Creation  of  Brian  Kent."  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lesser  came  East  to  attend  the 
wedding  of  Irving  M.  Lesser,  vice  pres- 
ident of  Principal  Pictures  Corporation. 

In  an  interview  Sol  Lesser  announced 
that  with  the  Harold  Bell  Wright 
stories  he  is  taking  a  new  departure  in 
motion  picture  production  and  advertis- 
ing. It  is  the  intention  of  Principal 
Pictures  Corporation  to  build  on  the 
name  of  Harold  Bell  Wright  as  a  big 
box  office  attraction,  just  as  Douglas 
Fairbanks  and  other  big  motion  picture 
stars  are  billed. 

The  reason  for  this,  says  Mr.  Lessor, 
is  that  Harold  Bell  Wright  has  56,000, 
000  readers.  His  books  are  the  world's 
best  sellers  next  to  the  Bible,  accord- 
ing to  statisticians  on  the  sales  of  best 
sellers,  and  Wright's  followers  are  the 
people  who  patronize  motion  pictures. 

Best  sellers  have  been  featured  in 
motion  pictures  many  times,  but  the 
name  of  the  author  has  been  made  sec- 
ondary to  the  story. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  19 


The  Secret  Is  Out!  Carl  Laemmle 
Tells  of  * White  List" 


AS  the  culmination  of  one  of  the 
most  striking  teaser  campaigns 
ever  carried  on  in  the  moving  pic- 
ture industry,  Carl  Laemmle,  president 
of  the  Universal  Pictures  Corporation, 
has  just  announced  that  "The  White 
List,"  advertised  in  various  trade  and 
other  publications  during  the  past 
month  or  so,  is  the  name  given  to  Uni- 
versal's  Spring  product,  twenty-one 
high  class  pictures  to  be  released  during 
the  first  half  of  1925. 

The  White  List  consists  of  a  series 
of  special  pictures  made  by  Universal's 
leading  stars  and  directors,  and  adapted 
from  popular  and  standard  stories  or 
plays.  The  stars  include  such  fav- 
orites as  Pauline  Frederick,  Laura  La 
Plante,  Hoot  Gibson,  Reginald  Denny, 
James  Kirkwood,  Madge  Bellamy,  May 
McAvoy,  Virginia  Valli,  Norman  Ker- 
ry, House  Peters,  Alma  Rubens,  Percy 
Marmont,  Mary  Philbin,  Eugene 
O'Brien,  Jack  Hoxie,  Herbert  Rawlin- 
son,  and  William  Desmond. 

The  list  of  directors  contains  such 
well  known  names  as  Clarence  Brown, 
Edward  Sedgwick,  Harry  Pollard,  Her- 
bert Blache,  William  Seiter,  Edward 
Sloman,  King  Baggot,  Svend  Gade, 
Clifford  Smith,  Arthur  Rosson  and 
Ernst  Laemmle. 

The  supporting  players  marshalled  by 
Universal  for  this  imposing  list  of  1925 
features  include  in  their  number  many 
of  the  best  known  names  on  the  screen. 
Among  the  most  important  are  Tully 
Marshall,  Wanda  Hawley,  Malcolm 
McGregor,  Bert  Roach,  Marian  Nixon, 
Mary  Astor,  Otis  Harlan,  William  V. 
Mong,  Mike  Donlin,  Zazu  Pitts,  Rose- 
mary Theby,  Tom  Wilson,  Edward  Ce- 
cil, Jack  Mulhall,  Barbara  Bedford, 
Vera  Stedman,  George  Fawcett,  Louise 
Fazenda,  T.  Roy  Barnes,  Kate  Lester, 
Ward  Crane,  G.  Raymond  Nye,  Miss 
Du  Pont,  Hedda  Hopper,  Winter  Hall, 
Freeman  Wood,  Jean  Hersholt,  Cesare 
Gravine,  Rose  Rosanova,  Andre  de  Ber- 
anger,  Gertrude  Olmstead,  Charles  Ger- 
rard,  Lucille  Ward,  Joseph  Swickard, 
Rose  Dione,  Forrest  Stanley,  Josie 
Sedgwick,  Katharine  Grant,  Francis 
Ford,  Martha  Mattox,  Nick  de  Ruiz, 
Jack  Daugherty,  Cathleen  Calhoun, 
Marcelaine  Day,  Billy  Sullivan.  Lola 
Todd  and  Albert  J.  Smith. 

Universal  this  year  has  gone  to  great 
extreme  to  get  the  works  of  favorite 
authors  and  playwrights  for  screen  ma- 
terial. The  list  of  authors  is  indicative 
of  the  quality  of  the  stories.  Among 
them  are  Sada  Cowan,  Howard  Higgin, 
Will  Lambert,  Harry  Leon  Wilson,  Guy 
Bolton,  Max  Marcin,  Richard  Wash- 
burn Child,    Marion  Orth,  Elisabeth 


Saxany  Holding,  E.  W.  Hornung,  Clar- 
ence Budington  Kelland,  Byron  Mor- 
gan, Owen  Davis,  A.  M.  Sinclair  Wilt, 
Pamela  Wynne,  Gerald  Beaumont,  B. 
M.  Bowers,  William  Gittens,  Sarah 
Saddoris  and  others. 

"The  White  List,"  says  Laemmle,  "is 
Universal's  new  list  of  pictures — twen- 
ty-one of  them — which  I  honestly  be- 
lieve to  be  the  biggest  and  best  group 
ever  produced  by  any  company  at  any 
time.  The  group  has  been  designated 
as  The  White  List  because  we  made 
them  for  white  exhibitors  who  are  eager 
to  get  white  treatment  from  us  and  to 
give  white  treatment  to  their  customers. 

"The  White  List"  is  to  be  offered 
strictly  upon  Universal's  famous  live- 
and-let-live  basis, — white  treatment 
from  one  year's  end  to  another.  We  will 
depend  upon  white  salesmanship  for 
white  contracts.  The  pictures  are  white, 
too.  So  is  our  advertising.  The  exhibitor 
who  plays  these  pictures  will  have  no 
headaches,  no  bad  after-taste,  no  regrets 
and  no  apologies. 


Paramount  Announces 
"Second  40"  Series 

(Continued  from  page  15) 

"THAT  FRENCH  GIRL"— Betty 
Bronson,  "The  Peter  Pan  girl,"  will 
be  featured  in  the  title  role  of  this 
picture  which  Herbert  Brenon  will 
produce.  The  story  is  based  on  Anne 
Douglas  Sedgwick's  searching  novel 
of  English  and  French  life,  hailed  by 
literary  critics  as  one  of  the  out- 
standing achievements  of  modern 
fiction. 


"YOUNG  WIVES"— A  William  De 
Mille  production  of  the  French  come- 
dy of  Marriage  which  ran  a  whole 
season  on  the  New  York  stage  under 
the  title  of  "Banco,"  by  Alfred  Savoir, 
author  of  "Kiki,"  and  "Bluebeard's 
8th  Wife."  Rod  La  Rocque  and 
Claire  Adams  head  the  exclusive  cast 
of  popular  players. 

*    *  *. 

"A  KISS  IN  THE  DARK"— One  of 

the  most  humanly  entertaining  love- 
comedies  ever  devised  is  this  story 
by  Frederick  Lonsdale,  the  author  of 
"The  Fast  Set."  Under  the  direction 
of  Dimitri  Buchowetski,  and  with 
Ricardo  Cortez  and  Adolphe  Menjou, 
as  the  featured  members  of  a  brilliant 
cast,  a  Paramount  picture  of  definite 
box-office  appeal  is  bound  to  result. 


"THE  SPANIARD"  — Imagine  a 
composite  of  "Blood  and  Sand"  and 
"The  Sheik"  with  the  best  features  of 
both  pictures  welded  into  one  ripping 
romantic  Spanish  romance.  That  is 
"The  Spaniard,"  a  Herbert  Brenon 
production  with  Ricardo  Cortez  in 
the  name  part.  The  story  is  an 
adaptation  of  "Spanish  Lore"  by 
Uuanita  Sarage,  an  immensely  popu- 
lar British  novel,  soon  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  American  public. 

#    #  * 

"PATHS    TO    PARADISE"— The 

story  is  an  original  one  from  that  ver- 
satile screen  writer,  Howard  Hawks. 
The  sort  of  plot  that  audiences  get 
excited  about  and  laugh  and  cry  over 
to  their  hearts'  content.  Victor  Flem- 
ing will  produce,  and  Pauline  Starke 
and  Raymond  Griffith  will  have  the 
featured  leads. 


"MADAME    SANS  GENE"— That 

world-famous  stage  classic.  "Madame 
Sans  Gene"  will  be  Gloria  Swanson's 
initial  starring  vehicle  in  the  Second 
Famous  Forty.  Originally  written 
by  Victorien  Sardou  and  Emile 
Moreau,  it  has  been  adapted  by  For- 
rest Halsey,  and  is  at  the  present 
moment  being  picturized  in  France 
under  the  personal  supervision  of 
Leonce  Perret,  the  internationally 
known  director. 

*    *  * 

"THE  TOP  OF  THE  WORLD"— 

Anna  Q.  Nilsson,  James  Kirkwood, 
Raymond  Hatton  and  Sheldon  Lewis 
— this  is  the  featured  quartet  of  nota- 
ble players  who  will  appear  in  Ethel 
M.  Dell's  greatest  fiction  success, 
"The  Top  of  the  World."  George 
Melford,  because  of  his  proved  abil- 
ity to  do  this  type  of  story  has  been 
chosen  to  direct. 

v'*^', -.,  ■  ;  i^vv-  sfc     3k     sk        -  f" 
r  -  "a,     Ajfc.&a       .    \   .  .'  .  - 

"I'LL   TELL   THE   WORLD"  — 

Richard  Dix  the  fastest-climbing  lum- 
inary in  the  screen  world  today  will 
have  in  this  story  a  picture  that  has 
all  the  audience,  appeal  of  "Manhan- 
dled." Comedy,  drama,  mystery  and 
punch  are  the  ingredients  delight- 
fully intermingled  in  this  plot  which 
is  from  the  play  by  Frederick  Ballard. 
Paul  Sloane  will  wield  the  mega- 
phone. 


"THE  CHARMER"— Pola  Negri 
and  Sidney  Olcott !  These  are  the 
two  outstanding  personalities  who 
will  be  associated  in  the  elaborate 
production  of  "The  Charmer."  The 
screen's  foremost  emotional  actress, 
directed  by  one  of  the  greatest  pro- 
ducers in  the  business,  in  a  story  that 
is  the  literary  sensation  of  England. 
The  versatile  Pola  has  a  role  radi- 
cally different  from  any  she  has  here- 
tofore essayed. 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


E.  M.  Asher  Cancels  Eastern 
Film  Producing  Plans 

Says  Neiv  York  Facilities  Are 
Poor  for  Picture  Making 


EXPONENTS  of  Eastern  movie 
producing  facilities  were  hand- 
'ed  a  jolt  in  New  York,  when 
E.  M.  Asher,  Vice  President  of  Cor- 
inne  Griffith  Productions,  announced 
that  Miss  Griffith's  future  pictures 
would  be  made  in  Los  Angeles  and 
not  in  Manhattan. 

When  Mr.  Asher  recently  trans- 
ferred his  producing  activities  to  New 
York  much  was  made  of  the  fact  that 
Miss  Griffith's  future  films  would  no 
longer  be  made  in  Hollywood.  "De- 


E.  M.  Asher,  vice  president  of  Corrine 
Griffith  Productions,  who  has  abandoned 
the  idea  of  making  pictures  in  New  York. 

classe,"  the  forthcoming  production 
and  the  most  ambitious  Corinne  Grif- 
fith picture  yet  attempted,  was  sched- 
uled to  start  this  organization's  pro- 
ducing program  in  Manhattan. 

After  several  weeks  spent  in  look- 
ing over  the  Eastern  producing  facili- 
ties, Mr.  Asher  wires  his  Los  Angeles 
representative  that  he  had  changed 
his  plans  and  would  return  to  Los 
Angeles  with  Miss  Griffith  in  the  near 
future. 

"After  looking  over  the  producing 
situation  here  we  have  decided  to 
give  up  plans  to  make  our  future 
pictures  in  New  York,"  said  Mr.  Ash- 
er in  a  telegram  received  here.  "We, 
like  many  others  were  led  to  believe 
that  pictures  could  be  made  in  New 


York  as  well  as  they  are  being  made 
in  California.  After  a  thorough  in- 
vestigation I  will  say  that  I  am  very 
much  disappointed  in  producing  con- 
ditions here  and  would  not  attempt  to 
go  through  with  our  original  plans  to 
make  'Declasse'  and  other  films  here. 

"Miss  Griffith  will  return  to  Holly- 
wood as  soon  as  she  has  completed 
the  selection  of  her  wardrobe  for  the 
new  picture.  The  entire  organization 
will  be  reinstalled  in  Hollywood  with- 
in the  next  three  weeks  when  we  will 
resume  producing  activities  there. 
We  had  expected  to  be  well  into  the 
picture  by  this  time  but  rather  than 
attempt  to  overcome  the  countless 
obstacles  which  confront  producers 
here,  we  have  postponed  all  actual 
producing  until  we  return  to  Los 
Angeles." 

*    *  * 

FIRST  GERSON  SERIES 
UNDER  WAY 

The  first  of  the  series  of  eight  pro- 
ductions to  be  offered  on  the  independ- 
ent market  by  Gerson  Pictures  Cor- 
poration is  under  way  at  the  San  Fran- 
cisco studios  of  the  producer.  This  pro- 
duction will  star  Richard  Holt  and  is 
being  made  under  the  direction  of  Duke 
Worne. 

The  story  from  which  the  first  pic- 
ture is  being  made  is  entitled  "Ten 
Days"  by  Arthur  Hoerl  who  in  addi- 
tion to  begin  with  is  well  known  as  an 
advertising  director  has  been  for  a  long 
time  in  charge  of  editorial  work  for 
Truart  Films. 

The  completed  picture  will  be  made 
to  order  for  exploitation  work  on  the 
part  of  the  theatre. 

Production  will  be  completed  in  about 
four  weeks  and  work  will  immediately 
be  started  on  the  second  of  the  series. 


FREE    TRAILER  SERVICE 
AGAIN  IN  ST.  LOUIS 

The  recent  resolution  of  the  Motion 
Picture  Exhibitors  League  of  Eastern 
Missouri  and  Southern  Illinois  protest- 
ing against  the  discontinuance  of  trailer 
service  on  the  part  of  the  leading  ex- 
changes in  the  St.  Louis  district  has  al- 
ready had  excellent  results,  and  during 
the  past  few  weeks  several  of  the  lead- 
ing exchanges  have  restored  the  service, 


and  it  is  said  that  others  will  shortly 
do  so. 

Joseph  Walsh,  secretary  of  the  ex- 
hibitors St.  Louis  organization,  stated 
that  the  theatre-owners  throughout  the 
St.  Louis  territory  would  be  urged  to 
co-operate  with  the  exchanges  furnish- 
ing such  service  gratis  to  exhibitors  and 
to  see  that  the  trailers  are  returned  to 
the  exchanges  as  promptly  as  are  fea- 
ture and  short  length  pictures. 

*    *  * 

TAMPA  TO  CHALLENGE 
HOLLYWOOD 

The  Film  City  Enterprise  Company 
with  a  capital  of  >$5 ,000,000  announces 
its  plan  to  erect  a  film  city  sufficiently 
large  to  accommodate  over  100  pro- 
ducers. 

More  than  30,000  acres  of  land  have 
been  secured,  and  the  company  an- 
nounces that  if  their  present  resources 
prove  insufficient  it  will  expend  $10,- 
000,000  more  to  accomplish  its  purpose. 

Dr.  Charles  D.  Allen,  H.  A.  Kelly 
and  Eugene  Reed  are  interested  in  the 
project. 


WEST  COAST  THEATRES 
ORGANIZE  EXPLOITATION 

Jack  Retlaw  will  supervise  the  cir- 
cuit-wide exploitation  department  now 
being  organized  by  West  Coast  The- 
atres, Inc. 

The  department  has  been  created  to 
assist  their  many  theatres  to  publicize 
and  exploit  motion  pictures  to  the  very 
best  advantage  for  theatre,  exchange, 
studio  and  community. 


Frank  Keenan,  one  of  the  screen's  great- 
est character  actors,  is  thinking  of  what 
he  is  going  to  say  to  the  income  tax  col- 
lector. He  is  busily  engaged  in  making  a 
picture  for  First  National  at  present. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  21 


Robert  Vignola  directing  Pauline  Frederick  in  a  scene  from  "Mrs.  Paramor,"  now 
being  filmed  at  the  Metro-Goldwyn  studios.  Miss  Frederick  is  an  adept  with  a 
typewriter  and  the  closeup  will  show  her  fingers  gliding  smoothly  over  the  keys. 

Chadwick  Proposes  a  Leader 
Like  Will  Hays  for  Independents 

Further  Action  Will  Be  Taken  at 
Next  Meeting  of  I.  M.  P.P.&D.A. 


At  a  luncheon  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Pro- 
ducers and  Distributors'  Asso- 
ciation, held  at  Hotel  Astor, 
New  York,  Thursday  of  this 
week,  President  I.  E.  Chadwick 
reviewed  the  situation  as  out- 
lined in  his  letter  published  in 
last  week's  issue  of  Exhibitors' 
Trade  Review  and  made  a 
strong  appeal  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  entire  independent 
industry  in  a  strong  organiza- 
tion to  be  headed  by  some  man 
taken  from  outside  the  motion 
picture  industry. 

Such  action,  he  said,  he 
deemed  the  only  practical  way 
of  meeting  the  "balance  of 
power"  consolidations  and  alli- 
ances, whereby  three  concerns 


engaged  in  distribution  are 
gradually  getting  control  of  all 
branches  of  the  business. 

He  suggested  that  all  pro- 
ducers, distributors  and  exhibi- 
tors not  already  aligned  with  the 


"  triumvirate  "  should  be 
brought  into  such  an  organiza- 
tion and  that  it  should  be  pro- 
vided with  plenty  of  money  to 
fight  for  an  open  opportunity  in 
behalf  of  all  interested  in  the 
betterment  of  the  pictures. 

Another  meeting  of  the  I.  M. 
P.  P.  &  D.  A.  is  to  be  called 
within  a  few  weeks  to  consider 
and  act  on  Chadwick's  sugges- 
tion. 

*   *  * 

ANOTHER  CIRCUIT 
FOR  NEW  YORK 

The  probable  combination  of  the 
Mayer  &  Schneider,  Blinderman,  & 
Small-Straseburg  organizations,  will 
give  New  York  City  another  chain  of 
some  twenty-seven  houses. 

All  these  theatres  are  located  on  the 
East  Side  of  New  York  City,  and  in 
Williamsburg  and  Brooklyn. 


Gallantry  With  a 
Vengeance 

BECAUSE  he  took  exception 
to  a  colored  maid  substitut- 
ing for  her  mistress  in  a  marriage 
scene  in  a  picture  shown  in  Cal- 
houn City,  Miss.,  B.  E.  Fox,  a 
movie  fan,  rushed  to  the  screen 
and  slashed  it  with  a  knife. 

Fox  told  the  police  he  was  up- 
holding the  chivalry  and  tradi- 
tions of  the  Old  South. 

He  is  now  making  little  stones 
out  of  big  ones,  as  part  of  the 
State's    Better   Roads  program. 


This  is  the  jane  so 
good  and  sweet 

MJfro  haA  the  hero  at 

Who  was  beW  *>>  the 
gang  in  a  tough  r«treat 

Oft  SUSIE  / 
TrtE  BATtLWG  Of?/ft{j 

A  HAL  ffoACM  HMElTy  f^TORC  Cumy*  f 

Pkfher  )icture  jl 

— =H5r- — 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


H      Editorial  ■ 


Is  It  Really  Universal  Entertainment? 


EVERY  business  has  its  pet  fictions.    Part  of 
the  game   and    probably   we   couldn't  get 
along  without  them.    But  it  pays  to  discard 
them  when  they  are  superannuated,  even  if  we 
have  to  dig  out  some  new  ones  to  fill  the  void. 

Back  in  the  distant  past  some  fellow  dubbed 
motion  pictures  the  "Universal  entertainment." 
The  idea  was  flattering  and  stuck.  It  is  with  us 
today. 

But  it  isn't  true. 

The  cold  truth  is  that  a  very  substantial  part  of 
our  American  population  is  altogether  cold  to 
motion  pictures. 

A  large  part  of  our  people  are  still  thinking  of 
motion  pictures  as  merely  "movies,"  cheap  enter- 
tainment, 5  and  10-cent  stuff. 

Why?  Because  our  advertising  and  exploita- 
tion do  not  make  any  impression  on  certain  types 
of  mind.  Because  we  are  not  fully  aware,  our- 
selves, of  the  disagreeable  fact  that  a  large  part  of 
our  audience  is  deaf  to  our  selling  effort. 

Here's  a  fair  illustration  of  an  industry  "kid- 
ding" itself — and  there's  a  lesson  in  it: 

Not  a  great  while  ago  in  the  sales  department 
of  a  large  concern  manufacturing  tooth-brushes, 
someone  raised  the  question:  What  percentage  of 
the  American  people  are  users  of  tooth-brushes? 

The  answer  to  that  question  looked  like  a  cinch. 
"Everybody,"  of  course.  But  there  were  some 
cynics  present.  They  spilled  their  gloom  so  freely 
that  somebody  got  peevish  and  started  out  to  in- 
vestigate. 

At  least  two  investigations  were  made,  and  very 
thoroughly  made.  One  was  done  by  a  great  adver- 
tising agency.  Another  was  done  by  a  large  pub- 
lishing organization.  The  results  tallied  very 
closely.  And  it  developed  that  approximately  30 
percent  of  the  people  are  users  of  tooth-brushes ! 

Coming  back  to  pictures,  there  are  a  host  of 
people  in  this  country  who  don't  know  the  first 
thing  about  motion  pictures  such  as  are  being  pro- 
duced today. 


They  don't  knoAv  that  motion  pictures  are  fur- 
nishing entertainment  worthy  of  the  highest  con- 
sumer intelligence. 

They  don't  know  that  motion  pictures  ought  to 
mean  something  in  their  lives. 

They  don't  know  and  they  don't  care. 

Because  they  are  still  thinking  of  "movies"  in 
terms  of  the  old  store-show  days. 

And  you  are  letting  them  go  on  thinking  in 
those  terms. 

We  may  not  have  classes  in  America,  but  we 
do  have  strata-mental  strata,  financial  strata. 

What  sells  one  group  won't  sell  another. 

If  you  doubt  it,  compare  the  advertisements  in 
any  farm  journal  with  the  advertisements  in 
Vanity  Fair  or  the  New  York  Times.  Bell  sell 
goods. 

Then  consider  that  the  people  who  are  cold  to 
motion  pictures  are  generally  the  people  who  are 
hardest-shelled  mentally,  hardest  to  reach  with  ex- 
ploitation, folks  who  just  naturally  keep  on  think- 
ing in  the  old  channels  until  you  blast  them  out 
with  proof. 

Motion  pictures  can  be  made  universal  enter- 
tainment. No  question  about  that.  But  it's  no 
job  for  a  Saturday  afternoon. 

It  will  necessitate  some  real  thinking  along  new 
lines,  to  devise  new  and  better  ways  of  reaching 
people  Avho,  today,  aren't  even  on  our  horizon. 

We  are  improving,  all  through  the  show  busi- 
ness. Which  is  encouraging.  We  are  becoming 
better  judges  of  our  public  and  how  to  reach  it, 
to  register  forcefully  our  selling  message.  But  we 
will  travel  faster  when  we  discard  all  excess  bag- 
gage by  way  of  the  silly  notion  that  we  have 
reached  universality.  That  will  come  only  when 
we  have  converted  to  our  way  of  thinking  several 
millions  of  people  who  do  not  agree  with  us  at 
all  today. 


November  S.  1924 


Pag  3  23 


The  Pessimist's  Window 


ANOTHER  week  has  rolled  away  and  all  suspense  is 
ended.    We  know,  now,  that  the  "White  List"  isn't 
what  everybody  said  it  was.    Thirty-seven  explana- 
tions we  heard  on  Broadway,  and  all  of  them  wrong.  Well, 
Universal  started  a  lot  of  conversation.    We  shall  see  later 
how  it  proves  out. 

*  *  * 

The  proposal  of  President  I.  E.  Chadwick,  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Distributors'  Associa- 
tion, that  all  independent  interests  outside  what  he  designates 
as  the  "triumvirate"  of  the  business  shall  organize  and 
employ  a  leader  in  capacity  similar  to  that  of  Will  Hays, 
deserves  the  consideration  of  every  man  who  is  directly 
or  indirectly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  independent  dis- 
tribution. 

•  :f: 

Earthquakes  and  things  in  Warner  Bros.'  advertising  and 
publicity  department  this  week.  It  seems  that  Lon  Young 
has  resigned,  Watt  Parker  has  gone  south  on  a  vacation 
trip,  but  probably  resigned  before  he  left,  and  Randall 
White  heads  the  department. 

*  *  * 

One  feature  of  the  Chadwick  plan  which  should  not  be 
overlooked  is  that  it  aims  to  provide  leadership  for  the  entire 
"independent"  industry — producer,  distributor  and  exhibitor. 

Quite  a  controversy  is  raging  in  England  over  the  Friese- 
Greene  color  process.  John  Campbell,  chairman  of  Pho- 
tographic International  Inc.,  claims  credit  for  the  invention 
of  the  color  process  which  Friese-Greene  is  exploiting.  He 
says  the  films  are  identical  in  all  essential  respects  with 
films  he  introduced  in  the  years  1911-1913,  which  were 
protected  by  British  and  American  patents.  His  system 
was  abandoned,  after  a  time,  however,  because  he  con- 
cluded it  was  not  capable  of  being  adapted  for  universal 
motion  picture  work,  and  his  organization  has  since  con- 
centrated its  effort  on  the  development  of  a  single-screen 
system  of  color  projection,  operating  at  normal  speed.  "We 
have  no  cause  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  progress  we  are 
making,"  says  Mr.  Campbell. 

jjc         5jC  5|S 

On  top  of  that  Sering  Wilson  says  he  has  a  process 
that  is  cheaper  than  the  others  because  it  can  be  run  at 
normal  speed.  So,  for  the  time  being,  who  has  what  re- 
mains undecided. 

*  *  * 

Canadian  exhibitors  are  showing  considerable  interest  in 
the  new  "Trust  Busting"  Act  which  went  into  effect  re- 
cently. It  provides  that  whenever  six  adult  British  sub- 
jects, resident  in  Canada,  file  charges  to  the  effect  that  a 
combine  detrimental  to  the  public  interests  exists  or  is  about 
to  be  formed,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  local  registrar  to  institute 
an  investigation,  which  is  the  first  step  in  a  series  of  legal 
proceedings,  rather  formidable  in  character. 


Wouldn't  it  be  a  lot  of  fun  to  have  such  a  law  as  that 
in  the  U.  S.  ?  Everybody  could  take  his  own  little  wallop 
at  the  combines. 

*  *  * 

When  the  election  returns  are  in,  we  may  find  ourselves 
facing  some  of  these  cute  little  socialistic  laws  that  do  so 
much  for  the  common  people.  But  why  worry  as  long  as 
Wall  Street  doesn't  ? 

*  *  * 

Hugh  MacLean,  chairman  of  Atlantic  Union  Films,  Ltd., 
London,  and  also  head  of  Hugh  MacLean  productions,  is 
in  New  York  looking  over  the  film  situation.  In  addition 
to  bringing  a  picture  with  him — "Bob,  Son  of  Battle" — he 
has  some  very  interesting  ideas  about  the  possibilities  of 
Anglo-American  co-operation  in  the  making  of  certain  types 
of  pictures.  An  interesting  point  is  that  Mr.  MacLean's 
name  is  not  MacLean,  but  Mackarness,  which,  he  says, 
almost  rhymes  with  "crackerless."  It  dates  back  a  long 
way  in  English  affairs,  but  because  it  is  so  generally  mis- 
pronounced, on  entry  in  the  film  business  he  adopted  a 
business  substitute  for  efficiency's  sake. 

*  *  * 

Chadwick  is  a  clear  thinker.  He  thinks  with  the  logic 
of  a  legally  trained  mind.  He  sees  the  objective  at  which 
the  independents  should  aim.  Then,  straight  from  the 
shoulder,  he  offers  a  specific  constructive  suggestion. 

*  *  * 

Over  in  Pittsburgh,  Rowland  &  Clark  have  extended  the 
student  privilege  to  their  downtown  State  theatre.  A  good 
move  that  should  have  far-reaching  results.  Exhibitors  ev- 
erywhere should  watch  it. 

*  *  * 

Indications  that  the  revamped  United  Artists'  organization 
will  be  in  full  blast  by  November.  So  Joe  Schenck  said 
in  Los  Angeles  this  week,  according  to  a  press  dispatch 
There  should  be  a  considerably  increased  volume  of  produd 
to  help  carry  the  overhead  of  distribution,  when  the  new 
deal  gets  under  way. 

*  *  * 

There's  still  some  fuss  going  on  about  the  trick  clauses 
that  are  being  inserted  in  the  "uniform"  contract.  Which 
suggests  that  it  would  be  a  splendid  thing  if  exhibitors  would 
read  the  contracts  offered  them  before  signing.  The  fact 
that  they  look  "uniform"  doesn't  mean  anything. 

*  *  * 

Two  big  events  ahead :  The  Loew-Metro-Goldwyn  Ball 
and  the  election.  Only  thing  we  hope  is  that  the  election  is 
as  successful  as  the  ball. 

*  *  * 

Looks  as  if  Marcus  Loew  must  be  making  a  little  money. 
He  has  bought  a  place  on  Long  Island  that  cost  its  late 
owner  $2,000,000.  Paid  $1,000,000  for  it.  He  is  going  to 
live  in  it.  The  house  has  forty-some  rooms  and  a  swim- 
ming pool.  And  there's  850  feet  of  water  frontage.  Which 
ought  to  be  plenty  of  water.  Hope  you  will  enjoy  it,  Mr. 
Loew ! 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


One  of  the  most  dramatic  scenes 
of  this  production  is  that  in  which 
the  villain  wins  the  card  cut  for 
the  young  lady,  which  is  played 
by  the  beautiful    Ethel  Shannon. 


Reed  Howes,  at  the  left,  is  spoken  of  as  the  logical  contender  for  the  crown 
of  the  late  Wallace  Reid.  He  has  everything  that  goes  to  make  up  a  picture 
star  and  "The  Lightning  Romance"  will,  no  doubt,  bring  him  a  large  fol- 
lowing of  fans.    Below  he  is  shown  in  a  dancing  scene  with  Ethel  Shannon. 


Ray  art  Produces  a  Gem  in  "The  Lightning  Romance" 

Reed  Howes,  One  of-  the  Most  Promising  Young  Screen  Actors 
Does  His  Best  Work  in  This  Fast  Moving  Feature 


November  8,  1924 


Page  25 


'With  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


YOU'VE  often  seen  this  headline  in  the  paper  and  it  may  not  have  given  you  a  thrill,  but  if  you  had  been 
the  man  who  got  the  bullet  you  would  have  gotten  just  one  thrill  and  then  passed  out. 

Perhaps  you  don't  know  the  "booking  plan"  the  "big  fellow"  is  holding  out  to  you  is  loaded — loaded  with 
stuff  just  as  deadly  as  bullets.  When  the  crash  comes  you  may  have  time  to  say  "didn't  know  it  was  loaded" 
but  nine  chances  out  of  ten  you  won't  have  that  much  chance.  You'll  be  killed,  financially,  before  you  know 
it,  and  when  they  hold  the  post-mortem  the  "big  fellow's"  jury  will  say  it  was  an  accident.  That  will  do  your 
family  a  lot  of  good,  won't  it?  Don't  fool  around  with  the  fellow  that  says  there  are  no  bullets  in  the  gun  that's 
sure  deadly — it  will  get  you  if  you  are  not  careful. 

The  big  fellow  is  always  ready  to  give  away  ice  in  the  Winter  time  and  the  hole  in  the  doughnut  is  yours 
any  time  you  want  it.  That's  about  all  you'll  get  from  this  proposed  "Booking  Arrangement."  The  chill  of 
ice  when  you  realize  the  power  be  wields  over  you  once  you've  signed  up,  and  the  hole  in  your  pocketbook  is 
what  you  11  have  left  when   the   "arrangement"   is  over. 

A  stitch  in  time  saves  nine    your  signature  OFF   that  "booking  arrangement"  will  save  you  many  a  dime. 


BE  INDEPENDENT. 


JOE  BRANDT.  President  C.  B.  C.  Film  Corp. 


President  Chadwick  Issues  Call 
For  Independent  Meetings 


IE.  CHADWICK,  president  of  the 
Independent  Motion  Picture  Pro- 
*ducers  and  Distributors  of  America 
has  issued  an  announcement  that  his 
organization  will  hold  weekly 
luncheons  at  the  Hotel  Astor, 
New  York  City,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  keeping  in  closer 
touch  with  events  in  the  inde- 
pendent field. 

The  first  luncheon  was 
held  on  October  30  and  will 
be  held  every  Tuesday  there- 
after. 

All  those  engaged  in  the 
production  and  marketing  of 
independent  pictures  are  in- 
vited to  attend. 

President  Chadwick  and 
all  other  officers  are  planning 
to  make  an  urgent  effort  for 
independents  to  get  together. 
They  plan  to  make  a  strong 
showing  and  will  discuss 
plans  for  the  stronger  en- 
trenchment of  the  independ- 
ents in  the  motion  picture 
industry. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of 
last  Spring,  the  independents 
held  weekly  luncheons  and 
much  good  was  accomplished 
by  the  meetings.  Prominent 
speakers  were  chosen  and 
the  whole  organization  was 
pepped  up  to  a  high  degree. 

It  is  the  hope  of  President 
Chadwick  that  the  resumption 
of  the  luncheons  will  bring 
the  independents  closer  and 
that  some  new  ideas  might  be 
developed. 

At  present  the  independent 


producers  and  distributors  are  in 
a  strongly  fortified  position.  They 
are  turning  out  features  that  are 
high  in  entertainment  value  and  they 
are  making  inroads  on  some  of  the 


President  I.  E.  Chadwick,  of  the  Independent  Motion  Picture 
Producers  and  Distributors  of  America  has  issued  a  call  for 
weekly  luncheons  to  be  held  at  the  Astor,  in  New  York  City, 
to  discuss  ways  and  means  for  strengthening  their  position. 


C7 

most  leading  producers  of  the  country. 

The  growth  of  the  independent  pro- 
ducers has  been  gradual  but  steady,  and 
tney  now  occupy  a  position  of  real 
strength  in  the  motion  picture  industry 
which  is  worrying  some  of  the 
larger  producers  in  no  small 
degree.    This  means  that  the 
big  men  will  have  to  fulfill 
their    long-deferred  promise 
for  better  and  bigger  pictures. 

Competition  is  the  lifestafF 
of  any  business,  and  it  is  a 
healthy  sign  that  the  indepen- 
dents have  assumed  such  pro- 
portions as  to  actually  cause 
the  leading  mentors  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  business  actual 
concern. 

This  growth  did  not  take 
place  over  night,  but  is  the 
outcome  of  hard  and  persis- 
tent effort  on  the  part  of  the 
independents,  and  is  the  re- 
ward of  gruelling  labor  and 
large  expenditures.  Starting 
in  on  a  small  scale  without 
much  capital  and  rather  lim- 
ited facilities,  the  indepen- 
dents have  attained  their  pre- 
sent position  of  prominence  at 
great  expenditure  of  time,  en- 
ergy and  a  strongly  progres- 
sive spirit.  They  are  now  log- 
ical contenders  for  the  leader- 
ship in  the  industry,  and  the 
other  producers  must  keep  a 
watchful  eye  on  the  smaller 
fellows. 

Invitations  have  been  ex- 
tended to  independents  as  far 
West  as  Detroit  and  large  out 
of  town  delegations  expected. 


Page  2(> 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


"SPEED  SPOOK"  SALES 
GROW  RAPIDLY 

Another  important  territorial  sale 
consummated  by  C.  C.  Burr,  general 
manager  of  East  Coast  Films  was  made 
this  week  on  the  three  Johnny  Hines 
features  "The  Speed  Spook,"  "The 
Early  Bird,"  and  "The  Cracker  Jack," 
to  E.  J.  Drucker  of  De  Luxe  Feature 
Film  Company,  Denver,  Colorado,  for 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 


If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 

CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of     Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q    Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 

ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


G«t  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 

220  West  42nd  St.         New  York  City 


the  territories  of  Colorado,  Utah,  Wy- 
oming, Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

This  marks  the  thirteenth  states-right 
territory  disposed  of,  the  others  includ- 
ing Greater  New  York  to  Sam  Zierler 
of  Commonwealth  Film  Corporation; 
Upper  New  York  State  to  Charles 
Goetz  of  Dependable  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion ;  New  England  to  Harry  Ascher 
of  American  Feature  Film  Company; 
Minnesota  to  Fred  Cubberly  of  F.  & 
R.  Film  Company ;  Wisconsin  to  John 
Ludwig  of  Ludwig  Film  Exchange; 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  and  Southern 
New  Jersey  to  Ben  Amsterdam  of  Mas- 
terpiece Film  Attractions ;  Ohio  to  Wm. 
Skirboll  of  Skirboll  Productions,  Inc.  ; 
Illinois  and  Indiana  to  Edwin  Silver- 
man of  Film  Classics  of  Illinois ;  Ar- 
kansas to  J.  K.  Adams  of  Home  State 
Film  Company;  complete  foreign  right 
to  Simmonds-Kann  Enterprises,  Inc., 
New  York  City;  Washington,  D.  C.  to 
Trio  Productions  and  Oklahoma  and 
Texas  to  All-Star  Feature  Films  (dis- 
tributed by  Southwestern  Film  Ex- 
change.) 

#    *  * 

CHAD  WICK  TO  MAKE 
NEXT  PICTURE  IN  EAST 

"The  Street  Singer,"  to  be  directed 
by  John  Gorman,  is  the  next  story  to 
go  into  production — the  sixth  of  the 
famous  independent  unit,  the  Chadwick 
9 — according  to  announcement  emanat- 
ing this  week  from  the  offices  of  the 
Chadwick  Pictures  Corporation.  It  will 
be  made  in  the  East,  very  probably  in 
New  York  City. 

Officials  of  the  Chadwick  organiza- 
tion are  now  concentrating  on  the  se- 
lection of  a  cast  of  leading  players,  an- 
nouncement of  whom  will  be  forthcom- 
ing within  the  next  several  days.  Prep- 
arations are  being  rushed  forward  so 
that  active  production  may  begin  with- 
in several  weeks. 

^     *K  H* 

NEW  IVOR  NOVELLO 
PRINTS  ARRIVE 

Messrs.  Cranfield  &  Clarke  announce 
that  they  have  just  received  from  their 
Home  Office,  a  print  of  "A  Man  With- 
out Desire-"  starring  Ivor  Novello.  This 
artist,  it  will  be  remembered,  made  a 
great  success  in  America  in  D.  W. 
Griffith's  production,  "The  White 
Rose." 

In  addition,  they,  announce  having 
received  six  single  reels  of  Cannibals  in 
New  Guinea.  There  are  six  episodes 
of  750  feet  each. 

Cranfield  &  Clarke  feel  assured  that 
these  single  reels  will  cause  a  sensation 
when  released. 


J.  S.  JOSSEY,  PROGRESS, 
CLEVELAND,  IN  N.  Y. 

J.  S.  Jossey,  President  Progress  Pic- 
tures, Cleveland,  is  in  town  for  a  con- 
ference with  W.  E.  Shallenberger,  Ar- 
row Pictures  Corporation. 

Mr.  Jossey  is  putting  over  an  exten- 
sive and  intensive  drive  for  his  large 
list  of  independent  attractions  in  the 
Ohio  territory  and  reports  that  all  in- 
dications point  to  the  largest  list  of 
bookings  in  the  history  of  his  exchange. 


WESTERN  CONTRACTS 
FOR  "FLYING  FISTS" 

S.  J.  Hankin,  St.  Eouis,  will  distrib- 
ute Benny  Leonard's  series  of  two  reel 
features,  "Flying  Fists,"  in  Missouri 
and  eastern  Illinois,  according  to  an 
announcement  from  Henry  Ginsberg. 


Bradley  Barker  with  Jans 

Bradley  Barker  has  been  added  to  the 
cast  of  "Playthings  of  Desire,"  which 
Burton  King  is  directing  for  H.  F. 
Jans. 

Director  King  has  been  shooting  his 
interiors  at  the  Whitman  Bennett  Stu- 
dio at  Yonkers  and  last  week  had,  as 
his  guests,  Mrs.  Jans,  Miss  Jans,  and 
a  party  of  friends  who  were  introduced 
to  the  mysteries  of  movie  making. 


51\v 


The  Star  of 
Wondrous  Charm 

BETTY  BALFOUR 

in 

"LOVE,  LIFE  and 
LAUGHTER" 

Rare  in  Story,  Rich  in 
Beauty.  It's  different 
from  any  picture  ever 
shown. 


WstfnUi  bj, 

LEE-  BRADFORD  corporation  |j 

?oi  ScventhAve.  NewYorr. 


November  8,  1924 


^ith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


LEVINE  SALES  MANAGER 
FOR  SANFORD 

George  Levine  has  recently  been  ap- 
pointed Sales  Manager  for  the  Sanford 
Productions  of  Hollywood,  according 
to  the  advice  of  Frank  M.  Sanford,  the 
president  of  the  company. 

Levine  is  now  making  a  tour  of  the 
distributing  exchanges  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  only  left  the  Coast 


i 


s 


Making  Money 

for  Exhibitors  AH  Over 
the  Country! 

"The  Fire  Patrol" 

with 

ANNA  Q.  NILSSON 

LIONEL  BARRYMORE 
in 

"Meddling  Women" 
"The 
Painted  Flapper" 

vrith  JAMES  KIRKWOOD  and 
PAULINE  GARON 
and 

LIONEL  BARRYMORE 


in 


"I  Am  The  Man" 

Yes — they're  the  first  four  of 
the  famous  independent  unit 

The  Chadwick  9 


At  These  Exchanges  NOW! 

Atl-l,  Bos-1,  Buf-1,  Chi-l,  Cin-1,  CIe-1, 
Dal-1,  Den-1,  Det-l,  KC-1,  LA-1,  Mil-1,  NO-2, 
NY-1,  Oma-1,  Phi-1,  Pit-1,  SF-,  SL-1,  Sea-1, 
Tor-l,  Wash-1. 


is 
m 
m 
s 
a 
1 
i 
s 

g 

S 

s 
& 
1 
g 
1 
g 
I 
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IS 

s 
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719  Seventh  Ave  nue.M-w-iu 

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1 


a  few  days  ago.  While  on  this  trip  Mr. 
Levine  will  arrange  for  the  Sanford 
output  for  the  coming  season  and  he 
is  screening  the  first  two  releases  of 
the  new  series  of  William  (Bill)  Mix 
Productions,  which  the  Sanford  Pro- 
ductions are  releasing,  namely  "Reck- 
less Ridin'  Bill"  and  "Let  Him  Buck." 

The  Sanford  Productions  are  also 
producing  a  series  of  twelve  two-reel 
comedies  featuring  Billy  Franey  with 
Gene  Crosby ;  three  of  which  are  com- 
pleted, under  the  titles  of  "Billy's  Weel 
End,"  "The  Captivatin'  Cannibal"  and 
"Balloon  Tired."  Levine  is  screening 
these  for  the  trade  and  will  visit  prac- 
tically every  distributing  center  on  his 
trip  which  will  take  several  weeks. 

Mr.  Levine  has  had  considerable  ex- 
perience in  the  state  right  field,  having 
covered  the  territory  for  several  other 
producers. 

3j?      s)e  s)e 

LEONARD  SERIES 
IS  COMPLETED 

The  final  touches  to  the  series  of  six 
two-reel  features  starring  Benny  Leon- 
ard under  the  title  "Flying  Fists"  were 
completed  this  week  at  the  Tec-Art 
studio,  under  the  direction  of  Lawrence 
Windom.  Henry  Ginsberg  and  Jacob 
Wilk,  the  producers,  have  turned  over 
the  prints  to  Sam  Hellman,  the  popu- 
lar Saturday  Evening  Post  author,  for 
titling  and  they  will  be  ready  for  dis- 
tribution in  a  short  time. 

The  cast  for  the  three  final  bouts  in- 
cludes, in  addition  to  the  lightweight 
champion,  Alyce  Mills,  Jean  Diamond, 
Harry  Lee,  Dick  Lee,  Marty  Faust, 
Dora  Mills  Adams,  Tammany  Young, 
Phil  Bloom  and  Jack  Perry. 

*    *  * 

"LOST  CHORD"  READY 
FOR  EDITING 

W.  E.  Shallenberger  and  Whitman 
Bennett  are  devoting  much  time  to  the 
careful  cutting  of  the  new  Arrow  sen- 
timent drama,  "The  Lost  Chord,"  just 
completed  at  the  Bennett  studios. 

The  story  for  this  production  as 
adapted  from  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan's 
famous  song  by  Wilfred  Noy,  who  di- 
dected  the  picture,  is  so  interwoven 
with  beautiful  sentiment  that  it  makes 
a  strikingly  appealing  portrayal  of  ro- 
mance, love  and  sacrifice. 

The  cast,  which  includes  Alice  Lake, 
David  Powell,  Dagmar  Godowsky, 
Henry  Sedley  and  Faire  Binney,  have 
all  done  the  best  work  of  their  careers 
in  "The  Lost  Chord." 

Dr.  Shallenberger  is  making  a  spe- 
cial point  of  a  musical  setting  for  this 
release,  which  will  be  in  harmony  with 
its  beauty  and  sentiment. 


Addition  to  C.  B.  C.  Staff 

A  wire  from  Harry  Cohn,  Produc- 
tion Manager  for  C.  B.  C,  announces 
that  they  have  acquired  the  services  of 
Ewart  Adamson  in  their  scenario  de- 
partment of  which  Walter  Anthony  is 
head. 

"After  Business  Hours,"  is  the  first 
story  assigned  to  Mr.  Adamson. 


WAKE  UP! 

RISE  AND  SHINE !  ! 
A  Good  Tip  for  Wide- 
Awake  Showmen!  !  ! 

C.  C.  BURR  presents 

JQHNNH 

HINEX 


NEARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced   and   Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.  C.    Burr,    Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following 
EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.R.-l,  Dal-5,  Chi-4, 
N.Y.S.-l,  FR-1,  Den-3. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


JESSE  WEIL  WITH  ART- 
CLASS  PICTURES 

Jesse  Weil,  one  of  the  best  known 
and  most  popular  screen  exploiteers 
and  publicity  men  in  the  country,  has 
been  specially  engaged  as  advertising 
director  and  publicity  manager  for 
Weiss  Brothers'  Artclass  Pictures  Cor- 
poration. 


8 

Reasons 
Why 

Columbia 
Productions 

Are  Box  Office  Pullers 

A    PLAN — rigidly  exeeuted 

AUTHORS — four  novelists 
four  journalists 

BOOKS  well  known  stories 

ready-made  audiences 

STARS — Box  Office  Names 

DIRECTORS  men    with  records 

for  success 

PHOTOGRAPHERS — the  best 
in    the  craft 

MONEY  Every    dollar  spent 

shows  on  the  screen 

THE     PRODUCERS  INTEG- 
RITY and  a  hand  picked  or- 
ganization. 

 O  

Titles  That  Mean  Money 
The  Foolish  Virgin 
The  Price  She  Paid 
Fighting  the  Flames 
A  Fool  and  His  Money 
After  Business  Hours 
One  Glorious  Night 
Who  Cares 
The  Midnight  Express 

BOOK  THEM  NOW 
Columbia  Productions 


Monotonous  Pictures,  Inc. 

TO  meet  the  widely  differ- 
ent tastes  of  the  reading 
public,  American  newspapers 
and  periodicals  buy  articles 
and  stories  from  several  thou- 
sand people  who  make  their 
living  writing  for  publication. 
And  no  two  of  those  writers 
are  alike. 

Some  folks  read  the  Century 
and  the  North  American  Re- 
view. Others  prefer  Adven- 
ture and  True  Story  Magazine. 

In  every  large  city  you  can 
spot  two  or  three  different 
types  of  newspapers  and  each 
has  its  following. 

What  Peterson  likes, 
O'Brien  won't  stand  for.  And 
Schultz  refuses  to  be  lined  up 
with  Tony  Racioppo. 

You  can't  make  them  think 
alike. 

Do  you  think,  then,  you  can 
put  over  on  them  a  contin- 
uous string  of  machine-made 
pictures  coming  out  of  two  or 
three  or  even  a  half-dozen 
hoppers.'' 

Do  you  think  that  any  little 
clique  of  big  national  distribu- 
tors can  assure  you  of  sufficient 
variety  to  protect  you  in  your 
effort  to  give  the  people  what 
they  want? 

There's  just  one  thing  that 
will  insure  you  against  a  mo- 
notonous sameness  in  the  pic- 
tures you  show:  Competition. 

And  there's  just  one  way  to 
insure  the  permanence  of  hon- 
est competition  in  the  produc- 
tion and  distribution  of  pic- 
tures: Give  the  Independent 
Distributors  a  fair  share  of 
your  business. 

That's  the  way  to  write  your 
own  insurance  policy  against 
loss  of  public  interest-which  is 
your  bread  and  butter. 


Mr.  Weil,  who  has  been  connected 
with  some  of  the  biggest  productions 
shown  in  New  York,  will  assume  the 
post  recently  made  vacant  by  the  death 
of  the  late  Harry  Ennis. 

Among  the  pictures  that  Mr.  Weil 
will  handle  at  this  particular  time  are 
the  Buddy  Roosevelt  series  of  eight  sub- 
jects, the  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.,  series  of 
eight  and  the  future  Weiss  productions. 


Artclass  Closes  Contracts 

As  a  result  of  the  widespread  inter- 
est in  the  motion  picture  productions 
held  for  territorial  distribution  by 
Weiss  Brothers'  Artclass  Pictures  Cor- 
poration, the  Weiss  offices  announce  the 
disposal  of  fully  91  percent  of  the 
territory  for  the  series  of  eight  Buddy 
Roosevelt  and  eight  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr., 
pictures. 


RAYART 
PICTURES 


READY  FOR 
IMMEDIATE  RELEASE 

The  first  of 
a  series  of  six 

HARRY  J.  BROWN 
PRODUCTIONS 

Starring 

REED  HOWES 

Directed  by 
ALBERT  ROGELL 

First  Release: 

"LIGHTNING 
ROMANCE" 

Available  at  your  leading 
Independent  Exchange 


November  8.  1924 


Page  29 


^th  The  Independent  Distributors 


William  Haines,  a  popular  and  handsome 
young  star  who  is  rapidly  forging  to  the 
front.  His  latest  release  is  "The  Midnight 
Express,"    a    Columbia  Production. 

JANS  AT  WORK  ON 
INITIAL  PRODUCTION 

The  first  production  to  be  made  by 
Jans  Productions,  Inc.,  is  "Playthings 
of  Desire,"  an  adaptation  of  the  much 
discussed  novel  of  the  same  name  by 
J.  Wesley  Putnam.  It  is  a  modern  so- 
ciety drama,  the  tale  said  to  be  based 
on  one  of  the'  most  sensational  divorce 
cases  ever  tried  in  the  courts  of  New 
York  state.  The  scenario  calls  for  a 
large  cast  of  principals,  elaborate  sets 
and  handsome  locations. 

Burton  King,  who  is  directing  "Play- 
things of  Desire"  at  the  Yonkers  stu- 
dios, has  already  completed  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  scenes  and  the  production, 
it  is  expected,  will  be  ready  for  early 
distribution.  Mr.  Jans,  a  stickler  for 
exceptionally  fine  casts,  has  engaged  a 
distinguished  group  of  players  to  enact 
the  leading  roles.  These  include  Estelle 
Taylor,  Mahlon  Hamilton,  Mary  Thur- 
man,  Edmund  Breese,  Dagmar  Godow- 
sky,  Lawford  Davidson,  Walter  Miller 
and  Frank  Montgomery. 

With  all  of  the  Jans  pictures  pub- 
licity, exploitation  and  advertising  ac- 
cessories of  the  highest  grade  will  be 
available.  Press  books  outlining  com- 
plete campaigns,  prepared  by  men  who 
have  had  actual  experience  in  putting 
pictures  over,  will  be  ready  for  the  ex- 
hibitors, posters  designed  by  famous 
artists  that  know  how  to  make  paper 
sell,  will  be  a  feature  of  each  of  the 
Jans  pictures. 


Will  Extend  Studio  Facilities 
For  C.  B.  C.  Productions 


Harry  Cohn  Is  Optimistic 


WITH  the  eight  Perfection  pic- 
tures practically  complete  and 
four  of  the  Columbias  com- 
pleted Harry  Cohn  Production  manager 
at  the  Waldorf  Studios,  which  is  the 
Production  unit  of  C.  B.  C,  is  looking 
forward  to  another  season  of  great  ac- 
tivity. 

"One  Glorious  Night,"  and  "A  Fool 
and  His  Money,"  are  now  in  produc- 
tion, says  Mr.  Cohn.  The  others  will 
come  along  very  soon  and  then  our 
work  for  the  year  is  completed.  That 
means  that  we  are  now  making  plans 
for  the  next  year's  pictures.  Accord- 
ing to  the  information  that  I  get  from 
the  east  about  the  number  and  type  of 
pictures  we  are  to  make  next  year  we 
will  have  to  extend  ourselves  some- 
what. In  fact  I  am  now  working  on 
plans  for  the  enlargement  of  our  pres- 
ent studio. 

"More  and  larger  stages  will  be  nec- 
essary if  we  are  to  keep  up  the  work 
which  we  have  done  during  the  past 
season.  We  are  also  considering  the 
purchase  of  another  studio  in  Holly- 
wood.   There  are  several  to  be  had 


and  the  character  of  our  work  will  de- 
termine just  what  we  are  to  do. 

"The  experience  of  the  past  year 
has  been  of  incalculable  value.  Of 
course  there  were  things  in  production 
work  which  we  might  have  arranged, 
differently  and  it  is  just  those  things 
which  we  will  avoid  next  year.  We 
have  found  that  it  has  repaid  us  enor- 
mously to  do  nothing  till  we  have  laid 
out  a  regular  schedule  of  the  shooting 
of  almost  every  scene  to  be  made.  A 
chart  shows  exactly  in  what  stage  of 
irogress  every  picture  may  be  at  any 
time.  We  use  a  system  which  is  simi- 
lar in  result  to  that  used  in  any  fac- 
tory. 

"We  eliminate  any  necessity  for  com- 
panies or  directors  having  to  wait  for 
stages  and  sets.  In  fact  this  was  ab- 
solutely necessary  for  us  to  do  if  we 
were  to  be  able  to  get  our  work  done 
in  as  short  a  time  as  we  have.  We 
sincerely  believe  that  our  product  will 
be  all  that  we  expe<  t  of  it  and  hope  in 
the  next  year  to  be  able  to  live  up  to 
our  production  promises. 


CAST  COMPLETED  FOR 
"FOOL  AND  HIS  MONEY" 

C.  B.  C.  announces  a  big  cast  for 
their  production  of  George  Barr  Mc- 
Cutcheon's  "A  Fool  and  His  Money." 
The  lead  will  be  played  by  William 
Haines  who  made  such  a  successful 
showing  in  "The  Midnight  Express." 
The  part  of  the  romantic  American  girl 
countess  will  be  played  by  Madge 
Bellamy.  These  two  excellent  leads 
will  be  supported  by  Stuart  Holmes, 
Alma  Bennet,  Charles  Conklin,  Eon 
Poff,  Eugenie  Besserer,  Carrie  Clarke 
Ward. 

A  wire  from  Harry  Cohn,  produc- 
tion manager,  states  that  the  prelimi- 
nary work  on  this  production  will  soon 
be  completed  and  that  Earl  Kenton  will 
take  his  company  out  on  location  in  the 
near  future. 

With  this  highly  romantic  story  to 
play  and  the  stars  who  have  been  signed 
it  is  felt  that  this  will  be  one  of  the 
outstanding  pictures  in  the  series.  The 
story  itself  has  many  points  which  will 
be  of  sure  box  office  and  audience 
appeal. 


Louise  Carter,  who  plays  the  part  of  Phyl- 
lis in  "The  Lost  Chord"  for  Arrow.  "The 
Lost  Chord"  gives  Miss  Carter  the  best 
opportunity  of  her  career  to  demonstrate 
her  dramatic  ability.    Her  acting  is  superb. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


^Mth  The  Independent  Distributors 


Paul  Swift  to  Handle  Fleming 
Productions  In  N.  Y.  District 


PAUL  SWIFT,  long  and  favorably 
known  in  motion  picture  circles, 
announces  the  opening  of  an  In- 
dependent exchange,  with  temporary 
headquarters  located  at  723  Seventh 
Ave.,  New  York  City,  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  Independent  product  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  greater  New  York  and 
northern  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Swift  was  formerly  associated 
with  the  New  York  exchange  and 
Home  Office  of  Famous  -  Players 
Lasky,  where  he  made  a  host  of  friends 
among  the  exhibitors  in  the  territory 
which  he  has  chosen  as  the  field  of  his 
future  operations.  In  fact,  so  valuable 
a  man  was  he  considered  by  the  exhib- 
itors that  when  the  A.  B.  C.  booking 
combine  was  formed,  the  members  de- 


Jhemadic  Music 


Cue  ^SAee^ 


M-J.MINTZ  *«TC«Tf 


IS  FURNISHED   WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


CRANFIELD  &  CLARKE,  Inc. 


THE 

WINNING  PICTURE 
OF  1924 

Flora  Le  Breton 
in 

A  SouPs 
Awakening 


High 


Class 
and 
Artistic 
Productions 


Cranfield  and/        \Cranfield  and 
Clarke,  Inc.  /   w   \  Clarke,  Inc. 
729  7th     /     We  \     729  7th 
Ave.,       /     Have    \  Ave., 
N.  York/         22        \  N.  York 
/  Single  Reel  \ 
/  Hepworth  Gems  \ 

/        handled  by  \ 
/Red  Seal  Picture  CorpX 
X  First  Run  Rivoli  Theatre  )\ 

CRANFIELD  &  CLARKE,  Inc. 


cided  to  place  him  in  charge  and  he 
was  given  the  post  of  General  Man- 
ager to  this  organization,  which  posi- 
tion he  occupied  until  the  organization 
ceased  to  function. 

During  that  time  Paul  Swift  became 
intimately  acquainted,  not  only  with 
the  problems  of  the  exhibitors,  but  also 
with  the  class  of  product  which  they 
desire,  as  he  looked  at  hundreds  of 
pictures  for  this  organization.  As  his 
first  contract  in  his  new  venture,  Mr. 
Swift  purchased  the  rights  to  the  six 
J.  J.  Fleming  Productions  featuring  Al 


Ferguson,  in  this  territory.  He  ex- 
pressed himself  as  being  greatly  pleased 
with  the  class  of  product,  after  screen- 
ing the  first  two  productions,  stating 
that  he  considered  them  way  above  the 
average  and  felt  that  they  were  exactly 
what  the  exhibitors  wanted. 

He  will  start  release  of  the  first  sub- 
ject immediately.  He  plans  an  intensive 
sales  campaign  and  intends  to  person- 
ally cover  the  greater  part  of  the  terri- 
cory,  visiting  his  exhibitor  friends  and 
placing  his  product. 

At  the  same  time  the  announcement 
of  contract  with  Swift  and  Fleming 
Productions  was  made  by  J.  Chas. 
Davis,  2nd,  general  manager  of  the 
company,  he  announced  the  closing  of 
contract  with  Si  Greiver,  of  Greiver 
Productions,  Chicago,  Illinois,  for  the 
distribution  of  the  Fleming  product  in 
northern  Illinois  and  Indiana. 


Where  To  Book  Them  ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. 
Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi — 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 
CINCINNATI,  Ohio 

Cin — 1  Standard  Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle— 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle — 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal- -4  Midwest  Film  Ex..   2111   Moser  Av. 
Dal — 5  All  Star  Feature  Films,  Film  Exch.  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den — 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 
Den — 3  De  Luxe  Feature  Film  Co.,  2020  Stout  St., 
Denver,  Colo.,  for  territories  of  Colo.,  Utah, 
Wyo..  Ariz.,  and  New  Mex. 
DETROIT,  Mich. 

Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Standard  Playr's  Corp.,  144  W.  Vermont  St. 
Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC— 1  Independent  Film  Co.,   117  West  17th  St. 

LITTLE  "OCK,  Ark. 
LR— I  Homestate  Film  Co.,  1114  W.  Markham  St. 


LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 
LA — 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 

MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 

Mil — 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions   (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS,  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min— 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon — 1  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 
NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  Inc.,   1401  Tulana  Ave. 
NO — 3  M.  D.  Martin  Attractions,  405  Dryades  St. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,  7^9-7th  Ave. 
NY — 2  A-l  Film  Exchange,  729-7th  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  STATE 
NY— 1  Dependable  Pict.  Corp.,  7219  7  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty   Films   Inc.,    1514    Davenport  St. 
PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 

Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 
Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  209  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St 
SEATTLE,  Wash. 

Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films,  Ltd.,  15  Richmond  St,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash— 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash — 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch.,  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS,    N.   Y.  CITY 
FR — 1  Simmons-Kahn  Enterprises,  220  W.  42nd  St. 
FR— 2  Inter  Ocean  Film   Corp.,   218  W.  47th  St. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  31 


^ith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


Clifford  S.  Elfelt  Will  Open 
Eastern  Office  In  New  York 


CLIFFORD  S.  ELFELT,  head  of 
the  independent  picture  produc- 
ing and  distributing  organization 
that  bears  his  name,  arrived  in  the  city 
this  week  from  Hollywood,  where  his 
company  maintains  its  general  offices. 
The  young  executive  is  domiciled  at  the 
Hotel  Astor. 

Controlling  the  output  of  six  inde- 
pendent producers  and  filming  two  or 
three  series  of  pictures  annually,  him- 
self, Elfelt  is  one  of  the  dominating 


Clifford  S.  Elfelt,  president  of  the  Clifford 
S.  Elfelt  Productions,  is  invading  the 
Eastern  field  and  is  opening  an  office  in 
New  York  City  to  take  care  of  his  pictures. 

figures  in  the  anti-trust  film  world.  Al- 
though but  a  young  man,  he  has  long 
been  identified  with  the  production  of 
independent  screen  entertainment  but 
it  -was  only  a  few  months  ago  that  he 
invaded  the  distribution  end  of  the  film 
industry. 

The  purpose  of  Elfelt's  visit  in  New 
York  is  two-fold.  First  he  expects  to 
establish  an  Eastern  office  in  this  city 
and  secondly  he  is  making  arrange- 
ments for  the  distribution  of  his  elab- 
orate program  for  the  season  1924-25 
with  local  state-rights  exchanges.  At 
the  same  time  he  is  also  considering 
offers  for  the  foreign  distribution  rights 
for  his  product. 

Elfelt  will  visit  all  of  the  exchange 
centers  in  the  country  before  returning 
to  the  coast.  He  has  with  him  several 
sample  prints  of  his  new  program  in- 
cluding the  first  of  his  Ken  Maynard 


series  of  different  Westerns.  It  is  en- 
titled "$50,000  Reward,"  and  is  one  of 
the  fastest  action  productions  that  has 
come  from  the  film  capital  in  many  a 
day.  Also  he  is  showing  a  print  of 
"Law  or  Loyalty,"  a  Lawson  Harris 
production,  and  the  first  of  a  series 
which  will  feature  five  stories  by  James 
Oliver  Curwood. 

Among  the  other  productions  handled 
by  the  Elfelt  organization  are  a  group 
of  Frontier  Days  pictures  starring  Bill 
Patton,  all  adaptations  of  stories  by 
General  Charles  King,  creator  of  fa- 
mous pioneer  characters  in  fiction.  Al- 
bert I.  Smith  is  producing  this  series. 

Another  group  of  photographs  to  be 
handled  by  this  company  is  a  series  of 
six  all-star  productions  starring  a  popu- 
lar feminine  lead  whose  name  will  not 
be  given  out  for  publication  until  the 
pictures  are  ready  for  release.  These 
productions,  which  will  be  adaptations 
of  widely-known  underworld  stories  by 
famous  authors,  are  to  be  known  as  the 
Mystery  Series. 

*    *  * 

RUTH  STONEHOUSE 
SIGNED  BY  ARROW 

Ben  Wilson  has  signed  Ruth  Stone- 
house  to  co-star  with  Yakima  Canutt, 
the  World's  Champion  Cowboy,  in  his 
coming  Arrow-Great  Western  releases. 

Miss  Stonehouse  is  one  of  the 
screen's  most  attractive  stars,  and  has 
already  been  seen  in  an  Arrow  produc- 
tion as  well  as  in  those  of  Metro,  Uni- 
versal, F.  B.  O.  and  other  well  known 
producers. 

Playing  opposite  Canutt  will  give  her 
every  opportunity  to  bring  her  charm- 
ing personality  into  relief  against  the 
striking  background  of  his  virile  man- 
hood. 

JOE  BRANDT  ROUNDS 
THE  CIRCLE 

Joe  Brandt  has  left  New  York  to  be' 
gone  for  at  least  six  weeks  and  is  mak- 
ing the  rounds  of  the  key  cities  in  the 
interest  of  his  company. 

"We  have  had  a  very  successful  year 
so  far,"  said  Mr.  Brandt.  With  the 
greater  part  of  our  production  program 
completed  we  are  many  months  ahead 
of  our  schedule.  The  independent  pro- 
ducers  campaign  for  exhibitor  support 
is  beginning  to  show  results  in  our 
bookings. 


"We  started  out  at  the  early  part  of 
the  season  with  a  definite  announce- 
ment of  the  number  and  kind  of  pic- 
tures that  we  would  produce  in  our 
series  of  Columbia  and  Perfection  Pic- 
tures. That  promise  we  have  kept.  The 
exhibitor  knows  by  looking  at  his  box- 
office  records  on  our  pictures  that  we 
meant  what  we  said. 

"Words  are  very  good  but  when  a 
producer's  pictures  come  up  to  the 
spoken  promise  the  exhibitor  knows  for 
sure  and  that  is  our  best  bet.  Next 
year  when  we  announce  a  program  the 
exhibitor  will  be  assured  by  this  year's 
experience  that  we  will  deliver  all  we 
contract  for  and  on  time." 


ARTCLASS  CLOSES  BIG 
FOREIGN  DEAL 

A  big  film  deal  of  international  sig- 
nificance was  consummated  with  the 
Weiss  Brothers'  Artclass  Pictures  Cor- 
poration and  the  British  Export  and 
Import  Corporation,  Ltd.,  whereby  the 
United  Kingdom  rights  for  the  form- 
er's series  of  eight  Buddy  Roosevelt 
pictures  were  obtained  by  the  latter. 

George  Smith  represented  the  British 
concern  in  the  contract  while  Louis 
Weiss  looked  after  the  Weiss  Brothers' 
interests. 

Mr.  Smith  was  formerly  manager  ef 
the  Goldwyn  Ltd.,  in  England,  and  is 
well  and  favorably  known  in  film  cir- 
cles on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 


Madge  Bellamy,  who  will  appear  in  "A 
Fool  and  His  Money,"  a  Columbia  Pic- 
ture. Miss  Bellamy  has  a  large  following 
of  fans  and  they  will  be  pleased  with  her 
excellent    work    in    this    latest  feature. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


News  of  Exhibitor  Activities 


Simon  Van  Raalte  Injured 

Simon  Van  Raalte,  65  years  old,  prominent 
St.  Louis  capitalist  who  is  financially  inter- 
ested in  a  number  of  theatres  in  St.  Louis 
and  East  St.  Louis,  was  injured  seriously 
on  October  14  when  run  down  by  a  speed- 
ing automobile  as  he  crossed  McPherson 
avenue  near  Vandeventer  avenue  on  his  way 
to  the  Columbian  Club.  The  police  arrested 
two  men  and  two  women  who  admitted  be- 
ing in  the  car  that  struck  Van  Raalte. 

He  was  taken  to  the  Jewish  Hospital 
where  it  was  found  he  had  sustained  a  frac- 
ture o'f  the  right  leg  and  severe  internal  in- 
juries. 

His  condition  is  critical. 

%    %  % 

Buffalo  Film  Ball 

Plans  are  complete  for  the  annual  ball  of 
the  Film  Board  of  Trade  of  Buffalo  which 
this  year  will  take  on  the  appearance  of  a 
Hallowe'en  Frolic.  The  event  will  be  held 
in  the  Hotel  Statler,  Friday  evening,  October 
31. 

Tickets  are  practically  sold  out  and  Henry 
W.  Kahn  of  Metro-Goldwyn,  chairman  of 
arrangements,  promises  the  ball  will  be  one 
of  the  events  of  the  social  season  in  this 
neck  of  -the  woods. 

*  *  * 

Legit  Turns  to  Pictures 

Feature  pictures  will  be  shown  at  the  Ly- 
ceum theatre  in  Ithaca  as  soon  as  bookings 
can  be  arranged.  This  is  the  immediate  re- 
sult of  the  musicians  strike  reached  by 
unanimous  vote  of  the  board  of  directors. 

The  Lyceum  corporation  will  retain  the 
same  officers  as  it  had  while  offering  legi- 
timate attractions  and  Manager  M.  M.  Gus- 
tadt  is  also  being  retained.  Neither  the 
musicians  nor  the  theatre  corporation  have 
taken  any  action  to  settle  their  grievances 
and  for  the  present  the  strike  is  considered 
a  deadlock. 

The  consensus  of  opinion,  however,  is 
that  the  Lyceum  will  operate  as  a  picture 
house  for  a  time  and  then  swing  back  to  legi- 
timate offerings  following  a  settlement  of 
local  difficulties. 

*  *  * 

Wedding  for  Exploitation 

When  Manager  John  R.  Osborne  put  on 
"The  Marriage  Circle,"  at  the  new  Family 
theatre  in  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  last  week  he  got 
the  consent  of  a  couple  to  be  married  on  the 
stage  of  the  house. 

The  couple  rehearsed  the  ceremony  Fri- 
day evening  and  were  married  by  the  mayor 
the  next  night.  Both  proceedings  took  place 
on  the  stage.  Local  merchants  co-operated 
in  large  newspaper  ads  and  gave  prizes  to 
the  couple.  The  stunt  packed  the  Family 
both  nights. 

*  *  * 

Kansas  Permits  "Contrast" 

After  being  barred  from  Kansas  for  three 
years  the  picture,  "The  Contrast,"  has  been 
admitted  to  the  state  by  Governor  J.  M. 
Davis  and  the  motion  picture  censorship 
board.  The  picture  is  one  of  socialistic 
propaganda,  intended  to  show  how  much 
better  laboring  men  live  and  act  when  they 
own  the  industries  and  control  all  operations 
under  the  present  system.-  The  picture  deals 
to  some  extent  with  the  Soviet  form  of 
government  and  is  intended  to  create  strife 
between  capital  and  labor,  according  to  a 
Topeka,  Kas.,  staff  correspondent's  story  in 
the  Kansas  City  Star. 

The  picture  formerly  was  refused  admit- 


tance to  the  state  by  Ex-Governor  Allen  and 
was  not  permitted  to  come  into  the  state 
until  a  short  time  ago  by  Governor  Davis. 
It  was  scheduled  to  be  shown  Sunday  in 
Pittsburg,  Kas.,  in  the  high  school  auditor- 
ium, under  the  auspices  of  some  of  the  labor 
organizations. 


Jerome  Casper  is  one  cf  the  most  pro- 
gressive exhibitors  in  Pittsburgh.  He  is 
always  keen  to  take  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  that  lends  itself  to  produc- 
tive   e  x  p  1  o  i  tation    and  showmanship. 

Luigi  Romanelli  Honored 

Lugi  Romanelli,  for  years  the  director  of 
the  orchestra  at  the  Allen  Theatre,  Toronto, 
had  the  honor  of  being  commanded  by  H. 
R.  H,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  to  play  for  the 
dances  which  were  held  at  the  York  Club, 
Toronto,  and  a  Strathrobyn  House  during 
the  visit  of  His  Royal  Highness  to  Toronto 
on  October  13  to  16.  The  Prince  personal!" 
complimented  Mr.  Romanelli  for  his  orches- 
tral programmes  and  presented  him  with  a 
souvenir  of  the  occasion. 

*  *  * 

Bogus  Tickets  Cause  Trouble 

An  investigation  has  been  opened  by  the 
Provincial  Treasurer  of  Ontario,  Col.  W.  H 
Price,  K.  C,  Toronto,  into  the  sale  of  fraudu- 
lent admission  tax  tickets  to  theatre  patrons 
in  a  number  of  towns  in  Western  Ontario, 
following  the  discovery  that  numerous  ex- 
hibitors had  been  unwittingly  using  spurious 
tickets  which  bore  the  wording  "Amuse- 
ment Tax  Five  Cents"  along  with  a  Govern- 
ment seal.  The  theatre  men  had  bought  the 
tax  tickets  in  good  faith  but  their  origin  is 
a  mystery. 

*  *  * 
Shuberts  in  St.  Louis 

Representatives  of  the  Shubert  theatrical 
interests  are  expected  to  arrive  in  St.  Louis 
during  the  next  few  days  to  close  a  deal 
for  a  down-town  site  in  which  they  propose 
to  construct  a  new  theatre  and  hotel  build- 
ing. Three  sites  are  also  under  consideration 
for  this  house  one  of  them  being  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Twelfth  Boulevard  and 
Olive  just  one  block  south  of  the  present 
Shubert-Jefferson  Theatre. 

Until  recently  the  Shuberts  were  consider- 


ing a  Grand  boulevard  location  for  their  new 
house,  but  the  remarkable  success  of  the 
Loew's  State  Theatre  has  caused  a  decided 
revision  in  their  plans  it  is  said. 

*  #  ❖ 

Another  for  Bob  Wilby 

Bob  Wilby,  well  known  exhibitor  operating 
theatres  in  Tuscaloosa,  Selma  and  Birming- 
ham, Alabama,  has  secured  the  lease  on  the 
Al  amo  No.  1  Theatre  on  Peachtree  street 
formerly  operated  by  Adolph  Samuels  and 
managed  by  Sol  Samuels  for  a  number  of 
years. 

The  change  becomes  effective  January  1st, 
1925  and  it  is  understood  that  the  rental 
is  to  be  $15,000  per  year.  It  is  also  rumored 
that  H.  F.  Kincey,  who  is  now  associated 
with  Mr.  Wilby  in  Selma,  will  be  transferred 
to  Atlanta  as  manager  of  the  house.  Mr. 
Kincey  was  formerly  with  Southern  Enter- 
prises. 

*  #  * 

Death  Calls  Harry  Cope 

The  death  in  Cartersville,  Ga.  last  week 
of  Harry  G.  Cope,  came  as  a  distinct  shock 
to  the  film  fraternity.  Mr.  Cope,  one  of  the 
youngest  and  most  enterprising  exhibitors 
of  the  state  has  for  several  years  operated 
a  picture  theatre  in  Cartersville. 

He  was  athletic  coach  at  the  Howard  Uni- 
versity, Birmingham,  Alabama,  and  six 
members  of  the  football  squad  acted  as  pall- 
bearers. 

*  *  * 

Fire  Threatens  Theatres 

Two  theatres  in  northern  New  York  had 
narrow  escapes  from  flames  the  past  week. 
Fire  broke  out  in  the  booth  at  the  Elite 
theatre  in  Theresa,  a  house  owned  and  oper- 
ated by  Charles  G.  Henry,  at  the  close  of  the 
first  show.  Seven  reels  of  film  were  de- 
stroyed. The  flames  were  extinguished  by 
chemicals  before  the  firemen  arrived. 

Fire  was  discovered  in  the  basement  of 
the  Opera  House  in  Ogdensburg,  by  John 
Beauchamp,  the  watchman.  The  house  was 
packed  at  the  time.  The  flames  were  ex- 
tinguished without  the  knowledge  of  the 
crowd. 

3£      :Je  % 

Can't  Escape  'Em 

L.  B.  Tefft,  an  exhibitor  in  Berlin,  N.  Y, 
finds  it  difficult  to  escape  the  film  salesmen 
these  days.  This  week,  Mr.  Tefft  found  it 
necessary  to  re-shingle  his  barn,  but  even 
then  he  was  unable  to  escape  the  clutches  of 
Jimmy  Rose,  of  the  Pathe  exchange  in  Al- 
bany. 

Jimmy  located  his  customer,  scaled  the 
ladder,  and  perched  upon  the  ridge  of  the 
roof,  not  only  talked  film  to  Mr.  Tefft,  but 
succeeded  in  landing  his  contract. 

*    *  * 
Buffalo  Style  Show 

The  fall  fashion  show  staged  the  past  week 
in  Shea's  Hippodrome  was  the  finest  Buffalo 
has  ever  seen.  It  was  an  artistic  triumph 
and  drew  overflow  audiences  to  the  Hipp 
afternoon  and  evening.  Much  effort  was  put 
on  the  production  end  of  the  show  and 
thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  new  fashions 
were  displayed  on  beautiful  models. 

So  beautiful  were  the  models  in  fact  that 
we  noticed  members  of  the  orchestra  wore 
smoked  glasses  so  as  not  to  be  detracted 
from  their  music. 

It  is  also  reported  that  George  Nash,  as- 
sistant manager,  was  found  back  stage  on 
several  occasions. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  33 


\Y.  E.  Life  Progressive 

W.  E.  Life,  manager  of  the  Community 
Theatre  in  Sherrill,  believes  in  running  his 
house  on  businesslike  lines  and  is  making 
a  success  of  it. 

Recently,  Mr.  Life,  in  booking  the  "Chron- 
icles of  America",  connected  up  with  the 
schools  in  his  city,  by  ascertaining  the  section 
of  history  being  studied  and  endeavoring  t  > 
book  the  historical  incidents  that  would  fit 
in  with  the  studies  of  the  school  children. 


Junior  Movies  a  Success 

The  first  of  the  Junior  Movies  to  be  held 
in  Albany  this  fall  took  place  Saturday  morn- 
ing at  the  Mark  Strand  theatre  in  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  with  an  attendance  of  children  that 
jammed  the  house  to  its  doors.  "The 
Covered  Wagon"  was  the  attraction. 

These  movies  have  been  held  in  the  Capitol 
City  for  the  past  two  or  three  winters  and 
have  afforded  the  children  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  many  pictures  at  an  extremely  low 
price  of  admission.  Mrs.  Frank  Clark  will 
again  have  supervision  over  the  programs. 


Round  Table  Briefs 

The  new  Ritz  Theatre  at  Forth  Worth, 
Texas,  recently  opened  under  the  capable 
management  of  Sam  Bullman. 


The  City  of  Beegs,  Oklahoma,  will  have 
Sunday  shows.  The  question  was  finally 
settled  when  Mayor  A.  Jones  announced  his 
veto  of  the  ordinance  closing  Sunday  shows 
which  was  passed  recently  by  the  city  council. 
The  manager  of  the  Cimea  Theatre  reports 
very  good  business. 

The  Beeson  Theatre,  Dodge  City,  Kan., 
has  been  leased  by  W.  H.  Harpole,  manager 
of  the  Crown  Theatre,  that  city,  until  No- 
vember, 1923. 

♦  *      ♦  & 

The  new  Campbell  Theatre,  Denton,  Texas, 
has  been  leased  and  will  be  operated  under 
the  management  of  G.  Campbell. 


Manager  J.  G.  VonHerberg,  of  Seattle, 
has  booked  Julian  Eltinge  for  his  female 
impersonation  act  throughout  the  North- 
west, on  the  famous  impersonator's  fare- 
well tour  of  America.    The  booking  will 


bring  Mr.  Eltinge  to  Seattle  where  he  will 
appear  at  the  Coliseum  on  October  25th. 
He  will  be  the  highest  priced  artist  ever  to 
appear  on  a  local  motion  picture  theatre 
stage. 

*  *  * 

The  New  motion  picture  theatre,  Lancaster, 
Ky.,  will  open  its  doors  in  a  few  weeks  with 
motion  pictures  as  the  opening  policy. 

*  *  * 

Benjamin  W.  Fey,  who  recently  return- 
ed to  Seattle  after  a  three  months'  trip 
East,  has  leased  a  new  house  in  Renton, 
Wash.,  which  will  be  completed  in  No- 
vember. Joe  Organo  is  building  the 
house.  Mr.  Fey  formerly  owned  the 
Madison  theatre,  Seattle. 


Joe  Bratt,  formerly  of  Portland,  has  been 
named  manager  of  the  New  Capitol  Theatre 
which  opened  last  week  in  Olympia,  Wash. 
It  is  owned  by  Zable  and  Wilson. 

.  #i  ♦ 

The  Northwest  Film  Board  of  Trade,  of 
Seattle,  has  issued  letters  to  all  exhibitors 
in  the  Northwest,  asking  cooperation  in  its 
effort  to  stamp  out  all  but  honest  adver- 
tising in  connection  with  pictures  shown. 
This  is  in  line  with  the  policies  of  the  Hays 
organization. 

*  ^  ^ 

B.  B.  Vivian,  owner  of  houses  in  Ana- 
cortes  and  Mount  Vernon,  Wash.,  secured 
Andy  Ward  and  his  Band  for  a  week's  en- 
gagement playing  between  the  two  towns. 
So  delighted  were  fans,  that  a  second  week's 
engagement  proved  necessary.  Mr.  Vivian 
is  there  when  it  comes  to  the  live  stuff.  Andy 
Ward  played  a  long  engagement  at  the 
Seattle  Blue  House  last  summer. 

$    $  $ 

Manager  McKee  of  the  Heilig  Theatre  put 
on  a  big  advertising  campaign  combined  with 
effective  use  of  trailers  on  "The  Man  Who 
Came  Back"  with  the  result  that  a  second 
week's  run  was  made  necessary  by  the  busi- 
ness done  at  the  box-office. 

*  *  * 

Sig  Samuels,  owner  of  the  Metropolitan, 
Atlanta,  is  back  from  an  extended  trip  to 
Europe. 

*  *  * 

Spiro  Ford  has  purchased  the  Bijou  Thea- 
tre in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  from  A.  E.  Van 
Croix.    Mr.  Ford,  who  is  in  the  confection- 


ery business  in  the  Chautauqua  county  city, 
plans  to  remodel  and  rename  the  house  in 
the  near  future. 


Richard  Ullman,  son  of  Frederick  Ullman, 
owner  of  the  Elmwood  theatre,  has  won  the 
song  writing  competition  staged  by  the  Junior 
League  of  Buffalo.  Richard  is  one  of  Buf- 
falo's most  talented  musicians. 


When  Jim  Savage  of  the  Buffalo  Uni- 
versal sales  staff  went  into  the  Colonial 
theatre  the  other  night  he  slipped  on  the  floor 
and  fractured  one  of  his  ribs.  Manager  Joe 
Schuchert,  Jr.,  better  spread  cinders  on  the 
floor. 

*    *  * 

Miss  Violet  Carselle  is  another  one  of 
Georgia's  enterprising  women  exhibitors,  con- 
ducting the  only  theatre  in  Commerce,  Ga. 


Arthur  Lucas,  of  Atlanta,  well  known  thea- 
tre and  film  man,  owner  of  the  Atlanta  Edu- 
cational exchange,  suffered  a  fire  loss  in  his 
residence  in  Atlanta  last  week. 


Lolita  Savini,  possessor  of  a  voice  of  rare 
quality  and  power,  and  incidentally  the  sister 
of  Bob  Savini,  of  Savini  Films,  will  spend 
the  winter  in  Boston  studying  under  Hub- 
bard, of  the  Boston  Conservatory  of  Music. 
Miss  Savini  has  been  in  Boston  several 
months  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  R.  N.  Campbell. 


W.  A.  Wilkinson,  assistant  to  C.  C.  Petti- 
john,  was  a  guest  of  honor  at  the  last  weekly 
luncheon  of  the  Atlanta  Film  Board  of 
Trade. 


D.  B.  Dixon,  formerly  manager  of  the 
Strand  Theatre,  at  Winder,  Ga.,  has  concen- 
trated his  efforts  in  Lawrenceville,  Ga.,  since 
he  surrendered  the  management  of  the 
Winder  house  to  his  aunt,  Mrs.  A.  F.  Carselle. 


The  longest  projection  throw  in  all  Canada, 
175  feet,  which  is  found  at  the  Auditorium 
Theatre,  Ottawa,  is  in  charge  of  two  well- 
known  Ottawa  operators,  those  appointed  to 
the  job  being  William  Lane,  business  agent 
of  the  Ottawa  Local,  and  Mike  Ventura. 
There  was  considerable  competition  for  the 
honor. 


The  management  of  the  Criterion  Theatre,  Los  Angeles,  had  the  ushers  "specially  dressed"  for  the  formal  opening  of  the  theatre. 
Judging  from  the  police  reserves  that  are  parading  the  streets,  the  idea  was  a  good  one  for  the  crowd  fought  its  way  to  gain 
admission  to  the  theatre.    This  photo  was  taken  in  front  of  the  theatre  when  Warner  Bros.  "Three  Women,"  was  the  attraction- 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


A  Pullman  car  has  been  moved  on  the 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  lot  at  Culver  City, 
where  it  is  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
filming  of  "Excuse  Me,"  the  Rupert  Hughes 
comedy  now  in  preparation  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Alf  Goulding.  This  well  known 
stage  success  is  probably  Rupert  Hughes' 
most  successful  play,  and  most  of  the  scenes 
take  place  on  a  trans-continental  train. 


"East  of  Suez",  chosen  as  Pola  Negri's 
next  starring  picture  for  Paramount,  will  go 
into  production  next  week.  Raoul  Walsh  will 
produce  the  film  which  has  been  adapted  by 
Sada  Cowan  from  Somerset  Maugham's 
novel  of  Oriental  life.  The  cast  announce- 
ment will  be  made  in  a  few  days. 


"Contraband,"  Alan  Crosland's  new  pro- 
duction, will  begin  in  the  Paramount  studio 
next  week.  The  screen  play  was  prepared 
by  Jack  Cunningham  from  the  novel  of  the 
same  name  by  Clarence  Buddington  Kelland. 
No  announcement  of  the  featured  players  has 
yet  been  made. 


Marjorie  Daw  is  back  in  New  York,  having 
cut  short  her  sojourn  in  Europe  in  order  to 
play  the  leading  woman  role  in  two  Vita- 
graph  pictures.  While  abroad  she  took  part 
in  the  production  of  two  pictures,  much  of 
the  work  on  which  was  done  in  Paris. 


"Lord  Chumley,"  co-directed  by  Paul  Iribe 
and  Frank  Urson,  was  brought  to  a  conclu- 
sion in  the  Paramount  studio  a  few  days 
ago.  Viola  Dana,  Raymond  Griffith,  Theo- 
dore Roberts,  Cyril  Chadwick  and  Anna  May 
Wong  are  featured  in  this  adaptation  by  Ber- 
tram Millhouser  of  the  famous  Belasco- 
Henry  C.  De  Mille  stage  comedy. 


Frances  Agnew,  widely  known  New  York 
newspaper  woman  who  for  years  has  been 
Hollywood  representative  of  the  New  York 
Morning  Telegram,  has  been  added  to  the 
scenario  department  of  the  Paramount  west 
coast  studio.  Miss  Agnew  returned  recently 
from  a  tour  of  Europe  during  which  she 
visited  all  the  overseas  studios  and  made  a 
close  study  of  foreign  production  and  dis- 
tribution methods. 

*    *  * 

October  8  saw  the  start  of  production 
work  on  "The  Pearls  of  The  Madonna"  at 
the  Vitagraph  studios  in  Hollywood.  J. 
Stuart  Blackton  is  directing.  The  picture 
will  be  an  adaptation  of  L.  V.  Jefferson's 
colorful  novel  of  Parisian  life.  Marian  Con- 
stance has  just  finished  the  continuity  and 
the  cast  is  now  almost  complete. 


The  Associated  Exhibitors  announce  this 
week  that  the  "movies"  have  captured  a 
French  Ace. 

The  "captive"  is  none  other  than  Captain 
Nungesser,  the  famous  "Ace  of  Aces"  of 
the  French  Army  who  has  been  officially 
accredited  with  bringing  down  one  hundred 
and  five  German  aeroplanes  in  action. 


Milton  Sills  will  continue  to  be  featured  in 
First  National's  own  productions  for  some 
time  to  come.  He  has  been  engaged  under 
a  new  agreement  which  Earl  Hudson,  in 
charge  of  First  National  Productions,  Inc., 
announces  will  run  for  a  term  of  years. 


"The  No-Gun  Man,"  adapted  from  an 
original  story  by  Dorothy  Arzner  and  Paul 
Gangelin,  the  second  of  the  Harry  Garson 
productions  starring  "Lefty"  Flynn,  went  into 
production  at  the  F.  B.  O.  studios  this  week. 


Norma  Talmadge  and  Eugene  O'Brien  rest  after  making  a    scene    in    "The  Only 
Woman"  for  First  National.    They  are  having  a  chat  with  Montague  Glass,  director 
Sidney  Olcott  and  Alexander  Carr  of  "Potash  and  Perlmutter"  fame. 


Four  new  Warner  Bros,  productions,  of 
the  1924-25  product,  have  just  been  started  in 
the  company's  studios  on  the  West  Coast. 
They  are  "The  Bridge  of  Sighs,"  by  Charles 
K.  Harris ;  "The  Man  Without  a  Conscience," 
from  a  celebrated  Hungarian  novel;  "How 
Baxter  Butted  In,"  by  Owen  Davis ;  and 
"The  Broadway  Butterfly,"  by  Pearl  Keating. 


"Parisian  Nights"  will  be  the  colorful  title 
of  Gothic  Pictures  next  special  to  be  dis- 
tributed by  Film  Booking  Offices,  according 
to  advices  from  Lou  Baum,  Gothics'  president 
who  makes  his  headquarters  at  the  F.  B.  0. 
studios  in  Hollywood. 


Eva  Novak  has  been  signed  by  Abe  Carlos 
to  appear  opposite  Richard  Talmadge  in 
"Hail  the  Hero,"  his  next  comedy  drama  for 
Film  Booking  Offices.  Others  in  the  cast  are 
Joseph  Girard,  Joseph  Harrington  and  Stan- 
hope Wheatcroft.  James  Wesley  Home,  who 
directed  the  Stunt  King  in  "American  Man- 
ners" is  serving  in  a  like  capacity  on  the  new 
production. 


Sid  Allen,  played  the  role  of  "Uncle  Hugh- 
ey"  in  the  original  stage  production  of  "The 
Virginian"  years  ago.  When  Kenneth  Har- 
lan made  the  screen  version  Allen  was 
brought  to  the  Coast  to  work  in  the  picture. 
Recently  Mack  Sennett  has  completed  a  bur- 
lesque of  this  famous  stage  play  starring 
Ben  Turpin  entitled,  "The  Reel  Virginian," 
and  Allen  was  cast  for  the  same  role  in  the 
Pathe  burlesque  as  he  did  in  the  legitimate 
stage  performance. 


Pathe  will  release  this  week  a  two-reel  pro- 
duction based  on  the  famous  H.  Grindell- 
Matthews  "Death  Ray"  discovery.  The  pic- 
ture was  made  with  the  assistance  of  the 
French  Army. 


Charles  Ray  is  getting  ready  for  his  second 
pioduction  under  the  Pathe-Ince  banner.  So 
far  no  defrnit(f title  hasTjeen  set  for  rfie  pro- 
duction. 


Harold  Lloyd's  latest  comedy  "Hot  Water" 
will  be  released  in  November.  The  first 
cities  to  play  it  will  be  New  York,  Chicago, 
Detroit  and  Los  Angeles.  Recently  the  com- 
edian received  a  letter  from  Prince  Peter 
and  Princesses  Sophie,  Eugenie  and  Cecile 
of  Greece,  congratulating  him  on  the  birth 
of  his  daughter  Gloria  Mildred. 


Estelle  Taylor's  vacation  is  over.  The 
popular  star  has  finally  succumbed  to  one  of 
the  many  attractive  offers  she  has  received 
since  she  has  been  "doing"  New  York  for  the 
first  time  in  five  years. 

Advices  from  New  York  say  that  Estelle  i 
has  signed  to  star  in  "Playthings  of  Desire," 
to  be  produced  by  Jans  Productions  under 
the  direction  of  Burton  King. 


November  8,  1924 


Shooting  a  scene  in  "Is  Love  Everything"  for  Associated  Exhibitors.  The  orchestra 
across  the  garden  is  playing  sweet  anthems  to  make  the  stars  emote  properly. 


The  first  of  Harry  Langdon's  third  series 
of  comedies  for  Pathe  will  be  released  No. 
9.  The  title  of  the  picture  is  "All  Night 
Long,"  and  is  in  two  reels. 


Bob  McGowan,  the  director  of  Hal  Roach's 
rascals  in  "Our  Gang"  comedies  for  Pathe, 
has  signed  a  contract  for  five  years.  Little 
Farina  was  jubilant  over  the  news  as  the 
little  pickaninny  will  not  have  to  teach  a  new 
director  her  idea  of  the  English  language,  as 
it  -is  spoken.  Whenever  Farina  says  "where 
you  is?"    McGowan  knows  she  means  him. 

5{s  sf: 

The  Patheserial  "Into  the  Net,"  written 
by  Richard  E.  Enright  and  produced  by  Mal- 
colm Strauss,  has  made  every  police  chief 
in  the  country  ambitious.  Most  of  them 
complain  that  they  haven't  a  force  the  size 
of  New  York's.  Edna  Murphy  and  Jack 
Mulhall  carry  the  feature  role  in  this  pro- 
duction which  was  directed  by  George  B. 
Seitz. 

"Isn't  Life  Wonderful?"  is  the  colorful 
title  D.  W.  Griffith  finally  has  given  to  his 
new  production  for  which  he  went  to  Ger- 
many to  take  the  exterior  scenes. 

The  story  has  developed  into  nine  reels 
under  the  working  title  of  "The  Dawn." 


Alec  B.  Francis  will  finish  work  in  the 
George  Fitzmaurice  production,  "A  Thief  in 
Paradise,"  within  the  next  ten  days.  Francis 
has  just  signed  a  contract  to  play  the  princi- 
pal role  in  "The  Bridge  of  Sighs,"  an  origi- 
nal story  by  Hope  Loring  and  Louise  Leigh- 
ton,  which  will  be  produced  by  Warner 
Brothers. 

*       H:  * 

"Cut"  was  pronounced  by  Director  Irving 
Cummings  last  week  at  the  United  Studios 
on  the  last  scene  of  "As  Man  Desires"  in 
which  Milton  Sills  figures. 

Sills  is  making  preparations  to  leave  for 
New  York,  for  his  first  Eastern  picture  en- 
gagement since  he  settled  in  Hollywood  di- 
rectly following  the  signing  of  the  armistice. 

Herbert  Rawlinson,  Earle  Williams,  and 
Clara  Bow  have  been  engaged  for  Howard 
Estabrook's  latest  picture  for  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors. 

The  players  are  enroute  to  New  York  and 
production  will  begin  this  week  at  the  Tec- 
Art  Studios. 


With  the  filming  of  period  dance-hall 
scenes,  production  on  the  Emerson  Hough 
Paramount  picture,  "North  of  36",  is  on  the 
final  lap  of  completion. 

Part  of  the  company,  which  is  headed  by 
Irvin  Willat,  recently  returned  from  the 
Miller  Brothers'  101  ranch  in  Oklahoma 
where  many  scenes  of  a  buffalo  stampede 
were  photographed. 

Colleen  Moore  will  soon  bid  farewell  to 
the  most  arduous,  the  most  fascinating  and 
the  most  human  role  she  has  ever  portrayed 
on  the  screen — that  of  Selina  Peake  Dejong 
in  First  National's  picturization  of  Edna 
Ferber's  best-seller  novel,  "So  Big."  She  has 
been  working  hard  for  the  past  ten  weeks 
on  this  production  and,  while  looking  for- 
ward to  her  part  in  June  Mathis'  "Bobbed 
Hair,"  nevertheless  regrets  that  "So  Big"  is 
nearly  done. 


The  second  Gothic  special,  to  follow 
"Vanity's  Price,"  recently  released  by  Film 
Booking  Offices  will  go  into  production  at 
the  F.  B.  O.  studios  in  Hollywood  next  week 
under  the  direction  of  Al  Santell. 

*    *  * 

Tom  Forman's  fine  directorial  handling  of 
Harry  Carey  in  "Roaring  Rails"  and  "The 
Flaming  Forties"  the  two  recent  Hunt  Strom- 
berg  productions  has  resulted  in  Stromberg 
signing  a  long  term  contract  with  porman 
for  the  direction  of  Harry  Carey,  PrisciTia 
Dean  and  other  Stromberg  productions,  to  be 
released  by  Producers  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion. 


Page  35 

The  cast  of  the  second  of  the  series  of 
Gerson  Pictures,  starring  Richard  Holt  and 
being  made  under  the  direction  of  Duke 
Worne,  has  been  completed.  The  picture 
will  be  released  under  the  title  "Too  Much 
Youth,"  and  in  addition  to  Richard  Holt, 
who  has  the  lead,  the  supporting  players  are 
Sylvia  Breamer,  who  has  just  recently  com- 
pleted a  number  of  starring  vehicles  of  her 
own  for  First  National,  Charles  K.  French, 
Harris  Gordon,  Walter  Perry,  Joseph  Creigh- 
ton  Belmont,  Eric  Mayne. 

*  *  * 

J.  K.  McDonald  has  selected  "Wife  No.  2" 
as  the  permanent  title  of  his  new  production 
for  First  National  release  which  has  hitherto 
been  referred  to  by  its  tentative  title,  "Frivo- 
lous Sal."  It  is  from  a  story  by  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald and  is  being  directed  by  Victor 
Schertzinger.  Photography  is  nearing  com- 
pletion. 

*  *  # 

Another  big  stage  play  has  been  secured 
for  release  by  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration in  1925,  in  the  purchase  of  "The 
Awful  Truth"  the  Charles  Frohman  produc- 
tion in  which  Ina  Claire  created  a  sensation 
last  season. 


With. 'the  signing  of  Wanda  Hawley  for 
the  leading  role  opposite  Pat  O'Malley  in 
"On  The  Shelf"  production  work  on  this 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation  release 
was  started  at  the  Peninsula  Studios  in  San 
Mateo  this  week  under  the  supervision  of 
Frank  Woods. 


Mike  Donlin,  famous  Giant  outfielder  of 
former  days  and  motion  picture  actor  of  pro- 
nounced merit  for  the  past  six  or  eight  years, 
has  been  added  to  the  Lefty  Flynn  cast  in 
"The  No-Gun  Man."  The  leading  woman 
has  not  yet  been  chosen. 

*    *  * 

The  Fred  Thomson  company  is  on  loca- 
tion shooting  the  last  of  the  bull  fight  scenes 
for  the  F,  B.  O.  star's  first  picture,  under 
his  new  eight-picture  contract,  titled  "Thun- 
dering Hoofs."  Thomson's  popular  horse, 
Silver  King,  has  a  featured  place  on  the 
coast. 


Pathe's  latest  serial  featuring  Allene  Ray 
is  entitled  "Ten  Scars  Make  a  Man."  If  you 
say  it  real  fast  it  sounds  like  an  ad  -for  a 
new  smoke. 


Lunch  time  on  location  during  the  filming  of  "Ten  Scars  Make  a  Man"  for  Pathe. 
Allene  Ray  is  receiving  her  mess  kit  while  the  rest  of  the  hungry  gang  lineup  for  a 
handout.    Note  the  tall  cowboy    giving    the    bottle    of    milk    the    once  over. 


Page  36 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


"THE  SNOB"  HEAVY 

DRAMA  WELL  ACTED 

Adaptation  of  Novel  Makes  an  Inter- 
esting Entertainment 

"THE  SNOB."  A  Metro-Goldwyn-Maycr 
Production.  Based  on  the  novel  by  Helen 
R.  Martin.  Adapted  and  directed  by  Monta 
Bell.    Length,  6,513  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Eugene  Curry    John  Gilbert 

Nancy  Claxton    Norma  Shearer 

Her  rick  Appleton   Conrad  Nagel 

Dorothy  Rensheimer    Phyllis  Haver 

Mrs.   Leiter    Hedda  Hopper 

Mrs.  Curry    Margaret  Seddon 

Lottie    Aileen  Manning 

Florence    Hazel  Kennedy 

Because  of  a  scandal  culminating  in  her  father's 
death,  Nancy  Claxton  disappears  from  her  circle  and 
becomes  a  school  teacher.  Herrick  Appleton  her  art 
student  lover,  failing  as  an  artist,  becomes  an  in- 
structor in  a  private  school.  Here  he  meets  Eugene 
Curry,  a  social  climber,  who  plans  to  marry  wealth 
and  position  in  the  person  of  Dorothy  Rensheimer. 
Meantime  Curry  confides  to  Appleton  that  a  young 
teacher  of  no  position  wants  to  marry  him.  He 
marries  this  girl  believing  she  will  die.  But,  much 
to  his  indignation  she  recovers.  It  turns  out  that 
the  young  teacher  is  Nancy,  with  whom  Appleton  is 
still  in  love.  Curry  continues  his  affair  with  Dorothy, 
treating  his  wife  shamefully.  Finally  she  denounces 
him  to  Appleton,  just  as  her  husband  has  discovered 
that  she  is  amazingly  wealthy.  His  attitude  changes, 
but  to  no  avail.  The  final  intimation  is  that  she  will 
divorce  Curry  and  marry  Appleton. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

A  N  interesting  story  has  been  offered 
combined  with  fine  acting  and  direction 
to  make  an  excellent  photo-drama.  Where 
people  like  the  somewhat  heavy  entertain- 
ment provided  by  straight  drama  of  tragic 
nature.  "The  Snob,"  should  be  very  well  re- 
ceived. 

The  novel  by  Helen  R.  Martin  proved  it- 
self popular  reading,  and  the  many  people 
who  found  enjoyment  in  its  pages  will  come 
to  see  the  picture.  The  cast  is  exceptionally 
competent,  and  contains  names  which  will 
assuredly  draw  additional  patronage. 

The  story  abounds  in  dramatic  situations 
from  the  murder  of  Nancy's  father  in  a 
drunken  brawl,  to  her  denunciation  of  the 
snob  whom  she  has  unfortunately  married. 
In  the  latter  scene  the  three  characters  pres- 
ent are  Eugene,  played  by  John  Gilbert, 
Nancy  Claxton,  played  by  Norma  Shearer 
and  Herrick  Appleton  played  by  Conrad  Na- 
gel, and  each  of  the  actors  displays  a  high 
order  of  histronic  talent. 

John  Gilbert's  characterization  of  "The 
Snob,"  is  as  fine  a  bit  as  he  has  ever  done, 
and  Conrad  Nagel  is  more  than  satisfying  as 
the  constant  lover.  The  rest  of  the  players 
do  ample  justice  to  their  roles,  and  a  special 
word  of  appreciation  is  deserved  by  Phyllis 
Haver  and  Hedda  Hopper. 

If  there  is  any  fault  to  be  found,  it  is  in 
the  absence  of  sufficient  comedy  relief.  The 
general  tone  of  the  photo-drama  is  sombre 
and  tragic.  Only  at  the  end  is  there  an  in- 
dication that  happiness  awaits  the  heroine  in 
the  love  of  her  girlhood  sweetheart. 

However  the  tale  is  absorbing,  and  suf- 
ficiently true  to  life  to  hold  the  attention  of 
any  audience.  It  might  be  wise  for  exhib- 
itors showing  the  picture  to  include  some 
rollicking  comedy  in  the  program. 

The  title  is  good,  and  may  be  used  as  one 
of  the  mediums  through  which  the  picture 
may  be  exploited.  Cooperation  with  news- 
papers through  which  pass  prizes  may  be 
given  for  letters  giving  the  best  examples 
of  snobbery  will  attract  attention.  The  art 
student  atmosphere  may  be  used  in  prolog  or 
presentation— the  ushers  dressed  in  smocks 
and  so  on.  Another  angle  for  contests  would 
be  essays  on  the  advisibility  of  marrying  for 
money  or  social  position  rather  than  for  love. 


LOTS  OF  ACTION 

IN  "MANHATTAN" 

Thrilling    Battles    in    Richard  Dix's 
Latest  Vehicle 

"MANHATTAN."  A  Paramount  Picture. 
Based  on  "The  Definite  Object"  by  Jeffery 
Farnol.  Scenario  by  Paul  Sloane  and 
Frank  W.  Tuttle.  Director,  R.  H.  Burn- 
side.    Length.  6,415  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Peter  Minuit    Richard  Dix 

Mary   Jacqueline  Logan 

Spike    Gregory  Kelly 

Bud  McGinnis    George  Seigman 

Joe  Madden    Gunboat  Smith 

Brimerton    Oscar  Figman 

Mrs.  Trapes    Edna  Mae  Oliver 

Peter  Minuit,  last  descendant  of  the  Peter  Minuit 
who  bought  Manhattan  from  the  Indians,  seeks  ro- 
mance and  adventure.  Assuming  the  name  of 
"Gentleman  George,"  notorious  safe  cracker,  he  be- 
comes involved  with  members  of  a  Hell's  Kitchen 
gang  dominated  by  the  brutal  Bud  McGinnis,  He 
finds  plenty  ot  adventure,  and  the  romantic  element 
is  taken  care  of  by  Mary,  sister  of  an  embryo  gang- 
man.  After  many  thrilling  battles  he  returns  to  his 
Fifth  Avenue  residence  with  Mary  as  "the  future 
Mrs.  Minuit." 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

'"THERE  is  good  entertainment  value  in 
•  "Manhattan,"  and  no  showman  need 
hesitate  to  promise  his  patrons  a  satisfactory 
evening's  pleasure.  The  story  is  slender,  but 
very  well  told,  and  the  personality  of  the 
star  will  help  very  materially. 

There  are  some  good  comedy  touches,  and 
a  couple  of  cracker-jack  fights.  Foremost 
among  these  is  the  final  battle  between 
George  Seigman,  as  the  vicious  McGinnis, 
master  gunman,  and  Richard  Dix,  as  the 
sporting  scion  of  an  old  family.  This  looks 
like  a  real  battle,  and  it  would  seem  that 
the  practice  bouts  between  Dix,  and  that 
near-champion  "Gunboat"  Smith,  stood  the 
hero  in  good  stead. 

The  fight  is  the  climax  of  the  picture,  but 
there  are  a  number  of  other  scenes  almost 
equally  thrilling.  One  of  these  is  the  mal- 
treatment of  the  terrified  "Spike"  by  Mc- 
Ginnis. George  Seigman  is  convincing  in  one 
of  the  brutal  roles  he  has  made  famous,  and 
George  Kelly  offers  a  masterful  characteriza- 
tion as  the  boy  who  is  dominated  by  the  head 
gangster  through  fear  of  a  "frame-up." 

The  comedy  put  over  on  McGinnis  by 
"Gentleman  George"  will  get  a  laugh  any- 
where, as  will  the  shot  of  Dix  reclining  on 
a  cloud  playing  a  lyre  after  he  is  "socked  on 
the  nut,"  as  "Spike"  says,  by  one  of  the  gang. 
There  is  also  great  appeal  in  the  scenes 
showing  Dix  entertaining  the  tenement  kids 
with  a  ventriloquist's  dummy.  All  in  all 
there  are  as  many  laughs  as  there  are  thrills. 

Jacqueline  Logan  is  very  sweet  in  the 
role  of  Mary,  and  special  mention  goes  to 
Edna  Mae  Oliver,  as  Mrs.  Trapes,  the  widow 
with  whom  Peter  boards,  under  his  alias  of 
"Gentleman  George."  James  Bradbury,  as 
Peter's  trainer  makes  much  of  a  small  bit. 
His  facial  expressions  as  he  acts  as  referee 
during  a  friendly  bout  between  Peter  and 
Joe  Madden  mark  him  as  a  master-mummer. 

Exploit  the  cast  and  title,  and  don't  for- 
get to  tell  folks  about  the  fight  between  Dix 
and  Seigman.  As  the  locale  of  the  picture 
is  "Manhattan,"  a  simple  but  effective  prolog 
would  be  one  introducing  the  old  songs  of 
New  York — "East  Side,  West  Side" — etc.  If 
you  care  to  dress  up  your  ushers  for  the 
showing,  garb  them  in  the  caps,  sweaters, 
and  so  on  of  the  thugs  depicted  in  the  photo- 
play. 


NORMA  TALMADGE 

GAINS  NEW  LAURELS 

Popular  Star  Reaches  New  Height  in 
"The  Only  Woman" 

"THE  ONLY  WOMAN."  First  National 
Photoplay.  Author,  C.  Gardner  Sullivan. 
Director,  Sidney  Olcott.  Length  6,770  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Helen  Brinsley    Norma  Talmadge 

Rex  Harrington    Eugene  O'Brien 

"Fighting  Jerry"  Harrington    Edwards  Davis 

William  Brinsley    Winter  Hall 

Ole  Hanson    Matthew  Betz 

Rodney  Blake    E.  H.  Calvert 

Captain    Murdock  McQuarrie 

Minister    Rev.  Neal  Dodd 

"Fighting  Jerry"  Harrington  forces  the  marriage 
of  his  drunken  son,  Rex  to  Helen  through  black- 
mailing her  father,  William  Brinsley.  The  couple  go 
abroad,  and  Helen  is  most  unhappy  because  of  Rex's 
debauchery.  Their  yacht  is  wrecked.  Only  they  two 
and  a  brutish  sailor  survive.  To  protect  Helen  Rex 
kills  the  sailor  m  a  terrific  combat.  Rescued  and  re- 
turned to  New  York,  Rex,  repentent,  offers  Helen 
freedom.  She  believes  in  his  reformation  and  declines. 
The  future  looks  happy. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 
§  IDNEY  OLCOTT,  Norma  Talmadge 
and  Eugene  O'Brien  have  done  it  again. 
What  could  be  expected  from  this  trinity  but 
a  picture  that  would  form  a  double  line  be- 
fore any  ticket  office !  "The  Only  Woman" 
will  make  money  with  any  type  of  audience. 

It  is  an  exceptionally  strong  dramatic  ve- 
hicle, well  played  by  a  cast  of  unusual  merit. 
The  story  itself  is  replete  with  thrills  and 
every  imaginable  interest  angle.  And  the 
masterly  direction  of  Sidney  Olcott  has  de- 
lineated every  light  and  shadow  with  the 
deft  touch  of  the  true  artist. 

The  stars  and  the  title  are  sufficient  to 
guarantee  a  big  box-office  gross,  and  those 
that  come  will  depart  well  pleased  with  their 
investment.  Norma  Talmadge  will  thrill  her 
legion  followers  with  this  latest  character- 
ization of  the  loveless  bride.  She  is  indeed 
an  actress  of  gem-like  brilliance,  and  her 
radiance  in  this  role  establishes  her  on  a  new 
pinnacle  in  her  career. 

The  story  of  the  forced  marriage  of  a 
lovely  girl  with  a  wastrel  is  one  with  uni- 
versal appeal.  And  as  Eugene  O'Brien  is  a 
chap  who  creates  sympathy  for  himself  in 
any  part,  all  are  happy  to  witness  his  re- 
pentance and  redemption. 

The  utter  misery  of  the  bride  is  tellingly 
portrayed  by  contrast  with  the  panoplied 
luxury  of  the  wedding.  One  somehow  has 
to  think  of  the  famous  writer  who  described 
a  bride  dressed  in  black,  for  Miss  Talmadge 
certainly  registers  a  shrouded  soul. 

The  shots  depicting  the  awful  majesty  of 
an  ocean  lashed  to  devastating  rage  are 
thrillingly  enthralling.  And  the  spectacle  of 
the  dissolute  hero  aroused  to  manhood  in  a 
bloody  battle  for  life  and  honor  against  great 
odds,  is  one  to  bring  any  audience  to  its 
feet. 

The  supporting  cast  is  especially  strong. 
The  work  of  Edwards  Davis  and  Winter 
Hall  as  the  fathers  of  hero  and  heroine  is 
noteworthy,  and  Matthew  Betz  is  well  cast 
as  the  loathsome  sea-scum. 

Exploit  the  title,  the  stars  and  the  director. 
The  title  may  be  adapted  to  various  pub- 
licity stunts,  while  Norma  Talmadge  and  Eu- 
gene O'Brien  have  a  tremendous  following. 
Those  who  discriminate  in  their  choice  of 
entertainment  know  that  Sidney  Olcott's 
name  means  photoplay  excellence.  The  sea 
sequences  provide  a  basis  for  lobby  decora- 
tion and  general  presentation,  and  the  fact 
that  a  real  dominie  plays  the  part  of  the 
minister  may  also  offer  a  chance  for  a  bit  of 
unusual  advertising. 


November  8.  1924 


Page  37 


"BORDER  JUSTICE"  HAS 
ACTION  AND  THRILLS 

Story    of    Texas    Rangers    A  Good 
Audience  Picture 

-BORDER  JUSTICE."  Independent  Pic- 
ture Corp.  Directed  by  "Breezy"  Reeves 
Eason.  Author,  William-  Lester.  Length. 
5432  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Joseph   Gerard  Welland   Bill  Cody 

Phillip    Gerard   John  Gouch 

Robert   Maitland   Bob  Homan 

Angus  Bland   Mack  V.  Wright 

Lone  Star   Tote  Du  Crow 

Amona    Watona   Dot  Ponedel 

Joseph  Gerard  Welland,  a  ranger,  is  commissioned 
to  capture  Phillip  Gerard,  who  has  killed  Lone 
Star.  The  ranger  overtakes  the  fugitive,  and  d.s- 
covers  that  it  is  his  own  brother.  The  outlaw 
resists  arrest,  and  in  trying  to  escape  falls  down 
a  deep  precipice,  apparently  to  his  death.  Welland 
later  comes  upon  a  band  of  smugglers,  who  have 
not  been  prosecuted  because  their  leader,  Angus 
Bland,  holds  notes  against  the  Ranger  captain,  Mait- 
land, which  the  captain  cannot  meet.  Mary,  the 
captain's  daughter,  is  broug'ht  to  the  outlaw's  ren- 
dezvous, and  Welland  arrives  just  in  time  to  save 
the  girl  from  Bland's  advances  and  Mary  and  the 
ranger  find  that  love  has  won  again. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien 

FAST  and  furious  best  describes  this 
story  of  the  Texas  Rangers,  and  for 
those  who  like  their  melodrama  generously- 
sprinkled  with  blood  and  thunder,  "Bor- 
der Justice"  will  be  sure  to  please. 

Despite  the  improbabilities  of  plot  and  a 
rather  lavish  indulgence  in  the  wild  and 
woolly  brand  of  heroics  it  will  undoubtedly 
prove  a  success  as  a  box-office  attraction 
in  the  neighborhood  theatre.  There  is 
nothing  exceptionally  novel  either  in  plot 
or  treatment,  but  there  is  plenty  of  action 
to  give  the  picture  the  desired  momentum. 

There  is  a  general  appeal  in  all  Wes- 
terns for  the  average  audience,  and  "Bor- 
der Justice"  is  no  better  and  no  worse 
than  the  ordinary  run.  There  is  the  usual 
amount  of  fierce  riding,  gun  play  and  the 
atmosphere  in  general  is  colorful  and  true 
to  form.  There  are  one  or  two  desperate 
struggles  that  are  genuinely  realistic,  and 
the  thrills  follow  in  such  rapid  succession 
that  there  is  not  a  dull  stretch  from  be- 
ginning to  end. 

Had  the  undesirable  characters  been 
done  away  with  in  a  more  logical  man- 
ner there  would  be  a  little  less  strain  on 
the  imagination,  for  it  would  take  a  very 
credulous  spectator  to  believe  that  the 
hero  and  heroine  could  survive  the  gi- 
gantic dynamite  explosion  without  sustain- 
ing so  much  as  a  scratch.  However  in  the 
preceding  sequences  a  certain  amount  of 
plausibility  and  consistency  is  maintained 
that  partly  offsets  this  somewhat  improb- 
able climax. 

In  the  colorful  role  of  the  ranger,  Bill 
Cody  rings  true,  and  his  pleasing  person- 
ality somewhat  diverts  one's  attention 
from  the  weakness  of  the  plot.  Here  at 
least  is  a  man  well  able  to  fill  any  ranger's 
shoes,  and  were  Welland  out  for  our  skin 
we  should  distinctly  dislike  to  meet  him 
in  combat.  Other  satisfactory  perform- 
ances are  given  by  Mack  Wright  as  a 
most  hiss-at-able  villain  and  Nola  Luxford 
as  the  Girl. 

You  may  safely  advertise  "Border  Jus- 
tice" as  a  blood-curdling  drama  of  the 
Texas  Rangers,  and  for  those  who  like 
this  sort  of  thing,  a  pleasant  evening's 
entertainment  will  be  had. 


"HOT  WATER"  IS 

LLOYD'S  FUNNIEST 

This  Picture  Is  a  Riot   of  Laughter 
From  Start  to  Finish 

"HOT  WATER."  Harold  Lloyd  Producing 
Company.  Distributed  by  Pathe.  Story 
by  Sam  Taylor,  Tim  Whelan,  John  Grey 
and  Thomas  J.  Grey.  Sam  Taylor  and 
Fred   Newmeyer   directors.    Length  4899 

.'  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Hubby   Harold  Lloyd 

Wifey   Jobyana  Ralston 

Her  Mother   Josephine  Crowell 

Her  Big  Brother   Charles  Stevenson 

Her  Little  Brother   Mickey  McBan 

Harold  becomes  suddenly  smitten  with  love  and 
marries.  His  mother-in-law  steps  into  the  picture 
and  tries  to  run  his  affairs.  Through  her  he  wrecks 
his  auto  and  finally  he  administers  chloroform  to 
her  and  believes  he  has  killed  her.  He  makes  many 
attempts  to  escape  from  the  house  but  is  always 
frustrated.  His  mother-in-law  thinking  the  house  is 
haunted  takes  her  two  sons  and  runs  away.  Harold 
and  his  wife  then  live  happily  ever  after. 

By  Len  Morgan 

IF  you  laughed  at  "Girl  Shy"  you  will  go 
into  hysterics  at  "Hot  Water."  Har- 
old out-Lloyds  himself  in  this  scream 
classic  and  crowds  more  funny  incidents 
into  five  reels  than  would  seem  possible. 

There  isn't  much  of  a  plot  but  the  series 
of  incidents  that  make  up  the  picture  fol- 
low in  logical  sequences  and  keep  one 
wondering  what  will  happen  next. 

First  of  all  he  wins  a  turkey  in  a  raffle 
and  his  efforts  to  manage  the  bird,  in 
addition  to  innumerable  bundles,  bring 
forth  the  first  howls  of  laughter. 

Next  he  purchases  an  automobile  and 
with  his  mother-in-law  seated  beside  him, 
giving  valuable  advice,  he  proceeds  to 
wreck  the  machine  so  completely  there  is 
little  left  to  take  home. 

His  efforts  to  extricate  himself  from 
heavy  traffic  and  his  collision  with  a 
street  car  are  the  highlights  of  the  picture 
and  they  will  be  appreciated  by  the  count- 
less flivver  owners  who  have  been  through 
the  mill. 

The  last  two  reels  of  the  picture  are  de- 
voted to  the  supposed  death  of  the 
mother-in-law  and  of  Harold's  sufferings 
with  the  idea  that  he  is  a  murderer. 

The  mother-in-law  has  been  given  a 
small  quantity  of  chloroform  and  goes  to 
sleep,  but  she  is  a  somnambulist  and  in 
her  wanderings  about  the  house  she  causes 
Lloyd  to  think  it  is  a  ghost.  These  epi- 
sodes are  riotous. 

Jobyana  Ralston  has  comparatively  little 
to  do  in  the  picture  but  what  she  does  is 
done  well  and  her  attractiveness  lends  con- 
siderable to  the  picture. 

There  is  no  need  to  say  that  Harold 
Lloyd  is  the  picture.  Every  other  char- 
acter is  a  foil  for  his  fun-making.  He  de- 
pends more  upon  his  acting  in  this  picture 
than  in  his  former  ones.  There  are  less 
mechanics  used  to  bring  the  laughs. 

One  of  the  real  exhibitor  features'  of  the 
picture  is  the  short  length.  The  picture 
is  only  4,899  feet  which  means  an  addi- 
tional performance  a  day. 

A  large  water-kettle  cut-out  in  the  lobby 
can  be  used  to  exploit  the  picture.  If  you 
have  a  clever  mechanic  you  might  run  a 
small  pipe  from  a  steam  pipe  of  the  thea- 
tre to  the  spout  of  the  kettle  and  get 
some  realism. 


FLATTERY"  TELLS  TALE 
OF  POLITICAL  GRAFT 

Interesting  Story  of  Wily  Contractors 
in  Chadwick  Picture 

"FLATTERY."  Chadwick  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion. Story  by  hi.  H.  Van  Loan.  Directed 
by  Tom  Forman.    Length,  6  reels. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Reginald  Mallory    John  Bowers 

Betty  Biddle    Marguerite  de  la  Motte 

Arthur  Barrington    Alan  Hale 

Allene  King   Grace  Darmond 

John  Biddle    Edwards  Davis 

Mayor  Sloane    Lewis  Morrison 

District  Attorney  Craig    Larry  Steers 

Reginald  Mallory  has  been  a  victim  of  flattery 
since  boyhood,  and  as  an  engineer  is  surrounded  by 
'yes'  men,  and  is  the  victim  of  a  greatly  exaggerated 
idea  of  his  own  ability  and  importance.  He  is  ap- 
pointed City  Engineer  for  the  purpose  of  a  crooked 
mayor  and  a  crooked  contractor.  Although  honest 
himself  he  is  made  their  tool  through  flattery.  He 
comes  to  a  realization  of  the  situation  in  time  to  save 
himself,  convict  the  rascals,  and  marry  the  girl  he 
loves.  , 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

44  P  LATTERY"  is  acceptable  from  a  box 
*•  office  angle.  It  tells  an  interesting  story, 
possesses  an  attractive  cast  and  is  well  di- 
rected. It  will  not  be  hard  to  attract  patron- 
age, and  once  inside  the  picture  has  elements 
that  will  provide  your  patrons  with  satisfac- 
tory entertainment. 

The  picture  proves  the  truth  of  the  an- 
cient adage  that  one  may  "catch  more  flies 
with  honey  than  with  vinegar."  And  what 
the  little  group  of  hard-boiled  grafters  do 
to  the  self-satisfied  young  man  whom  they 
have  had  appointed  City  Engineer  is  a  cau- 
tion. 

The  biggest  moments  of  the  picture  are 
those  in  which  Mallory  and  Barrington,  the 
crooked  contractor,  come  to  grips  in  the 
mayor's  office  in  the  City  Hall  and  when 
that  structure  topples  to  the  ground.  There 
is  a  fine  fight  staged,  and  as  it  progresses,  a 
blast  from  an  adjoining  lot  so  shakes  the 
flimsily  constructed  edifice  that  it  collapses. 

John  Bowers  is  an  object  of  sympathy  as 
the  victim  of  a  badly  inflated  cranium.  It  is 
impossible  to  dislike  him,  yet  everyone  will 
hope  that  something  will  occur  to  jostle  him 
out  of  his  colossal  self-conceit.  Several  things 
help  in  accomplishing  this  purpose,  and  in 
the  end  he  turns  out  to  be  the  regular 
fellow  he  is  always  suspected  of  being. 

The  outstanding  performance  is  given  by 
Lewis  Morrison  as  the  puppet  mayor  whose 
chief  political  asset  is  a  honeyed  tongue  and 
a  suave  manner.  He  is  the  pompous  "stuffed 
shirt"  to  a  T,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  town  in 
this  great  country  of  ours  that  does  not  har- 
bor a  similar  character  in  its  official  life. 
Although  he  is  a  villain  he  is  not  a  sinister 
rascal,  and  he  is  more  comical  than  threat- 
ening. 

The  remainder  of  the  cast  is  adequate. 

The  title  and  the  cast  should  both  be  ex- 
ploited. The  former  lends  itself  to  news- 
paper contests,  essays,  etc.,  and  the  latter 
contains  names  that  have  pulling  power  in 
any  community.  Stress  the  fact  that  the 
photoplay  is  an  adaptation  of  the  Van  Loan 
story.  Bring  out  the  political  atmosphere 
that  pervades  the  picture.  You  can  attract 
attention  by  a  series  of  teaser  ads.  along 
political  lines. 


IN  all  the  fine  arts  criticism  is  one  of  the  most  potent  forces  for  betterment.    Fear  of  the 
critic's  condemnation  has  made  for  better  books,  better  sculpture,  better  painting.  Striv- 
ing for  the  critic's  praise  has  lifted  mediocrity   almost  to  the  level  of  genius  more  than  once. 

In  motion  pictures,  the  box-office  review  holds  these  values  as  well  as  its  more  direct 
value  to  you  in  the  form  of  expert  advice  in  connection  with  your  booking  plans.  From 
all  angles  it  pays  to  use  the  reviews. 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Bk[  Little  Feature 


McCONNELL  SUCCEEDS 
QUIMBY  AT  "U" 

Fred  McConnell,  one  of  the  best 
known  men  in  the  Short  Product  field, 
has  taken  charge  of  the  Universal  Short 
Product  department.  He  is  Universal':-' 
new  Short  Product  Manager,  replacing 
Fred  C.  Quimby,  who  resigned  from 
that  position  early  in  October. 

McConnell  has  been  identified  with 
Universal  for  many  years.  Recently 
he  has  been  in  charge  of  Serial  produc- 
tion at  Universal  City.  Prior  to  that 
he  was  Serial  Sales  Manager  at  the 
Universal  Home  Office. 

As  Serial  Sales  Manager,  McConnell 
had  much  to  do  with  planning  Uni- 
versal's  serial  output.  He  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  series  of  successful 
"thrills- from-history"  serials  put  out  by 
Universal  during  1922  and  1923. 

.During  his  year  or  so  at  Universal 
City,  McConnell  supervised  the  plan- 
ning and  filming  of  such  serial  suc- 
cesses as  "In  the  Days  of  Daniel 
Boone,"  "The  Steel  Trail,"  "Beasts  of 
Paradise,"  "The  Fast  Express,"  "The 
Ghost  City,"  and  "The  Iron  Man." 

He  also  supervised  the  Jack  Demp 
sey  "Fight  and  Win"  series,  the  ten 
two-reelers  made  with  the  world's  ring 
champion  as  the  star,  and  which  are 
meeting  with  extraordinary  success  on 
all  screens.  McConnell  also  supervised 
the  making  of  two-reel  western  dramas 
for  Universal  during  his  stay  at  Uni- 
versal City. 


Grindell-Matthews  Film 

Screened  for  Naval  Officers 

A  two-reel  motion  picture,  titled 
"The  Death  Ray,"  produced  by  H. 
Grindell-Matthews,  the  English  scien- 
tist, and  demonstrating  the  extraordi- 
nary powers  of  his  world  famous  in- 
vention, was  tendered  a  special  screen- 
ing at  the  Philadelphia  Navy  Yard  re- 
cently. 

Arrangements  for  the  showing  were 
made  through  the  cooperation  of  Ad- 
miral Scales,  Commander  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Navy  Yard,  and  an  exclusive 
audience  including  the  "Admiral,"  all 
high  ranking  officers  in  the  Navy  Yard. 
There  were  also  present  a  number  of 
prominent  city  officials,  and  represen- 
tatives of  the  leading  Philadelphia 
newspapers  invited  to  witness  the  pro- 
duction. 

"The  Death  Ray"  will  shortly  be  re- 
leased throughout  the  country  by  the 
Pathe  Exchanges,  Inc. 

=t=    *  * 


Hot  Heels 


Pathe 


2  reels 


This  is  the  story  of  two  surveyors  who  get  into 
hot  water  with  the  police  force,  and  in  trying  to  elude 
their  pursuers  perform  some  hair-raising  stunts. 
There  is  action  galore,  a  few  thrills  and  a  small 
sprinkling  of  humor. 

THIS  Hal  Roach  comedy  is  not  quite 
up  to  the  mark  of  its  predecessors, 
but  will  furnish  amusement  of  a  mild 
order  to  the  audience  that  is  not  too  dis- 
criminating. "Hot  Heels"  is  essentially 
of  the  slap-stick  variety,  is  brimful  of 


Wanda  Wylie,  the  clever  Century  Follies 
girl,    appearing    in    Century  Comedies. 

action  and  may  be  described  in  a  word 
as  passable  entertainment. 

All  the  old  stock  situations  and  ab- 
surdities are  there  without  even  so 
much  as  a  new  twist.  Most  of  the  ac- 
tion takes  place  in  and  outside  of  an 
office  building  and  it  ends  up  with  the 
mad  race  through  the  streets  with  the 
policemen  in  pursuit.  This  one  will  do 
well  enough  with  a  strong  bill,  but 
should  not  be  advertised  as  a  side- 
splitter. 

*    *  * 

Peeps  Into  Puzzleland 


Cranfield  &  Clarke  Picture 


2  reel 


Ena  Gregory  pressing  into  service  unwilling  members  of  Pathe's  "Our  Gang"  when 
a  huge  covered  stage  burned  down  at  the  Hal  Roach  studios  in  Hollywood. 


A  little'  child  is  tucked  in  by  her  mother,  but  ha 
a  cut-out  puzzle  hidden  in  her  bed.    She  proceed 
to_  play  with  it,  and  tailing  asleep  dreams  awesom" 
things. 

THIS  is  an  especially  clever  little 
comedy,  and  will  enhance  the  value 
of  any  program.  It  is  indeed  wonder- 
ful what  has  been  accomplished  with 
such  scant  material.  The  bits  of  puzzle 
picture  form  themselves  into  units,  and 
those  units  come  to  life  showing  bison, 
a  monkey,  a  kitten,  a  dancing  "Sambo" 
and  last,  but  far  from  least  a  fearsome, 
roaring  lion.  The  last  named  beast 
causes  the  child  to  waken  with  cries  for 
'mama,'  who  comes  to  the  rescue  and 
removes  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 

The  picture  will  please  young  and 
old,  and  is  worthy  of  some  special  ex- 
ploitation on  its  own  account.  The  pic- 
ture and  the  theatre  may  gain  publicity 
with  offers  of  prize  passes  for  the  best 
solution  as  to  how  the  animals  are  made 
to  come  to  life. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  39 


Kathleen  Myers,  new  leading  lady  work- 
ing with  Jimmie  Adams  on  the  Christie 
Comedy,  "Why  Hurry." 


All  Night  Long 


Pathe-Mack  Sennett 


2  reels 


The  locale  of  the  story  is  a  French  village  in  the 
battle  area  during  the  war,  and  tells  the  experiences 
of  two  soldiers,  one  a  sergeant,  the  other  a  buck 
priTate  detailed  to  kitchen  police,  who  go  courting 
the  same  girl.  How  the  private  wins  the  sergeant's 
girl  and  also  a  lieutenant's  stripes  is  one  long  howl. 

THIS  latest  offering  of  Mack  Sen- 
nett is  a  fast-moving  comedy,  one 
that  fairly  bristles  with  mirth  and  hi- 
larity. The  fun  is  continuous,  and  there 
is  not  a  dull  spot  in  the  picture.  It  is 
the  kind  of  a  film  that  will  send  your 
patrons  home  in  good  humor ;  it  is  a 
sure  cure  for  the  blues. 

The  sergeant  is  in  search  of  a  pal  to 
take  supper  with  his  girl's  family,  and 
as  a  last  resort  invites  a  lonely  chap, 
who  is  a  permanent  member  of  the  K. 
P.  department.  How  the  boob  of  a 
private  makes  an  instantaneous  hit  with 
the  girl,  cutting  out  her  friend,  the  ser- 
geant, and  through  a  series  of  lucky  ac- 
cidents gets  a  lieutenant's  commission 
in  the  bargain,  unfolded  in  one  of  the 
most  amusing  comedies  in  many  a 
moon. 

As  the  lucky  hero  who  won  the  war, 
Harry  Langdon  will  bring  forth  a 
laugh  a  minute  from  the  most  hardened 
and  most  dyspeptic  spectator.  This  one 
is  a  gem  and  would  bolster  up  even  the 
weakest  kind  of  a  feature  picture.  You 
will  make  no  mistake  to  book  this  one. 


The  Eve  of  the  Revolution 

Pathe  3  reels 

Anything  purely  historic  is  very  apt 
to  be  dull,  but  it  is  not  the  case  in  this 
latest  release  of  this  valuable  series  of 
Yale  University  Press  narratives. 

"The  Eve  of  the  Revolution"  tells  the 
tragic  story  of  the  events  which  im- 
mediately preceded  the  great  fight  for 
independence,  and  such  inspiring  scenes 
are  enacted  as  the  Boston  massacre,  the 


Ti- 
ll 


Boston  Tea  Par- 
ty, Paul  Re- 
vere's  ride  and 
the  Battle  of 
Lexington.  It  is 
a  subject  that 
readily  lends  it- 
self to  the 
screen,  for  these 
epoch  -  making 
events  have  a 
touch  of  the 
dramatic,  a  n  d 
will  go  straight 
to  the  heart  of 
the  real  Ameri- 
can. Particularly 
well  adapted  for 
school  or  church 
presentation  this 
instructive  film 
will  not  only 
meet  with  great 
favor  with  the 
children,  but 
should  prove  of 
interest  to  the 
average  specta- 
tor, for  one  can- 
not help  but  feel 
admiration  for 
John  Hancock, 
Samuel  Adams 
and  the  great 
army  of  pioneer 
patriots  who 
gave  so  much  in 
the  great  cause 
of  liberty. 

Whirligigs 

Educational  1  reel 

This  is  another  of  Lyman  H.  Howe's 
"Hodge  Podge"  reels  which  will  prove  en- 
tertaining as  a  filler  on  the  program  when 
there  is  a  long  feature  to  be  shewn.  It  opens 
with  a  view  of  the  Yosemite  National  Park 
in  California,  "the  land  of  enchantment." 
There  is  a  shot  of  the  Merced  Rixer  and  the 
Happy  Isles. 

Next  come  the  "Whirligigs,"  which  in- 
cludes the  demonstration  of  an  efficient  de- 
vice in  a  modern  steel  mill,  the  whirling 
thrills  provided  in  an  amusement  park  on  re- 
volving tables,  and  dizzy  airship  revolutions. 

^    ^  ^ 


A  Single  Reel  Novelty 
That  is  "Hard-to-Beat" 

mm™ 


'As  a  combined  educational  and  enter- 
tainment feature  these  Lyman  H.  Howe 
Hodge -Podges  are  hard  to  beat.  Their 
arrangement  could  hardly  be  improved 
upon.—"  m.  P.  NEWS 


What  A  Night 


Mermaid-Educational 


2  reels 


The  quiet  Pelton  home  is  surprised  by  burglars, 
and  father  Pelton  locks  up  securely  before  retiring, 
not  willling  to  take  any  further  chances.  He  has 
given  up  all  hope  for  his  son  Ambrose,  who  is  in- 
troduced wi'h  a  number  of  his  college  chums  on  one 
of  those  wild  parties  which  winds  up  in  a  handsome 
cab.  Ambrose's  frustrated  efforts  in  getting  into  the 
house  furnish  the  laughs. 

'T'HIS  is  just  another  of  those  mildly  amus- 
ing  comedies  that  may  set  the  children  in 
a  roar,  but  will  scarcely  split  the  sides  of  the 
grown-ups.  With  a  strong  feature  picture, 
this  one  may  do  well  enough  in  the  neighbor- 
hood playhouse. 

It  concerns  itself  with  the  antics  of  a 
group  of  rollicking  youths  who  wind  up  a 
wild  night  in  a  hectic  ride  in  a  hansom  cab. 
The  subtitles  are  a  series  of  re-hashed  jokes, 
and  a  fair  sample  of  this  brand  of  wit  is 
one  which  reads :  "His  pal — was  raised  on  a 
bottle  and  never  got  out  of  the  habit." 


Ki  nog  rains  No.  5023:  ZR3  Safely  Ends  SI 
Hour  Air  Trip  Across  Atlantic — Navy's 
Newest  Zeppelin  Lands  At  Lakehurst,  N.  .T. 
The  Men  who  Brought  the  ZR-3  To  America 
— Dr.  Hugo  Ekener,  German  commander  on 
record  flight,  just  after  the  landing;  Con- 
gratulations by  The  President — Washington 
— Officers  of  ZR-3  and  Capt.  Steele  are 
greeted  at  the  "White  House;  She  Has  A 
Half  Million  Young  Ones  To  Feed — -West 
Milton,  Ohio — Mrs.  Daum  keeps  'em  in 
twenty-five  ponds,  as  they're  gold  fish;  Mrs. 
O'Leary's  Cow  Does  It  Over  Again — Chicago 
— Her  part  in  great  fire  of  1871  is  reenacted, 
this  time  wffh  a  lot  more  publicitv;  Five 
Thousand  Irish  Make  Holy  Pilgrimage — ■ 
Lourdes,  France — Gathering  of  devout  is  one 
of  most  notable  in  history  of  the  famous 
shrine;  Risk  Their  Necks  In  Cause  of 
Radio — New  York — Construction  of  lofty 
towers  for  WGBS  gives  nervy  workmen  a 
Hazardous  job;  Prince  of  Wales  Guest  of 
Chicago — He  pays  visit  to  University  of 
Chicago — President  Harper  and  university 
officials  greet  him;  U.  S.  S.  Shenandoah 
Reaches  West  Coast — San  Diego,  Col. — Big 
Navy  dirigible  on  swing  around  U.  S.  ties 
up  af  mooring  mast  here;  Fight  The  Battles 
of  Washington  _Square — New  York — -The 
freshman  and  sophs  of  New  York  University 
engage  in  spirited  tug-of-war;  Liquor 
Flows  Like  Water — Into  Sewer — Phila- 
delphia; Government  agents  take  drastic 
steps  with  huge  lot  of  confiscated  booze; 

Fox  News  Vol.  6  No.  3:  Milwaukee,  Wis. — 
Pride  of  the  National  Dairy  Show  is  Pros- 
pect, a  cow  giving  47  quarts  of  milk  daily 
for  2  years.  Washington,  D.  C. — New  stad- 
ium of  Catholic  University  is  dedicated  with 
a  football  game  against  marines'  team. 
Shetland  Islands — Herring  fishing  is  chief 
industry  of  the  summer  in  these  most 
northerly  of  the  British  Isles.  In  The 
Baltic  Sea — Germany  holds  her  first  naval 
review  since  1914,  with  only  12  ships  left 
of  pre-war  fleet  of  300.  Beatty,  Ore. — 
Flocks  of  young  turkeys  feast  and  grow 
fat  in  blissful  ignorance  of  their  impending 
doom.  Pekiski,  Canada — Far  from  the  mad- 
dening throng!  Prince  of  Wales  arrives 
at  his  ranch  and  begins  to  enjoy  a  rest. 
Dayton,  Ohio — General  Patrick,  Chief  of 
Air  Service,  sees  fastest  planes  in  America 
race  at  3  mile  a  minute  pace.  New  York 
City — Who  possesses  the  most  perfect  back 
in  America?  Many  fair  contestants  com- 
pete for  the  honor.  Pictorial  Highlights  of 
The  World  Series — President,  Cabinet  and 
all  official  Washington  see  giants  win  first, 
4-3. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


DON'T  FORGET  THE 
KIDS  ARE  GROWING  UP 

Has  it  ever  occurred  to  you 
that  a  large  percentage  of  the 
million  miles  or  so  of  feature  stuff 
you  show  in  a  year  is  over  the 
heads  of  the  youngsters? 

Or  that  these  same  youngsters, 
if  they  get  tired  of  trying  to  fol- 
low the  complexities  of  life  as  it 
is  lived  by  our  best  feature  sce- 
nario writers,  may  lose  interest  in 
pictures  and  leave  you  out  on  a 
limb  five  or  ten  years  from  now? 

The  kids  of  today  will  be  the 
backbone  of  your  business  tomor- 
row. And  just  now,  they  do  love 
to  laugh! 

If  you  could  know  the  number 
of  admissions  every  week  that 
are  directly  due  to  little  Willie 
and  little  Mary  begging  weary 
parents  to  visit  your  palace  of  en- 
tertainment, it  would  open  your 
eyes. 

You  would  realize,  perhaps,  as 
you  never  have,  how  important 
it  is  to  send  those  kids  away 
happy  and  hungry  for  more  of 
the  same. 

The  answer  lies  in  picking  your 
short  subjects,  not  merely  be- 
cause they  are  cheap,  but  rather 
because  they  give  promise  of  pro- 
viding real  entertainment. 

The  children  may  be  a  little 
slow  in  assimilating  some  of  the 
slimy  sex  stuff,  for  which  fact 
Heaven  be  praised!  But  don't 
imagine  you  can  get  away  with 
any  third-rate  stuff  in  the  way  of 
comedies  when  they  are  in  the 
audience.  They  are  at  home  with 
that  stuff  and  they  know. 

Pick  the  shorts  to  please  the 
kids  and  you  won't  lose. 


Five  Hal  Roach  Studio 
Units  Working 

The  Hal  Roach  Studios  at  Culver 
City,  are  buzzing  with  activity.  Five 
companies  are  busily  turning  out  prod- 
ucts for  Pathe  distribution. 

Leading  the  list  in  activities  is  Bob 
McGowan,  director  of  "Our  Gang." 
This  unit  has  been  working  steadily, 
and  at  this  time  they  are  working  on 
their  sixth  series  of  productions.  "The 
Spats"  are  busily  engaged  making  their 
latest  comedy  based  on  a  cross-country 
tour  in  an  automobile,  while  Glenn 
Tryon  and  Blanche  Mehaffey  are  work- 
ing out  a  new  two-reeler  under  the 
direction  of  Fred  Guiol. 

The  Charley  Chase  and  Arthur 
Stone  companies  are  also  busy  on  new 
subjects. 


The  Girl  and  the  Gangster 

Pathe  2  reels 

This  is  the  story  of  a  social  worker  whose  brother 
was  framed  by  a  low-type  gangster,  who  is  very 
much  smitten  with  the  girl.  With  the  assistance  of 
her  policeman  lover,  the  girl  cleverly  traps  the  gang- 
ster into  a  confession,  her  brother  is  vindicated  and 
all  ends  well. 

AS  the  second  release  of  the  "True 
Detective  Stories"  series,  "The 
Girl  and  the  Gangster"  will  prove  di- 
verting and  entertaining.  It  should  be 
particularly  appropriate  where  a  light 
comedy  feature  is  being  shown,  for  be- 
ing a  short  subject  of  a  serious  nature, 
it  would  thus  lend  balance  to  the  pro- 
gram. 

A  girl  of  the  lower  East  side,  who  is 
engaged  as  a  settlement  worker  attracts 
the  notice  of  a  low-brow  politician,  and 
when  she  rejects  his  advances,  he 
frames  her  brother  and  convicted  of  the 
crime,  he  is  sent  to  jail.  As  a  means  of 
gaining  her  good  will,  the  politician  of- 
fers to  use  his  influence  in  her  brother's 
behalf.  The  girl  and  a  young  police- 
man with  whom  she  is  in  love,  inveigle 
the  rogue  into  a  confession  and  her 
brother  is  freed. 

The  story  is  convincingly  told,  capably 
acted  and  intelligently  directed.  It  will 
provide  an  enjoyable  half-hour's  enter- 
tainment for  the  average  audience. 

*    *  * 

Accidental  Accidents 

Pathe  1  reel 

A  Hal  Roach  comedy  may  usually  be 
counted  on  to  supply  a  few  laughs  to 
the  most  hard-boiled  spectator,  and 
there  is  action  galore  pressed  into  this 
latest  one  reel  laugh  manufacturer.  As 
a  rule  when  one  witnesses  a  motion  pic- 
ture comedy,  he  has  to  check  his  intel- 
ligence at  the  door,  and  such  is  the  case 
with  "Accidental  Accidents,"  but  even 
a  short  vacation  from  plausibility  is  rel- 
ished by  the  best  of  men. 

If  you  can  imagine  the  exploits  of  an 
umbrella  maker  in  quest  of  a  job  as 


In  Pathe's  "Galloping  Bungalows"  one 
learns  of  many  new  tracks  to  be  performed 
by  the  portable  parlor-bedroom  and  bath. 


laugh-provoking,  you  may  be  amused  by 
this  one  which  we  are  loathe  to  confess 
is  hardly  up  to  Hal's  standard.  But 
then  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
Hal  Roach  standard  is"  pretty  high. 
Which  is  another  way  of  saying  that 
this  picture  is  fairly  amusing. 

*    *  * 

Adams  Injured 

While  filming  the  final  scene  in  "Why 
Hurry,"  a  Christie  Comedy  in  which 
Jimmie  Adams  is  featured,  Eddie  Bak- 
er and  Adams  suffered  painful  injuries. 
A  comedy  scene  called  for  a  flood  of 
water  to  rush  through  a  door  and  sweep 
the  two  men  off  their  feet,  but  the  door 
failed  to  remain  on  its  hinges  and  in 
the  confusion  that  followed,  both  men 
were  struck  on  the  head  by  the  heavy 
door.  Adams  was  knocked  unconscious 
and  received  many  bruises  while  Bak- 
er was  cut  about  the  scalp. 

Both  men  were  given  immediate 
medical  treatment  but  will  not  be  able 
to  don  make-up  for  several  days. 

S>        $  3)S 

EXHIBITORS  RECOGNIZE 
VALUE  OF  SHORTS 

That  the  Short  Subject  is  being  rec- 
ognized as  a  real  business  getter  in  the 
finest  houses  throughout  the  country  is 
impressively  evidenced  by  the  increas- 
ingly large  number  of  theatres  which 
are  giving  these  short  attractions  prom- 
inent display  in  both  their  street  lights 
and  newspaper  advertising.  Many  rep- 
resentative first  run  theatres  all  through 
the  country  have  adopted  as  a  definite 
advertising  program  the  inclusion  of  the 
two-reel  comedy,  with  the  name  of  the 
star,  title  of  the  picture  and  mention  of 
the  brand  name,  in  their  marquee 
lights,  and  are  devoting  a  fair  part  of 
their  newspaper  space  to  mention  of 
the  short  attraction  on  their  bill. 

Many  of  the  stars  in  two-reel  come- 
dies have  established  themselves  as 
valuable  advertising  assets.  The  names 
of  Lloyd  Hamilton,  Larry  Semon,  Lige 
Conley,  Walter  Hiers  and  Bobby  Ver- 
non, featured  in  a  series  released  by 
Educational  Film  Exchanges,  Inc.,  are 
becoming  more  common  in  advertising 
and  theatre  exploitation  as  more  thea- 
tres take  advantage  of  the  popularity  of 
these  Short  Subject  stars. 

Among  the  latest  to  adopt  this  prac- 
tice is  the  Fenway  Theatre,  Boston, 
which  recently  gave  over  the  entire 
front  lights  of  its  marquee  to  two  Short 
Subjects  from  the  Educational  pro- 
gram. "Pigskin,"  a  Mermaid  Comedy 
with  Lige  Conley,  occupied  one-half  of 
the  front  lights,  and  the  other  side  was 
given  over  to  an  announcements  of  one 
of  the  Lyman  H.  Howe  Hodge-Podge 
series.  Conley  has  become  recognized 
as  a  real  attraction  and  stands  high  in 
the  ranks  of  screen  comedians. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  41 


Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 

Here  Will  Be  Found  the  Essential  Details  of  Productions  That  Have  Been 
Reviewed  in  the  Columns  of  This  Journal  in  Preceding  Months, 
Including  Name  of  Director  and  Length  of  Film. 


MARCH 

Title  Star 

West    Bound   J.  B.  Warner  

Slow  as  Lightning   Kenneth-McDonald. 

Love's  Whirlpool   Kirkwood-Lee  .... 

Try  and  Get  It  Bryant  Washburn.. 

The  Average  Woman  Pauline  Garon  ... 

My  Man   Miller-Farnum    .  . . 

The  Hill  Billy   Jack  Pickford  

The  Goldfish   C.  Talmadge   

The  Unknown  Purple  ....Walthall   

Drums  of  Jeopardy   E.  Hammerstein  .  . 

On  Time   Richard  Talmadge. 

Damaged    Hearts   All-Star   

Yankee  Madness   Geo.    Larkin  .... 

Galloping   Gallagher    ....  Fred  Thomson   .  . . 

APRIL 

Title  Star 

$20  a  Week   Geo.  Arliss   

Borrowed  Husbands   Florence  Vidor  .  . 

Wandering  Husbands   ....  Kirkwood-Lee   .  . . 

Miami   Compson   

The  Covered  Trail   J.  B.  Warner.... 

The  Lone  Wolf   Holt-Dalton   

King  of  Wild  Horses  ....  Spec.  Cast   

Girl  Shy   H.  I  lovd   

The  Average  Woman  ....H.   Ford-Garon  . 

Pal  O'Mine   Irene  Rich   

His  Forgotten  Wife  Madge  Bellamy  .. 

Silent  Stranger   Fred  Thompson  .. 

Beloved  Vagabond   Carlyle  Blackwell. 

A  Girl  of  the  Limberlost.  .  Gloria  Grey  .... 

MAY 

Title  Star 

After  A  Milion   K.  McDonald  

Behind  2   Guns   J.    D.    Warner.  . . 

White  Shadows   Betty  Compson  . 

What  Shall    I   Do   D.  Mackaill   

The  Lightning  Rider  H.  Carey   

Between  Friends   Calhoun-Telligen 

Virtuous   Liars   Powell  

One  Law  for  the  Woman..  Landis-Harris  ... 

The  Desert  Secret   Bill  Patton   

The    Perfect    Flapper    .  . .  Colleen    Moore  . 

The  White  Moth   LaMarr-Tearle 

Cytherea   Rubens-Stone    .  . . 

The  Circus  Cowboy   Buck  Jones   

Kentucky  Days   D.  Farnum   

No  Mother  To  Guide  Her.  Spec.  Cast   

High  Speed   H.  Rawlinson   .  . . 

The  Dangerous  Blonde  . .  .  Laura  LaPlante  . 

The    Chechahcos   Eva  Gordon  .... 

Unseen  Hands   

The  Spitfire   Blythe-Dexter 

Traffic  in   Hearts   Robt.  Fraser  .... 

Ten  After  Ten   Chas.  Hutchinson 

Untamed   Youth   Ralph    Lewis    . . . 

The  Spirit  of  the  U.S.A.  .  Johnnie  Walker  . 

Dangerous   Coward   Fred  Thomson   . . 

Danger   Line   Sessu  Hayakawa 


Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Sunset   Mar.  15 

Sunset   Mar.  1 

Prod.    Dist  6177  Mar.  2 

Prod.    Dist  5707  Mar.  9 

Burr   Mar.  1 

Vitagraph    ...7,000  Mar.   9  Feb.  23 

Allied   P.   &   D  Mar.  9 

First    National.  .  .  .  Mar.  30 

Truart   Mar.  23 

Truart   Mar.  1 

Truart   Mar.  1 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  3 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  31 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  31 


Distributor  Length 

Selznick   

Vitagraph  ...7,000 

Prod.  Dist  4695 

Prod.  Dist  6317 

Sunset   

Asso.  Exhb  

Pathe   5,000 

Pathe   8,000 

Burr   Pict  6400 

C.  B.  C  6070 


Release  Review 
Apr.  12 

Apr.  13   May  10 
Apr.  20   May  17 
Apr.  27  June  14 
Apr.  15 
Anr.  27 
Apr.  13 

Apr.  20  Apr.  12 
Apr.  15 

Apr.  18  June  14 
Apr.  14 
Apr.  21 
Apr.  21 
Apr  28 


Release 
May  1 
Mai  15 
May  5 
May  1 1 
May  18 
May  1 1 
May  18 
May  25 


Distributor  Length 

Sunset   

Sunset   

Selznick   

Prod.  Dist  6111 

Prod.  Dist  5771 

Viagraph   6936 

Vitagraph   5500 

Vitagraph   

Madoc   

First  National  ....May  25 
First  National  ....  May  11 
First  National   ....May  4 

Fox   4000  May  11 

Fox   4508 

Fox   6650 

Universal   May  25 

Universal   May  19 

Assoc.  Exhib  May  18 

Assoc.  Exhib  May  25 

Assoc.  Exhib  May  4 

C.  B.  C  5549  "iv  23 

Weiss  Bros-Art-  .  .  May  15 

F.  B.  O  May  5 

F.  B.  O  May  18 

F.  B.  O  May  26 

F.  B.  O  May  26 


Review 


May  31 
June  28 


July  5 


July  5 
June  28 

May  3 

May  17 
May  11 

May  24 
June  28 

May  31 

May  17 
June  7 
June  14 

July  26 


JUNE 


Title  Star 

For    Sale   Windsor-Menjou 

The  Self-Made  Failure   . .  Miller-Moore 

Every  Woman's  Secret   

l  end  Me  Your  Husband  ..  Kenyon   

Another    Scandal   Lois  Wilson   

Daring   Youth   Daniels-Kerry  .... 

The  Good  Bad  Boy   

1  ove  of  Women   Chadwick-Love  .  . . 

Wanted  by  the  Law   J.  B.  Warner   

The  Lone  Chance   John    Gilbert  .... 

Western   Luck   Buck  Jones   

Daring   Love   E.  Hammerstein  .  . 

Broadway  or  Bust   Hoot  Gibson   

The  Reckless  Age   Denny-La  Plante. 

The  Fighting  American   .  .  Astor-O'Malley 

The  6th  Commandment   

1  aw  Demands   Chas.  Hutchinson.  . 

Napoleon  and  Josephine ..  All  Star   

There's   Millions   in   It.  .  .  All  Star   

Swords  and  the  Woman..  Pedro  de  Cordova. 
Fighting  Sap   Fred   Thomson    .  . 


Distributor  Length  Release 
First  National  ...June  15 
First   National    . . .  [une  22 

Lumas   June  1 

Burr  Pict.   .  ..6700  June  1 

Prod.  Dist  7322  June  22 

Principal   5975  June  15 

Principal   5198  June  29 

Selznick   June  30 

Sunset   June  15 

Fox   4385 

Fox   5020 

Truart   June  15 

Universal   June  9 

Universal   June  17 

Universal   June  22 

Assoc.  Exhib  June  1 

Weiss  Bros  Inne  15 

F.  B.  O  T»ne  2 

F.  B.  O  June  9 

F.  B.  O  June  16 

F.  B.  O  June  30 


Review 
July  5 
June  28 

Oct.  11 

May  17 
June  7 
Aug.  2 

June  21 
June  28 
July  10 
Jne  21 
June  7 
May  31 
July  5 


JULY 


Title  Star 

Yankee  Speed   K.  McDonald   .  . . 

The  Hellion   J.  B.  Warner  .  . . 

I  isten    Lester   Moran-Fazenda    .  , 

The   Masked   Dancer    ....  Chadwick   

Daughters  of  Pleasure ...  Prevost  

Girls   Men   Forget   Patsv  R.  Miller  . 

Tiger  Thompson   H.  Carey   

Her  Own   Free  Will   Helene  Chadwick 

Code  of  the  Wilderness.  .  Bowers-Calhoun  . 

Fightin  Thru   Bill  Patton   

Girl  in  the  Limousine    .  .  Larry  Semon 


Distributor 
Sunset 
Sunset 
Principal    .  . 
Principal    .  . 
Principal    .  . 
Principal    .  . 
Prod.  Dist.  . 
Prod.  Dist.  . 
Prod.  Dist.  . 
Prod.  Dist.. 
First  Nation 


Length  Release 

 July  1 

July  15 
July  6 
lulv  13 
Julv  20 
July  27 
lulv  12 
Tnlv  20 
July  6 


. .6242 
. .4720 
. .5698 
. .5166 
. .4920 
. .5959 
. .6480 


Review 
Aug. 16 

May  10 
June  14 
June  14 

July  12 
Oct.  4 
July  12 


al    ...July  20   July  5 


The  Arab   Navarro-Terry    ...Metro   6710  July  21    July  26 

Revelation   V.   Dana   Metro   8752  July  28    July  5 

Romance   Ranch   Gilbert   Fox   4741  July  1 

In  Fast  Company   R.   Talmadge    ....  Truart   July  15  June  17 

Behind  the  Curtain  All  Star   Universal   June  21  July  5 

Young    Ideas   Laura  La  Plante  .  .  Universal   July  7    July  26 

The  New  Schoolteacher  ..Mickey  Bennett   . .  C.  C.  Burr.  .  .5900  July  1 

Fatal   Plunge   Chas.  Hutchinson    Weis  Bros. -Art.   .  .  July  15 

Rough  Ridin'   Buddy  Roosvelt   .  .  Weis  Bros. -Art.   .  .  July  15 

A  Woman  Who  Sinned  .  .  Mae  Busch   F.    B.   O  July  7 

Neglected   Women   Seena  Owen   F.    B.   O  July  28 


AUGUST 


Title 

Manhandled   

Wanderer  of  the  Wasteland 
Changing  Husbands 

Monsieur  Beaucaire   

Unguarded  Women   

The  Enemy  Sex   

Lily  of  the  Dust   

Bread   

Tess  of  the  D'urbervilles . 

Broken  Barriers   

Little  Robinson  Crusoe  .  . 

Unmarried  Wives   

America   

Coyote  Fangs   

Behold  This  Woman  .... 

The  Speed  Spook   

Youth    For  Sale   

The  Fire  Patrol   

Truth  About  Women  .... 
Legend  of  Hollywood    .  . . 

The  Wise  Virgin   

The  Siren  of  Seville  .... 

Welcome  Stranger   

World    Strugle    for  Oil.. 

In    High  Gear   

Horse  Shoe  I  uck   

Against   All  Odds   

That  French  Lady   

The  Heart  Buster   

The  Desert  Outlaw   

Lash  of  the  Whip   

Two  Fisted  Justice   

Circus  Lure   

Three  Women   

The  Back  Trail   

The  Signal  Tower   

The  Sawdust  Trail  .... 

Fighting  Fury   

Wine   

Lure  of  the  Yukon    .  . . 
Stranger  of  the  North 

Who's  Cheating   

Lights  of  London   

I  ove,  Life  and  Laughter 

Heart  of  Alaska   

For  Woman's   Favor   . . 

Never  Sav  Die   

The  Battline  Fool  .... 

Foolish  Virgin   

Radio  Fiver   

Battling  Buddy   

Radio  Fiver   

Battlinp  Buddy   

Fools  in  the  Dark  .... 

Messalina   

American    Manners    .  .  . 


Star 

Swanson   

Jack    Holt  '  

L.  Joy   

Valentino   

Daniels-Dix   

Compson  

Negri   

All  Star   

B.  Sweet   

All  Star   

J.  Coogan   

M.  Harris   

All  Star   

Jack  Perrin   

I.  Rich   

J.  Hines   

May  Allison 

All  Star   

Hampton -Sherman. 

Marmont   

Patsy  Ruth  Miller 
Priscilla  Dean  .  . . 
F.  Vidor   

K.  McDonald   

J.  B.  Warner   

Buck  Jones   

S.  Mason   

T.  Mix   

Buck  Jones   

Ashton  Dearbolt  . . 

Dick  Hatton   

Matty  Mattison  .  .  . 
Marie  Prevost  .... 

Jack  Hoxie   

Virginia  Vail i  .... 

Hoot  Gibson   

Hoxie  .  

All  Star   

Eva  Novak   

Richard  Travers  .  . 
Montague  Love  .  . 
Nigel  Barrie  .... 
Betty  Balfour  .... 
Maurice  Costello.  . 
Owen-Dexter  .... 

D.  McLean   

Fairbanks-Novak  . 

E.  Hammerstein  .  . 
Chas.  Hutchison  .  . 
Buddy  Roosevelt  . 
Chas.  Hutchinson. 
Buddy  Roosevelt.. 
Moore  &  Miller  . 
Countess  Liguoro 
Richard  Talmadge 


Famous 
Famous 
Famous 
Famous 
Famous 
Famous 


Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Famous  P  6998  Aug.  4    Aug.  9 

P  7000Aug.ll    May  31 

P  6799  Aug. 11    July  5 

P  9 100  Aug.  18  Aug.23 

P  6051  Aug25    July  5 

P  7861  \ug25    July  5 

Players    .  Aug25    Sept.  6 

Metro   6726  Aug.  4    Aug.  2 

Metro   7500  Aug. 11    Aug.  9 

Metro   5717  Aug. 18    Aug. 16 

Metro   6126Aug.25  Aug.30 

Lumas   Aug.  1 

United  Artists  ....Aug. 15 

Madoc   

Vitagraph  ..-6425  Aug.  3  Aug. 11 
East    Coast.  .  .6700  Aug.30  Aug.30 

Burr    Pict  Aug.  1 

Chadwick   6600  Aug. 15    May  31 

Banner   Aug. 15 

Prod.    Dist. .  .5,414  Aug.  3  Aug.23 

Prod.  Dist  5991  Aug.10 

Prod.  Dist  6724  Aug.l7 

Prod.  Dist  6618Aug.24 

Selznick     ( Selc. )  .  .  Aug.15 

Sunset   Aug.15 

 Aug.15 

Fox   4809  Aug.30 

FoX   5470  Aug.30 

Fox   4500  Aug.  2 

Fox   Aug. 24 

Arrow   Aug.  1 

Arrow   Aug.30 

Sanford   Aug.  1 

Warner  Bros  Aug. 18     Oct.  4 

Universal   Aug.  8 

Universal   Aug.  3 

Universal   Aug.10   July  26 

Universal   Aug. 24  Aug.23 

Universal   Aug.31 


Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1  Aug.  2 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford    ....  Aug.  1 

Assoc.  Exhib  Aug.31 

C.  B.  C  4978  Aug.  1 

C.  B.  C  5900  Aug.15 

Weiss  Bros. -Art.  .  Aug.  15 
Weiss  Bros. -Art.   .  Aug.  15 

Ofeiss  Bros  Aug.  15 

Weiss  Bros  Aug.  15 

F.    B.    O  Aug.  4 

F.    B.    O  Aug.  24 

F.    B.    O  Aug.  24 


SEPTEMBER 


Title  Star 

Ramshackle  House   B.  Compson   

Barbara   Frietchie   F.  Vidor   

Chalk  Marks   Marguerite  Snow. 

The  House  of  Youth   Jacqueline  Logan.. 

Sinners  in  Silk   All  Star   

The  Red   Lily   Navarro   

Yolanda   M.  Davies   

Wine  of  Youth   All  Star   

One  Night  in  Rome   Laurette  Taylor  .  . 

His    Hour   All  Star   

In   Every  Woman's  Life..Valli   

Sideshow   of   life   Torrence   

The  Covered  Wagon   ....  Lois  Wison   

Man   Who   Fi2hts   Alone..  Lois  Wison   

Sinners   in   Heaven   Danles-Dix   

The  Alaskan   Tavlor-Meighan  .. 

Feet  of  Clay   LaRocque-Cortez-R 

The  Female   B.  Cnmnson   

Dorothy  Vernon   M.  P'ckford 

Smoking  Trails   Bill  Patton   

Captain  Blood   Kerriean   

Meddling  Women   I..  Barrvmore  .... 

Man  without  a  Heart  .  . .  .  Novak-Harlan  .... 

Emptv   Hearts   Cara  Row   

Captain  January   Babv  Peegy  

Bowerv  B'sbop   Walthall   

Dynamite  Dan   K.  McDonald  .... 

Last  of  the  Duanes   T.  Mix   


Distributor 
Prod.  Dist. 
Prod. 
Prod. 
Prod. 
Metro 
Metro 


Length 
.  . 6257 
. .7179 


Dist. 
Dist. 

Dist  

.5750 
.6975 

Metro   10125 

Metro   6600 

Metro   5883 

Metro   6300 

First  National    .  . . 

Famous   

Famous   

Famous   589' 

Famous   676° 

Famous   6757 

Famous   9746 

Famous   

United  Artists  9500 

Madoc   

Vitagraph  ..10086 

Chadwick   7000 

Banner   

Principal    ...  .6194 

Selco   

Sunset   

Fox   6942 


Release 
Sept.  1 
Sept.  7 
Sept.  14 
Sept.28 
Sept.  1 
Sept.  8 
Sect. 15 
Sept.22 
SeDt.29 
Setp.29 
Sept.28 
Sept.  1 
Sept.  8 
Sept.15 
Sept.15 
Sept.22 
Sept.22 
Sept.22 
Sept.15 
Sept.15 


Review 

Oct.  11 

Nov.  1 
Sept.27 
Aug.16 

July  26 

Oct.ll 


Sept. 17 
Sept.15 
Sept.15 
Sept.  1 
Sept.15 


Aug.16 
Sept.27 
Oct.  4 
Oct.  4 

May  17 

Sept.  21 
Oct.18 


Sept.  6 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Title  Star  Distributor    LengthRelease  Review 

The  Man  Who  Came  BackGeo.  O'Brien   Fox   8293Sept.28  Sept.  6 

Honor  Among  Men   Edmund   Lowe    ...Fox   4660Sept.28    Oct. 18 

The  Cyclone  Rider   Spec  Fox   .  .6700Sept.l4  Sept. 13 

Dante's    Inferno   Spec  Fox   Sept.  7    Oct. 11 

Last  Man   on   Earth    ....Spec  Fox    Sept. 28 

Oh  You  Tony   Mix   Fox   Sept.21     Oct.  11 

Painted    Lady   D.   Mackaill   Fox   6389Sept.28  Oct.ll 

The  Cowboy  Prince   A.   Dearbolt   Fox   Sept.  1 

Notch    No.    1   B.  Wilson-M.   DawFox   Sept. 13 

Sell    'em    Cowboy   D.  Hatton   Fox   Sept.27 

The  Ragged  Robin   Matty   Mattison    ..Sanford   Sept. 15 

Reckless   Ridin'   Bill    ....Dick   Carter   Sanford   Sept.  1 

Billy's  Week-End   Bill    Franey   Sanford    Sept. 10 

Find  Your  Man   Rin  Tin  Tin  Warner   Sept.  1     Oct. 25 


.Warner   Sept. 15 

.Warner   Setp.29 

.  Universal   Sept.  7 


Nov. 
Aug. 


.Universal   Sept. 14  June  21 


.Sept.  7 
.Sept.  28 
.Sept.  28 


Lover  of  Camille   Monte  Blue  .. 

This  Woman   L.  Rich   

Big  Timber   Wm.  Desmond 

The  Turmoil   All    Star  .... 

The  Family  Secret   Baby  Peggy  Universal   Sept. 28  June  28 

Wolves  of  the  North  ....Wm.   Duncan    ....Universal     ..Seria.Sept.29  Aug.30 

Passion's  Pathway   Estelle   Taylor    ...Lee-Bradford    ....Sept.  1 

Why   Worry   Harold    Lloyd    ...Pathe   6000Sept.l6 

The  Call  of  the  Wild   ..Spec.    Cast   Pathe   8000Sept.23 

Youth  For  Sale   Sigrid  Holmquist  .Burr  Pict.   ...6500Sept.  1 

Race    for    Life   Novak-Fairbanks    .C.  B.  C  4954Sept.  1 

Price  She  Paid  Alma  Reubens   ...C.  B.  C  5957Sept.l5 

Fangs  of  the  Wolf   All-Star   Weiss-Bros- Art  

Biff  Bang  Buddil   B.   Roosevelt   Weiss  Bros   Sept. 15 

Vanity's  Price   Anna  Q  Nilsson   .F.  B.  O. 

Life's  Greatest  Game  Johnnie    Walker    .F.  B.  O. 

Stepping  Lively   R.   Talmadge    ....F.  B.  O. 

OCTOBER 

Virtue's  Revolt   Edith   Thornton  .. 

Daring  Chanes   J.  Hoxie   

Story  Without  a  Name   .  .Moreno-Ayres  ... 

Circe  the  Enchantress  ...M.  Murray   

City  That  Never  Sleeps  .Cortez   

Tarnish   May  McAvoy 

Hearts  of  Oak   H.    Bosworth  .... 

^Turned    Up   Chas.  Hutchison  . . 

Life's  Greatest  Game   .  .  .Johnnie  Walker  .  . 

The  Clean  Heart  Marmont   

Fast  &  Fearless   Buffalo  Bill,  Jr. 

The   Fast   Worker   Denny-LaPlante 

Cornered   Prevost   

Measure  of  a  Man   Wm.  Desmond  .. 

I  Am  the  Man   Lionel  Barrymore 

Ridin'    Kid    from    PowderRiver   J.  Hoxie 
River   

The   Silent  Watcher   G.  Hunter   

Dangerous    Money   Bebe  Daniels  ... 

The  Bandolero   All-Star   

Madonna  of  the  Streets  . .  Nazimova-Sills  .. 

Married   Flirts   Pauline  Frederick 

The  Painted  Flanper   .  .  .  .  Kirkwood-Garon 

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   

Roaring   Rails   H.  Carey   

Western   Wallop   J.  Hoxie   

Rose   of  Paris   M.  Philbin   

Welcome   Stranger   All-Star   

Her  Love  Story   Swanson   

Walloping    Wallace   Buddy  Roosevelt 

Milionaire  Cowboy   Lefty  Flynn   

Broken    Laws   Mrs  Wallace  Reed 

Dangerous    Flirt   Evelyn  Brent 

Thundering  Hoofs   Fred  Thomson 

Pearls  of  Paris   Pearl  White  . 


Coming  Productions 


Wm.  Steiner 

5175 

Oct.  18 

Universal   . . . 

.4543 

Oct.  18 

Paramount 

.5912 

Oct.  18 

Metro   

68820ct. 

6 

Oct.  18 

Paramount 

.6097 

Oct.  18 

.  First  Natl.  .  . 

.6831 

Oct.  18 

63370ct. 

5 

Oct.  11 

Steiner  Prod. 

4990 

Oct.  11 

.  F.  B.  0 

Oct. 

5 

Oct.  11 

Vitagraph 

.7950 

Oct.  4 

4600 

Oct.  4 

.  Universal  .  . . 

.6896 

Oct.  4 

Warner  Bros. 

6400 

Oct.  4 

.  Universal  . . . 

.4979 

Oct.  4 

.  Chadwick  .  .  . 

.7460 

Nov.  1 

.  Universal   .  .  . 

.5727 

Nov.  1 

First  Natl.  .  . 

.57750ct. 

5 

Nov.  1 

.Paramount 

.6864Oct.20 

Nov.  1 

.Metro   

5600Oct.20 

Nov.  1 

.First  Natl.  . 

.7507Oct.l9 

Nov.  1 

.  Metro   

6765 

Oct.25 

.  Chadwick  .  . . 

.5551  Oct.  15 

Oct. 25 

.  Fox   

.59490ct.l2 

Oct.25 

Prod.  Dist.  . 

.57540ct. 

6, 

Oct.25 

Universal   .  . . 

.4611 

Oct.25 

,  Universal   .  . . 

.6320 

Oct.25 

Prod.  Dist. 

.6700 

Oct.25 

.  Famous  Play 

6750Oct. 

6 

Oct.25 

.  Artclass    ,  , 

,  .Oct.15 

.  F.  B.  0  

 Oct. 

5 

F.  B.  0.  . .  . 

 Oct.  19 

.F.  B.  0  

 Oct.19 

.F.  B.  0  

 Oct.26 

.F.  B.  0  

 Oct.26 

FAMOUS  PLAYERS 


eleased 

6 
13 
20 
20 
27 
27 
10 
10 
17 
24 
24 

1 

8 
15 
22 
29 
.  29 
■51 

5 
12 
19 
19 
26 
26 


Madonna  of  the  Streets    Nazimova-Sills   ••...Oct.  19 

Christine  of  the  Hungry  Heart  Florence  Vidor   Oct.  12 

Husbands  and  Lovers    Vidor-Cody   Dec.  28 

Classmates    R.  Barthelmess   Nov.  30 

Wilderness    Corinne  Griffith   Dec.  7 

So  Big   Colleen  Moore   Dec.  14 

If  I  Marry  Again    Kenyon-Hughes   Dec.  21 

Sandra   B.  LaMarr   --...Oct  26. 

As  Man  Desires    Spec.  Cast   Jan.  11 


Title  Star  length  R 

Her  Love  Story    Swanson   Oct. 

Empty   Hands    Holt-Shearer  Oct. 

The  Fast  Set    Compson-Dexter   Oct. 

Dangerous  Money    Daniels-Moore   Oct. 

The  Border   Legion    Moreno   Chadwick   Oct. 

5tory  Without  a  Name    Avers-Moreno   Oct. 

Wages   of   Virtue    Swanson-Lyons   Nov. 

Manhattan    I  ogan-Kelly   Nov. 

A  Sainted  Devil    Valentino   Nov. 

Worldly  Goods    Agnes  Ayres   Nov. 

Forbidden    Paradise   Negri  Nov. 

The  City  that  Never  Sleeps...  Cortez   Dec 

The  Garden   of  Weeds   Compson  Dec 

Tongues  of  Flame    Meighan-Love   Dec 

North  of  36    Holt   Dec 

Argentine  Love    Daniels-Cortez   Dec 

Peter  Pan    Betty  Bronson   Dec 

Locked   Doors    Compson   Jan 

Interlocutory   •  •   Avres  . .  •  •  Jan 

A  Woman  Scorned    Negri   Jan 

Miss  Bluebeard    Daniels  Jan 

The  Golden  Bed    la  Rocque   Jan 

Man  Must  Live    Richard  Dix   Jan 

Bed-Rock    Meighan   Jan 

FIRST  NATIONAL 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Heart  Trouble    C.  Talmadge   Nov.  16 

Frivolous  Sal    Spec.  Cast   Jan.  18 

Idle  Tongues    Marmont-Kenyon   Nov.  9 

Inez   from   Hollywood    Nilsson-Stone   Jan.  4 

The  Lady    N.  Talmadge   

The  Lost  World    Stone-1  ove-Beery   

The  Only  Woman    N.  Talmadge   Nov  2 

Sundown    Spec.    Cast   Nov.  23 

The  Silent  Watcher    Hunter-B.  Love   Oct.  5 


Title 

Greatest  Love  of  All. 


SELZNICK 

Star 

. .    Geo.  Beban  .  . . 


Length 


Released 
Oct.  15 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Price  of  a  Party    Hope  Hampton   Oct.  19 

Barriers  Burned  Away    Spec.  Cast   Nov.  30 

East   of   Broadway   Owen  Moore   Nov.  23 

Why  Women  Sin   Jan.  11 

Children   of  the  Whirlwind  Feb.  8 


PATHE 

Title  Star  Length 

Dynamite   Smith    Chas.  Ray    7000... 

The  Battling  Orioles    Glenn  Tryon    6000.  . . 

Hot  Water    Harold  Lloyd    5000... 


Released 
.Oct.  12 
.Oct.  26 
.Nov.  2 


SANFORD  PRODUCTIONS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Pirate  Peter  Pepper    Matty  Mattison   Nov.  1 

Let  Him  Buck    Dick  Carter   Oct.  1 

Battlin'   Billy    ..    Dick  Carter   Nov.  1 

The  Captivatin'  Cannibal    Bill   Franey   Oct.  1 


J.  J.  FLEMING  PRODUCTIONS,  INC. 


Title  Star  Length 

Shackles  of  Fear    Ferguson-Conley     ....  5000 

Trail  of  Vengeance    Ferguson-Conley     ....  5000 

PRINCIPAL 

Title  Star  Length 

Helen's  Babies    Baby  Peggy    6200... 

The  Mine  with  the  Iron  Door..  Mackaill   6180... 

Taming  of  the  Shrew    Daniels   

Daughters  of  Pleasure    Prevost   

Good  Bad   Boy    Spec.  Cast   

Daring  Youth    Daniels- Kerry   

Listen  Lester    Fazenda-Myers   


Released 


Released 
.Oct.  12 
.Oct.  2 


ARROW 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Come  On  Cowboys    Dick  Hatton   Dec.  6 

The  Rip  Snorter    Hatton-Mills   Feb.  14 

Western  Feuds    Edmund  Cobb   Feb.  14 

The  Diamond  Bandit    Ashton  Dearholt   Oct.  15 

The  Lash  of  Pinto  Pete    Ashton  Dearholt   Nov.  15 

Ridin'  Mad    Yakima  Canutt   Oct.  11 

The  Desert  Hawk    B.   Wilson-M.    Harris  Oct.  25 

Horse  Sense    Hatton-Mills   Nov.  8 

His  Majesty,  the  Outlaw    B.  Wilson-V.  LaPIante  Nov.  22 

Branded  a    Bandit    Yakima  Canutt   Dec.  20 

Vic  Dvson  Pays    B.  Wilson-N.  Gerber  Jan.    3  '25 

The  Cactus  Cure    Dick  Hatton-Mills   Jan.   17 '25 

Sand  Blind    Ben  Wilson   Jan.  31  '25 

Where  Romance   Ends    D.  Hatton-M.  Mills   Mar.  28  '25 

PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING 

Title  Star  Lengths  Released 

Roaring   Rails    H.  Carey   Oct.  6 

Another  Man's  Wife    Kirkwood-Lee  Oct.  19 

Trouping  with  Ellen    Chadwick   Oct.  26 

Reckless   Romance    T.  Roy  Barnes   Nov.  2 

Girl  on  the  Stairs    P.  R.  Miller   Nov.  9 

The  Chorus  Lady   Margaret  Livingston   Nov.  16 

A   Cafe  in  Cairo    Priscilla  Dean   Dec.  1 

Flaming  Forties    H.  Carey   Dec.  7 

The  Mirage    F.   Vidor   Dec.  21 

On  the  Shelf    All  Star   Jan. 

Soft  Shoes    H.  Carey   Jan. 

Off  the  Highway  


4 
1 1 


Logan   Jan.  25 

METRO 


Released 
Oct.  6 
13 
20 
27 
27 
3 


Title  Star  Length 

Circe  the  Enchantress    Mae  Murray    6882... 

The  Navigator    Buster   Keaton    5600  Oct. 

The  Bandolero    All  Star    8000  Oct. 

Janice    Meredith    Marion   Davies   Oct. 

Mrs.   Paramour   All   Star   Oct. 

The  Great  Divide    Alice    Terry   Nov. 

The  Snob    N.    Shearer-Gilbert  Nov.  3 

He   Who  Gets   Slapped    Ion  Chaney   Nov.  17 

Along  Came  Ruth    Viola  Dana   5161  Nov.  10 

The   Rag   Man    Jseki*  Coogan   

The  Silent  Accuser    All  Star   Nov.  24 

So  This  Is  Marriage    All  Star   Nov.  24 

Beautv   •  ■  •  

The  Beauty  Prize    Viola  Dana   

Ben  Hur   

The  Charity  Ball   

Cheaper   to  Marry   

F.ycuse  Me  

Fast  T  ife  in  New  York   

A  Girl's  Rebellion   

Dixie  •  • . .  

Green   *.""•  ' .  •  ■  •• . .  • 


November  8,  1924 


Page  43 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Coming  Productions — Continued 


Title 

The    Brass  Bowl   

Gerald  Cranton's  Lady   

My  Husband's  Wives   

The  Race   

Winners  Take  All   

The  Wolf  Man   

Daughters    of   the  Night   

Darwin   Was  Right   

Every  Man's  Wife  

Dick  Turpin   

Flame  of  Desire   

The  Fool    

Gold  Heels   

The  Great  Diamond  Mystery  . . . 

Hearts  of  Oak   

The   Hunted  Woman   

Hunting  Wild  Animals  in  Holly 

In  Love  with  Love   

Teeth  

Thorns   of  Passion   

Troubles  of  a  Bride   

Warrens  of  Virginia   


FOX 

Star  Length  Released 

Edmund  Lowe   Nov.  2 

Alma  Rubens   

Sherley  Mason   Nov.  16 

 Oct.  12 

 Oct.  12 

John  Gilbert   Feb.  17 

Special  Cast   Oct.  19 

 Oct.  19 

Special   

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix  

Tom  Mix  

Tom  Mix   

S.  Mason   Oct.  5 

Special   Oct.  5 

Special  Oct.  5 

wood    Special   cast   . 


Tom  Mix   

Special   

Special   

Special   Oct.  12 


TRUART 


Title 

Stepping    Lively    R. 

Going    High    R. 


Star  Length  Released 

Talmadge   Oct.  1 

Talmadge   Nov.  1 


WARNER  BROS 


Length 


Title  Star 
The  Narrow  Street    Dorothy  Devore  . 

A  Lost  Lady    Irene  Rich   Nov. 

The    Dark    Swan   Prevost-BIue   Oct. 

Age  of  Innocence    Beverly   Bayne   Nov. 

How  Baxter  Butted  In    Willard  Louis   

The  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea          Rin  Tin  Tin   Dec. 

Recompense    Blue-Rich   

Bridge  of  Sighs    Blue-Rich   

The  Dear  Pretender    Marlow- Roche   

A  Man   without  a  Conscience  

Eve's  Lover  

My  Wife  and  I  

The  Broadway  Butterfly   

The   Eleventh  Virgin    


Released 
Oct.  15 
24 
29 
10 


15 


LUMAS  FILM 


Title  Star 

Black   Lightning    Thunder  (dog) 

Women  and  Gold    All  Star   

The  Night  Ship    All  Star   


Length 


Released 
.Oct.  1 
.Dec.  1 
.  Feb.  1 


F.  B.  O. 


Title 


Star 


Length 


Life's   Greatest   Game   Johnnie  Walker   Oct. 

Stranger   from  Nowhere    Gloria  Gray   Oct. 

Broken  Laws    Mrs.  Wallace  Reid   Oct. 

The   Prude   Evelyn  Brent   Oct. 

The  Third  Talmadge    Richard  Talmadge   Oct. 

Ouemado    Ann  Mav  Nov. 

Hard  Cash    Harlan-Bellamy   Nov. 

Cheap  Kisses    I.  Rich-C.  Landis   Nov. 


Released 


5 
5 
12 
19 
26 
2 
9 
23 


UNITED  ARTISTS 


Title  Star  Length  Released 

No  More  Women    Bellamy- Moore   Feb.  15 

Loving  Lies    Monte  Blue-Brent   Feb.  15 

A   Woman's  Secret    Mae  Marsh   Feb.  15 

The   End  of  the  World    Jack  Pickford   

MADOC 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

A  Game   Fighter    Bill  Patton   November 

Ridin'    West    Jack   Perin   October 

Desert  Madness   December 

(3  more  to  follow) 

VITAGRAPH 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Clean   Heart    Marmont    7950  Oct.  26 

Greater  Than  Marriage    Daw-Tellegen   Nov. 

The  Magnificent  Ambersons   Nov.  30 

The  Beloved   Brute    M.  de  la  Motte   Dec.  21 

Baree,  Son  of  Barzan    1925 

Pearls  of  the  Madonna    1925 

Steele  of  the  Roval  Mounted  ,   1925 

In  the  Garden  of  Charity   :   1925 

The  Hanny  Warrior    192^ 

The  Alibi    1925 

The  Road  that  Led  Home    1925 

The  Unknown  Story    1925 

EAST  COAST  FILMS,  INC. 

Title                                     Star                Length  Released 
The  Early  Bird    Johnny    Hines   Nov.  15 

BANNER 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Daughters  Who  Pay    All  Star   Jan    15  '25 

Those  Who  Judge    P.  R.  Miller-Tellegen .  Nov.  15 


INDEPENDENT 


Title 


Star 


Length 


Billy  the  Kid    F.  Farnum  Feb. 

Dangerous    Pleasure    Special  cast   Nov. 

The  Gambling  Fool    F.  Farnum  Jan. 

Outwitted    Desmond-Holmes   Nov. 

A   Woman    Under    Oath    Florence  Reed   Nov. 

Border  Intrigue    F.  Farnum   Nov. 

Corsican  Bros   Dustin    Farnum   Nov. 

Courage     F.  Farnum   Dec. 

Her  Code  of  Honor    Florence  Reed   Dec. 

Her  Game    Florence  Reed   Jan. 

Offended    Marjorie  Wilson   Nov. 

Blood  and  Steel    Desmond-Holmes   Dec. 

Moccasins    Bill  Cody   TVc. 

Border  Justice    Bill  Cody   Jan. 

When  Winter  Went    F.  Farnum   Dec. 

Calibre  45    Raymond  Griffith   Oct. 

Riders  of  Mystery    Bill  Cody   Nov. 


Released 


15 


'25 


'25 


'25 


'25 


Length 


CHADWICK 

Title  Star 

The  Painted  Flapper    Kirkwood-Garon   Oct 

I  Am  the  Man    Lionel  Barrymore   Nov. 

The   Tomboy    Devore  Rawlinson   Dec. 

The  Street  Singer    Not  cast  yet   Jan. 

Flattery    Bowers-de  la  Motte   Feb. 

Romance  of  an  Actress    Not  cast  yet   Mar. 

Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley   ...  Not  cast  yet   Apr. 

RAYART 


Released 
15 
15 
15 

15  '25 
15 

15  '25 
'25 


Title  Stnr  Length  Released 

Midnight  Secrets    George   1  arkin   Oct  1 

The  Street  of  Tears    Sanchie  &  Clayton   Oct.  15 

Just  Mary    Harlan   Nov.  1 

The  Pell  Street  Mystery   George  Larkin   Nov.  1 

Trail  Dust    David  Dunbar   Nov.  1 


B.  P.  SCHULBERG  PRODUCTIONS 


Title  Star 

Frivolity   

White  Man   A'ice  lovce  ... 

The   Boomerang   Sner:al  cast  . 

Faint  Perfume   Snec'st  cast  . 

Mansions  of  Aching   Hearts    .  .  Sr>p<-:-i  cast  . 

The   Triflers    Sperial  poet  . 

When  a  Woman  Reaches  40  .  .Sneeia'  est  .. 
My  Lady's  Lips  .  .  •  •  


Length 


L  Released 


.  .  .  .  Special  cast   

UNIVERSAL 


Title 

Hit  and  Run   

Rose  of  Paris   

"K"  the  Unknown   

Riding  KiH  from  Powder  River. 

Western  Wallop   

The  Measure  of  a  Man   

The  Tornado   

Dangerous  Innocence   

The  Hurricane  Kid   

California   Straight   Ahead  .... 

Captain  Fearless   

The  Price  of  Pleasure   

The  Flower  of  Napoli   

Fighting  Back   

The  Gai»tv  Girl   .  .  

Head  Winds   

Ja?7  Parents   

Ridin'  Pretty   

I  et  Her  Buck   

Oh  !  Doctor   

Secrets  of  the  Night   


Star  Length  Released 

Gibson   Oct.  5 

M.    Philbin   Nov.  9 

V.  Valli   Nov.  2? 

Gibson   Nov.  30 

Hoxie   4611  Dec.  14 

Desmond   Dee.  28 

House  P»ters  Ian.     4  '25 

Marv  Philbin   Ian.  21  '25 

Hoot    Gibson   Ian.  25  '25 

Reginald  Denny  Apr.  26 '25 

Reginald  Denny   

Valli-Kerry  Mar.  15  '25 

Bellamy   

Desmond   Apr.     5  '25 

Marv  Philbin   Dec.  21  '24 

House  Peters   

Mav    McAvoy   Mar.     1  '25 

Desmond   F»b.   22 '25 

Hoot  r.ihson   May   31  *?5 

Reginald  Hennv   Feb.     1  '25 

Bellamv-Kirkwood   Feb.     1  '25 


LEE-BRADFORD  CORP. 


Title  Star 

Lure  of  Love    Zeena  Keefe 

Pearl  of  Love    Leslie-Sherry 


Length 


Released 


EAST  COAST  FILMS,  INC. 


Title  Star 

The  Sneed  Snook   J.  Hines  .... 

The    Farlv    Bird   .1.  Hines  .... 

The   Cracker   Jack   J.  Hines  .... 


Length 
6700.  .. 
6400.  .. 
6500 . . . 


Released 
.Nov.  1 
.  Ian.      1  ">5 
.Mar.      1  '25 


ERNEST  SHIPMAN  PRODUCTIONS 


Title  St-r 
The   River   Road    Hamilton- AM'son 


Length 


Released 


C.  B.  C. 

Title  Star  I  enpth  Released 

Fight  for  Honor   Fairbanks-Novak     ....4570  Oct.  1 

The   Beautiful    Sinner    Fairbanks-Novak   Oct.  1 

Midnight   Evnress    E'aime   Hammerstein  Oct.  15 

Wompn    First    Fairbanks-Novak   Nov.  1 

One  Glorious  Night    Elaine    Hammerstein  Nov.  15 

A   Fool  and   His  Money   

Fighting  the  Flames   

After  R'tslness  Hours   

Who  Car»s  

Tainted  Money  

The  Fearless  Lover   

The  Fatal  Kiss  


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Latest  oox  Office  News 

on  CECIL  RDEMIttES 


FEET  of  CLAY 


TELBGRAM 

*  rrom 

Grauman's 
Million  Dollar, 

Los  Angeles. 

"  First  week  of  4  Feet  of  Clay '  beat  first  week  of 
'Manhandled'  by  $3,000.   Played  practically  even 
with  *  Monsieur  Beaucaire. '    Business  increased 
with  each  succeeding  day.   The  picture  shows  a 
most  remarkable  tendency  to  build.  " 

TELEGBAM 

Rex  Theatre 

Wheeling,W.Va. 

"Notwithstanding  rain  and  cold,  *  Feet  of  Clay ' 
broke  all  my  records  for  all  times.  Congratula- 
tions to  Mr.  De  Mille,  Mr.  Kent  and  Paramount. 
Never  before  played  a  picture  that's  given  200 
per  cent,  satisfaction  to  audiences.   If  exhibitors 
cannot  cash  in  on  this  one  they  had  better  quit." 

AmericanTheatre 

Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

"With  exception  of  6  Monsieur  Beaucaire '  and 
6  The  Covered  Wagon, '  *  Feet  of  Clay '  broke  all 
attendance  records.   Our  patrons  mighty  well 
pleased  with  the  picture.   Practically  all  said  it 
is  the  best  De  Mille  ever  made.   You  are  to  be 
congratulated  on  this  picture.   It  is  a  real  box 
office  attraction." 

TELBGRAM 

>■  rrom 

Arcade  Theati-e 

Jacksonville  FJa. 

"  'Feet  of  Clay '  opened  Sunday  to  the  biggest 
business  in  the  history  of  this  theatre,  regardless 
of  admission  charge. " 

famous1^  tyarammml pictures 

Member  Motion  Picture  Producers  &  Distributors  of  America,  Inc.,  Will  H.  Hays,  President 


November  8,  1924 


Page  45 


am 


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Cfried  and  Proved  Pictures 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii' 


lllllllllllllllll! 


DOES  MONEY  MEAN 
ANYTHING  TO  YOU? 


MANY  EXHIBITORS  PASS  UP 
A  GOLD  MINE  THAT  WILL 
YIELD  HANDSOME  PROFITS 


By  HARRY  KERRY 


DURING  the  gold  rush  to 
the  Klondyke  in  1898, 
Bonanza  Creek,  one  of 
the  most  famous  in  the  district, 
was  worked  by  miners  who  in 
their  feverish  rush  for  the  pre- 
cious yellow  metal  devoted  their 
efforts  to  securing  only  the  larg- 
est nuggets. 

Millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
gold  was  taken  out  of  the  ground. 
The  miners  were  satisfied  at  hav- 
ing made  only  a  skimming  clean- 
up. 

After  the  excitement  had  died 
down  other  miners  came  in  and 
took  up  claims  on  the  worked  ground. 
They  found  that  the  ground  was  ex- 
ceedingly rich  and  millions  more  were 
taken  out  by  a  more  careful  process. 

STILL  later  the  gold  dredges  made 
their  appearance.  For  the  third  time 
the  ground  was  worked  and  again 
yielded  a  handsome  profit  before  it  was 
finally  given  up  as  valueless. 

The  same  thing  holds  good  with  pic- 
tures. 

A  photoplay  that  has  made  money  on 
its  first  run  will  yield  a  big  profit  a 
long  time  afterward  if  it  is  handled 
well.  It  is  only  necessary  to  be  sure 
that  the  picture  had  been  Tried  and 
Proved. 

The  miners  knew  Bonanza  Creek 
contained  gold.  Be  sure  the  picture  you 
choose  has  shown  value  then  spread 
yourself  and  clean  up. 

Has  it  occurred  to  you  that  the 
greatest  advertising  (word  of  mouth) 
has  come  to  a  picture  after  it  has 
completed  its  limited  run  in  a  city? 
There  are  thousands  of  patrons  who 
wish  they  had  seen  it  and  will  welcome 
its  return  with  open  arms. 

If  I  were  an  exhibitor  I  would  book, 
for  example,  "The  Four  Horsemen."  I 
would  feel  justified  in  giving  the  pic- 
.  ture  good  advertising  and  publicity  ow- 
ing to  the  cheap  booking. 

I  would  place  an  announcement  in 
the  daily  papers  telling  the  public  of 
the  return  engagement  and  I'd  capital- 
ize on  the  popularity  of  the  star. 

I  would  not  treat  the  picture  as  an 


ARE  you  in  business  for  your  own 
amusement  or  are  you  trying  to 
make  a  living?  If  you  have 
failed  to  realize  the  possibilities  in 
Tried  and  Proved  Pictures,  you  are 
passing  up  one  of  the  best  bets  in  the 
business.  You  owe  it  to  yourself  to 
try  a  Tried  and  Proved  program  for 
it  means  money  in  the  bank  and  satis- 
fied patrons. 


Orphan  Annie,  but  as  a  hero  returning 
home.  I'd  make  a  ballyhoo  that  would 
arouse  the  whole  town.  I'd  have  horse- 
men parade  the  streets  and  pep  up  the 
community  to  such  an  extent  they  sim- 
ply couldn't  stay  away. 

I'd  take  advantage  of  all  the  pub- 
licity stunts  that  were  used  in  the  first 
runs  of  the  picture  and  I'd  make  Ru- 
dolph Valentino  the  talk  of  the  city. 

The  picture,  having  a  war  setting, 
I'd  tie-up  with  the  American  Legion 
and  give  them  a  small  share  of  the 
box-office  receipts  for  one  night:  I'd 
get  the  Legion  Fife  and  Drum  Corp 
to  parade  and  I'd  have  banners  an- 
nouncing the  picture. 

I'd  round  up  all  the  souvenirs  of  the 
war  possible  and  show  them  in  a  promi- 
nent show  window. 


I'd  stage  an  Argentina  Tango 
Contest  and  I'd  dress  the  ushers 
in  Spanish  Costumes. 


I 


WOULD  stage  a  contest  on 
"Why  Rudolph  Valentino  Is 
Popular,"  and  for  the  best  an- 
swers I  would  give  autographed 
photos  of  the  star.  The  photos 
can  easily  be  had  for  the  asking. 

I  wouldn't  apologize  for  run- 
ning a  picture  that  had  been 
shown  before.  I'd  make  people 
think  I  was  doing  them  a  great 
favor  to  bring  the  picture  back. 
I'd  howl  to  the  heavens  that  I 
had  the  greatest  show  on  earth  and  if  I 
didn't  line  'em  up  at  the  box  office  I'd 
feel  that  I  should  be  in  the  junk  busi- 
ness. 

If  I  owned  the  largest  theatre  in  the 
city  I  wouldn't  feel  that  I  was  above 
playing  a  picture  that  had  appeared 
before.  I  would  feel  that  my  prestige 
was  heightened  more  by  the  showing 
of  an  excellent  Tried  and  Proved  pic- 
ture than  by  one  of  the  ordinary  specie? 
that  make  up  the  average. 

If  Harry  Lauder  can  stage  an  an- 
nual farewell  tour  and  make  it  a  finan- 
cial success  I  would  see  no  reason  why 
a  screen  masterpiece  should  be  rele- 
gated to  the  scrap  heap  when  it  con- 
tains so  many  financial  possibilities. 


THE  JB 


METRO 


PICTURES 
CORPORATION 


of  the  APOCALYPSE 


A  REX  INGRAM 

PRODUCTION 


By  VICENTE  BLASCO  IBANfZ 
AM  PTC  D  8/  jyiKHATMS- 


A  good  example  of  "Tried  and  Proved"  psper  for  the  "Tr  cd  and  Proved"  pic- 
ture, "The  Four  Horsemen  of  the  Apocalypse,"  Metro's  great  classic  of  the  screen. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


They  "Booked"  This 

The  most  ambitious  exploitation  cam- 
paign ever  put  over  in  Birmingham, 
Ala.,  marked  the  recent  run  there  of 
Vitagraph's  super-special  "Captain 
Blood,"  at  the  Temple  Theatre,  of 
which  Joe  Steed  and  R.  G.  Allen  are 
the  managers.  It  was  a  tremendously 
effective  campaign,  too,  for  the  run  was 
notably  successful. 

Nat  Roster  began  a  teaser  campaign 
two  weeks  in  advance.    Then  he  gave 


a  private  showing,  after  which  two  hun- 
dred representative  residents  of  the 
city  sent  in  letters  heartily  praising  the 
attraction.  Roster  used  10,000  throw- 
aways  and  forty  24  sheets,  attached 
hangers  to  door-knobs,  posts  and  wires, 
and  had  a  "Captain  Blood"  book-mark 
placed  in  every  copy  of  a  book  lent  by 
the  public  library  for  several  days  be- 
fore the  opening.  On  the  Sunday  of 
the  week  of  the  run  a  full  page  news- 
paper advertisement  was  carried,  and 
the    publication    by   the  Birmingham 


Age-Herald  of  the  "Captain  Blood" 
serialization,  which  Vitagraph  offered 
free  to  newspapers,  heightened  interest 
in  the  production  tremendously. 

*  *  * 

Contest  Aids  "Secrets" 

The  showing  of  First  National's  Nor- 
ma Talmadge  picture,  "Secrets,"  at 
Loew's  Vendome  Theatre,  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  derived  much  publicity  through 
a  tie-up  arranged  by  W.  R.  Arnold, 
through  a  contest  with  the  Nashville 
Tennessean  on  "What  is  the  Greatest 
Thing  in  the  World  ?"  A  daily  prize  of 
$5  for  the  best  answer,  $2.50  for  the 
second  best,  four  tickets  to  "Secrets" 
for  the  third,  and  two  tickets  each  for 
the  next  three  best  answers,  caught  the 
attention  of  the  women  of  Nashville. 

The  prize  winning  answers  were  pub- 
lished in  the  Tennessean  together  with 
a  recapitulation  of  the  terms  of  the  con- 
test and  some  information  about  the 
photoplay.  The  contest  received  wide 
attention,  for  hundreds  of  answers 
were  received. 

Assistant  Manager  Stone,  of  Loew's 
Vendome  Theatre,  gave  "Secrets"  an 
unusually  attractive  lobby  display 
through  the  use  of  posters,  stills,  en- 
largements and  a  special,  painted  poster 
designed  by  the  Cusac  Company.  Teaser 
ads  preceded  the  regular  display  adver- 
tising in  the  newspapers.  In  addition 
to  the  billposting,  150  quarter-sheet 
banners  were  placed  on  street  cars. 

*  *  * 

"The  Song  of  Love" 

Manager  Parsons  of  Victor  Sheri- 
den's  Hippodrome  in  Croydon,  Eng- 
land, put  on  an  excellent  prologue  re- 
cently for  the  First  National,  Norma 
Talmadge  special,  "The  Song  of  Love." 

Parsons  utilized  the  large  stage  at 
his  disposal  with  a  particularly  tasteful 
eastern  setting.  The  tabs  rose  on  a 
group  of  natives  who  played  dice, 
carried  water  from  a  well  and  con- 
versed until  Mr.  Parsons  himself  en- 
tered, as  an  Arab  chieftain,  and  ren- 
dered the  song  "Out  on  the  Desert."  As 
he  finished,  the  lights  dimmed  and  he 
and  his  eastern  lover  left  the  scene  to- 
gether as  the  screen  commenced. 

The  whole  prologue  was  an  exceed- 
ingly effective  piece  and  helped  consid- 
erably towards  the  capacity  houses 
which  were  evident  throughout  the  en- 
tire week. 


Here's  a  "Captain  January"  Tie-Up,  arranged  for  Principal  Pictures  Corp.  with 
a  prominent  clothing  concern,  showing  even  how  two  diverse  lines  may  be  associated. 


November  8.  1024 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  47 


Lobby  display  for  "Covered  Wagon"  at 
the  Olympic  Theatre,  Pittsburgh.  This 
attractive  lobby  arrangement  packed  them 
in  for  the  Famous-Players  Lasky  picture. 

Clowning  It 

A  man  dressed  as  clown,  with  a  toy 
fish  which  he  blew  up  and  made  go 
through  various  contortions,  proved  a 
hit  along  Broadway.  The  management 
of  B.  S.  Moss'  Broadway  Theatre  used 
it  to  boost  the  attendance  at  the  theatre 
while  First  National's  Thos.  H.  Ince 
picture,  "Galloping  Fish,"  was  being 
shown.  Crowds  quickly  gathered 
wherever  the  man  stopped — usually  in 
front  of  the  theatre — and  many  of  them 
went  to  the  box-office  window. 

The  poster  mounted  above  the  en- 
trance to  the  Broadway  was  an  original 
painted  by  the  house  artist.  It  showed 
a  large,  laughing  fish  in  the  act  of  buck- 
ing a  girl  in  a  bathing  suit  off  its  back. 

*    *  * 
Her  Love  Story 

In  the  five  day  newspaper  campaign 
which  preceded  the  opening  of  Gloria 
Swanson  in  "Her  Love  Story"  at  the 
Rivoli  Theatre,  N.  Y.,  Harry  Reichen- 
bach,  special  representative  for  Para- 
mount pictures  hit  on  the  serial  idea 
for  the  newspaper  copy.  He  prepared 
four  installments  which  in  a  general 
way,  without  giving  too  much  of  the 
story,  were  like  the  pages  from  a  diary. 
Each  installment  was  signed  with  the 
initials  of  the  star,  with  the  exception 
ftf  the  last  in  which  the  full  name- 
Gloria  Swanson — was  used.  This  "in- 
timate confession"  theme  is  always 
sure-fire. 

Interest  in  the  campaign  was  fixed 
from  the  outset  by  the  first  newspaper 
insertion  which,  in  four  over  two,  ex- 
plained that  Love  is  the  embroidery  of 
imagination  on  the  fabric  of  reality. 
What  then  will  not  man  or  woman  sac- 
rifice for  love.    Now  it  can  be  told. 


"Her  Love  Story"  by  G.  S.  will  ap- 
pear here  each  dav  starting  tomorrow. 
Watch  for  it !  !  !  ' 

The  opening  day  display  was  a  full 
billing  insertion  with  art  work. 

*    *  * 

This  Made  Dough 

One  of  the  biggest  campaigns  ever 
put  over  in  Chicago  was  engineered  by 
Eddie  Carrier  for  the  Asher  Brothers' 
Circuit  in  connection  with  the  Metro- 
Goldwyn  production  "Bread."  Carrier 
hooked  up  with  The  Livingston  Bread 
Co.,  of  the  Windy  City  with  advertising 
and  publicity  stunts  that  resulted  in 
packed  houses  in  seven  of  the  Asher 
theatres. 

Here's  what  was  done.  The  bread 
company  spent  quite  a  sum  on  adver- 
tising in  the  daily  newspapers,  bought 
and  paid  for  over  100,000  heralds,  165 
of  their  wagons  carried  banners  adver- 
tising the  presentations  at  the  various 


Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Moreno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 


neighborhood  theatres,  a  snipe  was  put 
on  all  their  bill  board  stands,  and  loaves 
of  fresh  bread  were  given  to  every  pa- 
tron as  they  left  the  theatre.  Needless 
to  say  this  is  the  kind  of  stuff  that 
brings  the  dough. 

*    *  * 

Try  This  One! 

Chetek,  Minn.,  is  the  place  where 
they  still  believe  in  signs. 

Jim  West,  of  Paramount,  imposed  on 
the  good  faith  of  the  natives  a  little  bit, 
but  it  was  done  in  the  name  of  charity 
so  the  transgression  must  be  forgiven. 

At  an  indoor  fair,  the  local  exhibitor 
and  West  fixed  up  a  booth  where  they 
soM  "splinters  from  the  wheel  of  the 
original  covered  wagon  used  in  Para- 
mount's  picture  'The  Covered  Wagon.'" 
The  proceeds  went  to  charity.  The 
booth  in  the  fair  created  a  lot  of  con- 
versation inasmuch  as  there  were  some 
discussion  as  to  whether  the  splinters 
were  genuine  or  not. 


WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  - 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betfy  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE — Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audience's 
away  pleased  and  happy. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER — Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  persona) 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong- 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNlNv- 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


Make  Your  Theatre's  Reputation 
Guarantee  Your  Shows 


By  LESLIE  G.  SCHAUMANN 

Publicity  Director,  Columbia  Productions,  Inc. 


"INSTITUTIONAL  Advertising," 
|  is  what  the  big  expensive  advertis- 
ing  agency  calls  the  business  of 
selling  the  public  your  theatre,  its  per- 
sonnel and  also  yourself.  Very  high 
sounding  words  these,  for  which  the 
agency  nicks  your  bank  roll  according- 
ly. There  is  no  need  for  you  to  pay 
anyone  else  to  do  it.  You  can  best  do  it 
yourself.  Of  course  vou  may  say  that 
it  is  not  necessary;  that  you  ballyhoo 
your  pictures  and  spend  lots  of  money 
putting  the  picture  over 
with  the  public  and  that 
will  fill  your  theatre, 
and  filling  your  theatre 
is  all  you  are  inter- 
ested in. 

That  is  quite  true. 
But  why  do  you  sup- 
pose that  many  large 
firms  spend  huge  for- 
tunes in  making  only 
the  name  of  their  con- 
cern known  to  the  pub- 
lic.   Their  copy  says 
nothing     about  their 
products  but  is  solely 
designed  to  inspire  the  respect  of  the 
purchasing  public  and  confidence  in  the 
fact  that  anything  offered  by  them  is 
all  that  they  claim  for  it. 


rpHAT  is  just  what  you  want  to  do, 
-i-  you  have  spent  much  money  and 
years  of  your  time  to  learn  just  what 
makes  a  good  program.  You  have  se- 
lected your  people  with  care,  your  ush- 
ers, your  projectionist  and  all  that  per- 
tains to  your  theatre.  Are  these  things 
not  an  asset?  They  most  surely  are  and 
they  can  be  made  the  basis  of  public 
confidence.  Your  pictures  are  the  goods 
you  sell  over  the  counter  but  you  your- 
self are  the  guarantee  of  the  quality 
and  the  desirability  of  those  goods. 
People  pay  high  prices  for  diamonds  at 
Tiffany's.  Diamonds  of  the  first  water 
may  be  purchased  elsewhere  but  people 
know,  when  they  go  to  Tiffany  or  any 
other  place  of  its  calibre,  that  they  will 
receive  something  about  which  there 
can  be  no  doubt  whatever.  The  insti- 
tution has  been  so  very  thoroughly  put 
over  that  it  is  accepted  as  a  standard. 

That  is  the  very  point  to  which  you 
must  bring  yourself  and  your  theatre. 
Attending  your  theatre  can  be  made  al- 
most a  habit.    Pictures  these  days  are 


almost  all  widely  advertised  and  the  big 
special  of  one  producer  carries  as  much 
publicity  as  the  big  picture  of  another, 
but  when  it  comes  to  choosing  which 
big  feature  the  public  cares  to  see  the 
balance  is  in  favor  of  the  man  who  has 
sold  himself  to  the  public.  Your  theatre 
is  clean,  comfortable  and  pleasant  to  be 
in.  You  are  a  good  judge  of  pictures, 
your  music  is  good,  everything  about 
your  business  is  as  good  as  you  want  it 
to  be.  But — is  the  public  individually 


INSTITUTIONAL  ADVERTISING^ 


does  not  mean  ballyhooing  a  home  for  the  feebleminded 
though  that  is  the  sort  of  place  the  exhibitor  belongs  who 
does  not  realize  that  one  of  the  most  valuable  things  he  has 
to  sell  is  his  theatre  and  himself — so  says  Mr.  Schaumann. 


aware  of  it.  You  know  the  uses  of  ad- 
vertising why  not  advertise  your  house 
as  well  as  your  picture  ?  It  most  surely 
deserves  it.  The  name  of  any  big  star 
has  a  value,  to  be  sure,  but  the  value  is 
not  constant.  You  select  a  picture  from 
a  producer  and  it  makes  money  for  you 
but  you  can  not  always  bet  on  it.  All 
the  things  that  you  have  laid  the  most 
advertising  stress  on  are  changeable. 
What  is  constant  and  what  can  be  de- 
pended on  to  be  as  good  today  as  it  was 
yesterday  or  two  weeks  ago  ?  Your  the- 
atre of  course.  Stars,  pictures  and  pro- 
ducers come  and  go.  The  very  method 
of  presentation  changes  but  the  one 
thing  that  does  not  change  is  your  effort 
to  have  your  pictures  presented  as  well 
as  possible  and  your  theatre  as  good  in 
every  way  as  possible. 

CALL  attention  to  your  theatre.  In 
your  advertising  use  the  name  of 
your  theatre  discreetly  but  large  enough 
so  that  people  do  not  have  to  look  for 
it.  Choose  your  advertising  material  so 
that  you  may  do  this.  Big  firms  put 
much  effort  in  establishing  their  trade- 
marks and  names.  Your  name  is  just 
as  much  to  you  as  theirs  is  to  them. 
This  sort  of  thing  is  done  on  a  great 


scale  in  large  cities  where  it  is  an  abso- 
lute necessity.  It  applies  just  as  well  in 
the  smaller  town.  You  can  readily 
imagine  the  effects  of  competition  from 
another  theatre  when  people  prefer  to 
see  a  picture  there  to  seeing  it  in  your 
house,  even  though  the  opposition  house- 
has  nothing  greater  to  offer  than  you 
have.  When  you  have  made  a  special 
program  for  any  occasion  say  so.  If 
you  have  a  special  prologue  insert  credit 
lines  in  your  advertising.  Boost  the  ef- 
forts of  your  manager 
or  your  publicity  man 
or  your  musicians.. 
Every  time  you  do  it 
the  boost  is  for  your- 
self or  your  organiza- 
tion as  a  whole. 

The  selling  of  your- 
self to  the  public  is 
particularly  desirable 
in  a  small  town  or  com- 
munity where  you  are 
the  only  theatre  serving 
that  section.  In  big 
cities  the  tendency  is 
more  and  more  to> 
group  action  in  well  defined  sections 
which  are  in  themselves  small  towns.. 
You  are  a  public  figure  with  all  the 
responsibility  that  comes  of  being  in  the 
public  eye.  You  can  be  a  leader  and 
of  real  service  in  the  community. 

IT  is  not  merely  good  for  you  from 
an  abstract  idea  of  ethical  or  moral 
practice  but  it  is  good  business.  There 
are  many  times  when  a  small  effort  on 
your  part  will  let  you  be  of  service  to' 
the  community.  Such  times  as  a  charity 
drive  or  public  activity  could  be  for- 
warded by  giving  some  of  your  pro- 
gram time  to  a  speaker  or  perhaps  a 
small  line  or  two  worked  in  your  adver- 
tising or  even  the  announcement  of 
some  item  of  local  interest  to  your  au- 
dience can  be  made  by  means  of  a  slide 
or  a  small  paragraph  in  your  program 
notes.  Regular  but  judicious  contribu- 
tions to  worthy  charities  are  also  ad- 
visable. All  these  things  do  not  in 
themselves  involve  but  a  small  amount 
of  money.  They  do  require  time  and 
thought  and  judgment  in  their  execu- 
tion. The  building  up  of  public  opinion 
is  by  consistent  and  constant  effort. 

Sell  yourself  and  your  theatre  along* 
with  your  pictures.    It  PAYS. 


November  8,  1924 


Page  49 


Thundering yout 'may  to 

smash  all  box  office  records 


^ith  a  great  cast  starring 

WilliamDesmond 
Eileen  Sedgwick 

Supported  by  ^. 

HUGHIE  MACK. 
HELEN  HOLMES 
CLAUDE  PAYTON 


Directed  by 
Willi  AM  CRAFT 


JERSAIS 


RIDING  WESTERN  SEmat 


"The  Riddle  Rider" 

Universal  Chapter  Play  Holds  Every  Element  for  Box-Office  Popularity 
arid  Exploitation  Possibilities  to  Delight  Any  Showman 


THE  RIDDLE  RIDER"  POINTS 
THE  WAY  TO  PROFIT 


MASHING,  crashing,  dashing  action  is  just  one  of 
the  things  you  are  offering  for  sale  to  your  public 
when  you  show  "The  Riddle  Rider."  It  is  a  picture 
of  daring  contrasts,  painted  by  a  lavish  artist  in 
brilliant  hues  of  gold  and  crimson,  and  the  finest 
pastel  purples.  It  is  a  drama  filled  with  the  thrill 
of  crashing  cymbals,  yet  sweet  with  the  echoes  of 
softly  sung  love  songs. 

Oil !  In  this  age  of  ours  those  three  letters  have 
acquired  a  significance  almost  mystic.    They  spell 
sudden  riches  and  desperate  ruin.    They  raise  paupers  to  financial 
omnipotence,  they  cause  the  downfall  of  nations,  they  make  the 
whole  world  tremble. 

And  oil  is  the  theme  about  which  has  been  woven  the  tale  of 
adventure,  heroism,  love  and  intrigue  which  is  presented  in  "The 
Riddle  Rider."  Never  was  storv  more  enthralling;  never  did  pic- 
ture better  tell  the  tale. 

I  Gold 

The  little  town  of  Casper  nestled  contentedly  among 
the  Western  hills.  Round  about  were  honest  rangers 
battling  the  new  country  for  the  right  to  wealth,  health 
and  happiness. 

Then,  suddenly,  all  changed.  Oil  was  discovered. 
And  oil  means  gold.  Following  the  lure  of  the  yellow 
metal  came  the  usual  motley  crew.  Lease  hounds, 
gamblers,  parasites  and  despoilers.  The  crooked  repre- 
sentatives of  crooked  corporations. 

Where  justice  and  honor  had  prevailed,  now  might 
was  right.  But,  as  in  ages  past,  the  weak  and  oppressed 
found  a  champion.  One  that  brought  fear  to  the  heart 
of  evil. 


William  Desmond,  who 
plays  a  dual  role  in  Uni- 
versale chapter  -  play, 
"The      Riddle  Rider." 


The  Rider 

Masked,  cloaked,  unknown  alike  to  friend  and  foe-, 
this  valorous  figure  righted  wrongs.  When  villainy  was 
afoot,  he  somehow  knew,  and  at  the  crucial  moment  the 
man  of  mystery  would  appear.  The  forces  of  evil 
thwarted,  he  would  mount  his  fleet  horse  and  again 
disappear  in  a  whirl  of  dust. 

Men  loved  or  feared  him — according  to  whether  or 
not  their  activities  would  stand  the  light  of  day.  A  price 
was  placed  upon  his  head  by  those  who  had  good  reason 
to  wish  him  dead.    But,  although  close  calls  were  many, 


Page  52  WATI 

the  reward  remained  unclaimed.  Single 
handed  he  fought — and  single  handed 
he  won.  .  .  .  always.  And  the 
eternal  question  "Who  is  he?"  remain- 
ed unanswered. 

Love 

Nan  Madden  was  the  girl  everybody 
loved.  From  Randolph '  Parker,  the 
handsome  editor  of  the  "Casper  Star" 
to  Willie,  the  enormously  fat  printer's 
apprentice,  they  would'  have  died  for 
her. 

Nan  had  inherited  a  ranch.  It  wasn't 
much  of  a  ranch — but  it  was  all  she 
had.  And  to  pay  the  mortgage  she 
rode  pony  express  with  the  mails. 
That's  the  kind  of  a  girl  Nan  was. 

She  was  almost  too  busy  for  love- 
making,  but  she  thought  often  of  Ran- 
dolph.   And  he  of  her. 

Villainy 

Victor  Raymond  was  the  suave,  sin- 
ister figure  that  controlled  the  inner 
ring  of  vice.  True  to  a  bad  cause  were 
his  lieutenants,  Julia  Dean,  a  sloe-eyed 
"vamp,"  and  Jack  Archer,  who  con- 
trolled the  rough  characters  actually 
executing  deeds  planned  by  the  arch 
criminal. 

This  gang  was  after  oil.  And  they, 
alone,  knew  that  underneath  the  barren 
soil  of  Nan's  ranch  lay  fabulous  riches. 
To  accomplish  their  ends  they  would 
stop  at  nothing.  Only  the  great  popu- 
larity of  Nan  prevented  her  actual 
murder.  And  only  the  timely  arrival 
of  "The  Riddle  Rider"  frustrated  the 
many  plans  which  they  plotted. 

Plots 

Oil  wells  were  plugged,  an  attempt 
was  made  to  rob  Nan  of  her  mail 
pouches,  records  were  falsified  to 
swindle  her,  derricks  were  dynamited, 
cattle  were  stampeded — but  every  das- 
tardly device  failed    because    of  the 


Eileen  Sedgwick  plays  the  part  of  "Nan," 
the  heroine,  in  Universal's  "The  Riddle 
Rider,"  starring  William  Desmond  in  the 
dual  role  of  country  editor  and  two-gun 
protector    of    the    weak    and  helpless. 

dauntless  daring  of  "The  Riddle 
Rider." 

The  picturesque  wonder-man  accom- 
plished marvellous  feats.  No  danger 
was  to  great,  no  deed  to  desperate  for 
him.  And  all  the  time  his  identity  re- 
mained a  secret  known  to  him  alone. 

Rewards 

Then  one  day  it  was  shared  with 
Nan,  and  she  came  to  know  that  her 
protector,  "The  Riddle  Rider,"  and  her 
silent  lover  editor  Randolph  Parker, 
were  one  and  the  same  man.    As  she 


ION  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


had  loved  them  both,  what  was  there 
left  for  her  to  do? 

For  valor  the  rider-editor  is  reward- 
ed with  the  girl  he  loves.  For  stead- 
fast faith  and  courage  Nan  receives 
love  and  riches.  And  the  villainies  of 
the  Raymond  gang  also  receive  their 
just  reward. 

Thrills 

We  present  here  only  the  merest  in- 
dication, of  the  photoplay  offered  as 
this  week's  National  Tie-Up  picture. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  more  than 
outline  most  sketchily  the  thousand 
thrills  that  will  bring  your  patrons  back 
for  each  of  the  fifteen  episodes  in  this 
heroic  chapter-play. 

It  is  an  epic  serial  with  no  box-office 
element  absent.  There  are  stunts,  and 
thrills ;  combats  and  comedy ;  love  and 
laughter;  mystery  and  romance — and, 
last  but  far  from  least — exploitation 
possibilities  galore.  Even  a  casual 
showman  who  plays  "The  Riddle  Rid- 
er," can  make  the  election,  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  or  any  other  town  topic,  of 
vastly  secondary  importance  compared 
to  his  theatre's  attraction. 

Players 

An  all  star  cast  in  a  chapter-play! 
Did  you  ever  hear  the  like?  No  won- 
der "The  Riddle  Rider"  is  warranted 
to  pack  your  playhouse.  Not  for  one 
week  or  two — but  for  fifteen  full 
weeks.  For  there  are  fifteen  fascinat- 
ing episodes  to  bring  you  box-office 
happiness. 

Look  at  the  players !  William  Des- 
mond in  the  dual  role  of  "Riddle  Rid- 
er" and  oil  town  editor;  Eileen  Sedg- 
wick, as  the  brave  and  beautiful  Nan; 
Helen  Holmes,  as.  Julia  Dean,  the  vil- 
lainous "vamp."  Good  old  Hughie 
Mack,  fatter  than  ever,  is  "Willie,"  and 
Bsnnie  Corbett,  the  "rough  ridingest" 
cowpuncher,     one     of     the  villains. 


Jm 


Still  No.  4  from  Universal's  chapter-play  "The  Riddle  Rider,"  one  of  the  thrilling  bits  of  action  with  which  the  picture  is  replete. 
The  hero  is  holding  the  villain  and  his  gang  at  bay  while  he  relie  ves  them  of  their  stolen  spoils.  This  lends  atmosphere  to  the  display. 


November  8.  1924 


NATIORAL 


SECTION 


Page  53 


PROFITS  ASSURED  SHOWMEN 

WITH  "RIDDLE  RIDER"  WINDOWS 

Universal  Chapter-Play  Ideal  for  Tie-Ups 


ECAUSE  of  the  many 
and  varied  settings  of 
Universal's  big  chap- 
ter-play, "The  Riddle 
Rider"  every  showman 
who  books  the  picture 
will  be  enabled  to  get 
window  display  public- 
ity that  would  be  out 
of  reach  for  the  gen- 
eral run  of  photodramas. 

Each  episode  is  replete 
with  thrilling  action,  and 
there  are  any  number  of 
stills  that  will  attract  at- 
tention in  any  glass  front. 
There  is  a  fascination 
about  "the  great  open 
spaces,"  and  the  men  who 
occupy  them,  that  holds 
the  interest  of  all  romance 
lovers. 

Atmosphere 

As  soon  as  you  are  sure 
of  your  "Riddle  Rider" 
playdates,  write  at  once  to 
Exhibitors  Trade  Re- 
view for  as  many  sets  of 
display  material  on  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  products  as 
you  can  find  use  for. 

Tie-up  the  window  displays  with  at- 
mospheric stills— pictures  showing  the 
action  of  the  photo-play.  These  are  of 
equal  importance  with  the  stills  used  to 
actually  connect  some  certain  type  of 
merchandise  with  the  picture. 

Posters 

Universal  has  created  some  especially 
attractive  paper  in  connection  with  this 
picture,  and  opportunities  abound  for 
cut-outs,  shadow-boxes,  and  similar  at- 
tention gripping  exploitation  acces- 
sories. The  24  sheet,  for  instance  de- 
picts "The  Riddle  Rider,"  resplendent 
in  his  scarlet  cape,  dashing  madly  along 
on  his  white  horse.  This  poster  will 
make  a  magnificent  background  for 
any  window,  and  should  be  used  in  the 
most  prominent  locations  you  obtain. 

There  is  a  3  sheet  showing  William 
Desmond  as  the  mystery  man,  and  it 
will  make  a  wonderfully  attractive  cut- 
out for  lobby  display  or  as  an  added  at- 
traction in  any  window. 

Make  good  use  of  "The  Riddle 
Rider"  paper.  It  is  worthy  of  your 
best  attention  and  exploitation  effort. 
And  it  will  bring  returns  at  the  box- 
office. 


Hats 

As  everyone  knows,  the  men  of  the 
West  take  special  pride  in  their  head- 
wear,  often  spending  large  sums  for  the 
wonderful  hats  which  they  admire  so 
much. 

Naturally,  in  a  picture  like  "The  Rid- 
dle Rider"  there  are  numerous  stills 
showing  these  "two  gallon"  chapeaux, 
and  any  of  them  will  tie-up  well  with 


Hughie  Mack  offers  fine  material  for  a 
dairy  tie-up  with  Universal's  picture  "The 
Riddle  Rider."  There  are  others  which 
will  secure  you  soft  drink  window  displays. 


window  displays  of  masculine  millinery. 
The  F,  Berg  Company,  hat  manufactur- 
ers, will  be  glad  to  cooperate  on  this 
tie-up,  and  they  will  supply  some  very 
fine  display  material  upon  request. 

It  would  be  superfluous  to  mention 
still  numbers  regarding  this  display  as 


A  still  with  which  you  may  tie-up  Uni- 
versal's "The  Riddle  Rider"  with  window 
displays  of  men's  hats.  William  Des- 
mond's smile  would  help  sales  of  tooth- 
paste, and  also  boost  business  on  cigarettes. 


practically  any  of  the  pictures  are  suit- 
able. 

Overalls 

There  is  a  remarkable  overall  tie-up 
in  "The  Riddle  Rider."  One  .that 
should  obtain  windows  from  every  mer- 
chant who  handles  this  product. 

"Nan,"  heroine  of  the  picture,  who 
off  screen  is  Eileen  Sedgwick,  is  clad  in 
overalls  in  many  scenes.  And  she 
makes  a  most  appealing 
figure  in  them.  There 
are  a  number  of  stills  pic- 
turing her  so  clad,  and 
they  will  most  assuredly 
attract  attention  from 
passersby  both  to  your 
show  and  the  merchandise 
of  your  tie-up  partner. 

Look  at  the  photos  and 
you  will  get  the  idea. 
Many  of  these  will  also 
show  you  how  to  tie-up 
with  several  other  types 
of  merchandise  ranging 
from  margarine  and  cut- 
lery to  blouses  and  boots. 

Riding  Clothes 

Every  episode  contains 
shots  of  the  players  wearing  the  last 
word  in  riding  clothes.  For  a  window 
display  of  this  sort  of  merchandise 
there  are  a  hundred  different  stills,  each 
depicting  some  important  and  exciting 
incident  from  the  production. 

From  spurs  to  hat  every  article  is 
shown.  These  stills  may  be  used  for 
displays  on  other  merchandise  also,  as 
may  readily  be  seen  by  a  casual  inspec- 
tion of  the  pictures. 

Cosmetics 

While  cosmetics  are  scarcely  in  keep- 
ing with  the  out-of-doors  nature  of  this 
picture,  there  are  many  ways  in  which 
you  may  make  these  artificial  beautifiers 
work  for  your  show. 

The  beauty  of  Eileen  Sedgwick,  and 
also  that  of  Helen  Holmes,  offers  ample 
opportunity  to  arrange  tie-ups  with 
beauty  shops  and  similar  establishments. 

Any  of  the  stills  showing  either  of 
these  beautiful  girls,  coupled  with  win- 
dow cards  and  cosmetic  display  mate- 
rial will  accomplish  your  purpose.  Still 
No.  3-25  will  give  you  the  idea,  and 
there  are  many  more  equally  acceptable. 


Page  54 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Milk 

Our  old  box-office  friend  Hughie 
Mack  plays  an  exceedingly  "heavy"  role 
in  the  picture.  Hughie,  you  will  remem- 
ber grosses  about  a  half-ton  of  fat  good 
nature.  He  is  just  about  the  best  ad  for 
good  health  that  any  one  could  wish  for. 

There  are  stills  showing  Hughie  im- 
bibing milk  through  about  a  dozen 
straws,  and  some  equally  good  comed.v 
pictures  of  him  enjoying  some  soft 
drink  in  company  with  an  angular  spin- 
ster. 

Don't  miss  featuring  the  stills  of 
Hughie.  They  are  good  for  a  smile 
anywhere — and  people  love  to  laugh. 
For  instance,  look  at  No.  1-12.  There 
is  material  in  it  for  a  tie-up  with  every 
fruit  dealer  in  town.  The  apple  which 
Hughie  is  sharing  with  Eileen  Sedg- 
wick must  certainly  be  the  brand  that 
your  tie-up  merchant  sells  "by  the 
box." 

Sportwear 

Naturally,  in  an  outdoor  picture  there 
are  lots  of  shots  showing  knitted  outer- 
wear. The  New  York  Knitting  Mills 
will  furnish  display  material  for  win- 
dows showing  of  products  they  manu- 
facture, and  there  are  stills  galore  to 


Eileen  Sedgwick,  the  fair  heroine  of  Uni- 
versal^ "The  Riddle  Rider,"  will  help  sell 
quantities  of  overalls  and  tickets  for  your 
showing  if  you  use  stills  like  this  in  ar- 
ranging window  displays  with  merchants. 


assist  in  boosting  business  for  both  your 
theatre  and  the  dealer. 

Remember  that  window  cards  always 
play  an  important  part  in  the  displays. 

With  appropriate  wording  a  window 
card  may  be  made  to  tie-up  your  at- 
traction with  any  conceivable  sort  of 
product.  For  instance,  let  us  pick 
some  product  that  is  not  even  remote- 
ly connected  with  "The  Riddle  Rider," 
say  evening  clothes.  A  sign  reading 
"There  is  no  mystery,  about  the  popu- 
larity of  our  evening  clothes.  They  are 
the  best.  If  you  want  mystery — see 
the  best  picture  in  town — "The  Riddle 
Rider" — at  the  City  Theatre."  Some 
similar  twist  will  enable  you  to  tie-up 
with  any  imaginable  product. 

Golf 

There  are  some  highly  ludicrous  stills 
of  Hughie  Mack  in  various  attitudes 
studying  the  ancient  and  honorable 
game — golf.  Hughie's  stance  may  be 
all  wrong,  but  these  golfing  stills  will 
help  you  sell  tickets  and  merchandise 
through  window  displays. 

There  are  other  pictures  that  will 
prove  beneficial  in  securing  windows 
from  sporting  goods  dealers.  They 
show  the  different  things  requisite  to 
outdoor  life,  and  each  is  brimful  of 
thrilling  action. 

Don't  overlook  the  idea  of  dressing 
a  display  dummy  as  the  rider.  It  will 
make  the  window  much  more  attractive, 
and  the  greater  the  amount  of  attention 
your  displays  grip — the  greater  will  be 
the  line-up  in  your  lobby. 

Shooting 

You  may  tie-up  with  any  marksman- 
ship organization  for  your  showing. 
The  idea  is  that  the  characters  in  "The 
Riddle  Rider"  are  all  expert  shots.  Of- 
fer prizes  for  the  highest  marksmanship 
score  made  by  the  local  gun-club,  or 
other  society  composed  of  revolver  or 
rifle  enthusiasts. 

In  many  of  the  high  schools  the  boys 
have  sub-target  practice,  and  you  may 
get  a  lot  of  school  patronage  with  a 
contest  along  the  same  lines.  The 
prizes  may  be  passes  to  the  show,  or 
perhaps  in  the  form  of  a  "Riddle  Rid- 
er" marksmanship  medal,  the  cost  of 
which  will  be  trifling  compared  to  the 
publicity  received. 

Banks 

In  "The  Riddle  Rider"  there  are  sev- 
eral shots  showing  the  exchange  of 
money  and  bonds.  And  these  have  been 
reproduced  in  stills.  With  appropriate 
cards  they  will  serve  excellently  in  ar- 
ranging a  tie-up  with  the  banks. 

You  may  be  able  to  arrange  with 
some  savings  institution  to  arrange  a 
special  drive  for  new  depositors  during 
your  showing.  For  instance,  ticket 
stubs  from  "The  Riddle  Rider"  plus  fifr 
ty  or  seventy-five  cents  might  be  ac- 
cepted by  the  bank  as  a  one  dollar  de- 
posit on  a  savings  account.    The  ac- 


Hughie  Mack  apparently  believes  every- 
thing he  sees  in  the  book.  In  "The  Riddle 
Rider"  he  does  a  little  golf  practice.  This 
and  similar  stills  will  enable  you  to  tie-up 
with  sporting  goods    on    this  Universal. 

count  thus  begun  might  not  be  subject 
to  drafts  for  year. 

There  are  also  stills  showing  the  pur- 
chase of  bonds.  These  may  be  used 
by  the  bank  to  boost  the  sale  of  some 
security  which  they  are  recommending 
as  an  investment.  The  fact  that  the 
story  has  to  do  with  oil  leases  and  wild 
cat  speculation  makes  the  picture  an 
especially  appropriate  one  for  bank  co- 
operation. 

The  idea  is  to  arrange  every  possible 
tie-up  for  your  showing  of  "The  Rid- 
dle Rider."  Let  the  town  know- 
through  every  publicity  medium  that 
you  are  showing  a  fine  picture,  and  the 
town  will  respond  with  its  dollars  at 
your  ticket  office. 

Costumes 

If  you  care  to  costume  your  usher- 
you  may  do  so  cheaply  and  effectively. 
AH  that  is  necessary  is  to  dress  each 
girl  in  overalls  and  sombrero,  as  "Nan" 
dresses  in  the  picture.  If  you  can  se- 
cure some  revolvers  and  a  cartridge 
belt  foi  each,  so  much  the  better.  A 
slide,  a  card,  or  a  line  in  the  program 
jf'hould  suffice  to  secure  the  loan  of  these 
things  from  local  merchants. 

If  you  believe  a  comedy  bally  would 
}e  more  effective  than  one  stressing  the 
imystery  part  of  the  story,  get  a  dimin- 
utive donkey  and  advertise  for  the 
fattest  man  in  town.  When  you  get 
him,  dress  him  up  like  Hughie  Mack 
tmd  send  him  out  leading  the  donkey. 

You  might  offer  free  admission  and 
a  specially  constructed  seat  to  any  man 
who  weighs  within  fifty  pounds  or  so 
of  Hughie's  tonnage.  Essay  contests 
for  school  children  with  prizes  of 
.passes,  or  cheap  "wild  west"  toys  will 
get  the  patronage  of  rising  generation. 


November  H.  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  55 


Collect  "Riddle  Rider"  Coin 
With  These  Stunts 


Here  is  Eileen  Sedgwick  offering  handfuls 
of  bills  to  alert  "Riddle  Rider"  showmen. 
Incidentally,  this  and  other  stills  will  en- 
able you  to  tie-up  with  the  banks  for  your 
showing  of  this  Universal  photo-thriller. 

IN  using  stunts  for  Universal's  "The 
Riddle  Rider"  don't  forget  that  the 
mystery  element  should  be  strongly 
stressed.  William  Desmond  plays  a 
dual  role,  and  while  the  discerning  may 
guess  that  the  fearless  rider  is  the  edi- 
tor, the  suspense  is  sufficient  to  create 
interest;  and  warrant  special  exploita- 
tion along  the  mystery  line. 

One  idea  for  a  bally  would  be  to  have 
a  masked  rider  clad  a  la  "The  Riddle 
Rider"  paiade  the  streets  of  the  town. 
The  more  effective  way  to  publicize  the 
rider  and  your  show  would  be  to  elim- 
inate any  signs  so  far  as  the  bally  is 
concerned,  and  run  ads  in  the  paper. 
They  should  announce  that  at  a  certain 
hour  a  masked  rider  would  appear  on 
certain  streets,  and  offer  prizes  for  any- 
one who  can  figure  out  what  its  all 
about. 

Another  way  would  be  to  have  the 
rider  appear  for  several  days,  and  then 
run  ads  asking  "Who  is  he?"  This 
stunt  should  begin  before  your  play- 
.  dates. 

Another  mystery  stunt  would  be  to 
have  a  man  in  civilian  clothes  appear 
at  certain  places  in  town  at  stated  times. 
A  fair  description  of  him  would  be 
printed  in  the  papers.  He  would  min 
gle  with  the  crowds  and  dispense  free 
tickets  to  the  show  to  the  first  individ- 
ual at  each  place"5  who  accosted  him 
saying  "You  are  .The  Riddle  Rider,'  " 


The  newspapers  will  help  you  on  this 
one.  Have  them  run  a  story  telling 
how  untrustworthy  eye  witnesses  are, 
and  what  poor  detectives  folks  in  gen- 
eral would  make.  You  may  get  addi- 
tional publicity  by  challenging  the  po- 
lice force  to  pick  up  "The  Riddle 
Rider"  from  his  printed  description. 

OF  course,  the  Western  atmosphere 
of  the  picture  suggests  a  bally 
composed  of  a  cavalcade  of  horsemen, 
and  if  you  can  secure  a  number  of 
"cowboys"  to  parade  the  town  you  will 
surely  attract  attention.  One  might 
carry  a  banner  reading  "We  are  looking 
for  The  Riddle  Rider.'  " 

As  the  picture  shows  bills  offering  a 
reward  for  "The  Riddle  Rider" — dead 
or  alive,  an  effective  stunt  would  be  to 
plaster  the  town  with  notices  such  as 
the  police  use  offering  a  reward  for 
"The  Riddle  Rider." 

Your  lobby  should  be  reminiscent  of 
the  West.  A  log  cabin  front — a  hitch- 
ing rail — a  display  of  '45's" — will  do  the 
trick. 

And  remember  that  your  lobby  is  the 
closing  argument  of  your  showmanship 
sales  talk.  Every  other  stunt  is  de- 
signed merely  to  get  folks  into  the  lob- 
by. The  lobby  itself  must  accomplish 
the  purpose  of  separating  patrons  from 
their  coin  at  the  box-office. 

The  oil  idea  is  also  worthy  of  ex- 
ploitation. Remember  that  the  entire 
plot  of  the  play  revolves  about  the  dis- 
covery of  oil  in  this  ranch  town,  and 
the  subsequent  advent  of  lease  hounds, 
and  all  the  riff-raff  of  the  oil  fields. 


"Don't  be  deaf — use  Blank's  cure,"  might 
be  the  card  with  which  to  tie-up  Univer- 
sal's "The  Riddle.  Rider"  with  a  cure  for 
deafness,  purveyed  in  the  local  drug  store. 


A miniature  oil  well  would  go  along 
way  toward  making  people  come 
to  your  theatre.  The  oil  idea  may  also 
be  used  to  tie-up  with  every  gasoline 
filling  station  for  miles  around. 

Another  bally  idea  would  be  an  old 
"Buffalo  Bill"  type  stage  coach,  driven 
by  a  man  in  costume,  and  carrying  as 
a  passenger  a  young  woman  made  up 
to  represent  "Nan."  If  there  is  a  rope 
thrower  in  town,  you  should  secure  his 
services  for  a  prolog  on  the  picture. 


Another  still  which  will  help  sell  bonds 
for  banks  and  tickets  for  your  showing  of 
Universal's  picture,   "The   Riddle  Rider." 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos."  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  chan  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

220  West  42nd  Street  New  York  Citv 


6  sheet 


1  sheet 


b  anncr 


Page  58 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Window  Display  Material 
For  National  Tie-Ups  On 
"The  Riddle  Rider" 


WHEN  you  book  "The  Riddle  Rider"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  listed  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  numb  r  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
lach  National  Tie-Up.    Your  communication  will  receive  our  prompt  attention. 


LEHN  &  FINK,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Pe6<?co"  Dentifrice 
Display  Material:   Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores 


F.  BERG  &  CO. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Stay-Shape"  Hats 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


THE  BORDEN  CO. 

New  York  City 

Product:   "Eagle  Brand"  Milk 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Groceries,  Department  Stores 


S.  STERNAU  &  CO.,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Sterno"  Canned  Heat 

Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards,  Cut-Outs 

Tie-Up:  Department   Stores,   Sporting  Goods, 
Drug  Stores,  Hardware  Stores,  Groceries 


AUTO  STROP  SAFETY  RAZOR 

New  York  City 

Product:  Safety  Razors 

Display  Material:  Cards,  Cut-Outs 

Tie-Up:   Druggists,  Department  Stores, 
Hardware  Stores 


NEW  YORK  KNITTING  MILLS 

New  York  City 

Product:  "ISynit"  Knitted  Outerwear 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Department  Stores 


FOWNES  GLOVES 

New  York  O'y 

Product:  Gloves 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


KOPS  BROS.,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "/Vemo"  Corsets 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Department  Stores,  Specialty  Shops 


November  8,  1924 


Page  59 


Filled  with 
Thrills 

that  eclipse  the 
wildest  imagination! 


See 

bulldoging 

frenzied 
steer to 
save  a 
life/ 


See 

the  breath* 
taking  fall 
to  the  canon 
depths 


the  giant 
oil  derrick/ 
dynamited' 


Seethe 
dare-devil  leap 
to  freedom/ 


EILEEN  SEDGWICK^ 


Helen  Holmes 


EXHIBITORS  have  lost  sight  of  the  true  and 
original  value  of  serials.  It  was  serials — 
founded  upon  the  same  basis  as  the  con- 
tinued stories  in  magazines — that  brought  crowds 
to  theatres  week  after  week  and  created  the 
movie  fan.  Serials  are  responsible  for  the  popu- 
larity of  moving  pictures  today. 

Exhibitors  recently  have  come  to  regard  all  serials 
as  being  alike.  Universal  serials,  produced  by  "The 
Home  of  Serials,"  have  been  and  are  far  ahead  of 
all  others.  That  is  due  largely  to  the  unlimited 
resources — the  originality  of  ideas — the  excellent 
advertising  and  exploitation  values  put  into  these 
serials. 

"The  Riddle  Rider"  stands  head  and  shoulders 
above  all  other  pictures  of  this  type.  Its  remarkable 
cast  enacts  its  scenes  of  thrilling  action  and  breath- 
taking suspense  with  daring  and  skill.  This  serial 
contains  that  which  all  other  serials  have  lacked — 
genuine  comedy  situations  built  right  into  the  story 
and  enacted  by  a  world-famous  comedian,  Hughie 
Mack.  Again  Universal  gives  you  something  new — 
gives  it  to  you  first:  comedy  in  a  serial! 

Consider  these  facts  carefully  because  they  are 
facts  that  guarantee  sure-fire  results  at  any  theatre 
box-office;  they  mean  greater  crowds  that  will  pack 
your  theatre  week  after  week.  Get  in  touch  with 
your  Universal  exchange  immediately  and  be  the 
first  in  vour  territory  to  cash  in  on  it! 


Uni versals  Thrilling  Wild  Wert:  Serial 


November  8,  1924 


Page  61 


Theatres  of  the  World 


Romantic  is  the  Latin 
race.  Emotional  drama 
has  the  greatest  appeal 
to  them  according  to 
Italian  Exhibitors, 
hence  progressive 
showmen  whose  busi- 
ness is  to  know  what 
their  public  wants  de- 
mand that  type  of  film, 
and  profit  accordingly. 


Araeri  can  Exhibitors 
may  well  bear  that 
point  in  mind,  especial- 
ly those  catering  to  an 
Italian  following  as  ra- 
cial temperament  does 
not  change  with  loca- 
tion. Knowing  the 
other  fellow's  experi- 
ences should  be  of  great 
showmanship  value. 


View  of  the  auditorium,  looking  towards  the  stage,  of  the  Savoia  in  Florence, 
Italy.    An  ancient  palace  remodelled  for  the  modern  art. 

Farsighted  Italians  Nearsighted; 

It  Costs  Less. 


THIS  is  the  first  of  a  series  of  ar- 
ticles on  theatres  and  motion  pic- 
ture conditions  abroad.  We  be- 
lieve the  exhibitors  of  this  country  will 
be  interested  to  know  how  the  foreign 
exhibitor  conducts  his  business  and  the 
handicaps  under  which  he  operates.  The 
articles  will  touch  on  conditions  in 
every  country  in  the  world  and  we  be- 
lieve you  will  find  them  very  interest- 
ing. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Joseph  Em- 
erson Haven,  the  American  Consul  at 
Florence,  Italy,  some  very  interesting 
sidelights  on  film  presentation  have 
been  secured.  The  conditions  of  the 
motion  picture  industry  in  the  Italian 
provinces  of  the  Kingdom  are  unex- 
pectedly flourishing,  and  in  the  cities 
take  on  a  proportion  which  is  com- 
parable only  with  some  of  our  smaller 
American  cities.  It  should  be  of  par- 
ticular interest  to  the  American  exhib- 
itor to  know  that  most  of  our  first-rate 
films  are  enormously  popular,  particu- 
larly in  the  metropolitan  districts  of 
Italy. 

In  most  of  the  small  villages  and 
towns  there  are  halls  where,  on  Satur- 
day evenings  and  Sunday  afternoons 


and  evenings,  moving  pictures  are  dis- 
played. In  the  larger  towns  will  be 
found  one  or  two  small  cinema  theatres 
of  the  converted  store  type,  where 
nightly  performances  are  given.  In  the 
capital  cities  of  each  province  these 
halls  assume  a  more  pretentious  aspect, 
having  balconies,  small  orchestras  and 
some  attempt  at  decoration. 

PRICES  of  admission  (which  al- 
ways include  the  Government 
pleasure  tax)  vary  in  accordance  with 
the  importance  of  the  theatre,  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  seats  and  the  film 
shown.  The  minimum  is  rarely  less 
than  1  lira  (about  five  cents).  The 
cheaper  seats  are  those  nearest  the 
screen,  while  the  more  expensive  ones 
are  in  the  rear  of  the  auditorium  or  in 
the  balcony,  if  such  exists. 

One  of  the  finest  of  all  the  motion 
picture  playhouses  in  Europe  is  located 
in  Florence,  Italy.  In  form  of  construc- 
tion, comparative  cost  and  general 
beauty  and  presentation,  the  Savoia  in 
Florence  compares  favorably  with 
many  of  our  high  class  American  mo- 
tion picture  theatres.  Here  the  highest 
type  of  American  film  is  shown,  for 
example  "America''  and  "The  Thief  of 


Bagdad"  are  scheduled  during  the  cur- 
rent season. 

THE  building  in  which  the  theatre  is 
located  cost  eight  million  lire  (ap- 
proximately $50,000)  for  remodeling 
and  decoration  alone,  the  edifice  itself 
being  centuries  old,  with  characteristic 
medieval  lines  of  architecture  distinc- 
tive of  the  ancient  palaces  surrounding 
it.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of  1400 
but  can  hold  about  2500.  There  is  an 
orchestra  of  18,  but  there  is  no  organ 
such  as  is  found  in  our  American 
photoplay  houses. 

The  interior  of  the  Savoia  is  hand- 
somely appointed,  exquisite  carving  em- 
bellishing the  supporting  posts  and  bal- 
lustrades,  and  other  artistic  effects  are 
the  inserted  bas-reliefs  in  the  ceiling  ; 
the  hand  carved  black  walnut  furniture 
in  medieval  style;  the  handsome  bronze 
statues;  the  two.„main  stairways  in 
white  marble,  and  the  silk  stage  cur- 
tain which  alone  cost  30,000  lire  and 
was  specially  designed. 

Hence  it  will  be  seen  that  the  presen- 
tation of  motion  pictures  in  Italy  is 
making  rapid  strides  and  is  fast  follow- 
ing in  the  footsteps  of  America  where 
the  industry  was  cradled  and  whose 
leadership  cannot  be  questioned. 


Page  62 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 

Optics  Practical  Ideas  and  Electricity 


ANEW  device  which  it  is  claimed 
will  burn  carbons  to  less  than 
one-quarter  of  an  inch  has  been 
invented  by  Eli  Rosenbaum  of  the 
Hippodrome  Theatre,  Ogdensburg,  N. 
Y.  This  new  device  will  fit  any  make 
of  projection  machine  in  either  the 
upper  or  lower  carbon  jaw  and  give 
good  results. 

The  carbon  is  held  by  a  double  grip 
and  the  device  fits  any  size  carbon. 

I  am  informed  that  the  inventor  is 
planning  for  the  sale  of  his  new  device 
direct  to  the  projectionist  and  exhibitor. 

Dry  Carbons 

A  Jay  Hollens,  projectionist,  Kansas 
City,  Kansas,  writes : 

Dear  Mr  Trout:  May  I  ask  you 
one  question  ?  Recently  our  theatre 
purchased  a  late  model  Simplex  ma- 
chine, and  the  supply  house  advised 
us  to  use  Y%"  cored  carbons  above 
and  5-16  Silvertip  below.  Is  this  a 
good  combination  to  use  for  D.  C. 
Current  ? 

Am  just  starting  in  the  projection 
business  and  have  a  lot  to  learn.  We 
had  a  factory  man  set  up  the  machine 
but  am  having  a  little  trouble  with 
my  carbons  in  securing  a  steady  light. 
I  suppose  I  many  not  have  the  car- 
bons set  right ;  also  it  may  be  a  poor 
batch  of  carbons. 

The  advice  of  the  supply  house  to 
use  Silvertip  carbons  is  very  good.  If 
he  is  using  from  40  to  60  amperes  he 
will  find  the  combination  satisfactory 
for  a  good  light. 

As  to  why  his  light  is  not  steady— 
this  might  be  due  to  several  causes.  You 
did  not  describe  the  "unsteadiness." 

Sputtering  may  be  caused  by  damp 
carbons.  To  remedy  this  dry  some  car- 
bons very  thoroughly  by  placing  them 
in  the  bottom  of  your  lamp  house.  The 
unsteady  light  might  also  be  due  to  poor 
connections,  or  to  a  ground. 

Two  and  Three  Wing  Shutters 

The  writer  recently  received  a  letter 
from  Allan  Paul,  chief  projectionist  at 
the  Star  Theatre,  Alden,  Iowa,  who  re- 
quests information  about  shutters  on 
mazda  equipment.  Friend  Paul  writes 
as  follows : 

Dear  Mr.  Trout:  Am  operat- 
ing Power's  6-A  machine  and  using 
a  G-E  mazda  equipment.  We  have 
A.  C.  current  and  60  cycles.  I 
would  like  to  know  which  is  the 
best  shutter  to  use  with  mazda.  Is 
a  two  or  three  wing  the  best? 

My  picture  is  a  little  unsteady  on 
the  screen  and  would  like  your  ad- 


  By  WESLEY  TROUT   

vice  on  how  to  correct  this.  It  is 
just  a  trifle  unsteady  at  the  present 
time. 

You  will  find  the  two  wing  shutter 
best  to  use  with  your  mazda  equipment 
as  it  will  give  you  much  more  light  on 
the  screen.  Most  all  theatres  using 
mazda  equipments  are  using  the  two 
wing  shutters  with  best  results. 

You  did  not  give  me  much  data  about 
the  jump  in  your  picture  so  that  I 
could  tell  you  just  what  was  wrong.  A 
sprung  star  wheel  or  pin  dross  shaft 
will  give  a  jump  on  the  screen.  Dirt  on 
the  Intermittent  sprocket  will  cause  a 
picture  to  be  unsteady.  Sprockets  must 
be  kept  clean  at  all  times  to  secure 
steady  picture.    Worn  pin  holes  and 


Ask  Mr.  Trout 

IF  you  have  any  difficulties  or 
problems  in  connection  with 
any  phase  of  projection,  ask  Mr. 
Trout.  He  will  answer  inquiries 
of  general  interest  in  this  depart- 
ment; others  by  mail.  Questions 
should  be  forwarded  to  him  in 
care  of  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 
and  where  a  reply  by  mail  is  de- 
sired, stamped  return-addressed 
envelope  should  be  enclosed.  - 


cam  will  cause  jump,  also  improper  ad- 
justment of  pin  cross  and  cam.  There 
should  be  just  a  little  "play"  in  the  in- 
termittent sprocket  but  not  too  much 
for  a  steady  picture. 

To  secure  the  best  results  from  the 
alternating  arc  you  must  be  very  care- 
ful in  feeding  of  the  carbons.  Never, 
never  "freeze"  your  carbons  as  this  will 
"destroy  the  crater"  and  cause  a  very 
poor  light  on  the  screen  until  a  new 
crater  is  formed.  The  proper  setting 
of  the  carbons  is  of  vast  importance.  A 
very  modified  jack-knife  set  should  be 
used.  The  lower  carbon  should  be  set 
slightly  in  advance  of  the  upper  one  to 
secure  a  good  crater. 

Use  the  correct  size  carbons  for  the 
amperage  you  are  using.  On  sixty  am- 
peres you  will  find  that  five-eight  car- 
bon will  be  of  the  best  diameter.  Don't 
try  using  three-quarter  carbons  thinking 
that  you  will  get  a  better  light  because 
you  will  not.  For  seventy  and  ninety 
amperes  you  will  get  best  results  with 
three-quarter  carbons,  upper  and  low- 
er. On  the  A.  C.  arc  you  will  find  best 
to  use  the  same  size  carbons  on  a  certain 


amperage  in  both  the  upper  and  lower. 
You  will  not  secure  any  better  results 
by  using  a  large  carbon  in  the  top  and 
a  small  one  in  the  bottom. 

The  carbon  holders  and  clamps 
should  be  kept  cleaned  by  filing  them 

each  day. 

Very  Good  Projection  Results 

It  was  my  pleasure  to  visit  some  of 
the  projection  rooms  in  Amarillo,  Tex- 
as, and  can  sincerely  say  that  projection 
results  was  very  good  in  the  three 
houses  now  running  in  this  city. 

My  first  visit  was  to  the  projection 
room  of  brother  Wilson,  Liberty  Thea- 
tre, where  Wilson  is  securing  very 
pleasing  results  with  two  late  type  Sim- 
plex projectors.  A  Westinghouse  mo- 
tor generator  set  is  used  to  furnish  cur- 
rent for  the  arcs-  The  light  was  well 
attended  and  the  change-overs  were 
very  good.  The  projection  room  is  of 
ample  size  with  a  window  and  vent  that 
keeps  plenty  of  fresh  air  in  the  booth 
at  all  times.  Plenty  of  tools  are  kept 
on  a  neat  work  bench  to  make  repairs 
on  the  projection  equipment.  The  Lib- 
erty is  a  very  nice  little  theatre  seating 
about  600,  I  think.  The  picture  is 
bright  and  clear  with  plenty  of  amper- 
age used  at  the  arc. 

My  next  stop  was  at  the  Fair  Thea- 
tre where  the  chief  of  projection  is  a 
chap  named  Davis.  Two  Powers  type 
"E"  projectors  and  a  Westinghouse 
generator  set  is  used.  The  set  is  just 
a  little  small  for  this  110  foot  throw 
and  I  believe  much  better  results  could 
be  had  if  the  management  would  install 
a  larger  set.  When  the  second  arc  is 
put  on,  it  causes  about  a  twenty-five 
percent  overload  which  is  very  bad  on 
the  generator.  The  screen  results  were 
very  good.  While  I  was  in  the  theatre 
the  picture  was  kept  bright  and  clear 
and  the  change-overs  made  were  rather 
good.  The  booth  is  of  ample  size  so 
that  the  projectionists  can  have  plenty 
of  room  to  do  their  work  in.  The  Fair 
Theatre  is  one  of  the  very  finest  pic- 
ture theatres  in  Amarillo,  and  the  pro- 
gram includes  both  pictures  and  vaude- 
ville. 

The  last  stop  was  at  the  projection 
room  of  the  Mission  where  they  are  op- 
erating two  late  type  Simplex  projectors 
and  getting  very  good  projection  results. 
The  picture  is  steady,  bright  and  clear 
at  all  times.  Towns  is  in  charge  of 
projection  and  deserves  much  credit  for 
his  excellent  results.  Their  hearty  wel- 
come received  in  the  various  theatres 
and  projection  rooms  is  appreciated  by  ; 
the  writer. 


November  8,  1924 


PaSe  63 


Equipment  Notes 


FOR  the  benefit  of  the  ex- 
hibitors. The  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will  be  pleased 
to  co-operate  in  obtaining 
equipment  information.  We 
will  answer  any  questions  rela- 
tive to  equipment  and  acces- 
sories and  will  secure  catalogs 
for  readers  upon  request. 

This  department  is  for  your 
benefit. 
Use  it! 


IDEAL  LOBBY  MATS 

Lobby  mats  are  a  very  necessary  part 
of  the  equipment  of  a  well  appointed 
theatre. 

A  bare  floor  space  makes  an  unsight- 
ly lobby.  It  gives  an  impression  of  in- 
completeness— of  something  left  un- 
finished. Your  lobby  is  your  show 
window.  The  public  forms  its  first  im- 
pression of  your  theatre  from  what  it 
sees  in  this  show  window.  You  can  in- 
crease its  attractiveness  greatly  by  the 
proper  use  of  mats. 

But  the  real  value  of  lobby  mats  is 
the  service  they  render  in  preventing 
foot  dirt  from  being  tracked  inside  the 
house.  Foyer  carpets  and  aisle  runners 
soon  become  dirty  and  unsanitary  where 
there  is  no  lobby  matting  to  keep  the 
dirt  outside. 

When  selecting  lobby  mats,  you  have 
your  choice  of  perforated  rubber  or 
sole  leather  mats.  Both  types  have  their 
advantages,  and  which  ever  you  select 

Added  Attractions 


|  BOOK  "MAKING  MOVIES"  * 

*  On  and  Off  Stage  Exhibition  That  Will  Make  t§> 

|  YOUR  THEATRE  A  BEE-HIVE  I 

•l*  A  movie  picture  made  right  on  your  stage  in  X 

4*  front  of  your  audience,   produced  with  local  ju 

4*  players  and  scenes  one  week,  and  shown  next.  ,L 

•fr  For  details  write   Box   1053,  Trade  Review.  3» 


General  Supplies 


it  becomes  merely  a  question  of  secur- 
ing quality  at  the  right  price. 

The  editor  of  this  Department  will 
be  glad  to  furnish  detailed  information 
on  your  mat  requirements.  It  is  ad- 
visable to  send  a  sketch  of  your  lobby 
with  the  dimensions,  showing  location 
of  entrances  and  exits,  box-office,  etc. 
Also  whether  perforated  rubber  or  sold 
leather  mats  are  desired,  and  complete 
information  will  be  forthcoming. 

RADIATOR  VALVES 

Cold  weather  is  in  the  offing  and  it 
is  time  for  the  wide  awake  theatre  man- 
ager to  look  over  the  heating  equipment. 
One  of  the  important  details  is  the  ra- 
diator valves. 

There  are  few  things  more  discon- 
certing to  a  theatre  patron  than  a  hiss- 
ing radiator  or  one  that  is  inclined  to 
bang  away  like  a  boiler  works. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  the  noise 
as  there  are  several  valves  on  the  mar- 
ket that  will  make  your  radiators  silent 
and  at  the  same  time  save  money  in 
fuel. 

The  valves  need  no  special  fitting. 
They  are  made  in  standard  sizes  and 
can  be  adjusted  in  a  few  minutes. 

The  Hoffman  valve  is  one  of  the  best 
and  is  used  largely  by  theatres  and 
other  public  buildings. 


MUSICIANS 


FREE  SE™CE 

Why  trouble  to  write  each  publisher  for 

ORCHESTRA  MUSIC 

SEND  TO  US.    We  supply  everything  printed 
in   Music   and   send  it   postpaid  at 

PUBLISHER'S  PRICES  OR  LESS 
Save   time,   save   trouble,    save   money.  Only 
one    order    to    write.      Send    today    for  free 
catalog. 
Send  your  cue  sheets  to  us. 

ORCHESTRA  MUSIC  SUPPLY  CO. 

1656  BROADWAY  NEW  YORK 


54T-s  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $389 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $622 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


George  Fulwell's 
HOTELS 


Hotels  for  Wife — Daughter 
— Mother   or  Sister 
■ — and  Dad 

CENTRAL 
COMFORTABLE 
HOMELIKE 

*  *  * 
Modern  Conveniences 

*  *  * 

Detroit,  Mich. 

Hotel  Normandie 
$1.50  to  $3.50 

R.  C.  Pinkerton,  Res.  Mgr. 

*  *  * 

Cleveland,  Ohio 

Colonial  Hotel 
$2.00  to  $4.50 

Wm.  E.  Gamble,  Res.  Mgr. 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  Bale? 

Send  for  FREE  catalog  hiving 
counts  and  priceaon  classified  name- 
oryourbestprospectivecaatomers- 
Natlonal,  State,  LocaU-IndivlduaJta. 
Professions,  Business  Finns. 

99%b^?undulf  5  ^each 


676N 
jrhSt 


5t  Louis 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

For  Sale  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  A«.;  Ntw  York 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXGtUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLART  TWENTY-  E|6HT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVkf 


A  nf  US  1- ICR  Lev     ROLL  '™ond)  FOLDED 

/        352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE  1  10=  TICKETS— 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  f  hist  tor  rue  hast  moniy        quto.pst  dil'iviry       corr(.ctn(SS  ^UANANrn d 


Page  64 


i 

Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


CATALOG  FILE 

There  should  be  in  your  office  a  file 
of  catalogs  for  all  theatre  equipment.' 
The  catalogs  should  be  filed  in  such  a 
manner  that  you  may  instantly,  lay 
hands  on  the  booklet  containing  the  in- 
formation you  wish. 

There  are  many  small  stee.1  files  that 
make  very  efficient  containers  for  cata- 
logs. They  are  fireproof  and  yet  lose 
none  of  their  beauty.  They  will  make 
good  additions  to  any  office. 

It  would  be  worth  your  while  to 
start  collecting  a  complete  file  of  cata- 
logs and  keep  the  file  up  to  date. 


JIG  SAW 

It  you  are  not  using  cut-outs  for 
lobby  display  you  are  passing  up  one  ofi 
the  best  means  of  advertising.  Cut- 
outs are  sure  to  attract  attention  and 
their  cost  is  slight 

You  can  make  up.  your;,  .own  cut-outs; 
in  a  short  time  if.  you  have  the  proper 
tools.  Use  a  good  grade  of  heavy  card- 
board or  Beaver  board  for  a  back- 
ground. Paste  the  lithograph  on  the 
cardboard,  using  care  to  make  it  fit! 
tightly.  | 

After  the  lithograph  has  dried  take  d 
jig  saw  and  cut  around  the  outline  you 
wish  to  cut  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
job  is  done.     *  >■ 

There  are  many  jig  saws  that  will  do: 
the  work.  They  ,  can  be  purchased 
cheaply  and  their  upkeep  for  blades  is 
slight.  ?: 

You  may  buy  the  srnall  hand  saw  or 
the  foot  propelled  variety,  according  to 
the  amount  of  work  you  have  to  do. 
I  You  will  find  a  jig  saw  a  pretty  good 
investment. 


DOOR  CLOSERS 

If  your  doors  are  not  equipped  with 
automatic  closers  you  are  going  to  sub- 
ject your  theatre  to  criticism  when  the 
cold  weather  makes  its  appearance. 

Failing  to  close  doors  is  an  American 
failing  and  a  cold  blast  of  air  on  the 
backs  of  persons  in  the  rear  rows  "of* 
seats  will  create  a  howl,  and  the  howl 
will  be  justified. 

Every  door  should  be '  equipped  to 
close  itself  and  you  will  find  that  it 
will  repay  you  in  good  will  to  see  that 
the  necessary  equipment  is  installed  to 
care  for  the  comfort  of  yOur  patrons. 

One  of  the  best  automatic  door 
closers  on  the  market  is  the  Yale- 
Towne  and  catalogs  will  be  sent  on  re- 
quest. 

L.  D.  Miller  has  recently  purchased 
the  Temple  Theatre  at  Bryan,  Ohio. 

#      *      *.      ;:  . 

The  Colonial  Theatre,'  Greenville, 
Texas,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  will 
be  rebuilt  at  an  early  date. 


LASSIFIED  AD 
D  E  PAR T  M  E  N  T 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


Positions  Wanted 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tricity, Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave.,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

POWERS  NO.  S  MECHANISM,  in  Al  shape, 
ready  to  run,  slightly  used,  price  is  very  reasonable, 
Mechanism  $30.  Rheostat,  slightly  used,  40  to  50 
amperes,  $15.  Small  rheostat,  25  amps.,  good  con- 
dition $7.  Powers  Arc  Lamp  without  base,  good 
condition,  complete  $12.50.  Cash  with  order.  W. 
TROUT,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


WILL  BE  AT  LIBERTY  THE  20TH  OF  NO- 
VEMBER— Sixteen  years  experience.  Can  handle 
any  equipment.  Union  and  married.  Write  P.  O. 
Box  243  L.  Schmidt,  Michigan  City,  Ind. 


POSITION  wanted  by  experienced  projectionist. 
Ivan  Fry,  Box  382,  Minerva,  Ohio. 

10.  YEARS'  EXPERIENCE.  No  booze  or  cigar- 
ettes. Locate  anywhere.  Wire  or  write.  Frank  J. 
Mclncrow,  Jefferson  St.,  Marion,  Ohio. 

ORCHESTRA  CONDUCTOR  and  DIRECTOR  of 
PRESENTATION  AT  LIBERTY  October  1st. 
Last  .three  years  employed  in  4,000-seat  picture 
theatre.  Expert  in  cueing  pictures  and  arranging 
prologues,  ballets  and  condensed  versions  of  grand 
and  light  operas.  Extensive  and  modern  library  for 
full  symphony  i  orchestra.  Box  11,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 

MUSICAL  CONDUCTOR-ARRANGER.  (Baton 
or  Violin)  wishes  to  make  change.  15  years  experi- 
ence cueing  pictures — concert.  '  Large  library.  Ad- 
dress Apartment.  1-C,  203  W.  107th  St.,  New  York 

City.  • 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Cameras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  !  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep ,  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


Miscellaneous 


CAPITAL  SEEKERS  confronted  with  difficult 
financing  problems  should  consult  Amster  Leonard, 
First  NatT  Bank  Bldg.,'  Chicago,  111. 

THE  SMALL  SUM  that  it  costs  to  insert  an  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Classified  Section  of  EXHIBI- 
TORS TRADE  REVIEW  enables  you  to  place 
your  desires  in  the  minds  of  men  who  are  always 
interested  in  a  good  proposition.  .■ 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


Theatre  Wanted 


WANTED:  Moving  Picture  Theatre  in  town  of 
2,000  or  larger.  Have  the"  cash.  Address,  W.  J. 
Themer,  Box  51,  Kankakee,  111. 

WANTED:  PICTURE  THEATRE  OR  COM- 
BINATION HOUSE  offering  possibilities.  Strictest 
investigation  required.  Have  cash.  F.  F.  Von 
Court,  Princeton,  W.  Va, 


Printing 


PRINTING  Printing  done  reasonably.  1000  6x9 
Posters  $1.80—5000,  $8.00.  1000  Bond  85><xll  Letter 
Heads,  1000  envelopes,  each' $3. 00  prepaid.  National 
Press  Co.,  510  East  77th  St.,  N.  Y.  City. 


Musical  Instruments 

15  ELECTRIC  PIANOS,  $50.00,  $150.00,  $285.00, 

latest  rolls.  Band  and  Orchestra  instruments,  low 
prices,  'Musical  Instrument  Supply  Co.,  70  So.  8th 
St.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


For  Sale 


NEW,  AND    USED    THEATRE    CHAIRS.  Big 

Bargain's.  Immediate  Shipments.  C.  G.  Demel,  845 
South  State  St.,  Chicago,  111. 


of 


SIMPLEX      INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

each  $4.25 ;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each 
$4 ;  Edison  or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprockets, 
each  $4.45.  Take-up  or  Feed  sprockets  for  Powers, 
Simplex,  Edison  or  Motiograph,  each  $2.88.  Baird 
Rewind,  complete  $7.25.  Condensers,  any  focus, 
Piano  Convex,  each  $1.25;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex, 
each  $1.55.  All  the  above  goods  are  BRAND  NEW 
and  SENT  POSTAGE  PREPAID.  CASH 
WITH  ORDER.  This  is  complete  list  of  supplies 
we  handle.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY, 
Box  No.  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 

500  OPERA  CHAIRS  $1.75  EACH.  Mercury 
Arc  rectifier  guaranteed  the  finest  condition.  $175.00. 
Silver  screen  paint  $3.00  quart.  Repair  parts  for 
any  picture  machine.  Imported  carbons  discount 
10%.  Variable  speed  picture  machine  motors  $20.00. 
Everything  for  the  theatre.  We  can  save  you  money. 
Write  for  catalog.  Western  Motion  Picture  Co., 
Danville,  111. 

BONA-FIDE  BUSINESS  OPPORTUNITY— UP 
TO-DATE  THEATRE  FOR  SALE— Strictly  mod- 
ern theatre  in  Sask.  Town  of  1,000,  splendid  farm- 
ing area  to  draw  from,  main  line  C.  P.  R.,  no  oppo- 
sition, brick  building,  attractive  exterior,  cosy  in- 
terior, mosaic  tiled  entrance,  seating  capacity  500, 
inclined  floor,  large  well  equipped  stage  for  road 
shows,  excellent  dressing  rooms.  Powers  latest  pro- 
jection equipment,  up-to-date  projection  room,  gold 
fibre  screen.  First  class  apartments  over  theatre,  six 
rooms,  completely  furnished,  with  bath  room,  toilet, 
etc.  Large  brick  garage,  building  steam  heated 
throughout.  Admission  prices :  children  20c,  adults 
35c,  top  price  $1.00,  no  war  tax.  _  Has  store  in 
building  leased  as  a  drug  store,  being  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  in  the  Town,  bringing  in  good  rev- 
enue, property  is  situated  on  the  main  street,  choice 
location,  and  in  one  of  the  very  best  Towns  in  Sask. 
Owner  has  been  in  the  Town  in  no  other  business 
for  eleven  years  without  being  closed  for  one  night; 
new  house  erected  in  1916.  The  building,  contents 
and  all  equipment  is  in  first  class  condition.  This 
Theatre  has  never  been  offered  for  sale  or  rent  be- 
fore, and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated,  reason 
for  selling,  retiring.  Fifteen  thousand  cash,  will 
give  immediate  possession  to  the  entire  described 
property,  bal.  easy  terms,  low  interest,  clear  title. 
This  proposition  will  stand  the  most  rigid  investi- 
gation. Further  particulars  apply  Saml.  R.  Tyler, 
Owner  Lyceum  Theatre,  Gull  Lake,  Sask.  Canada. 

ADDRESSOGRAPHS.  Letter  Folders,  Multi- 
graphs,  Envelope  Sealers,  Duplicators,  less  than  half 
price.  Guaranteed.  Pruitt  Co.,  170  North  Wells, 
Chicago. 

FILMS  FOR  SALE.  Features  and  short  subjects 
of  every  character  at  extraordinary  low  prices.  Send 
for  lists.  Films  RENTED  to  permanent  theatres  at 
75c  per  reel.  References  required.  NATIONAL 
FILM  BROKERS,  1710  West  45  Street,  Kansas 
City.  Mo. 

400  REELS  OF  COMEDY,  Western  and  Features, 
Gump  Cartoons  and  Scenics.  We  can  use  some 
Western  Features.  Bargain  lists  free.  NATIONAL 
EQUIPMENT  CO.,  409  West  Michigan  St.,  Du- 
luth,  Minn. 

3  TWO-REEL  SLAPSTICK  COMEDIES,  $3.50 
per  reel,  while  they  last.  Will  ship  subject  to 
examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M.  Gordon,  1618 
Mailer's   Bldg.,   Chicago,  111. 

FILMS  FOR  SALE  "Ireland  In  Revolt."  6  reels, 
excellent  print.  True  story  of  the  Irish  revolution, 
taken  in  Ireland  and  actual  scenes  of  the  fighting, 
riots,  raids,  reprisals  and  activities  of  the  •  famous 
"Black  and  Tans."  Advertising.  Big  money-maker. 
Bargain,  $75.00.  Ward  Film  Dist.  Co.,  390  Hickory 
Street,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

HEAVY  TRIPOD  WITH  TILT  AND  PAN,  $55; 
Goerz  Hyoar  Lens,  F.  3.  5.,  in  focusing  mount, 
$21.  Special  F.  3.  5.  Lens,  $10.  Will  ship  sub- 
ject to  examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M. 
Gordon,  1618  Mailer's  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111.  

1000  UNIFORM  DRESS  COATS,  $1.50  EACH. 

Other  uniform  Coats  $4.00,  Caps  $1.00,  Tuxedo 
Coats  $6.00.  Jandorf,  229  West  97thSt..  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

ONE  THOUSAND  VENEER  THEATRE 
CHAIRS.  The  most  of  them  in  good  condition,  for 
sale  cheap.  You  may  write  your  own  ticket  if  dis- 
posed of  before  going  into  storage.  Available  week 
November  3rd.    Lorenz  Theatre,  Bethlehem,  Penn. 


From  studio  to  screen 


EASTMAN  FILM 

Just  as  in  the  studio  where  East- 
man Negative  Film  makes  the  most 
of  the  cameraman's  skill,  so  in  the 
theatre  Eastman  Positive  Film  carries 
quality  through  to  the  screen. 

Look  for  the  identification 
"Eastman"  "Kodak"  in  the 
film  margin. 

EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


HAL  ROACH 


presents 


"OUR  GANG 


in 


RnJery  Man  for  Himself 
and  "Fast  Company" 

T&vo  Heel  Comedies 


"  Our  Gang "  Comedies  are  today 
the  widest  distributed  comedies 
made. 

Last  year  over  10*000  theatres  play- 
ed them  in  the  United  States  alone. 

A  record  like  that  means  surpass- 
ing popularity;  a  product  that  you 
should  have. 

Just  see  these  latest  laughter  cy- 
clones. 


 ••  T'lMBhi,.  ~~v 


Pafhecomedy 

TRADE  MARK 


National  Tie-Uvs  for  "Is  Love  Everything? 


9f 


EXH I B I  TORS 

^rade  RE  VI EW 

9he  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Victure  Industry 


On  outdoor  pictures  Paramount  begins 
where  the  others  leave  ofP." 

-  Clari^ feEdvUards,  Palace,  Ashland ,0.  in  Exhibitors  Herald 


^aN  grey's 


w 


fin 


ml 


r 


// 


:  1 

/  Iks 


FAMOUS  FORTY 

Paramount  Picture 

is  a  perfect  example  of 
what  these  livewire 
exhibitors  mean/ 


20  cent- 


November  15,  1924 


Coming! 


Producers  Distributing 


Corporation 


W\|J  Y"  Livingston 


«w  All  Star  Cast 


Adapted  by  Bradley  King 


Directed  by  Ralph  Ino 


Released  by  Producers  Distributing  Corporation 


Foreign  Distributor:  Win.  Vogel  Distributing  Corp. 


Member    of    Motion    Picture    Producers    and    Distributors  of  America,  In; 

Will   H.   Hays,  P'- 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors  Review   PublUnise   Corporation.     Executive,  Editorial  Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City.  Subscription 
$3.00   year.     Entered  a*   seoond-elaas  matter,  Aug.   25,    1922,   at    postoffice  at   East   Stroudsburg,   Pa.,   under  act   of   March  3,1879. 


DOROTHY  Y€RnOI7 
of  HM)DOn  HHLL* 

'jV'O/TJ  fife  romantic  nouel  by  Charles  'YTlajor  -   -    Gdapted  by  <~XUaldemar  "^fourQ 

ft  mftRSH&LL  Yieiim  PRODUC&IORj 

J°hotogi-aphy  by  Charles  Sloshet' 


"Never  before  have  we  sat  through  two  hours  of  a 
picture  and  experienced  a  vision  of  beauty,  sheer  beauty, 
every  minute. 

"Yes,  every  minute  a  beautiful  picture,  consistently  acted, 
superbly  photographed,  with  settings  and  costums  appropriate 
and  convincing. 

"As  for  the  story — it  lacks  in  greatness,  it  is  true,  but  it 
makes  it  up  in  romance,  and  romance  is  the  thing. 
"All  the  world  loves  a  lover. 
"All  the  world  loves  a  sweetheart. 
''Mary  Pickford  is  the  sweetheart  of  America. 
"  'Dorothy  Vernon  of  Haddon  Hall'  is  one  of  the  great- 
est sweethearts  of  fiction. 

"So  all  the  world  must  love  Mary  and  her  other  self,  Dorothy 
Vernon,  and  the  picture  where  so  much  is  seen  of  both. 

8.  J.  Lubschaz,  tn  Reeland  Reviews 


FOUR  PRE 


VICTOR  SEA- 
STROMAS  produc- 
tion of  Leonid 
Andreyev's  stage 
triumph.  Lon 
Chaney,  Norma 
Shearer,  John 
Gilbert,  Tully 
Marshall.  Adapted 
by  Carey  Wilson. 


REGINALD 
BARKER'S  pro- 
duction of  the  im- 
mortal stage  play 
by  William  Vaughn 
Moody.  Alice 
Terry,  Conway 
Tearle,  Wallace 
Beery,  Huntly 
Gordon. 


I 


OUS  GEMS 


10! 


'Produced  by  Louis  B.  Mayef* 


It  is  a  Box  Office  Attraction/ 


November  15,  1924 


NOV  1 2  ?4 


Page  5 


(QC1B644498 


EXHIBITORS 

Oracle  REVIEW 

9he  Business  fhper  of  the  Motion  ftcture  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 


H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY.  Reviews  Editor 

JAMES  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 
H.  J.  SCHLEIER,   Business  Manager 


CONTENTS 

November  15„  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 
American  Pictures  in  Europe   


10 


HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

United  Artists  Plan  Expansion    11 

Metro-Goldwyn  Ball  a  Huge  Success   12 

Missouri  M.  P.  T.  O.  to  Battle  Hostile  Legislation   12 

Washington  M.  P.  T.  O.  Convention   :   13 

Du  Pont  and  Pathe  Organize  Film  Manufacturing 

Company   13 

Famous  Controls  82  Canadian  Theatres    14 

Hawley  Turner  with  Ritz  Carlton   15 

St.  Louis  Theatre  Bombed   15 

November  Designated  as  Rock  Month  by  Vitagraph   21 

PICTORIAL  PRESENTATIONS 

Sandra  Frontspiecc 

Those  Who  Judge   24 

Is  Love  Everything?    38 

REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Sandra  frontispiece 

Independent  Section   25 

Showmanship   :   32 

National  Tie- Up  Section   37 

Box  Office  Reviews   54 

Big  Little  Features   58 

Exhibitors  News     60 

Tried  and  Proved  Pictures    63 

Projection  Hints    66 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler,  Executive  and  Editorial  offices: 
Heain  Building,  45  West  Forty-fi.'th  Street,  New  York.  Telephone 
Bryant  6160.  Address  all  ccmmunications  to  Executive  Offices. 
Pub'ished  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors  Review 
Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  Sub- 
scription rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada  $3 ; 
Fo.eign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


N  THE  All} 


1 

i 

* 


STATION  E.  T.  R. 
45  West  45th  Street. 
New  York,  broad- 
casting bits  of  crystallized 
wisdom,  and  comments 
slightly  tinged  with  skep- 
ticism, which  it  is  hoped 
will  be  consumed  with  a 
side  dish  of  salt. 


It  has  often  been  remarked  by  Euro- 
peans who  have  visited  this  country, 
that  American  business  men  do  not 
know  how  to  play.  Main  street  on  any 
night  of  the  week,  and  particularly  on 
Saturday  night  would  seem  to  refute 
the  charge. 


A  man  who  wanted  to  be  very 
original  wrote  the  following  letter: 
"Dear  Sir, — Your  circular  let- 
ter to  hand  and  will  receive  my 
attention." 

Sounds  pretty  commonplace?  It 
was  in  reply  to  a  letter  written  by  the 
father  of  a  girl  of  whom  the  young 
man  was  very  fond,  asking  him  to 
stop  paying  attentions  to  his  daughter 
on  pain  of  getting  into  serious  diffi- 
culties. 


"Brevity  is  the  soul  of  wit," 
said  Shakespeare.  To  act  fully  the 
longest  play  of  Shakespeare  takes 
six  hours,  the  shortest,  without 
excisions,  three  hours  and  forty 
minutes.  Yet  he  was  by  no  means 
a  bad  or  witless  writer. 


Genius,  we  are  told,  is  the  art  of 
taking  infinite  pains.  The  men  who 
succeed  are  usually  those  who  work 
harder,  and  more  sincerely  than  others. 
Theatre  owners  should  remember  this. 
You  can  only  get  out  of  your  theatre 
zi'lmt  you  put  into  it. 


There  are  some  people  who  love  to 
suffer,  who  parade  their  misfortunes, 
which  they  blame  on  hard  luck,  before 
their  friends,  and  wait  until  the  soft 
soap  of  sympathy  is  handed.  Don't 
be  a  perpetual  kicker.  Most  of  us 
deserve    what    we  get. 


In  France  things  are  arranged  agreeably. 
Ei'crybody  takes  two  hours  for  lunch  and 
the  shops  of  the  city  close  during  that  time. 
In  the  afternoon  the  Frenchman  finds  time 
to  go  to  a  cafe  two  or  three  times  for  a 
general  rest  from  hard  work  and  for  the 
consumption  of  good  beer.  What's  the  fare 
to  France? 


I 


5fW5ES5HSE5a52SrSrHSH5ffi25H5E5rH5ESS 


Page  6 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


In  this  production  B;r- 
bara  La  Marr  is  gowned 
in  the  mcst  gorgeous 
creations  of  which  Paris 
is  capable.  There  never 
was  any  doubt  about  Bar- 
bara's being  able  to  show 
c  o  hes  to  the  r  full  advan- 
tage. This  one  feature 
aione  should  appeal  strong- 
ly to  the  ladies. 


"Such  Popularity  Must  Be 
Deserved"  seems  to  app'y 
to  beautiful  Barbara  La 
Marr  also,  judging  from 
the  enthusiasm  shown  by 
the  entire  ensemble  at  the 
masked  ball,  in  the  picture 
to  the  left,  while  below  we 
see  man's  greatest  friend 
with  a  look  of  adoration 
in  his  eyes  for  Bert  Lytell. 


"Sandra"  A  Magnificent  Spectacle 

A  First  National  Production  Featuring  Barbara  La  Marr 
and  Bert  Lytell  Splendidly  Cast 


EXHIBITORS 

trade  REVIEW 

Qfc  Business  Jhper  of the  Motion  Jkture  Industry 

NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


Theatre  Owners  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Greater 
New  York  has  issued  a  statement  saying  Famous  Players 
refuses  to  discuss  matter  of  exhibitors  adjustments  on 
the  Famous  Forty  through  the  C.  of  C,  but  will  deal 
with  exhibitors  individually. 

*H  H* 

The  re-organized  plan  for  United  Artists  calls  for 
$2,500,000  to  be  deposited  in  the  treasury  for  expansion 
purposes. 

DuPonts  and  Pathe  form  an  association  for  the  manu- 
facture of  film  in  this  country.  The  new  company  is 
capitalized  at  $1,200,000. 

*  *  * 

By  a  vote  of  five  to  three  the  city  council  of  Stamford, 
Conn.,  decided  to  make  the  town  "Blue." 

3jC         3(S  3fi 

Famous  Players  of  Canada  have  added  ten  theatres  to 
their  Canadian  chain  which  now  numbers  82  houses 
scattered  throughout  the  Dominion. 

sfc  5^ 

The  Second  Annual  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  Washington  will 
be  held  in  Seattle  on  November  11  and  12. 

*  *  # 

The  Roosevelt  Theatre,  in  St.  Louis,  was  bombed  on 
October  28  and  the  front  of  the  building  was  wrecked. 
This  was  the  third  attack  on  the  theatre  within  the  past 
three  weeks. 

Washington  M.  P.  T.  O.  State  convention  will  be  held 
in  Seattle  on  November  11  and  12,  at  which  time  officers 
will  be  elected. 

The  Missouri  M.  P.  T.  O.  is  prepared  to  battle  hostile 
legislation  in  that  state.  There  is  a  bill  about  to  be 
introduced  that  will  nearly  double  the  liability  insurance. 

*  *  * 

The  North  Carolina  M.  P.  T.  O.  will  meet  at  Charlotte 
on  December  9  and  10  at  which  time  a  program  for  1925 
will  be  outlined. 


F.  B.  O.  have  arranged  a  building  program  entailing 
the  expenditure  of  $100,000  for  a  new  studio.  It  is  to 
accommodate  big  independents  as  well  as  to  increase 
their  own  facilities  that  F.  B.  O.  will  enlarge  its  plant.  .  . 

*  *  * 

St.  Louis  will  have  a  new  motion  picture  theatre,  the 
Ambassador,  which  will  cost  upwards  to  $2,500,000.  It 
will  have  a  seating  capacity  of  4500  and  will  surpass  any- 
thing of  its  kind. 

*  *  * 

An  important  financing  plan  suggested  by  up-state 
creditors  of  Selznick  is  still  being  discussed  with  every 
probability  that  the  producers,  committee  and  the 
creditors  committee  will  come  to  terms. 

!|C  SjC 

Harold  Lloyd  will  leave  for  Europe  upon  completion 
of  his  present  picture. 

*  *  •  * 

Walter  Green  will  probably  take  over  the  assets  of  the 
Selznick  company,  according  to  a  reliable  report.  He  is 
to  make  an  offer  to  E.  Bright  Wilson,  the  receiver,  in 
a  few  days. 

.j^.  *    *  * 

The  Grand  Opera  House  in  Alton,  111.,  caught  fire  on 
October  7th  and  seven  people  were  severely  injured 
while  all  the  others  escaped  without  injury. 

^  % 

The  Motion  Picture  Directors  Association  sends  word 
from  the  Coast  that  the  organization  will  not  produce  any 
pictures  in  the  future.  There  was  no  reason  given  for 
the  statement  but  an  explanation  is  expected  soon. 

v"  *       *  * 

An  important  group  of  mid-West  theatre  managers 
will  meet  regularly  in  Chicago  to  exchange  ideas  on 
presentations  and  prologs  for  the  biggest  productions. 
A  bulletin  system  will  also  be  adopted  to  keep  the  mem- 
bers posted. 

Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  America  have 
pledged  their  support  to  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education 
to  aid  in  "Education  Week"  to  be  held  November  17 
to  23. 


Page  8 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


American  Film  Methods 

Protested  by  Europeans 

Foreign  Producers  Alarmed  By  Failures  in  Their  Own  Market 
Claim  We  Are  Stifling  Competition.    Authority  and 
Critic  Four  Years  in  Europe  Returns  With  Facts 


WHAT  do  they  think  of  Ameri- 
can films  abroad  and  what  are 
they  doing  in  foreign  film  pro- 
duction?" Those  question  have  been 
asked  me  innumerable  times  since  I  re- 
turned to  New  York,  after  four  years 
in  the  European  film  field,  the  interest 
in  the  foreign  judgment  being  apparent. 
Which  is  as  it  should  be.  For  there  is 
much  of  value  to  be  gained  from  for- 
eign points  of  view  which  must  widen 
the  perspective  that  is  all-important  in 
catering  to  so  universal  an  audience  as 
the  motion  picture  public. 

During. my  residence  abroad,  I  had 
intimate  contact  with  the  film  industry, 
both  in  the  producing  and  exhibiting 
ends,  in  England  and  France ;  and,  with 
the  interest  and  training  of  a  film  work- 
er and  newspaper  and  magazine  re- 
porter and  critic,  I  went  to  great  pains 
to  ascertain  the  general  feeling  on  films 
in  a  number  of  European  countries. 

It  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to  sift 
from  the  mass  of  expressed  opinion 
abroad  that  which  we  can  rely  upon  as 
bed-rock.  The  psychology  of  the  Euro- 
pean people  is  very  different  from  our 
own.  Their  characteristics  and  their 
methods  differ  from  ours  to  a  remark- 
able degree.  They  are  much  concerned 
with  forms,  conventions,  traditions ; 
they  are  preoccupied  with  intense  na- 
tionalism; and,  especially  in  England, 
the  American  constantly  falls  m  con- 
tact with  set  and  insular  ideas  and  cus- 
toms that  are  bewildered.  In  America 
we  have  a  free  and  elastic  point  of 
view,  untrammeled  by  form  or  custom; 
a  resilient  adaptability,  and  the  impulses 
of  energy  and  enthusiasm  which  I  did 
not  find  at  all  in  England  and  only  to 
a  moderate  extent  in  France,  though 
German  producers  are  proceeding  now 
along  American  lines  of  activity. 

Desirous  of  arriving  at  a  helpful  and 
constructive  point  of  view,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  be  analytical,  and  to  differ- 
entiate between  stable  criticism  and 
those  arising  from  national  pre-posses- 
sions.  For  it  must  be  stated  that  there 
persists  among  European  people,  par- 
ticularly in  England,  the  idea  that  they 
have  a  monopoly  of  culture  and  artis- 
try, and  that  we  Americans  are  a  crude 
and  vulgar  lot.  So  it  naturally  follows 
that  American  films  come  in  for  a  good 
deal  of  criticism,  much  of  it  unfair  and 
biased. 

Yet  American  films  are  popular  and 
dominate  the  screens  of  the  British 


By  FELIX  ORMAN 

Isles  and  the  continent  of  Europe.  The 
public  likes  them,  and  the  exhibitors 
find  them  good  business  propositions. 
Most  of  my  time  was  spent  in  Eng- 
land, and  there  I  found  much  propa- 
ganda in  the  press  and  film  producing 
industry  against  American  films.  But 
when  it  comes  to  buying  and  selling  en- 


"MACHINE-MADE" 

gUCH  is  the  cry  of  the 
European  regarding  our 
pictures.  Nevertheless  there 
is  no  disputing  that  we  are 
far  ahead  of  the  world  in  this 
industry  and  the  theatre  go- 
ing public  of  the  universe 
continue  to  demand  the 
American  product.  This  alone 
is  sufficient  proof  of  our  su- 
periority. Yet  we  are  by  no 
means  near  perfection  and 
some  stiff  competition  would 
help  rather  than  hurt  the  in- 
dustry. It  is  well  to  under- 
stand that  even  though 
European  pictures  are  in  a 
primitive  state  there  are  in- 
dividual instances  of  peculiar 
presentation  which  we  could 
utilize  to  our  benefit. 


tertainment,  the  British  public  and  ex- 
hibitors are  not  patriotic,  and  apparent- 
ly pay  little  attention  to  this  propa- 
ganda. 

IN  spite  of  national  prepossessions 
and  the  difference  in  national  tem- 
peraments, I  found  in  all  countries  that 
human  nature  was  fundamentally  much 
the  same ;  and,  therefore,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  some  of  the  criticism  of 
American  films  heard  abroad  should  be 
seriously  considered. 

Speaking  generally  of  the  entire  out- 
put of  films,  the  criticism  most  fre- 
quently heard  abroad  (and  the  same 
criticism  is  often  voiced  by  Americans 
as  well)  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
much-used  expression,  "machine- 
made."   They  say  we  strive  for  effects 


rather  than  for  feeling,  that  we  proceed 
on  the  theory  that  stunts,  sensations 
and  violent  conflict  most  appeal  to  the 
public;  and  that  we  woefully  misjudge 
and  underestimate  the  intelligence  and 
discrimination  of  the  film  public.  They 
feel  that  the  intelligence  of  even  the 
most  ordinary  part  of  the  film  public 
has  advanced  to  an  extraordinary  ex- 
tent, and  left  production  intelligence 
lagging  behind. 

NOW,  as  to  foreign  film  production. 
I  cannot  commend  it  in  a  broad 
way,  though  there  are  signs  of  improve- 
ment. But  their  failure  to  produce 
popular  films  should  not  blind  us  to  the 
value  of  their  criticism  of  our  own. 
Whatever  faults  they  find  in  our  films, 
they  concede  that  we  give  to  pictures  a 
liveliness  and  vitality  that  make  them 
appealing  and  popular.  In  no  European 
country  have  they  been  able  to  capture 
this  spirit  which  has  carried  the  Ameri- 
can film  around  the  world. 

The  English  film  people  are  obsessed 
with  the  idea  that  we  are  throttling 
their  film  efforts,  and  that  we  refuse  to 
take  their  productions  in  America  be- 
cause we  are  both  anti-British  and  op- 
posed to  their  competition. 

Just  before  I  left  London,  the  man- 
aging director  of  one  company  gave  to 
the  press  a  sensational  declaration  that 
there  had  been  raised  an  American  boy- 
cott against  British  films.  Now,  this 
company  runs  a  film  studio  like  a  saus- 
age factory,  and  protests  vehemently 
because  they  cannot  secure  American 
distribution  for  their  productions. 

In  France  they  show  much  more  ar- 
tistic feeling,  much  more  charm,  hu- 
mor, delicacy  and  imagination  than  in 
England,  and  the  acting  and  direction 
are  better;  but  most  of  the  French 
films  that  I  have  seen  are  clumsy,  badly 
put  together,  wrongly  cast,  and  oddly 
conceived.  Italian  productions  oc- 
casionally reveal  a  .  flash  of  talent  in 
spectacles  of  .  an  historical  type — but 
only  that. 

As  for  the  Germans,  they  are  cer- 
tainly consummate  artists  and  techni- 
cians. I  have  seen  some  exquisite  films 
from  Germany,  but  always  period  and 
costume  features. 

Certainly,  now  the  American  picture 
is  safe  in  its  popular  lead.  But  I  hope 
to  see  European  films  forge  ahead.  The 
competition  will  prove  healthful  and 
stimulating, 


November  i5.  1924 


Page  9 


United  Artists  Plan  For 
Elaborate  Expansion 

Hiram  Abrams  Is  President;  Joseph  Schenck  Chairman 
of  the  Board.    Chaplin  Wants  To  Be  Shown 


THE  new  reorganization  plan  just 
completed  by  United  Artists  has 
made  provision  for  $2,000,000  to 
be  deposited  in  the  treasury  for  most 
elaborate  expansion  purposes.  It  is  un- 
derstood that  this  enormous  fund  in- 
cludes the  acquisition  of  product,  the 
nature  of  which  will  measure  up  to  the 
high  grade  of  pictures  produced  by  the 
many  prominent  stars  who  have  been 
placed  under  the  one  banner. 

Those  who  are  high  up  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  organization  have  expressed 
the  opinion  that  the  high  standard  set 
by  ihe  individuals  must  be  maintained, 
and  also  that  all  films  distributed 
through  the  reorganized  company,  must 
sell  on  iheir  own  merits  as  individual 
productions. 

Nathan  Bur1  ran,  representing  Charles 
Chaplin  and  Albert  H.  Banzhaf,  repre- 
senting D.  W.  Griffith  left  New  York 
November  5,  and  as  soon  as  they  arrive 
in  Hollywood,  the  reorganization  plan, 
already  drawn  up  will,  in  all  probability 
go  through 

The  agreement  calls  for  Hiram 
Abrams  continuing  as  President  in 
charge  of  the  distribution  while  Joseph 
M.  Schenck  will  serve  as  chairman  of 
the  board  of  directors,  in  charge  of  the 
company's  business  affairs. 

It  should  be  of  interest  to  know  that 
one  of  the  first  pictures  to  be  turned 
over  to  the  new  United  Artists  as  part 
of  the  transaction  was  the  Douglas 
Fairbanks  production  "The  Salvation 
Hunters"  which  was  completed  on  the 
Coast  by  Josef  Von  Sternberg.  Von 
Sternberg  will  also  direct  Mary  Pick- 
ford  m  two  pictures. 

The  deal  brings  Norma  Talmadge  to 
United  Artists  on  the  completion  of 
her  contract  with  First  National. 

It  is  possible,  however,  that  Chaplin 
may  continue  as  an  independent  if  he 
does  not  like  the  terms  of  the  contract. 
It  is  said  that  he  refused  to  discuss  any 
plans  until  his  counsel,  Mr.  Burkan  ar- 
rived. 

P.  W.  Griffith's  representative  would 
U'ive.  out  no  statement  before  leaving 
Ne-lpSPork,:-  but  if-i&  understood  from 
the -Coast  that  the  United  Artists- 
Schenck  plans  will  -not  be  materially 
changed  regardless  of  Griffith's  plans, 
although  it  is  felt  that  Mr.  Griffith  will 
agree  to  the  reorganization  plans. 


Charles  Chaplin  has  not  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  merger  with  any  great 
enthusiasm  and  it  is  said  he  held  up 
negotiations  for  days  to  see  where  he 
figures  in  the  deal. 


Charles  Chaplin,  internationally  known 
comedian,  who  held  up  the  negotiations  of 
the  United  Artists-Schenck  merger  in 
order  to  be  sure  of  his  position  regarding 
distribution  and  other  plans  of  the  new 
organization. 


However,  there  appear  to  be  only  a 
few  details  to  'be  arranged  before  the 
new  organization  is  ready  for  business. 


E.  M.  Saunders  Back 
From  Sales  Trip 

Edward  M.  Saunders,  Western  Gen- 
eral Sales  Manager  of  Metro-Goldwyn,. 
and  Paul  Burger,  Division  Manager, 
have  returned  to  New  York  after  a 
sales  trip  of  five  weeks  through  the 
West  and  Canada.  Mr.  Saunders  re- 
turned by  way  of  Toronto,  Mr.  Burger 
via  Winnipeg  and  Chicago. 

With  the  end  of  Metro-Goldwyn 
Weeks,  celebrated  throughout  the  coun- 
try, the  sales  executives  state  that  the 
observance  was  the  most  successful  in 
the  history  of  the  organization.  While 
complete  reports  will  not  be  available 
from  all  sections  of  the  country  for 
several  weeks,  Mr.  Saunders  stated  that 
throughout  the  western  territory  re- 
sults were  unprecedented. 

"Metro-Goldwyn  is  sold  practically 

one  hundred  percent  not  only  in  the 

key  cities  but  in  almost  every  situation 

and  town  of  any  consequence  including 

a  great  number  of  the  smaller  towns, 

from  Denver  and  Salt  Lake  to  Los 

Angeles  and  Vancouver.    Good  crops, 

$1.75    wheat   and   general  increasing 

prosperity  has  helped.  The  theatres  are 

doing  better  business.    Not  only  with 

our  pictures  but  pictures  in  general. 

Exhibitors  are  optimistic  and  rightfully 

so,"  Mr.  Saunders  said. 

*    *  * 

Portland  Leads  in  F.  N. 
Sales  Drive 

The  sixth  week  of  the  Eschmann 
Month  sales  contest  closed  with 
Portland  still  in  first  place,  with 
Cleveland  again  second.  The  big- 
gest single  change  in  the  standing  of 
the  branches  for  the  week  was  the 
jump  of  Omaha  from  the  eleventh 
to  the  third  place,  passing  Charlotte. 

The  West  Coast  branches  have 
been  going  strong  in  the  contest. 
The  Western  district,  of  which 
Joseph  Skirboll  is  manager,  has 
stood  in  first  place  among  the  dis- 
tricts from  the  beginning  of  the  drive, 
while  Portland  has  steadfastly  main- 
tained first  place  among  the  branches. 


%'s  il  the  joint  —  so 
tougf)  a  p'ace 

That  even  .the  Cana/*ies\ 

sang  m  bass, 
Where  they  n^er  Ssw 
a  decent  -face, 

o/i  MERCy/  >C 

THE  bXTTUNCr 
ORIOLES 

a  hal  Roach  Afo  veiny  Future 

Pafhepicture 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Celebrities  Out  In  Force  For 
Loew-M  etro-Goldwyn 
Annual  Ball 

Grand  Ball  Room  of  Hotel  Astor  Thronged  With  Notables 
From  Stage,  Screen  and  Society 


r"ff^HE  second  annual  ball  of  the 
Loew-Metro-Goldwyn  organiza- 
-*  tion  passed  into  history  on  the 
night  of  November  1 — or  at  least  the 
morning  of  November  2 — for  when 
breakfast  was  served  at  seven  o'clock 
a  goodly  number  of  revellers  still  re- 
mained. 

The  affair,  which  was  one  of  the 
greatest  events  of  its  kind  held  along 
Broadway,  took  place  at  the  Hotel  As- 
tor, and  was  attended  by  some  fifteen 
hundred  film  and  stage  folk  among 
whom  were  many  figures  prorhinent  in 
each  realm. 

The  entertainment  comprised  many 
of  the  best  acts  in  New  York.  There 
were  numbers  from  the  "Vanities,"  "Ar- 
tists and  Models,"  the  "Follies,"  "Rose 
Marie,"  the  "Greenwich  Village  Fol- 
lies," and  many  individual  acts.  To 
mention  them  all  would  be  to  cite  all 
the  good  shows  in  town.  Every  act 
was  staged  in  wonderful  manner,  the 
stage  being  in  charge  of  Ned  Way- 
burn. 

Nil  T.  Granlund,  of  radio  station 
WHN,  and  Lester  Allen,  the  "Scan- 
dals" star  were  the  announcers,  many 
parts  of  the  performance  being  broad- 
casted. The  show  was  almost  contin- 
uous from  midnight  on,  with  enough 
time  out  for  dancing.  The  musical  en- 
tertainment was  furnished  by  Vincent 
Lopez,  Ted  Lewis,  Frank  Silvers,  the 
James  Boys,  Dan  Gregory,  George  Ol- 
sen,  Sam  Wooding,  Alex  Hyde,  Sam 
Lannin,  Ned  Martin,  Ben  Bernie,  Jan 
Garber  and  their  respective  orchestras. 
Each  band  endeavored  to  outdo  its 
predecessor  while  the  crowds  danced 
under  spot  lights,  enjoyed  shadow 
dances  and  various  color  effects. 

Morris  Gest  was  honorary  chairman 
of  the  entertainment  committee,  and 
Col.  Jasper  E.  Brady,  President  of  the 
Loew-Metro-Goldwyn  Club  saw  to  it 
that  there  was  nothing  missing  to  make 
a  perfect  evening. 

Member  of  the  organization  present 
included:  Marcus  Loew,  Honorary 
president  j  Col.  Jasper  E.  Brady,  Presi- 
dent ;  George  E.  Berry,  Vice-President ; 
Albert  B.  Breslow,  Financial  Secretary; 
Rose  A.  Quinby,  Recording  Secretary ; 
Charles  E.  Quirk,  Treasurer ;  the  Board 
of  Governors,  including  Paul  Burger,  J. 
T.  Mills,  Charles  K.  Stearns,  Charles  J . 


Sonin,  Max  Wolff,  Fred  M.  Mitchell 
and  Harry  O.  Worden ;  the  Reception 
Committee,  headed  by  Chairman  Nich- 
olas M.  Schenck  and  including  J.  Rob- 
ert Rubin,  David  Bernstein,  William  E. 
Atkinson,  Edward  Bowes,  Arthur  M. 
Loew,  Charles  K.  Stearn,  J.  E.  D.  Mea- 
dor,  Edward  M'.  Saunders,  James  R. 
Grainger,  E.  A.  Schiller,  Leopold  Fried- 
man, David  V.  Picker,  W.  P.  Rodgers, 
Fred  Mitchell,  Irving  Weingart,  Moe 
Schenck,  Isador  Frey,  Charles  C.  Mos- 
kowitz,  S.  H.  Meinhold,  A  Rosenstock 
and  Charles  J.  Sonin.  Jack  Demp- 
sey,  Bennie  Leonard,  Thomas  Meigh- 
an,  Johnny  Hines,  Jack  Kearns, 
George  Jessel,  Harry  Hershfield, 
William  Kent,  Eddie  Cantor,  the  Marx 
Brothers,  Tom  Patricola,  Fay  M'arbe, 
Peggy  Hopkins  Joyce,  Helen  Burns, 
Dagmar  Godowsky,  Clara  Bow,  Ruth 
Roland,  Madge  Kennedy,  Barbara  La 
Marr,  and  a  host  of  equally  celebrated 
stars  of  stage  and  screen. 

In  fact,  everyone  of  importance  in 
the  amusement  world  was  present.  Po- 
litical life  was  well  represented,  and 
every  screen  writer  in  the  city  was 
present.    The  ball  was  a  tremendous 


success,  and  next  year's  entertainment 
committee  will  have  its  hands  full  if  it 
attempts  to  stage  anything  that  will 
equal — let  alone  excel  the  second  sea- 
son's event. 


Missouri  M.  P.  T.  O. 
Ready  For  Battle 

This  week  saw  members  of  the  M. 
P.  T.  O.  Kansas  and  Missouri  working 
shoulder  to  shoulder  in  effort  to  defeat 
one  of  the  most  detrimental  propo- 
sitions to  exhibitors  every  intorduced 
in  the  Missouri  legislature.  The  mea- 
sure, Proposition  No.  6,  which  pro- 
vides for  an  increase  of  6  percent  in 
liability  insurance  will  virtually  shat- 
ter all  benefits  received  by  exhibitors 
in  admission  tax  elimination. 

The  proposal,  in  brief,  would  "hit" 
all  employers  in  Missouri  who  employ 
more  than  two  employees.  Virtually  all 
civic  interests  of  Kansas  City  are  work- 
ing with  the  exhibitors  against  the  mea- 
sure. The  bill,  drawn  by  a  sub-com- 
mittees of  the  Missouri  State  Federa- 
tion of  Labor  and  frankly  designed  to 
meet  the  demands  of  a  group  of  radi- 
cals within  labor  unions,  proposes  to 
establish  a  commission  .-f  five,  a~  sala- 
ries of  $6,000  per  annum,  and  places  no 
limit  on  the  number  of  its  employees. 

It  will  put  the  State  of  Missouri  into 
the  insurance  business  ano  place  in  the 
hands  of  a  politically  appointed  com- 
mission, the  collection,  control  and  dis- 
bursement of  an  initial  appropriation  of 
between  six  and  seven  dollars  annually 
thereafter,  which  the  law  will  require 
the  employers  of  the  State  to  pay  to 
the  commission  as  insurance  premiums. 


Alice  Terry,  who  plays  Ruth  Jordan  in  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  picturization  of 
"The  Great  Divide,"  is  here  shown  with  her  supporting  cast,  George  Cooper,  Conway 
Tearle,  Wallace  Berry  and  director,  Reginald  Barker.  . 


November  15,  1924 


/ 

r 


Page  11 


A  vivid  scene  from  "The  White  Man"  starring  the  charming  Alice  Joyce  Waher 
Long,   in  a  heavy  role,  is  shown  in  the  picture.     This  is  a   Preferred  Film. 


Seattle  Ready  For  M.  P.  T.  0. 
State  Convention 

Will  Offer  Amendments  to  By-Laws 


PLANS  are  about  complete  for  the 
Second  Annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners 
of  Washington,  to  be  held  in  Seattle, 
November  11  and  12.  Convention  head- 
quarters will  be  at  the  Modern  Wood- 
men's Hall,  1929>4  Third  Avenue,  di- 
rectly over  the  Association  offices.  The 
Calhoun  Hotel  will  be  the  official  con- 
vention hotel,  and  reservations  will  be 
made  by  the  secretary  of  the  M.  P.  T. 
O.,  for  out  of  town  members  who  de- 
sire that  service. 

Business  sessions,  following  the  open- 
ing program  of  speeches  and  general 
discussions,  will  take  up  the  proposed 
amendments  to  the  bylaws,  discuss  such 
important  problems  as  the  music  tax ; 
non-theatrical  institutions  showing  pic- 
tures in  competition  with  theatres  ;  the 
present  contract  system,  block  booking, 
ways  and  means  of  financing,  and  vari- 
ous other  problems.  Election  of  of- 
ficers for  the  ensuing  year  will  take 
place. 

Following  the  close  of  business  for 
the  opening  day,  the  committees  in 
charge  of  entertainment,  etc.,  will  st^ge 
"The  Theatrical  Pot  Pourri  of  1924," 
in  the  form  of  a  midnight  matinee  start- 
ing at  eleven  o'clock.  Pantages  thea- 
tre has  been  announced  tentatively  as 
the  scene  of  action,  and  it  is  understood 
that  100  pieces,  recruited  from  various 
theatre  orchestras  throughout  the  city, 


will  furnish  the  music  for  the  evening. 

Committees  responsible  for  the  suc- 
cess of  this  entertainment  are:  C.  W. 
McKee,  Heilig,  and  E.  C.  Bostick,  Pan- 
tages, vaudeville  and  music ;  LeRoy 
Johnson,  Liberty,  John  Hamrick,  Blue 
Mouse,  pictures ;  John  Hamrick,  chair- 
man, Vic  Gauntlett,  J.  W.  Sayre,  and 
Eddie  Rivers,  advertising  and  publicity ; 
H.  W.  Bruen,  Ridgemont,  and  Gray 
Goose,  suburban  theatre  advertising.  A 
100  percent  turnout  is  looked  for. 


DuPont-Pathe  To 
Manufacture  Film 

The  duPont-Pathe  Film  Man- 
ufacturing Corporation  has 
been  formed  by  Pathe  Ex- 
change, Inc.,  of  New  York,  E. 
I.  duPont  de  Nemours  &  Co., 
of  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and 
Pathe  Cinema  Societe  Anony- 
me  of  Paris,  France. 

This  new  corporation  has 
been  incorporated  at  Dover, 
Delaware,  for  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  cinema  film  and 
has  an  authorized  capital  of 
$1,200,000  8%  cumulative  pre- 
ferred stock  and  10,000  shares 
of  common  stock  of  no  par 
value. 

It  will  commence  business 
with  a  fully  equipped  manu- 
facturing plant  and  research 
laboratory  located  at  Parlin, 
New  Jersey,  where  the  manu- 
facture of  cinema  film  has  been 
developed  and  carried  on  for 
several  years  by  the  duPont 
Company. 

The  sales  office  will  be  lo- 
cated in  the  Woolworth  Build- 
ing, 233  Broadway,  New  York. 


Herbert  Milligan  Dies 

Herbert  L.  Milligan,  formerly  of  the 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corporation, 
died  November  4,  at  Corpus  Christi, 
Texas,  where  he  had  gone  in  search  of 
health.  He  was  a  brother  of  Morris 
A.  Milligan,  District  Manager  for  Fa- 
mous Players-Lasky  Corporation,  a'nd 
of  Carl  G.  Milligan,  literary  agent  of 
New  York  City. 


This  i$  the  J^nman 
bo/d  and  tad, 

Who  held  the  i/W  ond 

fought  her  /ad, 

Oh  what  a  mu^fhe  bruiser 
hadi/ 

0h  HELP/ 


The  &ATTL|tf<r 
ORioies 

Pafhepicture 


S2S 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Conference  of  First  National 
District  Managers  Closes 


THE  conference  of  First  National 
district  managers  called  by  E.  A. 
Eschmann,  Manager  of  Distribu- 
tion, at  the  company's  home  office  last 
week,  generated  more  enthusiasm  for 
First  National  product  and  sales  policies 
and  more  serious  purpose  to  boost  sales 
than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the 
organization.  This  is  not  a  one-man 
opinion,  but  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Esch- 
mann, of  Messrs.  Smith,  Steele,  Mor- 
gan and  Hatch,  his  associates  in  the  dis- 
tribution department,  and  of  the  seven 
district  managers. 

The  conference  lasted  for  three  days, 
with  sessions  daily  at  the  Roosevelt  Ho 
tel  from  10:30  to  5:30,  with  an  added 
day  of  informal  discussion  at  the  home 
office. 

Enthusiam  was  registered  at  the  start 
when  the  district  managers  were  in- 
formed of  the  product  which  will  be 
ready  for  distribution  during  the  first 
half  of  1925.  The  list  of  productions, 
stars  and  directors  gave  immediate 
point  to  the  claim  made  for  this  coming 
product  that  it  would  surpass  in  audi- 
ence appeal  and  box-office  magnetism 
any  group  of  pictures  ever  released  by 
First  National  or  any  other  company. 
The  district  managers  were  told  that  a 
forty-page  booklet  announcing  these 
pictures  would  be  ready  for  them  when 
they  call  their  regional  sales  conferences 
on  November  15. 

The  enthusiasm  over  the  quality  of 
the  forthcoming  product  was  intensified 
by  the  serious  reso'ves  of  the  sales  lead- 
ers to  put  the  new  policies  across  in  a 
bigger  way  and  in  quicker  time  than 
they  had  ever  done  before.  They  coin- 
cided with  Mr.  Eschmann's  declaration 
that  there  was  no  occasion  for  the  field 
force  to  fall  away  from  the  speed  and 
drive  of  the  Eschmann  Month  contest 
which  has  been  in  progress  for  the  past 
six  weeks,  with  two  weeks  to  run,  and 
which  has  reached  a  pace  never  before 
attained.  The  district  managers  agreed 
that,  with  the  releases  which  First  Na- 
tional is  providing  for  them  and  with 
a  selling  force  up  on  its  toes  with  en- 
ergy and  enthusiasm,  it  is  a  foregone 
conclusion  that  sales  for  the  first  half 
of  1925  will  reach  a  new  high-water 
mark  in  the  history  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture industry. 

Special  attention  was  devoted  at  one 
of  the  sessions  of  the  conference  to 
selling  pictures  in  the  small  towns,  and 
the  subject  was  gone  into  with 
thoroughness  from  all  angles. 

Announcement  was  made  that  in  the 
new  product  would  be  seven  special 
productions  and  twenty-one  releases  to 
be  sold  as  The  Leader  Group,  the  title 
having  been  chosen  because  they  form 
the  finest  assemblage  of  productions 
that  any  company  has  distributed  and 


will  still  further  enhance  First  Nation- 
al's reputation  as  a  producer  and-  a  dis- 
tributor of  product  of  the  first  rank. 

"One  thing  is  certain,"  said  Mr. 
Eschmann,  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
three-day  conference,  "First  National 
has  got  the  pictures,  the  sales  organiza- 
tion, the  enthusiasm  and  the  punch  to 
step  out  in  1925  and  show  the  industry 
at  large  that  its  pace  of  leadership  is 
one  that  cannot  be  overtaken." 

*    *  * 

Gowanda  Theatre  Burned 

The  famous  Gowanda,  N.  Y.  Opera 
House,  operated  by  Judge  John  S. 
Schatt,  one  of  the  oldest  as  well  as 
most  popular  exhibitors  in  western  New 
York,  was  burned  to  the  ground  last 
week  in  a  fire  that  started  in  the  rear 
of  the  theatre  and  spread  to  surround- 
ing buildings  doing  a  damage  in  the 
town  estimated  at  $500,000.  The  com- 
bined efforts  of  the  fire  departments 
of  six  villages  were  required  to  check 
the  blaze. 


Alma  Bennett  as  the  vampire  in  First 
National's  "The  Silent  Watcher."  She  has 
an  important  part  in  this  classic  and 
proves  .her  ability  as  a  finished  actress. 


Famous  Controls  82 
Canadian  Theatres 

The  annual  general  meeting  of  the 
shareholders  of  the  Famous  Players 
Canadian  Corporation,  Limited,  Toron- 
to, was  held  at  the  head  office  of  the 
company  in  Toronto  on  October  31,  the 
1,700  shareholders  of  the  corporation 
being  represented  at  the  gathering. 

N.  L.  Nathanson,  managing  director 
of  the  company,  announced  that  the 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.  had 
increased  the  number  of  theatres  in 
operation  by  10  since  the  publication 
of  the  annual  statement  a  few  weeks 
ago,  bringing  the  total  theatres  now  un- 
der the  control  of  the  company  to  82. 

Of  the  theatres  recently  acquired, 
nine  were  in  Montreal,  these  having 
been  operated  formerly  by  the  Inde- 
pendent and  United  Amusements,  Ltd., 
Montreal,  and  the  10th  additional  the- 
atre was  located  at  Welland,  Ontario. 

Mr.  Nathanson  announced  that  the 
earnings  of  Famous  Players  in  Canada 
since  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  on  Au- 
gust 31,  had  shown  a  marked  increase. 
During  eight  weeks  of  September  and 
October,  the  approximate  increase  was 
15  percent  over  the  corresponding 
period  of  last  year. 

The  retiring  board  of  directors  were 
re-elected  without  change  for  1924-25. 

The  theatres  at  Montreal  which  had 
been  acquired  included  the  Strand,  Re- 
gent, Mount  Royal,  Papineau,  Belmont, 
Corona,  Plaza  and  Moulin  Rouge,  the 
majority  of  which  are  attractive  me- 
dium-size houses  of  modern  construc- 
tion. 

*    *  * 
St.  Louis  Theatre 
Is  Bombed 

The  St.  Louis  police  department  is 
conducting  a  rigid  investigation  to  de- 
termine the  persons  responsible  for  an 
attempt  to  dynamite  the  Roosevelt  The- 
atre, 810  North  Leffingwell  avenue,  St. 
Louis,  early  on  Tuesday,  October  28. 
The  front  of  the  theatre  was  wrecked 
by  a  bomb  thrown  from  an  automobile. 

The  force  of  the  explosion  shattered 
all  of  the  front  windows,  wrecked  the 
sidewalk  canopy  and  made  a  cavity  18- 
inches  in  diameter  and  3  inches  deep  in 
the  sidewalk.  Windows  were  broken 
in  buildings  for  a  block  in  each  direc- 
tion. 

It  was  the  third  attack  in  three  weeks 
on  the  theatre  and  the  police  are  at  a 
loss  for  an  explanation.  The  house  is 
conducted  as  a  first  class  motion  pic- 
ture house  for  negroes. 

Three  weeks  ago  persons  fired  sever- 
al shots  through  the  front  windows  of 
the  theatre  early  one  morning.  On  the 
morning  of  October  25  the  beat  patrol- 
men found  an  unexploded  bomb  con- 
posed  of  several  sticks  of  dynamite 
in  the  rear  of  the  theatre.  The  fuse 
had  burned  within  two  inches  of  the 
dynamite. 


November  15.  1924 


Page  13 


F.  B.  0.  To  Enlarge 
Coast  Studios 

A  studio  building  program  entailing 
the  expenditure  of  more  than  $100,000. 
has  been  determined  upon  by  Film 
Booking  Office  officials,  according  to 
the  announcement  of  Vice-President  J. 
I.  Schnitzer,  who  has  just  arrived  from 
New  York  to  inspect  West  Coast  pro- 
ductions. It  is  the  intention  of  the  com- 
pany, Mr.  Schnitzer  stated,  to  make  the 
studios  at  Melrose  and  Gower  the  most 
complete  equipped  in  the  world. 

In  addition  to  a  $5,000,000.  produc- 
tion program  of  its  own,  F.  B.  O.  has 
several  other  big  independents  working 
on  the  lot,  which  is  already  one  of  the 
most  spacious  and  best  arranged  plants 
in  Hollywood.  It  is  to  accomodate 
these  independents  as  well  as  to  aug- 
ment the  facilities  already  at  hand  for 
its  own  production  units  that  F.  B.  O. 
will  now  enlarge  its  plant. 

No  additional  ground  will  be  needed 


That  "Grand  and  Glorious"  feeling  ex- 
perienced by  Wm.  Fox  at  Woodmere, 
L.  I.,  country  club  when  he  made  the 
ninth  hole  in  one,  a  distance  of  105  yards, 
while  playing  with  one  hand  owing  to  an 
injury  to  the  other. 

at  present  as  there  are  several  acres 
within  the  walls  which  are  not  in  use. 
The  purchase  of  an  adjacent  tract  of 
land  for  expansion  purposes  is  being 
considered  as  a  likely  possibility  in  the 
near  future. 

*    *  * 

Seven  Injured  in 

Theatre  Blaze 

One  man  had  the  "hair  completely 
burned  from  his  head  and  sustained 
severe  burns  about  the  face  and  six 
women  had  their  hair  singed  slightly 
when  a  fire  broke  out  on  the  stage  of 
the  Grand  Opera  House  in  Alton,  111., 
at  2.  P.  M.  on  Monday,  October  27. 
There  were  approximately  100  persons 


in  the  theatre  at  the  time,  but  all  others 
escaped  without  injury. 

M.  Bardilio,  a  member  of  the  orch- 
estra that  travels  with  "The  Ten  Com- 
mandments," Paramount  super-special 
in  its  tour  about  the  country,  which 
was  to  have  shown  at  the  opera  house, 
was  the  man  whose  hair  was  burned 
off.  He  was  seated  in  the  orchestra  pit 
when  a  burst  of  flame  shot  out  from 
the  stage  and  encompassed  his  head.  He 
had  started  to  flee  the  building  when 
the  fire  was  discovered,  but  immediate- 
ly returned  to  save  his  beloved  musical 
instrument.  The  women  who  were 
singed  declined  to  give  their  names  and 
after  receiving  emergency  treatment 
went  to  their  homes. 

William  M.  Sauvage,  owner-manager 
of  the  Opera  House,  said  that  while 
some  of  the  women  screamed  at  the 
sight  of  the  flames,  there  was  no  panic 
and  the  audience  filed  from  the  theatre 
in  good  order,  using  a  fire  escape  in 
front  of  the  building  to  make  their 
escape. 

=K     *  * 

Hawley  Turner  On 
Ritz  Board 

Announcement  of  the  appointment  of 
Hawley  Turner  to  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors and  Executive  Committee  of  Ritz- 
Carlton  Pictures  was  made  by  Presi- 
dent J.  D.  Williams  at  a  dinner  to  trade 
paper  editors  in  the  Ritz-Carlton  Hotel, 
October  31. 

Although  Mr.  Turner  is  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  picture  industry,  this 
marks  his  first  direct  association  with 
it.  He  has  been  a  partner  in  the  H.  E. 
Lesan  Advertising  Agency,  which  rep- 
resents about  two-thirds  of  the  picture 
business  in  addition  to  other  large  con- 
cerns. Before  that  he  had  handled  the 
motion  picture  advertising  for  the  Sat- 
urday Evening  Post  and  other  Curtis 
publications. 

Mr.  Turner  has  a  wide  acquaintance 
in  the  industry  and  his  personality  had 
made  him  many  friends.    In  1912  he 


Hawley  Turner,  who  has  been  appointed 
to  the  board  of  directors  of  Ritz  Carlton 
Pictures  by  President  J.  D.  Williams. 


married  Ann  Drew,  the  first  Mutual 
Majestic  star  in  California.  Previous 
to  this  he  had  been  for  a  number  of 
years  on  the  staff  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Express  resigning  as  assistant  to  th; 
general  manager.  His  work  for  the  last 
eight  years  has  brought  him  into  inti- 
mate contact  with  the  leading  stars, 
producers,  distributors  and  exhibitors. 

"I  am  happy  to  see  men  of  the  calibre 
of  Hawley  Turner  coming  into  our 
business,"  said  Mr.  Williams.  "The 
personel  of  the  industry  is  changing  for 
the  better  with  the  recognition  of  its 
importance.  There  is  no  more  signifi- 
cant development  than  this.  Mr.  Tur- 
ner is  young,  enthusiastic  and  has  dem- 
onstrated his  business  ability.  He  is 
transferring  these  qualities  to  the  pic- 
tures. I  am  delighted  to  welcome  him 
into  the  industry  and  into  our  com- 
pany." 

C.  L.  Learsley,  George  Ullman,  Val- 
entino's manager,  and  D.  W.  Hender- 
son, Turner's  former  partner,  also  paid 
high  compliment  to  the  guest  of  honor. 


This  is  the  picture  y0vH  ne'< 
forget, 

You1//  lau£h  until  youp  eyes  J*^  "JF 

are  wet,  ,         f/^S  ^ 
IF  you  don't  show  it  W 
sure  regret, 

oh  Bier  Business/ 

The  BATrtiNCrN? 

ORIOLES 

A  HAL  ROAtH  NOVELTY  ftmufc- 


vim  Wm  & 


RAYART  PICTURE 


AcknowledgedAmericas 
most  handsome  man  and 
acclaimed  by  thousands  as 
the  logical  successor  to  the 
late  Wallace  Reid. 

Reed  Howes  will  be  starred 
by Rayart  Pictures  in  a  series 
of  six  productions  person  ** 
ifying  the  American  college 
youth  of  today,  so  dear  to 
the  feminine  heart. 

An  amateur  boxer  of  note, 
an  excellent  horseman,  an 
all-round  athlete, known 
and  publicized  to  millions 
the  world  over  as  the  original 

ARROW 

COLLAR  MAN 


lean  college  / 

>xerofnote,  / 
orseman,an       1  Vfl 

I  to  millions  m  m 

as  the  original  z^^^^—JI 

.LAR  MAN 

mud  ekojwi© 

IS  TODAY'S  BEST  BET  IN  MOTION  PICTURES 


TO  BE  PRODUCED  BY 

HARRY  J.  BROWN  PRODUCTIONS 
DIRECTION  OF  ALBERT  ROG  ELL 


RAYART  PICTURES  CORPORATION 

SEVEN  TWENTY  THREE  SEVENTH  AVEN  UE—  NEW  YORK 

FOREIGN  RIGHTS 
RICH  MOUNT  PICTURES, INC. 


Page  16 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ASSOCIATED  WILL  NOT 
ENGAGE  IN  PRODUCTION 


J.  S.  Woody  Announces 
Releasing,  Schedule  and 
Tells  of  Company's  Plans 


ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 
has  decided  definitely  not  to-  en- 
gage in  production  during  the 
current  season.  This  statement, 
officially  made,  sets  at  rest  rumors  to 
the  contrary  which  have  been  widely 
circulated  during  the  past  few  weeks. 

"There  is  some  slight  foundation 
for  the  stories  about  a  change  in  our 
policy,"  said  J.  S.  Woody,  Associated's 
General  Manager.  "That  is,  we  had 
discussed  entering  the  production 
field  in  connection  with  this  season's 
releases,  but  the  decision  was  unani- 
mously against  it.  Later  on — but  who 
knows  what  conditions  wiil  be  a  year 
hence  ? 

"As  matters  now  stand  it  looks  very 
much  as  if  this  organization,  by  the 
end  of  the  season,  would  be  the  only 
feature  distributor  having  no  direct  in- 
terest in  production,  but  merely  that  we 
will  stand  alone  as  being  engaged  ex- 
clusively in  distribution.  In  other 
words  we  will  not  be  in  competition 
with  anyone  for  whom  we  are  act- 
ing as  selling  agent,"  According 
to  Mr.  Woody,  who  divided  his 
time  about  equally  between 
production  and  distribution, 
the  existing  arrangement  has 
decided  advantages  over  com-- 
bined  distribution  and  produc- 
tion. "As  a  matter  of  fact,"  he 
says,  "I'm  not  at  all  certain 
that  results  would  be  any- 
where nearly  as  satisfactory 
if  we  were  providing  part  or 
all  of  our  own  product.  There 
are  certainly  two  sides  to  that 
question. 

"Distributors  entered  pro- 
duction and  producers  entered 
distribution,  up-building  the 
existing  organizations,  solely 
with  a  view  to  protecting 
themselves.  One  large  distrib- 
utor, which  originally  was  a 
buying  organization  for  ex- 
hibitors, started  making  some 
of  its  own  pictures  in  order  to 
insure  itself  of  product.  It 
didn't  want  to  put  producers 
too  definitely  in  a  position  to 
dictate  terms.  On  the  other 
hand,  producers  who  have 
ventured  into  distribution  have 
generally  had  the  idea  they 
could  get  more  money  for  their 
product  than  was  obtainable 
through  organizations  which 
had  pictures  to  sell. 

"It  has  been  argued  repeat- 
edly to  me,  for  instance,  that 
the  advances  made  to  indepen- 
dent producers  would  finance 


our  own  production  and  give  us  both 
the  distributor's  and  the  producer's 
profits.  But  from  my  point  of  view 
there's  another  consideration  which  this 
argument  entirely  ignores. 

"I'll  agree  that  organization  of  a 
stock  company,  with  production  being 
pushed  up  to  the  capacity  of  the  per- 
sonnel and  the  physical  plant,  should 
result  in  lower  average  costs  than  are 
obtainable  through  smaller,  separately 
managed,  individual  units.  But  where 
does  all  this  profit  the  exhibitor?  He 
pays  just  as  much  for  the  picture  of 
cheaper  manufacture  as  for  the  more 
expensive  production — probably  a  good 
deal  more,  in  the  long  run.  Economy 
in  manufacture  and  economy  in  dis- 
tribution don't  reduce  the  exhibitor's 
rentals.  So,  as  long  as  he's  footing  the 
bill,  why  shouldn't  he  have  his  money's 
worth  in  quality?" 

The  issue,  according  to  Mr.  Woody, 
is  how  to  get  quality.  Is  it  more  easily 
obtainable  by  centralized,  economical 
manufacture  or  by  employing  separate 
units  ? 


I 


N  centralization,"  says  the  Asso- 
ciated Exhibitors'  Executive,  "the 
work  of  a  season  is  plotted  and  carried 
out  by  one  organization — the  same  ex- 
ecutives, writers,  directors,  camera 
men  and  actors,  up  to  the  limit  of  their 
capacity,  figuring  in  everything  that's 
undertaken.  All  major  decisions  fall 
upon  one  or  two  men,  who  are  quite 
as  much  divorced  from  actual  selling 
as  is  the  average  independent  producer. 
Maximum  output  and  constant  utiliza- 
tion of  the  contract-bound  personnel 
are  essential  in  order  to  obtain  the 
efficiency  which  the  system  was  de- 
signed to  create.  In  consequence, 
there's  sameness,  duplication  of  ideas, 
utilization  of  left-overs  and  a  general 
tendency  toward  monotony.  The  great- 
er the  output,  the  more  pronounced 
and  evident  this  condition  is  likely  to 
be. 

"With  independent  production  you 
find  the  individual  unit  endeavoring  to 
give  maximum  value  for  minimum  cost. 
The  producer's  future  usually  depends 
on  this.  He  must  produce  profitably 
in  order  to  hold  the  interest  of  capital 
and  of  exhibitors." 

It  is  Mr.  Woody's  conten- 
tion that  control  of  produc- 
tion may  be  as  complete  as  is 
desirable  or  necessary  without 
maintenance  of  studio  organ- 
ization. As  an  illustration,  he 
cites  the  fact  that  he  person- 
ally reads  every  story  which 
directors  and  producers 
make  for  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors, accepting  or  reject- 
ing. He  approves  the  script, 
after  the  story  has  been  pre- 
pared for  the  i  screen.  He 
passes  upon  the  director  and 
his  salary  and  upon  each  im- 
portant member  of  the  cast. 
And  in  many  cases  he  sees 
"rushes"  of  important  scenes. 


respon- 
Exhibi- 


Arthur  Kane,  president  of  Associated  Exhibitors  who  has 
outlined  an  elaborate  program  for  his  company  for  the  com- 
ing year.    He  has  lined  up  a  series  of  box  office  releases 
that  are  hard  to  beat. 


This  system  was 
sible  for  Associated 
tor's  producers  recently  bring- 
ing four  leading  players  from 
the  Pacific.  Coast  to  head  two 
casts.  Conway  Tearle,  Clara 
Bow,  Herbert  Rawlinson  and 
Earle  Williams  are  working 
in  New  York  today  quite  as 
effectively  as  if  they  had  been 
brought  here  by  a  produc- 
ing-distributing  organization 
in  its  own  behalf-  And,  to 
quote  Mr.  Woody,  "they  are 
giving  daily  proof  of  the  wis- 
dom of  proper  cooperation  be- 
tween the  production  and  dis- 


November  15,  1924 


Page  17 


tribution  branches  of  the  business.  Not 
only  do  such  troopers  as  these  insure 
quality  productions,  but  they  also  con- 
tribute materially  to  box-office  values." 

THE  General  Manager  of  Associated 
Exhibitors,  in  his  dealing  for  prod- 
uct, is  reported  to  be  using  a  form  of 
agreement  which  insures  the  independ- 
ent producer  of  a  continuing  market  in 
event  of  his  meeting  certain  reasonable 
requirements.  "It's  all  a  case  of  how 
sincere  the  producer  is,"  he  explains. 
"And,  after  all,  we  don't  pose  as  the 
judges,  either.  Decision  rests  with  ex- 
hibitors. If  they  find  the  product  satis- 
factory, we'll  never  be  very  long  in 
learning  about  it,  or  in  passing  the 
good  word  along.  For  obviously  we're 
quite  as  much  interested  in  helping 
capable  producers  permanently  estab- 
lish themselves  as  they  possibly  can  be 
in  becoming  established. 

"I  have  not  found  any  insurmount- 
able difficulties  in  the  way  of  insuring 
good  quality.  With  pictures  in  work 
like  'The  Ultimate  Good,'  'The  Adven- 
turous Sex,'  'The  Great  Air  Mail 
Robbery'  and  eight  or  ten  others,  and 
with  product  released  such  as  most  of 
our  recent  pictures,  I  have  no  fears 
about  the  wisdom  of  our  policy.  We 
are  assured  of  thirty-two  pictures 
.which  I  am  personally  proud  to  have 
had  a  voice  in  planning." 

General  Manager  J.  S.  Woody 
Says: 

Thirty-two  wholly  dissimilar  pic- 
tures, strongly  contrasting  in  theme, 
totally  unlike  in  appeal,  affording  great 
variety  in  direction,  development  and 
casts,  diversified  in  all  respects  save 
quality,  is  the  program  announced  by 
Associated  Exhibitors  for  the  coming 
season. 

Avoidance  of  similarity,  it  is  con- 
tended, is  much  more  easy  for  accom- 
plishment for  an  organization  deriving 
its  product  from  a. number  of  reliab-e 


J.  S.  Woody,  general  manager  of  Asso- 
ciated Exhibitors  who  announces  that  his 
company  will  not  enter  the  producing 
field  this  year.  He  outlines  the  company's 
program    in    the    accompanying  article. 

sources  than  in  the  case  of  the  large 
manufacturing  establishment  which 
utilizes,  over  and  over  again  through- 
out the  season,  the  same  staffs  of  writ- 
ers, directors  and  leading  players. 

Associated  Exhibitors,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  except  in  one  or  two  instances, 
will  not  have  more  than  two  pictures 
from  the  same  star  or  producer,  and  in 
these  cases  special  precautions  have 
been  taken  to  avoid  duplications  in 
theme,  direction  and  casting. 

The  emphasis  which  is  laid  upon 
quality,  in  contracts  with  producers,  the 
supervision  over  production  work 
which  is  constantly  maintained  by  the 
distributor  and  the  rivalry  which  is  en- 
gendered by  putting  a  comparatively 
large  group  of  producers  and  directors 
into  close  competition  is  depended  upon 
to  insure  realization  of  uniformly 
high  standards  of  value. 

And  although  provision  is  made  for 
diversification  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  buyers  who  desire  to  purchase  a 
number  of  productions,  the  policy  will 
be  strictly  that  of  individual  sales. 
Each  picture  will  be  expected  to  stand 
or  fall  alone  and  the  exhibitor  will  be 


free  to  exercise  his  judgment  regard- 
ing the  suitability  of  any  production 
for  his  theatre.  The  idea  is  to  sell 
in  the  manner  in  which  the  customer 
desires  to  buy,  letting  each  picture 
work  out  its  own  salvation  on  a  basis 
of  box-office  value.  This,  it  is  con- 
tended, is  on!y  possible  if  the  distribu- 
tor is  not  financially  interested  in  pro- 
duction. 

The  company's  announcement  calls 
attention  to  its  unique  position,  main- 
tained in  the  face  of  a  general  tendency 
on  the  part  of  distributors  to  engage 
in  production  even  more  extensively 
as  in  the  past  and  to  expand  their 
expensive  studio,  stock  company  and 
exchange  operations. 

THE  organization  will  again  devote 
itself  exclusively  to  selling.  It  will 
have  no  studios.  It  will  not  maintain 
or  be  financially  interested  in  stock 
companies.  It  will  own  no  exchanges. 
It  will  have  no  employees  except  those 
who  are  engaged  in  sales  work.  And 
its  field  men,  managers  as  well  as  sales- 
men, will  continue  on  the  commission 
basis  which  was  so  successfully  put 
into  effect  last  spring.  Thus,  accord- 
ing to  the  announcement,  producers 
will  be  dependent  upon  quality  for 
their  returns  and  salesmen  and  man- 
agers will  be  dependent  upon  ability 
for  their  income. 

More  producers  will  release  through 
Associated  Exhibitors  this  season  than 
ever  before  in  its  history.  While  a 
market  is  opened  to  any  reputable  in- 
dividual or  organization,  properly 
financed,  exactly  to  the  extent  to  which 
he  is  able  to  turn  out  first-class  pic- 
tures, discouragement  of  large  produc- 
tion is  consistently  practiced.  Insis- 
tence is  placed  upon  utilizing  ample 
time  to  obtain  the  right  sort  of  stories 
and  delaying  the  starting  of  produc- 
tion until  the  right  directors  and  play- 
ers can  be  obtained.  As  this  is  all  pre- 
liminary work,  it  does  riot  increase  the 
cost  of  production,  although  usually  it 
discourages  the  anxious  folks  who  are 
more  interested  in  getting  a  picture 


The  above  stars  figure  prominently  in  Associated  Exhibitors  list  of  releases  this  season.  They  are,  left  to  right,  Herbert  Rawlin- 
son,  Jacqueline  Logan,  Madge  Kennedy,  Blanche  Mehaffey  and  Conway  Tearle.    They  are  featured  in  many  box  office  hits  and 

each  has  a  following  that  ass  ures  success  to  the  exhibitor. 


Page  18 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  inimitable  Harold  Lloyd  whose  latest 
picture  "Hot  Water"  for  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors is  creating  a  world  of  laughs.  It 
is  scheduled  for  a  three  weeks'  run  at 
the  Strand  in  New  York  City. 

onto  the  market  than  in  properly  insur- 
ing their  effort  against  failure. 


WHAT  Associated  Exhibitors  is 
seeking,  above  all  things,  is  to  en- 
able the  producer  to  establish  himself 
permanently  as  an  independent  unit. 
The  contracts  which  are  drawn  pledge 
definite  assistance  in  this  direction, 
provided  first  pictures  are  financially 
profitable  and  the  common  requisites 
to  organization  stability  are  properly 
met. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that 
within  the  past  year  there  have  been  a 
number  of  radical  changes  in  policy 
which  have  taken  previously  large  dis- 
tributors of  independent  product  out 
of  the  market.  Another  change  of  a 
similar  nature  is  expected  to  be  an- 
nounced in  the  near  future,  thus  fur- 
ther restricting  the  outlet  for  independ- 
ent productions.  This  general  nar- 
rowing of  the  market  has  afforded  wid- 
er opportunities  and  greater  exercise 
of  choice  to  non-producing  distributors 
who  have  remained  in  their  original 
fields. 

Associated  Exhibitors'  position  is  ex- 
plained as  being  that  exclusively  of  a 
selling  agent.  It  is  acting  in  this  ca- 
pacity for  Pathe  and  for  a  number  of 
producers. 

Ample  precautions  have  been  taken 
to  obtain  the  right  sort  of  stories  and 
to  insure  the  employment  of  directors 
and  casts  having  definite  box-office 
values,  but  the  uncertainties  of  pro- 
duction have  prompted  the  distributor, 
despite  its  contract  protection  and  its 
general  supervision,  not  to  include  any 
picture  in  its  releasing  list  until  after 
pre-view.  . 


Stars   and  Productions 

The  list  of  stars  and  productions 
scheduled  for  the  coming  year  by  the 
Associated  Exhibitors  places  this  com- 
pany in  the  front  ranks  of  the  leading 
independent  producers  and  distributors 
of  the  industry. 

Leading  the  list  of  such  celebrities 
as  will  be  starred  and  featured  in  the 
forthcoming  Associated  pictures  are 
Douglas  MacLean,  Dorothy  Dalton, 
Herbert  Rawlinson,  Earle  Williams, 
Percy  Marmont,  Conway  Tearle, 
Madge  Kennedy,  Owen  Moore,  Madge 
Bellamy,  Captain  Charles  Nungesser 
(the  famous  French  ace),  Clara  Bow, 
Frank  Mayo,  Mabel  Ballin,  Harry 
Morey,  Wanda  Hawley,  Thomas  Sant- 
schi,  Arline  Pretty,  Wally  Van  and 
Eric  Mayne. 

Thirteen  separate  and  distinct  pro- 


Charles  Ray  who  has  been  signed  for  a 
series  of  pictures  to  be  released  under  the 
banner  of  Associated  Exhibitors.  His  first 
picture  "Dynamite  Smith"  is  one  of  his 
best  productions. 

ducing  units  are  now  at  work  or  are 
engaged  with  preliminaries  preparatory 
to  launching  Associated  product  for 
the  coming  season.  These  companies 
comprise  the  Douglas  MacLean  Pro- 
ductions, Howard  Estabrook  Produc- 
tions, Arcadia  Productions,  Arthur 
Beck  Productions,  Becton  Pictures, 
Inc.,  and  Lewis  Moomaw.  This  group 
is  classed  as  the  first  division  and  will 
produce  between  them  ten  productions. 

Of  the  ten,  Douglas  MacLean  will 
make  four,  and  Howard  Estabrook 
two.  The  first  Estabrook  picture  has 
been  released  under  the  title  of  "The 
Price  of  a  Party,"  and  features  Hope 
Hampton  and  Mary  Astor,  supported 
by  Harrison  Ford  and  Dagmar  Godow- 
sky.  The  second  Estabrook  produc- 
tion is  now  being  "shot"  in  New  York 
under  the  direction  of  Charles  Giblyn 
and  features  Herbert  Rawlinson,  Clara 
Bow  and  Earle  Williams.    This  pic- 


ture is  to  be  released  under  the  title 
of  "The  Adventurous  Sex"  and  is  an 
adaptation  from  an  original  screen 
story  by  Hamilton  Mannon. 

THE  first  of  the  Douglas  MacLean 
series  has  been  released  under  the 
title  of  "Never  Say  Die"  with  the  sec- 
ond production,  "Sky  High,"  now  in 
course  of  construction. 

The  other  four  productions  of  the 
first  division  are  "The  Great  Air  Mail 
Robbery,"  an  Arcadia  production  fea- 
turing Captain  Charles  Nungesser,  the 
World  War  Ace.  This  picture  is  being 
made  from  an  original  screen  story 
written  by  Jack  Lait.  Arthur  F. 
Beck's  special  production,  "Barriers 
Burned  Away"  is  the  eighth  picture  of 
the  first  division.  This  is  an  adapta- 
tion from  E.  P.  Roe's  famous  book  of 
the  same  title  that  has  been  sold  to 
millions  of  readers  throughout  the 
country.  This  production  was  directed 
by  W.  S.  Van  Dyke  and  carries  a  cast 
consisting  of  Frank  Mayo,  Mabel  Bal- 
lin,  Harry  Morey,  Wanda  Hawley, 
Thos.  Santschi,  Arline  Pretty,  Wally 
Van  and  Eric  Mayne. 

"The  Ultimate  Good,"  (working 
title)  with  Conway  Tearle  and  Madge 
Kennedy,  comes  next  and  is  a  Becton 
Pictures,  Inc.,  production.  The  last 
picture  of  the  first  division  is  "The 
Greatest  Thing,"  a  Lewis  Moomaw  fea- 
ture now  in  production  on  the  Coast. 
Owen  Moore,  Madge  Bellamy,  and 
Zasu  Pitts  are  cast  in  this  picture  with 
the  support  of  many  strong  film 
names. 

THE  second  division  consists  of  five 
units,  headed  by  S.E.V.  Taylor,  Jess 
Smith  Productions,  St.  Regis  Produc- 
tions. S.  E.  V.  Taylor's  first  picture,  a 
new  unpublished  novel  by  Ernest  Pas- 
cal, will  feature  Conway  Tearle  and  a 


Glen  Tyron,  a  comparative  newcomer  in 
the  stardom  class  has  already  established 
a  following  of  fans.  In  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors "Battling  Orioles"  he  shows  his 
ability  as  an  actor. 


November  15,  1924 


Page  19 


big  female  name.  It  will  be  directed 
by  Taylor.  The  title  of  the  Jess  Smith 
picture  will  be  "Children  of  the  Whirl- 
wind," a  novel  published  by  LeRoy 
Scott.  "Hearts  and  Fists,"  published 
novel  by  Clarence  Buddington  Kelland, 
a  Weaver  Productions  picture  will  be 
made  in  and  around  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, the  original  location. 

rP  HE  third  division  will  consist  of  two 
A  units,  Charles  O.  Seesil,  and  Doug- 
las M'acLean  production.  The  titles  of 
these  two  pictures  with  their  casts  to 
be  announced  later. 

The  newly  revised  list  of  release 
dates  on  Associated  Exhibitors'  prod- 
uct, has  just  been  published  this  week, 
which  includes  two  Harold  Lloyd  pic- 
tures and  also  a  Charles  Ray  produc- 
tion to  follow  the  present  Ray  release, 
"Dynamite  Smith." 

It  is  planned  by  the  Associated  to 
distribute  at  least  twenty-eight  produc- 
tions over  the  1924-25  season.  They 
will  be  sold  individually  and  independ- 
ently. They  will  all  be  the  product 
of  Independent  producers  who  have 
established  creditable  records  for  mak- 
ing box-office  successes.  Only  two  of 
the  pictures  will  be  star  releases ;  all 
others,  an  official  announcement  ex- 
plains, will  have  special  casts,  chosen 
with  the  approval  of  Associated  Exhib- 
itors. Only  one  story  is  included  in 
the  list  which  has  not  been  previously 
produced  as  a  novel,  a  magazine  serial, 
or  as  a  stage  play. 

There  will  be  no  costume  pictures 
and  none  involving  religious,  political, 
or  partisan  angles.  The  dramas  will 
be  almost  exclusively  of  the  romantic 
type  and  in  addition,  there  will  be 
comedies,  three  or  four  Westerns,  and 
at  least  one  Northwood's  story. 

Productions  already  definitely  sched- 


Wanda  Hawley,  that  vivacious  little  rc- 
tress  whose  following  is  among  (he  larg- 
est in  filmdom,  will  take  part  in  several 
releases  for  Associated  Exhibitors. 


uled  for  release  on  the  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors' program  include  many  star 
names  in  their  casts.  The  Murray 
Garsson  picture,  "Is  Love  Everything?" 
which  will  be  made  available  Novem- 
ber 30,  has  a  cast  comprising  Alma 
Rubens,  Frank  Mayo,  Walter  McGrail, 
Lilyan  Tashman,  H.  B.  Warner  and 
Marie  Schaefer.  The  director  is  Wil- 
liam Christy  Cabanne.  "The  Price  of 
a  Party,"  Howard  Estabrook's  first 
production  for  Associated  for  the  sea- 
son was  released  October  12  and  is 
now  playing  to  representative  first- 
runs  throughout  the  country.  It  was 
directed  by  Charles  Giblyn,  the  prin- 
cipal players  being  Hope  Hampton, 
Harrison  Ford,  Mary  Astor,  Edmund 
Carewe  and  Dagmar  Godowsky. 

THE  first  Charles  Ray  picture  has 
also  been  released.  This  production 
under  the  title  of  "Dynamite  Smith" 


Mary  Carr,  the  famous  mother  character 
of  the  screen,  will  feature  prominently  in 
Associated  Exhibitors  releases.  She  is 
known  internationally  for  her  portrayals  of 
mother  roles. 


carries  one  of  the  best  all-star  casts 
of  the  year,  comprising  Wallace  Beery, 
Jacqueline  Logan  and  Bessie  Love. 
Another  current  release  is  "The  Batt- 
ling Orioles,"  a  Hal  Roach  production, 
featuring  Glenn  Tryon  and  Blanche 
Mehaffey. 

Probably  one  of  the  biggest  produc- 
tions scheduled  for  release  is  the  Ar- 
thur Beck  production  based  on  the 
story  of  the  great  Chicago  fire.  This 
spectacular  picture  was  adapted  from 
"Barriers  Burned  Away,"  a  novel  that 
had  over  three  million  circulation  and 
which  subsequently,  as  a  play,  had 
long  and  successful  runs  in  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  the  country. 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  president  of  the 
Associated  Exhibitors,  who  has  been 
on  the  West  Coast  for  some  time, 
reports  that  the  coming  season  will 
be   a  banner  one   for  Associated  in 


Dorothy  Dalton  is  engaged  in  a  series  of 
pictures  for  Associated  ExhibiLors  release. 
She  will  be  provided  with  vehicles  that  are 
appropriate  to  this  famous  actress's  ability. 

the  way  of  product.  Never  since 
the  organization's  inception  has  such 
an  array  of  pictures  been  lined  up  by 
this  leading  independent  distributor 
and  producer  of  motion  pictures. 

Associated  Exhibitors'  line-up  of  stars 
for  the  season  of  1924-25  will  number 
close  to  thirty. 

OF  this  number,  from  a  box  office 
standpoint,  the  most  prominent  are 
Conway  Tearle,  Madge  Kennedy,  Doug- 
las MacLean,  Charles  Ray,  Clara  Bow, 
Hope  Hampton,  Earle  Williams,  Herb- 
ert Rawlinson,  Mary  Carr,  Alma  Rub- 
ens, Charles  Emmett  Mack,  Wanda 
Hawley,  Mabel  Ballin,  Bessie  Love, 
Wallace  Beery,  Jacqueline  Logan  and 
Flora  Finch. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  outstand- 
ing names  that  will  bring  business  into 
the  theatres  of  the  exhibitors  using  As- 
sociated product  this  season. 

In  addition  to  this  are  the  stars  of  the 
Hal  Roach  organization  who  are  pro- 
ducing feature  length  pictures  for  dis- 
tribution on  the  Associated  program. 
The  most  prominent  of  these  being 
Glenn  Tryon  and  Blanche  Mehaffey, 
who  were  the  stars  of  the  most  recent 
Hal  Roach  release,  "The  Battling  Ori- 
oles." Hal  Roach  is  responsible  for  the 
story  of  "The  Battling  Orioles,"  and 
has  written  and  produced  a  second  fea- 
ture length  production  which  is  sched- 
uled for  release  in  the  late  Fall.  The 
cast  of  the  new  picture  will  consist  of 
Blanche  Mehaffey,  Glenn  Tryon,  Jack 
Gavin,  Bob  Kortman,  Leo  Willis,  Rich- 
ard Daniels,  Chris  Lynton,  J.  J.  Clay- 
ton and  Dick  Gilbert. 

Production  of  pictures  for  Asso- 
ciated Exhibitors  in  the  East  is  run- 
ning full  blast.  There  are  three  com- 
panies busily  at  work   in   New  York 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Hope  Hampton  is  shown  going  through  a  scene  in  an  Associated  Exhibitors  fea- 
ture.   She  entertained  the  newspaper  and  trade  press  writers  of  New  York  City 
at  the  studio  and  several  elaborate  scenes  were  filmed  at  the  time. 


studios  with  a  fourth  starting  within  a 
month. 

At  the  Forty-eighth  street  studio,  the 
St.  Regis  company  is  busily  engaged 
making  "The  Ultimate  Good"  (working 
title)  under  the  direction  of  E.  H.  Grif- 
fith, assisted  by  T.  Carlisle  Atkins.  The 
picture  is  being  made  from  a  magazine 
story  written  by  John  Brownell  and  the 
stars  are  Conway  Tearle  and  Madge 
Kennedy.  Featured  in  the  cast  are 
Charles  Emmett  Mack  and  Lucille 
Stewart. 

The  Howard  Estabrook  company  are 
working  at  the  Forty- fourth  street  stu- 
dios under  the  direction  of  Charles  Gib- 
lyn  on  an  original  story  written  by  Man- 
non  Hamilton  under  the  title  of  "The 
Adventurous  Sex."  The  picture  car- 
ries an  all-star  cast  headed  by  Clara 
Bow,  Earle  Williams,  Herbert  Rawlin- 


son,  Flora  Finch,  Edna  Giblyn  and  J. 
Barney  Sherry.  This  is  the  second  pro- 
duction produced  this  season  by  How- 
ard Estabrook  for  the  Associated  pro- 
gram. The  first  was  "The  Price  of  a 
Party"  and  features  Hope  Hampton 
supported  by  an  all-star  cast,  headed  by 
Harrison  Ford. 

In  addition  to  the  above  mentioned, 
Charles  Nungesser,  the  French  aviation 
ace,  is  busy  with  plans  for  the  produc- 
tion of  his  first  picture,  "The  Great  Air 
Mail  Robbery."  This  is  an  adaption 
from  a  story  written  by  Jack  Lait,  man- 
aging editor  of  the  New  York  Ameri- 
can. At  the  present  writing  Captain 
Nungesser  is  engaging  his  cast  which 
will  be  announced  at  a  later  date.  The 
French  Ace  will  take  the  leading  role 
in  the  production  with  aviation  as  the 
high  light  of  the  picture.    The  Arcadia 


production  company  is  a  Philadelphia 
organization  but  the  picture  will  be 
made  in  New  York  and  work  will  be 
actually  started  on  the  "shooting"  of  the 
production  this  week. 

The  fourth  picture  to  be  started  in 
the  East  for  the  Associated  Exhibitors 
is  the  S.  E.  V.  Taylor  production, 
"Hearts  and  Fists."  To  date  no  cast 
has  been  selected  for  this  picture. 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  the 
Associated  Exhibitors  has  produc- 
tion for  this  distributing  organ- 
ization been  as  active  as  it  is  today. 
Preparations  are  under  way  for  the  pro- 
duction of  at  least  six  feature  length 
pictures  in  the  East  while  from  the 
Coast  comes  a  report  from  Arthur  S. 
Kane,  president,  that  production  there 
is  in  full  swing. 


This  trio  of  actresses  need  no  introduction  to  the  picture  public.    Each  has 
established  a  box  office  name  that  spells  increased  business.    They  are  left  to 
right,  Clara  Bow,  Bessie  Love  and  Mabel  Ballin. 


November  Z5.  1924 


Page  21 


Vitagraph  Designates  November 
as  John  B.  Rock  Month 


N 


OVEMBER  is  "John  B.  Rock 
Month"  in  the  Vitagraph  organi- 
zation. 

This  drive  differs  from  most  drives 
in  the  picture  industry  in  the  fact  that 
is  was  conceived  and  planned  by  the 
sales  organization  itself,  instead  of  be- 
ing initiated  by  executives.  It  happens 
that  the  birthday  anniversary  of  John 
B.  Rock,  general  manager,  falls  in  No- 
vember, and  branch  managers  and  sales- 
men arranged  the  drive  as  a  "present" 
to  thejr  chief. 

Mr.  Rock  became  general  manager  of 
Vitagraph  a  little  more  than  eight 
months  ago.  The  first  thing  he  did  was 
to  make  a  tour  of  the  company's"  twenty- 
nine  branch  offices,  shaking  hands  with 
the  managers  and  their  helpers.  At  the 
outset  he  won  a  warm  spot  in  their 
hearts  by  constituting  himself  "one  of 
them,"  and  the  spirit  of  cooperation  and 
renewed  loyalty  which  he  instilled  was 
strengthened  when  he  brought  them  all 
together  at  an  "experience  meeting"  in 
Chicago  last  Spring. 

More  than  all  this,  Mr.  Rock,  in  col- 
laboration with  Albert  E.  Smith,  the ' 
Vitagraph  President,  arranged  such  a 
schedule  of  special  productions  as  Vita- 
graph has  never  offered  before.  Natur- 
ally enough,  this  endeared -the  general 
manager  to  the  sales  force  more  than 
ever. 

Incidentally,  the  superior  character 
of  Vitagraph's  current  product  seems 
to  assure  for  the  drive  a  far  greater 
success  than  any  that  has  been  made 
in  the  past  history  of  the  organization. 
The  branch  managers,  with  the  aid  of 
the  sales  officials,  have  perfected  a 
special  organization  in  every  part  of  the 
country,  and  they  are  now  prosecuting 
a  concerted  campaign  which  they  are 
confident  will  yield  results  which  the 
general  manager  cannot  but  regard  as 
a  most  acceptable  birthday  compliment. 

*    *  * 

$2,500,000  Theatre 
For  St.  Louis 

Evincing  their  firm  belief  that  down- 
town St.  Louis  is  coming  back  as  a  cen- 
ter of  amusement.  Skour  Brothers 
Enterprises  have  announced  the  pur- 
chase of  the  northwest  corner  of 
Seventh  and  Locust  Streets  as  a  site 
for  a  4500  seat  motion  picture  theatre 
that  will  surpass  anything  of  its  kind 
in  the  country.  The  house  to  be  known 
as  the  Ambassador  will  cost  upwards  of 
$2,500,000. 

The  price  for  the  ground  was  approx- 
imately $1,750,000  or  almost  $14,000 


per  front  foot  for  the  127-foot  frontage 
on  Locust  street.  It  is  one  of  the  high- 
est prices  ever  paid  for  land  in  St. 
Louis  and  proved  the  sensation  of  the 
year  in  local  real  estate  circles. 

Whether  the  building  will  be  devoted 
exclusively  to  a  motion  picture  theatre 
has  not  been  definitely  determined  and 
will  probably  not  be  decided  until  the 
architects,  Messrs.  Rapp  &  Rapp,  of 
Chicago,  reach  St.  Louis  during  the 
coming  week.  However,  because  of 
the  high  value  of  the  ground,  it  is  al- 
most certain  that  an  office  building  will 
be  constructed  in  conjunction  with  the 
amusement  palace. 

Skour  Brothers  intend  that  this  the- 
atre shall  be  a  lasting  monument  to  their 
ideals  in  motion  picture  presentation 
and  they  intend  to  spend  upwards  of 
$500,000  for  equipment  and  decora- 
tions for  the  theatre.  These  will  in- 
clude a  $100,000  pipe  organ.  Thus 
with  the  ground  the  new  cinema  palace 
will  represent  an  investment  of  $4,000,- 
000. 


New  York  State 
Picking  Up 

THERE  appears  to  be  a  picking 
up  in  the  number  of  motion 
picture  companies  incorporating 
in  New  York  State.  During  the 
past  week,  eleven  companies  in- 
corporated with  a  total  capitaliza- 
tion of  $271,000. 

As  a  general  rule,  five  or  six 
companies  incorporate  each  week 
and  for  the  last  year  or  so  capi- 
talization has  been  low  as  com- 
pared to  three  or  four  years  ago, 
when  nearly  every  week  saw  at 
least  one  company  with  a  capi- 
talization of  a  ha'f  million  dollars 
or  more. 


Metro  To  Distribute 
"Chu-Chin-Chow" 

"Chu-Chin-Chow/'  hailed  as  one  of 
the  most  gorgeous  spectacles  yet  seen  in 
pictures,  will  be  released  in  the  United 
States  by  Metro-Goldwyn  Distributing 
Corporation,  it  was  announced  this 
week  by  Nicholas  M.  Schenck,  a  vice- 
president  of  the  company.  The  produc- 
tion, a  screen  version  of  the  Oscar 
Asche  and  Frederic  Norton  stage  suc- 
cess that  ran  five  years  in  London  and 
three  years  in  New  York,  was  pro- 
duced and  directed  by  Herbert  Wilcox. 
Betty  Blythe  is  a  featured  player  in 
the  role  of  Zahrat,  the  desert  dancer. 

Metro-Goldwyn  considers  "Chu- 
Chin-Chow,"  one  of  the  biggest  box- 
office  attractions  it  could  possibly  offer 
exhibitors,  stated  Mr.  Schenck.  It  has 
everything  to  make  it  a  sensational  suc- 
cess with  American  audiences,  heart  in- 
terest combined  with  spectacular  ap- 
peal,- unexcelled  beauty,  and  a  title 
which  is  famous  wherever  people  go  to 
amusements.  On  the  strength  of  its 
fame  alone  "Chu-Chin-Chow"  would 
be  one  of  the  most  valuable  motion  pic- 
ture properties  available  to  exhibitors, 
but  the  spectacle  has  been  made  into  an 
even  greater  photoplay  than  it  was  a 
stage  success. 


Coogans  Due  Nov. 


10 


Norma  Shearer  in  character  as  a  circus 

performer  in    Metro's    "He  Who  Gets 

Slapped."    The  picture  was  directed  by 
Victor  Seastrom. 


Jackie  Coogan,  with  his  father  and 
mother,  will  arrive  in  New  York  on  the 
Leviathan  November  10,  according  to 
a  cable  dispatch  from  Paris  where  the 
Coogans  are  resting  after  their  long 
journey  to  Athens,  Greece. 

Present  plans  call  for  the  Coogans 
leaving  immediately  for  the  coast  after 
their  arrival  in  New  York.  Jackie's 
next  Metro-Goldwyn  picture,  "The 
Rag  Man,"  is  being  edited  there  and 
will  be  passed  upon  in  its  final  shape 
by  the  senior  Coogan  before  it  is  re- 
leased by  Metro-Goldwyn  in  December. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


M      Editorial  ■ 


The  Story  or  the  Star? 


ANY  more  or  less  innocent  bystander  in  this 
business    should   enjoy   hugely,  admission 
free,  the  gorgeous  spectacle  of  Pot  advising 
Kettle  and  Kettle  advising  Pot,  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  days  in  the  year,  on  the  right,  the  only 
right,  way  to  make  pictures. 

Pot  says  sex  pictures  are  the  thing,  so  Kettle 
makes  them  galore.  Kettle  tells  Pot  that  nude 
figures  are  a  riot  at  the  box  office  and  Pot  strips  the 
costumes.  Then,  suddenly,  it's  time  to  reform,  so 
Pot  and  Kettle  get  out  the  Sapolio  and  go  to  work 
on  each  other. 

Advice,  conversation,  platitudes!  That  this  in- 
dustry doesn't  gag  itself  to  death  is  a  wonder  of 
the  ages. 

And  the  ludicrous  part  of  it  is  that  opinions 
based  on  inexperience  and  hunches  carry  weight  in 
many  cases  where  the  advice  of  people  who  know 
something  is  ignored. 

Obviously,  the  producer  of  pictures  who  has 
money  to  throw  away  is  privileged  to  throw  it.  If 
he  chooses  to  tie  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  to 
moron  plots,  that's  his  business.  But  any  pilot 
who  tried  to  take  the  Berengaria  overland  to 
Pittsburgh  would  be  judged  a  little  wee  bit  queer. 
And  that  would  be  mild  in  comparison  with  some 
of  the  things  that  are  being  done  in  pictures  today, 
on  the  advice  of  self-appointed  pilots  whose  chief 
recommendation  is  the  speed  with  which  they  can 
dish  out  new  kinds  of  wisdom. 

If  the  public,  on  the  average,  is  as  dense  as  we 
seem  to  believe,  Nero  was  right. 

There  can't  be  any  doubt,  however,  of  one 
thing:  We  are  approaching  a  period  when  the 
story  is  going  to  be  the  first  fundamental  of  the 
picture.  Plot  is  going  to  be  essential.  Pictures 
will  bear  some  resemblance  to  literature  in  that 
plots  will  fall  into  two  principal  divisions — the 
realistic  and  the  fanciful.  Those  that  are  realistic 
will  be  within  the  possibilities  of  fact  as  conceived 
by  the  ordinary  mind.  Those  that  are  fanciful  may 
keep  quite  clear  of  fact,  but  both  types  will  have 
some  element  of  continuity.  There  will  be  some- 
thing in  either  type  to  engage  the  mind,  because  the 
time  is  coming  when  the  public  will  be  conceded 
the  privilege  of  having  a  mind. 


Generally  speaking,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that 
what  people  are  interested  in  today  is  the  life  of 
today.  It  isn't  the  business  of  pictures  to  teach 
history  or  to  point  morals,  except  as  incidents  of 
entertainment.  But  there  never  has  been  a  period 
in  the  old  world's  history  when  life,  every  day,  con- 
tained so  much  real  romance,  so  much  fertile  ma- 
terial for  the  maker  of  human  stories,  as  it  does 
now. 

The  shelves  of  our  current  literature  are  full  of 
good  material  for  pictures.  Yet  it  is  a  proud  con- 
temporary author,  indeed,  who  can  recognize  any- 
thing that  has  come  from  his  hand  when  some  of 
our  best  directors  have  had  a  shot  at  it. 

Stars  and  Stunts!  What  atrocities  are  accom- 
plished with  the  combination.  And  beauty  is 
crowded  out  to  make  place  for  stupid  sensations. 
Bootleggers'  palaces — in  the  pictures — house  our 
ordinary  citizens.  Women — in  the  pictures — are 
gaudily  decorated  dolls  for  use  in  sex  experiments. 
Men — in  the  pictures — are  sloppy  sentimentalists 
or  slimy  skunks.  Where  are  the  real  people,  the 
real  homes,  the  real  life  of  America? 

Stars,  in  this  business,  shine  by  reflected  light. 
Deprive  them  of  their  principal  means  of  appeal, 
stories  that  afford  a  sound  dramatic  basis,  and  they 
will  fade  quickly  as  the  public  becomes  fed  up  on 
the  shallow  stuff  that  is  our  principal  product 
today. 

Novelty  has  carried  this  business  a  long  way. 
But  novelty  wears  out  eventually.  The  novelty  of 
motion  on  the  screen  is  fairly  well  done.  It  is 
going  to  be  a  question,  before  long,  of  what  the 
picture  is  all  about.  And  when  the  public  begins 
to  ask  that  question,  displays  of  gilt  furniture  and 
backless  gowns  won't  get  by. 

A  few  people  seem  to  realize  that  the  successful 
writer  holds  the  key  to  the  future  of  motion  pic- 
tures. More  power  to  those  who  see  it!  There 
can  be  no  other  solution.  Good  stories  and  good 
stars — the  stories  always  first — will  hold  the  public 
interest.  In  a  pinch,  good  stories  would  do  it 
without  the  stars.  But  the  stars  can't  get  away 
with  plotless  posing  much  longer. 

And  there's  some  more  advice,  if  you  please, 
for  a  business  that  is  overstuffed  with  it  already ! 


November  15.  1924 


Page  23 


The  Pessimist's  Window 


WE'VE  just  had  a  keen  disappointment  as  this  is  writ- 
ten. Went  to  the  polling  place,  prepared  to  resist 
with  our  life,  if  need  be,  threatened  inroads  on  our 
liberties — not  that  we  have  any  left,  as  far  as  we  know,  but 
it's  the  principle  of  the  thing.  And  we  found  ourself  in 
what  our  more  or  less  dull  intellect  recognized  as  a  "vot- 
ing machine."  So  we  did  our  best,  pulling  levers  and  drag- 
ging down  hooks  and  manipulating  dingbats,  and  when  we 
got  through  the  dratted  machine  didn't  even  ring  a  bell. 
We  figured  it  ought  to  blow  a  trumpet  and  we  didn't  get 
even  a  squeak  out  of  it.  So  we  don't  know  whether  we 
really  voted  or  not.  But  we  are  firmly  convinced  that  vot- 
ing machines,  if  any,  should  be  made  by  the  cash  register 
folks.  Then  we  would  get  a  little  noise  for  our  trouble, 
at  least. 

#    *  * 

Speaking  of  voting,  it's  evident  that  the  news-reel  people 
hare  their  ideas  as  to  politics.  They  go  and  get  out  advance 
stuff  on  Coolidge  and  Davis,  so  the  enterprising  exhibitor 
can  put  the  winner  on  the  screen  as  soon  as  the  returns 
roll  in.  But  they  omit  LaFollette  altogether.  Looks  like 
another  capitalistic  conspiracy,  doesn't  it? 

That  Metro  ball  put  us  to  the  bad.  It  was  positively 
no  place  for  a  resident  of  rural  Long  Island,  accustomed  to 
the  quiet  and  calm  of  the  country  on  a  Saturday  night.  It 
kept  us  out  until  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  then,  we 
are  unofficially  informed,  we  missed  a  lot  of  the  best  of  it. 
But  that's  our  limit,  since  Volstead  rules  the  waves,  and 
we  don't  care  who  knows  it.  This  much  may  be  said,  how- 
ever: Up  to  the  time  we  left,  there  were  more  people  hav- 
ing a  good  time  than  we  have  seen  thus  engaged  in  any 
single  occasion  in  years.  And  the  show  was  a  riot.  All  of 
the  best  of  Broadway's  talent  was  there,  prepared  to  do 
its  utmost.  Which  it  did.  Our  condolences  go  out  to 
the  committee  that  will  have  to  outdo  this  performance  next 
year.    We  advise  it  to  start  preparations  now. 

%    ♦  % 

We  had  a  talk,  the  other  day,  with  R.  H.  Cochrane,  and 
he  told  us  something  about  the  policy  back  of  Universal's 
''White  List."  Perhaps  it's  unfortunate,  but  we  disagree 
with  R.  H.  on  several  things.  On  some  points  we  think 
he's  wrong  and  on  others  wronger.  But  in  respect  to  this 
"White  List,"  when  he  looked  us  in  the  eye  and  declared 
1hat  Universal  means  exactly  what  it  says,  we  had  a  sort 
cf  suspicion  that  he  was  and  is  right.  Perhaps  it's  because 
R.  H.  has  the  frank  speech  and  the  level  eye,  but  we  are 
prepared  to  admit  that  he  convinced  us  of  one  thing,  namely 
and  to-wit,  that  the  "White  List"  represents  a  policy  which 
will  mean  much  to  exhibitors  big  and  little.  Also  that 
Universal  is  going  to  try  mighty  hard  to  make  good  on  the 
"White"  part. 

There  are  some  exhibitors,  here  and  there,  who  would 
say  that  white  hasn't  been  the  dominant  color  in  picture 
policies.  There  are  some  that  would  go  so  far  as  to  declare 
that  the  "white  treatment"  part  of  Universal's  program  is 
a  novelty,  of  which  they  know  nothing.    But  that,  of  course, 


would  be  exaggeration.  The  business  that  doesn't  have  the 
same  hue  and  cry  about  unfair  tactics  on  the  part  of  buyers 
and  sellers  hasn't  been  invented  yet.  But  it  is  possibly  true 
in  this  field,  with  its  entire  lack  of  standardization  in  pro- 
duct and  prices,  that  conditions  ought  to  be  considerably 
bettered.  And  assuming  that  such  is  the  case,  Universal 
ought  to  have  a  fair  chance  to  show  what  it  can  do  in  the 
right  direction  with  the  "White  List." 

*  H=  * 

Irving  Lesser  came  back  the  other  day,  a  married  man, 
and  claims  that  he  still  is  free  to  play  golf  when  business 
will  permit.  How  he  sold  that  idea  so  quickly  is  some- 
thing of  a  mystery.    It  took  us  years. 

*  *  # 

S.  A.  Jenkins,  who  directs  exploitation  for  Grosset  & 
Dunlap,  says  he  and  his  wife  have  seen  "The  Four  Horse- 
men" several  times  and  would  be  glad  to  go  again;  that 
his  secretary  hasn't  seen  it  and  would  like  to.  Which  leads 
him  to  believe  that  many  pictures  are  being  allowed  to  die 
altogether  too  soon.  He  mentions,  also,  the  cast  of  "Down 
to  the  Sea  in  Ships,"  which  he  thinks  was  missed  altogether 
by  thousands  of  New  Yorkers,  because  it  failed  to  get  the 
right  sort  of  presentation.  Well,  that's  one  of  our  little 
hobbies.  When  producers  wake  up  to  the  real  money  they 
are  losing  by  the  present  practice  of  allowing  dubious  new 
pictures  to  crowd  out  films  that  are  really  "Tried  and 
Proved,"  there  will  be  a  ne  wscheme  of  advertising,  al- 
together. 

*  #  * 

The  International  Film  Congress,  which  is  to  be  held  in 
London,  November  26-28,  will  be  an  interesting  affair, 
though  what  will  come  of  it  remains  to  be  seen.  Lord 
Rotherham,  Sir  William  Jury  and  J.  C.  Graham  are  vice 
presidents,  with  Sam  Harris  officiating  as  chairman  and 
W-.  Arthur  Northam  as  Honorary  Secretary.  The  presi- 
dency has  not  been  filled,  but  will  probably  be  graced  by 
the  Duke  of  York.  The  Savoy  Hotel  will  be  headquarters 
for  visiting  delegates  and  apparently  preparations  are  being 
made  to  take  care  of  a  representative  delegation  from  this 
side.  It  is  a  little  bit  unfortunate  that  the  time  is  so  short, 
since  any  attempt  at  creation  of  international  understanding 
with  regard  to  film  production  and  distribution  ought  To 
warrant  a  large  American  delegation,  which  may  not  be 
possible  on  this  brief  notice. 

*  *  * 

Met  a  bootlegger  on  Broadway  the  other  day.  Looking 
very  sad.  "What  brought  on  the  attack?"  He  looked  at 
us  with  reproach.  "Business,"  he  said,  "is  terrible.  No,  "it 
isn't  the  new  fleet  of  rainbow  chasers.  It  isn't  Izzy  and  Moe. 
It  isn't  any  of  the  stuff  you  read  about.  It's  just  fool  com- 
petition. If  we  had  a  live  association  and  a  few  good  trade 
papers  to  keep  us  in  line,  we  would  be  making  money.  If 
the  bootlegging  industry  is  to  be  preserved,  something  must 
be  done.  We  can't  last  long  at  the  present  rate."  Which 
shows  how  trade  papers  are  appreciated  in  a  field  where 
there  are  none. 


Page  24 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Banner  Productions  has 
made  a  wonderful  pic- 
ture of  Margery  May's 
novel.  The  pic- 
ture is  filled 
with  heart  in- 
terest and  the 
deft  touches  of 
director  Burton 
King  make  it 
live.  There  is 
magnificent  act- 
ing by  Patsy 
Ruth  Miller  and 
Lou  Tellegen, 
supported  by  an 
all  star  cast. 
These  stills 
show  the  emo- 
tions that  are 
touched  in  the 
unravelling  of 
an  interesting 
plot. 


scene  above  fur- 
es  one  of  the  thrills 
th's  feature.  Lou 
Tellegen  as  the 
hero  shows  his 
skill  as  a  pro- 
t  e  c  t  o  r.  The 
upper  left  pic- 
ture shows  a 
dramatic  scene 
in  which  Miss 
Miller  proves 
herself  a  talent- 
ed actress.  The 
supporting  cast 
in  this  feature 
offering  portray 
their  various 
parts  with  the 
finesse  of  fin- 
ished players, 
directed  by  Bur- 
ton King. 


"THOSE   WHO   JUDGE"   A   GRIPPING  DRAMA 

Banner  Productions  give  splendid  presentation,  in  all  star  cast 


November  15,  1924 


Page  25 


Wt1i  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


great  undertakings. 


(J  OMPETI.TION  is  one  of  the  blessings  of  mankind.     Without   it   there    would     be  few 
Everyone  would  be  satisfied  to  accept  any  article  handed  them  and  all  would  suffer. 

In  the  motion  picture  industry  competition  is  especially  desirable.  It  protects  the  exhibitor  from  being 
srangled,  yet  the  exhibitor  in  a  large  measure  fails  to  realize  what  the  independents  are  doing  by  increasing 
competition. 

In  order  to  continue  the  competition,  the  independents  must  form  a  strong  force  to  combat  any  efforts 
to  stifle  them  and  eliminate  them  from  the  field.     The    independent  should  be  able  to  present  a  front  to  the 

job. , 


enemy  that  would  make  an  attack  a 

There  is  only  one  way  to  do  it— 
to  do  it. 


very  disagreeable 
•bury  the  hatchet  and  work  together. 


And  now  is  the  psychological  time 


Independents  in  Danger 

Unless  Petty  Jealousies  Are 
Forgotten  and  All  Get  Togeth- 
er to  Help  the  Common  Cause 


11  HAT  President  L  E.  Chadwick's 
suggestion  for  a  Czar  for  the  in- 
'  dependent  producers  and  dis- 
tributors caused  considerable  comment 
in  the  industry  is  evidenced  by  the 
whisperings  and  sage  nodding  of 
heads. 

It  has  been  suggested  before  but  it 
had  never  been  placed  squarely  up  to 
the  independents  and  it  came  with  ex- 
treme unexpectedness  at  the  I.  M.  P. 
P.  &  D.  luncheon  held  last  week  at 
the  Hotel  Astor,  New  York  City. 

In  gum-shoeing  around  the  various 
independent  rendezvous  one  learns  that 
Mr.  Chadwick  struck  the  right  note 
and  that  results  will  be  forthcoming. 

The  particular  snag  that  will  rock 
the  boats  will  be  the  naming  of  the  per- 
son to  take  the  position  of  judge  and 
jury  in  the  independent  field. 

It  is  advocated  that  a  man  be  chosen 
whose  past  works  in  the  field  of  busi- 
ness has  made  him  a  well  known  char- 
acter, but  the  hitch  will  come  when 
the  nomination  time  arrives. 

Many  independents  already  have  in 
mind  some  particular  person  who  will 
fill  the  bill  in  every  detail,  but  since 
there  is  to  be  but  one  man,  there  is  a 
possibility  of  politics  getting  to  work. 

There  is  no  denying  that  there  has 
been  considerable  petty  jealousy  in  the 
ranks  of  the  independents  and  although 


some  of  the  larger  producers  and  dis- 
tributors feel  themselves  above  the 
petty  things,  there  si  ill  exists  the  feel- 
ing Of  "every  man  for  himself"  in 
many  quarters  and  that  is  a  condition 
that  must  be  combatted. 

In  questioning  the  leaders  of  the  in- 
dependents the  opinion  seems  to  •  pre- 
vail that  a  leader  of  proven  quality, 
far-sightedness,  and  endless  patience, 
can  bring  the  independents  to  the  fore 


Al  Joy,  famous  international  comedian  who 
has  been  signed  to  make  a  series  of  come- 
dies  for    Ricordo    Films.    He   will  start 
work  immediately  on  the  series. 


and  present  a  very  formidable  front  in 
the  motion  picture  industry. 

It  is  not  an  easy  job  that  will  be 
cut  out  for  the  newcomer.  He  will 
step  into  a  position  that  will  require 
diplomacy  and  the  nerve  to  enforce  his 
decisions  in  the  face  of  opposition. 

One  thing  that  is  pointed  out,  is  the 
fact  that  unless  some  concrete  action 
is  taken  in  the  matter  very  soon,  the 
idea  will  become  cold,  probably  de- 
velop pneumonia  and  die  in  its  in- 
fancy. 

The  whole  matter  rests  with  the  in- 
dependents. President  Chadwick  has 
offered  a  tangible  solution  to  many  of 
the  ills  of  the  State  Rights  producers 
and  distributors  and  unless  definite  ac- 
tion is  taken  there  is  likely  to  be  an 
unfortunate  reaction  that  may  hurt 
every  independent  in  the  business. 

PRESIDENT  CHADWICK,  in  his 
speech,  suggested  such  a  man  as 
James  Walker,  champion  of  the  motion 
picture  industry  in  the  New  York  State 
Senate.  Mr.  Walker  would  be  a  very 
suitable  man  for  the  position  for  he 
knows  the  needs  of  the  motion  picture 
producer  and  distributor. 

Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt  should 
also  make  a  good  man  to  lead  the  in- 
dependents. He  has  a  standing  in  the 
public  eye  that  would  be  of  great  bene- 
fit, aside  from  his  known  executive  abil- 
ity. 

Senator  Hiram  Johnston,  of  Cali- 
fornia, would  be  ideal  for  the  leader- 
ship. 

Others  who  might  fit  in  wonderfully 
well  are  former  vice  president  Marshal, 
William  McAdoo,  Newton  Baker  and 
Mayor  Curley,  of  Boston. 

It  is  expected  that  the  next  meeting 
of  the  independents  will  bring  forth  a 
number  of  further  suggestions  for  the 
betterment  of  conditions  and  place  the 
independents  on  a  safe  footing. 


Page  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


'With  The  Independent  Distributors 


President  Chaclwick  Voices 
Dangers  Facing  Independents 


Advocates  Outside  Leader 


THAT  President  Chadwick  of  the 
I.  M.  P.  P.  &  D.  A.  realizes  the 
dangers  confronting  the  independents 
was  evidenced  at  the  first  of  a  series  of 
formal  luncheons  held  at  the  Hotel  Astor, 
October  30. 

In  a  brief  talk  Mr.  Chadwick  expressed 
the  idea  that  the  independents  need  a 
leader  from  outside  the  industry  to  offset 
the  threatened  dangers  of  the  indepen- 
dents. 

He  stated  that  the  big  combines  are  the 
result  of  an  attempt  to  retain  balance  of 
power.    When  two  large  companies  merge 


Margaret  Morris,  the  talented  young 
actress    appearing     in    Arrow  Pictures 


it  is  necessary  for  other  companies  to 
merge  to  retain  their  power  and  the  more 
this  grows  the  greater  is  the  danger  to  the 
independent  exhibitor  and  therefore  the 
independent  producer  and  distributor.  Mr. 
Chadwick  said  in  part: 

"Balaban  &  Katz,  of  Chicago,  have  an 
enterprise  with  a  huge  investment  and 
when  they  see  an  encroaching  company 
coming  into  the  field  they  go  out  from 
their  city  and  get  more  strength,  which 
gives  them  a  chance  to  talk  to  other  pro- 
ducers and  distributors." 

He  cited  the  operation  of  the  Midwest 
theatre  organization  and  dwelt  at  length 
on  the  injury  being  done  to  the  independ- 
ent exhibitor,  producer  and  distributor, 
through  such  moves. 

"The  artistic  advance  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture lies  in  the  open  market,"  he  said, 
"and  if  these  doors  are  shut,  artistic 
progress  cannot  develop  to  its  highest  ex- 
tent.   Our  customers  say  our  pictures  are 


all  right,  but  Mister  So-and-So  says  to  me, 
confidentially,  that  I'd  like  to  play  your 
picture.  I  have  three  theatres  in  this 
town,  but  to  keep  going,  I  must  watch 
for  two  things.  If  I  don't  book  the  'Fam- 
ous Forty'  they  will  develop  an  outlet  of 
their  own  here.  The  same  with  Metro- 
Goldwyn.  To  meet  the  situation,  I  book 
in  block.  You,  Mister  Independent  Dis- 
tributor, won't  build  here,  if  I  don't  play 
your  pictures,  so  I  must  play  the  other 
fellows,  who  may  build  here  if  I  don't. 

"We  ought  to  have  our  own  outlet,  not 
for  all  our  pictures.  Play  dates  are  so 
tied  up  that  when  you  get  one  it  is  so  far 
off  that  it  is  worthless.  We  ought  to  have 
something  besides  talk  and  agitation.  The 
independents  need  real  leadership  that  can 
demand  attention.  We  need  one  who  can 
meet  amalgamation  with  amalgamation.  A 
man  to  whom  the  independent  exhibitor 
who  is  being  drawn  into  a  corral,  can  turn. 
We  need  leadership  and  a  leader  who  will 
stop  the  stampede.  The  crying  need  is 
apparent  right  now  to  check  the  stam- 
pede from  going  further. 

"When  the  time  comes  for  the  survival 
of  the  strongest — not  the  fittest — the  de- 
cision of  the  three  amalgamated  concerns 
will  be  prompt  and  more  decisive.  They 
will  not  have  so  many  to  deal  with. 

"We  have  got  to  match  the  type  of  man 
who  has  earned  respect  and  confidence 
with  the  producers  and  distributors,  and 
while  I  have  not  his  permission,  I  should 
like  to  suggest  the  name  of  Senator  James 
J.  Walker.  If  we  really  think  we  can 
show  the  independent  exhibitor  a  way  out, 
he  will  take  it.  The  independent  exhibitor 
doesn't  want  to  he  a  night  watchman  in  his 
own  theatre.  It  is  about  time  these  ex-, 
hibitors  were  permitted — indeed  even  the 
largest  exhibitors  were  permitted  to  buy 
pictures  not  with  a  threat  of  what  might 
happen  if  they  didn't.    Maybe  it  is  time 


we  had  some  new  first  runs.  We  are  not 
interested  altogether  with  the  400 — the 
class  theatres — but  with  the  16,000  of  mass 
theatres,  the  hoi-poloi  of  the  exhibiting 
field." 

Chadwick  urged  that  every  one  present 
give  the  subject  discussed  considerable 
thought  and  suggested  that  at  a  meeting 
to  be  held  within  the  next  fortnight,  that 
they  be  prepared  to  discuss  the  matter 
and  to  support  the  idea  financially  as  well 
as  otherwise. 


WAKE  UP!  I 

RISE  AND  SHINE!  ! 
A  Good  Tip  for  Wide- 
Awake  Showmen!  !  ! 

C.  C.  BURR  presents 

JOHNNH 
HI  NET 


Louise  Carter,  who  plays  the  part  of  Phyl- 
lis in  "The  Lost  Chord"  for  Arrow.  "The 
Lost  Chord"  gives  Miss  Carter  the  best 
opportunity  of  her  career  to  demonstrate 
her  dramatic  ability.    Her  acting  is  superb. 


MARLY 
BIRD 

"THE  SPEED  SPOOK" 
"THE  CRACKER  JACK" 

Produced    and    Distributed  by 

EAST  COAST  FILMS 

Incorporated 
C.   C.    Burr.     Managing  Dir. 
135  W.  44th  St.  New  York  City 

Distributed  by  the  Following 
EXCHANGES 

(See  Editorial  List  for  Addresses) 

N.  Y.-l,  Phi-1,  Bos-4,  Cle-3,  Mil-3, 
Wash-1,  Min-2,  L.R.-l,  Dal-5,  Chi-4, 
N.Y.S.-l,  FR-1,  Den-3. 

^25Er5Kc5r53rW5r5Har5ra 


November  15.  1°24 


Page  27 


""With  The  Independent  Distridutors 


ZIVELLI  WILL  CUE 
WEISS  PICTURES 

Arrangements  have  been  effected 
whereby  Joseph  E.  Zivelli  will  com- 
pose all  of  the  musical  scores  for  the 
Buddy  Roosevelt  and  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr. 
series  of  pictures  for  the  Weiss 
Brothers'  Artclass  Pictures  Corpora- 
tion. 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
lor— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 


If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 


CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of     Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q     Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

ryclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 

ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


Get  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St. 


New  York  City 


The  fame  of  Zivelli  is  international. 
He  has  composed  the  music  for  some 
of  the  biggest  Broadway  productions 
and  is  considered  a  musician  of  high 
repute. 

For  the  Weiss  Pictures,  Mr.  Zivelli 
will  compose  some  unusual  and  har- 
monious musical  settings  which  will  be 
available  for  all  exhibitors  of  Weiss 
Brothers'  series  of  Buddy  Roosevelt 
and  Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.  productions. 


H.  F.  JANS  CLOSING 
TERRITORY 

That  H.  F.  Jans'  new  plan  of  selling 
state-right  territory  has  already  born 
fruit  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 
several  contracts  have  already  been 
closed  with  any  number  of  bids  for 
other  territories  being  given  considera- 
tion by  the  producer. 

And  this  before  the  picture  has  been 
completed. 

Ben  Amsterdam,  one  of  the  shrewd- 
est buyers  of  pictures  in  the  business, 
has  closed  contracts  on  "Playthings  of 
Desire,"  the  first  of  the  new  Jans  fea- 
tures, for  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  South- 
ern New  Jersey,  Washington,  and 
West  Virginia;  M.'H.  Hoffman,  of  Re- 
nown Pictures,  Inc.,  has  bought  the 
New  York,  Northern  New  Jersey  and 
Illinois  territories  and  the  Import  and 
Export  corporation  has  contracted  for 
the  entire  foreign  rights  to  the  feature. 

When  "Playthings  of  Desire"  has 
been  completed  Mr.  Jans  will  leave  for 
a  trip  to  several  of  the  important  key 
cities  from  which  applications  for  ter- 
ritory have  been  received.  The  final 
shots  are  being  filmed  this  week. 
*    *  * 

C.  B.  C.  TITLE  CHANGE 

C.  B.  C.  announce  that  they  have 
changed  the  title  of  "The  Fatal  Kiss," 
one  of  the  Perfection  Pictures  star- 
ring Eva  Novak  and  William  Fair- 
banks to  "The  Fatal  Mistake."  The 
picture  has  been  through  the  cutting 
and  editing  rooms  and  will  be  released 
in  the  near  future.  It  is  a  newspaper 
story  and  in  addition  to  the  two  leads 
the  cast  includes  Wilfred  Lucas,  Dot 
Farley,  Bruce  Gordon,  Harry  McCoy, 
Paul  Weigel  and  Frank  Clark.  The  di- 
rection is  by  Scott  Dunlap. 


Jhem&tic  M  usic 


Cue.  ^SAeet1 


M.J.MINTZ  pa- 


IS  FURNISHED   WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 
INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 

Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


Title  "Flying  Fists" 

The  titles  of  the  final  three  bouts  of 
the  "Flying  Fists"  series  of  two  reel 
features  starring  Benny  Leonard  are 
"The  Jazz-Bout,"  "His  Sur-Prize 
Fight,"  and  "The  Comeback."  Sam 
Hellman  is  responsible  for  stories  and 
titles.  Lawrence  Windom,  the  director, 
completed  the  cutting  of  the  series  this 
week. 


frankfyn  farrmm 

'dlTLra: 


ARTHUR  C.  BROMBERG 

Master  Showman  who  is 
vacationing  in  Hollywood 
wires : 

"Screened  episode  one  of 
'Battling  Brewster'  being  di- 
rected by  Dell  Henderson 
and  consider  it  a  knockout 
serial  from  every  angle  in 
settings,  action  and  thrills. 
It  is  a  strictly  western  serial 
that  is  sought  for  by  exhib- 
itors everywhere.  I  con- 
gratulate you  on  producing 
your  first  serial  of  such 
great  merit." 

Get  in  touch  with  your  lead- 
ing Independent  Exchange 
at  once. 

RAYART  PICTURES 
CORPORATION 


723  Seventh  Avenue 


New  York 


Foreign  Distributor : 

Richmount  Pictures,  Inc. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"AL"  JOY  RETURNS 
TO  SCREEN 

"Al"  Joy,  international  stage  and 
screen  comedian  who  recently  returned 
from  Europe  to  fill  a  long  term  con- 
tract with  the  Ricordo  Films,  Inc., 
1547  Broadway,  is  to  be  featured  in  a 
series  of  two  reel  comedies.  A  pro- 
gram of  eight  pictures  a  year  starring 
'Al"  Joy  are  planned  by  the  company. 

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Chadwick  Pictures 
Corporation 

presents 

"FLATTERY" 

H.  H.  Van  Loan 

/eaturing 

JOHN  BOWERS, 
MARGUERITE  DE  LA  MOTTE 
ALAN  HALE  and 
GRACE  DARMOND 


directed  by 

TOM  FORMAN 


produced  by 

Mission  Film 
Corporation 

LEON  PRICE,  president 

Now  available  at  all  the 
leading  Independent  Exchanges 


?729.Sgyenft'Avenue.At»)U£fr.~ 

.  •                      ,  •• 

'HSBimiBiBIFalBB 


Three  scenarios  written  by  "Al"  Joy 
and  Charles  C.  Yotte  are  ready  for 
production ;  preliminary  work  has  al- 
ready begun  on  the  first,  namely  "The 
Orphan,"  this  picture  will  mark  "Al" 
Joy's  return  to  the  screen  after  an  ab- 
sence of  three  years.  Joseph  Richmond 
will  handle  the  megaphone  with 
Charles  C.  Yotte  assisting  and  An- 
thony G.  Trigili  at  the  camera.  "Al" 
Joy  will  be  assisted  by  Lou  Marks, 
Rose  Mass,  Paul  Panzer  and  Pierre 
Le  Collouse. 


LOUISE  CARTER  SIGNS 
WITH  J.  W.  EDWARDS 

Louise  Carter,  well  known  on  the 
stage  as  the  ingenue  with  May  Robson 
in  "The  Rejuvenation  of  Aunt  Mary," 
is  now  working  steadily  in  pictures. 

Sometime  ago  she  was  offered  a  part 
in  "The  Lost  Chord"  in  the  same  cast 
with  David  Powell,  Faire  Binney, 
Charles  Mack  and  Dagmar  Godowsky. 
She  is  now  playing  the  lead  in  a  series 
of  two  reel  pictures  being  made  by  J. 
W.  Edwards  for  Arrow  release.  The 
series  is  called  "The  Pure  Bred  Series" 
and  is  based  oh  a  number  of  thorough- 
bred race  horse  stories.  Black  Gold, 
the  winner  of  the  Kentucky  Derby,  is 
being  used  in  the  picture,  as  well  as  a 
number  of  other  well  known  horses. 

Henry  Sedley  and  Miss  Dumont  are 
also  in  the  cast.  The  first  picture  is 
already  completed  and  is  now  being  cut 
and  titled.  Three  more  will  follow. 
Miss  Carter  will  play  the  lead  in  each. 

The  name  of  the  company  is  the 
Blue  Grass  Producing  Company. 

#    #  * 

RED  SEAL  SUBJECTS 
ON  BROADWAY 

The  Red  Seal  Pictures  Corporation 
announces  that  its  third  release  of 
"Gems  of  the  Screen"  entitled  "Should 
A  Husband  Tell,"  is  now  being  given 
a  premier  showing  by  Hugo  Riesenfeld 
at  the  Rivoli  Theatre,  New  York  City, 
the  week  of  November  2,  1924. 

This  series  is  one  of  the  six  series 
which  the  Red  Seal  has  scheduled  for 
1924-1925  release. 

The  complete  output  consists  of : 
"Out-of-the-Inkwell"  Fun  Novelties, 
"Marvels  of  Motion"  (Fleischer  Novo- 
graph  Process),  "Gems  of  the  Screen," 
"Song  Cartoons,"  "Film  Facts"  (Med- 
ley Hodge-Podge),  "Animated  Hair 
Cartoons,"  by  Marcus,  the  N.  Y.  Times 
cartoonist. 


More  Rayart  Contracts 

W.  Ray  Johnston  of  Rayart  Pictures 
Corporation  announces  the  sale  of 
Northern  Illinois  and  Indiana  on  the 
series  of  six  Metropolitan  Melodramas 
featuring  George  Larkin,  Pauline  Cur- 
ley,  Ollie  Kirbv,  Jack  Richardson  and 
other  prominent  players  to  Reelcraft 
Film  Exchange  of  Chicago  and  Indian- 
apolis. 


no/ 


8 

Reasons 
Why 

Columbia 
Productions 

Are  Box  Office  Pullers 

A    PLAN — rigidly  executed 

AUTHORS — four  novelists 
four  journalists 

BOOKS— well  known  stories 

ready-made  audiences 

STARS — Box   Office  Names 

DIRECTORS — men    with  records 
for  success 

PHOTOGRAPHERS — the  best 
in    the  craft 

MONEY  Every    dollar  spent 

shows  on  the  screen 

THE     PRODUCERS  INTEG- 
RITY and  a  hand  picked  or- 
ganization. 

Titles  That  Mean  Money 
The  Foolish  Virgin 
The  Price  She  Paid 
Fighting  the  Flames 
A  Fool  and  His  Money 
After  Business  Hours 
One  Glorious  Night 
Who  Cares 
The  Midnight  Express 

BOOK  THEM  NOW 
Columbia  Productions 

1600  Broadway 


November  15.  1924 


Page  29 


cWith  The  Independent  Distributors 


Alma  Taylor,  the  talented  actress  who 
appears    in    the    Hepworth  Production 
"Strangling    Threads"    released  through 
Cranfield  and  Clarke. 


Flashes  from 
Independents 


Joe  Miller,  Buffalo  manager  of  Re- 
nown came  to  New  York  to  deliver  con- 
tracts on  the  entire  program  which  he 
secured  from  Meyer  Schein  of  the 
Schein  Theatres  Corporation.  This  is 
the  very  first  contract  that  Schein  has 
signed  since  he  enlarged  his  holdings 
by  adding  to  them  the  entire  Associated 
Theatres  Circuit,  formerly  operated  by 
Harold  Daggett  in  Western  New  York. 

*  *  * 

Exhibitors  and  exchange  men  are  so 
pleased  with  the  pictures  which  Bill 
Cody  has  made,  that  Jesse  J.  Goldburg, 
president  of  Independent  Pictures 
Corp.,  has  already  signed  Cody  up  to 
make  another  series  of  eight  pictures 
when  the  series  on  which  he  is  now  at 
work,  has  been  completed. 

sfc      *  sfc 

Larry  Semon  is  making  rapid  prog- 
ress in  his  production  of  the  famous 
story  "The  Wizard  of  Oz,"  and  will 
easily  complete  it  for  December  show- 
ings throughout  the  country,  it  was  re- 
ported at  the  offices  of  Chadwick  Pic- 
ture Corporation  this  week. 

*  *  * 

From  present  indications  the  state- 
rights  for  the  entire  country  on  "Play- 
things of  Desire,"  will  be  closed  up  in 
what  undoubtedly  will  be  record  break- 


ing time.  The  Jans  Plan,  as  announced 
in  the  trade  publications  last  week,  has 
met  with  instant  favor  and  there  should 
be  little  difficulty  in  closing  contracts. 

*    *  * 

With  the  conclusion  of  production  on 
the  final  three  bouts  of  the  six  Benny 
Leonard  pictures,  "Flying  Fists,"  the 
light-weight  champion  is  planning  to  co- 
operate with  Henry  Ginsberg  in  per- 
sonal appearances  and  other  exploita- 
tion aids  in  connection  with  the  exhibi- 
tion of  the  pictures. 

Garrett  Elsden  Fort,  prominent  au- 
thor and  scenario  writer,  sponsor  of 
many  successful  photoplays  is  now  in 
New  York,  at  work  on  the  script  of 
"The  Street  Singer,"  the  sixth  picture 
in  the  Chadwick  9  unit  for  independents 
this  season,  shortly  to  go  into  produc- 
tion in  the  East  here. 


Nate.  Robbins  has  signed  contracts 
for  the  entire  Renown  program  for  all 
his  theatres  located  in  Utica,  Elmira, 
Binghamton,  Syracuse  and  other  cities 
in  that  section  of  New  York  State. 
*    *  * 

Crimmins  and  Gore,  the  famous  vau- 
deville team,  who  have  been  working 
together  for  twenty-five  years  and  are 
favorites  with  vaudeville  followers  in 
the  west  and  midwest,  have  been  signed 
by  Jesse  J.  Goldburg  of  Independent 
Picture  Corp.,  to  appear  in  special  parts 
from  time  to  time,  in  the  feature  series 
in  which  Independent  specializes. 

Jules  Burnstein,  of  the  Weiss  Broth- 
ers' Artclass  Pictures  sales  staff,  who  is 
now  covering  up  state  territory,  dis- 
posing of  "After  Six  Days,"  for  his 
firm,  reports  wonderful  progress. 


Where  To  Book  Them  ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. 

Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA,  Ga. 

Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BOSTON,  Mass. 

Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 

Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 

Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 

Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,  257  Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi — 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 
CINCINNATI,  Ohio 

Cin — 1  Standard  Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Ohio 
Cle— 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle — 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest  Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal- -4  Midwest  Film  Ex..  2111   Moser  Av. 
Dal — 5  All  Star  Feature  Films,  Film  Exch.  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den — 2  Arrow  Photoplays.   2040  Broadway. 
Den — 3  De  Luxe  Feature  Film  Co.,  2020  Stout  St., 

Denver,  Colo.,  for  territories  of  Colo.,  Utah, 

Wyo..  Ariz.,  and  New  Mex. 

DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Celebrated  Players  Film  Corp.,  144  W.  Ver- 
mont Street. 

ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC— 1  Independent   FMm  Co..   117  West   17th  St. 

LITTLE  "OCK,  Ark. 

LR— I  Homestate  Film  Co.,  1114  W.  Markham  ^t. 


LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 
LA — 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 

MILWAUKEE.  Wis- 
Mil— 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions   (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS.  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg. 
Min— 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon^l  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 
NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,   Inc.,    1401  Tulana  Ave. 
NO — 3  M.  D.  Martin  Attractions,  405  Dryades  St. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY — 1  Commonwealth   Film  Corn.,   729-7th  Ave. 
NY — 2  A-l   Film   Exchange,   729-7th  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  STATE 
NY— 1  Dependable  Pict.  Corp.,  7219  7  Ave.,  N.  Y.  C. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty   Films   Inc.,    1514   Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street. 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 
Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,  52  Exchange  PI. 

SAN  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF—    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  200  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL — 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  St. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures,  2006  Third  Ave, 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier  Films.   Ltd.,   15  Richmond  St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash — 1  Trio  Produc.  "  6  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash— 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch.,  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS.   N.   Y.  CITY 
FR — 1  Simmons-Kahn  Enterprises,  220  W.  42nd  St. 
FR — 2  Inter  Ocean  Film  Corp.,  218  W.  47th  St 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"With  The  Independent  Distridutors 


Some  Things  Can't 
Be  Done 

Some  people  are  under  the 
impression  that  the  motion  pic- 
ture business  can  be  operated 
exactly  as  you  might  conduct  a 
merchandise  business.  The  plan 
is,  get  a  trade-mark,  advertise 
the  goods  to  the  consumer  and 
force  the  dealer  to  handle  them 
whether  he  wishes  to  or  not. 

That  sort  of  thing  works  well 
enough  with  standardized 
goods,  produced  in  great  quan- 
tities. The  manufacturer  who 
buys  enough  space  in  the  Sat- 
urday Evening  Post  can  come 
close  to  telling  the  retailer 
where  to  head  in. 

But  motion  pictures  are  not 
"goods."  And  exhibitors  are 
not  "dealers."  And  trade- 
marks, as  valuable  as  they  are 
on  shoes  and  clothing  and  soap, 
mean  nothing,  whatever,  on 
pictures. 

The  last  year  has  shown  that 
neither  great  size  nor  wads  of 
money  in  the  national  distribu- 
tor's treasury  will  insure  good 
pictures. 

Plenty  of  exhibitors  have 
played  trade-marked  pictures 
to  almost  empty  houses.  And 
then  have  turned  around  and 
played  independent  pictures  to 
capacity  crowds. 

Which  proves,  if  you  please, 
it  is  the  picture,  after  all,  that 
turns  the  trick.  Not  the  name 
of  the  block-booking  specialist 
who  would  turn  your  theatre 
into  a  warehouse  for  his  prod- 
uct. 

If  you  have  faith  in  all  men, 
turn  your  business  over  to  the 
block-bookers.  Take  their  prod- 
net,  at  their  price.  Exploit  it 
-z  they  tell  you  to  exploit  it. 
\n.d  then  watch  for  your  own 
name,  when  the  income  tax  re- 
*nrns  are  printed  a  year  from 
now! 


BEN  WILSON,  now  shaking  the 
Western  dust  off  his  heels  is 
looking  things  over  on  the 
White  Way.  He  says  he's  been  so 
busy  making  pictures  that  he  hasn't 
had  time  to  see  what  the  other  fellow's 
doing  in  sunny  California. 

•p       *F  *fc 

Oscar  Neufeld,  head  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Film  Board  of  Trade  was  in  New- 
York  last  week  attending  a  meeting  of 
the  I.  M.  P.  D.  A.  He  announces  that 
the  independents  situation  in  Philadel- 
phia is  excellent. 

*  *  * 

Jesse  Goldburg,  in  New  York  after 
a  dusty  trip  from  the  Coast,  has  al- 
ready engaged  a  lower  berth  on  a 
Western  flyer.  He  had  planned  to  con- 
solidate with  one  of  the  biggest  inde- 
pendents in  the  field,  but  that's  off. 

*  *  * 

Joe  Brandt,  of  C.  B.  C,  has  left  on 
a  flying  tour  of  the  Keith  Theatres  on 
an  extensive  booking  campaign.  He 
will  hit  all  the  key  cities  on  the  circuit. 
Heath  Cobb  of  the  same  outfit  says 
that  everything  looks  rosy  in  the  C.  B. 
C.  tent  on  Seventh  Avenue.  The  in- 
dependents, he  claims  are  now  sitting 
pretty. 

*  *  # 

Johnny  Hines  shook  a  festive  foot 
at  the  Loew-Metro-Goldwyn  Ball. 
Even  Lupino  Lane,  who  was  on  the 
same  bill,  was  forced  to  sit  up  and  take 


notice.  With  magic  feet  like  Johnny's 
he  could  forsake  the  screen  any  time 
and  dance  his  way  to  a  million  dollars. 
When  Jack  Dempsey  was  taking  his 
bows  from  his  box  at  the  Ball,  the  irre- 
pressible Johnny  rated  a  laugh  by  call- 
ing out  "How's  the  new  nose,  John?" 

3)S         jjfi  S|s 

Harry  Ginsberg  is  after  Eph  Asher 
to  play  with  Benny  Leonard  in  "Fly- 
ing Fists."  We  wouldn't  be  keen  on 
playing  with  Benny  under  any  circum- 
stances, especially  since  Harry  says 
the  picture  is  bound  to  be  a  knockout. 

*  *  # 

After  a  long  sojourn  in  the  West, 
Jack  Cohn,  Vice  President  of  C.  B.  C, 
is  back  in  his  old  haunts  on  Broadway. 

*  *  * 

I,  E.  Chadwick  has  signed  Garrett 
Ford  to  write  the  stories  and  the  con- 
tinuities for  "The  Street  Singer"  and 
"Driven  From  Home."  Chadwick  is 
now  going  full  steam  on  "The  Tom- 
boy." "Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley," 
"The  Street  Singer"  and  "The  Ro- 
mance of  an  Actress"  are  to  follow. 

*  *  * 

Harry  Thomas,  Vice  President  of 
Merit  Exchanges,  has  decided  that  he 
has  better  luck  selling  films  than  follow- 
ing the  ponies.  He  came  to  this  de- 
cision after  he  and  W.  Ray  Johnson 
of  Rayart,  had  spent  a  day  at  the  Em- 
pire track. 


A  striking  scene  from  "The  Angelus"  starring  Margaret  Morris  and  produced  by 
Arthur  Maude.    This  bit  duplicates  the  famous  painting. 


November  i5,  1924 


Page  31 


WW 


^ith  The  Independent  Distributors 


BANNER  COMPLETES 
"THOSE  WHO  JUDGE" 

Prints  of  "Those  Who  Judge,"  the 
latest  of  the  Banner  Big  Four,  will  be 
available  at  exchanges  on  November  15, 
according  to  an  announcement  by 
George  H.  Davis  and  Samuel  J.  Bris- 
kin,  directing  heads  of  Banner  Produc- 
tions, Inc. 

A  full  line  of  paper  and  art  and  nov- 
elty advertising  accessories  has  been 
prepared  on  this  elaborate  feature, 
which  are  set  forth  effectively  in  an  at- 
tractive press  book  of  sixteen  pages 
which  Banner  has  just  sent  out  to  the 
exchanges  handling  its  product.  In  it 
the  exhibitor  is  given  every  aid  and  fa- 
cility for  putting  on  the  biggest  kind 
of  an  advertising  and  exploitation  cam- 
paign on  "Those  Who  Judge,"  which 
Banner  officials  assert  sets  a  new  high 
mark  in  Independent  attractions,  both 
in  the  quality  of  the  story's  drawing 
power,  the  elaborateness  of  its  settings 
and  in  its  cast,  which  throughout  is  of 
the  best  box  office  talent. 

A  comprehensive  campaign  in  the 
trade  press  will  also  be  conducted  to 
the  selling  activities  of  the  exchanges 
handling  the  Banner  Big  Four  Series. 

The  cast  is  headed  by  Patsy  Ruth 
Miller  and  Lou  Tellegen,  both  favorites 
of  established  screen  reputation  and  box 
office  value,  and  includes:  Edmund 
Breese,  and  Mary  Thurman. 

"TAINTED  MONEY"  IS 
NEAR  COMPLETION 

C.  B.  C.  announce  that  their  new 
Perfection  Picture  featuring  Eva  No- 
vak and  William  Fairbanks  and  sup- 
ported by  Bruce  Gordon,  Edward 
Davis  and  Carl  Stockdale  will  soon  be 
completed.  During  the  filming  Henry 
MacRae  had  to  accomplish  the  blowing 
up  of  a  whole  mountain  side.  It  is 
said  in  an  announcement  from  Harry 
Cohn  that  this  picture  will  be  one  of 
the  most  successful  of  this  thrill  action 
series. 


F.  Schumann  Heink,  son  of  the  celebrated 
Contralto  Ernestine  Schumann  Heink  is 
making  his  motion  picture  debut  in  the 
J.  J.  Fleming  production  "Phantom 
Shadows."  Advance  reports  state  that  his 
work  is  so  impressive  he  has  been 
signed  up  on  a  long  contract. 

Schumann-Heink 
Makes  Picture  Debut 

The  New  York  office  of  J.  J.  Flem- 
ing Productions,  Inc.,  is  in  receipt  of 
advice  from  their  studio  at  Beaverton, 
Oregon,  that  actual  production  work  on 
"Phantom  Shadows,"  the  third  of  the 
series  of  pictures  being  released  on  the 
Independent  market  by  this  concern, 
has  been  completed. 

The  cast  in  this  production  consists 
of  Al  Ferguson,  who  is  featured  in  the 
entire  series,  Lucille  DuBois,  Frank 
Grandon,  Yvonne  Pavis,  Frank  Clark, 
F.  Schumann-Heink  and  Paul  Emmery. 

The  production  will  be  shipped  to  tie 
New  York  office  this  week  and  accord- 
ing to  advance  reports,  is  by  far  the 
best  production  this  organization  has 
yet  made. 

Work  will  start  immediately  on  the 
fourth  of  the  series,  tentatively  entitled 
"Scarlet  and  Gold." 


INDEPENDENT  PICTURES 
TO  BUILD  STUDIO 

Upon  his  return  to  New  York  after 
an  extended  visit  to  Hollywood,  Jesse  J. 
Goldburg,  of  Independent  Pictures 
Corp.,  made  known  his  plans  to  erect 
his  own  studios  out  in  the  national  mo- 
tion picture  city. 

At  the  present  time  all  Independent 
pictures  are  made  in  the  Hollywood 
Studios  on  four  hired  lots,  and  previ- 
ously this  was  considered  a  very  satis- 
factory arrangement,  but  now  the  con- 
stant growth  of  the  organization  de- 
mands that  Independent  have  its  own 
working  quarters. 

The  lots  have  already  been  purchased 
in  the  same  section  as  that  in  which 
Fox  and  Harold  Lloyd  have  their 
quarters,  and  the  construction  of  the 
studios  will  start  immediately. 


Marguerite  Clayton 

and 

George  Chesbro 


"WOLF  BLOOD" 

A  powerful  action  drama 
of  the  Great  Outdoors. 
Directed  by  Bruce  Mitchell 

Produced  by 
Ryan    Bros.  Productions 


i  J^rtWuIrd  bq, 

|  LtE- BRADFORD  corporation  \ 

-  i\w..  701  SeventhAve.  New  York. 


View  of  the  perfect  studio  of  J.  J.  Fleming  Productions,  Inc.,  located  at  Beaverton,  Oregon,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of  Portland 
It  is  one  of  the  most  up  to  date  studios  on  the  coast.    They  are  now  at  work  producing  the  fourth  of  their  series  starring  Ai 

Ferguson  in  "Scarlet  and  Gold." 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


SHOWMANSHIP 


PLAY  FOR  THE  PUBLIC 

Through 

YOUR  HOUSE  ORGAN 


IN  attempting  to  create  and  proper- 
ly function  a  theatrical  publication 
or  organ  of  any  nature  whether  it 
be  a  small,  inexpensive  one-page  pro- 
gram or  an  elaborate  inter-organization 
magazine,  there  are  many  fundamen- 
tals which  should  be  thoroughly  under- 
stood, and  many,  many  angles  to  be 
considered. 

First  and  foremost,  it  is  essential  that 
the  publication  "sell  something,"  other- 
wise there  is  no  reason  for  its  exist- 
ence. It  may  be  merely  the  program 
which  the  particular  theatre  is  showing; 
the  policy,  or  any  one  of  several  out- 
standing features.  Regardless  of  the 
subject,  the  publication  must  definitely 
sell  its  own  wares  in  a  thorough  and 
constructive  manner. 

Next  in  importance,  in  my  opinion, 
is  the  make-up  of  the  magazine  or  pro- 
gram. Only  an  individual  of  experi- 
ence in  newspaper,  magazine  or  typo- 
graphical lore  can  readily  understand 
the  real  value  of  such  things  as  balance, 
display,  lay-outs  and  other  (to  the  un- 
initiated) intricate  and  mechanical 
knowledge.  In  other  words,  the  make- 
up of  a  publication  can  either  make  it 
a  valuable  and  salable  article,  or 
an  uninteresting  "piece  of  paper"  to  be 
immediately  relegated  to  the  waste 
basket. 

The  value  of  the  ar- 
ticles and  their  display  as 
well  as  position ;  the  selec- 
tion of  artistic  and  worth- 
while cut  matter,  and  in 
fact  the  entire  ensemble 
should  be  the  subject  of 
careful  thought  and  study 
before  launching  the  pro- 
ject. 

Another  particularly 
important  feature  is  the 
distribution.  Opinions 
vary  as  to  the  most  valu- 
able methods  of  contact- 
ing the  publication  with 
the  public.  The  mail  list 
is  always  popular  and  of 
genuine  worth.  Personal 
distribution  to  the  patrons 


By  JACK  RETLAW 

at  the  theatre  is  another  good  medium. 
House  to  house  distribution  is  still  an- 
other device  for  contact.  Many  of  the 
more  elaborate  publications  are  placed 
on  the  news  stands  for  sale  at  a  nom- 
inal price. 

Personally,  I  prefer  the  mailing  list 
and  the  theatre  personal  distribution.  I 
do  not  favor  "throw-away"  mediums, 
as  I  believe  only  a  small  percentage  ac- 
tually attain  their  objective.  I  would 
rather  confine  the  latter  means  of  con- 
tact to  the  ordinary  hand  bills,  heralds 
and  "dodgers." 

COLOR  harmonies  often  are  an  es- 
sential feature  of  a  publication. 
The  selection  of  distinctive  designs 
properly  blended  in  color  is  many  times 
the  actual  attractor  which  sells  the  or- 
gan. Only  a  few  colors  should  be 
chosen,  as  too  many  serve  to  create  a 
clashing  and  incongruous  effect. 

In  naming  the  publication,  much  de- 
pends upon  the  tastes  of  the  publisher 
and  his  clientele.  Often  a  title  is  the 
sole  means  of  not  only  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  public,  but  sustaining 
that  attraction  as  well.  A  name  well 
chosen  and  fitting  the  nature  of  the  or- 
gan is  often  a  valuable  asset  to  the  pub- 
lication. 


A  live  and  interesting  house-organ  is  one  of  the 
finest  exploitation  mediums  for  your  theatre. 
It  will  help  you  to  make  your  playhouse  a  local 
institution  ranking  with  the  church,  the  bank 
and  the  library.  Read  what  Jack  Retlaw  says 
about  it  and  profit  by  his  words  of  wisdom. 


ALTHOUGH  many  programs  and 
smaller  organs  do  not  boast  an  edi- 
torial page,  this  department  in  a  larger 
magazine  or  organ  can  be  made  of  tre- 
mendous value  to  the  theatre  or  con- 
cern publishing  same.  It  is  here  that 
personal  messages  may  be  broadcasted 
to  the  public;  policies  and  propaganda 
expounded  upon  and  the  local  or  civic 
conditions  discussed.  Editing  such  a 
page  is  no  inconsequential  task  to  be 
lightly  passed  over. 

The  general  material  in  the  publica- 
tion, depending  largely  upon  the  make- 
up, should  consist  of  worth-while  pub- 
licity material  concerning  the  theatre 
and  its  products.  Also  attractive  pro- 
gram spaces  with  carefully  selected 
positions.  Desirable  cuts  should  figure 
largely  in  the  general  scheme  of  the 
magazine.  The  whole,  cleverly  blended, 
can  be  made  a  medium  of  tremendous 
value  for  the  theatre  publishing  same. 

Whether  to  accept  advertisements  or 
not  is  a  debatable  question  with  many. 
I  can  see  no  objection  to  advertise- 
ments as  long  as  the  space  occupied  is 
not  too  large  in  comparison  with  the 
balance  of  the  magazine,  and  the  ads 
carefully  scrutinized  at  all  times.  It 
should  be  explicitly  understood  that  the 
theatre  publishing  the  organ  must  con- 
trol the  advertising  policy, 
if  it  is  being  published  by  • 
other  than  the  theatre 
management.  Mr.  Harry 
C.  Arthur,  Jr.,  General 
Manager  of  the  West 
Coast  Theatres,  Inc.,  and 
myself  are  now  complet- 
ing the  plans  relative  to 
the  publication  of  a  16- 
page,  two-color  "fan" 
magazine,  to  be  issued  bi- 
monthly, with  a  minimum 
circulation  of  250,000 
copies.  This  magazine  will 
embrace  our  entire  circuit 
of  over  one  hundred  the- 
atres. Each  theatre  will 
have  its  quota  with  name 
imprinted  thereon,  and  it 
will  contain  nine  full  col- 
umns of  advertising. 


(^Murray  W.  (jarsson> 

PRESENTS 


ove 


Everythni 
?  ' 

m 

with. 

Alma  Rubens 
Frank  Mayo 
H.B.Warner 
Walter  McGrail 

LilyanTashman 

Dcre.c£<zd  6y 
^William  Christy  CaSanne 

Associated  Exhibitors 


ARTHUR  S   KANE  />xes,o. 


Pt-IYS/CAL  OlSm/SVFOR 

RATU£  '£XCm/VO£  /NC 


Encore 


^Murray  W.Cjarsst 

Is 


Can  a  wife  be  loyal 
to  her  husband  and 
yet  love  another  man? 


9s  love  Everything  ?  gives  the 
\  answer 


She  trembled  in  the 
cabin,  while  on  deck 
above  her,  brutal  men 
fought  for  her  possession! 

'What  a  situation!  9t's  in  this 
picture. 


NATION 


SECTION 


A  Wealth  of  Exploitation  in 


f7s  Lore  Everything 


yy 


INCE  the  beginning  of 
things  there  has  been 
one  question  to  which 
there  has  never  been 
an  answer.  It  is  an 
unsolved-  problem  to 
which  men  and  women 
have !  vainly  sought  a 
solution  throughout  all 
the  ages.  Each  fighter  of  fate — every 
darer  of.  destiny— has  groped  for  the 
truth  like  a  child  in  a  dark  room.  Many 
and  various  guesses  have  been  made. 
Sometimes  they  have  brought  happi- 
ness, sometimes  disaster. 
"Is  Love  Everything?" 
"Yes,"  says  romantic  youth.  "No," 
declares  the  cynicism  of  disillusioned 
age.  What  is  the  answer?  Which  is 
correct  ?  No 
one  will  ever 
know  —  for  in 
no  two  cases 
is  the  response 
the  same. 


The  Theme 

On  this 
question  has 
been  based  a 
w  onder  ful 
p  h  o  todrama. 
It  is  called  "Is 
Love  Every- . 
thing?"  —  and 
its  vital  theme 
will  add  fuel 
to  the  fire  of 
f  h  e  ancient 
c  o  ntroversy. 
Picture  pa- 
trons in  every 
communit  y 
will  show  their 
"interest  at  the 
box  -  office. 
And  whatever 
their  decisions 


may  be  to  the  question  propounded, 
every  exhibitor  who  secures  the  attrac- 
tion for  his  theatre  will  be  richly  re- 
munerated. 

There  are  just  two  things  showmen 
must  do  in  order  to  cash  in  on  this 
Associated  Exhibitors  release.  The 
first  is  to  book  the  picture.  The  sec- 
ond is  to  follow  the  exploitation  sug- 
gestions put  forth  in  this  section. 
These  are  the  only  two  requisites  for 
big  business  on  this  big  production. 

An  Old  Story 

Virginia  Carter  had  two  suitors. 
One  was  Robert  Whitney — the  other 
Jordan  Southwick.  Both  loved  her  de- 
votedly.   In  this  they  were  alike— in 


all  other  things  different.  Jordan  was 
possessed  of  great  wealth.  He  was 
dignified,  serious.  "Bob"  Whitney  was 
somewhat  of  a  playboy.  Immensely 
popular,  the  spoiled  darling  of  his  set, 
even  his  love  for  Virginia  was  insuf- 
ficient to  prevent  the  flirtations  in 
which  he  almost  unconsciously  in- 
dulged. 

Virginia  was  in  a  quandary.  Her 
mother,  ambitious  and  grasping, 
strongly  favored  a  union  with  the 
Southwick  millions.  But  the  girl's 
heart  was  in  "Bob's"  keeping.  They 
became  engaged.  But  the  happiness 
"Bob"  brought  her  was  scarcely  equal 
to  the  pain  he  caused  her  by  his  care- 
less, unintentional  slights. 


A  thrilling  bit  of  action  from  "Is  Love  Everything?"   the  Associated  Exhibitors 
lease  that  will  surely  set  your  whole  town  talking,  and  bring  all  the  folks  in  town 


re- 


The  Quarrel 

Mrs.  Carter, 
a  skillful  so- 
cial manipula- 
tor of  des- 
tinies, planned 
and  plotted  to 
break  Virgin- 
i  a' s  engage- 
ment to  Whit- 
ney so  that  the 
finan  c  i  a  1  fu- 
ture of  the 
Carters  might 
be  secured 
through  mar- 
ri  age  with  , 
Southwick 
And  she  suc- 
ceeded. 

Harassed  by 
her  mother, 
hurt  by 
"Bob's  harm- 
less philander- 
ing, she  re- 
turned  his 
ring.  He 


Page  38 


National 


tJ  SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  crew  of  a  bootleg 
craft  have  a  peculiar  code 
of  morals  and  are  not  dis- 
posed to  treat  women 
with  the  proper  respect. 
Alma  Rubens  and  Frank 
Mayo  are  rescued  by  an 
illicit  schooner  and  in  the 
above  picture  we  see 
Frank  Mayo  putting  them 
in  order  in  the  only  lan- 
guage    they  understand. 


Where  love  reigns  there 
is  silence  and  words 
would  be  but  sacrilege.  A 
vivid  scene  showing  the 
dawn  and  peace,  marvel- 
ously  portrayed  by  Alma 
Rubens  and  Frank  Mayo. 
The  cast  also  includes 
notable  stars  such  as  H. 
B.  Warner  and  Walter 
McGrail.  The  picture 
has    a    beautiful  ending. 


An  Associated  Exhibitors  Release  Teeming  With  Romance  and  Action 
Intelligently  and  Artistically  Presented  and  Splendidly  Cast 


November  15.  1924 


National 


section 


Page  39 


pleaded  with  her,  but  to  no  avail. 
And  so  with  tears  they  parted. 

Events  moved  rapidly.  South- 
wick  sought  her  hand  with  greater 
persistence  than  ever.  And  almost 
before  she  knew  it,  she  was  his 
bride.  Down  the  church  aisle  he 
led  her — pale,  beautiful — and 
broken  hearted. 

Memories 

Two  years  passed.  Southwick 
was  lavish  in  his  love.  Materially 
she  was  provided  with  everything 
she  could  desire.  But  her  dearest 
treasures  were  the  love  letters 
"Bob"  had  written  her.  They  were 
worn  and  tear-stained — yet  they 
were  more  precious  to  her  than  all 
the  world. 

Such  was  the  situation  as  her 
second  wedding  anniversary  ap- 
proached. Her  husband  had  ar- 
ranged a  great  fete  in  celebration. 
But  even  on  the  day  of  days,  she 
stole  away  to  seek  solitary  solace  in 
the  words  of  the  man  she  could  not 
forget. 


Treachery 

Virginia  had  a  brother.  His  name 
was  Boyd  Carter.  And  he  was  a 
waster  if  ever  there  was  one.  Ever 
since  the  Southwick  gold  had  been 
within  his  grasp,  he  had  missed  no 
opportunity  to  coax  from  her  the 
funds  with  which  to  pursue  his 
dissolute  pleasures.  Each  time 
she  would  re- 
monst  rate 
with  him, 
and  he  would 
prom  i  s  e  to 
mend  his 
ways.  But,  of 
course,  he 
never  d  i  d — 
not  up  to  the 
very  end. 
Tiring  of 
V  i  r  g  i  n  i  a' s 
well  meant 
advice,  he 
d  e  termined 
to  stage  a 
coup  that 
would  place 
him  in  pos- 
session of  the 
funds  he  re- 
quired. 

An  oppor- 
tunity came 
his  w  a  y — 
and  he  took 
it. 


Blackmail 

Virgini  a 
had  deter- 


Frank  Mayo  and  Alma  Rubens  play  two 
of  the  leading  roles  in  Associated  Ex- 
hibitors   picture    "Is    Love  Everything." 


mined  to  destroy  "Bob's"  letters  in 
a  desperate  attempt  to  give  her  hus- 
band the  one  hundred  percent  loyal- 
ty he  so  well  deserved.  She  was 
about  to  burn  the  tell-tale  missives, 
when  Boyd  entered  the  room. 

Once  again  she  listened  to  his  plea 
for  money.  She  laid  the  precious 
parcel  of  love  letters  aside  in  order 
to  write  him  a  check.  And  while 
she  was  doing  him  this  kindness- 
he  stole  the  packet. 

With  these  incriminating  docu- 
ments in  his  possession  he  hastened 
to  Southwick  offering  them  for 
sale.  But  here  he  had  figured  with- 
out his  man.  Only  pity  saved  Boyd 
from  the  physical  punishment  he 
merited.  Virginia's  husband  would 
neither  buy  the  letters  nor  read 
them. 

Poison 

But,  nevertheless,  the  insidious 
poison  of  Boyd's  plan  steeped  into 
Jordon  Southwick's  heart.  His  very 
soul  was  tortured  by  unnamed  fears. 
For  the  first  time  he  doubted  the 
loyalty  of  the  woman  he  adored. 

Tormented  by  imagination,  he  con- 
jures up  a  scheme  that  was  to  prove 
a  veritable  Frankenstein  creation. 
He  planned  a  long  cruise  on  his 
palatial  yacht,  and  insisted  that 
Robert  Whitney  be  one  of  the  party 
to  accompany  him  and  his  wife. 

The  Cruise 


Then  followed 


There  are  some 
have   folks  onto 


battles  in  Associated  Exhibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?"  which  will 
their   seats.     Stills  like   this   will   make   everyone   see   your  show. 


>ng  langorous 
days  as  the 
white- v.  inged 
vessel  sped 
through 
South  ern 
seas.  Star-lit 
nights,  made 
heavy  with 
the  incense 
of  the  trop- 
ics, and  soft- 
ly brilli  ant 
with  the 
beauty  of  a 
moon  as  big 
as  all  the 
world. 

Three  of 
the  passen- 
gers learned 
great  'truths. 
Virginia 
knew  now 
that  Robert 
Whitney  was 
the  man  she 
loved.  The 
man  she  had 
always  loved 
— the  man 
she  would 
love  until  the 
end  of  time. 
Robert  knew 


Page  40 


NATIONAL  ^^ifW^^kSMi^  SECTION  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


it,  too,  and  beside  this  he  found  that 
his  love  for  her  was  as  deep  as  ever. 

And  in  the  background,  with  sombre 
eyes,  Jordan  Southwick  watched,  and 
learned  the  soul-searing  fact  that  he 
had  gambled  with  the  gods — and  that 
the  dice  were  stacked  against  him. 

Wrecked 

Then  came  a  fog.  Crawling  from 
the  depths  of  the 
sea,  like  some  gi- 
gantic monster,  it 
stretched  its  ten- 
tacles toward  the 
yacht  in  an  all 
enveloping  em- 
brace. On  the 
bridge,  the  watch 
peered  forward 
in  an  eye  strain- 
ing search  for 
safe  conduct 
through  the 
ocean  lanes. 

In  vain!  Sud- 
denly a  steel  hulk 
loomed  through 
the  gloom.  There 
weie  shouts  of 
warning,  sound- 
ing of  bells  and 
sirens — but  too 
late.  The  yacht 
was  cut  to  the 
core,  and  cast 
aside  a  shudder- 
ing, lurching 
thing  that  soon 
sought  rest 
beneath  the 
waves. 

Rescued 

When  morning  came   the   sea  was 
calm.  The  yacht  had  left  no  trace,  and 
of  its  laughter  loving  human  cargo  but 
two   souls   remained.     They  were 
Virginia  and  Robert,   and   as  they 
clung  together  on  the  frail  raft  that 
had  saved  their  lives,  there  was  no 
longer  need  for  repression. 

With  the  death  spectre  gauntly 
beckoning,  a  flood  of  words  told  of 
their  love.  Just  when  life  was 
sweetest — the  eternal  ocean  grimly 
threatened.  Then  wallowing  in  the 
waves  came  a  strange  vessel  with  a 
stranger  cargo.  She  was  a  rum- 
runner bound  with  contraband  mer- 
chandise to  the  bootleg  border. 

The  fate  that  had  cast  them  to  the 
sea,  brought  them  to  the  deck  of 
the  booze  boat — rescued  from  one 
danger  to  face  still  others. 

Danger 

The  outlaw  crew,  headed  by  a 
villainous  mate,  mutinied.  The 
dirty  decks  ran  red.  But  "Bob,"  in 
the  face  of   what   threatened,  re- 


verted to  the  primeval,  and  battling  for 
the  woman  he  loved,  saved  her  in 
thrilling  combat  from  the  lust  of  law- 
lessness. 

In  the  nick  of  time  came  a  govern- 
ment man-o'-war,  and  once  again 
"Bob"  and  Virginia  were  back  to  civil- 
ization. Officially  Jordan  Southwick 
was  dead.    The  reaper  had  made  pos- 


sible the  fulfillment  of  the  breathless 
promises  that  had  been  exchanged  when 
life  itself  seemed  almost  finished. 

Sacrifice 

But  Jordan,  too,  had  fought  his  way 


This  still  is  one  of  many  from  Associated 
Exhibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?"  It 
gives  an  idea  of  the  excellent  material 
available  for  window  displays  on  pearls, 
and  other  products  worn  by  men  or  women. 


from  the  grip  of  death.  And  one  night 
he  returned  to  the  home  which  he  had 
made  for  his  wife — the  home  that 
sheltered  them  in  their  life  together — - 
the  home  where  he  had  spent  two 
happy  years. 

Entering  softly  he  paused  before  the 
great  drawing  room,  and  slowly  drew 
aside  the    draperies.     What    he  saw 

brought  full  real- 
ization of  the 
completeness  of 
his  loss.  For 
there  were  Vir- 
ginia and  Robert, 
and  the  light  in 
their  eyes  told 
the  story  of  their 
love. 

Jordan  turned 
slowly  away.  It 
was  better, 
thought  he,  that 
they  should  con- 
tinue to  believe 
in  their  right  to 
love.  And  so  he 
passed  from  the 
house  and  from 
their  lives  for- 
ever. 

Is  Love 
Everything? 

Who  loved  her 
most?  Who  may 
say  ?  Surely, 
Jordan,  who 
loved  her  enough 
to  sacrifice  his 
heart's  desire  for 
her  happiness  had  great  claims  upon 
her  affection.    And  yet — 

Robert  loved  her,  too.   He  had  prov- 
en it  in  a    thousand   ways.    In  any 
event,  such  is  the  story  of  the  picture, 
and  whatever  the  majority  of  your  pa- 
trons may  decide,    there    will  be 
enough  interest   aroused   to  assure 
you  a  big  profitable  booking  when 
you  show  "Is  Love  Everything?" 

The  story  is  absorbing.  The  pic- 
ture is  perfect.  It  only  remains  to 
tell  your  potential  patrons  what  you 
offer  them — and  the  box-office  gross 
will  make  you  remember  this  pro- 
duction forever. 

Exploitation 

In  addition  to  the  National  Tie- Up 
exploitation  on  the  picture,  there  are 
a  series  of  striking  posters  available, 
and  also  a  big  money  prize  that  will 
bring  people  in  flocks  to  your  theatre. 
The  prize  money  will  receive  front 
page  space  in  the  newspapers,  and 
arouse  interest  in  your  attraction  be- 
fore it  reaches  town. 

Make  the  most  of  your  showman- 
ship opportunities.  Read  every  word 
of  this  section. 


Still  No.  77  from  Associated  Exhibitors  photodrama  "Is  Love  Everything?"  may  be 
used  for  a  tie-up  window  display  on  any  of  many  products.  By  using  different  win- 
dow cards  the  picture  may  be  used  in  connection  with  displays  of  clothing,  millinery, 
hosiery,  gloves  gingerale,  cosmetics  and  other  things.    As  well  as  for  atmosphere. 


November  15.  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  41 


Big  Prize  Contest  Puts  Real  Pep  in  Exploitation  of 

"Is  Love  Everything?" 
$2,500.00  to  Be  Given  Away 


rN  the  exploitation  of  a  picture  so 
unusual  as  "Is  Love  Everything?" 
new  angles  are  vitally  important  to 
you  as  an  exhibitor. 

The  title,  "Is  Love  Everything?" 
possesses  unlimited  possibilities.  It  is 
a  question  that  can  be  made  interesting 
to  everyone.  Rich  and  poor,  high  and 
low,  your  public  is  universally  inter- 
ested. 

Such  a  title,  in  connection  with  a  pic- 
ture of  the  widest  appeal  should  be  the 
basis  of  a  smashing  publicity  drive  in 
your  community  when  you  play  "Is 
Love  Everything?" 

To  serve  as  a  backbone  for  such  a 
drive.  Murray  W.  Garsson  is  offering 
$2,500.00  in  prizes  for  posters  and  let- 
ters based  on  the  question,  "Is  Love 
Everything  ?" 

The  poster  contest,  which  includes 
a  first  prize  of  $1,000.00,  will  attract 
every  artist  in  your  community,  if  the 
story  is  effectively  put  across.  Ama- 
teurs as  well  as  professionals  will  be 
aroused  by  the  size  of  the  prizes. 
Everyone  has  a  chance. 

T^HE  first  prize  offered  for  the  best 
answer  to  the  question  "Is  Love 
Everything?"  is  $500,   and  everyone 
has  a  chance  at  it.    Men,  women  and 


children  are  invited  to  compete.  Of 
course  to  compete  intelligently  they 
must  first  see  the  picture  at  your  thea- 
tre, and  that  means  a  direct  box-office 
pull  for  you  if  you  advertise  the  con- 
test to  the  limit. 

Your  local  newspaper  will  be  glad  to 
feature  this  story.  It  can  get  your 
leading  citizens,  men  and  women,  to 
answer  the  question,  "Is  Love  Every- 
thing?" in  a  special  series  of  features 
appearing  in  advance  of  your  play  date. 

The  story  of  the  prize  contest  is  be- 
ing sent  to  newspapers,  magazines  and 
schools  throughout  the  United  States. 
It  will  be  familiar  to  art  students 
everywhere.  The  general  public  will 
read  of  it  in  a  host  of  publications. 

All  of  the  advance  work  in  connec- 
tion with  this  stunt  will  pave  the  way, 
making  it  easy  for  you  to  secure  local 
newspaper  space,  announcements  in  the 
schools,  intensive  cooperation  in  win- 
dow displays  and  everything  needed  to 
make  a  smashing  success  of  your  show- 
ing. 

The  big  thing  back  of  all  this,  of 
course,  is  the  appeal  of  the  picture. 
You  need  not  hesitate  to  build  up  the 
absolute  maximum  of  community  in- 
terest. "Is  Love  Everything?"  will 
meet  the  most  ambitious  expectations. 


It  merits  all  the  exploitation  you  will 
give  it. 

BUILD  your  part  of  this  double- 
barreled  prize  contest  on  a  big- 
scale.  Make  it  your  own  contest.  Let 
every  entry  come  through  your  thea- 
tre. Play  it  up  to  the  limit  as  your 
affair.  Make  it  a  big  feature  of  your 
exploitation  and  make  it  pay  in  propor- 
tion. 

Your  preliminary  work  on  the  con- 
test should  begin  well  in  advance  and 
as  rapidly  as  posters  and  answers  come 
in  they  should  be  used  to  the  limit  in 
lobby  displays.  Play  them  up  in  the 
lobby,  for  every  answer  tends  to  bring 
another  and  people  are  always  inter- 
ested in  what  others  say  in  such  a 
contest. 

Then,  on  the  last  day  of  your  show- 
ing, you  can  put  some  of  the  best  ans- 
wers on  slides,  producing  a  program 
feature  that  will  be  a  big  hit.  You'll 
get  answers  of  all  sorts.  Some  will  be 
serious  and  some  will  be  funny,  but 
mighty  few  will  be  dull.  Give  your 
audiences  a  few  samples  of  the  best 
as  a  last-day  feature.  And  don't  for- 
get that  the  awarding  of  the  prizes  will 
keep  up  interest  right  up  to  the  time 
when  the  winners  are  announced. 


$2,500.00  in  Cash  Prizes  to  Help  You  Exploit 

"  Is  Love  Everything  ?  " 

Murray  W.  Garsson  is  offering  six  big  cash  prizes  for  posters  and  letters  on  the  question,  "Is  Love 
Everything?"  This  will  be  a  nation-wide  contest  that  you  can  tie  up  with  your  theatre  with  tremen- 
dous possibilities. 


Three  prizes  will  be  awarded  for  Posters  and  any 
artist,  amateur  or  professional,  is  eligible  to  com- 
pete.   The  Poster  awards  will  be : 

First  prize   .  $1,000.00 

Second  prize    500.00 

Third  prize    150.00 

Three  cash  awards  will  be  made,  also,  for  the 


best  answers  submitted  ro  question,  "Is  Love  Every- 
thing?" This  part  of  the  contest  is  open  to  every- 
body. It  does  not  involve  skill  or  special  ability 
of  any  sort.  There  are  no  conditions  or  restric- 
tions.   Foi  answers  the  prizes  will  be: 

First  prize  $500.00 

Second  prize   250.00 

Third  prize   100.00 


The  contest  will  close  March  15,  1925.  Awards  will  be  made  by  a  jury  of  three  nationally  known 
men — an  artist,  an  architect  and  an  author.     Names  to  be  announced  later. 

All  posters  and  answers  entered  in  the  contest  should  come  through  your  hands,  to  be  forwarded 
to  Murray  W.  Garsson,  522  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  at  any  time  up  to  the  closing  date. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Something  New 

In  National  Tie-Ups ! 

EIGHT  STRIKING  WINDOW  POSTERS 


Providing  tie-ups  with  the  lines  of 
nationally  advertised  merchandise 
featured  on  page  51  will  be  available 
for  use  in  and  on  the  windows  of  your 
local  shops  when  you  play 


'IS  LOVE  EVERYTHING?" 

Every  one  of  these  Posters  is  an  atten- 
tion-getter, illustrated  with  a  striking 
still,  and  every  one  is  the  sort  of  window 
material  live  merchants  are  glad  to  get. 


THE  REPRODUCTION 
ACROSS  THE  AISLE  WILL  AF- 
FORD SOME  IDEA  OF  THE 
TOP  NOTCH  POSSIBILITIES 
OF  THESE  POSTERS  IN  GET- 
TING THE  CO-OPERATION  OF 
YOUR  NEIGHBORS. 


Don't  forget  that  you  receive  all  of  the  usual  window  tie-up 
cooperation  with  "Is  Love  Everything?"  These  eight  spec- 
tacular posters  are  merely  so  much  additional  material  to  help 
you  make  a  knock-out  success  of  an  extraordinary  picture. 


i 


November  15.  1924 


Page  43 


Love 


YES 


It  Makes  Her  as  Happy  as  a 
Gift  of  "Richelieu  Pearls" 

LOVE  is  beautiful.  Love  is  Pure.  Love  Lasts  Always.  So  do  "Richelieus." 
-/  What  more  fitting  token  of  your  love  for  "Her"  than  these  wonder- 
gems  that  are  held  so  dearly  by  every  daughter,  wife  and  sweetheart? 

"RICHELIEU  PEARLS" 

Make  Love  Last 

Alma  Rubens  Wears  Them  in  "Is  Love  Everything?"  Buy  "Her" 
"Richelieus",  and  Take  "Her"  to  See  "Is  Love  Everything?" 

iAt  Your  Favorite  Theatre 


as  Happy 
Love  Brings  Laugn  ,  ^ 

as  This  PeDec  »h..«p 

"PEBECOTOOTHWA 

Then  Take  Her  to  *j  qu£Stl0n^th^^  


ES-- 

^les  Vour  Heart  I  it 
f  "Ma"  *ules  C  Waves6 

I"  "Venida"  ha. 


"elped  keep 
\permanent  waves 


,rnet*  »  as  strong  as  the  h  , 
°man's  hair  her  crl  "ds  of  ,ove. 

y°u-il/ruX5^g'ory  When 


They  Rule  the  IXC  I  b 

W  your  hat  in  the  ~ru 

i  c,ir-  a  «  \'enida." 


Page  44 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Ask  the  Town  Through  Display  Windows 

"Is  Love  Everything?" 

This  Murray  Garsson  Production  Released  Through  Associated  Exhibitors 
Is  Ideal  For  Exploitation  Through  the  Proven  Medium 
of  Business  Bringing  Window  Displays 


ITH  a  title  like  "Is 

Love  Everything?" 
you  are  presented 
free  of  charge  with  a 
window  selling  argu- 
ment that  no  passerby 
can  resist.  The  mere 
mention  of  the  vital 
question  would  be 
sufficient  to  bring  the 
town  to  your  lobby  in 
search  of  the  answer.  And  with  a 
cast  including  Alma  Rubens,  H.  B. 
Warner,  Frank  Mayo,  Walter  McGrail, 
and  stills  like  Nos.  22,  94,  35,  41  and 
tional  Tie-Up  picture  is  going  to  bring 
a  double  line  queue  to  the  ticket  office. 

Consider,  for  instance,  the  possibil- 
ities of  a  combination  of  the  Richelieu 
Pearl  window  card,  the  title,  the  cast, 
and  stills  like  Nos.  22,  98,  35,  41  and 
any  number  of  others  showing  these 
deep  sea  adornments  in  a  window  dis- 
play selling  the  gems  and  your  show  to 
the  public  at  large. 

And  in  fixing  this  window — or  any 
other — bear  in  mind  the  adaptability  of 


pictures  like  still  No.  126,  or  the  beau- 
tiful photograph  of  Alma  Rubens 
stretching  out  her  slender  hand— for 
what  ? — for  Richelieu  Pearls,  of  course. 
There  might  be  a  card — "Make  Her 
Happy  With  Richelieu  Pearls — and 
tickets  for  Is  Love  Everything?" 

And  don't  forget  that  just  because  a 
still  is  mentioned  in  this  section  as  be- 
ing applicable  to  a  certain  tie-up,  it 
may  be  put  to  excellent  use  in  connec- 
tion with  other  products.  For  instance, 
No.  22  will  make  a  fine  pearl  tie-up. 

"VET  this  same  picture  may  be  used  to 
indicate  that  the  girl  has  forgotten 
her  powder-puff,  her  lip  stick,  or  maybe 
she  has  a  run  in  her  stocking  because 
they  are  not  "Vanity  Fairs."  She  may 
be  a  sufferer  from  haliotosis — or  per- 
haps she  has  just  remembered  that  she 
forgot  to  put  the  automatic  burglar 
alarm  on  the  door.  It  all  depends  on 
the  product  with  which  you  are  asso- 
ciating your  attraction.  With  an  ounce 
of  ingenuity  you  can  tie-up  anything 
from  motor  cars  to  hair  nets. 


In  addition  to  the  still  selected  for 
the  National  Tie-Up  arranged  for 
you  on  men's  hats,  there  are  dozens  of 
others  showing  the  leading  characters 
in  the  picture  arrayed  in  the  neatest 
possible  headgear. 

T^HEN  there  are  many  pictures  of 
Walter  McGrail  in  his  justly  cele- 
brated grey  "topper."  Naturally,  the 
only  folks  who  wear  this  sort  of  top- 
piece  along  Main  Street,  are  those  who 
have  a  speaking  acquaintance  with  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  But  that  doesn't  for 
a  minute  stop  you  from  using  these 
stills  in  your  window  displays.  A  clever 
card  will  do  the  trick — "We  don't  sell 
trick  hats.  But  if  you  want  what  is 
best  in  hats  and  pictures,  buy  your  hat 
here  and  see  'Is  Love  Everything'  at 
the  City  Theatre." 

A  picture  like  No.  124  is  interesting 
in  itself.  It  indicates  part  of  the  ac- 
tion in  the  photodrama,  and  is  proof 
that  the  film  is  replete  with  red-blooded 
thrills.  TJierefore,  do  not  hesitate  to 
select  real  action  stills  in  connection 
with  any  tie-up  display.  Incidentally 


These  are  some  of  the  specially  posed  stills  from  Associated  Ex  hibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?  They  show  Lilyan  Tashman, 
who  Dlavs  an  important  part  in  the  picture,  attired  in  different  types  of  apparel,  fur  coat,  negligee  and  sport  costume.  There 
are  others  in  which  she  wears  various  dresses.    They  will  all  prove  useful  in  displays  for  department  stores  or  specialty  shops. 


November  15,  1924 


National 


section 


Page  45 


Still   No.  37   from  Associated  Exhibitors 
"Is  Love  Everything?"  may  be  used  as  a 
tie-up  on  displays  of  baggage,  negligees, 
interiors  and  many  other  products. 


and  hasn't  been  to  see  your 
show. 

Pictures  alone;  the  same  line 
as  Nos.  18,  21,  67,  29,  35,  96, 
93,  and  28  will  prove  of  assis- 
tance in  arranging  window  dis- 
plays of  men's  clothing  when 
used  in  addition  to  the  window 
poster  which  has  been  created 
in  connection  with  the  National 
Tie-Up  on  "P  e  r  s  o  n  a  1  i  t  y" 
clothes.  Many  of  these  stills 
may  also  be  of  use  in  hat  or  cap 
tie-up  windows. 

Articles  that  have  a  peculiar 
feminine  appeal,  such  as  hair- 
nets, silk  underwear,  hosiery, 
cosmetics  or  perfume  may  be 
displayed  with  any  of  the  stills 
showing  Alma  Rubens  or  Lilyan 


leading 


this  particular  photo- 
graph would  fit  in  admir- 
ably with  a  display  of 
oil-skin  coats,  or  other 
rough  weather  gear. 

Still  No.  117  with  a 
humorous  card  will  tie-up 
nicely  with  a  hardware 
window  displaying  an  ar- 
ray of  cutlery,  although 
as  a  serious  ad  for  this 
type  of  merchandise  the 
still  in  question  would  be 
entirely  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. 

There  are  lots  of  stills 
that  will  help  business  for 
you    and    the  merchant 
with  whom  you  tie-up  on 
a  glove  window.  Natur- 
ally the  logical  tie-ups  are 
those  depicting  the  stars 
wearing  the  product  re- 
ferred to.    Yet  even  such 
a  still  as  No.  129  might 
be  used  with  the  explanatory  line  that 
"real  men  wear  Fownes  doves."  In- 
cidentally the    same    still   and  many 
similar  ones  may  be  used  in  a  wide 
variety  of   ways.    For   instance — "Be 
prepared    for  any   emergency — attend 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  gymnasium."  "Be 
strong — take  codliver  oil." 

UOR  window  displays  stressing 
*■  tooth-pastes,-  all  that  is  necessary  is 
smiling  pictures.  The  thought  being 
that  the  perfect  dental  equipment  dis- 
played by  the  smile  is  the  outcome  of 
using  "Pebeco"  and  the  smile  from 
being  a  regular  patron  of  your  theatre. 

Such  a  tie-up  may  also  be  used  with 
a  reverse  "English."  For  instance  in 
the  still  chosen  for  use  in  the  special 
"Is  Love  Everything?"  window  post- 
ers, one  girl  is  smiling — while  the  other 
distinctly  is  not.  Of  course,  a  card 
may  tell  that  the  one  who  looks  so  un- 
happy doesn't  use  the  tie-up  product 


Still  No.  123  from  Associated  Exhibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?" 
shows  Frank  Mayo,  one  of  the  stars,  in  a  stirring  scene  which  will 
interest  everyone  in  your  attraction.    Use  it  in  your  window  displays. 


characters  attired  in  modish 
evening  dress.  Not  only  may  the 
clothes  themselves  be  displayed  with 
such  stills,  but  dress  ties,  shirt  studs, 
collars,  gloves,  wrist  watches  and  all 
the  other  paraphernalia  may  be  in- 
cluded. 

YOU  may  even  secure  the  coopera- 
tion of  caterers  and  restaurants 
with  pictures  like  No.  7  which  shows 
the  anniversary  dinner  of  Virginia  and 
Jordan.  The  table  sparkles  with  dec- 
orations, and  a  huge  cake  is  visible. 

The  special  poses  of  Miss  Rubens 
in  her  boudoir  may  be  used  in  window 
displays  of  negligees,  and  also  in  tie- 
ups  with  house  furnishers,  as  the 
decorations  of  the  room  are  splendid. 
These  particular  stills  may  be  adapted 
for  use  in  beauty  win- 
dows as  well. 

Still  No.  53  shows  the 
collision.  The  pointed 
bow  of  the  steamer  is 
seen  crashing  right 
through  into  the  ball 
room  of  the  yacht.  Such 
a  picture  has  great  dra- 
in a  t  i  c  value,  and  a 
sprinkling  of  this  and 
other  thrilling  scenes 
from  the  photoplay  in 
your  tie-up  windows  will 
help  to  convince  the  pub- 
lic that  you  have  an  at- 
traction at  your  theatre 
that  simply  must  not  be 
missed. 

^  ,  A  still  such  as  No.  77 
may  be  used  for  window 
displays  on  a  wide  varie- 
ty of  articles.  You  will 
notice  a  bottle  of  ginger- 
ale  in  the  foreground, 
and  a  window  card  stat- 
ing that  the  best  people 


Tashman.  Many 
of  these  may  also 
be  used  for  win- 
dow displays  of 
wraps,  h  e  a  d- 
dresses,  gowns  and 
furs.  For  instance, 
look  at  Nos.  93, 
94,  29,  35,  96,  and 
the  various  stills 
that  have  been  spe- 
cially posed  by 
Miss  Rubens  and 
Miss  Tashman  for 
tie-up  purposes. 

Tie-ups  for  eve- 
ning wear  and 
dress  accespries 
for  either  men  or 
women  may  be  se- 
cured with  such 
stills  as  No.  16,  91 
and  all  the  many 
others  showing  the 


Still  No.  133  from  Associated  Exhibitors  "Is  Love 
Everything?"  may  be  used  in  a  stunt  with  a  card  read- 
ing "What's  Wrong  With  This  Picture?"  as  explained. 


Page  46 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


drink  some  special  brand  and  also  attend  your 
showing  of  "Is  Love  Everything?"  will  effect  the 
necessary  tie-up. 

The  picture  may  also  be  pressed  into  service  for 
window  displays  of  hosiery,  slippers,  men's  wear, 
millinery,  even  willow  furniture.  In  fact  although 
there  are  no  cosmetics  in  evidence,  the  fact  that 
Lilyan  Tashman,  H.  B.  Warner,  and  Walter  Mc- 
Grail  are  all  admiring  Alma  Rubens,  a  card  telling 
that  everyone  admires  Miss  Rubens'  complexion 
and  her  acting  in  "Is  Love  Everything?"  will  an- 
swer the  purpose;  and  make  this  still  of  use  in  a 
cosmetic  window  display. 

rP  HERE  are  some  pictures  that  will  attract  atten- 
tion although  they  have  no  special  tie-up  value. 
Such  a  one  is  still  No.  133  showing  Walter  McGrail 
playing  cards  with  a  "heathen  Chinee."  The  latter 
is  apparently  as  well  versed  in  "ways  that  are 
dark"  as  was  Bret  Harte's  famous  Oriental,  for 
he  has  an  extra  card  tucked  in  his  shoe  just  in 
case  of  need.  A  window  card  asking  "What's 
wrong  with  this  picture?"  will  get  a 
laugh,  and  make  folks  look  twice  to 
see  what  attraction  you  are  showing. 
Another  angle  might  be  to  test  the 
onlooker's  powers  of  observation 
with  the  same  question.  The  trick 
would  not  be  the  hidden  card,  but 
the  fact  that  the  Chinaman  holds 
two  tens  of  diamonds. 

There  are  two  other  stills  which 
may  be  used  together  in  a  stunt  that 
will  surely  attract  attention  and 
business  both  to.  the  store  displaying 
the  pictures  and  your  theatre.  They 
have  to  do  with  the  scene  where 
Jordan  Southwick,  the  role  ably  por- 
trayed by  H.  B.  Warner,  returns 
home  and  learns  of  his  wife's  love 
for  Robert  Whitney. 

One  picture  shows  Warner,  with 
tense  face,  peering  through  the  drap- 
eries into  the  room.  The  other  is 
the  same  scene  shot  from  a  different 
angle.      It  shows   Warner   in  the 


Still  No.  114  is  one  of  those  you  -  should  use  in  any  type  of 
window  display.  It  portrays  a  stirring  scene  from  Associated 
Exhibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?"  and  tells  folks  what  they  may 
expect    when    they    see    the    big    attraction    at    your  theatre. 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos,"  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  vou  than  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum   Freezer  Company  through 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc., 

226  West  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


Lilyan  Tashman  and  Walter  McGrail  in 
still  No.  17  will  help  sell  pearls  for  your 
tie-up  partners,  and  tickets  for  Associated 
Exhibitors  "Is  Love  Everything?"  as  well. 


background  in  the  same  position  he  oc- 
cupies in  the  first  picture.  But  in  the 
foreground  are  seated  Frank  Mayo  and 
A'ma  Rubens  in  an  attitude  bespeaking 
affection. 

The  idea  is  to  !show  the  first  picture 
with  a  card  offering  prizes  for  the  best 
answers  as  to  what  Warner  sees  that 
makes  him  appear  as  he  does.  The 
second  picture  is  covered,  and  accom- 
panied with  a  card  stating  that  the 
answer  will  be  known  when  the  picture 
is  uncovered.  The  pictures  should  be 
on  display  before  your  playdates,  and 
on  opening  day  the  covered  picture 
should  be  exposed,  and  a  window  card 
announce  that  the  rest  of  the  drama 
may  be  seen  at  your  theatre. 

The  twenty-four  sheet  poster  for  "Is 
Love  Everything?"  may  be  used  with 
great  effect  for  cut-outs.  One  way  to 
make  an  eye-arresting  display  with 
this  paper  would  be  as  an  animated 
billboard,  or  as  a  framed  display  in  the 
lobby  or  on  the  marquee.  This  may 
be  done  by  making  a  shadow  box  with 
the  cutout  figures  of  the  lovers  inside. 


The  husband  will  appear  outside 
with  his  hands  holding  the  draperies. 

Jn  front  of  the  shadow  box  a  cur- 
tain should  be  hung  on  a  rod  or 
track  and  attached  to  a  motor  driven 
winch  which  will  draw  it  back  and 
forth  at  regular  intervals.  This  ar- 
rangement will  give  first  the  effect 
of  the  man  outside  the  curtain  look- 
ing in,  which  will  arouse  the  curios- 
ity of  passersby,  and  secondly  the 
view  of  the  interior  as  the  curtains 
are  drawn.  A  spotlight  flasher  will 
add  to  the  display  by  illuminating 
the  scene  as.  the  draperies  part. 

In  "Is  Love  Everything?"  the  pro- 
ducers have  arranged  an  excellent 
series  of  National  Tie-ups  through 
posters.      The    most  appropriate 
scenes  were   reproduced   in  poster 
form  and  each  one  has  tie-up  value 
that  is  distinct  and  should  make  it  easy 
for  the  exhibitor  to  approach  his  local 
merchants  for  window  tie-ups. 

The  posters  are  in  color  and  are 
mounted  on  heavy  cardboard.  They 
are  artistic  in  design  and  enough  color 
to  cause  the  passerby  to  stop  and  look 
at  them. 

Photos  exert  a  peculiar  psychology 
on  humans.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
pass  a  window  containing  photos  and 
not  take  a  look  at  them.  It  is  our  eter- 
nal curiosity  and  the  exhibitor  who 
takes  advantage  of  this  particular 
weakness  can  make  it  work  for  his 
box-office. 

The  series  of  posters  covers  a  wide 
range  of  articles  for  window  displays. 
Each  article  is  prominently  displayed 
in  the  poster  and  merchants  will  be 
quick  to  seize  the  opportunity  they 
offer. 

There  is  a  poster  of  Alma  Rubens 
in  her  boudoir.  And  seven  others 
equally  interesting.  Each  depicts  some 
stirring  action  in  which  the  stars  of  the 
film  figure.  . 


November  15,  1924  NATIONAL  (^W^^ISO  gJ  SECTION  Page  47 


A  fine  evening  clothes  tie-up  is  presented  in  still  No.  89  from  Associated  Exhibitors 
"Is  Love  Everything?"    The  picture  may  also  be  used  in  other  tie-ups,  and  likewise 

possesses  high  dramatic  value. 


FOLLOW  THESE  SUGGESTIONS  FOR 
GUARANTEED  PROFITS 


sion, 
lends 


OT  alone  is  the  title  "Is  Love 
Everything?"  certain  to  arouse 
the  curiosity  of  the  public,  and 
one  to  cause  no  end  of  discus- 
but  it  is    one  that  particularly 
itself  to  exploitation  stunts  with- 


Still  No.  44  will  suggest  many  tie-ups  on 
Associated  Exhibotors  "Is  Love  Every- 
thing?" beside  showing  the  heart  interest 


out  limit.  Window  displays,  newspa- 
per contests,  co-operative  newspaper 
advertising,  outdoor  stunts  and  street 
work  are  all  possible  with  this  picture. 
We  submit  a  few  suggestions  for  prac- 
tical exploitation  ideas,  but  the  field 
for  advertising  and  publicity 
with  "Is  Love  Everything?"  is 
really  unlimited. 

The  Title 

"Is  Love  Everything?"  What 
title  could  better  be  adapted  to  a 
newspaper  contest?  It  is  sure  to 
create  discussion,  get  the  public 
talking  and  arguing  and  finally 
writing  letters.  It  is  certain  to 
stimulate  public  interest.  A 
prize  might  be  offered  for  the 
best  letter  or  essay  on  the  sub- 
ject of  why  love  is  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world.  It  should 
describe  love  as  a  form  of  sac- 
rifice, for  this  furnishes  the 
theme  of  the  story.  In  the  pic- 
ture a  man's  love  for  his  wife 
causes  him  to  sacrifice  his  own 
happiness  so  that  the  woman  he 
married  may  attain  her  desire. 

Newspaper  Stunts 

Nearly  every  newspaper  now- 
adays has  an  inquiring  reporter 
who  goes  about  asking  the  man 


on  the  street  various  timely  questions 
on  subjects  of  general  interest.  They 
have  a  hard  time  digging  up  questions 
every  day,  and  you  should  be  able  to 
get  a  reporter's  ear  and  suggest  the 
question  to  him  "Is  Love  Everything?" 


An  idea  tie-up  on  men's  hats  or  raincoats 
is  shown  in  still  No.  68.  The  actors  in 
the  still  play  leading  roles  in  Associated 
Exhitibors  picture  "Is  Love  Everything?" 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


 1111111111111  iiiiiimiiiii  i  iniMiiiiiimiiiiiiii  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii  miniiiii  


THIS  DOUBLE-BARRELLED 


Means  Big  Business  for 

S  LOVE  E V 


Six  Big  Money  Prizes 

$2,500.00 


TO  stimulate  universal  public  interest  in  "Is  Love  Everything?" 
Murray  W.  Garsson  is  offering  six  cash  prizes  which  you  can 
capitalize  in  a  big  way  when  you  play  this  extraordinary 
picture. 

Three  prizes  are  offered  to  the  artists  who  submit  the  best  designs 
for  a  poster  on  the  subject,  "Is  Love  Everything?"  This  contest  is 
open  to  all  artists,  everywhere,  amateur  or  otherwise,  regardless  of 
previous  reputation  in  the  art  world. 

Three  prizes  will  be  awarded,  also,  to  the  individuals  submitting 
the  best  letters  answering  the  question,  "Is  Love  Everything?" 

Every  artist,  every  individual  in  your  community,  can  compete 
for  this  prize  monejr  by  seeing  "Is  Love  Everything?"  Avhen  you 
play  it. 

Prizes  will  be  awarded  by  a  jury  composed  of  three  nationally 
known  men :  An  artist,  an  author  and  an  architect.  The  contest  will 
close  at  noon,  March  1,  1925. 

You  Can  Build  a  Great 


And  Don't  Forget 


IMMElg^   1IIIH11  IMMMIIIllllllllllllillill  I— K 


November  75.  1924 


Page  49 


PRIZE  CONTEST  UNIQUE 

You  When  You  Play 

ERYTHING?" 

ilSKllSlgllSISSlH^ 

Your  Customers  May  Win 

in  CASH 

THE  PRIZES: 

Best  Poster     -  -     -     -  $1,000.00 

Second  Poster  -     -     -     -  500.00 

Third  Poster  -     -     -     -  150.00 

Best  Letter    -  -     -     -     -  500.00 

Second  Letter  -     -     -     -  250.00 

Third  Letter  -     -     -  100.00 

Campaign  Around  this  Idea 


It's  a  Great  Picture! 


Page  50 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Nearly  everyone  in  the  limelight  is 
willing  to  be  the  oracle  on  the  subjects 
of  the  day  in  order  to  keep  before  the 
public  eye  and  thereby  keep  the  pub- 
licity home  fires   perpetually  burning. 
You  might  send  telegrams  to  various 
public   men,    ministers,    writers,  re- 
formers and  artists  to  give  an  ex- 
pression of  their  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ject  "Is   Love   Everything?"  The 
answers    could    well   be    used  for 
newspaper  advertising  and  extensive 
lobby  display.    This  kind  of  exploi- 
tation is  the  stuff  that  packs  them 
in,  for  it  is  surprising  how  Mr.  Av- 
erage Citizen  is  governed  by  the 
opinions  of  the  leaders  in  any  line 
of  activity. 


'Is  Love  Everything?'  Not  if  those  we 
love  don't  even  know  it." 

Snappy  Advertising 

A  contest  or  essay  competition  could 
be  united  with  this  tie-up  scheme  to 


A  Great  Scheme 

When  you  can  hand  a  newspaper 
a  proposition  that  will  increase  the 
amount  of  advertising,  you  will  be 
doing  them  a  favor  and  at  the  same 
time  making  money  for  yourself.  A 
double  column  ad  run  in  the  local 
newspaper  in  conjunction  with  the 
leading  merchants  of  the  town  will 
do  wonders.  Almost  every  line  of 
business  is  adaptable  to  legitimate 
advertising  in  such  a  cooperative 
page,  tying-up  with  banks,  homes, 
house  furnishings,  automobiles,  pi- 
anos and  musical  instruments,  ra- 
dios, candy,  flowers,  furs,  dresses, 
hats,  jewelry, 
— in  fact 
nearly  every 
line  of  busi- 
n  e  s  s  can 
work  this  ti- 
tle into  their 
a  d  v  ertising 
a  d  v  a  ntage- 
ously  for  the 
m  e  r  chant, 
t  h  e  theatre 
and  the 
new  spaper. 
Some  thing 
like  this  is 
merely  offer- 
ed as  a  sug- 
ges  t  i  o  n  of 
how  the  idea 
might  be  car- 
r  i  e  d  out. 
"You  know 
that  you  love 
your  wife, 
but  does  she 
know?  Prove 
it  by  bring- 
ing her  home 
a  box  of 
candy  to- 
night. (Any 
other  article 
could  be  used 
along  the 
same  lines.) 


.•MO«58f  • 


I       •■  ">  t  /  '-,  '&> 

I     T'i  » 
I      \ '  f  \  ' 

1     H 1  ''iflrf  * 

""-  J       TV,  »  • 


,«  1%  >.  « 

1:      ■ ■ 


Still  No.  42  from  Associated  Exhibitors 
picture  "Is  Love  Everything?"  should  be 
used  in  a  mystery  stunt  in  connection  with 
the    striking    picture    appearing  below. 


This  is  still  No.  12  which  should  be  used  together  with  No.  42  in  a  mystery  idea  that 
will  bring  additional  patronage  to  your  theatre  when  you  show  Associated  Exhibitors  all 
star  picture  "Is  Love  Everything?"    Read   this    section    for    full    exploitation  details. 


advantage.  Various  prizes  for  the 
best  answers  to  the  question  "Is  Love 
Everything?"  will  make  the  coopera- 
tive advertising  still  more  attractive  to 
the  dealers  working  with  the  exhibitor 
on  this  proposition. 

Throwaways  are  an  old  but  approved 
and  effective  method  of  advertising. 
They  have  the  additional  advantage 
of  being  inexpensive.  It  should  be 
remembered  by  the  exhibitor  that 
money  spent  on  advertising  is  al- 
ways well  spent,  and  you  should  go 
the  limit.  A  throwaway  contest  on 
What  Is  Love  might  be  hand'ed  in 
this  way:  "Love  is  happiness,  love 
is  the  spark  eternal  that  kindles  for- 
ever in  the  human  breast  when  all 
else  is  dead,  love  rules  the  world, 
but — Is  Love  Everything? 

Some  Novel  Stunts 

If  you  want  to  be  a  little  more 
original  you  might  give  away  card- 
board spectacles  or  eyes  on  which 
is  inscribed  "Keep  your  eyes  open 
for  'Is  Love  Everything?'"  The 
same  thing  might  be  used  by  hand- 
ing out  cardboard  watches  with  the 
hands  pointing  to  the  date  of  the 
picture  showing,  instead  of  the 
hours.  An  inscription  on  the  face 
could  read  "Watch  for  'Is  Love 
Everything?'  " 

The  picture  deals  with  a  married 
woman    and    her    lover    who  are 

caught  in  a 
storm  at  sea 
and  are 
picked  up  by 
a  rum 
s  chooner. 
This  offers 
any  number 
of  schemes. 
For  instance 
you  might 
work  the  old 
Life  Insur- 
ance policy, 
by  announc- 
ing free 
tickets  for 
next  week  if 
it  rains  at  the 
opening.  You 
could  tie-up 
with  an  in- 
surance com- 
pany for  this 
one. 


A  Corker 

A  nother 
stunt  that 
might  be  used 
in  connection 
with  the 
theme  of  the 
picture  would 
be  to  give 
away  cards 


November  15,  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  51 


Window  Display  Material 
For  National  Tie-Ups  On 

"Is  Love  Everything" 


WHEN  you  book  "Is  Love  Everything"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  listed  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  number  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
each  National  Tie-Up.    Your  request  for  displays  will  be  promptly  cared  for. 


LEHN  &  FINK,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Pebeco"  Dentifrice 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores 


CHBRAMY,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Cappi"  Perfume 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Dept.  Stores,  Specialty  Shops 


JOSEPH  H.  MEYER  BROS. 

Brooklyn,  New  York 

Product:  ''Richelieu"  Pearls 
Display  Material:  Shadow-Boxes,  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Jewelers,  Department  Stores 


FOWNES  GLOVES 

New  York  City 

Product:  Gloves 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


FRANK  KATZ  HAT  CO. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Society  Club''  Hats 
Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


THE  REISER  COMPANY 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Venida"  Hair  Nets 
Display  Material:  Stands,  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Specialty  Shops,  Dept.  Stores 


VANITY  FAIR  SILK  MILLS 

Reading,  Pa. 

Product:  "Vanity  Fair"  Silk  Hosiery  and 
Underwear 

Display  Material:  Posters,  Cards 

Tie-Up:  Specialty  Shops,  Department  Stores 


SHIREK  &  HIRSCH 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Personality"  Clothes 
Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Dept,  Stores,  Clothiers 


Page  52 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


advertising  the  picture  with  a  cork  at- 
tached. The  card  might  read  some- 
thing like  this:  "This  cork  is  all  that 
remains  of  the  yacht  sunk  outside  the 
12  mile  limit, — only  three  saved."  Or 
"The  cork  from  the  last  bottle  drunk 
on  the  rum  runner  outside  the  12  mile 
limit.  See  'Is  Love  Everything?'  and 
have  a  corking  good  time." 

A  Heart  Breaker 

Another  tried  and  true  stunt  would 
be  to  give  away  paper  hearts  with  a 
broken  line  indicating  the  husband's 
broken  heart.  Printed  on  the  heart 
could  be  the  legend:  'Is  Love  Every- 
thing?' The  throbs  of  a  broken  heart. 
See  'Is  Love  Everything'  for  the  an- 
swer." 


Sob  Stuff 


A  Summons 


contest  for  the 
through  the  most 
suits.    There  are 

fall  for  this  line 
life  story  for  a 

a  box  of  candy, 
re  or  something 

the   little  home 

with   the  store 


You  might  run  a 
couple  who  have  gone 
for  love  with  good  re 
always  some  who  will 
and  will  spill  their 
prize.    This  might  be 
an  article  of  furnitu 
that   will   appeal  to 
pioneers.     A  tie-up 
would  save  money. 

Use  the  bachelors'  club  idea.  Every 
bachelor  will  emphatically  deny  that 
love  is  everything.  The  same  applies 
to  a  girls'  bachelor  club.  This  stunt 
was  a  winner  with  'Brothers  Under  the 
Skin'  and  the  present  title  is  even  bet- 
ter adapted  for  the  purpose.  Pass  out 
application  blanks  at  the  box-office. 
Newspaper  story :  "Is  Love  Every- 
thing?" Emphatically  No,  Declare 
Society  Buds." 


A  facsimile  of  a  court  sum- 
mons commanding  the  recipient 

t<#  appear  at  the    theatre 

as  a  witness  in  divorce  case  could 
be  used.  The  witness  will  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  facts  during  the 
run  of  "Is  Love  Everything?"  The 
summons  could  be  mailed.  The 
name  of  the  person  to  be  inserted 
in  the  summons.  The  name  of 
the  theatre  is  inserted  instead  of 
a  court  name  and  the  theatre 
manager's  name  instead  of  the 
judge. 

Another  Court  Stunt 

A  facsimile  of  a  divorce  decree 
mailed  to  prospective  theatre  pa- 
trons should  prove  effective.  The 
decree  to  contain  no  names  but 
on  the  reverse  side  the  caption, 
"If  you  could  fill  in  the  names 
of  this  decree  and  thus  free  your- 
self of  all  matrimonial  relations 
would  you  do  it?"  See  what 
H.  B.  Warner  does  in  "Is  Love 
Everything?" 

A  Few  Hints 

Candy  hearts  with  caption  "Is 
Love  Everything?"  could  be 
placed  in  a  box  on  a  drug-store 
counter.  A  small  sign  on  the  box 
could  read  "Take  one.  Sweeten 
your  disposition."  This  is  sure 
to  be  a  winner. 

If  you  are  in  a  position  to  tie 
up  with  a  match  manufacturer, 
you  could  very  readily  and  effectively 
distribute  small  boxes  or  folders  of 
matches  with  the  name  of  the  manufac- 


fc  •  ...Li 

Frank  Mayo  in  still  No.  131  makes  an 
appealing  figure  in  Associated  Exhibitors 
"Is     Love     Everything?"    as    a  sailor. 


turer  printed  on  one  side  and  on  the 
other  an  inscription  reading  "Are 
matches  made  in  heaven?    See  "Is 


Here  is  still  No.  13  from  Associated  Exhibitors  picture  "Is  Love  Everything?"  It 
will  help  you  in  arranging  window  displays  in  the  shop  fronts  of  the  merchants  with 
whom  you  tie-up  on  the  picture.    A  tie-up  with  an  arms   company  might  do. 


Love  Everything?"  for  the  answer. 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 


's 


One  of  the  most  important  things 
for  the  exhibitor  to  learn  is  the  value 
of  an  attractive  lobby.  In  addition 
to  stills  silhouette  figures  are  attractive 
and  catch  the  eye.  This  picture  lends 
itself  very  well  to  this  latter  method 
of  exploitation,  and  we  suggest 
one  scheme  that  would  work  out  well. 
A  representation  of  a  rum  runner 
ploughing  its  way  through  the  water 
will  arouse  interest  and  is  certain  to 
attract  attention.  It  is  up  to  the  ex- 
hibitor to  use  his  ingenuity,  for  what 
would  work  wonders  in  one  theatre 
would  not  take  well  in  another.  Re- 
member that  the  exhibitors'  duty  is 
.  not  over  when  he  places  a  number  of 
shop-worn  stills  in  the  lobby  and  hopes 
for  the  picture  to  do  the  rest.  It  is| 
true  that  the  motion  picture  exhibitor 
is  a  business  man,  but  he  is  also  a 
showman  and  it  is  good  business  and 
good  showmanship  to  spend  no  end 
of  time  and  effort  in  exploitation. 


November  15.  1924 


Page  53 


COMING 

Next  Week 

A  BIG  NATIONAL  TIE-UP  SECTION 
on  the 

HAL  ROACH 

Novelty  Feature  Comedy 

The  Battling  Orioles 

with 

GLENN  TRYON 

It  has  the  most  thrilling  and  at  the  same  time 
the  most  laughable  fight  ever  seen  in  a  picture. 

From  beginning  to  end  it  is  filled  with  laughter 
and  thrills. 

Pafhgpicture 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


"YOUTH  FOR  SALE" 

HAS  HEART  APPEAL 

Film  Should  Draw  Well  in  Neighbor- 
hood and  Smaller  Houses 

"YOUTH  FOR  SALE."  C.  C.  Burr  Photo- 
play. Author,  Raymond  S.  Harris.  Direc- 
tor, William  Christy  Cabanne.  Length, 
6,100  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Molly  Malloy   May  Allison 

Mrs.    Malloy   AUce  Chapin 

Connie    Sutton  Sigrid  Holmquist 

Montgomery  Breck   Richard  Bennett 

Edward  Higgins   Harold  Foshay 

George   Archibald   Charles  Beyer 

Pansy   Mears   Dorothy  Allen 

-Bill  Brophy   Tom  Blake 

-Totft  Powers   Charles  E.  Mack 

Connie  Sutton,  salesgirl,  obtains  a  job  in  a 
^chorus  and  attracts  the  attention  of  Montgomery 
■Breck,  wealthy  rounder.  Connie's  chum,  Molly 
lMaJloy,  sticks  to  her  department  store  position.  At 
COlfmrfcs  invitation  Molly  and  her  nance,  Tom 
Powers,  attend  a  party  given  by  Breck.  Molly, 
noticing  that  Tom  seems  to  admire  the  fast  type 
of  woman,  takes  her  first  drink.  It  is  bootleg  stuff 
and  she  becomes  temporarily  blind.  Connie  offers 
to  become  Breck's  mistress  in  order  to  get  money 
with  which  to  help  Molly.  But  Breck,  discovering 
the  reason  marries  Connie.  Tom  disposes  of  his 
business  and  takes  Molly  abroad  to  be  cured  and 
all  ends  well. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

THIS  looks  like  a  "good  buy"  for  the 
state-rights  field.  It  should  do  well  in 
the  smaller  theatres  and  neighborhood 
houses,  for  the  title  possesses  drawing  power, 
and  the  theme,  although  a  bit  shop-worn, 
is  not  devoid  of  heart  interest,  with  a  color- 
ful jazzy  background  and  an  excellent  cast 
of  players  to  carry  it  along. 

Little  old  New  York  is  the  scene  of  action 
all  the  way  through  and  the  photography  is 
of  the  best  quality,  including  some  glittering, 
gorgeous  interiors,  as  well  as  those  of  a 
dingy  boarding  house  variety.  The  exterior 
shots  are  excellent,  including  some  familiar 
Gotham  views  which  would  prove  of  par- 
ticular interest  to  out-of-town  patrons. 

The  romance  of  shop  girl  and  chorus  lady, 
wealthy  roue  and  honest  lover  is  a  sufficient- 
ly familiar  screen  formula,  but  by  dint  of 
good  direction  Mr.  Cabanne  has  managed  to 
give  it  something  of  a  new  slant  and  mould 
it  into  satisfactory  entertainment.  As  a  gen- 
eral thing  the  rich  chap  who  spends  his 
money  chasing  stage  beauties  in  stories  of 
this  kind  is  played  up  as  an  unscrupulous 
villain  who  comes  to  a  deservedly  bad  end. 

But  Monty  Breck,  the  spendthrift  rounder 
of  "Youth  For  Sale,"  is  of  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent brand.  At  the  start  one  supposes 
him  to  be  a  rather  heartless  wretch,  but  when 
he  discovers  that  Connie  Sutton's  determina- 
tion to  sell  herself  to  him  is  for  the  pur- 
pose of  aiding  her  chum  who  has  gone  blind 
through  drinking  bad  liquor,  he  surprises 
everyone  by  turning  out  to  be  a  "regular 
fellow."  For  he  forthwith  weds  Connie,  and 
the  latter's  friend,  Molly  Malloy,  is  taken 
abroad  by  her  sweetheart  to  have  her  sight 
restored  by  a  European  specialist,  so  that  a 
happy  climax  is  achieved  for  all  concerned. 

Although  the  picture  presents  some  lively 
scenes  of  gay  life  there  is  nothing  shown 
likely  to  offend  the  most  rabid  moralist. 

Both  May  Allison  and  Sigrid  Holmquist, 
in  their  respective  roles  of  Molly  Malloy 
and  Connie  Sutton,  give  versatile  and  ap- 
pealing performances.  Richard  Bennett  scores 
a  decided  hit  as  Montgomery  Breck,  and 
Charles  E.  Mack  has  never  appeared  to 
better  advantage  than  in  his  clean-cut,  con- 
vincing character  sketch  of  Tom  Pcwers. 

You  have  a  good  title  to  utilize  in  exploit- 
ing this  feature.  Play  up  the  story's  roman- 
tic and  sympathetic  trend,  its  jazzy  atmos- 
phere, and  mention  the  names  of  May  Al- 
lison, Sigrid  Holmquist  and  Charles 
Mack. 


'BORDER  LEGION"  IS 

UNIQUE  THRILLER 

W  est  em  Melodrama  of  Superior  Grade 
Should  Suit  All  Theatres 

'■THE  BORDER  LEGION."  Paramount 
Photoplay.    Author  Zane  Grey.  Director, 
W.  K.  H  oward.    Length,  7,048  Feet. 
CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jim  Cleve   Antonio  Moreno 

Joan  Randle   Helene  Chadwick 

Kells   Rockeliffe  Fellowes 

Bill   Randle   Luke  Cosgrave 

Blicky   Edward  Gribbon 

Pearce   James  Corey 

Harvey   Roberts   Charles  Ogle 

Gulden   Gibson  Gowland 

A  quarrel  with  his  sweetheart,  Joan  Randle, 
causes  Jim  Cleve  to  join  the  Border  Legion,  a 
bandit  gang.  Joan  is  captured  by  the  outlaw  leader, 
Kells,  she  shoots  him  in  self-defense  but  nurses 
him  back  to  health.  Gulden,  another  of  the  bandits, 
covets  Joan.  A  raid  on  a  mining  camp  by  the 
band  is  repulsed.  Cleve  escapes  with  Joan  and 
they  board  a  stage  carrying  a  gold  shipment.  The 
stage  is  attacked  by  the  bandits,  the  gold  is  taken, 
Jim  left  for  dead  and  Joan  carried  to  the  moun- 
tains. Kells  and  Gulden  cut  cards  for  Joan.  Gulden 
wins.  Cleve  arrives,  weak  but  undaunted.  In  the 
fight  which  follows  Kells  sacrifices  his  life  to  save 
Joan,  who  finds  safety  with  her  lover. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

OCCASIONALLY  a  wild  Western  melo- 
"  drama  is  screened  which  belongs  purely 
and  simply  in  the  hectic  thriller  class,  yet 
provides  such  satisfactory  entertainment  that 
it  registers  as  a  likely  box-office  asset  for 
all  theatres.  "The  Border  Legion,"  is  one  of 
these  rare  birds. 

Like  all  Westerners  it  is  crammed  with 
exciting  incidents  of  the  physical  kind,  unlike 
the  majority,  it  not  only  offers  a  plot  far 
out  of  the  beaten  train  but  is  replete  with 
human  interest  and  sympathetic  appeal.  We 
venture  to  assert  that  the  most  critical  au- 
diences will  enjoy  this  film  version  of  Zane 
Grey's  widely-read  novel  which  is  certainly 
well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  silent  drama. 

In  point  of  sheer  realism  and  melodra- 
matic power  the  picture  scores  heavily.  The 
action  moves  at  a  lightning  clip  and  director 
Howard  piles  on  the  suspense  agony  to  the 
limit.  But  best  of  all — the  story  carries  con- 
viction because  its  characters  behave  just 
about  as  you  would  expect  genuine  folks  to 
do  under  the  circumstances.  You  might  deem 
these  circumstances  a  trifle  improbable  if 
judged  by  the  standards  of  ordinary  life. 
But,  they  are  not  impossible,  and  can  be 
classed  as  acceptable  in  the  light  of  the  pio- 
neer period  to  which  the  narrative  belongs. 

Also,  it  is  refreshing  to  "meet  up"  with  a 
screen  hero  who  doesn't  "hog"  all  the  ad- 
miration in  unison  with  the  heroine.  Not 
but  what  Jim  Cleve  is  a  gallant  chap  and 
covers  himself  with  glory.  But  here  we 
have  a  bandit  chief,  a  reckless  cuss  of  the 
regular  bad  man  type,  the  redoubtable  Kells, 
who  starts  off  by  being  very  much  villain, 
ripe  for  any  species  of  brutality,  earns  the 
hearty  dislike  of  the  spectators,  and  yet  wins 
their  pity  and  good  will  at  the  close.  This 
is  an  original  touch  which  alone  serves  to 
make  "The  Border  Legion"  unique  in  the 
Western  field  of  pictures. 

Among  the  big  scenes  may  be  mentioned 
the  bandit  attack  on  the  mining  town,  the 
stage  coach  holdup  and  crashing  climax. 

Rockliffe  Fellowes  does  splendid  work  in 
the  role  of  Kells,  Antonio  Moreno  is  a  ca- 
pable hero,  Gibson  Gowland  is  a  most  im- 
pressive ruffian  in  the  role  of  Gulden  and 
Helene  Chadwick  registers  as  a  fascinating 
lovable  heroine. 

The  author's  name  should  be  strongly  f  ea  ■ 
tured  and  the  names  of  Antonio  Moreno, 
Helene  Chadwick,  Rockliffe  Fellowes,  Gib- 
son Gowland  and  Charles  Ogle  given  due 
prominence. 


MANY  THRILLS  IN 

CIVIL  WAR  PLAY 

"W arrens  of  Virginia,"  Has  Spectacu- 
lar Appeal  But  Weak  Plot. 

"THE  WARRENS  OF  VIRGINIA."  Fox 
Photoplay.  Based  on  William  C.  DeMille's 
Stage  Play.  Director,  Elmer  Clifton. 
Length.  6,535  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Agatha  Warren   Martha  Mansfield 

General  Warren   George  Backus 

Lieutenant   Burton   Wilfred  Lytell 

Betty  Warren   Rosemary  Hill 

Arthur  Warren   Robert  Andrews 

Danny   James  Turfler 

f?P,   Harlan  Knight 

Little  Reb   Helen  Ray  Kyle 

General  Grant   Lieutenant  Fox,  U    S.  A 

General    Lee   J.    Barney  '  Sherry 

General  Griffin   Frank  Andrews 

Outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  finds  Lieutenant  Bur- 
ton fighting  for  the  Union.  His  sweetheart,  Agatha 
Warren,  Southern  girl,  is  true  to  Southern  cause. 
Four  years  pass.  General  Lee's  hard-pressed  army 
is  dependent  on  arrival  of  supply  train.  Burton's 
commanding  officer  arranges  to  have  him  visit  the 
Warren  home  and  be  captured  with  false  dispatches. 
He  carries  out  his  dieagreeable  orders  and  dis- 
patches mislead  Confederates  so  that  supply  train 
falls  into  Northern  hands.  Agatha  scorns  her  lover 
for  his  act.  But  to  save  him  from  execution  she 
rides  for  help.  Lee  surrenders,  Burton  is  rescued. 
Five  years  later  the  lovers  are  reconciled. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

A  S  produced  by  David  Belasco  for  the 
■f*  stage  "The  Warrens  of  Virginia,"  en- 
joyed wide  popularity  a  decade  ago.  The 
screen  version  is  well  done  so  far  as  the 
spectacular  element  is  concerned,  director 
Elmer  Clifton  having  devoted  considerable 
footage  to :  the  filming  of  battle  stuff,  with 
cavalry  charges,  fierce  hand-to-hand  fighting 
and  all  the  pomp  and  glitter  of  old-time 
warfare  set  forth  in  colorful  detail. 

In  so  doing  however,  he  has  sacrificed 
much  of  the  story's  romantic  appeal, 
the  love  affairs  of  hero  and  heroine  are 
pushed  into  the  backg-ound,  only  emerging 
now  and  then  frcr.i  amidst  the  smoke  of 
combat.  The  continuity  is  badly  shattered  by 
the  "jumpy"  action,  which  moves  fast  enough 
but  renders  the  actual  narrative  a  trifle  dif- 
ficult to  follow. 

Most  of  these  Civil  War  tales  run  pretty 
much  in  the  same  groove  and  this  is  no  ex- 
ception to  the  rule.  The  picture  is  hardly 
qualified  to  suit  the  entertainment  demands 
of  the  larger  houses,  but  should  do  fairly 
well  in  neighborhood  and  smaller  theatres 
as  a  box-office  attraction. 

There  are  plenty  of  thrills  in  evidence  and 
a  good  deal  of  pathos,  the  scene  in  which 
emotional  stress  runs  highest  being  that  in 
which  Agatha  denounces  the  man  she  loves 
because  he  has  obeyed  his  orders  which  re- 
sult in  the  capture  of  Lee's  supply  train. 
The  destruction  of  the  said  train  is  a  great 
bit  of  skilled  camera  work,  in  fact  the  photo- 
graphy throughout  is  perfect,  including  some 
remarkably  artistic  long  shots  of  troop  move- 
ments and  exquisite  Southern  scenery. 

Martha  Mansfield  fills  the  heroine  role 
satisfactorily  and  Wilfred  Lytell  is  the  beau 
ideal  of  a  dashing  Union  officer  as 
her  lover.  J.  Barney  Sherry  adds  fresh 
lustre  to  his  screen  laurels  by  an  impressive 
characterization  of  the  South's  favorite  son, 
Lee,  and  General  Grant  is  aptly  portrayed 
by  a  real  soldier,  Lieutenant  Wilbur  J.  Fox, 
U.  S.  A.    The  support  is  satisfactory. 

If  your  patrons  like  Civil  War  stories 
"The  Warrens  of  Virginia"  should  please 
them.  You  might  exploit  the  fact  that  the 
film  is  adapted  from  the  Belasco  stage  suc- 
cess, stress  the  romantic  side  and  dwell  on 
the  hero's  predicament  as  he  ".tands  be- 
tween love  and  duty."  It  may  also  be  possible 
to  interest  American  Legion  posts  in  boost- 
ing the  feature. 


November  15.  1924 


Page  55 


"ONE  NIGHT  IN  ROME" 

OF  DOUBTFUL  VALUE 

Starts  Off  Briskly  But  Fizzles  Out 
During  Later  Stages 

"ONE  NIGHT  IN  ROME.-  Me'tro-Goldwyn 
Photoplay.  Adapted  from  J.  Hartley  Man- 
ner's Stage  Play.  Director,  Clarence  Bad- 
ger. Length,  5,883  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Duchess  Mareno     \   Laurette  Taylor 

Madame  L  Enigme  | 

Richard  Oake   Tom  Moore 

Zephyr   Miss  Dupont 

Duke  Mareno   Alan  Hale 

Dorando   Warner  Oland 

Prince    Danieli   Joseph    J.  Dowling 

George  Milburne   William  Humphrey 

Count  Beetholde   Brandon  Hurst 

Duke  Mareno,  guilty  of  treachery  to  Italy  during 
the  great  war,  commits  suicide,  leaving  a  note  ac- 
cusing his  wife  of  infidelity.  Prince  Danaili,  his 
father,  threatens  vengeance  on  the  innocent  Duch- 
ess. She  flees  and  is  later  known  in  London  as 
L'Enigme,  a  fortune-teller.  Richard  Oake,  who  had 
met  and  admired  her  years  before  in  Rome,  recog- 
nizes her.  Through  him  she  attends  a  charity  ba- 
zaar as  a  seeress.  An  Italian  singer  becomes  aware 
of  her  identity  and  reveals  it  to  the  authorities. 
Her  father-in-law  appears.  It  transpiies  that 
Mareno  was  really  slain  by  a  man  he  wronged. 
Prince  Danieli  acknowledges  the  Dutchess'  inno- 
cenoe.     She  weds  Oakes. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

LAVISHLY  produced,  with  a  wealth  of 
fine  photography  and  ornate  settings, 
there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  "One 
Night  In  Rome,"  so  far  as  its  artistic  beauty 
is  concerned.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that 
the  story  falls  rather  flat.  The  plot  is  sup- 
posed to  pivot  on  a  mystery  angle,  yet  there 
is  really  very  little  mystery  about  it  and  at 
no  time  does  it  carry  conviction. 

It  gets  off  to  a  good  start  but  the  sus- 
pense slackens  as  soon  as  the  action  shifts 
from  Italy  to  England  and  there  is  a  notice- 
able lack  of  plausibility  or  vigor  in  the  situa- 
tions following. 

Frankly,  the  film  registers  as  an  average 
specimen  of  society  drama  scarcely  likely  to 
win  the  approval  of  crtical  audiences.  Lau- 
rette Taylor's  name  may  draw  patronage  in 
certain  sections,  but  on  the  whole  "One 
Night  In  Rome,"  does  not  seem  to  promise 
anything  extraordinary  from  the  box-office 
angle. 

The  big  scene  is  that  dealing  with  the 
death  of  the  Duke  in  the  Picture's  early 
stages  and  other  eventful  happenings  of  that 
night  which  results  in  his  wife's  exile.  The 
latter's  adventures  in  London,  where  she 
poses  as  a  fortune-teller,  fail  to  make  much 
of  an  impression  on  the  spectators.  It  takes 
the  hero  a  duece  of  a  time  to  recognize  the 
woman  he  met  and  admired  under  such  stir- 
ring conditions  in  Rome,  while  on  the  con- 
trary the  villainous  Dorando  pierces  through 
her  extremely  ineffectual  disguise  in  one 
glance.  None  of  this  stuff  rings  true  and  as 
a  result  the  film  never  grips  and  holds  the 
audience. 

While  Laurette  Taylor  scored  a  huge  suc- 
cess in  the  stage  production  from  which 
the  feature  is  adapted,  strangely  enough,  she 
appears  miscast  in  the  picture  version.  Fans 
who  look  back  with  pleasure  to  her  wonder- 
ful comedy  work  in  "Peg  O'  My  Heart," 
will  hardly  be  favorably  impressed  by  her 
performance  in  the  dual  role  of  the  Duchess 
and  fortune-teller.  Here  comedy  opportun- 
ities are  utterly  lacking  and  the  star  does 
not  show  to  advantage  in  purely  dramatic 
sequences. 

Tom  Moore  is  a  likeable  hero  and  Warner 
Oland  a  sufficiently  sinister  villain  of  gilded 
quality.  The  support  is  adequate.  There  are 
some  remarkably  fine  sets  shown,  among 
which  the  beautiful  interiors  of  the  palace  in 
Italy  deserve  especial  mention. 

In  exploiting  the  picture  make  it  plain  that 
it  is  not  a  comedy,  otherwise  patrons  who 
come  expecting  to  see  Miss  Taylor  repeat 
her  "Peg  O'  My  Heart"  triumph  will  go 
away  disappointed.  Yet  the  star's  name  is 
your  best  advertising  asset.  The  mystery 
angle  should  V.  left  alone. 


"THE  SUNSET  TRAIL" 

A  BULLY  WESTERNER 

Bright  Comedy  and  Strong  Melodrama 
Enliven  William  Desmond  Vehicle 

"THE  SUNSET  TRAIL."  Universal  Photo- 
play. Adapted  from  Henry  Herbert 
Knibb's  Novel,  "Overland  Red."  Director, 
Ernst  Laemmle.  Length,  4,920  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Happy  Hobo  William  Desmond 

Collie   King  Gareth  Hughes 

Louise  Lacharme   Lucille  Hutton 

Silent   Saunders   S.    E.    (Al)  Jennings 

Constable   Hicks   Clark  Comstock 

Dick   Fenlow   Albert  J.  Smith 

Brand  Williams   ....William  A.  Steele 

Happy  Hobo,  beating  his  way  on  a  passenger 
train,  saves  a  lad  from  a  beating  by  a  brakeman  at 
a  halt  in  the  desert.  A  girl  passenger  offers  to  pay 
their  fares,  the  boy  accepts,  but  Happy  plods 
along.  He  finds  a  dying  man  in  the  desert  and 
obtains  a  map  of  a  gold  mine  from  him  with  a 
photo  of  his  daughter,  who  turns  out  to  be  the 
lady  on  the  train.  A  constable  arrests  Happy,  his 
real  object  being  to  get  possession  of  the  map. 
Happy  escapes.  He  meets  again  the  lad  he  be- 
friended and  the  girl  and  files  papers  claiming  the 
mine  for  her.  The  constable  is  still  on  Happy's 
track  but  after  many  adventures  he  finds  the  mine 
and  marries  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

A  GOOD  Western  melodrama  with  plenty 
of  lively  comedy  relief,  fast  action  and 
first-rate  photography!  This  picture  mea- 
sures up  to  the  best  in  which  William  Des- 
mond has  appeared  and  should  prove  a  real 
money-maker  wherever  the  star  is  popular 
and  stories  of  adventure  are  in  demand. 

It's  no  easy  task  to  turn  out  a  Westerner 
with  a  plot  smacking  of  originality,  but  here 
is  one  instance  where  the  trick  has  been 
neatly  turned.  Of  course  the  fact  that  the 
film  is  adapted  from  a  story  by  Harry  Leon 
Wilson,  an  author  who  has  never  written 
a  dull  line,  counts  for  a  great  deal.  Yet 
credit  is  also  due  Ernst  Laemmle's  clever  di- . 
rection.  The  best  of  yarns  can  easily  be 
spoilt  by  crude  handling,  but  every  situation 
in  "The  Sunset  Trail"  is  moulded  and  built 
up  to  the  best  advantage,  without  an  inch 
of  superflous  padding  in  the  entire  five  reels. 

Also,  the  human  interest  touch  never  fails 
to  materialize  at  the  right  moment.  Just 
when  you  are  laughing  over  the  makeup  and 
uncouth  movements  of  the  frowsy  tramp 
hero,  there's  a  little  bit  of  sympathetic  oil  in- 
jected into  the  proceedings,  or  a  shot  of 
tense  melodrama,  and  one's  mood  changes 
in  a  flash  from  gay  to  grave 

Right  at  the  beginning  Happy  Hobo  makes 
himself  solid  with  the  spectator-  when  he  in- 
tervenes to  save  a  lad  from  being  beaten  up 
by  a  train  crew.  This  scene,  with  its  desert, 
surroundings  and  capital  atmosphere,  is  one 
of  the  feature's  best,  and  next  comes  a  de- 
cisive thrill  when  Happy  finds  the  dying 
man,  and  obtains  the  gold  mine  map  which 
ultimately  leads  him  to  the  highroad  to  for- 
tune. 

Not  without  a  whole  pile  of  trouble,  how- 
ever, for  the  nuggets  of  gold  he  discovers  in 
the  dead  man's  possession  awakens  the  cu- 
pidity of  a  crooked  officer  of  the  law,  who 
henceforth  camps  on  Happy's  trail  and 
makes  matters  wildly  interesting  for  him. 
Adventures  comes  fast  and  furiously,  but  in 
the  long  run  all  ends  well  for  the  erstwhile 
tramp  and  the  girl  whom  he  encountered  un- 
der such  unusual  conditions  for  the  com- 
mencement of  a  love  idyl. 

William  Desmond  plays  the  role  of  Happy 
with  irresistable  dash  and  joyful  abandon, 
getting  all  the  value  out  of  both  its  comedy 
and  sensational  sequences,  and  will  surely 
please  his  numerous  admirers.  Gareth 
Hughes  is  pleasing  as  his  boy  pal,  Lucille 
Hutton  a  charming  heroine  and  the  support 
is  excellent. 

You  can  praise  this  as  a  Westerner  alto- 
gether out  of  the  common,  alive  with  excit- 
ing incident  and  brimful  of  snappy  comedy. 
Play  up  William  Desmond,  Gareth  Hr.ghcs 
and  Lucille  Hutton. 


NEW  WESTERN 

HAS  OLD  PLOT 

But  "The  Rip  Snorter"  Has  Much  Ac- 
tion and  Speed  Aplenty 

"THE  RIP  SNORTER."  An  Arrow  Film 
Photoplay.  Directed  by  Ward  Flayes. 
Length  4,998  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dick   Meadows   Dick  Hatton 

Betty    Saunders   Marylyn  Millis 

Harry   Vogelsang   Arcnie  Ricks 

Philip  Saunders   William  Rhino 

Robert  Willis   Robert  Walker 

Tom  Moffat   Milburne  Morante 

"Cold  Slaw''  Randall   Robert  McGowan 

Aunt  Betty   Emma  Gertes 

Dick  Meadows,  one  of  the  cowboys  on  the  Saun- 
ders ranch,  wins  a  bet  from  Willis,  the  foreman,  by 
riding  "The  Killer,"  a  hitherto  unridden  horse. 
Saunders  drives  to  town  to  meet  his  daughter  Betty, 
taking  Dick  with  him.  He  also  takes  some  cash  to 
deposit  in  the  bank.  Willis  and  an  accomplice  try 
to  hold  him  up  but  are  foiled  by  Dick,  who  how- 
ever, manages  to  conceal  the  foreman's  identity  from 
Saunders.  Willis,  knowing  that  Betty  is  the  heir  to 
the  ranch,  sets  out  to  win  her.  Failing,  he  has  her 
kidnapped  and  locked  in  a  room  in  Randall's  cabin, 
while  he  goes  for  a  minister  to  marry  them.  Betty 
writes  a  note  to  Dick,  and  sends  it  to  him  with  the 
aid  of  her  well-trained  horse.  Dick  arrives  in  time 
to  prevent  Willis'  intentions,  and  after  a  great 
battle,   vanquishes  the   foreman,  and  all  ends  well. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien 

IF  a  fast-moving,  whirlwind  Western  melo- 
drama is  what  is  wanted,  "The  Rip  Snort- 
er" should  fill  the  bill.  It  was  made  for  the 
small  exhibitor,  and  is  no  better  and  no 
worse  than  the  usual  Western,  and  will  satis- 
fy the  tastes  of  those  who  like  their  thriLls 
spread  on  rather  thick.  This  one  may  do 
well  enough  in  the  local  theatre  where  there 
is  a  daily  change  of  program,  but  will 
scarcely  stand  the  test  of  a  longer  run,  for 
the  plot  is  sterotyped  and  unconvincing. 

Some  of  the  episodes  register  well,  par- 
ticularly those  wherein  the  cowpuncher  rides 
"The  Killer,"  a  wild  steed  hertofore  un- 
ridden. This  is  a  feat  in  itself,  and  it  is  a 
marvel  how  the  rider  holds  his  saddle  with- 
out breaking  his  neck.  There  are  also  one 
or  two  ferocious  battles  between  the  deep- 
dyed  villain  and  the  righteous  hero,  with 
virtue  properly  triumphant. 

While  the  story  is  developed  along  fa- 
miliar lines,  the  action  is  swift,  there  is  a 
sprinkling  of  comedy  relief  and  enough  sus- 
pense to  keep  interest  in  the  story.  One  of 
the  features  of  the  picture  are  the  trained 
horses,  and  in  one  sequence  one  of  the 
steeds  saves  the  girl's  honor  by  bearing  a 
note  to  the  hero,  who  arrives  just  in  the 
nick  of  time.  We  have  seen  this  done  by 
dogs  before,  but  it  remained  for  the  author 
of  "The  Rip  Snorter"  to  introduce  a  horse 
as  the  guardian  of  virtue.  The  atmosphere 
is  colorful  and  true  to  life  and  fairly  tingles 
with  the  clean,  wholesome  air  of  the  wide, 
open  spaces. 

The  photoplay  is  excellent,  and  there  are 
several  remarkable  scenic  shots  that  add  ma- 
terially to  the  value  of  the  picture.  The 
hills  and  valleys  will  make  city  dwellers 
wish  for  the  out-of-doors,  and  rural  folks 
appreciate  their  surroundings. 

_  In  the  leading  role  Dick  Hatton  is  suffi- 
ciently athletic  and  seems  fully  able  to  beat 
a  whole  army  of  contenders  for  physical  su- 
premacy. Robert  Walker  is  competent  as  the 
crooked  foreman,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
cast  do  what  their  roles  call  for. 

In  your  exploitation  campaign  play  up  the 
trick  riding,  the  trained  horses  and  the  real- 
istic fights.  The  title  carries  punch.  Make 
the  most  of  it. 

Lobby  decoration  reminiscent  of  the  good 
old,  bad  old  days  of  the  West  will  assist  in 
dt.irg  business  with  this  film.  There  might 
also  be  a  series  of  teaser  ad1"  olaying  on  the 
title.  For  instance,  "The  Rip  Snorter  is 
Coming,"  "What  is  a  Rip  Snorter?"  and  so 
Gil. 


Page  56 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


TORNADO"  TENSE, 

GRIPPING  DRAMA 

House  Peters  Registers  in  Virile  Role 
In  Strong  Picture 

"THE   TORNADO."     A    Universal-}  civ  el 
Production.  From  the  play  by  Lincoln  J. 
Carter,  adapted  by  Grant  Carpenter.  Di- 
rected by  King  Baggott.  Length,  6,375  Feet. 
CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Tornado   House  Peters 

Ruth  Travers   Ruth  Clifford 

"Peewee"   Snitz  Edwards 

"Gorilla"   Dick  Sutherland 

"Hurricane"   Jackie  Morgan 

Emily   Kate  Price 

Molly  Jones   Charlotte  Stevens 

Pa  Jones  Fred  Gamble 

"Tornado"  is  the  boss  lumberjack  in  a  camp  of 
disgruntled  workers.  A  strange  man  and  woman 
come  to  the  settlement.  The  first  time  "Tornado" 
saw  them  it  was  apparent  that  he  had  known  them 
before  and  that  he  had  a  secret  past.  The  woman 
and  "Tornado"  had  been  sweethearts,  but  the  other 
man,  taking  advantage  of  an  opportunity  created 
by  the  Great  War,  had  tricked  the  woman  into 
marrying  him.  "Tornado"  saves  the  settlement  from 
a  log  jam  by  risking  his  life  until  the  jam  is 
broken.  Then  swept  away  himself,  he  came  upon 
the  wreck  of  the  train  in  which  the  man  and 
woman  had  fled.  He  manages  to  save  the  girl,  but 
the  river  snatches  the  man  away  forever.  There  is 
promise  of  happiness  for  bo,fh  in  the  fade-out. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien 

IF  you  like  a  picture  of  the  great  outdoors, 
and  almost  everyone  does,  "The  Tornado" 
is  sure  to  please,  for  it  breathes  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  great  open  spaces  and  is  a  vivid 
portrait  of  the  wooded  hills  where  men  are 
men  and  most  men  are  lumberjacks.  The 
film  is  a  Universal-Jewel  and  in  this  par- 
ticular instance  is  really  a  jewel.  The 
photography  is  excellent,  the  characters 
are  extremely  well  cast,  and  the  direction 
by  King  Baggot  is  in  keeping  with  the 
high  merit  of  the  production  in  general. 

One  of  the  most  spectacular  and  im- 
pressive scenes  is  the  shot  showing  the  log 
jam  and  the  terrific  tornado  which  swept  the 
settlement.  Another  high  light  is  the  stu- 
pendous crash  of  the  train  on  the  bridge 
sweeping  the  log  train  and  its  occupants 
into  the  whirling  vortex  of  jammed  logs. 
The  ravages  of  the  storm  driving  every- 
thing helter-skelter  in  its  wake  is  graphic 
enough  to  arouse  awe  in  the  breast  of  the 
most  sophisticated  onlooker.  The  villag- 
ers scampering  here  and  there  in  search 
of  shelter  and  safety  is  vivid  and  realistic 
in  the  extreme. 

In  the  leading  role  of  the  virile  "Tornado," 
House  Peters  gives  a  performance  that  for 
conviction  and  strength  it  would  be  difficult 
to  surpass.  He  left  nothing  to  the  imagi- 
nation and  is  every  inch  the  he-man  he  was 
supposed  to  portray.  Ruth  Clifford  as  the 
unhappy  wife  is  a  pathetic  figure  of  a  woman 
torn  between  love  and  duty. 

Snitz  Edwards  in  a  small  character  part 
supplies  the  necessary  comedy  relief,  and  by 
his  inimitable  clowning  makes  of  an  insig- 
nificant role  a  perfect  gem-  that  shines 
brightly  even  in  so  brilliant  a  setting.  The 
remaining  cast  is  capable  in  the  extreme. 

There  are  innumerable  ways  of  success- 
fully exploiting  "The  Tornado"  hinging 
about  the  tornado  itself.  Vivid  stills  of  the 
great  whirlwind  should  be  used  generously 
and  House  Peters  and  Ruth  Clifford  should 
be  featured.  "The  Tornado"  should  literally 
sweep  'em  off  their  feet. 


"IS  LOVE  EVERYTHING?" 

IS  A  SURE  WINNER 

Murray     Garsson     Production  Has 
Every  Element  of  Audience  Value 

"IS  LOVE  EVERYTHING?-'  Associated 
Exhibitors.    Author    and    Director,  W. 
Christy  Cabanne.    Length,  six  reels. 
CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Virginia   Carter   Alma  Rubens 

Robert   Whitney   Frank  iwayo 

Jordan  Southwick   H.  o.  Wuiner 

Boyd  Carter   Walter  McGrail 

Edythe  Stanley   Lilyan  '1  ashman 

Mis.    Carter   Iviarie  Shaerter 

M.s.    Rowland   X.ene  Howlty 

Virginia  Carter  marries  Jordan  Southwick  but  is 
haumed  by  memories  ot  net  other  su.tor,  Robert 
Whitney.  While  loyal  to  I.er  husband  she  cannot 
help  loving  Robert.  Southwick  learning  the  trutn, 
plans  a  .cruise  upon  which  Whitney  will  be  one  of 
the  guests.  The  yacht  is  w.  ecked  and  Virginia  and 
Robert  are  rescued  by  a  ram  runner.  Aner  many 
adventures  they  reach  home,  believing  Southwic.c 
dead.  He  re. urns  to  hnd  them  in  one  another's 
arms,  and  realizing  their  lo\e,  he  departs  leaving 
them  to  think  him  dead. 

By  Herbert  K.  Ckuiksiiank. 

TJ  ERE  is  a  fine  photoplay  that  will  make 
money  anywhere.  A  dramatic  story,  a 
well  balanced  cast,  fine  acting  and  excellent 
direction  combine  to  make  an  exceptionally 
strung  oux-ofnee  attraction. 

There  is  not  a  moment  when  the  action  is 
uninteresting.  From  the  very  first  scene 
showing  Virginia  and  her  two  lovers,  right 
up  to  the  last  shot  of  the  trio,  the  heart 
stories  of  the  three  characters  will  be  close- 
ly followed  by  every  audience. 

Perhaps  the  most  thrilling  sequence  is 
that  taking  place  aboard  the  rum  runner 
The  fights  between  the  brutal  members  of 
the  crew  and  the  girl's  lover  are  grippingly 
realistic,  and  are  warranted  to  have  specta- 
tors clinging  to  their  seats.  The  scenes 
aboard  the  yacht,  and  the  collision  with  the 
steamer  are  also  exciting  and  well  done. 

Although  Whitney  wins  the  girl  in  the  end, 
Jordan  Southwick  will  receive  much  au- 
dience sympathy.  The  characterization  of 
H.  B.  Warner  in  this  part  is  superb.  He  is 
to  the  life,  the  husband  hopelessly  in  Love 
with  his  wife,  and  realizing  that  her  heart 
belongs  to  another.  When  he  returns  home, 
after  it  is  believed  that  he  perished 
with  the  rest  of  the  yachting  party,  and  finds 
his  wife  in  his  rival's  arms,  the  pathos  he 
portrays  is  heartrending. 

Alma  Rubens  is  at  her  best  as  Virginia 
Carter,  the  luxury  loving  girl  who  is  torn 
between  a  deep  consuming  love  for  Robert, 
and  a  strong  sense  of  duty  toward  the  hus- 
band she  respects,  admires  and  pities.  Frank 
Mayo  gives  an  excellent  interpretation  in 
the  role  of  Robert  Whitney,  and  Walter  Mc- 
Grail as  the  villainous,  drunken  brother-by- 
adoption  of  Virginia  also  contributes  his 
share  of  fine  acting.  The  rest  of  the  cast 
is  satisfying,  with  special  mention  for  the 
mate  of  the  rum  runner,  who  endeavors  to 
pirate  the  ship  and  its  feminine  cargo. 

The  title  is  one  that  will  arouse  universal 
interest  in  the  production,  and  should  be 
stressed  heavily  in  all  exploitation.  The 
cast  should  also  be  played  to  the  limit  as 
each  actor  enjoys  a  large  following. 

The  National  Tie-Up  Section  in  this  issue 
is  devoted  to  "Is  Love  Everything?"  and 
contains  enough  showmanship  to  put  the  pic- 
ture across  for  an  extended  run. 


"WORLDLY  GOODS"  AN 

ENTERTAINING  FARCE 

Ayres-O'M alley  Combination  Proves  a 
Great  Success 

■WORLDLY  GOODS."  A  Paramount  Pro- 
duction. Adapted  from  the  novel  by  So- 
phie Kerr.    Directed  by  Paul  Bern. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Eleanor   Lawson   Agnes  Ayres 

Frad   ric_>per   pat  O'Malley 

C.ifford   Ramsey   ■  Victor  Varconi 

Mis.    bawson   Edythe  Chapman 

Mr.   Lawson   Bert  Woodruff 

Letitia    Caluoun   Maude  George 

Sol    Shipik   Otto  Lederer 

Fred  Hopper  is  full  of  poor  ideas  and  inclined 
to  boast.  He  pretends  to  be  a  great  success  and 
marries  Eleanor  Lawson.  She  later  finds  that  he 
is  a  complete  failure  and  leaves  him.  Soon  after 
she  leaves  he  finally  puts  through  a  deal  that  nets 
him  a  small  fortune.  He  finds  her  in  her  attorney's 
office  making  plans  for  a  divorce.  He  convinces 
her  that  he  has  changed  his  ideas  on  life  and  they 
are  reconciled. 

By  Len  Morgan 

W/"  ORLDLY  GOODS"  is  one  of  those  pic- 
"  tures  that  seem  to  be  made  expressly 
for  the  exhibitor.  It  has  all  the  necessary 
angles  to  make  a  box-office  success  and  it 
will  satisfy  the  patrons. 

There  is  nothing  spectacular  in  this  picture. 
It  is  just  one  of  those  stories  of  the  great 
American  homes  and  it  will  strike  a  great 
many  hearthstones.  There  are  many  human 
interest  touches  that  are  brought  out  deftly 
by  the  directing  of  Paul  Bern. 

The  story  deals  with  the  happening  of  a 
man  who  tries  to  bluff  his  way  along  through 
life  and  whose  wife  must  bear  the  brunt  of 
his  egotism  and  the  final  hopelessness  of  it 
all. 

Pat  O'Malley  plays  the  part  of  the  brag- 
ging young  husband  whose  pretended  deal- 
ings with  the  Morgan,  Vanderbilts  and  As- 
tors  play  havoc  with  the  nerves  of  his  wife. 
Pat  has  a  hard  part  and  in  spite  of  his 
bragging,  he  wins  the  sympathy  of  the  au- 
dience. 

Agnes  Ayres  is  well  cast  and  gives  an  ex- 
cellent performance.  She  is  extremely  pa- 
tient with  her  husband  and  at  first  one  feels 
sorry  for  her  that  she  cannot  fathom  all  the 
hokum,  but  she  finally  awakens  and  asserts 
herself. 

There  is  a  clever  vein  of  comedy  running 
through  the  picture.  It  would  have  required 
very  little  changing  to  have  produced  a 
comedy.  Otto  Lederer  does  especially  well 
with  the  comedy  parts  allotted  him  and  he 
brings  forth  a  laugh  at  every  appearance. 

There  are  no  elaborate  sets  in  this  pro- 
duction. There  are  no  mechanical  thrills. 
It  is  just  a  plain  wholesome  story  well  done 
and  one  that  is  away  from  the  run  of  hokum. 

Probably  the  best  scenes  in  the  picture  are 
those  of  the  home  life  of  the  Lawsons  and 
the  newly  weds  in  which  they  encounter  all 
the  problems  that  befall  the  usual  family  and 
judging  from  the  laughter  that  greets  many 
of  the  scenes,  Director  Bern  has  placed  his 
finger  on  the  American  family  life  weak- 
nesses. 

This  picture  will  pull  at  the  box-office 
and  the  exhibitor  is  safe  in  booking  it. 

Advertise  the  stars  as  each  has  a  large 
following.  Tieup  with  a  clothing  store.  "No 
man  can  get  his  share  of  worldly  goods  un- 
less he  is  well  dressed." 


1  UDGES  are  supposed  to  be  chosen  for  their  expert  knowledge.  It  isn't  common  practice 
to  place  the  most  skilled  of  plumbers  on  the  Supreme  bench.  Simply  because  a  good 
plumber  isn't  expected  to  be  a  good  lawyer, 

In  the  appraising  of  pictures  on  the  box-office  basis,  a  peculiar  skill  is  necessary. 
The  viewpoint  must  be  solely  one  of  salability.    Will  the  picture  go  over  with  the  public? 

Reviews  so  written  afford  an  expert  form  of  non-partisan  guidance  which  cannot  be 
had  from  any  other  source.  Most  other  sources  are  very  definitely  biased,  and,  therefore, 
often  incompetent. 


November  15,  1()24 


Page  57 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


"Reckless  Romance,"  the  second  of  the  Al 
Christie  feature-length  comedies,  will  soon 
be  ready  for  showing,  it  is  announced 
through  Producer's  Distributing  Corporation 
which  has  set  a  release  date  of  November  9 
on  the  picture. 

*    *  * 

Work  on  "Fear-Bound,"  a  Smith-Nigh 
production  for  Vitagraph  distribution,  is  well 
under  way.  After  passing  a  week  on  location 
near  Tuxedo,  in  the  Ramapo  Mountains  of 
New  York,  the  company  has  returned  to  New 
York  City  and  is  now  "shooting"  interiors 
at  the  Tec-Art  Studios. 


"A  Message  to  Garcia,"  written  by  Elbert 
Hubbard  from  a  true  story  of  unparralleled 
heroism  in  the  Spanish-American  war  in 
Cuba,  has  been  bought  by  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer,  it  was  announced  this  week. 

*    *  * 

Robert  Cain  has  been  engaged  by  Cecil  B. 
De  Mille  for  his  new  Paramount  production, 
"The  Golden  Bed."  He  is  the  latest  addi- 
tion to  the  featured  cast  of  this  screen  play 
by  Jeanie  Macpherson  from  Wallace  Irwin's 
novel. 

i£      ;.k  ^ 

Ruth  Dwyer  has  been  chosen  by  Buster 
Keaton  to  appear  opposite  him  in  "Seven 
Chances,"  the  comedian's  next  feature  com- 
edy to  be  presented  by  Joseph  M.  Schenck 
through  Metro-Goldwyn. 

Miss  Dwyer  is  one  of  the  newest  screen 
finds,  and  her  recent  performances  have  at- 
tracted such  notice  that  she  is  in  line  for 
future  stardom. 


"East  of  Suez,"  Pola  Negri's  current  star- 
ring picture  went  into  production  last  week 
with  one  of  the  strongest  casts  yet  assembled 
for  a  Paramount  Picture. 

Edmund  Love,  Rockcliffe  Fellowe,  Noah 
Beery  and  Sojin  head  the  cast  of  supporting 
players.  Raoul  Wash,  who  directed  Doug- 
las Fairbanks  in  "The  Thief  of  Bagdad,"  is 
directing  "East  of  Suez." 


A  striking  colorful  effect  is  being  injected 
into  the  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production, 
"Ben  Hur,"  which'  is  being  produced  in  Rome, 
Italy,  under  the  direction  of  Fred  Niblo,  with 
Ramon  Novarro  in  the  leading  role.  For 
the  scenes  which  reveal  the  Joppa  Gate  and 
the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  in  addition  to  a  num- 
ber of  the  huge  interior  sets,  there  will  be 
used  the  technicolor  process. 

"The  Top  of  the  World,"  a  Jack  Cunning- 
ham adaptation  of  Ethel  M.  Dell's  famous 
novel,  has  been  completed  by  Paramount  un- 
der the  direction  of  George  Melford. 

%         %  ^ 

Del  Andrews  and  George  Marion  Jr.,  the 
team  which  are  putting  over  the  Alberta 
V  aughn-George  O'Hara  starring  vehicles, 
"The  Go-Getters"  in  such  brilliant  fashion 
have  completed  No.  7  "The  Going  of  Cum- 
ming,"  are  already  shooting  the  eighth  episode 
of  the  series. 

*  *  # 

Production  of  "Miss  Bluebeard,"  an  adap- 
tation of  Avery  Hopwood's  brisk  farce,  got 
under  way  at  the  Long  Island  Studio  of 
Famous  Players-Lasky  last  week,  with  Bebe 
Daniels  in  the  title  role  and  Frank  Tuttle 
directing.  . 

*  *  * 

Actual  camera  work  on  "The  Man  With- 
out a  Conscience"  which  the  Warner  Bros, 
are  making  with  James  Flood  directing,  has 
been  begun  at  the  company's  West  Coast 
studios. 

It  is  of  especial  interest  to  note  that  this 
picture  is  the  first  to  be  filmed  on  the  re- 
cently built  stage  on  the  Warner  lot  which 
is  far  and  away  the  biggest  and  finest  stage 
which  has  ever  been  devised  for  motion  pic- 
ture work.  The  electrical  equipment  partic- 
ularly is  the  last  word. 

*  *  * 

Despite  his  narrow  escape  from  death 
while  filming  "Stepping  Lively,"  Richard  Tal- 
madge  is  now  engaged  on  his  most  preten- 
tious stunt  and  thrill  production,  "Hail  the 
Hero"  at  the  F.  B.  O.  studios  in  Hollywood. 


Photographing  a  portion  of  the  colorful  parade  Seville  always  stages 'in  very  gala 
style  preceding  a  great  bullfight,  shown  in  "The  Siren  of  Seville,"  released  through 
Producers  Distributing  Corporation  and  featuring  Priscilla  Dean  and  Stuart  Holmes. 


Filming  of  Anzia  Yezierska's  colorful  novel 
of  the  Ghetto,  "Salome  of  The  Tenements," 
which  created  such  a  stir  in  literary  circles  a 
few  months  ago,  was  started  at  The  Para- 
mount Astoria  studio  this  week.  It  will  be  a 
Sidney  Olcott  Production. 

*  *  * 

The  entire  fifteen  Universal  Ranch  Riders 
of  the  Jack  Hoxie  unit  of  the  Universal 
corporation's  western  story  division  are 
working  throughout  most  of  the  current  pro- 
duction starring  Hoxie.  "Don  Daredevil," 
directed  by  Clifford  Smith. 

*  *  * 

The  Peninsula  Studios,  San  Mateo,  have 
selected  "Poor  Mama,"  a  stage  farce  by  El- 
mer Harris,  to  serve  as  the  third  Elmer 
Harris  Production  to  be  filmed  for  release 
through  the  Producers  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion. 

*  *  * 

Paramount's  "North  of  36"  is  on  the  last 
lap  toward  completion.  Irvin  Willat  and  the 
unit  have  returned  "to  the  Paramount  studio 
from  Miller  Brothers'  101  ranch  in  Oklahoma 
to  make  the  final  interior  shots. 

Wallace  Beery  has  been  engaged  by  the 
Peninsula  Studios  at  San  Mateo  for  a  comedy 
role  in  the  latest  Frank  Woods  Production, 
"On  The  Shelf,"  which  is  now  being  filmed 
under  the  direction  of  Paul  Powell,  for  re- 
lease by  Producers  Distributing  Corp. 

Vitagraph  has  secured  the  services  of  Wolf, 
a  famous  war  dog  who  served  in  the  French 
Army,  for  the  title  role  in  "Baree,  Son  of 
Kazan."  He  will  soon  begin  work  on  this 
Vitagraph  production,  which  will  be  made  at 
the  West  Coast  studios  under  the  direction  of 
David  Smith. 

Pat  O'Malley  has  been  signed  to  play  op- 
posite Agnes  Ayres  in  "Tomorrow's  Love," 
work  on  which  has  been  started  under  the 
direction  of  Paul  Bern,  A.  P.  Younger 
wrote  the  screen  play  from  Saturday  Even- 
ing Post  story,  "Interlocutory,"  written  by 
Charles  William  Brackett. 

*  *  * 

Edward  Sloman  has  started  production  at 
Universal  City  on  "Up  the  Ladder,"  Virginia 
Valli's  new  starring  vehicle.  It  is  a  spectacu- 
lar story  hinging  on  the  efforts  of  a  young 
inventor  to  perfect  a  telephone  that  will 
transmit  photographs  and  images. 

*  *  * 

An  exceptionally  well  balanced  cast  has 
been  announced  by  Warner  Bros.,  for  "The 
Broadway  Butterfly,"  which  has  just  been  put 
in  production  in  the  company's  West  Coast 
studios.  Dorothy  Devore  and  John  Roche 
play  opposite  each  other  in  the  leading  roles 
with  Louise  Fazenda,  Cullen  Landis,  Willard 
Louis,  Wilfred  Lucas,  and  Libyan  Tashman 
prominent  in  their  support. 

*  *  * 

With  a  company  of  more  than  a  hundred 
people,  Herbert  Brenon  is  preparing  for  a 
trip  to  Santa  Cruz  Island  where  outdoor 
scenes  for  his  production  of  Sir  James  M. 
Barrie's  "Peter  Pan"  will  be  filmed  for  Par- 
amount. Heading  the  cast  which  accompany 
Mr.  Brenon  are  Betty  Bronson,  Ernest  Tor- 
rence,  Cyril  Chadwick,  Virginia  Brown  Faire, 
and  Anna  May  Wong. 


Page  58 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  <Biq  Little  Feature 


POLLY  VOO 

Standard    Cinema   Corp.  o  reels 

Th«re  are  some  genuinely  laughable 
situations  in  this  Jimmy  Aubrey  comedy 
that  are  sure  to  find  favor  with  your 
audience.  The  humor  at  times  is  a  bit 
broad,  and  some  of  the  old,  popular 
tricks  are  brought  in  to  furnish  a  smile, 
where  there  would  have  been  a  howl 
had  not  we  laughed  at  the  same  thing 
many  times  before.  However,  "Polly 
Voo"  is  as  good  as  the  average  and 
some  of  the  gags  are  new  and  not  a 
little  amusing. 

One  of  these  funny  situations  is 
where  Jimmy  having  filled  his  pockets 
with  unpopped  corn  stolen  from  a  ven- 
der, is  making  love  to  a  beautiful  girl 
when  the  corn  starts  popping  and  piles 
at  his  feet  in  a  huge  heap.  Jimmy's 
embarassment  at  this  unexpected  turn 
of  affairs  is  sure  to  register  with  any 
audience.  You  will  make  no  mistake 
in  booking  this  one. 

*    #  * 

ANTONY  AND  CLEOPATRA 


Universal 


1  leel 


Here  is  one  of  the  "Hysterical  Com- 
edy" series  that  is  a  rather  broad  bur- 
lesque on  the  difficulties  that  beset  An- 
tony, Cleopatra  and  Caesar  in  their  hec- 
tic love  triangle.  There  are  one  or  two 
good  laughs  in  the  film,  but  it  seems 
that  all  of  the  humorous  possibilities 
are  not  realized.  With  such  material 
a  really  facetious  burlesque  could  have 
been  made,  whereas  the  picture  only 
provides  mild  amusement. 

AW  in  all,  however,  the  film  is  fun- 
nier than  the  others  of  the  series,  and 
the  bit  showing  Cleopatra  submitting  to 
plastic  surgery  on  her  nose  as  a  result 
of  a  bee  sting  struck  us  as  partic- 
ularly amusing.    For  those  who 
like  a  travesty  of  this  sort  the  film 
should  prove  fairly  entertaining. 
However  don't  bill  it  as  a  side- 
splitter  or  your  patrons  may  be 
disappointed. 


HIGH  GEAR 


Educational 


2  reels 


"High  Gear"  is  true  to  its  name, 
for  once  the  fun  gets  started  it  is 
fast  and  uproarious.  Bobby  Ver- 
non plays  the  part  of  a  motorist 
who  gets  a  ticket  for  tearing  up 
the  turf  on  the  home  stretch  and 
incidentally  causes  one  of  the  big- 
gest traffic  jams  on  record.  But 
all  this  is  too  tame  for  Bobby,  so 


TEN  SCARS  MAKE  A  MAN 


Chapte 


reels 


Wanda  Wylie,  clever  Century  Follies  star, 
is  fast  coming  to  the  front  as  one  of  the 
best  little  laugh  makers  in  the  business. 


he  enters  into  an  auto  race  driving  his 
prospective  father-in-law's  car  with  the 
stake  being  $5,000  and  the  hand  of  the 
fair  one. 

What  follows  is  comedy  of  the  speed- 
iest and  most  hilarious  nature  with  Bob- 
by completely  upsetting  Einstein's  the- 
ory of  relativity  and  a  few  previously 
well-established  laws  of  physics.  He 
makes  the  other  contestants  look  like 
subjects  for  the  slow-motion  camera, 
which  is  saying  something,  as  they  are 
no  snails  either.  "High  Gear"  is  amus- 
ing and  fast  enough  for  a  U.  S.  Mail 
flyer. 


Universal  shows  a  novel  method  of  ex- 
ploiting Jack.  Dempsey's  series  of  short 
subjects.    The  cutout  of  Jack  is  attractive 
and   the    female    pugilists   add  zest. 


As  the  sixth  episode  of  the  series 
"Through  the  Hills"  is  quite  as  excit- 
ing as  the  earlier  chapters  of  this  thril- 
ling drama  of  the  West.  Jack  Mower 
matches  his  wits  against  those  of  the 
cattle  thief,  handicapped  as  he  is  by 
the  chieftain's  man  higher  up,  whom 
Jack  counts  unknowingly  as  his  best 
friend.  Jack  who  must  get  ten  scars 
to  win  Allene  Ray  will  have  to  work 
fast,  for  he  doesn't  sustain  any  in  this 
chapter. 

Miss  Ray  discovers  the  cattle  thieves 
at  their  game  and  in  turn  is  being 
chased  across  the  plains  as  the  chapter 
ends.  Jack  Mower  does  some  very 
good  work  as  the  hero  while  Allene  Ray 
will  prove  popular  with  the  fans.  The 
episode  offers  a  number  of  thrills  and 
the  usual  suspense  is  there  at  the  end. 
You  are  curious  to  know  what  will  hap- 
pen next  week. 

SHE  KNEW  HER  MAN 

Pathe-Aesop's  Fables  1  reel 

It  is  a  marvel  that  Paul  Terry,  the 
cartoonist  who  turns  out  weekly  instal- 
ments of  the  adventures  in  jungleland 
never  runs  out  of  ideas.  He  must  in- 
deed have  a  fertile  brain,  for  each  suc- 
ceeding release  seems  to  be  teeming 
with  originality,  new  stunts  and  more 
chuckles,  "She  Knew  Her  Man."  is 
no  exception  to  the  rule,  and  is  packed 
with  laughs  from  beginning  to  end. 

These  animated  cartoons  enjoy  an 
immense  popular  vogue,  and  a  farsight- 
ed  exhibitor  cannot  do  better  than  to 
acquire  the  Aesop  habit.  Many  of  the 
first-run  houses  are  doing  it  as 
well  well  as  the  Keith  Theatres. 
Like  Postum,  there's  a  reason,  and 
the  reason  in  this  case  is  that  the 
public  like  them. 

If  you  haven't  the  habit,  start 
with  "She  Knew  Her  Man,"  and 
we'll  give  you  odds  that  you'll  nev- 
er regret  it. 


International  Put  Over  a 
Scoop  on  ZR-3 

The  International  News  Reel 
pictures  which  were  made  during 
the  flight  of  the  Z  R-3  on  its  way 
from  Friedrichshafen  to  Lake- 
wood  were  taken  by  Ludwig 
Marx,  one  of  the  ship's  crew,  who 
happened  also  to  be  an  exper- 
ienced cameraman. 


November  15.  1924 


Page  59 


International  had  made  arrange- 
ments in  advance  to  have  Capt.  A.  L. 
Varges,  one  of  its  staff,  aboard  tin- 
ship  when  she  sailed,  but  at  the  last 
minute,  on  account  of  the  number  of 
people  aboard,  Capt.  Varges  found  he 
would  not  be  permitted  to  sail.  He 
immediately  made  arrangements  with 
Marx  to  get  the  pictures,  with  the  re- 
sult that  International  had  the  exclu- 
sive films  made  from  the  ship  during 
the  transatlantic  flight. 

International  has  received  letters  of 
congratulation  from  Commander  J.  H. 
Klein,  Jr.,  American  naval  observer  on 
the  trip  and  Dr.  Hugo  Eckener  who 
was  in  command,  both  of  whom  were 
much  impressed  with  the  historic 
value  of  the  International  pictures. 


( ( siyy 


FAST  COMPANY 


Pathe-Hal  Roach 


2  reels 


Any  of  Hal  Roach's  "Our  Gang" 
comedies  is  well  worth  a  trip  to  the 
local  theatre  alone,  and  "Fast  Company" 
is  just  as  hilarious  as  any  of  its  prede- 
cessors, if  not  more  so. 

To  anyone  who  knows  anything  about 
kids  these  comedies  are  bound  to  ring 
true,  for  the  types  are  perfect  exam- 
ples of  the  old  adage  "boys  will  be 
boys." 

The  fun  is  fast  and  furious  and  if 
you  are  one  of  those  laugh-proof  folks, 
go  to  see  "Fast  Company"  and  you'll 
split  your  sides. 


News 
Reels 
In  Brief 

Kinograms 
No.  5026 

Green  Triumphs 
Over  the  Crimson — 
Cambridge  —  Dart- 
mouth wins  from 
Harvard  —  50,000 
see  the  game — here 
they      are     arriving : 

1-  Harvard   kicks    oif ; 

2-  It's  a  hard-fought 
game;  3-Dartmouth's 
touchdown,  the  only 
score  of  the  game. 

Trial  Over  Naval 
Oil  Leases  Is  On — 
Los  Angeles  —  Gov- 
ernment's suit  to  can- 
cel Doheny  contracts 
is  begun  in  Federal 
Bldg.  here:  1-Edwin 
Denby,  former  Secre- 
tary of  the.  Navy ;  2- 
E.  L.  Doheny,  cen- 
ter, defendant  with 
his  attorneys;  3-Ex- 
S  e  c  retary  Josephus 
Daniels  ;  4-Judge  Mc- 
Cormick,  who  pre- 
sides in  case;  5-Ex- 
Senator  Pomerene 
heads  prosecution. 

Boy  Scouts  D  o 
Homage  to  Roose- 
velt's Memory — Oys- 
ter Bay,  N.  Y.— Led 

by  Dan  Beard,  they 
make  birthday  pil- 
grimage to  grave  of 
T.  R.  1-Dan  Beard, 
veteran  leader,  places 
tribute  from  his  fel- 
low Scouts. 


Prince  Leads  Hunt 
in    Old    Bay  State— 

His    Royal  Highness 

spends  last  day  of 
American  vacat'on  in 
the  saddle— arrival  at  Lowell.  Mass.  At  Hamilton. 
1-Witn  his  host,  Bayard  Tuckerman,  the  Prince 
inspects  the  hounds  of  the  Myopia  Hunt;  2-Pre- 
panng  for  the  drag  hunt;  3-The  drag  man  with 
anise  bag;  4-The  hunt  is  on;  5-In  full  cry;  6-The 
Prince  in  the  lead;  7-His  Royal  Highness  leads  'em 
home. 

Off  for  Home — New  York — His  vacation  at  an 
end,  the  Prince  sails  for  England  on  the  Olympic 
1-With  Captain  Howarth  of  the  Olympic;  2-"I 
have  had  a  happy  and  interesting  time,  and  hope 
to  return  soon." 


eoner\ 


^•yerrvoiXfl 


A.  racing  come 4x  "that  will  s^and  "their  hair 
on  end  wiih  "thrills  and  knock'em  off  'their 
sea-ts  wrth.  laughs. 


1 

"THE  SPICE  OF  THE  PROGRAM"' 

"Fatty"  Joe  Cobb  is  placed  in  a  stew  in  Pathe's  "Fast  Company."  Hal  Roach's 
Rascals  can  look  as  vicious  as  South  Sea  Islanders.  Note  Farina  with  baled  hay  effect. 


Aboard  Shenandoah  on  Flight  Up  West  Coast- 
Cameraman  makes  vivid  record  of  trip  of  Navy's 
giant  dirigible  from  San  Diego,  Cal.,  to  Seattle. 
1-In  engine  room  of  rear  gondola;  2-Over  Long 
Beach ;  3-Los  Angeles ;  4-Admiral  Moffett  in  the 
control  car ;  5-Capt.  Lansdowne  and  the  Admiral 
study  the  charts ;  6-Signals  to  engine  men  in  gon- 
dolas ;  7-From  perilous  position  atop  the  big  bag 
at  her  very  tip ;  8-Where  a  single  misstep  would 
spell  disaster;  9-Approaching  Tacoma  above  the 
clouds;  10-10  inch  runway  extends  full  length  of 
ship;  11-45  gasoline  tanks  contain  113  gallons  each; 
12-Along  the  Oregon  coast. 

At  End  of  Air  Trail— Arrival  at  mooring  mast  at 
Camp  Lewis,  near  Seattle,  objective  of  her  long 
trip. 

International  News  No.  90 

Near  Pekin,  China — Chinese  "Christian  General" 
fights  for  control  of  Pekin.  Feng  Yu-hsiang  brings 
up  best  troops  for  critical  engagement  of  Civil  War. 
1-Gen.  Feng  leads  his  officers  in  Christian  prayers 
for  victory;  2-Busy  days  for  the  Red  Cross  stations; 
3-Recruits  go  through  intensive  training  behind  the 
lines ;  4-U.  S.  Marines  guard  foreign  interests  in 
Shanghai;  5-They'll  be  Mah  Jongg  sharps  before 
the  war's  over. 

N.  Y.  City — World's  biggest  fireboat  in  spec- 
tacular night  tests.  Flarelight  demonstration  shows 
the  J.  P.  Mitchel  in  fine  form  as  flame-quenching 
Niagara.  19,000  gallons  of  water  per  minute  from 
14  nozzles  operated  by  Chief  Worth's  expert  crew. 

N.  Y.  City- (Omit  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  Des 
Moines) — White  Way  dancing  girls  train  like  fight- 
ers. Here's  a  sample  of  what  Ned  Wayburn,  fam- 
ous teacher,  makes  his  pupils  go  through  daily. 
1-The  "daily  dozen"  is  a  pleasant  rest  compared  to 
the  program  each  pupil  must  go  through  for  a 
month  at  least ;  2-If  you  think  this  is  "fun"  try 
some  of  these  exercises  yourself. 

Interesting  Snapshots  From  the  News  of  the  Day 
— Washington,  D.  C. — M.  Jean  Patou,  the  best 
dressed  man  in  Paris,  calls  at  the  Capitol — look 
him  over,  boys  and  girls.  1-N.  Y.  City — Chauneey 
M.  Depew,  probably  the  oldest  voter  in  the  Presi- 
dential election,  meets  one  of  the  youngest,  Miss 
Mary  Gustin ;  2-Paris,  France — M.  Daeschner 
chosen  to  succeed  the  veteran  M.  Jusserand  as 
French  Ambassador  to  Washington ;  3-Washington, 
D.  C. — Pres.  Coolidge  casts  his  vote  by  mail — with 
a  notary  public  attesting  its  genuineness ;  4-Mrs. 
Coolidge  follows  her  husband's  example;  5;Detroit, 
Mich. — (Detroit.)  One  of  the  biggest  fires  in  many 
years  causes  $175,000  damage  in  the  business  sec- 
tion; 6-Frisco,  Cal. — (Frisco  Only)  Golden  Gate  po- 
lice make  their  usual  fine  showing  in  their  annual 
parade;  7-Manchester,  Mass. — (Boston  Only)  The 
wrecked  steamer  City  of  Rockland  is  burned  for  sal- 
vage purposes. 


Page  60 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


News  of  Exhibitor  Activities 


Lydiatt  Progressing 

R.  J.  Lydiatt,  manager  of  the  Orpheum 
Theatre,  Vancouver,  B.  C,  which  has  been 
presenting  feature  pictures  and  vaudeville, 
has  been  appointed  general  manager  of  the 
Western  Vaudeville  Managers  Association 
with  headquarters  at  Chicago,  111.,  and  has 
moved  to  that  city. 

W.  A.  Barnes,  assistant  manager  of  the 
Vancouver  Orpheum,  has  been  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  manager  and  A.  K.  MacMartin, 
at  one  time  with  the  Capitol  Theatre,  Van- 
couver, B.  C,  has  been  made  assistant  man- 
ager. 

*    *  * 

St.  Petersburg  Opening 

The  Coliseum,  a  beautiful  new  theatre 
which  C.  D.  Cooley  in  St.  Petersburg,  Flor- 
ida, had  its  formal  christening  on  November 
1,  giving  St.  Petersburg  three  theatres. 

It  is  located  on  Fourth  street,  one  block- 
off  Central  avenue. 

The  Coliseum  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
2,500  and  a  house  policy  that  will  bring  to 
the  theatre  the  biggest  pictures  and  road 
show  attractions. 

The  population  of  St.  Petersburg  which  is 
about  15,000  in  the  summer  months  is  in- 
creased to  around  50,000  for  the  winter  tour- 
ist season. 

Mr.  Cooley  has  gone  to  Cuba  where  he  is 
interested   in   enlisting   Cuban   capital   in  a 
half  million  dollar  picture  theatre  in  Havana. 
*•    *  * 
St.  Louis'  Visitors 

Exhibitors  from  out-of-town  seen  along 
St.  Louis  Picture  Row  during  the  past' week- 
included  :  Bob  Stempf  le,  St.  Charles,  Mo. ; 
Bob  Bollinger,  Elvins,  Mo. ;  Charles  Horse- 
f  eld,  Union,  Mo. ;  J.  Alverson,  Logan,  111. ; 
Tom  Reed,  Duquoin,  111. ;  Jimmy  Clayton, 
West  Frankfort,  111. ;  J.  Leitz,  Mascoutah, 
111.,  and  Jim  Reilly,  Alton,  111. 

^         ij!  ^ 

Joseph  a  "U"  Manager 

New  England  exhibitors  and  exchange  men 
are  congratulating  Maurice  Joseph  on  his  ap- 
pointment as  manager  of  the  Universal  Film 
Exchange  at  New  Haven.  He  was  promoted 
from  the  same  position  about  a  year  ago. 
Charles  Scherwin,  who  was  only  in  charge 
of  the  branch  a  few  weeks,  resigned  and  Mr. 
Joseph  was  named  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

ife      >(:  sti 

Tacoma  Bars  Arbuckle 

Roscoe  (Fatty)  Arbuckle,  who  is  doing  a 
monologue  on  Pantages  circuit,  came  to  grief 
when  he  reached  Tacoma,  Wash.,  and  the 
censor  board  forbade  the  act.  Arbuckle  and 
George  Calvert,  house  manager  sought  to  ob- 
tain temporary  restraining  orders  keeping  the 
police  from  interfering  with  the  act,  but  were 
denied  in  both  the  federal  and  superior  courts. 

They  will  take  the  case  to  the  U.  S.  Court 
of  Appeals ;  but  will  make  no  further  effort 
to  show  in  Tacoma. 

Hidden  Treasure  Contest 

The  Rialto  Theatre,  Winnipeg,,  Manitoba, 
conducted  a  substantial  "Hidden  Treasure" 
stunt  during  the  presentation  of  "The  Last 
Moment"  during  the  week  of  October  20  by 
the  giving  of  "surprise  envelopes"  to  each  pa- 
tron of  the  theatre,  the  guarantee  being  given 
that  one  out  of  every  50  envelopes  contained 
an  order  for  a  pair  of  shoes  on  the  Kendall 
Shoe  Store,  365  Portage  Avenue.  Moreover, 
many  of  the  envelopes  contained  passes  to 
the  theatre.  Every  patron  received  an  en- 
velope on  entering  the  Rialto  and  there  was 
no  advance  in  prices,  the  general  admission 
being  25  cents.  Manager  Jernberg  reported 
a  big  rush  of  enthusiastic  customers  during 
the  stunt. 


Advocate  Safety  Film 

According  to  a  proposal  before  the  Associa- 
tion of  Canadian  Fire  Marshals,  the  Canadian 
Government  is  to  be  petitioned  to  pass  legisla- 
tion making  slow-burning  of  safety  film  com- 
pulsory in  all  moving  picture  projection  in 
the  Dominion. 

The  matter  was  discussed  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  association  at  Toronto  on  Oc- 
tober 24  in  an  address  by  Hickman  Price, 
representing  the  Motion  Picture  Distributors 
and  Producers  of  America,  whose  paper  was 
entitled,  "Legislation  Regulating  and  Control- 
ling Motion  Picture  Films."  Mr.  Price  point- 
ed out  that  the  "safety"  film  would  burn 
more  slowly  than  newsprint. 


Ace  Berry,  a  seasoned  showman,  well 
known  in  all  branches  of  the  industry,  of 
the  beautiful  Circle  Theatre,  Indianapolis. 


Kansas  City  Visitors 

Among  the  out-of-town  exhibitors  in  the 
Kansas  City  market  last  week  were :  C.  R. 
Hills,  Auditorium,  Smithville,  Mo.;  John 
Edlebrock,  Royal,  Eudora,  Kas. ;  M.  W. 
Reincke,  Orpheum,  St.  Joseph,  Mo. ;  Charles 
Bull,  Holland,  Witchita,  Kas.;  S.  H.  Blair, 
Majestic,  Belleville,  Kas.;  Stanley  Chambers, 
Miller,  Wichita,  Kas..;  Harry  Grief e,  Elec- 
tric, Windsor,  Mo. ;  Mrs.  S.  M.  Kennedy, 
Princess,  Kirksville,  Mo. ;  C.  E.  Storey,  Peo- 
ple's, Pleasant  Hill,  Mo. ;  J.  A.  Quincy,  Elite, 
Greenleaf,  Kas. ;  W.  D.  Kite,  Iris,  El  Dorado, 
Kas. ;  S.  C.  Andrews,  Gem,  Olathe,  Kas. ; 
N.  W.  Houston,  Liberty,  Columbus,  Kas. ; 
Ben  Hill,  City  Hall,  Belton,  Mo.;  Perry 
Jones,  Royal,  Carrollton,  Mo. 

%    ^  >k 

"Missing  Daughters"  Contest 

When  "Missing  Daughters"  was  due  for  its 
run  at  the  Tacoma  Blue  Mouse,  Vic  Gaunt- 
lett  put  on  a  snappy  contest  in  the  News- 
Tribune  on  "Why  are  Daughters  Missing?" 
The  contest  ran  but  four  days,  and  brought 
in  455  answers,  some  splendid. 

It  also  brought  plenty  of  cuts  and  stories 
in  .additions  to  the  essays.  Season  passes, 
and  loges,  etc.,  were  awarded  the  best  let- 
ters. 

Judges  state  that  many  unusually  good  re- 
plies were  received.  Vic  believes  that  the 
usual  trouble  with  these  newspaper  contests 
is  that  they  are  allowed  to  drag  along. 


Prizes  for  Advertisement 

Manager  Clemmer  of  the  Seattle  Colum- 
bia, in  a  search  for  advertising  ideas,  for 
"Butterfly,"  tied  up  with  an  evening  paper 
on  an  ad  writing  contest,  with  the  Star,  The 
Columbia  and  the  Ad  Club  as  sponsors. 

A  cash  prize  of  $25.  was  offered  for  the 
best  written  three  column  ad,  and  many  as- 
pirants tried  their  hands  with  the  result  that 
many  novel  ideas  were  gathered. 

*  *  t- 

Lakeland  Company  Expands 

The  Lakeland  Amusement  Company,  Lake- 
land, Florida,  has  embarked  upon  a  third 
building  enterprise  for  that  city  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  theatre  on  North  Kentucky 
Avenue.  E.  J.  Sparks,  B.  B.  Garner  and  M. 
C.  Tally,  who  form  the  Lakeland  Amusement 
Company,  last  week  signed  a  contract  with 
Boswell  and  Kinsinger,  leasing  for  a  term 
of  years  and  the  building  which  is  to  con- 
tain several  business  rooms  and  a  theatre. 

At  the  present  time  the  Lakeland  Amuse- 
ment Company  is  operating  only  one  house, 
the  Auditorium  Theatre,  but  by  December  the 
Palace,  which  is  near  completion  where  the  old 
Casino  formerly  stood  will  open  and  make 
the  second  and  modern  theatre  in  the  city 
representing  an  investment  of  $200,000.  of 
which  $125,000  went  into  the  theatre  building 
and  equipment,  to  be  one  of  the  handsomest 
theatres  in  the  state. 

By  January  first  the  third  building  project 
will  be  completed  giving  Lakeland  her  third 
theatre,  which  will  be  a  duplicate  of  the 
theatre-arcade  building  recently  erected  in 
Plant  City,  Florida.  There  will  be  five  busi- 
ness rooms,  19x33  feet  and  the  theatre  en- 
trance will  be.  33  feet  long.  It  will  have  a 
seating  capacity  of  550. 

*  *  * 

St.  Louis  Benefit  Concerts 

The  first  two  of  the  series  of  four  Sunday 
afternoon  symphony  concerts  at  the  Missouri 
Theatres,  Grand  Boulevard  at  Lucas  avenue 
by  Joseph  Littau  and  his  Missouri  Theatre 
Orchestra  have  netted  the  Post-Dispatch's 
Free  Ice  and  Milk  Fund  more  than  $700. 

Commenting  on  the  success  of  the  concerts, 
Herschal  Stuart,  managing  director  of  the 
Missouri,  said  that  he  was  glad  that  his 
house  could  be  the  medium  of  giving  the 
music  loving  people  of  the  city  excellent  en- 
tertainment and  at  the  same  time  aid  so 
worthy  a  charity  as  the  Free  Ice  and  Milk 
Fund  which  is  designed  primarily  to  aid  the 
babies  of  the  poorer  classes  of  the  city. 

*  *  * 

Fisher  Adds  to  Chain 

Lew  Fisher,  who  operates  theatres  in  Fort 
Edward,  Ticonderoga  and  Port  Henry, 
bought  the  Cady  Opera  House  in  Chatham, 
N.  Y,  last  week.  The  purchase  price  is  not 
known. 

Mr.  Fisher  announced  his  intention  of 
erecting  a  750-seat  house  in  Chatham  next 
spring. 

*  *  * 

Big  Demand  for  Organs 

Eugene  A.  Pfeil,  manager  of  the  Circle 
theatre,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  Buffalo's 
community  houses,  is  installing  a  new  link 
orchestral  organ  which  will  be  ready  about 
November  15. 

The  Verbeck  company  of  Buffalo  will  in- 
stall the  instrument  in  the  Circle  and  will 
also  put  Link  organs  into  the  new  Star,  An- 
gola, N.  Y.,  the  Grand  in  Westfield  and  the 
Star  in  Tonawanda.  G.  Strasser  of  the  Em- 
blem, Jefferson  at  East  Ferry,  is  now  adver- 
tising the  installation  of  a  big  Wurlitzer. 


November  15.  1021 


Page  61 


Endicott,  N.  Y.  Co-operation 

The  Better  Film  committee  of  Endicott. 
N.  V., -lias  reported  with  approval  the  follow- 
ing pictures  booked  at  the  Strand  and  Lyric 
in  that  city  :  Strand — "Covered  Wagon," 
"Code  of  the  Sea."  "American  Manners." 
"Last  of  the  Dunnes,"  "Silent  Stranger"  and 
"Tiger  Thompson."  Lyric — "Empire  Build- 
ers," "Cricket  on  Hearth."  "Extra  Girl,"  "Boy 
of  Flanders,"  "America,"  "Twenty-one," 
"Lone  Wolf,"  "Dorothy  Vernon,"  "Barbara 
Fritche,"  "Courtship  of  Miles  Standish,"  "Lit- 
tle Robinson  Crusoe"  and  "Clean  Heart." 

This  list,  the  committee  points  out,  dis- 
closes the  excellent  co-operation  received 
from  Endicott  exhibitors. 

*    *  * 

Albany  Film  Ball 

The  Armistice  Ball,  which  will  be  held  by 
the  Albany  Film  Board  of  Trade  at  the  Ho- 
tel Ten  Eyck  on  the  night  of  November  10, 
gives  every  promise  of  being  one  of  the 
most  elaborate  social  affairs  of  the  fall  sea- 
son at  the  State  Capitol. 

Tickets  to  the  dance  have  been  placed  at 
ten  dollars  a  couple.  Herman  Stern,  mana- 
ger for  F  B.  O.  in  Albany,  has  been  placed 
in  charge  of  novel  lighting  effects  which  will 
be  introduced  as  the  dance  progresses. 


Lee  A.  Ochs,  newest  contender  for  pa- 
tronage of  Broadway's  photoplay  lovers, 
who  has  arranged  with  Warner  Bros,  to 
show  their   pictures   at  the  "Piccadilly." 

Albany  Deadlock 

For  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  arbi- 
tration committee  of  the  Albany  Film  Board 
of  Trade  was  deadlocked  by  a  vote  of  three 
to  three.  The  deadlock  followed  a  long  pres- 
entation of  facts  by  Samuel  Suckno  and  Abe 
Stone,  who  are  at  odds  over  certain  matters 
which  followed  the  acquisition  of  two  thea- 
tres by  Mr.  Stone. 

It  is  now  planned  to  name  a  seventh  per- 
son, not  connected  with  the  business  to  serve 
on  the  arbitration  committee. 

New  One  for  Kingsport,  Tenn. 

Kingsport,  Tennessee,  is  to  have  a  new 
theatre,  it  is  announced  by  W.  H.  Harmon, 
manager  of  the  Nu-Strand  Corporation. 
The  new  amusement  place  will  cost  $75,000, 
and  will  open  about  January  15,  1925. 

Motion  pictures  will  be  featured  by  the 
house,  but  it  will  be  equipped  for  handling 
legitimate  productions. 

The  new  theatre,  which  has  not  yet  been 
named,  will  be  furnished  with  800  Heywood- 
Wakefield  theatre  chairs.    Of  this  number, 


Gerald  Gallagher,  General  Manger,  Picca- 
dilly Theatre,  New  York,  a  real  showman 
and   an   adept    at    theatre  management. 

600  will  be  on  the  main  floor,  while  the  bal- 
cony will  seat  200. 

A  feature  of  the  seating  arrangement  will 
be  the  row  of  boxes  extending  the  full 
length  of  the  main  floor  on  both  sides  of 
the  building.  The  balcony  will  be  provided 
with  loge  boxes.  Heywood- Wakefield  seat- 
ing experts  assisted  in  planning  the  interior 
arrangement. 

Round  Table  Briefs 

The  new  Rialto  theatre  in  Lockport,  N.  Y., 
which  is  being  constructed  by  the  Schine 
Theatrical  corporation  at  Pine  and  \Va'nut 
streets,  will  be  ready  for  the  public  in  a  few 
weeks. 

%         %L  % 

Plans  have  been  approved  for  the  new 
State  theatre  in  Elmira,  N.  Y.  They  were 
drawn  by  Leon  H.  Lempert  &  Son  of 
Rochester.  The  State  will  have  a  seating 
capacity  of  2500. 

*    *  * 

The  Olympic  theatre  in  Buffalo  which  is 
being  operated  by  Universal  has  been  under- 
going renovation  and  is  being  redecorated 
in  front.  The  house  is  now  under  the  man- 
agement of  E.  O.  Weinberg  and  is  enjoying 
excellent  business. 

The  Zicofe  Corporation  of  Buffalo,  com- 
posed of  Fred  M.  Zimmerman,  Maurice 
Cohen  and  George  Ferguson,  have  just  open- 
ed the  new  Grand  theatre  in  Westfield,  N. 
Y.  Mr.  Clare  Meecham,  formerly  at  the 
Legion  theatre  in  Wayland,  is  the  manager. 

s(:      sje  5(» 

Work  has  commenced  on  the  big  new  Shea 
motion  picture  palace  in  Main  street,  Buf- 
falo. This  theatre  will  be  the  finest  in  this 
end  of  the  state  and  will  cost  several  mil- 
lion dollars.  Its  seating  capacity  will  be 
close  to  the  5000  mark  and  it  will  be  the 
last  word  in  equipment,  decoration,  accommo- 
dation for  patrons,  music,  etc.  The  orches- 
tra will  have  a  personnel  of  at  least  65. 

♦  ♦ 

G.  M.  Ballantyne,  branch  manager  of  Fox 
Films  Ltd.,  was  down  from  Vancouver 
recently,  making  Manager  Jack  Sullivan's 
Seattle  Fox  office  his  headquarters.  Mr. 
Ballantyne  brought  H.  Quagalto  Romano, 
proprietor  of  the  Colonial,  Vancouver,  down 
with  him,  to  preview  a  number  of  the  late 
releases  at  the  Seattle  exchange. 


William  J.  Colhan  has  been  appointed  as- 
sistant general  manager  of  the  Border 
Amusement  Company,  operating  the  Mar- 
lowe, Ellen  Terry,  Star  and  other  houses  in 
Buffalo.  Mr.  Colhan  succeeds  John  Max- 
well, resigned.  Mr.  Colhan  was  formerly 
connected  with  the  company  as  manager  of 
one  of  the  chain's  houses. 

*  *  * 

Rainbolt  and  Paulding  are  now  operating 
houses  in  Cabool,  Mountain  View  and  Wi- 
nona, Mo.,  which  they  took  over  recently. 

*  %  * 

The  Opera  House  at  Sturgeon,  Mo.,  has 
been  closed. 

*  *  * 

An  epidemic  of  scarlet  fever  in  Barry, 
111.,  has  caused  the  temporary  closing  of  the 
Star  Theatre  there.  The  authorities  are 
taking  drastic  steps  to  stamp  out  the  disease. 

*  *  * 

The  Opera  House,  Edinburg,  111.,  has  been 
purchased  by  Edward  M.  Duffey. 

*  *  * 

Buel  B.  Risinger,  conductor  of  the  Howard 
Theatre  orchestra,  Atlanta,  has  sufficiently 
recovered  to  resume  his  post  at  that  theatre. 
A  complete  nervous  breakdown  confined  him 
to  his  room  for  several  weeks,  but  even  his 
physician  was  surprised  at  his  rapid  recovery 
once  he  started  toward  convalescence. 
^   ^  f 

Margaret  Livingston,  star  of  the  Chorus 
Girl  has  been  loaned  to  Universal  to  play  one 
of  the  principal  roles  in  "Up  the  Ladder." 

*  Hp  *K 

Charles  Ray  and  company  leave  this  week 
for  Yuma,  Arizona,  to  take  some  of  the  ex- 
terior scenes  for  "The  Desert  Fiddler." 

Alan  Roscoe  is  enjoying  a  brief  vacation 

after  having   finished  the  leading  role  for 

Columbian  Pictures.  He  played  opposite 
Elaine  Hammerstein. 

^  ^ 

Barbara  Bedford  has  signed  a  two-year 
contract  with  Ince  and  is  now  playing  op- 
posite Charles  Ray  in  "The  Desert  Fiddler." 


John  Hammons,  organist  at  the  "Piccadilly 
Theatre,"  New  York,  who  aids  in  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  pictures  at  this  theatre. 


Danny  in  Film  Daily: 


"The  big  point  on  which  any  exhibitor 
must  live — or  perish — is  not  one  or  two 
big,  fine  pictures  which  come  alone  inter- 
mittently, but  doggone  good,  worthwhile 
pictures  with  entertainment  in  them 
week  after  week" 


City  That  Never  Sleeps  North  of  36 


-AND  ALL  THE  FAMOUS  FORTY 

tfaramjcumt  ffuzlurcs 


Manhandled 

Wanderer  of  Wasteland 
Changing  Husbands 
Monsieur  Beaucaire 
The  Enemy  Sex 
The  Covered  Wagon 
Sinners  in  Heaven 
The  Alaskan 
A  Sainted  Devil 


Feet  of  Clay 
Empty  Hands 
The  Fast  Set 
The  Border  Legion 
Story  Without  a  Name 
Merton  of  the  Movies 
Wages  of  Virtue 
Manhattan 
Forbidden  Paradise 


Tongues  of  Flame 
Locked  Doors 
The  Golden  Bed 


Argentine  Love 

East  of  Suez 

A  Man  Must  Live 


THE  SECOND  FAMOUS  VOKW  is  coming  soon/ 


November  15,  1924  Page  63 

^artiniLHHiHiiHmi«iiiw(4iNiuiumt!iniiJiumMiim!ti{iii!  nil  it  rnii[iimnintiininjMM;i  n  mi  :  i  i  n--  m  iimi  m  ii'i  ipiliim  m.m  n:,,-  ,'m:  :MM!i  mm  minim  n  i  iihiiih  iiiiiuiimiiimiiimimiii^ 

I   ^ried  and  Proved  Pictures  I 

Ihhiimiiiiihiiiiiiiiii  immmiiiimHiiiiimiiimiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiH   i  i  imiiiiiimmii  iinmiiii  limn  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiKiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiim 


IF  I  OWNED  A  THEATRE 


I'd  Use  Tried  and  Proved  Pictures 

One  Week  Each  Month  To  Make  Up  Says 

The  Difference  In  the  High  Cost  HARRY  KERRY 

Of  First  Run  Feature  Productions 


IF  I  owned  a  theatre  I  would 
run  it  with  the  sole  idea  of  mak- 
ing money.  And  in  order  to 
make  money  I  would  have  to  build 
up  good-will  and  that  would  come 
only  through  satisfied  patrons. 

I  would  aim  to  run  my  theatre 
in  such  a  way  that  it  would  bear 
a  reputation  for  consistently  good 
entertainment  and  after  I  had 
won  that  distinction  I  would  do 
my  darndest  to  keep  it. 

It  costs  money  to  run  "Covered 
Wagons"  and  "Thiefs  of  Bagdad" 
but  I  would  feel  obligated  to  give 
my  patrons  the  best  possible  at- 
tractions, for  I  would  be  aiming 
at  that  valuable  asset,  "good-will." 

But,  every  month  I  would  have 
an  Old  Home  Week  and  bring 
one  of  the  pictures  that  had 
proved  its  value  and  I'd  get  it  at 
a  cheap  enough  rental  to  allow 
me  to  book  the  big  ones  in  betweeen. 

I  would  let  it  be  known  that  every 
month  I  would  bring  back  an  old  friend 
and  I  would  ask  for  suggestions  as  to 
what  pictures  my  patrons  wanted  for  a 
return  engagement.  I'd  take  my  pa- 
trons into  my  confidence  and  make  them 
part  of  the  scheme  of  things.  I 
would  try  to  make  them  feel  that  they 
were  a  vital  part  of  my  theatre  organi- 
zation. 

Do  you  think  I  would  book  the  pic- 
ture and  then  let  it  work  out  its  own 
destiny?  Nay,  nay,  Brother !  I'd  give 
as  much  care  and  detail  to  advertising 
and  exploiting  the  Tried  and  Proved 
production  that  I  would  give  to  any 
first  run.  Probably  more,  because  I 
would  be  getting  a  cheaper  rental  and 
could  afford  to  spread  myself  a  little. 


WOULD  Shakespeare  have  be- 
come immortal  if  lovers  of 
literature  had  been  satisfied  to 
have  seen  his  plays  or  read  his  writ- 
ings but  once?  Not  so  you  could 
notice  it!  Shakespearian  plays  have 
been  before  the  public  year  after 
year  for  several  centuries  and  the 
following  of  the  Bard  is  growing 
larger. 

His  plays  are  certainly  Tried  and 
Proved  and  they  have  the  same 
drawing  power  year  after  year.  Pic- 
tures can  be  made  to  live  and  it  is 
only  vanity  that  makes  exhibitors 
play  up  the  first  runs  and  neglect 
pictures  that  have  proven  themselves 
classics. 


I  would  take,  for  instance,  Para- 
mount's  Tried  and  Proved  success, 
"Back  Home  and  Broke,"  featuring 
Thomas  Meighan.  There  are  many  op- 
portunities for  exploitation  and  publi- 
city and  I  would  work  them  all  to  the 
limit. 

Thomas  Meighan  is  one  of  the  great- 
est favorites  of  the  screen  and  I'd  play 
up  his  name  to  the  limit.  I  would 
start  advertising  his  arrival  weeks  in  ad- 
vance and  I'd  keep  pounding  at  the 
name  Thomas  Meighan  until  it  became 
a  household  word. 


THE  picture  has  to  deal  with  a  chap 
who  left  home  to  try  his  luck  in 
other  fields.  He  strikes  it  rich  and  re- 
turns to  his  home  town  and  gives  the 


impression  that  he  has  failed  and 
thus  finds  who  are  his  real  friends. 

This  gives  an  opportunity  to  tie- 
up  with  newspapers  in  giving 
brief  sketches  of  boys  who  have 
left  the  native  town  and  struck  it 
rich.  Find  the  names  of  those 
who  have  found  fame  and  for- 
tune abroad  and  the  newspapers 
will  eat  it  up. 

I  would  stage  contests  for  the 
best  essays  on  the  psychology  of 
why  boys  succeed  after  they  leave 
their  home  towns  and  also  the 
psychology  that  finally  brings 
them  back.  Literary  Clubs  might 
be  induced  to  stage  debates  on 
the  questions. 

I  would  obtain  large  cut-outs 
of  Thomas  Meighan  and  place 
them  in  the  lobby.  I  would  tie- 
up  with  clothing  stores  to  display 
the  latest  fashions  and  display  a 
sign  bearing  the  inscription  "Clothes 
are  a  good  investment  toward  success. 
See  'Back  Home  and  Broke'  at  the 
Blank  Theatre." 

I  would  tie-up  with  shoe  stores. 
A  display  of  shoes  with  a  card  bearing 
the  words  "You  will  not  go  broke  buy- 
ing our  shoes,  but  you  will  receive  the 
highest  quality.  See  'Back  Home  and 
Broke'  at  the  Blank  Theatres." 

I  would  get  a  dilapidated  flivver  and 
place  a  sign  on  the  back  of  it  "Back 
Home  and  Broke,"  and  I  would  have 
the  driver  dressed  in  tattered  clothing. 
If  possible  I  would  get  an  old  horse 
and  buggy  and  place  a  sign  on  it. 

I  would  howl  to  the  heavens  that  I 
had  the  best  picture  in  town  and  I'd 
pack  'em  in. 


Page  64 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


j|  /TONSIEUR  BEAUCAIRE,"  has 
VI  one  of  those  perfect  "tie- 
ups."  This  one  is  around  the 
neck.  Paramount  has  made  a  hook-up 
with  J.  I.  Gumpert  &  Sons,  manufac- 
turers of  neck-ties  with  a  long  string  of 
small  town  dealers.  They  are  specializ- 
ing in  a  medium  priced  cravat  at  this 
time,  which  through  the  persuasion  of 
Paramount  they  are  calling  "Monsieur 
Beaucaire."  This  is  what  we  unmis- 
takably call  a  good  "tie-up." 

*  *  * 

A  SKIN  GAME 

Rick  Ricketson,  of  Paramount  has  a 
window  card  which  will  get  extensive 
circulation  in  the  Salt  Lake  territory. 
"Rick"  has  tied-up  with  the  American 
Hide  and  Fur  Company  who  have 
printed  10,000  window  cards  illustrated 
with  a  three  column  stock  cut  from  the 
press-sheet  of  Thomas  Meighan  in 
"The  Alaskan"  which  reads: 

"  'The  Alaskan'  sends  his  hides,  furs 
and  pelts  to  the  American  Hide  and 
Fur  Company." 

The  card  is  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
window  card,  printed  black  on  white, 
and  will  get  its  chief  circulation  in  the 
back  country  where  the  trappers  and 
buyers  are  very  numerous. 

Look's  like  a  skin  game. 

*  *  * 

•HUNCHBACK" FRONT 

When  "The  Hunchback  of  Notre 
Dame"  was  recently  presented  in  Lon- 
don at  the  Rivoh  Theatre,  a  novel 
bit  of  exploitation 
was  used  during  the 
run  of  the  picture. 
The  entire  front  of 
the  theatre  was 
dressed  up  to  resem- 
ble the  exterior  of 
the  famous  Cathe- 
dral. This  replica 
of  Notre  Dame 
measures  58  feet 
high  by  52  feet  wide. 
The  central  rose 
window  was  made 
in  imitation  glass, 
and  when  lit  up  at 
night  illuminated  the 
entire  street.  An 
impersonator 
of  "The  Hunch- 
back" was  stationed 
in  front  of  this  win- 
dow, and  the  belfry 
rang  at  intervals 
when  Quasimodo 
appeared  at.  the  win- 
dow ledge  and  at- 
tracted thousands. 


POTASH  IN  MEXICO 

It  takes  the  theatre  managers  in 
Mexico  City  to  put  over  a  picture  in  a 
real  big  way.  Recently  the  manage- 
ment of  the  twelve  leading  movie- 
houses  in  Mexico,  announced  the  com- 
ing of  First  National's  Picture,  "Potash 


Service 

WAITING  in  the  lobby  of 
the  Piccadilly  Theatre, 
New  York,  for  a  friend. 
Friend  late,  as  usual.  Doorman 
speaks  to  usher.  Usher  ap- 
proaches— salutes.  "Pardon, 
sir,  but  if  you're  waiting  for 
some  one  won't  you  come  in- 
side and  be  seated.  Describe 
your  friend  and  the  doorman 
will  be  glad  to  notify  him." 
That's  service.  Congratulations 
Manager  Morris. 


and  Perlmutter"  as  one  "that  had  set 
the  cities  of  the  United  States  laughing 
and  weeping,  and  had  stacked  the 
crowds  on  the  sidewalks  in  many  places 
because  they  were  too  dense  to  get  into 
the  showhouses."  Later  the  screen  of 
the  twelve  theatres,  by  slides  and  trail- 
ers, announced  the  coming  of  "Alegrias 
Triztezas"  (as  the  Mexican  Potash 
was  called).  Thus  did  the  two  famous 


A  window  in  Saks  Department  Store,  New  York  City,  that  brought  business  to  store 
and  patrons  to  the  theatre  showing  Principal  Pictures  Corp.'s  "Captain  January." 


characters  make  their  bow  in  Mexico. 
They  literally  "knocked  them  dead." 


TWO  TOWN  SHOWING 

Working  the  Troy  Theatre,  Troy,  N. 
Y.  and  the  Strand,  Albany,  on  a  day 
and  date  engagement  of  Paramount's 
"Monsieur  Beaucaire,"  Corbin  Shield, 
assisted  U.  S.  Hill,  managing  director 
of  the  Strand,  and  Walter  Roberts 
manager  of  the  Troy  in  getting  several 
good  window  displays  in  both  towns. 
Troy  is  twenty  minutes  from  Albany 
on  the  trolley. 

In  Albany  the  leading  music  store 
was  told  the  idea  of  making  a  display 
of  "Red  Red  Rose,"  the  music  for  the 
picture  written  by  Mel  Shauer.  In 
Troy  a  large  clothing  store  cooperated 
with  a  window  using  stills  and  a  large 
card  reading: 

"Rudolph  Valentin  o — the  best 
dressed  man  on  the  screen — see  him  in 
the  Paramount  Picture,  'Monsieur 
Beaucaire'  at  the  Troy  Theatre.  Always 
look  your  best.  We  carry  the  latest 
fashions  in  men's  clothes." 

In  Troy,  Shield  assisted  Roberts  in 
mounting  a  twenty-four  sheet  cut-out 
and  some  spotlights  over  the  canopy  of 
the  theatre. 

*    *  * 

SURPRISE  WEEK 

Ace  Berry,  manager  of  the  Circle 
Theatre,  Indianapolis,  is  a  real  show- 
man, and  puts  over  stunts  that  publicize 
his  theatre  as  well  as 
its  attractions.  He 
thought  up  a  novel 
idea  recently  and 
used  it  during  the 
week  he  played  First 
National's  "In 
Every  Woman's 
Life.'" 

The  thought  was 
to  merely  advertise 
"Surprise  Week" 
and  not  name  the 
photoplay  at  all.  Of 
course,  he  did  de- 
scribe the  picture 
saying  it  was  a  mag- 
nificent society  dra- 
ma with  an  excellent 
cast  and  so  on.  The 
response  of  the  the- 
atre's patrons  was 
most  satisfying  to 
the  management — 
and  the  show  was 
satisfying  to  the  pa- 
trons. 


November  15,  1924 


TRIED  AND  PROVED  PICTURES 


Page  65 


Abraham  Lincoln 

To  get  a  tie  up  between  the  educa- 
tional authorities  in  Lebanon,  Pa.,  and 
the  showing  of  a  motion  picture  in  that 
city  has  always  been  like  trying  to  bore 
a  hole  through  Gibraltar  and  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  exploitation 
man  to  accomplish  the  feat  goes  to  C. 
C.  Pippin,  who  had  charge  of  the  ex- 
ploitation there  of  "Abraham  Lincoln," 
one  of  First  National's  five  specials. 

After  conferring  with  the  head  of- 
ficials of  the  Board  of  Education  and 
convincing  them  of  the  exceptional 
educational  value  attached  to  the  pic- 
ture, Pippin  arranged  a  private  show- 
ing of  the  picture  to  which  he  invited 
the  teachers  and  principals  of  the 
grammar  and  high  schools,  members  of 
the  clergy,  and  the  heads  of  Albright 
and  the  Lebanon  Valley  College.  Fol- 
lowing the  showing  of  the  picture,  Pip- 
pin held  a  conference  with  the  school 
authorities  the  result  of  which  was  a  tie 
up  such  as  was  never  before  accom- 
plished. 

Each  teacher  was  furnished  with  a 
specially  printed  and  numbered  ticket, 
which  entitled  the  pupils  to  admission 
to  the  Academy  of  Music  for  fifty 
cents,  just  half  the  regular  admission 
price.  These  tickets  were  issued  for  the 
opening  performance,  but  the  teachers, 
in  their  talks  to  the  students  the  next 
day,  created  so  much  interest  in  the  pic- 
ture, the  demand  for  more  student  tick- 
ets became  so  great  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  extend  the  student  ticket  priv- 
ilege for  the  balance  of  the  engagement. 

Navigator  Tie-Up 

By  tying  up  a  showing  of  Buster 
Keaton's  "The  Navigator,"  at  Loew's 
Vendome  Theatre,  Nashville,  Tenn., 
with  a  special  enlistment  week  held 
there  by  the  U.  S.  Navy  and  U.  S. 
Marines,  C.  D.  Haug,  of  Metro-Gold- 
wyn,  procured  unexcelled  publicity  for 
the  picture.  Tremendous  business  was 
done  by  the  Vendome  Theatre  in  conse- 
quence of  this  campaign. 

Haug  arranged  with  the  Navy  and 
the  Marines  that  everyone  enlisting 
during  special  enlistment  week  should 
receive  a  pass  to  the  picture,  and  in- 
duced the  officials  in  charge  to  adver- 
tise this  circumstance.  One-sheets  of 
Keaton,  in  sailor  costume,  consequent- 
ly appeared  on  a  special  enlistment 
booth  up  town  exploiting  the  arrange- 
ment, and  permission  was  given  to 
Haug  to  use  the  Navy  and  Marine 
boards  all  over  the  city  for  posting 
similar  one-sheets  advertising  "The 
Navigator."  The  Marines  played  Van- 
derbilt  on  the  foot-ball  field,  and  Haug 
succeeded  in  inducing  Sergeant  Scott, 
of  the  Marines,  to  place  heralds  ex- 
ploiting the  picture  in  the  5,00(3  pro- 
grams distributed  at  the  game.  Fifteen 
one-sheet  cut-outs,  of  Keaton  in  sailor 
costume,  were  borne  aloft  on  sticks  and 


banners  in  the  parade  before  the  game 
which  was  accompanied  by  a  100  piece 
band.  "The  Navigator"  had  a  smooth 
voyage. 

*    *  * 

World  Series  Tie-Up 

Manager  "Tod"  Browning  of  Gor- 
don's Olympia  Theatre,  New  Haven, 
got  a  good  deal  of  newspaper  publicity 
for  his  showing  of  First  National's 
"Tarnish"  by  arranging  with  the  New 
Haven  Union  to  have  the  newspaper's 
reports  on  the  world  series  of  baseball 
games  announced  in  the  theatre  play 
by  play,  through  the  medium  of  the 
Amrad  Radio.  The  Union  carried  two 
column  boxes  on  its  front  pages  an- 
nouncing its  reports  of  the  games 
would  be  thus  announced  in  case  rain 
made  it  impossible  to  run  the  Player 
Board  on  top  of  the  Union  building. 

The  fact  that  "Tarnish"  was  the  at- 


Par  amount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY — Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Moreno  and  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goe?  out  of  style. 


traction  at  the  Olympia  was  mentioned 
in  every  front  page  box  announcing  the 
Union's  reports  of  the  championship 
games. 

*    *  * 

Pirate  Bally 

In  showing  the  Sea  Hawk  at  the  Lib- 
erty Theatre,  Long  Beach,  Cal.,  Mana- 
ger F.  L.  Brown  used  novel  stunts 
which  resulted  in  a  two  weeks'  showing. 

Here  are  some  of  the  things  he  did  to 
boost  The  Sea  Hawk. 

A  street  ballyhoo  in  the  shape  of  a 
man  dressed  as  a  pirate  with  an  ugly 
scar  across  his  forehead,  was  sent  roam- 
ing over  the  city. 

The  girl  ushers  were  dressed  up  as 
pirates. 

A  boys'  party  was  given  on  Saturday 
night  in  a  tie  up  with  the  local  paper 
and  The  Boy's  Shop.  It  included  a 
parade  with  a  band,  and  every  thing. 


WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY  ?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLESS  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNlMv 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age. 


Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box  Office  Hall  of  Records 


Page  66 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 


I AM  just  informed  that  the  manage- 
ment of  the  DeLuxe  Theatre  at 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  has  recently 
installed  a  Simplex  Mazda  incandes- 
cent equipment  to  replace  two  arcs  us- 
ing each  65  amperes  direct  current  at  a 
throw  of  117  feet.  This  equipment  is 
giving  very  good  results  at  this  long 
projection  throw. 

Projection  results  are  very  pleasing 
at  this  theatre.  Change-overs  are  very 
good  and  the  light  is  well-handled  and 
bright  at  all  times.  The  picture  is 
steady  on  the  screen  and  the  focus  is 
very  good. 

Questions  and  Answers 

What  is  the  best  way  to  clean  a  pro- 
jector if  you  happen  to  have  a  fire? 

Ans.  A  projector  can  be  very  easily 
cleaned  by  washing  the  parts  with  or- 
dinary peroxide  of  hydrogen,  which 
may  be  purchased  at  any  drug  store. 
The  metal  parts  should  be  washed  with 
same  with  a  clean  rag. 

What  is  the  safe  carrying  capacity 
of  copper  wires? 

Ans.  All  wires  will  heat  when  a 
current  of  electricity  passes  through 
them.  The  greater  the  amount  of  cur- 
rent or  the  smaller  the  wire,  the  great- 
er will  be  the  heating  effect.  The  large 
wires  are  heated  comparatively  more 
than  the  small  wires  which  is  because 
the  latter  have  relatively  greater  radi- 
ating surface. 

The  temperature  of  a  copper  wire 
increases  approximately  as  the  square 
of  current,  and  inversely  as  the  cube 
of  the  diameter  of  the  wire. 

From  these  considerations  it  must 
be  clear  to  the  projectionist  that  it  is 
very  important  not  to  overload  conduc- 
tors in  order  to  secure  efficient  work- 
ing, and  to  risk  fire  on  inside  installa- 
tions. 

What  is  meant  by  circulars  mils? 

Ans.  This  is  the  unit  of  measure- 
ment in  measuring  the  cross  sectional 
area  of  wires  is  the  circular  mil ;  it  is 
the  area  of  a  circle  one  mil  (.001  in.)  in 
diameter. 

The  area  of  a  wire  in  circular  mds 
is  equal  to  the  square  of  the  diameter 
in  mils.  This  is  very  important  meas- 
urement that  every  projectionist  should 
know  in  his  daily  work. 

About  Film  Inspection 

IT  is  the  duty  of  every  film  exchange 
to  send  their  films  out  thoroughly 
inspected  so  that  they  will  go  through 
the  machine  without  a  lot  of  very  un- 
necessary stops.    Remember  that  the 


Optics  Practical  Ideas  and  Electricity 
  By  WESLEY  TROUT   


exhibitor  pays  for  this  service  along 
with  the  rental  price  of  his  film,  and 
when  an  exchange  fails  to  do  this,  it  is 
a  great  injustice  to  the  exhibitor  who 
expects  to  receive  his  film  in  runnable 
condition. 

Where  occasional  instances  the  film 
exchange  may  not  have  sufficient  time 
to  make  repairs  the  exchange  may  be 
excused,  provided  it  places  in  the  film 
box  with  the  films  a  card  stating  that 
the  film  has  not  been  examined  and  re- 
paired as  it  should  be.  There  are 
times  that  the  film  exchange  just  has 
time  to  get  the  film  Out  on  first  train 
and  does  not  have  the  time  to  put  the 
film  in  Al  condition. 

By  no  stretch  of  imagination  can  it 
be  deemed  the  duty  of  the  exhibitor 
or  projectionist  to  repair  films  received 
from  the  exchange  in  bad  repair,  and 
the  exchange  simply  is  not  doing  its 
duty  if  they  don't  try  and  put  film  in 
good  runable  condition  for  the  ex- 
hibitor and  projectionist. 

It  is  utterly  impossible  for  the  pro- 
jectionist to  secure  perfect  projection 
unless  the  film  be  itself  in  perfect  me- 
chanical condition  when  it  has  wide, 
stiff,  or  loose  splices,  mis-frames, 
ripped  sprocket  holes,  etc.  A  film  ex- 
change should  caution  their  people  in 
inspecting  and  repairing  films  to  not 
run  through  the  films  in  a  slip-shod 
manner;  to  take  their  time  and  go  over 
the  film  right ;  remove  every  bad  splice 
and  misframe  ;  pack  the  films  correctly 
in  their  boxes  when  shipping.  You 
cannot  inspect  a  film  by  going  through 
it  at  race  horse  speed,  can  you  Mr. 
Exchangeman  ? 

IT  is  the  duty  of  every  projectionist 
to  ship  his  films  out  to  brother  pro- 
jectionist in  the  best  condition  pos- 
sible, and  remember  that  if  there  are 
some  bad  splices  or  places,  just  slip  a 
little  note  in  the  box  telling  him  about 
it  and  some  day  he  may  be  able  to  re- 
turn the  favor  for  you.  It  will  only 
take  a  minute  to  do  this.  Also  be  sure 
and  pack  the  films  back  in  the  box 
with  their  proper  bands  and  put  the 
bands  on  right.  In  this  way  you  will 
receive  better  prints  and  co-operation 
from  exchanges,  etc. 

Projection  Carbons 

In  setting  carbons  for  direct  cur- 
rent the  all  important  feature  is  to  ob- 
tain on  the  upper  carbon  of  your  arc 
lamp  a  well  defined  crater  directly  fac- 
ing the  collector  condenser.  Any  set- 
ting that  will  secure  and  maintain  this 


position  is  very  satisfactory  and  the 
following  is  but  a  suggestion  based 
upon  general  experience. 

On  direct  current  both  of  your  car- 
bons should  slant  backward  at  an  angle 
of  about  30  degrees.  For  starting,  the 
carbons  should  be  exactly  centered — 
that  is,  so  that  a  line  through  the  cen- 
ter of  one  carbon  would  pass  through 
the  center  of  the  other  one.  The  dis- 
tance between  the  two  carbons  varies 
from  3/16  of  an  inch  to  1/2  inch,  de- 
pending wholly  upon  the  varying 
strength  of  the  current  used  at  the  arc, 
and  must  be  determined  by  each  pro- 
jectionist himself  for  the  best  results. 

Carbons  on  A.  C. 

ON  the  alternating  current  the  two 
carbons  of  the  same  diameter  are 
placed  at  the  same  angle  (30  degrees) 
as  for  direct  current.  I  would  advise 
the  projectionist  to  use  a  very  slight 
"jacknife"  set  when  using  alternating 
current  as  you  will  secure  a  better  light 
with  this  kind  of  a  set.  The  carbons 
should  be  in  perfect  alignment  and 
burned  closer  together  than  with  direct 
current.  Don't  freeze  your  carbons  at 
any  time. 

When  the  carbons  are  perfectly  ad- 
justed a  crater  will  form  on  both  the 
upper  and  lower  carbons,  and  they 
should  face  the  collector  condenser  as 
squarely  as  possible. 

Carbon  Jaws 

Remember  that  it  is  necessary  that 
the  carbon  jaws  of  your  lamp  be  kept 
clean  to  secure  the  best  results  on 
either  A.  C.  or  D.  C.  current.  Use  a 
file  each  day  on  them  and  you  will  se- 
cure a  better  light  and  a  brighter  pic- 
ture. 

*  *  * 

Ed.  Brady  will  open  his  new  theatre 
at  San  Benito,  Texas,  about  November 
10.  The  building  will  be  modern  and 
up  to  date  in  every  particular. 

*  *  * 

C.  C.  Lindsey  will  open  his  new 
theatre  at  Lubbock,  Texas,  November 
15. 

*  *  * 

D.  J.  Young  has  installed  a  new 
screen  in  his  Dittman  Theatre  at 
Brownsville,  Texas. 

*  *  * 

Complete  state  equipment,  including 
scenery,  parlor  and  woodland  sets  and 
front  curtain,  has  been  bought  by  O. 
Gill,  owner  of  the  Tophic  and  Strand 
Theatres  at  Honey  Grove,  Texas. 


November  753  1924 


Page  67 


Equipment  Notes 


SCREEN  BRUSH 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  drive  patrons 
from  your  theatre  is  to  throw  the  pic- 
ture on  a  dirty  screen  which  gives  a 
dark  effect  to  the  picture  and  hurts  the 
eyes  of  the  audience. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  a  dirty 
screen.  If  the  screen  is  cleaned  daily 
with  a  brush  it  will  never  have  an  op- 
portunity to  collect  a  film  of  dust  and 
thus  hurt  the  pictures. 

The  United  Theatres  Equipment 
Corporation  puts  out  a  brush  that  will 
keep  the  screen  clean.  The  brush  is 
mounted  on  a  long  handle  and  re- 
quires but  a  few  minutes  to  give  the 
screen  a  clean  bill  of  health. 


FRAME  LIGHTS 

Unless  your  lobby  frames  are  prop- 
erly lighted  they  are  a  dead  loss.  Even 
if  they  are  placed  in  a  part  of  the  lobby 
that  is  comparatively  well  lighted,  they 
may  be  at  such  an  angle  that  the  light 
does  not  strike  them  properly  and  the 
effect  is  lost. 

Lights,  such  as  those  used  on  orches- 
tra music  racks,  can  be  attached  to 
the  top  of  each  frame  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  throw  the  light  downward  and 
give  excellent  results. 

An  electrical  connection  can  be  placed 
in  the  base  of  the  wall  of  the  lobby  and 
the  light  can  be  disconnected  each  night 
when  the  frames  are  taken  into  the  the- 
atre. 

Westinghouse  Electric  can  furnish 
the  proper  lights. 


LAMP  PROTECTORS 

Do  you  have  any  idea  of  the  number 
of  electric  bulbs  that  are  replaced  in 
your  theatre  owing  to  careless  bump- 
ing? If  your  theatre  Ls  of  any  size, 
the  breakage  is  an  item  of  no  small  im- 
portance. 

Bulbs  used  in  projection  rooms, 
workrooms  and  boiler  rooms  should  be 
protected  by  wire  guards.  Guards  can 
be  had  in  any  size  and  they  are  easily 
adjusted  to  fit  the  bulbs. 

General  Electric  Company  manufac- 
tures a  variety  of  guards. 


RADIATOR  HUMIDORS 

Unless  the  air  in  your  theatre  is  pure 
your  patrons  will  never  find  the  com- 
fort they  should  while  visiting  your 
show  house.  One  of  the  many  causes 
for  bad  air  is  the  lack  of  humidity. 
This  comes  from  dry  heat  of  radiators. 

There  is  a  small  attachment  on  the 
market,  that  fits  on  the  back  of  a  radia- 
tor and  gives  forth  the  proper  amount 
of  moisture  without  any  care  except 
occasionally  filling  it  with  water. 

The  attachment  is  sort  of  a  flat  tank 
that  hooks  the  radiator  out  of  sight  and 
the  heat  from  the  radiator  causes  the 
water  to  evaporate  sufficiently  to  give 
the  right  humidity. 

The  National  Radiator  Company 
manufactures  one  of  these  attachments 
that  is  very  efficient. 


BOOTH  SHUTTERS 

Have  some  consideration  for  your 
cashier  this  winter.  Do  not  force  her 
to  sit  in  a  glass  booth  with  a  cold  wind 
blowing  through  the  ticket  window. 

There  is  a  small  arrangement  on  the 
market  that  is  fastened  over  the  hole  in 
the  window  through  which  the  tickets 
are  ordered.  It  is  a  megaphone  arrange- 
ment with  the  horn  extending  outward 
several  inches.  The  inside  is  equipped 
with  a  small  sliding  door  that  swings 
out  of  the  way  at  the  slightest  touch 
and  when  released  flies  back  into  posi- 
tion cutting  off  the  outside  air. 

The  United  Theatres  Equipment 
Company  will  send  you  a  catalog  show- 
ing this  newest  appliance. 


STEAM  PIPE  COVERS 

The  coal  bill,  in  almost  any  theatre,  is 
a  matter  of  importance.  When  the  cold 
weather  hits  and  you  begin  shoveling 
coal  into  that  ever  hungry  furnace  you 
will  begin  to  envy  the  Southern  ex- 
hibitor whose  coal  bills  are  nill. 

One  way  to  combat  the  hungry  fur- 
nace is  to  insulate  the  steam  pipes 
against  loss  of  heat.  Johns-Manville 
manufacture  asbestos  covers  for  steam 
pipes  that  will  cut  the  heating  expense 
to  a  very  noticeable  degree. 

The  covers  are  easily  installed  and 
last  for  years. 


Consolidated  Certified  Prints 


LAST  LONGEST 


The  CONSOLIDATED  FILM  INDUSTRIES,  Inc. 


NEW  YORK 


729  Seventh  Avenue 


LOS  ANGELES 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCtUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT  TWENTY-  EjCHT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE 

ROLL  (SSI  FOLDED 


ArcusTTcket/2 

/  352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE  W 


TICKETS 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  best  tor  the  least  money  "     quickest  de livery       correctness  v.:ua;;antee;d 


Page  68 

Slides  &  Announcements 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


RadiO -Vvl^- Mat 

PATENTED 


50  RADIO-MATS 
WHITE,  AMBER  cr  GREEU, 


At  your  Dealer. 


is  the  Stationery  of  the  Screen 


Hotel  Accommodations 


IEMPIREJ 


New  York's  newest  and  most 
beautifully  furnished  hotel - 
_accomodatin§  1034- Quests 

Broadway  ar  63- Street. 

ROOM  WITH  PRIVATE  BATH- 

$350 

v  ALL  OUTSIDE  ROOMS  „ 


jHotelljarJitna 

54  -  ST.,  AT  BROADWAY 
NEW  YORK  CITY 

SINGLE  ROOM  WITH  BATH  $325 
TWO  ROOM  SUITE  $©22 
EXCELLENT  RESTAURANT 


General  Supplies 


WELDED  WIRE 
REELS 

.  .    For  Salt  by 

Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co., 

740  7th  Arc;  New  York 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

'      Will  help  you  increase  sale? 

Send  for  FREE  catalog  giving 
countaandprlceaon  classified  names 
or  yourbest  prospective  customers— 
National,  State,  Local— Individuals, 
Professions,  Business  Firms. 

QQCV  Guaranteed   C  £ 
yy/O  by  refund  of  J  peach 

676N 
»S1K 


Classified  Opportunities 


LASSIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


Positions  Wanted 


POSITION  wanted  by  experienced  projectionist. 
Ivan  Fry,  Box  382,  Minerva,  Ohio. 


YOUNG  MAN  desires  position  offering  advance- 
ment. With  Film  Exchange  or  Export,  Eleven 
years  experience  in  industry.  Box  A.  B.,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 


For  R< nt 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Can.iras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


Miscellaneous 


THE  SMALL  SUM  that  it  costs  to  insert  an  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Classified  Section  of  EXHIBI- 
TORS TRADE  REVIEW  enables  you  to  place 
your  desires  in  the  minds  of  men  who  are  always 
interested  in  a  good  proposition. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Rubv  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  N«w 
York. 


Theatre  Wanted 


WANTED:  Moving  Picture  Theatre  in  town  of 
2,000  or  larger.  Have  the  cash.  Address,  W.  J. 
Themer,  Box  51,  Kankakee,  111. 

WANTED:  PICTURE  THEATRE  OR  COM- 
BINATION HOUSE  offering  possibilities.  Strictest 
investigation  required.  Have  cash.  F.  F.  Von 
Court,   Princeton.   W.  Va. 


Help  Wanted 


WANTED  FILM  SALESMAN,  for  Carolina  and 
Virginia  territory.  Film  Booking  Co.,  Richmond, 
Virginia. 


Supplies 


MIDWESTERN  EXHIBITORS!  !— Your  new  the- 
atre supply  house  is  the  MIDWEST  THEATRE 
SUPPLY  COMPANY,  122^4  N.  Market  Street, 
WICHITA,  KANSAS.  A  complete  line  of  sup- 
plies.   Send  for  Catalogue  TODAY. 


Musical  Instruments 


15  ELECTRIC  PIANOS,  $50.00,  $150.00,  $285.00, 

latest  rolls.  Band  and  Orchestra  instruments,  low 
prices.  Musical  Instrument  Supply  Co.,  70  So.  8th 
St.,   Minneapolis,  Minn. 

ORGAN  FOR  SALE.  Beautiful  new  self-playing 
Link  Pipe  Organ.  Meets  every  requirement  of  the 
pictures.  Operated  from  booth  or  elsewhere.  Can- 
not be  played  by  hand.  Library  of  new  music  rolls. 
Wilbor  A.  Shea,  83  Water  Street,  Eastport,  Maine. 


For  Sale 


NEW  5x7  CONTESSA  NETTLE  CAMERA,  trop- 
itcal  finish,  Carl  Ziess  f4,  5  lens,  3  plate  holders 
and  film  pack  adapter,  $125.  List,  $295.  New  Carl 
Zeiss  Telephoto  lens.  45  cmm.,  $33.  List  price,  $75. 
WM.  FARRELL,  272  FJmbush  Extension,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.    Phone  Triangle-8073. 


FEW  TEXT  BOOKS  on  Motion  Picture  Elec- 
tncity,  Projection  and  Photography.  Bargains. 
Howells  Cine  Equipment  Co.,  740 — 7th  Ave  New 
York,  N.  Y. 


POWERS  NO.  5  MECHANISM,  in  Al  shape 
ready  to  run,  slightly  used,  price  is  very  reasonable' 
Mechanism  $30.  Rheostat,  slightly  used,  40  to  50 
amperes,  $15.  Small  rheostat,  25  amps.,  good  con. 
dition  $7.  Powers  Arc  Lamp  without  base,  good 
condition,  complete  $12.50.  Cash  with  order.  W 
TROUT,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


SIMPLEX       INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

fach  $4.25;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each 
$4 ;  Edison  or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprockets, 
each  $4.45.  Take-up  or  Feed  sprockets  for  Powers, 
Simplex,  Edison  or  Motiograph,  each  $2.88  Baird 
Rewind,  complete  $7.25.  Condensers,  any  focus 
Piano  Convex,  each  $1.25;  Menicus  or  Bi-Convex 
each  $1.55.  All  the  above  goods  are  BRAND  NEW 
and  SENT  POSTAGE  PREPAID.  CASH 
WITH  ORDER.  This  is  complete  list  of  supplies 
we  handle.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY 
Box  No.  499,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


500  OPERA  CHAIRS  $1.75  EACH.  Mercury 
Arc  rectifier  guaranteed  the  finest  condition.  $175.00 
Silver  screen  paint  $3.00  quart.  Repair  parts  for 
any  Picture  machine.  Imported  carbons  discount 
10%.  Variable  speed  picture  machine,  motors  $20.00 
Everything  for  the  theatre.  We  can  save  you  money. 
Write  for  catalog.  Western  Motion  Picture  Co. 
Danville,  111. 


BONA-FIDE  BUSINESS  OPPORTUNITY— UP 
TO-DATE  THEATRE  FOR  SALE— Strictly  mod- 
ern theatre  in  Sask.  Town  of  1,000,  splendid  farm- 
ing area  to  draw  from,  main  line  C.  P.  R.,  no  oppo- 
sition, brick  building,  attractive  exterior,  cosy  in- 
terior, mosaic  tiled  entrance,  seating  capacity  500, 
inclined  floor,  large  well  equipped  stage  for  road 
shows,  excellent  dressing  rooms.  Powers  latest  pro- 
jection equipment,  up-to-date  projection  room,  gold 
fibre  screen.  First  class  apartments  over  theatre,  six 
rooms,  completely  furnished,  with  bath  room,  toilet, 
etc.  Large  brick  garage,  building  steam  heated 
throughout.  Admission  prices :  children  20c,  adults 
35c.  top  price  $1.00,  no  war  tax.  Has  store  in 
building  leased  as  a  drug  store,  being  one  of  the 
most  up-to-date  in  the  Town,  bringing  in  good  rev- 
enue, property  is  situated  on  the  main  street,  choice 
location,  and  in  one  of  the  very  best  Towns  in  Sask. 
Owner  has  been  in  the  Town  in  no  other  business 
for  eleven  years  without  being  closed  for  one  night; 
new  house  erected  in  1916.  The  building,  contents 
and  all  equipment  is  in  first  class  condition.  This 
Theatre  has  never  been  offered  for  sale  or  rent  be- 
fore, and  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated,  reason 
for  selling,  retiring.  Fifteen  thousand  cash,  will 
give  immediate  possession  to  the  entire  described 
property,  bal.  easy  terms,  low  interest,  clear  title. 
This  proposition  will  stand  the  most  rigid  investi- 
gation. Further  particulars  apply  Saml.  R.  Tyler, 
Owner  Lyceum  Theatre,  Gull  Lake,  Sask.  Canada. 

ADDRESSOGRAPHS.  Letter  Folders,  Multi- 
graphs,  Envelope  Sealers,  Duplicators,  less  than  half 
price.  Guaranteed.  Pruitt  Co.,  170  North  Wells, 
Chicago. 


FILMS  FOR  SALE.  Features  and  short  subjects 
of  every  character  at  extraordinary  low  prices.  Send 
for  lists.  Films  RENTED  to  permanent  theatres  at 
75c  per  reel.  References  required.  NATIONAL 
FILM  BROKERS,  1710  West  45  Street,  Kansas 
City.  Mo. 

400  REELS  OF  COMEDY,  Western  and  Features. 

Gump  Cartoons  and  Scenics.  We  can  use  some 
Western  Features.  Bargain  lists  free.  NATIONAL 
EQUIPMENT  CO.,  409  West  Michigan  St.,  Du- 
luth,  Minn. 

3   TWO-REEL   SLAPSTICK   COMEDIES,  $3.50 

per  reel,  while  they  last.  Will  ship  subject  to 
examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M.  Gordon,  1618 
Mailer's    BIdg..    Chicago,  111. 

FOR  SALE.  Five  good  reels  film.  First  $8.50 
buys  them.  Francis  Key,  2519  Jackson  St.,  Ander- 
son, Indiana 

NEW    AND    USED    THEATRE    CHAIRS.  Big 

Bargains.  Immediate  Shipments.  C.  G.  Demel,  845 
South   State  St.,   Chicago,  III. 


HEAVY  TRIPOD  WITH  TILT  AND  PAN,  $55; 
Goerz  Hyoar  Lens,  F.  3.  5.,  in  focusing  mount, 
$21.  Special  F.  3.  5.  Lens,  $10.  Will  ship  sub- 
ject to  examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M. 
Gordon,   1618  Mailer's  BIdg.,  Chicago,  111. 


HEALTHY  INTELLIGENT  REGTSTERFD 
MAMMOTH  GREAT  DANE  PUPPIES  AND 
GROWN  DOGS  for  sale.  The  most  ponular  dog  in 
Motion  Pictures.  There's  a  reason.  Writer  Ken- 
nels, Dept.  R.,  New  Richmond,  Ind. 


From  studio  to  screen — 

EASTMAN  FILM 

Just  as  in  the  studio  where  East- 
man Negative  Film  makes  the  most 
of  the  cameraman's  skill,  so  in  the 
theatre  Eastman  Positive  Film  carries 
quality  through  to  the  screen. 

Look  for  the  identification 
"Eastman"  "Kodak"  in  the 
film  margin. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


MACK 
SEJVJVETT 


present* 


LAJVGVOJV 


tn 


The  Hansom  Cabman 

and 

Alt  flight  Long 


9* 


** 


Ttvo  Heel  Comedies 


"Before  hong  hangdon  Is  Going  To  'Be  One  o_fthe 
Biggest  Bojc-OJifice  Bets  in  the  Business;  you 
Should  Be  Vlaying  Him  ffobv,  JVotv,  ffobv! 

"It  is  only  at  very  rare  intervals  that  a  really  fine  comedian  arrives  on 
the  screen.  .  .  The  trouble  with  our  comedians  has  been  that  to  produce 
their  fun  they  have  found  it  necessary  to  depend  upon  objects  independ- 
ent of  themselves.  Their  humor  has  not  come  from  within  but  is  effected 
only  with  the  aid  of  outside  props  and  gags.  Even  the  best  of  out 
comedians  of  today  are  somewhat  marred  by  this  failing  

Harry  Langdon,  in  the  few  films  in  which  he  has  appeared,  gives 
every  evidence  of  being  the  finest  and  most  whimsical  comedian  that 
has  flashed  on  the  silversheet  since  the  arrival  of  Chaplin.  He  is  droll, 
he  is  pathetic,  and  he  has  a  most  original  and  distinctive  style  of  expres- 
sion. But  most  important  of  all,  the  greater  percentage  of  his  humor 
comes  from  within.  .  . 

He  has  tremendous  potentialities." 

— Editorial  in  October  Motion  Picture  Magazine 


Pafhecomedy 


TRADE 


MARK 


iTMttintm  nc-ups  toy    me  Battling  Urioles 


EXHIBITORS 

CTrade  REVIEW 


9he  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Victure  Industry 


iot  since  The  Covered 
Wagon  have  newspapers, 
trade  papers  and  the  public 
accorded  such  lavish  and  u- 
nanimous  praise  to  a  motion 
picture  as  has  greeted  

JAMES  CRUZE^^™* 
MERTON  of  the  MOVIES" 

Scarring  Glenn  Hunter  with  Viola  Dana 

A  FAMOUS  40  ffhnmuint9tcfatv 


cents 


THIS  ISSUE  HMOU  COPIES 


November  22.  1921 


When  the 


sought  the  best  organs  obtainable  for  the 
Motion  Picture  Organ  Studios  in  their  splen- 
did new  college  building,  in  Chicago, 


they  chose  two 


Unit  Organ; 


CARL  D.  KINSEY,  Manager,  writes: 

"The  three-manual  and  two-manual  Wurlitzer  Unit 
Organs  you  recently  built  for  our  school  meet  fully 
the  strictest  demands  of  our  Theater  Organ  class. 

"Your  unit  system,  voicing,  expression  and  con- 
struction, we  feel,  represents  the  best  in  organ  building 
and  stands  sufficiently  in  advance  to  endure  as  the  in- 
strument of  the  future  for  brilliancy,  symphonic  and 
orchestral  organ  renditions." 

The  CHICAGO  MUSICAL  COLLEGE  Catalog  says: 

"The  two  Wurlitzer  Organs  are  specially  constructed  for 
the  study  of  motion  picture  music.  They  are  the  latest  and  most 
finished  type  of  picture  organs  and  will  give  the  student  a  complete 
understanding  of  the  organ  as  it  is  employed  in  the  most  im- 
portant theaters." 


WuRLlIZES 

P  EG  .US.  PAT,  OFF 

PIANOS  *  ORGANS  *  HARPS  *  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS 


CINCINNATI 

1 ? 1   F  Fnn 


NEW  YORK 
120  W.  42nd.  St. 


CHICAGO 
329  S.  Wabash  Ave. 


SAN  FRANCISCO 
250  Stockton  St. 


AnnountingUhe  Season's  Greatest 
IndependentAttraction 

A  picture  so  big  that  no  exhibitor  or  chain 
of  theatres  can  afford  to  overlook  it/ 

FORANDTHIEE  WOMAN 

sensational  —gripping story  --elaborate setting— pulls  theheart strings 


W.RAY  JOHNSTON 

presents 

A  FRANK  TALBOT  PRODUCTION 

FOE  ANOTHER 


WOMAN 


<9<9 


A  TREMENDOUS  BOX-OFFICE  SEN- 
SATION THAT  WILL  CREATE  BOX- 
OFFICE  RECORDS  EVERYWHERE. 

With  one  of  the  finest  casts 
ever  assembled  in  a  single 
picture  —  including  the 
world  famous  dancing 
"Tiller Girls  from  Ziegfelds 
Follies 

Story  by 
PEARL  DOLES  BELL 

Scenario  by 

AGNES  CHRISTINE  JOHNSTON 
&  FRANK  DAZEY 

Directed  by 
DAVID  KI&KLAND- 


Tftlfcx^iitf&t-SENSATIONAL  ADVERTISING 
THAT  WILL  MEAN  DOLLARS  TO  YOU  AT 

THE  BOX-OFFICE  STARS  THAT  ARE 

SURE-FIRE  WONDERFUL  EXPLOITA- 
TION CAMPAIGN  AN  D  ACCESSORIES 
WILL  PUT  "  FOR  ANOTHER.  WOMAN"OVER 
IN  A  BIG  WAY. 


FOREIGN 
RIGHTS 
RICHMOUNT 
PICTURES 


RAYART  PICTURES  CORPORATION 

W.  RAY  JOHNS  TON,  Pres. 
723  SEVENTH  AVENUE  —  — NEW  YORK 


fl!i 


D.W.GRIFFITH 

presents 

0  thrillind  story  of  Cove  and  Romance 
by  ROBERT  W.  CHAMBERS 

"I  have  looked  over  and  saw  a  number  of  the  big  SUPERS 
they  are  making  so  much  fuss  about,  but  according  to  my 
judgement, 'AM  ERICA'  from  a  point  of  real  production  has 
them  all  cheated  by  many  odds. 

"I  can  see  that  big  money  was  spent  on  it,  and  I  am  very 
glad  I  bought  it,  and  showed  it. 

"I  went  after  it  strong,  got  the  schools  interested,  and  person- 
ally endorsed  it  to  the  limit. 

"I  made  a  profit,  gave  my  patrons  the  best  on  the  market, 
satisfied  them  all  and  really  had  the  record  business  for  my 
new  theatre  since  opening  March  1923." 

C.  W.  Simmons,  Simmons  Theatre,  Las  Animas,  Col, 


\ 


Now  Booking 

UNITED  ARTISTS  CORPORATION 

Mary  Pickford  Charles  Chaplin 

Douglas  Jairbankxr  D.W.  Griffith 

rJiiram  Qbramu;  President 


V>2 


Published  weekly  by  Exhibitors   Review  Publishing  Corporation.     Executive,  Editorial  Offices  45  West  45th  St.,  New  York  City.  Subscription 
$?2.00  year.     Eentered  as  second-class  matter,  Aug.  25,   1922,  at  postoffice  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  under  act  of  March  3,  1879. 


Crowded  with  the  Qualities 

That  Have  Made  *  

Big  Boxoffice  Successes 
From  Time  Immemorial  a 


from  SacKa.  G\M?ys 

Ik,  DEBURAU 

Monte  BlucandMaric  Prewst 

Scenario  by  Dorothy  Famum. 
-  .  Directed  by  Harry  Beaumont 


They  Liked  It  At  The 
Piccadilly  ~ 

They'll  Like  It 
Everywhere  ~ 


The  General  Tone  of 
The  New  York  Press 


"The  love  scenes  between 
Monte  Blue  and  Marie 
Prevost  will  make  you  un- 
derstand why  they  call  it  a 
Warner  Bros,  classic." 

— Mildred  Spain  in 
The  Daily  News 


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LEWIS  STONE,  FLORENCE  VIDOR,  LEW  CODY 


HAPTED  BY  A.  P.  YOUNGER   FROM  Atf 

original  story  by  john  m.  stahl 

directed  by  john  m.  stahl 

Chief  photographer,  .antonio  caudio 

ASSISTANT  DIRECTOR  .  SIDNEY  ALGIER, 
ART  DIRECTOR.  ....  JACK._HOL.DEN 


^  G^fnen  you  travel  with,  the  leaders 
you're  always  up  in  front.  Get  your 

FIR.STT  INT.A.TIO.^i'.A.L  C ONT TS. A.C T. 

Members  of  Motion  Picture  Producers  tout  Distributors  of  America  Inc.— Will  Hays  President 


/ 


NOV  17  1924 

November  22,  1924  ©  CI  B6 -14499  Page  9 

g52S2S2SES2S2SSS2SES"cfflSEWS?SSS"dS2S2SH  i 


EXHIBITORS 
ctmde  REVIEW 

9he  Business  Paper  of  the  Motion  Before  Industry 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE,  Editor 


H.  K.  CRUIKSHANK,  Associate  Editor 

LEN  MORGAN,  News,  Editor 
GEORGE  T.  PARDY,  Reviews  Editor 

JAMES  A.  CRON,  Advertising  Manager 
H.  J.   SCHLEIER,   Business  Manager 


CONTENTS 

November  22,  1924 

EDITORIAL  FEATURES 
Tips  ox  Tie-Ups  

El'ITORIALS   

Pessimists  Window   


12 
24 
25 


HIGHLIGHTS  IN  THE  NEWS 

Distributors  Methods  Ruining    14 

Capitol  Celebrates  Birthday   17 

Thomas  Bligh  Killed  in  Accident    19 

T.  O.  C.  C.  Charges  Loew  with  Unfairness    20 

"The  Covered  Wagon"  Wins  Medal    18 

George  Walsh  Vindicated    18 

Selznick  Plans   18 

St.  Louis  Exhibitor  Robbed  of  $7,000   22 

New  Ritz  Carlton  Picture  Directors    16 

$100,000,000  For  Coast  Production   23 

•     REGULAR  PRESENTATIONS 
Great  Circus  Mystery    Frontispiece 


^Jever  Say  Die  . . . 
Battling  Orioles 


45 
54 


REGULAR  DEPARTMENTS 

Independent  Section   27 

Theatres  Of  The  World    34 

Box  Office  Reviews   37 

Big  Little  Features    46 

Exhibitors  Notes   49 

showmanship   51 

Exploitation  Ideas   . ...   52 

National  Tie-Up  Section    54 

Production  Charts    65 

'rojection  Hints   72 

Equipment  Notes   74 


Copyright  1924  by  Exhibitors  Review  Publishing  Corporation. 
Geo.  C.  Williams,  President;  Willard  C  Howe,  Vice  President; 
F.  Meyers,  Treasurer;  M.  M.  Fernsler,  Executive  and  Editorial  offices: 
Heam  Building,  45  West  Forty-fifth  Street,  New  York.  Telephone 
Bryant  6160.  Address  all  communications  to  Executive  Offices. 
Published  weekly  at  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa.,  by  Exhibitors  Review 
Publishing  Corporation.  Member  Audit  Bureau  of  Circulations.  Sub- 
scription rates,  postage  paid,  per  year  United  States  $2 ;  Canada  $3 ; 
Foreign  $6;  single  copies  20  cents.  Remit  by  check,  money  order, 
currency  or  postage. 

WEST  COAST  REPRESENTATIVE, 
GRACE  M.  ADAIR, 
1606  HIGHLAND  AVENUE,  HOLLYWOOD 


Fair  Warning! 


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CLEAN  competition  is  beyond  the 
mental  grasp  of  some  business 
men,  but  it  would  seem  that  pub- 
lishers should  be  its  foremost  advocates. 
To  find  the  publisher  of  a  film  trade  paper 
stooping  to  the  pettiest  sort  of  chicanery 
in  his  effort  to  sell  a  little  more  advertis- 
ing is  disgusting,  to  put  it  mildly. 

It  came  to  my  attention  recently  that  a 
certain  publisher  was  peddling  fiction 
about  the  circulation  of  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review.  The  evidence  was  fairly  convinc- 
ing, but  to  make  a  test  of  the  matter  I 
arranged  to  have  the  question,  "What  is 
the  circulation  of  the  Exhibitors  Trade 
Review?"  put  squarely  to  him  by  a 
motion  picture  executive  who  ordinarily 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  buy- 
ing of  advertising. 

The  reply,  reported  to  me  verbatim, 
was  one  of  those  contemptible  lies  that  a 
certain  type  of  business  moron  will  spon- 
sor in  cases  where  there  seems  to  be  no 
danger  of  getting  caught. 

The  lie  would  not  have  been  told  to  any 
advertising  man  who  was  likely  to  have 
an  A.  B.  C.  circulation  statement  at  hand. 
It  was  told  on  the  theory  that  the  execu- 
tive in  question  would  take  it  at  face 
value,  without  checking  up. 

The  obvious  answer  to  such  tactics  is 
publicity.  For  the  present  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review  will  be  content  to  let  the 
matter  stand,  the  lie  fully  answered  by 
the  figure  appearing  on  the  front  cover 
this  week  and  hereafter. 

This  is  to  serve  as  notice,  however,  that 
a  continuance  of  such  tactics  by  the  same 
offender  against  publishing  decency,  or 
any  other,  will  bring  full  publicity  and  all 
the  facts.  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  is 
sincerely  hopeful  that  such  steps  will  not 
be  necessary. 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE, 
Vice-  President — Editor. 


Page  10 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revievo 


"The 


Great 
Circus 
Mystery" 


'  for  r 


Landow,  the  strongest  man  in  the  world,  and  the 
hero  of  the  Adams  circus,  watches  the  other  acts 
with  great  interest.  This  role  is  excellently  acted  by 
Joe  Bonomo,  in  the  classic  chapter  play  "The  Great 
Circus  Mystery"  produced  by    Universal  pictures. 


Slim  Cole,  the  mys- 
terious, is  saying  to 
Louise  Lorraine.  "The 
second  part  of  the  pact 

of    peril  guard  it 

with  the  other,"  and  it 
is  easily  seen  she  has  a 
very  disturbed  appear- 
ance. One  of  the  tense 
moments  in  this  drama 
of  most  extraordinary 
merit. 


EXHIBITORS 
%wfe  REVIEW 

^Bwim^qftkMotionfictuKlnilusbf 


NEWS  AT  A  GLANCE 


A  last  minute  report  says  an  order  to  liquidate 
the  Selzniek  Distributing  Corporation  will  be  asked 
owing  to  the  inability  to  raise  the  necessary 
$500,000  to  complete  reorganization.  It  is  under- 
stood F.  B.  Q.  may  get  the  short  subjects  and  Pathe 
the  features. 

*  *  * 

At  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  Theatre  Owners' 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  it  was  voted  to  push  the  in- 
vestigation against  Loew  Inc.  A  formal  complaint 
will  be  lodged  with  the  Federal  Trade  Commission. 

*  *  ■  * 

State  Righters  must  pledge  $50,000  before  an 
outside  leader  can  be  approached  to  act  as  Czar  of 
the  independent  producers  and  distributors.  Feel- 
ers have  been  sent  out  to  find  which  way  the  wind 
blows. 

Will  Hags  promises  aid  in  correcting  abuses  of 
the  Uniform  Contract  as  drawn  up  by  his  organisa- 
tion some  time  ago.  Many  complaints  have  been  re- 
ceived at  his  off  ice  that  some  companies  are  not  liv- 
ing up  to  the  agreements. 

The  Los  Angeles  Examiner  is  responsible  for 
the  statement  that  about  $100,000,000  will  be 
spent  on  the  Coast  in  1925  for  the  production  of 
pictures.  This  will  be  the  largest  amount  in  the 
history  of  the  industry. 

sfc      sjc  sj; 

The  Capitol  Theatre,  New  York  City,  is  celebrat- 
ing its  fifth  anniversary  and  it  is  announced  that 
more  than  25,000,000  have  paid  admissions  since  the 
opening  night,  or  about  one-fifth  the  total  popidation 
of  the  United  States. 

*  *  * 

Marcus  Loew  in  a  statement,  says  George 
Walsh  was  released  from  his  part  in  "Ben  LTur" 


owing  to  a  policy  of  Metro-Goldwyn  and  in  no  way 
reflects  on  the  actor.  The  statement  says  the  com- 
pany is  trying  to  promote  Ramon  Navarro's  popu- 
larity. 

S|C       3{c  2fS 

More  than  eight  thousand  Methodists  attending  a 
convention  in  Kansas  City  go  on  record  as  against 
Sunday  pictures,  but  it  is  thought  this  will  have  no 
effect  on  the  Kansas  Sunday  opening  laivs.  The 
speakers  compare  Sunday  movies  with  liquor  and 
dance  halls. 

;-c       ;|<  >Jc 

Nine  new  theatres  are  under  construction  in  De- 
troit and  many  more  contemplated.  Exhibitors  of 
that  city  now  fear  a  great  overseating  problem. 

Although  no  official  announcement  has  been  made, 
it  is  understood  United  Artists  will  distribute 
through  one  of  the  three  major  companies — Metro- 
Goldwyn,  Famous  or  First  National. 

*  *  * 

The  Photoplay  Gold  Medal  of  Honor  has  been 
awarded  Paramount  for  James  Cruze's  "The 
Covered  Wagon,"  which  has  been  adjudged  the 
best  motion  picture  of  the  year. 

*  *  * 

Ashtabula  (Ohio)  has  lifted  the  blue  law  ban  after 
four  weeks,  during  which  time  everything  was  tied 
up  on  Sundays  except  the  water  and  light  plants  and 
street  car  service. 

J.  D.  Williams,  president  of  Ritz-Carlton 
Pictures,  announces  the  appointment  of  Walter 
Hays,  of  Buffalo,  and  Frank  L.  Newman,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Ritz  Pictures, 

*  #  * 

The  M.  P.  T.  0.,  of  Canada  will  meet  on  Tuesday, 
November  18,  at  King  Edward  Hotel,  Toronto,  at 
which  time  officers  will  be  elected. 


Page  12 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Tips  On  Tie-Ups  In 
Window  Display 

What  Ar  thur  Freeman,  President  of  the  Einson-Freeman  Co.,  New  York,  Told 
the  Convention  of  Window  Display  Advertising  Association  in 
Cleveland  Applies  to  Every  Showman 


SOMEBODY  asked  me  not  so 
long  ago  if  I  could  reduce  to  a  few 
fundamental  principles,  four  or 
five  scientific  thoughts  or  ideas  about 
window  display  that  one  could  take  in- 
to his  consciousness,  visualize.  I  pre- 
sent the  following: 

1.  Frequent  change  or  turnover.  2. 
Sales  appeal.  3.  Timeliness.  4.  Ad- 
vertising hook-up.    5.  Imagination. 

Mr.  Freeman  believes  that  everything 
having  to  do  with  window  display  can 
be  classified  under  one  or  more  of  these 
heads.    He  said: 

"By  turn-over,  I  mean  frequent 
changes.  If  we  were  to  make  the  test 
to  see  how  many  merchants  change  their 
windows,  I  think  we'd  be  amazed  to 
find  that  90  percent  do  not  change  them 
more  than  once  a  month.  As  the  re- 
tailer begins  to  appreciate  the  value  of 
his  windows  more  the  life  of  the  win- 
dow to  the  national  advertiser  is  going 
to  be  short. 

That  is  going  to  raise  very  vital  ques- 
tions like  these :  How  much  does  it  cost 
to  put  in  a  window?  What  is  the  rel- 
ative value  I  can  make  out  of  the  goods 
that  window  sells  with  what  it  costs  to 
produce  that  window?  I  have  seen 
windows  that  cost  $50,  $25,  and  $10  a 
piece,  and  the  national  advertiser  has 
to  constantly  argue — can  I  make  those 
windows  pay? 

"So  window  advertising  as  we  de- 
velop it  is  going  to  mean  more  changes 
and  shorter  life  per  window,  because  if 
we  are  going  to  educate  the  retailer 
honestly  and  justly,  we  are  going  to  say 
to  him,  'Change  your  window  often.'  " 

Mr.  Freeman  believes  that  a  window 
with  a  beautiful  back-ground  and  goods 
pleasingly  displayed  as  its  only  assets, 
is  not  display  advertising  of  the  kind 
that  pulls.  He  stressed  the  fact  that 
the  selling  idea  must  be  in  the  display. 

Timeliness  was  Mr.  Freeman's  third 
point.    Concerning  it  he  said : 

IN  timeliness,  I  refer  to  having  the 
right  window  at  the  right  time.  It 
is  amazing  how  analysis  shows  what  the 
average  retailer  thinks  of  his  window 
as  something  to  use  to  get  rid  of  mer- 
chandise that  did  not  sell  in  season. 

Window  display  advertisers  must 
come  to  see  that  the  timeliness  of  the 
merchandise  in  the  window  must  be 
based  on  current  events  in  that  com- 
munity, on  the  season,  the  weather  con- 
ditions, the  hundred  and  one  conditions 
affecting  time ;  until  those  conditions 


are  taken  into  consideration  the  window 
hasn't  been  made  to  produce  all  the  val- 
ue it  can." 

Hooking-up,  as  the  speaker  pointed 
out,  is  one  of  the  first  importance. 

"If  window  display  advertising  has 
a  leg  to  stand  on  as  a  force  in  sales- 
manship and  advertising  it  seems  to  me 
it  is  in  this — that  the  big  job  is  to  crys- 
tallize all  the  selling  that  the  advertiser 
has  made  previously  in  the  window  at 
the  time  the  consumer  is  passing  that 
window. 

IT  really  is  pitable  how  little  imagi- 
nation is  used  in  window  display 
when  you  consider  how  much  imagina- 
tion is  envolved  in  the  whole  advertis- 
ing business.  Today,  people  are  more 
interested  in  the  magazine  advertising 
than  they  are  in  the  stories. 

"That  advertising  has  become  so  in- 
teresting that  we  enjoy  reading  it  and 
seek  it.  Some  windows  have  lacked 
that  element  to  a  surprising  extent. 

"The  need  for  the  imagination,  for 
the  dramatic  sense  in  windows,  is  this 
fifth  element  that  I  bring  out  as  a  great 
essential. 

"Take  a  department  store  for  exam- 
ple. You  will  say  they  have  the  most 
beautiful  windows  in  the  city,  but  what 
are  they?    Beautiful  merchandise  ar- 


tistically arranged.  Some  one  said  that 
goods  displayed  are  half  sold,  or  seeing 
means  to  buy.  It  doesn't.  You  might 
as  well  put  the  girls  behind  the  counters 
and  lay  out  the  goods  and  stop  right 
there.  Why  are  we  trying  to  put  in 
the  mouths  of  sales  people  the  salient 
arguments  that  move  merchandise  and 
leave  it  out  of  our  own? 

"I  said  to  the  display  manager  some- 
thing on  this  order,  and  he  said,  'What 
would  you  add  to  that  window?'  He 
had  a  window  fixed  up  with  evening 
apparel. 

IS  AID :  'The  opera  is  here  this  week. 
Do  you  think  a  pair  of  opera 
glasses  and  four  tickets  to  the  opera 
and  a  program  would  help?' 

"He  said :  'That  might  add  some  to. 

it.' 

"I  said:  'Suppose  you  had  some  pic- 
tures of  operatic  stars?  That  would 
add  a  touch  of  imagination  and  human 
interest.  And  pretty  soon  he  began  to. 
enthuse  and  saw  there  were  many 
things  to  do  to  make  the  window  sell, 
more  goods. 

"It  isn't  so  much  the  material  as  it 
is  the  thought.  And  this  window  busi- 
ness, window  advertising,  really  is  a 
scientific  thing,  worthy  of  the  study  of 
psychologists,  of  big  advertising  men." 


A  splendid  illustration  showing  the  cooperation  that  can  be  obtained  from  men's 

furnishing  stores.  This  tie-up  was  used  in  connection  with  the  Majestic  Theatre, 
Poncha  City,  Okla.,  engagement  of  Principal  Pictures'  "When  a  Man's  a  Man." 


November  22,  1924  Page  13 

iliiiiiiiiM 


Why  Is  a  Trade  Paper? 


THE  spirit  of  unity  and  friendliness 
in  which  the  motion  picture  trade 
papers  are  working  for  the  benefit 
of  the  industry  is  an  admirable  thing. 

For  example,  Exhibitors  Herald 
devotes  two  pages  of  space  to  an  attack 
on  Motion  Picture  News  because  the 
News  is  supposed  to  have  sent  out 
a  letter  attacking  one  of  the  Herald's 
pet  features. 

And  over  in  the  office  of  Moving 
Picture  World,  three  pages  are  filled 
with  gore  in  the  effort  to  demonstrate 
that  the  World  is  the  one  and  only. 

Evidently  the  motion  picture  indus- 
try is  in  such  glorious  condition  thai 
nothing  remains  for  the  editors  and 
publishers  but  to  amuse  themselves 
slinging  mud  at  each  other. 

From  such  facts  as  I  have  been  able 
to  gather,  this  is  not  a  private  fight- 
Any  publisher  is  eligible. 

It  is  a  sorry  spectacle,  but  having 
gotten  under  way,  it  ought  to  be  turned 
to  some  account,  not  necessarily  for  the 
publishers,  since  they  are  merely  the 
servants  of  the  industry,  but  for  the 
industry  itself. 

A  number  of  questions  have  been 
raised  that  ought  to  be  answered. 


A  lot  of  dust  has  been  stirred  up.  Tt 
ought  to  be  settled. 

There  is  some  fog,  too.  Navigation 
will  proceed  more  safely  if  it  is  dis- 
pelled. 

Perhaps  an  application  of  simple 
logic,  reinforced  by  some  facts,  will 
clarify  the  situation  considerably. 

For  several  weeks,  therefore,  this 
page  will  be  devoted  to  the  discussion 
of  some  publishing  fundamentals. 

Not,  let  it  be  understood,  for  the 
purpose  of  taking  away  from  any  other 
publisher  the  glory  or  the  business  that 
is  his.  But  to  establish  some  sort  of 
sound  basis  for  determining  whether 
the  motion  picture  trade  press  is 
functioning  as  it  should  in  the  interest 
of  the  business  with  which  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be  identified. 

It  seems  to  be  an  appropriate  occa- 
sion for  frank  speaking.  On  that  basis, 
I  am  going  to  talk  to  you  next  week  on 
the  text,  "The  News  Was  Right." 

WILLARD  C.  HOWE, 

Vice  President-Editor. 


dMM^  :i:!iiii:iiiiniiii:ii;iiiii:;iiiij!iii::iiii:!iiii:!iiii;iM^ 


Page  14 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Distributors  Methods 
Ruining  Exhibitors 

Bernard  Edelhertz,  in  Letter  to  Will  Hays 
Claims   Vicious  Methods  Are  Employed 


(CHARGING  that  the  "'Uniform  Exhibi- 
tion  Contract",  entered  into  by  the 
T.  O.  C.  C.  and  the  distributors  through 
the  M.  P.  P.  D.  A.  in  1923  was  in  danger  of 
dissolution  through  unscrupulous  practices  of 
"certain  distributors",  who  have  attempted  to 
"modify  the  entire  structure  of  the  Uniform 
Contract  by  adding  to  it  various  clauses 
which  have  never  been  contemplated  to  form 
part  of  this  instrument",  Bernard  Edelhert;', 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
T.  O.  C.  C,  wrote  a  leter  to  Will  Hays, 
president  of  the  M.  P.  P.  D.  A.  asking  to 
avoid  chaos  in  the  industry  by  putting  a  stop 
to  these  unauthorized  practices. 

Edelhertz  added  that  he  was  in  a  position 
to  submit  detailed  statements  of  the  unau- 
thorized clauses  to  back  up  his  charges. 

Replying  to  the  letter  Will  Hays  declared 
he  was  not  in  favor  of  making  changes  in 
the  Uniform  Contract  by  distributors  without 
authorization,  and  that  the  matter  of  mak- 
ing changes  will  be  taken  up  by  a  committee 
representing  the  exhibitors  and  distributors 
concerned. 
Edelhertz'  letter  follows: 

October  28th,  1924. 
Hon.  Will  H.  Hays,  President, 
Motion  Picture  Producers  and 
Distributors  of  America,  Inc., 
522  Fifth  Ave., 
New  York  City. 

Mr.  Dear  Mr.  Hays: 

The  proposed  conference  for  the  revision 
of  the  "UNIFORM  EXHIBITION  CON- 
TRACT" suggests  the  thought  of  this  letter, 
with  a  view  of  calling  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  underlying  principles  of  this  in- 
strument are  in  danger  of  being  completely 
destroyed  if  certain  practices  on  the  part  of 
some  distributors  are  not  immediately  stop- 
ped. 

Before  I  proceed  to  state  the  facts  which 
constitute  these  unwarranted  practices  I  be- 
lieve, it  would  be  altogether  proper  and  fit- 
ting, at  this  time,  to  briefly  review  the  ef- 
forts which  brought  about  the  creation  of 
this  document. 

In  the  first  place,  as  you  know,  prior  to  the 
adoption  of  this  contract  a  great  deal  of  ill 
feeling  existed  in  the  industry,  because  the 
contractual  relations  between  exhibitors  and 
distributors,  up  to  that  time,  were  in  a  cha- 
otic condition.  At  the  time  you  assumed  the 
leadership  of  producers  and  distributors  in 
this  country,  you  so  splendidly  proclaimed 
and  constantly  preached  the  doctrine  that 
confidence  and  cooperation  were  the  most  es- 
sential elements  in  the  commercial  relations 
between  exhibitors  and  distributors.  I  am 
firmly  of  the  opinon  that  these  pronounce- 
ments on  your  part,  were  in  a  large  measure 
responsible  for  the  creation  of  a  better  feel- 
ing and  understanding  in  the  industry,  and  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  this  better 
feeling  and  understanding  were  to  a  great 
extent  responsible  in  bringing  about  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Uniform  Contract. 

On  my  part,  as  Chairman  of  the  Uniform 
Contract  Committee  representing  exhibitors, 
I  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  to  the  draft- 
ing of  this  instrument.    In  fact,  throughout 


the  period  of  negotiation,  which  lasted  for 
nearly  a  year,  I  acted  in  the  dual  capacity  as 
the  practical  and  legal  representative  of  ex- 
hibitors. 

I  have  consistently  and  persistently  preach- 
ed the  doctrine  of  the  Uniform  Contract.  In 
my  report  to  the  annual  convention  of  the 
Motion  Picture  Theatre  Owners  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  held  at  Syracuse  in  June,  1923, 
I  pointed  out  the  various  benefits  conferred 
upon  exhibitors  by  this  contract,  and  particu- 
larly emphasized  the  fact  that  for  the  first 
time  the  commercial  relations  between  ex- 
hibitors and  distributors  were  to  be  based 
upon  mutual  obligations.  I  referred  to  the 
Uniform  Contract  as  the  "FIRST  BILL  OF 
RIGHTS  OF  AMERICAN  EXHIBITORS" 
and  presented  a  complete  analysis  of  the  var- 
ious clauses  contained  in  the  Uniform  Con- 
tract. 

In  your  letter  to  me,  as  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theatre  Owners 


Will  Hays,  « President  Motion  Pictures 
Producers  and  Distributors  Corporation, 
who  is  endeavoring  to  establish  uniform 
contracts  for  the  benefit  of  the  industry. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  dated  June  21st,  1922, 
enclosing  a  draft  of  the  Uniform  Contract, 
you  said,  among  other  things : 

"It  (the  draft  of  the  contract)  sets  up 
what  I  hope  will  prove  to  be  a  workable 
and  fair  method  of  selecting  play  dates 
which  will  cure  at  the  same  time  the 
evils  both  of  over-buying  and  over-sell- 
ing. 

"It  provides  for  the  delivery  of  all  pic- 
tures leased  by  a  distributor  during  the 
period  of  the  contract,  which  we  hope 
will  reach  the  complaint  that  it  has  been 
the  practice  occasionally  to  withhold  a 
picture  intended  to  be  delivered  when 
the  contract  was  written  but  which  by 


reason  of  superior  merit  was  subsequent- 
ly withheld  because  it  was  believed  it 
would  command  a  higher  price. 
"To  cure  the  complaint  that  signed  appli- 
cations of  exhibitors  are  not  acted  upon 
with  reasonable  promptness,  we  propose 
to  provide  that  unless  a  written  accept- 
ance is  mailed  within  fifteen  days  from 
date  of  the  application  by  the  exhibitor, 
such  application  shall  be  deemed  with- 
drawn. 

"We  have  consented  to  the  assignment 
of  contracts  in  the  case  of  a  sale  of  a 
theatre,  under  suitable  regulations,  and, 
finally,  we  propose  with  your  coopera- 
ation  to  promulgate  a  mutually  agreeable 
code  of  ethics,  a  copy  of  which  is  en- 
closed, in  which  we  announce  and  de- 
clare our  views  as  to  certain  practices 
to  be  observed  by  both  parties,  which  do 
not  properly  belong  in  a  formal  contract 
and  tend  to  unduly  extend  it." 
In  answer  to  this  letter  I  wrote  to  you  as 
follows : 

"I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  the 
principles  embodied  in  this  form  of  con- 
tract, when  finally  agreed    upon,  will 
mark  a  new  era  in  the  business  relations 
between  the  exhibitor  and  the  distributor. 
Furthermore,  I  am  firmly  of  the  opinion 
that  it  will  .mean  the  taking  of  a  long 
step  in  the  direction  of  a  better  and  more 
harmonious  understanding  between  these 
two  important  branches  in  the  motion 
picture  industry." 
You  can  readily  see,  therefore,  that  in  ad- 
vocating the  adoption  of  the  Uniform  Con- 
tract I  have  assumed  a  certain  responsibility 
to  the  exhibitors  and  I  am  indeed  deeply 
concerned  to  find  that  certain  forces  are  now 
at  work  seeking  to  destroy  the  better  under- 
standing that  has  been  created  in  the  indus- 
try.   The  main  purpose  of  the  Uniform  Con- 
tract was  to  embody  in  one  instrument,  cer- 
tain uniform  principles  of  contractual  rela- 
tions which  should  govern  the  selling  of  mo- 
tion pictures.    I  was  always  firmly  of  the 
opinion  that  its  main  virtue  was  in  the  fact 
that  it  was  to  be  "UNIFORM   IN  ITS 
PROVISIONS". 

It  appears  now  from  various  reports  _  at 
hand,  that  a  serious  and  dangerous  condition 
has  arisen  which  if  continued,  will  not  only 
cause  untold  confusion  in  the  industry,  but 
will  practically  destroy  all  of  the  work  ac- 
complished by  the  adoption  of  the  Uniform 
Contract.  I  am  in  receipt  of  authentic  in- 
formation that  some  distributors  are  attempt- 
ing to  modify  the  entire  structure  of  the 
Uniform  Contract  by  adding  to  it  various 
clauses  which  have  never  been  contemplated 
to  form  part  of  this  instrument.  Some  of 
these  unauthorized  clauses  are  so  framed  as 
to  wipe  out  completely  the  mutuality  of  obli- 
gation which  is  the  very  foundation  of  the 
contract.  Other  clauses  are  specifically  de- 
signed to  reserve  to  the  distributor  the  right 
to  cancel  any  part  of  the  product  contracted 
for  at  the  same  time  holding  the  exhibitor 
liable  for  the  balance  of  the  product.  You 
can  readily  see  that  the  addition  of  such 
clauses  is  a  very  flagrant  violation  of  the 
very  name  of  the  instrument  which  implies 
that  its  provisions  be  uniform.  _  If  the  dis- 
tributor be  permitted  to  insert  in  the  body 
of  this  contract,  various  clauses  to  suit  their 
own  conveniences,  then  there  is  practically 
no  Uniform  Contract  in  existence. 

Space  would  not  permit  me  to  set  forth 
in  this  letter  the  various  modifications  that 
have  been  attempted,  but  I  shall  be  glad  to 
submit  to  you,  if  you  so  desire,  a  complete 
and  detailed  statement  of  the  various  unau- 
thorized clauses  that  the  distributors  have 
actually  inserted  in  the  Uniform  Contract, 
and  have  exhibited  upon  exhibitors  signing 
such  contract. 

I  am  firmly  convinced  that  you  are  not  in 
favor  of  such  practices,  and  that  you  would 
be  the  first  to  denounce  them.    I  am,  there- 
fore, addressing  myself  to  you  with  a  view 
(Continued  on  Page  20) 


November  22.  1924 


Page  15 


Music  Tax  In  West 
May  Be  Settled 

THE  ever  darkening  cloud  of  music  tax 
controversy    in    Kansas   and  Western 
Missouri  appears  to  be  riding  on  a  high 
wind  into  oblivion.    At  least  indications  point 
in  that  direction. 

At  a  meeting  last  Monday  between  a  com- 
mittee representing  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas 
and  Missouri  and  attorneys  and  representa- 
tives of  music  tax  interests,  preliminary  steps 
towards  reaching  a  fair  and  equitable  com- 
promise were  taken.  There  was  not  one  whit 
of  essence  of  "conquest"  or  "defeat"  present 
at  the  meeting.  Exhibitor  officials  were  only 
too  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  real  issue 
— the  constitutionality  of  the  tax — has  never 
been  tested  in  a  higher  court  than  a  district 
federal  court.  Yet,  there  appeared  to  be  an 
overwhelming  sense  of  fairness  on  the  part 
of  both  factions  at  the  meeting.  An  evi- 
dent desire  to  eliminate  constant  strife  pre- 
dominated. That  the  theatre  owners  stand 
ready  to  come  half  way,  providing  music  tax 
interests  come  the  other  half,  there  is  no 
doubt  left. 

Details  concerning  license  fees  and  a  pos- 
sible basis  of  agreement  will  be  discussed  at 
a  meeting  to  be  held  in  a  few  days,  the  date 
of  which  has  not  yet  been  set. 

Those  who  attended  the  meeting : 

M.  P.  T.  O.  Kansas  and  Missouri  com- 
mittee— R.  R.  Biechele,  Kansas  City,  Kas. ; 
Dave  Harding,  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  M.  B 
Shanberg,  Salina,  Kas.;  R.  G.  Liggett,  Kan- 
sas City,  Kas.;  Jack  Truitt,  Sedalia,  Mo.: 
Jay  Means,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Stanley 
Chambers,  Wichita,  Kas. 

Music  tax  representatives — Harry  Fried- 
berg,  Maurice  O'Sullivan  and  Newell  &  Wal- 
lace. 

*  *  * 

Eschmann  Month 
Passes  Quota 

First  National's  Eschmann  Month  sales 
drive  has  passed  its  quota,  with  a  week  still 
to  go. 

At  the  end  of  the  seventh  week  the  gen- 
eral average  for  the  country  was  101.51  per 
cent  of  the  assigned  quota.  If  the  rate  of 
gain  is  maintained  the  percentage  will  be 
still  higher  at  the  end  of  the  drive  next  week. 

The  way  in  which  First  National's  selling 
force  has  thrown  itself  into  this  tribute  to 
the  head  of  the  company's  distribution  de- 
partment is  one  of  the  highlights  in  film 
salesmanship  and  shows  what  unflagging  en- 
ergy and  great  enthusiasm  can  accomplish 
when  it  is  intelligently  directed  into  one  chan- 
nel and  not  allowed  to  dissipate  itself  upon 
minor  issues. 

Portland  still  held  its  lead  among  the 
branches  at  the  end  of  the  seventh  week  of 
the  contest,  having  a  standing  of  147.24  per- 
cent of  its  quota.  Omaha  was  second  with 
135.67  percent  or  about  twelve  points  below 
Portland.    Cleveland  was  third. 

Keen  competition  is  developing  for  first 
place  among  the  districts.  The  Western  Dis- 
trict still  maintains  its  lead,  but  only  by  a 
narrow  margin  now,  the  Central  district  be- 
ing less  than  two  points  behind  it.  The 
standing  of  the  leading  districts  at  the  end 
of  the  seventh  week  was,  Western  district 
112.21  percent;  Central  district,  110.28  per- 
cent. 

*  *  * 

Ontario  Will  Reduce 
Theatre  Taxation 

'  Hon.  W.  H.  Price,  K.  C.  Toronto,  Treas- 
urer of  the  Province  of  Ontario,  has  inti- 
mated that  the  Ontario  Government  proposes 


Cosmopolitan's 
"Janice  Mere- 
dith" is  said  lo 
be  one  of  the 
greatest  Revo- 
lutionary Days 
pictures  ever 
made.  The 
above  scenes 
are  from  the 
big  production. 


of  $5,000,000,  has  established  large  theatres 
in  important  cities  of  Eastern  Canada. 

When  the  Keith  interests  secured  control 
of  the  former  Loew  Theatre  at  Ottawa  last 
August,  announcement  was  made  by  N.  L. 
Nathanson,  managing  director  of  Famous 
Players,  that  his  company  would  go  ahead 
with  the  erection  of  a  theatre  to  compete 
with  the  Keith  Ottawa  house.  Nothing  will 
be  done  along  this  line  now,  it  is  understood. 

Famous  Players  and  the  Keith  company 
are  expected  to  enter  upon  a  working  agree- 
ment in  the  Dominion. 

New  Producing  Com- 
pany For  Hollywood 

The  ranks  of  local  film  producers  have  just 
been  augmented  by  the  establishment  here  of 
the  Valkyrie  Pictures  Company,  which  has 
located  in  Los  Angeles  after  a  comprehen- 
sive study  of  production  possibilities  in  the 
East  and  on  the  West  Coast.  This  organi- 
zation is  scheduled  to  produce  a  series  of 
dramatic  features  of  a  new  type  for  the 
screen  and  is,  in  fact,  already  filming  exte- 
rior sequences  for  the  picture. 

Among  the  incorporators  of  this  new  com- 
pany is  Mary  O'Hara,  well-known  loca'lv  as 
a  successful  scenarist,  identified  with  such 
record-making  films  as  "The  Prisoner  of 
Zenda,"  "Peg  o'  My  Heart,"  "The  Merry  Go- 
Round,"  "Black  Oxen"  and  "The  Woman  on 
the  Jury." 

The  director-general  of  the  new  organiza- 
tion will  be  Helge  Sture  Vasa,  well-known 
foreign  author  and  motion  picture  director, 
who  has  spent  several  years  in  this  country 
studying  every  aspect  of  the  film  industry. 

The  first  Valkyrie 
lll^i^  production,  already  in 

actual  filming,  is  titled 
"Untamed ;"  it  is  an 
original  story  of  gyp- 
sy life  by  Miss  O' 
Hara  and  is  being  di- 
rected by  Sture- Vasa. 
*    *  * 


Greed"  to 
Open 


to  make  a  substantial  reduction  in  the 
Amusement  Tax,  popularly  known  as  the  "war 
tax." 

At  the  same  time  there  is  to  be  a  new  as- 
sessment in  the  form  of  a  special  tax  on  gas- 
oline to  cover  the  cost  of  highway  improve- 
ment. The  theatres  of  the  Province  have 
been  doing  their  share  with  taxation  and  the 
load  is  to  be  lightened — with  the  war  con- 
cluded five  years  ago. 
•  #    #  # 

Keith  and  Famous  Bury 
Hatchet  In  Canada 

There  is  a  report  in  circulation  at  Toronto, 
Ontario,  that  two  of  the  big  theatre  com- 
panies of  the  Dominion  have  agreed  not  to 
disagree,  the  rival  organizations  being  the 
Famous  Players  Canadian  Corp.,  and  the  B. 
F.  Keith  Company  of  Canada,  Limited,  the 
latter  having  its  head  office  at  Montreal. 

Famous  Players  control  62  theatres  across 
the  Dominion  while  the  Keith  company,  which 
was  formed  some  months  ago  with  a  capital 


"Greed,"  Erich  von 
Stroheim's  master- 
piece, nearly  two 
years  in  production 
for  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer,  will  have  its 
world  premiere  in  De- 
cember at  the  Cos- 
mopolitan, New  York. 

This  information 
was  wired  East  by 
William  Randolph 
Hearst  President  of  Cosmopolitan  Corpor- 
ation, which  operates  the  Cosmopolitan  The- 
atre. Mr.  Hearst  reviewed  "Greed"  on  the 
Coast,  and  was  so  impressed  by  the  special 
that  he  offered  his  Cosmopolitan  Theatre  to 
Marcus  Loew  for  the  New  York  run  of 
"Greed."  It  will  be  the  first  time  that  any 
motion  picture  other  than  a  Cosmopolitan 
production  will  have  been  presented  in  the 
Cosmopolitan  Theatre. 

The  presentation  of  "Greed"  at  the  Cos- 
mopolitan will  be  in  the  hands  of  S.  I, 
"Roxy"  Rothafel  and  his  staff  of  the  Capitol 
Theatre.  As  the  Capitol  presentations  are 
famous  throughout  the  country  for  their  ar- 
tistry and  entertainment  qualities  which  have 
placed  them  in  a  class  by  themselves,  the 
Rothafel  presentation  of  "Greed"  promises  to 
be  one  of  the  unusual  features  of  "Greed's" 
engagement  at  the  Cosmopolitan  Theatre. 

In  announcing  the  premiere  of  '  "Greed,' 
Mr.  Hearst  stated  unqualifiedly  that 
this  von  Stroheim  production  is  "absolutely 
the  most  powerful  motion  picture"  he  has 

s?en. 


Page  16 


Exhib  itors  Trade  Review 


Two  New  Directors  Added 
To  Ritz-Carlton  Board 

/.  D.  Williams  Announces  Appointment 
of  Walter  Hayes  and  Frank  Newman 


WALTER  HAYS  of  Buffalo  and  Frank 
L.  Newman  of  Kansas  City,  nationally 
known  exhibitors  have  become  members 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Ritz-Carlton 
Pictures,  according  to  an  announcement  by 
J.  D.  Williams,  the  company's  president. 

Mr.  Newman  is  President  and  General 
Manager  of  the  Newman,  Royal  and  Twelfth 
Street  theatres,  Kansas  City.  Mr.  Hays  is 
Vice-President  of  the  Mitchell  H.  Mark 
Realty  Corporation,  which  has  also  become 
a  heavy  stockholder  in  the  Ritz  Company. 
Mr.  Hays'  company  owns  and  operates  the 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  Strands  and  im- 
portant houses  in  Albany,  Troy  and  other 
eastern  cities,  with  an  investment  in  the 
neighborhood  of  eight  million  dollars.  Moe 
Mark,  well  known  exhibitor  and  one  of  the 
original  First  National  franchise  holders,  is 
the  President  of  the  Strand  Company. 

"I  am  proud  to  make  this  announcement", 
said  Mr.  Williams,  "for  Mr.  Newman,  Mr. 
Hays  and  Mr.  Mark  are  among  the  best 
known  and  most  progressive  exhibitors  in 
America.  They  are  all  pioneers  in  the  field 
of  metropolitan  exhibition,  the  Strand,  New 
York,  being  the  first  big  theatre  devoted  sole- 
ly to  motion  pictures.  The  Newman  of 
Kansas  City  was  the  second,  both  houses  in 
point  of  size  and  luxurious  equipment  being 
years  in  advance  of  their  time. 

"I  am  very  happy  to  have  the  counsel  of 
such  far-sighted  men  who,  I  am  sure,  will 
add  greatly  to  the  strength  of  our  company. 
An  organization  is  only  as  strong  as  the 
men  who  compose  it.  Every  member  of  the 
Ritz  Board  of  Directors  has  been  selected  be- 
cause of  his  experience  in  a  particular  branch 
of  the  industry.  It  is  our  purpose  to  build 
a  well-balanced  Board  whose  members,  be- 
cause of  a  diversity  of  viewpoint,  will  be 
qualified  to  deal  most  successfully  with  prob- 
lems which  affect  both  production  and  distri- 
bution. 

"In  addition  to  Messrs.  Newman  and 
Hays,  who  represent  exhibitor  interests,  T 


Frank  L.  Newman,  eminent  exhibitor, 
"who  has  just  been  elected  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the    Ritz    Carlton  Pictures. 


shall,  personally  represent  the  stars  and  pro- 
duction side  to  which  I  shall  devote  my  en- 
tire time  and  attention. 

"Our  other  directors  are  Hawley  Turner, 
Doctor  Brazill  and  C.  L.  Yearsely.  In  Doc- 
tor Brazill  we  have  a  New  York  profession- 
al man  who  is  valuable  for  his  wide  ac- 
quaintance and  contact  with  the  general  pub- 
lie,  whose  point  of  view  he  will  represent. 
He  might  be  termed  our  Commissioner  of 
Public  Relations.  Dr.  Brazill  is  an  old 
friend  of  mine  from  during  days  of  my  as- 
sociation with  W.  W.  Hodkinson  in  1914. 
Mr.  Turner  is  a  well  known  business  expert 
who  we  recruited  from  the  national  adver- 
tising field.  He  spent  several  years  with  the 
Saturday  Evening  Post  and  Curtis  Publica- 
tions research  department  for  which  he 
made  national  surveys  of  several  basic  in- 
dustries. He  brings  to  us  a  broad  experience 
of  business  practice  in  other  fields.  Mr. 
Yearsley  was  for  five  years  in  charge  of 
First  National's  advertising  and  publicity  de- 
partment and  for  the  last  fifteen  years  has 
been  at  my  right  hand  in  all  my  enterprises." 

In  accepting  a  place  on  the  Ritz  Board  Mr. 
Hays  said :  "Our  transaction  is  now  happily 
closed.  Bringing  the  two  agencies  together, 
the  Producer  and  the  Exhibitor,  in  a  bond 
of  common  interest,  is  a  step  forward  in  the 
progress  of  this  business.  It  is  my  earnest 
hope  that  Ritz-Carlton  Pictures,  Inc.,  will 
stand  for  fine  business  conduct  and  great 
productions — and  success  is  sure  to  be  ours." 

Mr.  Newman  said :  "I  feel  very  proud  to 
be  associated  with  the  gentlemen  on  the  Ritz 
Board.  I  thoroughly  believe  in  the  Ritz  plan 
of  releasing  six  big  pictures  a  year.  With 
two  Valentinos  annually  we  have  a  great 
start.  The  Harold  Lloyd  association  on  our 
Special  Paramount  Distribution  Plan,  with 
sales  under  John  Ragland's  supervision, 
gives  exhibitors  the  opportunity  of  buying 
such  stars  as  Lloyd  and  Valentino  on  a 
unique  independent  basis.  Messrs.  Zukor 
and  Kent  through  Paramount  are,  for  the 
first  time,  giving  the  big  stars  a  distribution 
service  that  they  have  always  needed. 
By  safeguarding  the  Ritz  Brand  we  will 
soon  create  a  great  asset  for  exhibitors. 

"And  speaking  as  an  exhibitor  I  can  say 
that  most  theatre  profits  are  made  on  a  few 
big  pictures  a  year.  A  plan  like  that  of  Ritz 
which  will  eventually  give  us  more  winners 
a  season  is  worth  a  great  deal  to  the  business, 
and  I  personally  mean  to  work  hard  to  bring 
it  about." 

%       %  >K 

"Louis  Segal  Week"  for 
So.  California 

The  M.  P  T.  O.  of  So.  California  has  made 
elaborate  plans  in  honor  of  Louis  Segal,  na-  - 
tional  treasurer  of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.,  who  will 
come  to  Los  Angeles  as  the  guest  of  the  lo- 
cal theatre  owners'  organization,  on  Novem- 
ber 28.  From  that  date  until  December  5, 
the  Los  Angeles  exhibitors  will  inaugurate 
"Louis  Segal  Week,"  during  which  many  fes- 
tivities are  planned  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  national  treasurer. 

The  festivities,  which  will  be  followed  by 
a  membership  drive,  are  in  charge  of  com- 
mittees, which  were  appointed  at  the  meeting 
of  the  organization  on  October  27. 

The  Honorary  Committee  consists  of 
Adolph  Ramish,  Michael  Gore,  Claude  Lang- 
ley,  A.  H.  Emenhiser,  and  B.  E.  Loper,  Sr. 


The  following  members  have  been  appoint- 
ed to  the  General  Committee :  Fred  Miller, 
who  is  president  of  the  organization,  will  be 
chairman;  A.  L.  Theuerkauf,  president  of 
the  Film  Board  of  Trade;  A.  P.  Michael 
Narlian,  secretary  of  the  Film  Board  of 
Trade,  Sol  Lesser;  Dave  Bershon ;  A.  L. 
Care;  Harry  C.  Arthur,'  Jr.;  B.  N.  Bern- 
stein; William  J.  Quinn ;  Glen  Harper. 

On  the  Banquet  Committee  will  be  Sol 
Lesser,  chairman,  Harry  C.  Arthur,  Jr.,  W. 
W.  Whitson,  B.  H.  Lustig,  H.  J.  Siler,  C  E. 
Walker,  James  Sams. 

A  "High  Jinks"  Committee  has  also  been 
named,  which  is  divided  into  four  sub-commit- 
tees, Joe  Goldberg,  W.  H.  Lollier  and  Lou 
Goldden,  will  take  charge  of  entertainment ; 
Pearl  Merrill  and  Joe  Rubenstein  will  attend 
to  amusement ;  Jack  Retlaw  and  Art  Meyers 
will  handle  publicity ;  while  Jake  Cone,  Hen- 
ry Charles,  B.  N.  Berinstein  and  Glenn  Har- 
per will  see  to  the  dinner  reservations.  Ev- 
erybody expects  a  great  time. 

*    *  * 

Shooting  Completed 
on  "Ultimate  Good" 

The  actual  photographing  of  the  first  St. 
Regis  Picture,  made  under  the  working  title 
"The  Ultimate  Good"  from  the  magazine 
story  of  that  name  by  J.  C.  Brownell,  has 
been  completed.'  The  picture,  for  Associated 
Exhibitors  release,  was  made  at  the  Tec  Art 
Studios  in  New  York,  under  the  direction 
of  E.  H.  Griffith,  with  Conway  Tearle  and 
Madge  Kennedy  as  the  stars  and  a  number 
of  well-known  players  in  the  supporting 
roles,  including  Lucille  Lee  Stewart, 
Charles  Emmett  Mack,  Bigelow  Cooper, 
William  Bechtel.  In  addition  the  chorus 
of  the  Greenwich  Village  Follies  was  used 
in  one  portion  of  the  film  and  in  another 
an  entire  act  out  of  Earl  Carroll's  Vanities 
of  1924,  the  renowned  "Block  Number," 
was  used. 

The  films  which  is  now  being  cut  and 
titled  will  be  ready  for  delivery  to  Asso- 
ciated Exhibitors  by  the  first  of  December 
and  will  be  released  about  the  first  of  the 
year. 

Preparations  are  already  under  way  for 
the  second  St  Regis  picture  which  will  be 
an  adaptation  of  "The  Million  Dollar 
Doll,"  the  latest  novel  of  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Williamson. 


Walter  Hays,  a  nationally  known  exhibi- 
tor, who  is  now  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,    Ritz    Carlton   Pictures  Corp. 


November  22,  1924 


Page  17 


26,000,000  Attended  N..Y. 
Capitol  In  Five  Years 


Big  Program  for 
United  Artists 

A  NNOUNCEMENT  was  made 
by  Joseph  Schenck  that 
Chaplin  has  definitely  affiliated 
himself  with  the  new  United  Ar- 
tists group,  releasing  through 
that  organization  one  production 
a  year. 

At  the  same  time  an  extensive 
program  for  the  coming  year  was 
announced. 

The  new  program,  which  will 
be  offered  to  exhibitors  in  group 
form  will  include  three  from  Nor- 
ma Talmadge,  four  from  Con- 
stance Talmadge,  four  from 
Buster  Keaton,  the  first  new 
Douglas  Fairbanks  picture,  the 
first  new  Mary  Pickford  picture, 
and  one  Griffith  picture  a  year. 

Mary  Pickford,  it  was  stated, 
would  make  "The  Salvation 
Hunters,"  directed  by  Joseph 
Sternberg. 

Over  a  dozen  franchise  holders 
who  took  the  Talmadge  products 
while  they  were  released  through 
First  National,  have  signed  up 
with  United  Artists  for  both 
series  of  the  Talmadge  products 
and  will  probably  take  the  entire 
product  of  the  new  company. 


WHEN  the  Capitol  Theatre,  the  world's 
largest  motion  picture  theatre  opened 
its  doors  to  the  public  five  years  ago, 
it  represented  the  crystalization  of  the  dream 
of  a  group  of  prominent  men,  the  moving 
spirits  of  which  were  Messmore  Kendall, 
president  of  the  organization,  and  Edward 
Bcwes,  vice  president  and  managing  director 
of  the  theatre.  The  theatre  was  the  embodi- 
ment of  architectural  beauty;  of  luxury  and 
elegance ;  of  comfort  and  good  tastes ;  a 
temple  dedicated  to  the  art  of  the  motion 
picture. 

It  was  the  force  of  a  natural  law  which 
drew  S.  L.  Rothafel  to  this  temple  as  its  high 
priest.  From  a  little  backroom  show  in  a 
small  mining  town  in  Pennsylvania,  through 
devious  roads,  he  had  evolved  the  idea  of 
an  entertainment  worthy  of  just  such  a  su- 
perlative institution  as  the  Capitol.  It  was 
logical  that  he  should  have  been  selected  to 
guide  its  artistic  destinies. 

That  the  choice  of  the  men  who  brought 
this  institution  into  being  and  who  have  care- 
fully watched  over  its  growth,  was  a  wise 
one,  is  self-evident.  The  Capitol  Theatre 
today  is  more  than  a  theatre.  It  is  one  of 
our  civic  assets. 

Will  Hays,  the  little  father  of  the  movies, 
has  said  that  an  industry  which  engages  so 
much  of  the  leisure  moments  of  a  country 
is  "a  King's  business."  In  the  five  years  of 
its  existence,  the  Capitol  has  entertained  up- 
wards of  26,000,000  people.  An  institution 
which  has  so  far  reaching  an  influence, Js  as- 
suredly one  of  the  outstanding  factors  in 
this  "King's  business." 

The  Capitol  is  unique  in  man}'  respects.  It 
has  a  definite  atmosphere,  a  personality,  so 
far  as  an  organization  may  be  said  to  have 
one.  It  is  an  active  instance  of  how  the 
light  of  a  single  spirit  can  permeate  and 
guide  every  part  of  the  organization.  Roth- 
afel's  personality  directs  every  part  of  the 
entertainment. 

The  lighting  effects  are  worked  out  by  him 
during  the  wee  small  hours  from  midnight 
every  Saturday  night  until  the  Sunday  dawn. 
The  music  of  the  orchestra  receives  its  final 
approbation  from  him  even  down  to  the  min- 
utest detail  of  the  drummer's  beat.  The 
score  that  interprets  the  motion  pictures  are 
compiled  and  dictated  under  his  direction. 
The  scenes  of  the  Capitol  News  are  edited 
by  him-  as  logically  as  an  editor  selects  the 
news  for  his  paper. 

Nor  is  his  influence  limited  to  that  part 
of  the  theatre  which  lies  beyond  the  foot- 
lights. The  "front"  of  the  house  is  under 
equally  strict  surveillance.  The  uniformed 
staff  are  inspected,  drilled  and  given  institu- 
tional balks  by  Rothafel.  They  are  im- 
pressed with  the  institution's  ideals  of  serv- 
ice. 

The  cashiers  at  the  box-office  have  been 
under  his  training  during  the  ten  years  of. 
his  direction  on  Broadway.  They  represent 
the  embodiment  of  courtesy. 

Another  reason  for  the  distinctive  person- 
ality of  the  Capitol  is  the  fact  that  it  more 
closely  represents  a  repertory  company  than 
any  other  organization  on  Broadway.  Roth- 
afel has  drawn  to  his  side  a  group  of  young 
artists,  whom  he  has  discovered  and  de- 


veloped to  fit  into  the  singular  requirements 
of  the  motion  picture  entertainment. 

Mile.  Gambarelli,  premiere  danseuse  and 
David  Mendoza,  conducfor  of  the  Capitol 
Grand  Orchestra  have  been  with  Rothafel 
since  the  beginning  of  his  direction.  Doris 
Niles  solo  dancer,  Yasha  Bunchuk,  solo  cell- 
ist, Betsy  Ayres,  soloist,  are  among  the 
young  artists  who  have  been  introduced  at 
the  Capitol. 


It  appears  that  Bessie  Love  and  Glenn. 
Hunter  give  a  faithful  presentation  of  "The 
Silent  Watcher,"  a  First  Nat'l  attraction. 


New  Idea  To  Help 
the  Exhibitor 

First  National's  Sawyer-Lubin  Production 
"Sandra"  starts  an  innovation  by  issuing  a 
booklet  to  exhibitors  before  the  picture  is 
ready  for  release. 

The  booklet  is  made  up  as  a  classy  little 
volume  and  contains  all  the  necessary  in- 
formation that  an  exhibitor  could  ask.  It 
gives  the  theme  of  the  production;  the  cast, 
photos  of  the  most  elaborate  sets  and  in 
fact  everything  that  will  aid  the  exhibitor  in 
determining  the  variety  of  picture  that  has 
been  made. 

The  idea  will  no  doubt  go  over  big  with 
exhibitors  throughout  the  country  and  First 
National  is  to  be  complimented  on  the  idea 
and  execution  of  the  work. 


"Good  attraction"        (Harrison's  Reports) 


"Produced  lavishly  .  .  .  Sustains  interest .  .  .  Good  at- 
traction for  theatres  that  cater  to  strong  melodrama 
loving  patrons."  Harrison's  Screen  Reports 


The  Howard  Estabrook  Production 


thePRICE  ofaPARTY 

Directed  by  Charles  Giblyn 

with  Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  Ford,  MaiyAstor, 
Arthur  Edmund  Carew  and  Oagmar  Godowsky 

Associated  Exhibitors 

Ftiysical  Distributors  -Pothe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 

I 


Page  18 

GEORGE  WALSH  VINDICATED 

Metro-Goldwyn  Statement  Says  Change  in  Policy 
Compelled  Substitution  in  "Ben  Hut" 


GEORGE  WALSH  was  released  from 
"Ben  Hur"  and  the  role  given  Ramon 
Navarro  due  to  no  failing  fault  of 
Mr.  Walsh's,  it  was  stated  by  Metro-Gold- 
wyn Distributing  Corporation  this  week.  The 
substitution  of  Mr.  Navarro  for  Mr.  Walsh 
was  unavoidable  due  to  circumstances  of  the 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  merger,  and  was 
compelled  by  a  change  in  the  policies  of  the- 
combined  organization  regarding  productions, 
which  naturally  included  "Ben  Hur."  This 
statement  was  made  by  Metro-Goldwyn  to 
vindicate  George  Walsh,  and  to  clear  up  a 
misunderstanding  that  appears  to  have  arisen. 

"I  thought  the  reason  was  obvious  why 
Ramon  Navarro  was  given  the  role  in  'Ben 
Hur,'  "  said  Marcus  Loew,  President  of  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn Distributing  Corporation,  "but 
since  a  wrong  interpretation  appears  to  have 
been  put  upon  Mr.  Walsh's  retirement  from 
the  production,  it  is  only  fair  to  Mr.  Walsh, 
who  is  a  splendid  artist,  that  our  position 
should  be  explained,  and  Mr.  Walsh  vindi- 
cated from  unjust  rumors. 

"Ramon  Navarro  was  one  of  Metro's  lead- 
ing favorites  prior  to  the  amalgamation  of 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Following  the  mer- 
ger, which  united  the  destinies  of  the  three 
organizations,  it  was  naturally  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  combined  company  to  advance 
the  prestige  and  popularity  of  Mr.  Navarro. 
Since  production  was  not  underway  on  'Ben 
Hur'  at  the  time  of  the  merger,  and  since 
Mr,  Walsh  consequently  had  not  -appeared 
in  any  scenes  of  the  production,  the  change, 
in  policy  of  the  company  made  it  advisable 
that  Ramon  Navarro  be  given  the  role  of 
'Ben  Hur'.  in  order  to.  further  establish  his 
position  as  one  of  our  leading  stars." 

Mr.  Loew,  in  a  personal  communication  to 
George  Walsh,  branded  as  untrue  any  rumor 
that  the  substitution  of-  Mr.  Navarro  was 
due  to  any  other  circumstances. 

"I  hope  that  that "  rumor  has  not  been 
widespread,"  ,  Mr.  Loew's  letter  said,  "be- 
cause nothing  would  be  more  unfair  and 


Herbert  Rawlinson  is  now  freelancing, 
since  finishing  "The  Tomboy,"  a  Mission 
Film  Company  production  in  which  he 
recently   played    the   leading   male  role. 


unjust  to  vou  than  the  dissemination  of  such 
information,  since  you  had  through  no  fault 
of  your  own  no  opportunity  to  play  the  part. 
In  fact  at  the  time  Mr.  Navarro  was  sub- 
stituted, none  of  the  work  in  connection  with 
the  screen  of  that  picture  had  taken  place. 

"I  hope  the  oublic  will  know,  as  you  know, 
that  the  reason  for  the  substitution  was  the 
change  in  policy  in  connection  with  the 
screening  of  the  picture. 

"I  regret  that  you  did  not  have  the  op- 
portunity to  show  the  motion  picture  trade 
the  work  you  could  have  done,  but  I  am 
sure  that  in  the  new  parts  allotted  to  you, 
your  public,  who  knows  the  splendid  work 
you  have  done  in  other  pictures,  will  be 
glad  to  receive  you  when  you  next  appear. 
I  can  assure  you  that  everybody  in  our  or- 
ganization wishes  you  the  utmost  success." 

*    *  * 

$400,000  Promised 
For  Selznick 

Up- State  Group  Will  Furnish 
Money  to  Keep  Company 
Going 

RUMORS  that  Selznick  would  in 
the  future  distribute  through 
an  outside  company  were  de- 
nied by  officials  of  the  present  re- 
ceivership who  asserted  that  the 
company  would  carry  on  business 
under  a  plan  of  reorganization. 

Although  there  have  been  many 
delays  in  scheduled  meetings  of  pro- 
ducers, who  are  the  creditors  of  the 
bankrupt  company,  and  consequent 
uncertainty  as  to  what  policy  would 
be  followed  in  the  future,  it  is  un- 
derstood that  the  sum  of  $400,000 
has  been  promised,  mainly  by  in- 
terests in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  partly  by 
producers  who  have  pictures  in  the 
present  Selznick  organization. 

The  plan  of  reorganization  has 
not  been  definitely  worked  out.  A 
number  of  creditors  have  failed  to 
prove  their  claims  to  the  general 
creditors'  committee,  and  other  un- 
forseen  circumstances  have  delayed 
a  speedy  solution  of  the  Selznick 
tangle. 

If  a  new  regime  is  to  be  installed 
to  carry  on  business,  it  is  under- 
stood that  a  motion  to  dismiss  the 
present  receiver  will  be  made  in 
court. 

Charges  of  alleged  dishonesty 
made  by  Murray  Garsson  against 
Selznick  officials  is  still  pending  in 
court,  but  it  was  asserted  that  his 
future  course  of  action  will  be  de- 
termined by  the  decision  the  credi- 
tors will  make. 


A  tense  moment  in  the  Famous  Players 
attraction  "Monsieur  Beaucaire."  Bebe 
Daniels  starred  with  Rudolph  Valentino. 

"Romola"  Ready  for 
Metro  Distribution 

Lillian  Gish,  the  star  of  Henry  King's 
"Romola,"  and  Dorothy  Gish,  featured  play- 
er, are  ready  to  be  seen  by  the  public  in 
their  newest  and  greatest  roles.  The  editing 
and  titling  of  "Romola"  has  been  completed, 
and  the  mammoth  production  was  reviewed 
in  its  final  form  by  Metro-Goldwyn  execu- 
tives last  week.  Metro-Goldwyn  will  dis- 
tribute the  big  Inspiration  Pictures  special, 
which  was  over  a  year  in  production  at 
Florence,  Italy. 

The  verdict  of  those  who  saw  "Romola," 
as  it  will  be  presented  to  the  public  is  that 
Henry  King's  production  is  unquestionably 
one  of  the  greatest  screen  achievements 
brought  to  the  films.  It  is  claimed  the  spec- 
tacular scenes  have  never  been  surpassed.. 

"East  of  Broadway"  To  Be 
Released  November  23 

Associated  Exhibitors  announces  the  re- 
lease on  its  program  for  November  23  of 
the  latest  of  its  big  feature  productions  en- 
titled "East  of  Broadway,"  a  thrilling  police 
melodrama  produced  by  Paul  Schoefield. 

Owen  Moore  appears  in  the  role  of  a. 
youth  who  struggles  to  realize  a  boyhood 
ambition  to  become  a  policeman,  overcoming 
obstacles  to  get  on  the  force  and  meeting 
with  exciting  experience  afterward. 


Jackie  Coogan  has  another  honor  added  to 
his  list.  He  was  made  Honorary  Chief  of 
the  San  Francisco  Police  force  for  a  day. 
This  Metro  star  is  now  back  from  Europe. 


November  22,  1924 


Page  19  | 


The  gorgeous  Hope  Hampton,  as  she 
appears  in  "The  Price  of  a  Party,"  an  As- 
sociated Exhibitors  spectacle  of  great  merit. 

Universal  Moves 
On  November  15 

TWELVE  years  ago  the  Universal 
Pictures  Corporation  broke  away 
from  the  moving  picture  distribution 
center,  then  at  No.  1  Union  Square,  and 
established  its  offices  at  1600  Broadway. 
The  Mecca  Building  was  considered  by 
every  conservative  man  in  the  industry  as 
being  too  far  north.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  was  furthest  north  that  the  infant  in- 
dustry had  reached. 

Nevertheless,  within  a  year  other  firms 
followed  the  lead  of  the  Universal  and  a 
new  motion  picture  center  was  created  at 
48th  Street  and  Broadway.  In  the  latter 
years  of  its  occupancy  Universal  has  far 
outgrown  the  facilities  of  the  Mecca 
Building.  A  move  to  other  quarters  was 
absolutely  essential.  A  full  year  was 
occupied  in  looking  for  new  quarters 
which  would  be  at  once  convenient,  effi- 
cient and  representative  of  the  growing 
importance  of  the  moving  picture  industry. 

A  determined  effort  was  made  to  se- 
cure a  building  of  sufficient  size  to  ac- 
commodate all  of  the  departments  of  the 
company  on  one  floor,  but  since  there 
is  no  such  building  in  New  York  City, 
this  plan  had  to  be  discarded.  Very  early 
in  these  negotiations  it  developed  that  with 
this  one  exception  the  Heckscher  Building 
at  Fifth  Avenue  and  57th  Street  was  most 
ideally  suited  to  the  requirements  of  the 
company. 

s|c  . 

EXHIBITOR  KILLED  IN 
AUTO  ACCIDENT 

Thomas  G.  Bligh,  one  of  the  oldest  exhibi- 
tors in  the  state  of  Oregon,  owner  of  the 
Liberty  and  Bligh  theatres  in  Salem  and  of 
the  Bligh  Hotel  there,  was  killed,  together 
with  his  companion,  J.  C.  Davis,  a  carpenter 
who  was  working  for  him,  when  the  machine 
in  which  they  were  driving  skidded  off  the 
road  and  turned  over. 

The  fatal  accident  occurred  about  seven- 
teen miles  west  of  McMinville  near  New 
Grange  Ronde.  Frank  Bligh,  a  son,  who  was 
managing  the  Liberty,  will  probably  take  over 
his  father's  business  interests. 


LAEMMLE  DIRECTS  FIVE 
MILLION  SCHEDULE 

With  Carl  Laemmle  at  the  studio  actively 
directing  operations  and  in  daily  conferences 
with  Julius  Bernheim,  general  manager,  and 
Ben  Zeidman,  his  assistant,  preparations  for 
the  new  schedule  of  production  at  Universal 
City  are  actively  under  way.  Preparatory 
work  on  seven  big  stories,  just  purchased, 
and  production  plans  for  a  number  of  others 
mark  the  first  step  on  the  five  million  dollar 
schedule  to  be  gotten  under  way  at  once. 
The  signing  of  several  new  artists  on  long 
term  contracts  is  another  feature  of  the  plans. 

The  first  group  of  new  stories  on  which 
production  will  start  at  an  early  date  includes 
"The  Plastic  Age,"  "Siege,"  "Head  Winds," 
"A  Somnambulistic  Scandal,"  "I'll  Show  you 
The  Town,"  "Scandal"  and  "Folle  Farine." 
*    *  * 

ALBERTA  MOVIE  COLONY 
HONORS  N.  SMITH 

The  whole  moving  picture  colony  of  Cal- 
gary, Alberta,  tinned  out  November  4  for 
the  purpose  of  doing  honor  to  Norman 
Smith,  the  representative  in  Calgary  for  the 
past  eight  years  of  Regal  Films,  Limited,  be- 
fore his  departure  to  Toronto,  Ontario,  where 
he  has  been  made  a  departmental  manager  at 
the  Regal  head  office.  The  farewell  party 
was  held  at  the  Palace  theatre,  all  the  film 
exchange  men  and  theatre  managers  of  the 
city  being  the  guests  of  Ray  Tubman  and  J. 


Superior  Pictures  is  now  featuring  beauti- 
ful Jean  Riley  in  their  splendid  produc- 
tions taken  out  on  the  coast. 


B.  Barron  of  the  Palace  Theatre.  Following 
a  programme  of  music  and  appropriate  re- 
freshments, the  presentation  was  made  to  Mr. 
Smith  of  a  valuable  case  of  table  silver,  the 
presentation  being  made  by  John  Hazza,  man- 
ager of  the  Capital  Theatre,  Calgary,  in  be- 
half of  the  local  film  fraternity. 

Mr.  Smith  was  the  oldest  Calgary  film  man 
in  point  of  service.  Announcement  was  made 
of  the  promotion  of  Abe  Cass,  assistant  man- 
ager of  the  local  Regal  office,  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  branch.  Those  present  included 
John  Hazza,  Harold  Bishop,  J.  B.  Barron, 
Ray  Tubman,  I.  H.  Allen  of  Vancouver,  B. 

C,  J.  Cathro,  T.  Davey,  Abe  Cass,  Ivor  Price, 
Joe  Huber,  M.  Skoray,  George  Margetts,  M. 
Allen,  J.  S.  Hepburn,  W.  Campbell,  Joe 
Plottel,  J.  Hutchinson  and  others. 

*  *  * 

FAMOUS  DIVIDEND 

At  a  meeting  held  Nov  12,  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  Famous  Players-Lasky  Corpora- 
tion declared  the  regular  quarterly  dividend 
of  $2.00  per  share  on  the  common  stock, 
payable  January  2,  1925,  to  stockholders  of 
record  at  the  close  of  business  on  December 
15,  1924.    The  books  will  not  close. 

t-    *  * 

LABORATORY  MERGER 
IS  ASSURED 

Although  it  has  not  been  officially  an- 
nounced, it  is  understood  that  details  have 
been  completed  for  the  merger  of  the  Evans 
Laboratory  and  the  National  Film  Labora- 
tory. 

The  National  plant  is  located  at  Palisades, 
N.  J.,  while  the  Evans  plant  is  in  Fort  Lee. 

The  combination  of  these  two  plants  will 
make  a  very  substantial  organization  and 
their  facilities  will  permit  them  to  compete 
in  a  large  way  with  the  biggest  laboratories 
in  the  country. 

♦  ^ 

VALENTINOS  RETURN 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rodolph  Valentino  and  Nita 
Naldi  arrived  in  New  York  on  Novembei 
10,  after  an  extended  European  trip. 

The  Valentinos  will  remain  in  New  York 
a  few  days  and  will  then  hasten  to  the 
Coast  where  Valentino  will  start  to  work 
on  his  first  picture  for  Ritz-Carlton. 

They  will  entertain  at  the  Ritz  Hotel  on 
Saturday  evening  and  will  leave  on  Tuesday 
for  Los  Angeles. 


"One  of  season's  best"     (Zit's  Weekly) 


"Picture  is  easily  one  of  the  season's  best .  .  .  Climax 
and  denouement  worthy  of  O.  Henry."   Zit's  Weekly 


The  Howard  Estabrook  Production 


THE  PRICE  QF  A  PARTY 

Directed  by  Charles  Giblyn 

with  Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  ftrd,  Mary  Aston 
Arthur  Edmund  Carewand  Dagmar  Godowsky 

Associated  Exhibitors 

Physical  Distributors  -Pathe  Exchange.  Inc. 


Page  20 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


T.  0.  C.  C.  Will  Make  Test 
Case  With  Loew,  Inc. 

Will  Lodge  Complaint  With 
Federal  Trade  Commission 


"Covered  Wagon"  Wins 
Photoplay  Medal 

The  .Photoplay  Magazine  has 
awarded  its  gold  medal  of  honor, 
which  the  publication  gives  annually 
for  the  best  picture  of  the  year., 
to  the  "Covered  Wagon,"  directed 
by  James  Cruze. 

The  choice  was  made  on  the  basis 
of  votes  by  the  2,500,000  readers  of 
the  publication,  and  is  regarded  as 
the  best  indication  of  the  opinion  of 
the  consuming  public. 

The  medal  is  made  of  solid  gold 
weighing  123^2  pennyweights,  and 
is  two  and  a  half  inches  wide. 

Following  the  award,  Famous 
Players  issued  figures  indicating 
that  within  the  first  month  after  the 
general  release  of  the  film,  3,363 
theatres  throughout  the  country  had 
booked  it.  It  ran  at  the  Criterion, 
New  York  for  59  weeks,  and  was 
seen  here  by  600,000  people.  In  Hol- 
lywood it  ran  34  weeks  to  710,000 
people ;  in  Boston  played  29  weeks 
to  300,000,  and  in  Chicago  23  weeks 
to  250,000. 

It  is  estimated  that  up  to  date 
over  6,000,000  people  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada  have  seen  the 
picture. 

The  previous  awards  of  the  Pho- 
toplay have  gone  to  "Humoresque," 
in  1921;  "Tol'able  David,"  in  1922; 
and  "Robin  Hood"  in  1923. 


BY  unanimous  consent,  the  The- 
atre Owners  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce voted  to  place  before  the 
Federal  Trade  Commission  a  formal 
complaint  against  the  alleged  unfair 
tactics  of  circuits  in  general  and 
JLoew's  Inc.,  in  particular. 

Loew's  Inc.  was  selected  only  be- 
cause the  exhibitor's  body  possesses 
a  wealth  of  evidence  which,  it  was 
stated,  would  clearly  illustrate  the 
flagrant  abuses  which  the  circuit  the- 
atres are  in  the  habit  of  performing 
against  the  individual  exhibitor  who 
owns  and  operates  his  theatre. 

The  action  will  be  in  the  nature 
of  a  test,  and  will  center  about  the 
question  of  whether  it  is  legal  for 
disributors  to  refuse  a  higher  price 
for  a  picture  offered  by  a  private  ex- 
hibitor, in  order  to  deliver  the  pic- 
ture for  smaller  consideration  to  a 
circuit  theatre  in  the  same  district. 

Members  of  the  T.  O.  C.  C.  have 
complained  that  they  have  been  un- 
able to  secure  pictures  for  which 
there  is  a  popular  demand,  at  any 
price  while  circuit  theatres  could  ob- 
tain them  for  a  comparatively  small 
sum. 

This  practice  of  refusing  the  pri- 
vate exhibitors'  offers  while  favoring 
the  house  of  a  chain  was  branded  by 
exhibitors  as  one  of  the  most  unfair 
of  business  practices. 

Although  no  announcement  of  the 
choice  of  counsel  has  been  made  at 


E.  J.  Ratcliffe,  veteran  player,  brilliantly 
characterized  Roosevelt  in  "Sundown." 
He    will    next    cppear    in    "Sky  High." 


press  time,  it  has  been  rumored 
that  the  exhibitors'  organization 
would  very  likely  engage  Senator 
James  J.  Walker  to  carry  on  their 
fight. 

*    *  * 

DISTRIBUTING  METHODS 
RUINING  EXHIBITORS 

{Continued  from  Page  14) 

of  getting  your  expression  of  opinion  as  to 
what  remedy  should  be  devised  for  the  pur- 
pose of  preserving  the  integrity  of  the  Uni- 
form Contract. 

Sincerely  Yours, 
(Signed)    BERNARD  EDELHERTZ. 

^  % 

WILL  HAYS'  REPLY 

November  6,  1924. 

Mr.  Bernard  Edelhertz 
Secretary  and  Treasurer 
The  American  Hebrew 
19  West  44th  Street 
New  York  City 

Dear  Mr.  Edelhertz : 

Returning  this  morning  I  find  your  letter 
of  -  October  twenty-eighth  and  appreciate  it. 
I  was  glad  to  hear  from  you.  You  are  cor- 
rect, of  course,  in  your  assumption  that  I 
would  not  favor  the  making  of  changes  in 
the  provisions  of  the  standard  clauses  of  the 
"Uniform  Contract"  in  the  manner  you  sug- 
gest. As  you  know,  the  question  of  whether 
or  not  some  changes  might  be  advisable  bas- 
ed on  the  experience  of  the  last  few  months 
has  been  under  consideration  and  for  study 
of  the  ■  situation  in  that  regard  a  committee 
has  been  appointed  consisting  of  representa- 
tives of  the  exhibitors  and  the  distributors, 
and  this  commitee,  which  will  be  a  continuing 
agency,  will  take  up  suggested  changes. 

The  matter  of  the  possibility  of  changes 
being  attempted  without  first  having  a  joint 
consideration  thereof  by  the  interested  par- 
ties has  heretofore  been  given  thought  by  us 
I  have  in  mind  the  letter  which  was  sent  on 
October  sixteenth  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
San  Francisco  Film  Board  of  Trade  in  reply 
to  his  inquiry  concerning  the  subject,  copies 
of  which  letter  were  sent  to  the  Secretary 
of  each  Film  Board  of  Trade  in  the  country. 
This  letter  made  clear  the  policy  that  the 
provisions  of  the  standard  clauses  of  the 
"Uniform  Contract"  should  not  be  changed 
without  first  submitting  any  change  proposed 
for  adoption  or  disapproval  to  the  represent- 
atives of  those  interested  in  the  "Uniform 
Contract"  and  referred  to  the  appointment 
of  the  standing'  committee  representing  ex- 
hibitors and  distributors  which  would  study 
any  proposed  changes.  That  letter  specific- 
ally stated  : 

"Please  advise  your  Board  of  Trade 
that  the  terms  and  provisions  of  the  Uni- 
form Contract  must  not  be  changed, 
modified  or  added  to  by  rider  or  other- 
wise. 

"Explain  to  your  Board  that  the  Uni- 
Uniform  Contract  was  adopted  after 
many  conferences  between  representa- 
tives of  the  exhibitors  and  distributors 
extending  over  a  long  period  of  time. 
Therefore,      the     Uniform  Contract 


should  not  be  changed  or  added  to  with- 
out first  submitting  for  adoption  or  dis- 
approval to  the  representatives  of  all  in- 
terested in  Uniform  Contract  any  change, 
addition  or  modification  that  may  be  sug- 
gested." 

I  will  be  glad  if  you  will  send  me  a  detail- 
ed statement  of  any  unauthorized  clauses  that 
you  may  know  of  having  been  actually  in- 
serted in  the  standard  clauses  of  the  "Uni- 
form Contract". 

I  again  assure  you  of  my  appreciation  of 
your  help  in  the  development  of  this  whole 
situation. 

With  kindest  personal  regards,  I  am, 
Sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)    WILL  H.  HAYS. 


Phil  Rosen,  the  remarkable  director  of 
"Abraham  Lincoln,"  has  been  directing 
for  Warner  Bros.  "The  Bridge  of  Sighs." 


November  22,  1924 


Page  21 


Pathe  Makes  Sur- 
vey of  Shorts 


ality  is  the  possibility  of  their  seeing  scenes 
from  their  homeland.  Views  of  Germany, 
France,  Italy,  Poland,  Russia  and  other 
countries  are  flashed  before  their  very  eyes. 
To  them  the  news  reel  is  of  more  importance 
in  many  instances  than  the  feature. 

Exhibitors  throughout  the  country  are 
gradually  coming  to  the  realization  of  the 
importance  of  the  news  reel  to  their  program 
from  an  exploitation  standpoint.  As  an  ex- 
ample, a  certain  exhibitor,  located  in  a 
French  neighborhood  settlement  in  Chicago, 
bannered  the  front  of  his  theatre  for  the 
Pathe  News  that  carried  the  scenes  of  the 
funeral  of  Anatole  France,  the  famous 
French  author.  This  is  only  one  instance. 
There  have  been  hundreds  reported  to  the 
Pathe  Home  Office  in  the  past  few  months. 

JOHN  STEVENS  GETS 
BIG  JOB 

John  Stevens,  formerly  manager  of  the 
Alarlowe  and  Ellen  Terry  in  Buffalo  and 
more  recently  manager  of  the  Princess  and 
Regent  in  Corning  and  the  Schine  theatres 
in  Oneonta,  has  been  promoted  to  the  post 
of  Assistant  District  Manager  of  the  Buffalo 
area  for  the  Schine  company.  Jack,  who  is 
well  known  in  Buffalo,  which  city  is  his 
home,  has  arrived  in  town  to  assume  his 
new  duties. 

The  Rialto,  the  newest  addition  to  the 
Schine  chain  in  Western  New  York,  was 
opened  to  the  public  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.. 
Tuesday  evening,  November  11.  This  new 
theatre  is  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Pine 
and  Walnut  street,  the  site  of  the  former 
Thurston  Auditorium.  A  large  number  of 
Buffalo  exchange  men  and  exhibitors  motor- 
ed to  the  Lock  City  to  attend  the  opening. 

*   *  * 

Navarro  Wins  La. 


Alexandresco,  noted  Roumanian  actress, 
plays  an  important  role  in  "The  Arab,"  a 
marvelous  Rex  Ingram  all  star  feature 
production    released    by  Metro-Goldwyn. 

In  the  "Louisiana  Scout's"  contest  .13,964 
votes  were  cast.  Of  this  number  8,343  votes 
were  cast  for  Ramon  Navarro,  giving  the 
favorite  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  star  an  over- 
whelming majority  that  definitely  proves  his 
box-office  drawing  power  as  one  of  the  big- 
gest attractions  exhibitors  can  give  theatre 
patrons. 

The  five  leaders  in  the  popularity  contests, 
with  the  number  of  votes  each  polled,  are 
the  following : 


THE  question  of  what  one  reel  subjects 
means  to  the  average  exhibitor  today  is 
one  of  the  dominant  questions  of  the  film 
industry.  Just  a  few  years  back  they  were 
considered  by  the  theatre  owner  as  some- 
thing to  fill  out  his  program,  but  today  it  is 
entirely  different. 

Thousands  upon  thousands  of  people  are 
employed  in  the  industry  working  exclusive- 
ly on  the  making  of  one  reel  subjects,  and 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  dollars  are  be- 
ing invested  annually  to  supply  the  demand 
that  exists  today  for  shorter-length  pictures. 
Fields  that  a  few  years  ago  were  unknown 
have  opened  themselves.  Possibilities  for 
proper  presentation  of  these  subjects  have 
presented  themselves  to  the  exhibitor  and  he 
is  taking  advantage  of  them. 

As  an  example,  twelve  years  ago,  or  there- 
abouts, the  Pathe  W  eekly  was  established. 
Since  then  it  has  developed  into  wha.t  is 
known  as  the  Pathe  News  and  is  issued  twice 
weekly,  but  so  deeply  has  the  term  "Pathe 
W  eekly"  imbedded  itself  in  the  minds  of  the 
public  that  the  name  Pathe  News  never  oc- 
curs to  them.  Even  salesmen,  in  the  employ 
of  Pathe,  often  make  out  contracts  reading 
Pathe  Weekly.      This  happens  because  the 


Priscilla  Dean  caught  in  silent  medita- 
tion. She  has  just  completed  "The  Siren 
of  Seville,"  a  Producers  Distributing  Cor- 
poration    classic     excellently  portrayed. 


product  has  been  so  thoroughly  drilled  home 
to  the  public  that  they  constantly  remember 
it  as  it  was. 

The  average  exhibitor  does  not  realize  how 
firmly  imbedded  in  the  minds  of  the  public 
are  the  news  films  until  by  chance  he  happens 
to  miss  out  on  one  when  his  public  expects  to 
see  it  on  his  program. 

Because  of  this,  Pathe  has  conducted  a 
thorough  survey,  lasting  over  several  months 
to  determine  the  popularity  of  its  product 
and  the  reasons  therefor.  The  investigation 
disclosed  the  fact  that  the  most  popular 
screen  product  today  among  the  foreign 
show-going  public  of  America  is  the  news 
reel.  Theatre  having  a  strong  patronage  of 
foreign  element  reported  that  this  interest 
was  due  principally  to  the  fact  that  persons 
of  foreign  birth  unfamiliar  with  the  English 
language,  needed  no  titles  to  let  them  know 
what  was  going  on  in  a  news  reel. 

Another  big  factor  in  the  popularity  of  the 
Pathe  News  among  those  of  foreign  nation- 


Popularity  Contest 

RAMON  NAVARRO  has  been  voted  the 
most  popular  actor  on  the  screen.  A 
popularity  contest  just  concluded  by  the 
"Louisiana  Scout,"  a  Southern  magazine 
published  by  Edward  A.  Hall  in  New  Or- 
leans, gave  Navarro  over  half  of  the  votes 
cast  in  the  contest  which  was  a  plurality  of 
5,847  votes  over  his  nearest  rival. 


Ramon  Navarro  8,343 

Rodolph  Valentino  2,486 

Conway  Tearle  1,490 

Milton  Sills  943 

Thomas  Meighan  702 


The  presence  of  Conway  Tearle  high  in 
the  balloting  gives  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 
two  players  on  the  list,  as  Tearle  has  the 
leading  role  opposite  Alice  Terry  in  "The 
Great  Divide",  the  special  production  direct- 
ed by  Reginald  Barker. 


"A  good  box-office  attraction" 

(M.  P.  World) 

"A  good  box-office  title  .  .  Good  cast  .  .  Good  box- 
office  attraction  .  .  .  Up  to  date  .  .  .  Smoothly  developed 
 .  Holds  the  interest  .  . "       Moving  Picture  World 

The  Howard  Estabrook  Production 


the  PRICE  of  a  PARTY 

Directed  by  Charles  Giblyn 

with  Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  Ford,  Maiy  Astor, 
Arthur  Edmund  Carew  and  Dagmar  Oodowsky 

Associated  Exhibitors 

Physical  Distributors -Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Page  22 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Mae  Bush  seems  to  outrival  Kitty  Gor- 
don, in  the  above  picture.  We  are  glad 
to    see    her    back,    starring    for  Metro. 

Great  Praise  For 
"The  Iron  Door" 

ENTHUSIASTIC  comment  on  Harold 
Bell  Wright's  "The  Mine  With  The 
Iron  Door,"  a  Sol  Lesser  presentation, 
produced  by  Principal  Pictures  Corporation, 
is  pouring  into  the  offices  of  Irving  M. 
Lesser,  vice  president  of  Principal,  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Wardour  Films,  Ltd., 
which  is  handling  the  European  rights,  has 
cabled  that  it  has  big  bookings  which  were 
obtained  solely  on  the  popularity  of  Harold 
Bell  Wright,  known  as  "the  greatest  living 
author,"  and  whose  books  have  been  read 
by  50,000,000  people.  President  Cohen,  of 
the  Inter-Globe  Export  Corporation,  handling 
all  of  the  European  rights  to  Wright's  works, 
reports  to  Mr.  Lesser  that  never  before  has 
his  organization  know  such  a  big  box-office 
attraction  for  England,  France,  Germany  and 
Autrailia. 

"The  Mine  With  The  Iron  Door"  has  had 
test  runs  on  twenty-six  of  the  principal 
cities  of  the  United  States,  and  every  run 
has  proved  highly  successful.  The  Modern 
and  Beacon,  Boston,  in  which  houses  it  was 
played  day  and  date,  came  close  to  the  house 
records.  The  Warfield,  San  Francisco  and 
the  Criterion,  Los  Angeles,  reported  big 
runs.  The  picture  opens  at  the  Madison,  De- 
troit, on  Nov.  23  and  at  the  Strand,  Minne- 
apolis, the  following  week.  It  has  been 
booked  for  the  entire  Southern  Enterprises 
Circuit ;  for  the  A.  H.  Blank  Circuit  and 
other  prominent  circuits. 

Principal  Pictures  is  conducting  an  elabor- 
ate exploitation  campaign  in  connection  with 
"The  Mine  With  The  Iron  Door."  Ted 
Malone,  who  handled  the  exploitation  in 
large  cities  of  Harold  Bell  Wright's  "When 
A  Man's  A  Man,"  working  under  the  super- 
vision of  J.  M.  Loughborough,  exploitation 
and  advertising  manager  for  Principal,  is 
handling  the  second  Harold  Bell  Wright  pic- 
tures. He  had  charge  of  the  Boston  show- 
ings and  then  went  to  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 
ginia.   From  there  he  went  to  Detroit. 

Other  exploitation  men  out  are  Frank 
Deuprey,  Texas  and  Oklahoma ;  Georg  Eck- 
strom,  the  Northwest ;  Elmore  Boltwood, 
Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Ohio  ;  Charles  Lack- 
land, the  South ;  Edward  Brodskv.  South- 
west. 


Up  to  the  present  time  the  box-office  rec- 
ords of  "The  Mine  With  The  Iron  Door" 
exceed  those  of  "When  A  Man's  A  Man." 

Work  now'  is  proceeding  on  the  next  Har- 
old Bell  Wright  story  to  be  produced  by 
Principal,  "The  Re-Creation  of  Bryan  Kent." 
In  the  cast  are  Kenneth  Harlan,  Mary  Carr, 
Zasu  Pitts  and  others  equally  disinguished. 

*    *  * 

St.  Louis  Exhibitor 
Robbed  of  $7,000 

1  N  one  of  the  most  daring  crimes  in  the 
police  records  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  three 
bandits  obtained  between  $6,000  and  $7,000 
from  the  safe  of  the  Lyric  Theatre,  114 
North  Sixth  street,  early  on  Monday,  No- 
vember 10.  The  money  was  the  Saturday  and 
Sunday  receipts  of  the  Lyric  and  Capitol 
Theatre,  a  block  away,  both  owned  by  Skoure 
Brothers.  The  loss  was  covered  by  insur- 
ance. 

The  safe  was  opened  by  George  Bowser 
manager  of  the  two  houses,  who  had  been 
abducted  by  the  bandits — and  forced  to  re- 
turn to  the  theatre.  He  was  on  his  way  to 
his  home,  4576  Chouteau  avenue,  when  his 
coupe  was  crowded  to  the  curb  at  Taylor 
avenue  on  Chouteau  avenue  by  a  large  tour- 
ing car  containing  the  three  bandits. 

"Get  into  this  car,  or  I'll  kill  you",  one 
of  the  robbers  commanded  Bowser,  pointing 
a  revolver  at  his  heart.  Bowser  complied, 
leaving  his  own  automobile  at  the  curb.  The 
party  then  returned  to  the  theatre  where 
Bowser  was  forced  to  open  the  safe  by  the 
light  of  the  flashlight  furnished  by  one  of 
the  trio. 

The  robbers  then  scooped  up  the  money 
and  fled  in  their  otitomobile. 

^  sfc 


Jacqueline  Logan  enjoys  a  swing  as  shown 
in  "The  House  of  Youth,"  a  recent  release 
of    Producers    Distributing  Corporation. 


As  "Circe,  the  Enchantress,"  Mae  Murray 
is  more  dazzling  than  ever.  The  story  was 
especially  written  for  her  by  Belasco 
I  b  a  n  e  z     for    Metro-Goldwyn  release. 


Alice  Joyce  at  Work  on 
"A  Man's  World" 

Alice  Joyce  becomes  a  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  star  with  her  engagement  to  enact 
the  leading  role  in  Frank  Borzages'  first 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  production,  "A  Man's 
World."  Percy  Marmont  has  been  signed  to 
appear  opposite  her. 

In  the  screen  version  to  Zoe  Akins'  play,, 
"Daddy-Goes-a-Hunting,"  retitled  for  pic- 
ture purposes,  Miss  Joyce  will  have  the  role 
that  Marjorie  Rambeau  created  with  frreat 
success  on  the  stage  in  Arthur  Hopkins'  pro- 
duction. 

It  will  be  Frank  Borzage's  first  production 
for  the  company,  and  this  in  itself  assures 
a  greatly  successful  picture.  Borzages  was; 
signed  by  Marcus  Loew  last  spring,  but  until, 
tli  j  present  he  has  not  taken  up  the  mega- 
ph  me  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 


Schenck  Will  Not 
Invade  for  Stars 

T  OSEPH  M.  SCHENCK  sent  out 
J  assurance  that  the  United  Ar- 
tists, with  whom  he  is  now  affili- 
ated, did  not  intend  to  make  "any 
raid  on  stars  whom  are  under  con- 
tract to  other  firms." 

He  declared  that  he  "had  certain 
actors  and  actresses  in  view,  and 
when  they  are  in  a  position  to  talk 
terms,  we  shall  invite  them  to  come 
in  with  us.  Within  two  years  we 
expect  to  have  one  of  the  biggest 
releasing  organizations  in  the  his- 
tory of  motion  pictures." 

The  new  board  of  directors,  it  is 
stated  will  include  Nathan  Burkan, 
Albert  H.  T.  Banzhaf,  Joseph  M. 
Schenck,  Dennie  O'Brienand  and 
an  unnamed  person. 

It  has  not  been  definitely  settled 
whether  Griffith  is  to  be  included 
in  the  merger,  but  in  case  he  is,  he 
will  be  in  Los  Angeles  in  the  fu- 
ture. 


November  22.  192  i 


Page  23 


$100,000,000  For 
Coast  Production 
Coming  Season 

Between  $75,000,000  and  $100,003,000  will  bs 
spent  on  the  coast  for  the  production  of  pic- 
tures for  the  year  1925. 

The  Los  Angeles  Examiner,  in  a  careful 
survey  of  the  1925  budgets,  has  published 
figures  proving  that  the  coming  year  will  be 
the  largest  in  production  history. 

The  most  important  producers  will  increase 
their  production,  the  lead  being  taken  by  Fa- 
ous  Plavers,  with  the  apprex'mate  sum  of 
$20,000,000  to  be  devoted  to  making  films! 

The  Metfo-Goldwyn-Mayer  company  will 
spend  $15,000,000  on  production,  making 
double  the  number  of  films  produced  ;  last 
year  by  Aletro  and  Goldwyn  together.  Elab- 
orate studio  improvements  provided  for  on 
the  budget,  calls  for  expending-  of  $500,000 
on  a  six  story  property  and  storage  building 
and  the  construction  of  three  additional 
stages. 

Warner  Bros,  will  make  thirty  pictures 
which  will  cost  about  $8,000,000.  The  Warn- 
ers are  planning  the  biggest  year  in  th°ir 
history. 

Twenty-four  pictures  to  be  made  by  First 
National  will  include  the  new  grcup  of 
specials  bv  Colleen  Moore,  Corinne  Griffith, 
and  will  total  $6,000,000. 

Joseph  M.  Schenck  is  planning  to  make  ten 
pictures  which  will  total  $5,000,000. 

A  program  of  thirty-five  pictures  involving 
$5,000,000  will  keep  F.  B.  O.  at  high  speed 
production. 

Thomas  H.  Ince  has  prepared  scenarios 
for  twenty  films  which  call  for  an  expendi- 
ture of  $3,500,000. 

Samuel  Goldwyn  is  planning  six  at  the  cost 
of  $1,500,000. 

Hal  Roach  will  make  for  Pathe  four  fea- 
tures, and  a  great  number  of  one  and  two- 
reelers,  which  will  amount  to  about  $1,250,- 
000. 

The  following  figures  total  $66,000,000,  but 
do  not  include  large  companies  such  as  Uni- 
versal, which  it  is  estimated,  will  spend  $5,- 
000,000.  Figures  for  Fox,  Vitagraph,  Fair- 
banks, Pickford,  Lloyd,  MacLean,  and  indi- 
vidual units  are  not  available.  It  is  estimated, 
however,  that  $75,000,000  is  a  conservative 
figure. 


Dorothy  Devore  accomplished  some  very 
fine  acting  in  the  recently  released  Metro 
Goldwyn  production  "The  Prairie  Wife." 


Charles  Ray  in  his  return  to  "hick"  parts  has  reestablished  himself  in  the  hearts  of 
the  fans.    He  is  shown  above  in  a  vivid  scene  from  Pathe's  "Dynamite  Smith." 


Elaborate  Production 
Program  For  Peninsula 


TBI  HE  first  six  months  of  the  new  regime 
J_  at  the  Peninsula  Studios  in  San  Mateo, 
California  were  brought  to  a  success- 
ful conclusion  this  week  with  the  completion 
of  the  Frank  Woods'  production  "On  The 
Shelf"  to  be  released  by  Producers  Distrib- 
uting Corporation  on  January  4.  . 

With  Elmer  Harris  and  Frank  Woods 
jointly  supervising  the  Peninsula  productions 
four  successful  pictures  have  been  produced 
since  last  Tanuarv.  Those  are  "The  Wise 
Virgin,"  "Chalk  Marks,"  "The  Girl  on  the 
Stairs,"  and  "On  The  Shelf,"  and  plans  are 
now  being  made  for  an  elaborate  production 
program  for  the  next  half  year. 

During  the  coming  six  months  the  activ- 
ities of  the  Peninsula  Studios  will  be  con- 
fined exclusively  to  the  picturization  of  stage 
plays  and  published  stories  that  have  proved 
successful  in  their  respective  fields  and  the 
stars  and  supporting  casts  will  embrace  only 
those  whose  names  have  proved  box  office 
value. 

First  of  the  new  pictures  to  be  made  is 
"Poor  Mama,"  a  stage  farce  by  Elmer  Harris 
in  which  Trixie  Friganza  was  starred  a  few 
seasons  ago.  It  is  to  be  filmed  with  an  all- 
star  cast.  Productions  on  this  picture  will 
start  early  in  November.  "Poor  Mama,"  is 
to  be  an  Elmer  Harris  Production. 

The .  second  will  be  "Cornflower  Cassie's 
Concert,"  a  story  of  California's  gold  days 
by  Peter  B.  Kyne.  The  story  was  published 
originally  in  the  Cosmopolitan  magazine. 
This  picture  is  to  be  directed  by  William 
Worthington,  under  whose  direction  "The 
Girl  on  the  Stairs"  was  filmed,  and  is  to 
have  a  feminine  star  as  yet  unnamed.  "Corn- 
flower Cassie's  Concert,"  is  to  be  released  as 
a  Frank  Woods'  Production. 

The  third  production  will  be  "The  Awful 
Truth,"  Arthur  Richman's  delightful  comedy 
of  the  smart  set  in  which  Ina  Claire  was 
starred  on  the  stage.    This  will  be  an  El- 


mer Harris  production  under  the  direction 
of  Paul  Powell,  who  has  just  completed 
"On  The  Shelf." 

The  fourth  production  so  far  listed  will 
be  the  Owen  Davis  stage  success  "The  De- 
tour." This  will  also  be  directed  by  Paul 
Pcwell  with  a  star  of  the  first  rank  in  the 
leading  role. 

All  of  the  Peninsula  pictures  will  be  re- 
leased by  Producers  Distributing  Corpora- 
lion  during  the  coming  season. 


Conway  Tearle  now  rolls  his  own.  He  is 
in  costume  for  First  National's  "The 
Great  Divide,"  in  which  he  was  starred. 


hhm 


Page  24 

i 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Editorial  9 


Get  Ready  for  Big  Business 

REGARDLESS  of  political  leanings,  there  can 
be  nothing  but  rejoicing  throughout  the  busi- 
ness world  over  the  result  of  the  election.  As 
long  as  confidence  remains  the  keystone  of  pros- 
perity, reactions  such  as  followed  the  returns  must 
be  welcome. 

In  the  stock  market,  renewed  confidence  always 
tends  to  strengthen  security  values.  On  the  New 
York  exchange  last  Saturday  trading  totaled 
1,888,105  shares  in  two  hours, the  heaviest  Satur- 
day business  in  eighteen  years.  Prices  soared  in  what 
the  New  York  Times  called  a  "seething  market," 
indicating  what  the  financial  world  thinks  of  the 
future  of  business. 

One  of  the  first  announcements  to  come  out  of 
Washington  after  the  election  had  to  do  with  re- 
duction of  taxes.  The  administration  has  declared 
unequivocally  its  intention  to  urge  revision  down- 
ward. The  Budget  Bureau  has  prepared  estimates 
which  indicate  that  the  cost  of  operating  the  gov- 
ernment during-  the  coming  fiscal  year  will  be  kept 
below  three  billions  of  dollars,  a  cut  of  approxi- 
mately a  half  billion.  That  amount  will  be  saved 
to  the  public. 

Every  sign  of  the  times  indicates  that  Ave  are 
entering  a  period  of  great  prosperity,  affecting  all 
of  the  people.  In  such  a  period  the  motion  picture 
business  will  profit  in  proportion  to  its  realization 
of  its  opportunities. 

Business  is  going  to  be  good.  It  is  up  to  all  of  us 
to  get  ready  for  it. 

That  " International"  Film 

Congress 

]\jO  ONE  seems  disposed  to  dispute  the  theory 
j_\  that  an  international  film  conference  might 
serve  a  useful  purpose,  if  in  no  other  way,  by 
ironing  out  a  lot  of  misunderstandings  that  are 
keeping  good  pictures  from  the  world  circulation 
thev  ought  to  have. 

There  are  innumerable  prejudices  that  must  be 
overcome  eventually.  Every  individual  in  the 
motion  picture  business  in  every  branch  of  it,  is 
directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  the  subject. 

It  seems,  however,  that  the  Film  Congress  about 
to  be  held  in  London  is  to  be  international  in 
name  only.  From  statements  appearing  in  at  least 
one  of  the  English  trade  papers  it  appears  that 


Germany  has  shown  no  interest  in  the  affair  and 
that  the  Congress  will  be  held  without  sizeable 
participation  by  either  American  or  German 
interests. 

In  view  of  the  importance  of  the  two  countries 
that  are  producing  most  of  the  world's  films,  it 
seems  unlikely  that  the  Congress  can  make  any 
substantial  progress,  unless  the  present  meeting  is 
to  serve  as  a  preliminary  to  the  calling  of  a  really 
representative  gathering. 

Such  an  affair,  adequately  planned  with  the1  co- 
operation of  all  interested  nations,  'should  be  able 
to  accomplish  much  that  would  be  worth  while.  It 
could  not  be  called  on  a  month's  notice. 

The  Practical  Phase 

ART  IS  art.  But  Business  is  business."  Words 
of  wisdom  by  "Danny"  in  Film  Daily  this 
week.  The  subject  being  Chaplin's  infrequent 
appearance  on  the  screen  and  the  resulting  possi- 
bility that  another  great  artist  will  crowd  him  out 
of  his  place  in  the  affections  of  the  American 
people  by  the  sheer  weight  of  more  pictures. 

There's  a  quite  natural  tendency  in  all  we  say 
and  write  about  this  business  to  forget  that,  after 
all,  it  is  a  business,  with  many  of  the  hard  inflexible 
characteristics  that  go  with  big  business  of  any 
variety. 

Most  of  us  would  like  to  see  more  attention  to 
Art  and  less  to  the  material  phase.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  every  concern  engaged  in  the 
production,  distribution  or  exhibition  of  motion 
pictures  has  a  treasurer  concealed  somewhere  on  its 
premises.  His  life  is  not  always  an  easy  one.  His 
decisions  are  not  always  to  his  own  liking.  Yet  he 
is  essential.  He  stands  for  what  the  public  wants, 

Adolph  Zukor  said,  a  few  days  ago,  that  it 
would  be  easy  for  Famous  Players  to  lose  in  ninety 
days  all  that  it  has  gained  in  years  of  painstaking 
effort.  Simply  by  the  exercise  of  bad  business 
judgment.  The  greatness  of  the  Famous  Players 
organization,  obviously,  is  based  on  its  ability  to 
avoid  just  that  sort  of  thing. 

As  long  as  the  motion  picture  business  is  so 
conducted  that  it  is  profitable  to  those  engaged  in 
it  we  can  be  fairly  sure  that  it  is  on  the  right  track 
and  getting  better.  And  as  long  as  there  is  a 
profit,  there  will  be  money  to  spend  in  furthering 
the  Art  and  elevating  the  public  taste. 

That's  why  the  Business  factor  must  come  first. 


November  22.  1924 


Page  25 


The  Pessimist's  Window 


HE  Who  Gets  Slapped,"  a  Victor  Seastrom  production 
presented  by  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  opened  at  New 
York's  Capitol  this  week.  It  is  based  on  Leonid  An- 
dreyev's stage  play  of  the  same  name,  a  play  that  scored  a 
brilliant  success.  The  picture  is  one  that  reflects  distinct 
credit  on  Metro,  as  an  effort  in  the  direction  of  more 
substantial  and  artistic  screen  effort.  Here's  hoping  it  will 
receive  the  popular  recognition  it  merits. 

J]S  3$I 

Candidates  for  the  job  of  bossing  the  Independent 
League  should  file  their  applications.  Hear  that  Benny 
Leonard  doesn't  want  it. 

*      *  * 

Rome  is  in  a  turmoil.  Gen  Garibaldi  has  challenged 
Mussolini  to  combat.  Looks  as  if  he  will  have  to  fight  or 
borrow  a  chariot  from  Marcus  Loew  to  get  out  of  town. 

*  *  * 

Hope  none  of  that  Ben  Hur  aggregation  has  gone  in  for 
black  shirts  just  because  Rome  is  shy  on  laundries. 

The  radio  people  held  their  third  annual  exposition  at 
Grand  Central  Palace,  New  York,  last  week,  and  sold  sev- 
eral million  dollars  worth  of  equipment.  Why  doesn't  some- 
one figure  out  a  plan  for  a  motion  picture  exposition  ? 

*  *  * 

The  annual  membership  drive  of  the  American  Red  Cross 
is  on  until  Thanksgiving.  Exhibitors  should  help  with 
screen  publicity  wherever  possible. 

%       %  $z 

Wonder  who  titled  that  F.  B.  O.  picture,  "Cheap  Kisses." 
Must  have  been  some  chap  with  a  marvelous  imagination. 

*  *  * 

Someone  might  make  a  beautiful  contribution  to  the 
progress  of  the  supposedly  human  race  by  producing  a 
spectacle  entitled  "The  Last  Flapper  on  Earth." 

%  5fc 

Another  outstanding  Vitagraph  picture  is  going  into  pro- 
duction shortly,  under  direction  of  David  Smith.  It  is  to  be 
"Pampered  Youth,"  based  on  Booth  Tarkington's  "The 
Magnificent  Ambersons."  Vitagraph  is  setting  a  stiff  pace 
these  days. 

*  *  * 

One  of  our  neighboring  cross-word  fans  called  up  on 
the  telephone  the  other  night  to  inquire  whether  we  could 
supply  him  a  two-letter  word  that  would  serve  as  a  defini- 
tion of  a  three-toed  sloth.  We  told  him  the  animal's  name 
is  "Ai"  and  that  he  could  probably  secure  further  par- 
ticulars by  consulting  Universal.  If  there  isn't  an  "Ai"  in 
"The  Great  Circus  Mystery"  there  ought  to  be. 

^  ^  ^ 

Paris  cinema  operators  are  comp'aining  that  more 
benches  should  be  installed  in  the  parks.  It  seems  cus- 
tomers have  formed  the  habit  of  buying  loges  in  lieu  of  the 
sleeping  accommodations  they  cannot  afford.  Well, 
American  pictures  are  seldom  that  bad. 


Famous-Lasky  is  to  have  a  new  theatre  on  Broadway. 
Seats  for  five  thousand  or  more.  Which  means  that  some 
of  the  older  houses  will  know  more  about  competition. 
But  it's  a  logical  move  as  pictures  grow  more  costly. 
Possibly  the  time  will  come  when  New  York  first  runs  will 
be  really  profitable. 

The  Bioscope  suggests,  on  the  occasion  of  Alfred  E. 
Smith's  arrival  at  the  Savoy,  London,  that  he  might  find 
it  worth  while  to  give  some  attention  to  the  matter  of 
British  production.  "One  who  has  attained  so  much  suc- 
cess in  the  producing  line  in  America,"  says  the  English 
paper,  "especially  a  Britisher  of  the  calibre  of  Mr.  Smith, 
could  do  much  towards  lifting  British  production  to  a 
higher  plane,  while  his  interests  in  the  U.  S.  would  insure 
a  market  for  his  products." 

#  #  * 

The  film  of  the  1924  expedition  which  sought  to  reach 
the  summit  of  Mount  Everest  and  failed  by  a  narrow 
margin,  with  the  loss  of  two  lives,  is  to  be  shown  at  the 
Scala  theatre,  London,  in  December.  If  it  proves  a  good 
job  of  photography,  it  should  be  a  wonderful  picture. 

*  *  * 

Balaban  &  Katz  have  taken  a  25-year  lease  on  a  3,500- 
seat  theatre  to  be  built  on  Howard  street,  on  Chicago's  far 
north  side.  It  seems  but  a  little  while  since  Howard  street 
was  merely  a  roadway  separating  two  large  areas  of  acre 
property.  The  most  conspicuous  thing  about  the  neighbor- 
hood was  the  absence  of  population.  But  now  it's  a  busy 
highway  in  an  apartment-house  district  of  the  better  sort 
and  3,500  seats,  backed  by  the  Balaban  &  Katz  reputation 
for  •  good  entertainment  will  present  no  selling  problem 
whatever. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  things  on  the  film  horizon,  it 
seems  to  us,  is  the  organization  that  J.  D.  Williams  is  build- 
ing. Not  because  of  Valentino  and  Lloyd.  In  lining  them 
up  J.  D.  put  across  a  big  program.  But  that  was  in  the  run 
of  business.  The  thing  that  stands  out  now  is  the  type  of 
men  he  is  gathering  around  him  to  make  Ritz  a  power.  He 
has  committed  himself  very  definitely  to  the  policy  of  de- 
veloping his  associates  as  a  basis  on  which  to  develop  the 
business.  Which  is  a  symptom  of  greatness  in  any  execu- 
tive. Probably  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world  for  the 
average  executive  to  do.  The  streak  of  pettiness  that  runs 
through  human  nature  makes  it  hard  for  most  of  us  to 
divest  ourselves  of  anything  in  favor  of  the  other  fellow. 
When  we  do  it  we  generally  win.  That's  one  reason  why 
Ritz  presents  a  potentially  formidable  appearance  today. 

*       *  * 

"Is  Love  Everything?"  No,  Mr.  Garsson,  it  isn't.  Not 
when  there's  a  page  like  this  to  be  filled  and  it's  3  o'clock 
on  press  day.  Love,  Mr.  Garsson,  isn't  worth  a  hand 
chiseled  damn  under  those  forlorn  circumstances.  Just 
enter  that  in  your  contest  if  you  dare,  Mr.  Garsson ! 


Passe  26 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


l 


J. J.FLEMING  PRODUCTIONS, inc. 

oAnnounces 

A  Series  of  Six 

Al.  Ferguson  Productions 

to  be  Distributed  on  the  IndependentMarket  I 

now  ready  /  J 

SHACKLES  OF  FEAR"         "THE  TRAIL  OF  VENGEANCE" 

featuring-Al.Ferguson  and  A  Gripping  Drama  of  the  Royal  Northwest 

Mountcd-withAl.Ferguson^PauliiteCurlcjr 

in  production  ] 

"PHANTOM  SHADOWS"  J 

featuring  -Al.Ferguson  &LucilleDuBois 

7or Territorial  Rights  Communicate  with* 
JJ.FLEMING  PRODUCTIONS,^. 

J.CHAR1ES  DAVIS,2** 
Qeneral  Manager 

723  SEVENTH  AVE.  NEW  YORK  —  BRYANT  545  O 


Pauline  Curley 


"With  THE  INDEPENDENT  DISTRIBUTORS 


^NYONE  who  thinks  the  Independents  are  not  optimistic  need  only  make  a  round  of  the 
various  offices  to  find  his  mistake.    All  are  working  hard  to  bring  about  a  strengthen- 
ing of  the  organization  and  practically  all  are  willing  to  make  concessions  to  aid  the  work. 

There  has  never  been  a  period  when  the  independent  was  so  hard  at  work  turning  out 
worthwhile  pictures  and  the  future  looks  exceptionally  rosy,  provided  there  is  not  a  split  in 
the  ranks  and  everyone  bend  their  efforts  toward  presenting  a  strong  position. 


Independents  Asked  To 
Raise  $50,000 

This  Amount  Will  Be  Required  To  Start  Work 
of  Reorganization 


A MEETING  of  the  I.  M.  P.  P. 
&  D.  A.,  is  scheduled  for  No- 
vember 13  at  which  time  the  sub- 
ject of  choosing  a  leader  for  the  Inde- 
pendents will  be  discussed. 

A  circular  letter  was  sent  out  last 
week  to  State  Righters  in  an  effort  to 
find  their  opinion  of  the  move  and  ask- 
ing for  suggestions  as  to  the  logical 
man  to  fill  the  position.  It  was  thought 
advisable  to  await  the  result  of  the  ref- 
erendum before  making  any  definite 
plans. 

It  is  understood  at  least  $50,000  will 
have  to  be  pledged  before  it  is  advis- 
able to  go  ahead  and  choose  a  leader. 
$20,000  would  be  used  as  a  retainer  for 
the  man  chosen  and  $30,000  for  or- 
ganization purposes. 

Just  what  difficulty  will  be  en- 
countered in  obtaining  this  amount  re- 
mains to  be  seen,  but  the  Independents 
should  weigh  carefully  all  angles  of  the 
proposition.  It  is  extremely  important 
that  the  Independents  have  a  leader 
and  whether  it  is  worth  $50,000  to 
place  the  independents  on  a  firm  foot- 
ing is  entirely  up  to  the  State  Righters 
themselves. 

The  amount  seems  small  when  it  is 
considered  how  much  is  at  stake.  Un- 
doubtedly this  amount  could  be  saved 
the  independents  in  a  short  time  and 
would  prove  a  move  toward  economy. 
But  will  the  independents  be  able  to 
realize  this? 

It  has  been  learned  that  New  York 
State  Senator  James  J.  Walker,  has 
been  approached  on  the  subject  of  ac- 
cepting the  post  of  leader  but  the  talk 


to  him  was  informal  and  merely  to 
learn  his  attitude  on  the  matter. 

Several  other  men  have  been  under 
discussion  regarding  the  post.  Among 
them  was  Senator  Hiram  Johnson  of 
California.  He  has  not  yet  been  ap- 
proached on  the  matter  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  he  would  consider  it  as  all  of 
his  interests  are  in  California. 

There  seems  to  be  a  strong  liklihood 
that  Mr.  Walker  would  prove  the  most 


aceptable  candidate  to  the  majority  of 
independents  for  he  is  familiar  with 
the  problems  of  the  picture  industry 
and  has  shown  by  his  actions  in  the 
Senate  at  Albany  that  he  is  the  friend 
of  the  industry  and  always  champions 
the  cause. 

IT  is  quite  likely  that  should  the  State 
Righters  fail  to  come  through  with 
the  pledges  for  the  necessary  $50,000 
the  whole  matter  will  be  dropped  and 
the  old  catch-as-catch-can  methods  will 
be  employed.  It  will  be  a  repetition 
of  every  man  for  himself  and  no  doubt 
the  independents  will  be  taking  a  back- 
ward step.  It  is  hardly  likely  that 
there  will  be  any  fireworks  when  the 
independents  meet.  The  members  of 
the  organization  seem  to  realize  that 
now  is  the  time  to  get  together  and 
strengthen  the  association. 


The  dry  cleaners  applaud  when  they  see  pictures  like  this.  The  above  scene  shows 
"Smilin'  "  Dick  Hatton  in  "Ridin'  Easy,"  an  Arrow  Great  Western.  "It's  a  nice 
day  for  ducks,"  says  Dick  as  he  plants  an  uppercut  along  with  a  rain  of  blows. 


Page  28 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


7ZW 


'Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


MARGARET  MORRIS 
IN  "SIN" 

Arthur  Maude  has  just  started  his  picture 
"Sin"-  made  from  the  famous  Franz  Stuck 
painting.  Miss  Morris  is  cast  in  the  leading 
role.  This  is  the  fourth  picture  in  his  new 
series  of  masterpieces.  Mr.  Maude  has  used 
Miss  Morris  in  all  of  the  pictures.  The  first 
was  "The  Angelus,"  second  "The  Doctor," 
and  the  third  "The  Mother." 

Margaret  Morris  is  one  of  the  famous  1924 


Presents  his  galaxy  of  regular  stars  in 
regular  pictures  at  regular  prices.  Every 
one  a  box-office  attraction  that  stands 
for— 

Exhibitor  Independence! 

If  You  Play  One  Series — 

You  Will  Play  'Em  All! 

CHARLES  HUTCHISON 

"The  Dare-Devil  Thrill  Creator" 
A  Series  of     Q  Sensations 

EDITH  THORNTON 

"The  Screen's  Most  Regular  Girl" 
A  Series  of     4       Big  Dramas 

LEO  MALONEY 

"The  Centaur  of  the  Movies"  in 
A  Series  of      3      BiS  Thrillers 

NEAL  HART 

"America's  Pal"  in 
A  Series  of     Q     Big  Westerns 

PETE  MORRISON 

"Cyclonic  Pete"  in 
A  Series  of    Q    Daring  Deeds 

ALL  FIVE  REEL  DRAWING 
CARDS  THAT  PILE  UP  MONEY! 


G«t  in  touch  with  your  nearest  state  right  ex- 
change handling  these  sure-fire  series  NOW  and 
become  INDEPENDENT! 

Nationally  Distributed  by  , 


WILLIAM  STEINER 
PRODUCTIONS 


220  West  42nd  St. 


New  York  City 


Wampus  Baby  Stars  and  is  a  former  Uni- 
versal serial  star.  Her  work  in  "The  Ghost 
City,"  and  "The  Iron  Man,"  stamped  her  as 
a  comer  and  it  was  on  account  of  the  promise 
shown  in  these  pictures,  that  the  Wampus  se- 
lected her  for  their  charmed  circle  along 
with  Clara  Bow,  Marion  Nixon,  Carmelita 
Geraghty,  Julanne  Johnston  and  others. 

Mr.  Maude  plans  on  making  twelve  pic- 
tures in  the  series  and  has  signed  Miss  Mor- 
ris to  play  the  leading  part  in  each. 


NOTABLE  CAST  IN 
"OUTLAW  TAMER" 

An  unusually  talented  cast  has  been  as- 
sembled for  the  interpretation  of  the  various 
roles  in,  the  third  Franklyn  Farnum  special, 
"The  Outlaw  Tamer,"  which  Independent 
Pictures  Corp.,  will  release  soon.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  star,  who  has  this  time  been 
given  a  comedy  western  role  which  he 
handles  with  delightful  understanding,  are 
Marguerite  Clayton,  screen  favorite  who 
plays  the  part  of  the  heroine,  Crimmins  and 
Gore,  well  known  vaudeville  team,  cast  as 
the  parents  of  Miss  Clayton,  and  Max 
Ascher,  recognized  screen  comedian.  Mr. 
Ascher  plays  the  part  of  the  favored  darky, 
slave  in  spirit  to  his  master,  Franklyn  Far- 
num, and  in  the  role  brings  endless  fun  to 
the  film. 

GEORGE  LEVINE  BRINGS 
BILL  MIX  PRINTS 

George  Levine,  Sales  Manager  for  San- 
ford  Production  of  Hollywood,  is  expected 
to  arrive  in  New  York  this  week  with  sample 
prints  of  their  first  three  westerns  in  a  series 
of  six  produced  by  William  (Bill)  Mix  Pro- 
ductions, Inc.,  under  the  following  titles : 
"Reckless  Ridin'  Bill,"  "Let  Him  Buck,"  and 
"Battlin'  Bill." 

He  will  also  have  with  him  sample  prints 
of  their  first  two  subjects  of  a  series  of 
twelve,  two  reel  Billy  Franey  Comedies. 


INDEPENDENT  AHEAD  OF 
PRODUCTION  SCHEDULE 

Word  has  been  received  from  the  coast 
studios  where  Jesse  J.  Goldburg  of  Inde- 
pendent is  now  engaged  in  the  production 
of  four  separate  series  of  western  and  so- 
ciety dramas,  that  the  company  is  far 
ahead  of  its  proposed  schedule  in  every 
one  of  its  series. 

Each  of  the  series  is  composed  of  eight 
pictures  and  their  production  was  to  cover 
the  season  of  1924-1925.  However,  though 
but  a  short  time  has  elapsed  since  the 
work  was  started,  the  fifth  Bill  Cody  is 
now  in  the  production. 

%  % 

"THE  SPEED  KING"  IS 
REED  HOWE'S  VEHICLE 

Announcement  by  W.  Ray  Johnston 
from  the  Rayart  offices  this  week  are  to 
the  effect  that  the  first  picture  of  the  Reed 
Howe's  group  which  is  in  work  will  be 
called  "The  Speed  King." 

Ethel  Shannon,  star  of  the  screen  ver- 
sion of  "Maytime"  and  other  successes, 
has  been  selected  as  Mr.  Howe's  leading 
lady.  The  direction  is  by  Albert  Rogell 
and  production  by  Harry  J.  Brown. 


WEIL  WITH  APOLLO 

Jesse  Weil  has  resigned  as  Director  of 
Publicity  with  the  Weiss  Brothers'  Artclass 
Pictures  Corporation  to  accept  a  position 
with  Apollo  Exchange  as  special  exploitation 
representative  for  all  the  Warner  Brothers' 
features  which  go  into  the  Piccadilly  The- 
atre. 

Mr.  Weil  has  started  on  his  new  duties 
and  is  at  present  concentrating  on  the  big 
feature,  "The  Lover  of  Camille,"  which 
opened  at  the  Piccadilly  on  Saturday,  No- 
vember 8. 


Al— m     n     m— h— ■  i— mi 


franklyn  iStrnum  « 


723  Seventh  Avenue 


New  York 


Foreign  Distributors : 

Richmount  Pictures,  Inc. 


I 

ARTHUR  C.  BROMBERG  j 

Master  Showman  who  is 
vacationing  in  Hollywood 
wires : 

"Screened  episode  one  of 
'Battling  Brewster'  being  di- 
rected by  Dell  Henderson 
and  consider  it  a  knockout 
serial  from  every  angle  in 
settings,  action  and  thrills. 
It  is  a  strictly  western  serial 
that  is  sought  for  by  exhib- 
itors everywhere.  I  con- 
gratulate you  on  producing 
your  first  serial  of  such 
great  merit." 

Get  in  touch  with  your  lead- 
ing Independent  Exchange 
at  once. 

RAYART  PICTURES 
CORPORATION 


November  22,  1924 


Page  29 


'Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


"Midnight  Express"  to  Have 
Broadway  Showing 

"The  Midnight  Express,"  the  big  feature 
produced  by  C.  B.  C.  under  their  Columbia 
trademark  and  featuring:  Elaine  Hammer- 
stein  and  William  Haines  supported  by 
George  Nichols,  Pat  Harmon,  Edwin 
Booth  Tilton,  Lloyd  Whitlock,  Bertram 
Grassby,  Roscoe  Karns  and  others  will  have 
a  first  run  on  the  Big  Street  at  B.  S.  Moss' 
Broadway.     It  will  also  be  shown  at  the 

|SSIISHS!gSia[gB^ 


TRIED  AND  PROVED 
AND  NEVER  FOUND 
WANTING 

The  Fire  Patrol 

with  Anna  Q.  Nilsson 

The  Painted  Flapper 

with  James  Kirkwood  and 
Pauline  Garon 

and 


1 


Lionel  Barrymore 


Meddling  Women 


I  Am  The  Man 


The  first  four  of 


The  Chadwick  9 


See  These  Exchanges 
Now! 

Atl-l,  Bos-1,  Buf-1,  Chi-1,  Cin-1,  Cle-1, 
Dal-1,  Den-1,  Det-1,  KC-1,  LA-1,  Mil-1,  NO-2, 
NY-1,  Oma-1,  Phi-1,  Pit-1,  SF-,  SL-1,  Sea-1, 
Tor-1,  Wash-1. 


BE3HBIBB  EMSIQHBIBEraaiEi 


George  M.  Cohan  Theatre  at  one  of  the 
special  Sunday  shows.  A  special  exploitation 
campaign  is  now  being  laid  out. 

This  is  a  picture  of  railroad  life  and  E. 
A.  Lalk,  General  Agent  of  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee and  St.  Paul  Railroad  in  a  letter  said 
"The  Midnight  Express"  is  a  wonderful 
tribute  to  the  romance  of  the  great  steel 
trail.  The  men  who  made  this  picture  have 
recorded  with  striking  fidelity  the  fascina- 
tion of  the  railroad  game,  including  those 
numerous  incidents  which  go  to  make  a  rail- 
roadman's life  the  greatest  game  in  the 
world. 

#    *  % 

"Pearl  of  Love"  Is 
Nearly  Completed 

Co-incident  with  the  publication  by  the 
A.  R.  Burt  Company  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  famous  novel,  "The  Pearl  of  Orr's 
Island,"  an  announcement  is  made  by  the 
Lee-Bradford  Corporation  that  the  film  ver- 
sion, entitled  "The  Pearl  of  Love,"  will  be 
ready  for  release  very  shortly. 

The  picture  was  actually  made  on  the  true 
locations  mentioned  in  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  famous  book.  The  final  shots  were 
made  a  short  time  ago,  and  the  final  cut- 
ting will  be  completed  this  week. 

A  splendid  cast  makes  "The  Pearl  of 
Love,"  look  valuable  to  the  exhibitor ;  the 
names  include  Gladys  Leslie,  Burr  Mcintosh, 
Russel  Griffin,  Effie  Shannon,  Dorothy  Allen, 
Ray  Lowney,  Charles  Lane,  Alice  Chapin, 
Walter  Gilbert,  Paul  Winchell  and  Aleta 
Dore. 

^    ^  ^ 

Lee-Bradford  Corporation 
Gets  "Wolf  31ood" 

Lee-Bradford  announce  that  a  contract  has 
been  signed  for  the  Ryan  Bros.  Productions 
picture  "Wolf-Blood."  Marguerite  Clayton 
and  George  Chesboro  head  an  unusually 
strong  cast. 


Billy  Boye  To  Make  Series 
for  Karper 

Billy  Boye — the  screen's  youngest  Boy- 
Wonder  who  appeared  in  several  "Joy-Marks 
Comedies"  produced  by  the  Ricordo  Film 
Corporation,  has  just  been  placed  under  a 
five  year  contract  by  M.  H.  Karper,  head  of 
the  Karper  Productions,  the  only  pioneer 
stage  and  screen  writer  and  screen  authority 
who  devotes  his  years  experience  and  per- 
sonal attention,  in  bringing  before  the  pub- 
lic, the  greatest  of  "Genius"  many  times  hid- 
den unobserved  among  the  extras  of  the  stage 
and  screen,  and  sometimes  overlooked  by  the 
larger  producers. 

Mr.  Karper,  discovered  little  Billy,  while 
a  guest  of  Mr.  Al  Joy,  president  of  the  com- 
pany, at  a  private  showing  of  their  latest 
JOY  COMEDY,  in  which  the  Tiny  2y2  year 
old  Boy-actor's  exceptional  work  awarded 
him  a  starring  contract  in  Big  Productions 
that  will  make  him  internationally  famous. 

Upon  completing  "The  Orphan,"  his  latest 
and  last  picture  under  the  Ricordo  Film  Ban- 
ner, Billy  Boye  will  go  under  the  personal 
management  of  Mr.  Karper  (the  second  Sol 
Lesser)  whoes  great  foresight  will  bring  the 
greatest  and  youngest  Boy-Sensation,  the 
Screen  ever  made. 

*    *  * 

Chadwick  to  Distribute 
"Dangerous  Pleasure" 

I.  E.  Chadwick  of  Merit  Film  Co.,  after 
witnessing  a  screening  of  "Dangerous  Pleas- 
ure," the  super  special  produced  and  dis- 
tributed by  Independent  Pictures  Corp.,  pur- 
chased the  film  for  his  New  York  exchange 
and  will  distribute  it  throughout  Greater 
New  York  and  Northern  New  Jersey. 

Joe  Freedman  of  the  Celebrated  Players 
Film  Corp.,  Chicago,  saw  the  picture  in  that 
city  two  weeks  ago  and  wired  for  the  privi- 
lege to  release  it  on  December  first  in  Illinois 
and  Indiana. 


A  scene  teeming  with  action  that  holds  the  audience  tense,  shown  in  the  Arrow 
Great  Western  drama,  "Reynolds  Holmes,  M.  D.,"  featuring  Ben  Wilson,  star  producer. 


Page  30 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


cJftth  The  Independent  Distridutors 


Sam  Hellman  Titles 
Leonard  Series 

Sam  Hellman's  titles  for  the  concluding 
three  bouts  of  the  Benny  Leonard  series  of 
two  reel  features  produced  by  Henry  Gins- 
berg are  "The  Jazz  Bout,"  "His  Sur-Prize 
Fight,"  and  "The  Come-Back." 

In  order  to  give  Leonard  a  chance  to 
demonstrate  his  varsatilitv,  Hellman  wrote 
three  widely  different  stories  for  these  epi- 
sodes. "The  Jazz  Fight,"  is  a  comedy  with 
not  a  little  slap-stick  in  it.  "His  Sur-Prize 
Fight,"  is  straight  drama.  "The  Come-Back" 
is  a  smashing  melodrama  with  not  only  a 
prize  fight  in  it  but  a  rough  and  tumble 
battle  between  Leonard  and  Jack  Perry  the 
Pittsburgh  welterweight,  which  is  said  to  be 
as  thrilling  as  the  famous  struggle  in  "The 
Spoilers." 

*  *  * 

Fleming  Completes 
Third  Feature 

_  The  New_  York  office  of  the  J.  J.  Flem- 
ing Productions,  Inc.,  are  in  receipt  of  advice 
that  work  on  the  third  production  of  the  Al 
herguson  series,  "Phantom  Shadows"  has 
been  completed  and  that  the  negative  and 
sample  print  have  been  shipped  east. 

Work  on  the  fourth  production  of  this 
series,  "Scarlet  and  Gold,"  has  already  been 
started. 

J.  Chas.  Davis,  2nd,  General  Manager  of 
Fleming  Productions  left  on  Monday,  on  a 
sales  trip  which  will  include  Pittsburgh  and 
Cleveland. 

*  *  * 

McAllister  Returns 

A.  J.  McAllister,  of  the  Lee-Bradford  Cor- 
poration, has  returned  after  two  months  in 
the  field. 

He  reports  good  business  in  the  State- 
Rights  field,  and  has  sold  his  company's  out- 
put to  all  important  centers. 


CRANFIELD 

AND 

CLARKE,  Ine. 

Have  films  that  are 

SOMETHING  DIFFERENT 

from  the  rest 

1st  Release — Chrissie  White 
in  "Lilly  of  the  Alley" 

2nd  Release — Alma  Taylor 
in  "Strangling  Threads" 

3rd  Release — Flora  Le  Breton 
in  "A  Soul's  Awakening" 

Get  press  books  from  your  nearest 
exchange  or  direct  from 

Cranfield  &  Clarke,  Inc. 
729  7th  Ave.,  New  York 


Benny  Leonard  looking  for  another  ring 
engagement,  as  depicted  in  "Flying  Fists," 
a  Ginsberg  production  starring  the  champ. 

"The  Night  Ship"  Is 
in  Production 

Samuel  Sax,  President  and  General  Man- 
ager of  Lumas  Film  Corporation,  distribu- 
tors of  Gotham  Productions  announces  that 
"The.  Night  Ship,"  the  fourth  picture  of  'the 
series  of  Six  Specials  is  now  in  production 
with  an  all  star  cast  including  Robert  Gor- 
don, Mary  Carr,  Claire  Adams,  Walter  Long, 
Charles  Sellon,  Charlie  Mack  and  Willis 
Marks. 

"The  Night  Ship,"  is  a  thrilling  story  of 
love  and  adventure  on  land  and  sea,  and  is 
o  contain  some  of  the  most  daring 
and  thrilling  sea  scenes  ever  attempted. 


"Safeguarded"  Goes 


To  Rayart 


Rayart  Pictures  Corporation  this  week  an- 
nounced having  secured  the  distribution 
rights  for  a  five  reel.  Production  entitled 
"Safeguarded"  featuring  Eva  Novak. 

This  picture,  a  fast  action  melodrama,  was 
written  and  directed  by  Robert  J.  Horner 
and  produced  on  the  West  coast.  In  the 
filming  of  the  picture  officers  and  men  of 
several  battleships  and  destroyers  of  the  Pa- 
cific Coast  Fleet  were  pressed  into  service 
for  some  of  the  most  thrilling  sequences, 
and  a  great  many  submarine  chasers  took 
part  in  some  of  the  most  exciting  "chases" 
shown  in  the  screen  in  some  time. 

The  picture  will  be  a  January  release  on 
the  Rayart  program. 

*    *  * 

Dick  Hatton  Appears 
As  a  Comedian 

In  a  new  Arrow  Great-Western,  "A  West- 
ern Engagement,"  starring  Dick  Hatton  just 
received  from  the  Coast,  the  Arrow  execu- 
tives were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  Hat- 
ton in  a  role  which  called  for  a  lot  of 
comedy  action  in  which  he  acquitted  him- 
self with  signal  ability.  Some  of  the  fun- 
niest situations  are  developed  in  this  fea- 
ture, and  Hatton's  heretofore  unsuspected 
ability  in  this  direction  enables  him  to 
create  more  laughs  than  were  ever  thought 
of  in  the  original  manuscript.  This  is  a 
'Western  that  is  considerably  more  than  a 
Western. 


"Battling  Buddy"  for 
Shipping  Board  Boats 

According  to  an  announcement  by  Louis 
Weiss,  president  of  Weiss  Brothers'  Artclass 
Pictures  Corporation,  distributors  of  the 
popular  Buddy  Roosevelt  and  Buffalo  Bill, 
Jr.,  series  of  five  part  feature  action-melo- 
dramas, the  U.  S.  Shipping  Board  has  pur- 
chased "Battling  Budy,"  of  the  former 
series  for  initial  presentation  on  all  the  lines 
operated  or  controlled  by  them. 


Columbia 

Productions 

Are  Box  Office  Pullers 

A    PLAN  rigidly  executed 

AUTHORS  four  novelists 

four  journalists 

BOOKS — well  known  stories 

ready-made  audiences 

STARS  Box   Office  Names 

DIRECTORS  men    with  records 

for  success 

PHOTOGRAPHERS — the  best 
in    the  craft 

MONEY  Every    dollar  spent 

shows  on  the  screen 

THE     PRODUCERS  INTEG- 
RITY and  a  hand  picked  or- 
ganization. 

Titles  That  Mean  Money 
The  Foolish  Virgin 
The  Price  She  Paid 
Fighting  the  Flames 
A  Fool  and  His  Money 
After  Business  Hours 
One  Glorious  Night 
Who  Cares 
The  Midnight  Express 
— o — 

BOOK  THEM  NOW 
Columbia  Productions 
1600  Broadway 


November  22,  1 024 


Page  31 


^th  The  Independent  Distributors 


A  GOOD  PICTURE  IS  NEVER  OLD 
SAYS  J.  CHARLES  DAVIS 

General  Manager,  Fleming  Productions 


THE  marketing  ^of  pictures  on  the  so- 
called  "Independent  Market"  presents 
an  always  interesting  study  and  one 
that  never  ceases  to  attract  for  the  reason 
that  it  is  as  everchanging  as  the  sea.  It  is 
always  just  a  bit  ahead  of  the  "regular" 
market  or  the  national  distributor. 

It  has  to  be  to  survive  and  the  truth  of 
it  is  easily  seen  if  one  will  but  take  the 
trouble  to  go  back  over  the  history  of  the 
motion  picture  business. 

The  great  innovations  of  the  industry  have 
come  through  the  Independents  just  as  the 
great  box-office  attractions  have  been  In- 
dependent pictures.  The  national  releasing 
organizations  have  been  contented  to  let 
well  enough  alone  and  have  hesitated  at 
trying  something  new.  So  the  producer  with 
something  out  of  the  ordinary,  has  had  to 
turn  to  the  Independent  market  because  he 
could  not  find  an  open  door  in  the  regular 
or  conservative  channels.  It  may  be  remarked 
in  passing,  however,  that  some  of  the  na- 
tional companies  have  not  hesitated  to  follow 
the  success  of  the  Independents. 

But  it  is  always  the  Independent  in  pic- 
tures as  in  every  other  walk  of  life,  who  is 
responsible  for  the  advancement  of  his 
chosen  calling. 

It  is  the  Independent  who  has  the  courage 
of  his  convictions  which  makes  him  reach 
out  and  risk  his  all  on  what  he  firmly  be- 
lieves to  be  the  right  road.  If  it  were  not 
for  the  conservatism  of  the  old  line  com- 
panies there  would  be  no  Independent  pro- 
ducers. But  in  the  search  for  development : 
in  their  endeavor  to  get  away  from  "good 
enough"  and  create  something  new,  the  pro- 
ducer with  originality  has  been  forced  to 
make  his  own  product  without  the  hamper- 
ing interference  of  the  supervision  of  the 
releasing  company. 

There  is  now  and  always  will  be  an  In- 
dependent market.  Nothing  can  stop  that. 
It  can  and  will  be  improved.  One  of  the 
most  important  things  to  be  considered  is 
the  evil  of  the  present  method  of  spasmodic 
releasing  dates  now  prevailing  on  the  Inde- 
pendents and  State  Rights  market. 

As  conditions  are  at  present,  a  picture  is 
released  at  will  by  the  various  Independent 
exchanges  throughout  the  United  States. 
This  generally  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
distributing  company  is  unable  to  secure  uni- 
form release  dates  from  the  various  Inde- 
pendent exchanges,  due  to  the  fact  that  there 
is  often  considerable  lapse  of  time  in  selling 
certain  territories.  For  example,  a  distrib- 
uting company  may  start  to  sell  territory  on 
their  product  and  at  once  close  with  some 
of  the  most  important  exchange  centers.  We 
will  say  that  New  York,  New  England, 
Chicago  and  Philadelphia  are  closed  and  the 
exchanges  in  these  territories  start  to  re- 
lease the  product  immediately. 

The  rest  of  the  territory  take  longer  to 
close ;  some  of  it  remains  open  for  a  period 
of  months.  In  the  meantime  the  exchange 
centers  named  have  released  the  picture.  The 
distributing  company  has  been  conducting 
an  advertising  campaign  in  the  trade  press 
designed  to  create  a  demand  upon  the  part 
of  the  exchangemen  and  exhibitors  for  this 


product,  and  this  advertising,  remember  goes 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

What  is  the  result  then  in  the  unsold  ter- 
ritory after  a  period,  of  let  us  say,  six 
months  ?  When  the  exchangemen  in  this 
territory  finally  does  get  the  picture,  he  is 
met  by  the  statement  of  the  exhibitor  that 
"its  on  old  picture.  Why  it  played  New 
York  last  November  and  all  the  trade  papers 
reviewed  it  then.  You  can't  expect  me  to 
play  it  now.  Its  old  stuff.  My  patrons 
want  new  pictures."  (It  is  doubtful  if  pa- 
trons know  the  picture  has  run  on  Broad- 
way.) If  he  finally  does  book  the  picture 
he  pays  a  ridiculously  low  figure  that  he 
contends  is  right  on  account  of  the  age  of 
the  picture. 

Now  right  here  is  where  the  exhibitor  is 


Billy  Boye,  the  screen's  youngest  star,  has 
just  been  placed  under  five  year  contract 
by  Karper  Productions.  He  is  2%  years  old. 


all  wrong.  Like  a  book  that  is  new  until  it 
has  been  read,  a  picture  is  nezv  until  it  has 
been  played  in  that  particular  city.  The 
great  authors  of  the  past  are  read  by  each 
succeeding  generation.  In  fact,  the  sale  of 
their  works  increase  year  by  year.  Would 
we  consider  people  foolish  if  they  refused 
to  read  Shakespeare  because  it  was  all  "old 
stuff?" 

In  every  key  city  in  America  today,  there 
are  pictures  that  exhibitors  have  refused  to 
play  because  in  their  opinion,  they  were  old. 
And  these  same  pictures  will  make  money 
for  the  exhibitor  if  he  will  take  off  his 
blinders  and  see  that  here  is  a  product 
worthy  of  his  theatre. 

If  a  picture  is  a  good  picture  and  has 

been  successful  in  certain  parts  of  the  coun- 


Elaine  Hammerstein  and  William  Haines 
seem  quite  pleased  with  the  outlook,  in 
"The  Midnight  Express,"  a  C.  B.  C.  film. 

try,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  will 
be  successful  in  other  parts  although  re- 
leased a  great  deal  later.  IT  IS  NOT  AS 
THOUGH  THE  PICTURE  HAD  BEEN 
ADVERTISED  TO  THE  PUBLIC  AS 
SOME  OF  THE  NATIONALLY  RE- 
LEASED PICTURES  HAVE.  The  aver- 
age Independently  distributed  picture  is  not 
advertised  in  the  national  newspapers  arid 
fan  magazines.  With  this  thought  in  mind. 
The  movie  fan  does  not  read  the  trade 
press.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  trade  paper  cir- 
culation is  confined  to  exhibitors,  exchange- 
men  and  producers.  Therefore,  no  damage 
has  been  done  by  advertising  the  picture  in 
the  trade  papers  in  advance  of  the  release, 
even  for  a  long  period  of  time,  except  in  the 
mind  of  the  exhibitor. 

Exhibitors  should  appreciate  this  condi- 
tion and  should  support  the  Independent  pro- 
ducer and  distributor.  They  should  play  a 
picture  upon  its  merit  and  if  it  is  good, 
they  should  pay  the  Independent  exchange- 
man  what  the  picture  is  worth.  If  it  is  bad, 
they  shouldn't  play  it  at  all. 

J  will  venture  to  say  that  the  average  ex- 
hibitor can  make  himself  some  real  money 
today  by  looking  around  his  Independent  ex- 
changes and  booking  some  good  pictures 
•which  have  never  been  played  in  his  territory. 

Support  an  Independent  exchange  by  play- 
ing pictures  which  are  new  in  that  territory 
and  you  will  encourage  the  Independent  ex- 
changemen to  buy  many  pictures  that  they 
would  like  to  handle  but  which  they  are 
afraid  to  take  for  fear  of  not  receiving  this 
exhibitor's  support.  Therefore  by  encour- 
aging the  Independent  exchangemen  in  this 
manner,  the  exhibitor  'will  automatically  se- 
cure more  pictures  for  his  territory. 


Samuel  Sax  Returns  from 
Trip  to  Coast 

Samuel  Sax,  President  and  General  Man- 
ager of  the  Lumas  Film  Corporation,  dis- 
tributors of  Gotham  Productions,  has  just 
returned  from  the  West  Coast  where  he  has 
been  conferring  with  James  P.  Hogan  who 
is  producing  and  directing  the  six  Special 
Gotham  Productions. 

Mr.  Sax  announces  that  the  third  pic- 
ture of  the  series,  "Woman  and  Gold,"  is 
now  completed  with  Frank  Mayo,  Sylvia 
Breamer,  William  Davidson,  Frankie  Dar- 
row,  Ina  Anson,  Toto  Du  Crow,  James 
Olivio  and  John  T.  Prince  in  the  cast. 


Page  32 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Tfith  The  Independent  Distributors 


Bill  Cody  and  his  supporters  cease  work  for  a  while,  during  the  filming  of  the 
"Fighting  Sheriff,"  an  Independent  Pictures  production,  to  watch  the  majestic 
flight  of  the  Shenandoah,  across  the  continent.    A  most  impressive  spectacle. 

Unique  Campaign  Under  Way 
For  Chadwick  Feature 


A TRULY  great  advance  exploitation  and 
publicity  campaign  is  being  waged  over 
the  whole  United  States  on  "The  Ro- 
mance of  an  Actress,"  Langdon  McCormack's 
great  play,  scheduled  as  one  of  the  pictures 
in  the  Chadwick  9  unit  for  the  independent 
market  this  season. 

The  campaign  is  being  conducted  by  the 
Cloverleaf  League,  consisting  of  a  group  of 
leading  newspapers  and  magazines — the  St. 
Paul  Daily  News,  the  Omaha  Daily  News, 
the  Cloverleaf  Weekly,  and  the  Cloverleaf 
American,  as  a  national  contest,  the  winners 
of  which  will  receive  either  contracts  to  ap- 
pear in  "The  Romance  of  an  Actress,"  as  a 
start  to  a  motion  picture  career,  or  money 
awards. 

A  group  of  officials  of  the  Cloverleaf  or- 
ganization, headed  by  L.  M.  Knopp,  have 
been  placed  in  charge  of  the  contest,  and 
these  are  now  waging  an  intensive  campaign 
by  means  of  advertisements  in  leading  news- 
papers and  magazines,  special  literature  which 
is  sent  broadcast  in  millions  of  copies,  radio 
publicity,  and  in  various  other  means  cal- 
culated to  bring  the  contest  to  the  attention 
of  the  the  greatest  number  of  people,  and  to 
bring  about  the  greatest  results.  Among 
some  of  the  newspapers  in  which  advertise- 
ments of  this  contest  have  appeared,  are  the 
St.  Louis  Globe,  the  St.  Paul  Daily  News, 
the  Omaha  Daily  News,  and  Capper's  Week- 
ly; and  in  the  lists  of  magazines  are  such 
nationally  popular  periodicals  at  Motion  Pic- 
ture Play,  Argosy,  All  Story,  Woman's 
Weekly,  American  Weekly,  People's  Popular 
Magazine,  Sovereign  Visitor,  Household 
Magazine,  Blue  Book  Magazine,  and  Clover- 
leaf American,  and  many  others. 


In  all  of  the  advertising  copy,  Chadwick 
Pictures  Corporation  is  prominently  men- 
tioned with  the  seal  of  the  company,  and 
mention  is  made  of  all  the  pictures  produced 
by  the  Chadwick  organization  this  season, 
for  the  independent  market :  "The  Fire  Pa- 
trol," "Meddling  Women,"  "The  Painted 
Flapper,"  "I  Am  The  Man,"  "The  Tom  Boy," 
Lionel  Barrymore  in  his  third  special :  "The 
Street  Singer,"  "Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley, ' 
and  "The  Romance  of  an  Actress." 

The  first  winner  will  be  given  a  guaranteed 
part  in  "The  Romance  of  an  Actress,"  with 
all  expenses  of  the  trip  to  the  coast  and  re- 
turn, paid  for  herself  and  a  chaperone.  This 
includes  hotel  expenses  also.  The  four  other 
winners  will  be  given  a  free  trip  to  the  coast 
and  return  with  chaperone,  including  all  ho- 
tel expenses,  with  a  chance  for  a  tryout  be- 
iore  the  camera,  and  in  case  they  are  screen- 
able,  will  be  given  parts  in  the  production. 
The  winners  are  picked  according  to  the  re- 
sults shown  by  balloting,  based  on  subscrip- 
tion for  Cloverleaf  League  papers. 

Word  received  at  the  Chadwick  offices 
from  Mr.  Knopp,  in  charge  of  the  contest, 
indicates  that  approximately  13,000  people 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  are  already  ac- 
tively participating  in  the  contest,  with  the 
number  increasing  daily.  25,000  participants 
is  the  goal  set  by  the  Cloverleaf  organiza- 
tion, each  participant  being  an  active  booster 
of  the  Chadwick  pictures,  and  in  particular 
"The  Romance  of  an  Actress." 

So  far  as  known,  this  is  the  first  time  a 
campaign  of  such  magnitude  and  scope  has 
been  waged  on  a  motion  picture  before  pro- 
duction. 


C.  C.  BURR  SIGNS 
FOREIGN  STAR 

C.  C.  Burr,  general  manager  of  East 
Coast  Films,  Inc.,  announced  this  week 
that  Sigrid  Holmquist  had  been  engaged 
as  the  female  lead  to  Johnny  Hines  in 
"The  Early  Bird"  which  went  into  pro- 
duction at  the  Jackson  Studio  this  week. 
Miss  Holmquist  recently  appeared  in  C. 
C.  Burr's  Special  "Youth  For  Sale,"  where 
her  work  was  of  such  high  order  that  she 
was  signed  to  appear  opposite  Johnny 
Hines. 

Miss  Holmquist  has  come  to  the  fore 
rapidly  in  screendom,  having  made  her  de- 
but with  the  Scandinavian  Film  Central, 
following  which,  she  came  to  America, 
and  appeared  in  the  Cosmopolitan  special 
"Just  Around  the  Corner." 

She  followed  this  with  inportant  parts  in 
"My  Old  Kentucky  Home"  with  Monte 
Blue.  Other  pictures  which  prominently 
featured  Miss  Holmquist  were  "Prophets 
Paradise"  with  Eugene  O'Brien,  in  George 
Melford's  Paramount  production  "The 
Light  That  Failed." 

In  "The  Early  Bird"  Miss  Holmquist  is 
called  upon  to  enact  two  roles  which  pic- 
ture her  as  a  society  girl  and  as  an  ordinary 
house  maid. 

*    *  * 

DECEMBER  WILL  BE 
BLUMSTEIN  MONTH 

Commonwealth  Film  Corporation,  by  order 
of  its  president,  Samuel  Zierler,  has  desig- 
nated the  month  of  December  as  Blumstein 
Month  in  honor  of  Abe  Blumstein,  general 
sales  manager. 

Mr.  Blumstein  joined  Commonwealth  last 
June  after  22  years'  uninterrupted  service 
with  William  Fox  and  has  achieved  an  en- 
viable record. 

With  the  special  drive  that  will  be  made 
in  Blumstein  Month  the  year  should  end  as 
a  record-breaker. 

Commonwealth  is  releasing  some  of  its 
choicest  pictures  for  the  occasion.  Among 
them  will  be  Johnny  Hines  in  "The  Speed 
Spook,"  "The  Midnight  Express,"  "Women 
First,"  "The  Painted  Flapper,"  and  "Poisoned 
Paradise." 


The  beautiful  Elaine  Hammerstein  sitting 
on  the  "Midnight  Express,"  the  melodra- 
matic C.  B.  C.  production  of  that  name. 


November  22.  1924 


Page  33 


^ith  The  Independent  Distridutors 


Flashes  from 
Independents 


Jesse  Goldberg  bulged  into  town  from  the 
coast  last  week  wearing  pants  with  pleats 
about  the  belt !  Jess  has  been  playing  par- 
chesi  with  some  of  his  actors  out  on  the 
coast  and  it  may  be  is  over  mentalized.  It 
goes  to  show  that  after  all — art  is  "the 
thing."  Did  any  of  his  actors  copy  Jesse's 
pants?  Did  they?  They  DID  not!  !  Did 
he  copy  theirs?  Did  he??  HE  DID!! 
And  yet  it  is  claimed  that  its  possible  to  put 
the  movies  on  a  business  basis ! ! ! 

Health  Cobb  of  the  C.  B.  C.  Film  outfit 
is  a  great  lover  of  dogs.  He's  proved  this 
too  for  last  week  he  was  sporting  a  purp 
that  must  have  included  every  known  brand 
of  dog  in  New  York  in  its  ancestry.  There 
are  times  when  we  work  up  a  peeve  at  Health 
but  dern  it  we  sure  do  dote  on  his  courage. 
It  sure  is  SOME  dog. 

*    #  * 

Miss  Markus  up  at  Jans  office  ought  to 
get  her  boss  to  pass  that  smile  of  hers  along 


JAematic  Music 


Cue  «.SAeet-> 


M.J.MINTZ  F.tti 


IS  FURNISHED   WITH  THE  FOLLOWING 

INDEPENDENT  PRODUCTIONS: 
Chadwick  Pictures  Columbia  Pictures 

East  Coast  Films  Perfection  Pictures 

Banner  Productions  Lee-Bradford  Pictures 

Principal  Pictures 


The  Melodramatic  Sensation 

WANDA  HAWLEY 

AND 

NIGEL  BARRIE 

IN 

George  R.  Sim's  Masterpiece 

"The 
Lights  of  London 


Produced  by 
A.  C.  and  R.  C.  BROMHEAD 

Released  by 

LEE-BRADFORD 
Corporation  - 
ARTHUR  A.  LEE,  PRESIDENT 
701  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 

Distributed    by    Following    State  Rights 

Exchanges :  Code 

Chi-5,  NY-3,  Phi-3,  Cle-4,  Mil-4,  Min-3, 
Lou-1,  Pit-3,   SF-2,  Bal-1. 


to  a  weary  world  via  the  celluloid  route.  We 
know  of  one  visitor  who  went  in  there  with 
soul  dragging  low  and  after  the  "Markus 
Smile"  got  well  focused  on  him  went  out  with 
an  entire  new  lining  on  his  morale.  There's 
a  heluva  lot  of  difference  in  smiles. 

*  *  * 

Nat  Levine,  Sales  manager  for  M.  J. 
Winkler  sent  in  a  list  of  places  he's  been 
and  is  going  to  that  looks  like  a  copy  of 
Bradstreets'.  He  stopped  in  last  week  and 
got  medical  attention  for  his  fountain  pen 
which  was  suffering  from  a  fractured  nib 
caused  by  filling  out  too  many  yearly  con- 
tracts.   Aint  nature  grand? 

*  *  * 

Doc.  Shallenberg  of  the  Arrow  Film  Cor- 
poration acknowledged  to  be  the  calmest  man 
on  Broadway  received  several  shocks  last 
week  from  which  he  is  recovering  nicely. 

*  *  * 

Henry  Ginsberg  broke  out  in  a  rash  last 
week  which  when  looked  at  more  closely  was 


found  to  be  a  manuscript  entitled  "What's 
the  matter  with  the  Independents?"  The  of- 
fice force  is  cowed  and  is  full  of  agogness 
etc.,  which  will  doubtless  continue  until  his 
entire  rush  of  words  is  finished.  The  world 
awaits,  Henry !  Strut  your  stuff.  Strut  your 
stuff. 

*    *  * 

Louis  Weiss'  limousine  was  badly  bitten 
by  an  angry  Pekineese  last  Wednesday  after- 
noon and  since  then  Luie  has  been  using  the 
subway.  It  seems  that  the  car  was  left 
standing  out  in  front  of  Mr.  Weiss'  place  of 
business,  1540  Broadway,  and  wasn't  harming 
no  one.  The  Pekineese  came  dashing  around 
the  corner  of  45th  street  dragging  its  two 
keepers  headlong.  The.  limousine,  startled  as 
well  it  might  be,  tried  in  every  way  to  dodge 
the  infuriated  beast  but  a  moment  later  was 
horribly  bitten  in  the  gas  tank  and  further 
suffered  severely  from  deep  gashes  in  the  en- 
gine head  gasket?  The  hood  was  totally  de- 
molished. Its  getting  so  that  Broadway  is 
dangerous. 


Where  To  Book  Them  ! 

A  Selected  Active  List  of  Independent  Exchanges 

Listed  alphabetically  by  key-cities  and  presented  for  abbreviating  purposes  in  the  advertising  of  national 
distributors  so  any  exhibitor  may  quickly  locate  the  nearest  exchange  to  his  town  which  handles 
any  independent  release.    For  example:    When  a  national  distributor  advertises  "Phi — 2"  in 
his  list  of  exchanges,  any  exhibitor  in  Western  Pennsylvania  or  Southern  New  Jersey  can 
readily  understand  by  referring  to  this  list  that  the  Philadelphia  exchange 
mentioned  is  the  "De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  at  1318  Vine  St." 


ALBANY,  N.  Y. 
Alb — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges.  656  Broadway. 

ATLANTA  Ga. 
Atl — 1  Southern  States  Film' Co.,  87  Walton  St. 
Atl — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 

BALTIMORE,  Md. 
Bal — 1  Art  Film  Service,  '228  No.  Gay  Street. 

BOSTON,  Mass. 
Bos — 1  Independent  Films,  10  Piedmont  Street. 
Bos — 2  Cosmopolitan  Film  Co.,  10  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 3  McConville  &  Montague,  12  Piedmont  St. 
Bos — 4  American   Fea.   Film  Co.,   37   Piedmont  St. 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
Buf — 1  First  Graphic  Exchanges,   257   Franklin  St. 

CHICAGO,  111. 
Chi— 1  Celebrated  Play'rs  Corp.  810  S.  Wabash  Av. 
Chi — 2  Epic  Film  Attractions,  808  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 3  Renown  Pictures,  Inc.,  806  S.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 4  Film  Classics  Ex.,  831  So.  Wabash  Ave. 
Chi — 5  Greiver  Prod.,  Chicago,  831  So.  Wabash. 

CINCINNATI,  Ohio 
Cin — 1  Standard   Film  Serv.,  Broadway  Film  Bldg. 
Cin — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 

CLEVELAND,  Okx> 
Cle — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  617  Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Ent.   (See  Pittsburgh  Add.) 
Cle — 3  Skirboll  Gold  Seal  Prods.   Film  Bldg. 
Cle — 4  Security  Pictures  Co.,  514  Film  Bldg. 

DALLAS,  Tex. 
Dal — 1  Southern  States  Film,  302  S.  Harwood  St. 
Dal — 2  Creole  Enterprises  (See  New  Orleans  Add.) 
Dal — 3  Southwest   Film   Corp.,   Film  Bldg. 
Dal--4  Midwest  Film  Ex..  2111   Moser  Av. 
Dal — 5  All  Star  Feature  Films,  Film  Exch.  Bldg. 

DENVER,  Col. 
Den — 1  Mountain  States  Film  Att.,  2104  Broadway. 
Den — 2  Arrow  Photoplays,   2040  Broadway. 
Den — 3  De  Luxe  Feature  Film  Co.,  2020  Stout  St., 
Denver,  Colo.,  for  territories  of  Colo.,  Utah, 
Wyo..  Ariz.,  and  New  Mex. 
DETROIT,  Mich. 
Det — 1  Standard  Film  Service,  Joseph  Mack  Bldg'. 
Det — 2  Rex    Film    Company,    Joseph    Mack  Bldg. 

INDIANAPOLIS,  Ind. 
Ind — 1  Celebrated  Players  Film  Corp.,  144  W.  Ver- 
mont Street. 

Ind — 2  H.  Lieber  Company,  212  Wimmer  Building. 

KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 
KC — 1  Independent   F:lm   Co..    117   West   17th  St. 

LITTLE  ^OCK  Ark 
LR — I  Homestate  Film  Co.,  1114  W.  Markham  St. 

LOS  ANGELES.  Cal. 
LA— 1  All-Star  Feature  Dist.,  Inc.,  915  S.  Olive  St. 


LOUISVILLE,  Ky. 
Lou — 1  Big  Feature  Rights  Corp.,  221  So.  Third  St. 

MILWAUKEE.  Wis. 
Mil — 1  Celebrated  Players  Corp.,  713  Wells  St. 
Mil — 2  Epic   Film  Attractions   (See   Chicago  Add.) 
Mil — 3  Ludwig  Film  Ex.,  Film  Bldg. 
Mil — 4  Mid-West  Distributing  Co.,   Toy  Bldg. 

MINNEAPOLIS.  Minn. 
Min — 1  Friedman  Film  Corp.,  Film  Exchange  Bldg 
Min— 2  F.  &  R.  Film  Co.,  Loeb  Arcade  Bldg. 
Min — 3  Celebrated    Film    Exchange,    206    Film  Ex- 
change Bldg. 

MONTREAL,  CAN. 
Mon — 1  Film  De  Luxe  Co.,  12  Mayor  St. 

NEW  ORLEANS,  La. 

NO — 1  Southern  States  Film  Co.,  616  Saratoga  St. 
NO — 2  Creole  Enterprises,  Inc.,  1401  Tulana  Ave. 
NO — 3  M.  D.  Martin  Attractions,  405  Dryades  St. 

NEW  YORK  CITY 
NY — 1  Commonwealth  Film  Corp.,   7'29-7th  Ave. 
NY— 2  A-l   Film  Exchange,  729-7th  Ave. 

NEW  YORK  STATE 
NY — 1  Dependable  Pict.  Corp.,  7219  7  Ave.,  N.  Y.  €. 
NY — 3  Capital  Film  Co.,  729  Seventh  Ave.,  N.  Y. 

OMAHA,  Neb. 
Oma — 1  Liberty   Films   Inc.,    1514    Davenport  St. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Pa. 
Phi — 1  Masterpiece  Film  Att.,  1329  Vine  Street 
Phi — 2  De  Luxe  Film  Co.,  1318  Vine  Street. 
Phi — 3  Imperial    Pictures,    1302    Vine  Street. 

PITTSBURGH,  Pa. 
Pit — 1  Federated  Film  Exchange,  1018  Forbes  St. 
Pit — 2  R.  G.  Hill  Enterprises,  1010  Forbes  St., 
Pit — 3  Apex  Film  Service,  1026  Forbes  Street. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  Utah 
SLC — 1  Preferred  Pictures  Co.,   52  Exchange  PI. 

SAH  FRANCISCO.  Cal. 
SF —    All-Star  Fea.  Dist.,  200  Golden  Gate  Ave. 
SF — 2  Progress  Film  Service,  177  Golden  Gate  Ave. 

ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 
SL— 1  Columbia  Pictures  Corp.,  3317  Olive  8t. 

SEATTLE,  Wash. 
Sea — 1  Western  Film  Corp.,  2014  Third  Avenue. 
Sea — 2  Quality  Pictures.  2006  Third  Ave. 

TORONTO,  Can. 
Tor — 1  Premier   Films,   Ltd.,   15   Richmond   St.,  E. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
Wash — 1  Trio  Produc.  926  N.  Jersey  Ave.,  N.  W. 
Wash — 2  Exhibitors  Film  Exch.,  916  G  St.,  N.  W. 

FOREIGN    RIGHTS,    N.   Y.  CITY 
FR — 1  Simmons-Kahn  Enterprises,  220  W.  42nd  St. 
FR— 2  Inter  Ocean  Film   Corp.,  218  W.  47th  St. 


Page  34 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Theatres  of  the  World 

Mexicans  Not  Revolutionary 
in  Picture  Industry 


AS  the  second  of  the  series  on  the 
various  motion  picture  thea- 
tres of  the  world,  the  playhouses 
of  Mexico  have  been  selected  because 
they  offer  many  novel  features  of  at- 
mosphere and  unique  phases  of  photo- 
play presentation  not  to  be  found  even 
in  the  countries  further  removed  from 
the  Hub  of  the  cinema  industry.  As 
was  stated  last  week  these  articles  are 
for  the  benefit  of  the  exhibitor,  and 
should  prove  not  only  of  interest  but  of 
value,  giving  an  insight  into  the  condi- 
tions under  which  the  foreign  exhibitor 
works  and  the  handicap  he  has  to  con- 
tend with. 

According  to  the  American  Consul  in 
Guadalajara,  Mexico,  who  has  made  a 
thorough  investigation  at  the  request  of 
the  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  all  the 
theatres  in  this  city  are  controlled  by 
one  company,  there  being  in  all  eight 
photoplay  houses  in  Guadalajara. 

Three  of  these  theatres  are  considered 
first-class,  well-located  and  present 
somewhat  of  an  imposing  'appearwce, 
"The  Cine  Lux,"  while  not  the  largest 
is  situated  opposite  the  celebrated  Ca- 
thedral of  Guadalajara,  and  enjoys  the 
patronage  of  the  better  class  people  of 


The  unique  "Cuauthemoc"  Theatre,  Guad- 
alajara, Mexico,  is  of  typical  Aztec  design 
and  is  the  largest  picture  palace  in  the 
city  of  Guadalajara  seating  2,500  persons. 


the  city.  This  playhouse  which  has  a 
seating  capacity  of  1200  is  of  sub- 
stantial construction  and  advantageous- 
ly located  for  a  picture  house.  The 
largest  motion  picture  theatre  in  the 
city,  is  the  "Cuauthemoc"  and  is  not  so 
ideally  situated.  Consequently  it  is  pa- 
tronized by  the  middle  classes,  and  at 
present  is  doing  very  good  business.  It 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  2500. 


"Cine  Opera"  is  an  example  of  the  "con- 
verted store"  type  of  motion  picture 
house.  This  theatre,  which  enjoys  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  better  class  of  Mexican, 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  one  thousand. 


THE  "CINE  OPERA"  is  an  exam- 
ple of  the  many  picture  places  so 
familiar  in  the  United  States,  which 
have  been  installed  because  of  a  par- 
ticular desirable  location,  and  is  of  the 
converted  store  type.  It  exhibits  the 
same  films  as  the  "Cine  Lux,"  enjoys 
a  first-class  patronage  and  can  accom- 
modate about  1000  persons. 

The  motion  picture  houses  of  Guada- 
lajara are  equipped  with  American  seats 
and  projectors  as  well  as  other  modern 
accessories,  and  American  films  enjoy 


the  greatest  vogue  especially  those  with 
strong  love  interest.  Comedies  are  not 
appreciated  by  the  Mexican,  for  the 
Aztec  strain  predominates,  and  calls  f or 
romance  and  adventure. 

WHILE  the  company  controlling 
these  theatres  does  not  purchase 
films  outright,  it  secures  the  state  right 
to  exhibit  the  films  it  handles,  and  does 
at.  times  release  them  to  independent  ex- 
hibitors. Its  influence  is  so  strong  in 
the  states  where  it  operates  as  to  ex- 
ercise a  control  of  the  business  in  the 
adjacent  territory. 

Mexico,  because  of  its  proximity  to 
the  United  States,  has  better  opportun- 
ity for  motion  picture  progress  than 
many  other  countries. 

However  the  temperament  of  the 
Mexicans  is  essentially  lethargic,  and 
their  progress  in  other  branches  of  art 
and  trade  has  been  markedly  slow 
There  is  nothing  of  a  revolutionary 
character  in  Mexican  art  or  business. 

It  will  readily  seem  that  the  condi- 
tions in  Mexico  are  not  nearly  as  flour- 
ishing as  in  Italy,  which  in  spite  of  its 
distance  from  the  center  of  the  motion 
picture  world  is  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  industry  in  Europe. 


The  Cine  Lux  is  the  principal  picture  the- 
atre in  Guadalajara,  and  is  not  unlike  the 
photoplay  houses  to  be  found  in  the  larg- 
er cities  in  the  United  States.  It  can 
accommodate    twelve    hundred  persons. 


"The  Price  of  a  Party 

From  the  Cosmopolitan  Magazine  story  by  William  Mac  Harg,  bit  it  h 

Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  Ford,  Mary  Astor,  Arthur 
Edmund  Carets  and  Dagmar  Godotvs^y 

When  It's  YOUR  Sister  Who  is  the  Trice  of 
A  Tarty  It  MaKfis  a  Difference! 

A  girl  who  knows,  can  meet  temptation,  spurn  it,  avoid  it. 
A  girl  who  doesn't  know  walks  right  into  it. 
If  that  girl  is  your  sister,  and  she  is  the  price  of  a  party, 
what  a  difference  it  makes! 


Directed  by  Charles  Giblyn 

Associated  Exhibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 

Physical  Distributor  ^\f-\-rj'i'b  Foreign  Representative 

Pathe  Exchange,  Inc.,  Pc$UP8^  Sidney  Garrett 


10 


""■31 

.4, 


"East  of 
Uroadbvay 

{Adapted  toom  the  Saturday  Evening  7*ost  Story 
The  "Tropic  of  Capricorn"  by  "Richard  Connetl) 


Directed  by  Wm,  K_.  Hcbvard 

■A  Paul  Sc  ho  field  'Production 
toefith 

Otejen  Moore,  Mary  Ccirr.  'Ralph  Letejfo 
Marguerite  Tie  La  Motte 


A  woman's  scream  in  the  dark! 

On  the  sidewalk  a  probationer  on  the  police  force, 
tomorrow  to  turn  in  his  uniform. — rejected! 

Everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose;  maybe 
his  life  the  forfeit,  and  he  turned  down  for  the 
force! 

If  it  were  you,  what  would  you  do? 

And  what  do  you  think  he  did? 

What  he  did  makes  a  half  hour  of  climax,  of  the 
tensest  situations  you  ever  saw! 


Associated  Ejchibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributor  Encore 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc.  Pcture^ 


Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


"The  Price  of  a  "Party9 

From  the  Cosmopolitan  Magazine  story  by  William  Mac  Harg,  k&ith 

Hope  Hampton,  Harrison  Ford,  Mary  A*stor9  Arthur 
Edmund  Care&v  and  Dagmar  Godo^^K^V 

When  It's  YOUR  Sister  Who  is  the  Trice  of 
A  Tarty  It  MaKes  a  Difference! 

A  girl  who  knows,  can  meet  temptation,  spurn  it,  avoid  it. 
A  girl  who  doesn't  know  walks  right  into  it. 
If  that  girl  is  your  sister,  and  she  is  the  price  of  a  party, 
what  a  difference  it  makes! 


Directed  by  Charles  Giblyn 

Associated  Ejcbibitors 

Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 

Physical  Distributor  EjlCCW^  Foreign  Representative 

Pathe  Exchange,  |nc..  jj>jC$UB^  SWney 


■ 


East  of 
Uroad&uay 


(Adapted  room  the  Saturday  E,x)ening  "Post  Story 
The  "Tropic  of  Capricorn"  by  Hichard  Connelt) 


Directed  by  Wm.  K_.  Hotvard 

A  Paul  Sc  ho  field  "Production 
tvilh 


Otven  Moore,  Mary  Carr.  'Ralph  Le  teste 
Marguerite  De  La  Motte 

A  woman's  scream  in  the  dark! 

On  the  sidewalk  a  probationer  on  the  police  force, 
tomorrow  to  turn  in  his  uniform. — rejected! 

Everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose;  maybe 
his  life  the  forfeit,  and  he  turned  down  for  the 
force ! 

If  it  were  you,  what  would  you  do? 

And  what  do  you  think  he  did? 

What  he  did  makes  a  half  hour  of  climax,  of  the 
tensest  situations  you  ever  saw! 


Associated  Exhibitors 


Arthur  S.  Kane,  President 


Physical  Distributor 
Pathe  Exchange,  Inc. 


Encore 


Foreign  Representative 
Sidney  Garrett 


November  22,  1924 


Page  37 


BOX  OFFICE  REVIEWS 


HAS  STRONG  APPEAL 

FOR  WOMEN  FOLKS 

"Christine  of  the  Hungry  Heart,"  a 
Touching  Domestic  Drama 

"CHRISTINE  OF  THE  HUNGRY 
HEART."  Thomas  H.  Ince,  First  National 
Photoplay.  Author,  Kathleen  Norris.  Di- 
rector,    George     Archainbaud.  Length, 

7,500  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Christine  Madison  Florence  Vidor 

Dr.  Allan  Monteagle  Clive  Brook 

Ivan    Vianney  Ian  Keith 

Stuart   Knight  Warner  Baxter 

D  an    Madison  Walter  Hiers 

Mrs.  Michael  Knight  Lillian  Lawrence 

Jeffy  Dorothy  Brock 

Married  to  Stuart  Knight,  a  drunkard,  Christine 
Madison  becomes  interested  in  Dr.  Monteagle,  a 
specialist.  Eventually  she  obtains  a  divorce  from 
Knight  and  weds  the  physician.  The  latter  is  so 
devoted  to  his  profession  that  Christine  wearies 
of  her  lack  of  companionship  and  elopes  with  Ivan 
Vianney,  an  artist,  taking  her  little  son  with  her. 
The  child  is  regained  by  his  father.  Christine 
realizes  her  mistake  and  leaves  Ivan,  returning  to 
the  U.  S.  She  meets  her  first  husband,  now  a 
wreck  from  drugs  and  drink  and  nurses  him,  but 
he  dies.     Ultimately  Dr.    Monteagle  persuades  her 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

EVERY  touching  domestic  drama  which 
has  an  especially  strong  appeal  for 
feminine  patrons,  "Christine  of  the  Hun- 
gry Heart"  is  artistically  mounted,  beau- 
tifully photographed,  and  if  judiciously 
cut,  should  prove  an  excellent  attraction 
for  all  classes  of  theatres.  As  it  stands, 
however,  the  feature's  chief  fault  lies  in 
director  George  Archainbaud's  evident  re- 
luctance to  keep  the  narrative  in  bounds. 

Kathleen  Norris'  novel  from  which  the 
picture  is  adapted,  devotes  a  great  deal  of 
space  to  character  sketching  and  minor 
details,  much  of  which  is  quite  superflous, 
so  far  as  screen  reproduction  is  concerned. 
This  overload  of  detail,  too  faithfully 
transferred  to  the  film,  hampers  and  slows 
down  the  action  lamentably  at  times. 

Yet,  on  the  whole,  the  feature's  good 
qualities  outweigh  its  deficiencies.  There 
is  a  wealth  of  honest,  heart-stirring  pa- 
thos in  many  of  the  situations,  a  notable 
example  of  which  is  the  young  mother  re- 
visiting in  secret  the  home  she  deserted 
in  a  moment  of  pique,  leaving  a  present 
for  her  little  son  and  peering  wistfully 
through  the  window  to  see  the  child. 

Another  big  scene  is  that  in  which  she 
comes  face  to  face  with  Dr.  Monteagle,  the 
husband  she  really  loved  but  ran  away 
from,  while  engaged  in  nursing  the  pitiful 
wreck  of  the  man  she  first  married. 

This  theme  of  a  heroine  whose  life  be- 
comes entangled  in  a  three-men-love  af- 
fair might  easily  have  been  made  ultra- 
suggestive  if  less  .  competently  handled 
But  so  delicate  are  its  shadings,  so  clever- 
ly have  director  and  players  interpreted 
the  narrative  that  nothing  offensive  de- 
velops.   A  forceful  moral  lesson  is  evolved. 

The  leading  role,  of  Christine  suits  the 
personality  and  talent  of  Florence  Vidor 
to  perfection.  As.  a  study  in  emotional  ap- 
peal her  performance  registers  with  tre- 
mendous effect  and  she  is  given  excellent 
support. 

Adults  of  both  sexes  will  probably  like 
the  picture,  but  make  a  strong  play  for 
the  feminine  trade  in  your  exploitation. 
Stress  the  neglected  wife  idea  and  arrange 
with  book  stores  for  tie-ups  on  Kathleen 
Norris'  novel.  Florence  Vidor,  Clive 
Brook,  Ian  Keith,  Warner  Baxter  and 
Walter  Hiers  are  names  worth  while. 


SEASTROM  PRODUCTION 

AN  ARTISTIC  HIT 

"He  Who  Gets  Slapped"  Should  Win 
Critical  Audiences'  Favor 

"HE  WHO  GETS  SLAPPED."  Metro- 
Goldwyn  Photoplay.  Adapted  from  Leonid 
Andreyev's  Stage  Play.  Director,  Victor 
Seastrom.    Length,  6,613  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

"He  Who  Gets  Slapped"   Lon  Chaney 

Consuelo   Norma  Shearer 

Bezano   John  Gilbert 

He's  Wife   Ruth  King 

Baron  Regnard   Marc  McDermott 

Count   Mancini   Tully  Marshal! 

Briquet   Harvey  Clarke 

Tricaud   Ford  Sterling 

Zinida   Paulette  Duval 

A  student  has  his  scientific  discoveries  stolen  bv 
his  patron,  Baron  Regnard,  who  also  carries  off 
ais  wife.  Wit.'i  ambition  gone,  the  ctudent  be 
comes  a  circus  clown,  known  to  the  public  as  "He 
Who  Gets  Slapped."  He  falls  hopelessly  in  love 
with  Consuelo,  bareback  rider,  but  conceals  his 
passion.  Consuelo  loves  her  riding  pa.tner,  Bezano. 
Her  father,  •  the  ruined  Count  Mancini,  plans  to 
wed  her  to  Baron  Regnard.  Mancini  and  Regnard 
are  in  the  circus  office,  when  he  releases  a  savage 
lion  from  its  cage,  engages  in  a  quarrel  with  the 
two  men,  is  stabbed  by  Mancini,  who,  with  Reg- 
nard, is  killed  by  the  lion.  He  enters  the  arena 
and  dies  in  Consuelo's  arms. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

AN  exceptionally  fine  dramatic  offering, 
handsomely  mounted  and  beautifully 
photographed,  in  which  Lon  Chaney  and 
a  supporting  cast  of  talented  players  work 
with  sincerity  and  flawless  skill,  entitling 
"He  Who  Gets  Slapped"  to  rank  with  the 
season's  most  artistic  productions.  Great 
credit  is  due  Director  Victor  Seastrom  for 
his  admirable  direction  of  this  feature. 
Every  foot  of  film  counts  for  something, 
there  isn't  an  inch  of  wastage,  the  cyni- 
cal humor  and  infinite  pathos  of  the  story 
is  developed  in  masterly  style  against 
backgrounds   of  wonderful  atmosphere. 

The  theme  is  intensely  tragic  and  ends 
on  a  sombre  note,  something  which  must 
be  seriously  considered  when  studying  the 
film's  commercial  possibilities.  Undoubt- 
edly its  artistry  and  sweeping  emotional 
power  will  appeal  strongly  to  a  certain 
class  of  movie  patrons.  In  the  big  thea- 
tres it  should  register  box-office  success. 

But  there  is  no  getting  away  from  the 
fact  that  many  of  the  fans  object  strenu- 
ously   to    pictures    with    a    gloomy  finish. 

Victor  Seastrom  has  certainly  given  the 
screen  an  intellectual  treat.  His  situations 
interlock  with  marvelous  smoothness, 
never  have  we  witnessed  better  continuity 
or  such  crafty  mingling  of  ironical  com- 
edy and  pathetic  sequences.  From  the 
start  one's  sympathy  goes  forth  to  the 
luckless  hero  of  the  tale  who  clowns 
while  his  heart  is  breaking  and  stirs  the 
unthinking  crowds  to  wild  merriment  with 
his  matchless  buffoonery.  The  big  thrill 
comes  with  the  killing  of  the  two  villains 
by  the  lion  let  loose  by  the  clown,  a  remark- 
ably well-staged  episode,  followed  by  the 
latter's  death  in  the  arena  within  the  en- 
circling arms  of  the  girl. 

Lon  Chaney's  impersonation  of  He  is  as 
effective  a  bit  of  character  work  as  the 
screen  has  even  known,  not  even  except- 
ing the  hit  he  made  in  the  leading  role  of 
"The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame."  The 
support  is  faultless. 

You  can  stress  the  story  as  a  wonder  of 
pathos  and  tragedy,  relieved  by  timely  come- 
dy, and  refer  to  the  success  it  achieved  as  a 
stage  attraction  during  a  long  Broadway  run. 


STOLEN  JEWELS  TALE 

LACKING  IN  LOGIC 

"Great    Diamond   Mystery"  Only 
Registers  As  Fair  Program  Attraction 

"THE  GREAT  DIAMOND  MYSTERY." 
Fox  Photoplay.  Author,  Shannon  Fife. 
Director,  Denison  Clift.  Length  5,096  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Ruth    Winton  Shirley  Mason 

Phyllis  Jackie  Saunders 

Murdock  Harry  von  Meter 

Graves  John  Cossar 

Mallison  Philo  McCullough 

Davis  Hector   V.  Sarno 

Perry  Standish  William  Collier,  Jr. 

Diana  Eugenia  Gilbert 

Ruth  Winton  writes  a  novel  entitled  "The  Great 
Diamond  Mystery,"  which  is  published  by  Murdock, 
who  is  in  love  with  her.  Ruth's  sweetheart.  Perry 
Standish  is  arrested  on  the  charge  of  murdering  the 
man  he  works  for,  a  diamond  merchant  with  under- 
world connections.  To  clear  Perry  Ruth  goes  to 
work  on  the  theory  of  her  novel,  that  a  murderer 
will  revisit  the  scene  of  his  crime.  She  takes  tem- 
porary possession  of  the  house  where  the  merchant 
was  killed  and  hires  the  former  butler,  who  applies 
for  a  job.  The  diamonds  are  eventually  found,  the 
butler  shot,  and  the  latter,  before  dying  confesses 
his  guilt.  The  governor's  pardon  saves  Perry  from 
execution  at  a  crucial  moment  and  the  lovers  are 
united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

JUST  a  fair  program  picture!  There  is 
little  or  no  appeal  for  audiences  of  a 
critical  turn  of  mind  in  the  weird  complica- 
tions which  make  up  the  plot  of  "The 
Great  Diamond  Mystery."  But  in  locali- 
ties where  story  logic  is  deemed  of  less 
importance  than  thrills  and  fast  action, 
this  murder  mystery  melodrama  will  prob- 
ably give  satisfaction  at  the  box-office. 

The  plot  pivots  on  the  theory  that  a 
murderer  usually  returns  at  some  time  to 
the  scene  of  his  crime.  This  theory  is  first 
set  forth  by  the  heroine  in  a  novel  she 
writes,  and  later,  when  her  sweetheart  is 
wrongfully  accused  of  murdering  his  em- 
ployer, she  utilizes  it  to  prove  innocence. 

As  a  result  of  the  introduction  of  Ruth 
Winton's  fiction  effort  into  the  scenes 
which  transpire,  the  actual  murder  story 
becomes  rather  difficult  to  follow,  its  con- 
tinuity threads  getting  into  a  most  be- 
wildering tangle.  Toward  the  last  the  at- 
mosphere clears  up  a  bit  and  a  very  excit- 
ing climax  is  attained,  with  a  surprise 
twist  neatly  turned,  for  the  identity  of 
the  real  assassin  is  kept  to  the  last. 

So  far  as  the  mystery  angle  is  con- 
cerned, it  registers  as  a  sure-enough  mys- 
tery all  right  because  it  has  the  audience 
guessing.  This  is  done  by  throwing  such 
dark  clouds  of  suspicion  around  the  hap- 
less head  of  hero  Perry  Standish  that  one 
feels  no  surprise  at  all  when  he  is  pro- 
nounced guilty  and  sentenced  to  the  elec- 
tric chair.  The  heroine  wins  a  lot  of  sym- 
pathy for  her  loyal  efforts  in  her  lover's 
behalf  and  her  adventures  in  the  old  house 
where  the  crime  was  committed  are  staged 
with  good  dramatic  effect. 

Shirley  Mason  has  a  strong  fan  follow- 
ing and  should  be  featured  in  your  ex- 
ploitation. Jackie  Saunders,  Philo  McCul- 
lough and  Harry  von  Meter  are  worthy  of 
mention.  Bill  the  picture  as  a  murder 
mystery  melodrama,  with  numerous 
thrills  and  romantic  lure,  offering  the  star 
in  a  different  role  from  any  in  which  she 
has  previously  appeared.  The  theory  that 
a  murderer  invariably  returns  to  the  scene 
of  his_  crime  also  possesses  advertising 
possibilities.  ;  <'.^ 


Page  38 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"THE  TENTH  WOMAN" 

LACKING  IN  VIGOR 

Slow  Moving  Drama  May  Pass  Muster 
As  Program  Attraction 

"THE  TENTH  WOMAN."  Warner  Bros. 
Photoplay,  Author,  Harriet  Comstock.  Di- 
rector, James  Flood.  Length,  6,900  Feet. 
CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Willa    Brookes  Beverly  Bayne 

Barry  Compton  John  Roche 

Rose  Ann  Brainherd   June  Marlowe 

Billy  Brainherd  Raymond  McKee 

Donaldson  Charles  "Buddy"  Post 

Shorty  Gilbert  Holmes 

Mr.    Brainherd...  Alec  Francis 

Mrs.  Brainherd  Edith  Yorke 

Willa  Brookes  tries  to  drown  herself  and  is  saved 
by  Barry  Compton,  wealthy  ranch-owner.  She  be- 
comes his  housekeeper,  is  infatuated  with  him,  but 
does  not  reveal  her  secret.  Compton  goes  East, 
leaving  Willa  in  charge  of  the  ranch.  He  renews 
acquaintance  with  Rose  Ann  Brainherd,  with  whom 
he  had  indulged  in  a  flirtation  prior  to  her  marriage. 
Rose  quarrels  with  her  husband  and  sets  out  for 
Barry's  ranch.  Willa  comes  to  the  conclusion  that 
Barry  is  in  love  with  Rose.  The  latter  repents  her 
haste  and  tells  Barry  she  intends  to  go  back.  Brain- 
herd arrives  and  is  convinced  that  all  is  right.  Rose 
runs  way,  Barry  seeks  her  in  time  to  rescue  her 
when  the  horses  of  the  wagon  she  is  in  bolt.  The 
lovers  are  united. 

By  George  T.  Pardy. 

WHY  do  so  many  directors  insist  on 
dragging  out  a  picture  to  an  extrava- 
gant length,  when  much  better  entertain- 
ment could  be  provided  by  keeping  their 
plot  material  within  reasonable  compass? 
Here  is  yet  another  case  in  point,  for  "The 
Tenth  Woman"  winds  wearily  over  a 
course  of  almost  seven  reels,  where  the 
story  could  have  been  filmed  to  far  better 
advantage  in  five. 

The  result  is  that  the  action  moves 
throughout  at  a  painfully  deliberate  pace 
and  the  spectators  lose  patience  waiting 
for  something  of  importance  to  develop, 
but  excepting  at  the  start,  when  hero 
Barry  Compton  saves  heroine  Willa 
Brookes  from  making  a  suicide  exit  via 
the  water  route,  nothing  to  stimulate  the 
nerve  centers  occurs  until  the  climax,  when 
he  rescues  her  in  a  runaway  team  acci- 
dent, and  they  discover  their  love  inclina- 
tions are  mutual. 

For  the  greater  part  of  the  time  Barry's 
chief  occupation  is  dangling  around  and 
giving  good  advice  to  Rose  Ann  Brain- 
herd, an  impetuous  young  married  person  of 
variable  moods  whose  tempermental  out- 
bursts are  responsible  for  a  heap  of 
trouble.  Meanwhile,  heroine  Willa  sticks 
by  the  ranch  doing  housekeeping  stunts 
for  Barry  and  fancying  that  her  love  for 
him  is  not  returned. 

With  the  flight  of  Rose  Ann  to  the 
ranch,  the  coming  of  her  husband  and 
Willa's  temporary  retreat  from  the  scene 
of  operations,  events  brighten  up  some- 
what, but  lack  of  "punch"  and  suspense 
in  the  narrative's  earlier  stages  are  a  fatal 
handicap  to  the  picture's  success  and  rele- 
gate it  to  the  program  category,  an  attrac- 
tion needing  a  backing  of  strong,  snappy 
short  subjects  on  the  same  bill. 

The  photography  is  good,  including  a 
number  of  pleasing  exterior  scenes. 

Beverly  Bayne  does  as  well  as  could  be 
expected  with  a  heroine  role  which  offers 
very  few  dramatic  possibilities.  June 
Marlowe  has  a  better  part  in  the  character 
of  vivacious  Rose  Ann,  which  she  plays 
with  considerable  vim  and  charm.  John 
Roche  screens  well  as  hero  Barry  Comp- 
ton and  the  support  is  adequate. 

In  exploiting  the  story  it  would  be  well 
to  dwell  more  on  Rose  Ann's  experiences 
than  those  of  the  heroine,  as  it  gives  a 
chance  to  ring  in  the  dissatisfied  wife  idea. 
Beverly  Bayne  was  formerly  a  big  favorite 
with  the  fans  and  as  a  good  many  old- 
timers  will  remember  her,  she  is  worth 
featuring,  as  well  as  Raymond  McKee, 
Alec  Francis,  June  Marlowe  and  "Buddy" 
Post,  all  of  whom  are  known  to  latter- 
day  picture  patrons. 


ROMANCE  AND  COLOR 

IN  SPANISH  TALE 

"The  Virgin'  Should  Do  Satisfactory 
Business  in  State  Rights  Field 

"THE     VIRGIN."    Goldstone  Photoplay. 

Author,  Julio  Sabello.    Director,  Alvin  J. 

Neitz.    Length,  6,600  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

David  Kent    Kenneth  Harlan 

Samuel  Hawkins    Walter  Hiers 

Marion  Valdez   Dorothy  Revier 

Palo  Caniso   Caesar  Gravino 

Father  Junipero   Andrew  Waldron 

Manual   J-  P-  Lockney 

Elena   Nell  Clarke  Keller 

Don   Ricardo  Ruiz   Sam  DeGrasse 

Rosita  Montez   Alice  Lake 

Widow  Montez   Rosa  Rosanova 

The  action  takes  place  in  a  Spanish  town.  David 
Kent,  American,  comes  to  San  Bias  and  falls  m 
love  with  Marion  Valdez.  Ricardo  Ruiz,  another 
suitor,  contrives  that  Marion  be  told  that  her  father 
was  slain  by  Kent's  father.  The  result  is  that 
she  renounces  Kent  and  weds  Ruiz.  Later  Ruiz 
lays  a  trap  for  Kent  with  the  intention  of  killing 
him.  Kent  and  Ruiz  fight  with  swords  in  the  lat- 
ter's  home.  One  of  Ruiz'  servants  shoots  at  the 
American,  but  the  bullet  misses  the  intended  target 
and  disposes  of  Ruiz.    Kent  wins  Marion. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

A GOOD  state  rights  picture  which 
should  do  satisfactory  business  in  the 
neighborhood  and  smaller  theatres.  The 
title  is  misleading,  inasmuch  as  it  carries  a 
sex  suggestion  and  there  is  absolutely 
nothing  of  a  risque  nature  in  the  produc- 
tion. For  "The  Virgin"  is  romantic  melo- 
drama, and  the  heroine's  Madonna  sobri- 
quet is  derived  from  the  fact  that  she  is 
loved  for  her  kindness  by  the  inhabitants 
of  San  Bias. 

As  it  stands,  the  feature  needs  pruning 
badly.  In  a  more  compact  form,  sav  six 
reels,  a  lot  of  unnecessary  detail  would  be 
dispensed  with  and  the  story  correspond- 
ingly strengthened.  Too  much  time  is 
taken  up  at  the  start  while  the  hero  is 
loafing  around  town  trying  to  find  out 
how  his  male  parent  died  in  the  Spanish 
burg. 

The  feature  doesn't  really  get  into  its 
stride  until  after  Marion  Valdez  is  lured 
into  wedding  the  scheming  Don  Ricardo. 
From  then  on  the  action  bucks  up  amaz- 
ingly, one  fiery  melodramatic  situation 
following  another  and  culminating  in  a 
flurry  of  flashing  sword  blades,  as  Harlan 
and  Ricardo  engage  in  a  duel  which  is 
brimful  of  suspense  and  wonderfully  well 
staged.  The  bout  is  cut  short  when  a 
bullet  fired  by  one  of  Ricardo's  servants 
at  the  young  American,  misses  the  latter 
and  put  a  final  stop  to  the  Don's  plotting. 

The  melodrama  is  nicely  balanced  by 
judicious  comedy,  for  which  Walter 
Hiers,  in  the  role  of  a  chewing-gum  ped- 
dler, is  mostly  responsible.  Kenneth  Har- 
lan puts  snap  and  ginger  into  the  role  of 
hero  Kent,  Sam  DeGrasse  scores  heavily 
as  the  villainous  Don,  Dorothy  Revier 
looks  and  acts  the  part  of  the  Spanish 
senorita  to  perfection  and  Alice  Lake 
gives  a  capital  performance  as  Rosita, 
who  becomes  the  spouse  of  the  gum-dis- 
penser. 

The  photography  consists  mostly  of  well 
filmed  interiors,  the  Spanish  atmosphere 
being  well  developed  and  maintained. 

The  cast  includes  a  number  of  noted 
players  whose  names  are  well  worth  fea- 
turing. Besides  Kenneth  Harlan  and  Wal- 
ter Hiers,  Dorothy  Revier,  Alice  Lake, 
Caesar  Gravino,  J.  P.  Lockney  and  Sam 
DeGrasse  are  well  known  to  the  fans  and 
should  be  advertised.  Where  possible 
a  Spanish  prologue,  with  appropriate 
music  and  dances  would  be  in  order. 
Don't  deceive  your  patrons  regarding  the 
title,  explain  that  the  picture  is  a  colorful 
romantic  drama  and  not  a  sex  proposition. 
Those  who  might  be  attracted  by  the  sex 
idea  would  go  away  disappointed,  and  on 
the  other  hand,  your  family  circle  cus- 
tomers keep  clear  of  the  film  if  they  sup- 
pose it  to  be  risque. 


"THE  BEAUTY  PRIZE"  FITS 
IN  PROGRAM  CLASS 

Feminine  Pulchritude  Featured  in 
Long-Winded  Picture 

"THE  BEAUTY  PRIZE."  Metro-Goldwyn 
Photoplay.  Author,  Nina  Wilcox  Putnam. 
Director,  Lloyd  Ingraham.    Length,  5,750 

Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Connie  Du  Bois   Viola  Dana 

George  Brady  Pat  O'Mallejr 

Eddie  Schwartz   Eddie  Phillips 

Madame  Estelle   Eunice  Vin  Moore 

Pa  Du  Bois   Edward  Connelly 

Ma  Du  Bois  Edith  Yo.ke 

Eric  Brandon   Fred  Truesdale 

Lydia   Du   Bois   Joan  Standing 

Connie  Du  Bois,  manicurist,  takes  charge  of  the 
Fifth  Avenue  home  of  one  of  her  wealthy  women 
customers  when  the  latter  goes  abroad.  Eddie 
Schwartz,  a  young  salesman,  succeeds  in  making 
the  newspapers  believe  that  she  is  a  society  debu- 
tante and  persuades  her  to  compete  in  a  beauty  con- 
test at  Atlantic  City.  She  wins  the  prize,  but  re- 
fuses the  money  and  makes  her  identity  known. 
She  is  later  repaid  for  her  honesty  when  one  of  the 
judges  runs  across  her  in  her  home  town  and  is 
united  to   her  sweetheart,   George  Brady. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

DIRECTOR  LLOYD  INGRAHAM 
must  have  had  a  tough  time  dragging 
out  this  trite  and  painfully  obvious  yarn 
to  feature  length.  At  that,  he  could  have 
spared  himself  a  whole  lot  of  trouble  and 
turned  out  a  much  better  film  had  he  con- 
fined it  to  a  five  reel  compass.  And  even 
then  "The  Beauty  Prize"  wouldn't  have 
been  anything  to  brag  about. 

The  picture  belongs  in  the  program 
class,  but  is  hardly  strong  enough  to  stand 
up  for  a  long  run,  unless  on  a  bill  plenti- 
fully seasoned  with  good  short  subjects. 

In  the  beginning  there  is  some  bright 
comedy  stuff  in  evidence,  when  heroine 
Connie  is  seen  running  her  manicure  par- 
lor, but  the  romantic  and  sentimental  epi- 
sodes which  develop  afterward  are  pretty 
much  on  the  "blah"  order,  extremely  far- 
fetched and  altogether  artificial. 

The  film's  best  situations  center  in  the 
beauty  contest,  where  the  st  ar  and  other 
shapely  damsels  exhibit  their  physical 
charms  to  great  advantage  in  bathing 
garb.  Then  comes  a  sudden  revulsion  of 
feeling  on  the  part  of  Connie  when  she 
experiences  remorse  for  her  deception  in 
posing  as  a  society  bud,  her  refusal  of  the 
money  prize  and  flight. 

Later,  in  her  home  town,  she  tells  her 
story  to  one  of  the  contest  judges  and  he 
advises  broadcasting  her  experiences.  She 
does  so,  weeping  meanwhile  and  the  men- 
tion of"  her  sweetheart's  name  over  the 
radio  results  in  bringing  that  gentleman 
back  to  her. 

Viola  Dana  hasn't  much  to  do  but  look 
pretty  and  she  is  certainly  a  captivating 
figure  at  all  times,  especially  when  decked 
out  in  the  water  attire.  Pat  O'Malley  is 
pleasing  in  the  hero  role,  Eddie  Phillips 
gives  a  snappy  performance  as  Schwartz, 
the  foxy  city  lad  who  is  the  cause  of  all 
Connie's  troubles  and  the  support  is  ade- 
quate. 

The  picture  is  handsomely  produced,  its 
settings  are  admirable  and  the  photogra- 
phy throughout  exceedingly  artistic,  the 
shots  of  the  floats  at  Atlantic.  City,  with 
their  fair  burden  of  feminine  beauties,  be- 
ing particularly  effective. 

In  exploiting  the  film  refer  to  the  annual 
beauty  contest  at  Atlantic  City,  which 
forms  the  basis  of  the  tale.  Tie-ups  with 
beauty  parlors  are  also  in  order.  Feature 
Viola  Dana,  but  refrain  from  praising  the 
story  to  any  extent.  It  might  also  be 
possible  to  interest  radio  stores  in  con- 
nection with  the  broadcasting  episode. 


November  22.  1924 


Page  39 


"BORDER  WOMEN"  A 

BRISK  WESTERNER 

Should  Draw  W'hefever  Fast,  Hard- 
Fighting  Melodramas  Are  Popular 

"BORDER  WOMEN."  Goldstone  Photo- 
play. Author,  Keene  Thompson.  Director, 
Alvin  J.  Neitz.    Length,  4,500  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Big  Boy  Merritt   William  Fairbanks 

May   Prentiss   Dorothy  Reviere 

Gentleman  Jack   Jack  Richardson 

Cocas   Kid   Chet  Ryan 

McGilligan   William  Franey 

Big  Boy  Merritt,  Texas  Ranger,  goes  on  the  trail 
of  the  Cocas  Kid,  a  border  bad  man  and  outlaw 
leader  who  has  created  a  reign  of  terror  in  that 
section  of  the  country.  While  thus  engaged  he  en- 
counters Gentleman  Jack,  a  member  of  the  gang, 
with  whose  sister  Merritt  falls  in  love.  Merritt  does 
his  duty,  nevertheless,  but  Gentleman  Jack  man- 
ages to  make  his  escape.  Later  Jack  quarrels  with 
his  associates,  is  wounded  and  left  to  die.  Merritt 
finds  him  and  his  last  request  to  the  ranger  is  to 
protect  his  sister  from  the  robber  band.  Merritt 
promises  and  again  goes  on  the  trail.  Finally,  after 
numerous  adventures,  he  gets  his  man,  breaks  up 
the  gang  and  wins  the  girl. 

By  George  T.  Pardy 

WHEREVER  Westerners  of  the  regu- 
lation pattern  are  popular  "Border 
Women"  ought  to  give  satisfaction.  Folks 
who  like  this  type  of  picture  don't  ask 
for  much  outside  of  fast  action  and  a  whirl 
of  adventure,  with  plenty  of  fighting  and  a 
love  tonic  to  help  digest  the  melodramat- 
ic wild-fire.  And  in  these  respects  the 
film  certainly  holds  its  own. 

The  plot  isn't  particularly  original  but 
this  fact  rather  rebounds  to  the  credit  of 
director  and  star  for  having  shaped  it  into 
a  lively-moving  film  of  the  "red-blood" 
variety  with  entertaining  possibilities.  And 
Director  Alvin  J.  Neitz  had  the  good  sense 
and  judgment  to  keep  it  down  to  five 
reels  or  less,  instead  of  resorting  to  pad- 
ding methods. 

This  practice  of  piling  on  superflous 
footage  in  Western  features  is  one  of 
which  exhibitors  frequently  complain,  and 
with  justice.  The  average  Western  plot 
follows  a  familiar  formula  which  usually 
cracks  under  the  strain  and  becomes  mere- 
ly tiresome  when  a  director  sticks  on  a 
sixth  session  of  gunplay  and  equine  acro- 
"batics  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  quan- 
tity will  be  gladly  accepted  by  the  fans 
in  place  of  quality. 

Mr.  Neitz  does  not  err  in  this  respect. 
There's  something  doing  all  the  time  in 
"Border  Women,"  from  the  moment  the 
gallant  Texas  Ranger  here  starts  off  on 
the  warpath  until  the  moment  when  he 
has  rounded  up  his  quarry  and  won  the 
girl  in  the  case.  But  there's  no  unneces- 
sary footage,  the  story  goes  straight  to  its 
goal  without  running  off  the  main  line 
into  blind  sidetracks.  Or,  to  put  it  briefly, 
the  continuity  is  excellent. 

"Big  Boy"  Merritt's  pursuit  of  the  no- 
torious "Cocas  Kid"  brings  him  in  con- 
tact with  Gentleman  Jack,  brother  of  the 
girl  he  learns  to  love,  and  here  we  get 
a  touch  of  the  "love  and  duty"  alternative 
which  seldom  fails  to  score  with  the  aver- 
age fan  no  matter  how  often  it  has  figured 
on  the  screen.  Jack  escapes,  but  turns  up 
again  wounded  and  dying,  to  commit1  his 
sister  to  the  ranger's  care,  a  task  which 
Merritt  carries  out  faithfully  and  to  his 
own  thorough  satisfaction. 

There  are  divers  of  good  riding  stunts,  a 
couple  of  well  staged  combats,  bullets  fly 
freely  and  there  is  no  letup  in  the  wild 
whirl  of  events  until  the  climax  unites 
hero  and  heroine.  William  Fairbanks 
plays  the  role  of  "Big  Boy"  Merritt  with 
Tiis  customary  vim  and  smoothness,  Doro- 
thy Reviere  is  an  appealing  type  of  heroine 
Feature  Fairbanks  in  your  exploitation, 
as  well  as  Miss  Reviere  You  can  boost 
the  picture  as  an  exciting  melodrama,  with 
an  alluring  romantic  angle.  "Border  Wo- 
men," is  just  the  right  thing  for  a  double  bill. 


BRILLIANT  COMEDY 

DRAMA  SURE  TO  PLEASE 

Lewis  Stone  and  Florence  Vidor  Score 
in  "Husbands  and  Lovers" 

"HUSBANDS  AND  LOVERS."  First  Na- 
tional Photoplay.  Written  and  directed  by 
John  M.  Stahl.   Length  7,822  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

James  Livingston   Lewis  S.  Stone 

Grace  Livington   Florence  Vidor 

Rex  Phillips   Lew  Cody 

Marie   Dale  Fuller 

Robert  Stanton   Winter  Hall 

Mrs.    Stanton   Edythe  Yorke 

James  Livington  is  very  much  in  love .  with  his 
attractive  young  wife,  but  makes  the  mistake  of 
not  telling  her  so.  Rex,  his  best  friend,  is  also 
enamoured  of  Grace.  Missing  the  attentions  of  her 
husband,  she  reluctantly  encourages  him.  Through 
an  unfortunate  accident,  James  becomes  aware  of 
Rex's  love  for  her  and  believing  that  it  is  recipro- 
cated, he  offers  Grace  her  freedom.  The  stage  is 
all  set  for  the  marriage  of  Rex  and  Grace,  when 
the  old  and  true  love  appears  on  the  scene,  and  the 
bridegroom  that  was-to-be  is  left  waiting  at  the 
altar. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien. 

HERE  is  a  comedy-drama  that  fairly 
scintillates  with  humor,  and  then  when 
the  laugh  is  over,  salty  tears  rush  unbidden 
to  the  eyes.  "Husbands  and  Lovers."  The 
latest  First  National  production  is  the  kind 
of  film  that  will  prove  a  joy  to  the  most  dis- 
criminating, and  a  real  find  to  any  exhibitor 
who  is  fortunate  enough  to  book  the  pic- 
ture. If  the  crowds  don't  flock  to  see  the 
film,  it  certainly  will  not  be  the  fault  of  the 
producers  who  have  done  magnificently  by 
this  latest  John  M.  Stahl  production. 

It  is  really  the  same  old  story  of  the 
eternal  triangle  with  a  new  twist,  but  the 
author  has  adroitly  handled  his  subject,  the 
direction  is  flawless,  and  the  cast  is  indeed 
superb.  To  take  the  old,  old  story  and  make 
it  fairly  throb  with  vitality,  and  sparkle 
with  mirth  is  an  achievement,  and  without 
any  intention  of  being  a  bromide,  it  may 
truthfully  be  said  that  this  is  one  of  the 
best  things  that  Mr.  Stahl  has  ever  done. 

One  of  the  high-lights  of  the  picture  is 
the  humorous  and  pathetic  scene  where  the 
husband,  having  taken  up  his  abode  at  the 
club  with  the'  intention  of  starting  divorce 
proceedings,  seeks  to  find  solace  in  a  quart 
of  Scotch.  Taking  up  his  wife's  photograph, 
in  his  maudlin  way,  he  tells  the  likeness  that 
he  has  always  loved  her.  Then  he  decides 
to  see  her,  and  putting  on  his  hat  and  coat, 
locks  himself  in  the  closet.  This  is  only  one 
of  the  many  laugh-provoking  situations  in 
the  film.  Another  subtle  and  dramatic  scene 
is  achieved  when  Grace  admits  her  love  for 
Rex  to  her  husband  in  the  gloomy  shadows 
of  the  library,  where  Rex  had  arranged  a 
clandestine  meeting  with  the  lady  of  his 
heart.  Fate  decrees  that  the  faithful  but 
silent  lover  enters  the  room  first,  and  Grace, 
thinking  it  is  Rex,  confesses  her  love,  never 
realizing  that  she  is  talking  to  her  husband. 
This  provides  an  excellent  dramatic  climax. 

When  things  begin  to  cloud  up  too  much, 
a  strain  of  humor  is  brought  in  to  relieve 
the  tension  with  the  most  pleasing  result  that 
the  film  is  never  for  a  moment  tedious. 

Lewis  Stone,  always  a  sterling  actor,  gives 
a  finished  and  altogether  human  interpreta- 
tion of  the  blind  but  devoted  husband.  The 
character  is  one  rich  in  pathos  and  charm, 
and  Mr.  Stone  makes  the  most  of  the  op- 
portunity provided.  Miss  Florence  Vidor  as 
the  wife  is  as  alluring  as  ever,  and  plays 
with  understanding  and  feeling.  Lew  Cody 
is  well  cast  as  the  lover,  who  betrays  the 
faith  of  his  dearest  friend,  and  the  support- 
ing cast  is  adequate. 

In  advertising  "Husbands  and  Lovers," 
Lewis  Stone,  Florence  Vidor  and  Lew  Cody 
should  be  featured,  all  of  whom  have  a  large 
following  with  the  fans.  A  newspaper  con- 
test to  determine  whether  or  not  husbands 
make  the  best  lovers  should  help  the  picture 
along,  although  it  is  well  able  to  stand  on 
its  own  merits. 


CANINE  FILM  PROVES 

ENTERTAINING 

"The    Silent    Accuser"    the  Unusual 
Story  of  a  Faithful  Dog's  Love 

"THE  SILENT  ACCUSER."  A  Metro- 
Goldwyn  Photoplay.  Story  by  Jack  Boyle. 
Director,  Chester  Franklin.  Length  5,883 
Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Barbara  Jane  Eleanor  Boardman 

 Raymond  McKee 

Srlli-V  Earl  Metcalf 

Stepfather.   paul  Weigal 

The   Painted  Lady  Edna  Tichenor 

Peter  the  Great  Himself 

At  midnight  in  an  old  Southern  home,  Barbara 
Jane  is  preparing  to  elope  with  Jack  Warren.  Phil 
also  in  love  with  her,  tries  to  prevent  her  leaving 
During  the  struggle  which  ensues,  the  noise  is  heard 
by  the  girl  s  stepfather  who  appears  on  the  scene.  A 
quarrel  follows  and  the  old  man  is  killed  Jack  ac- 
companied by  his  dog  comes  to  the  house  'The 
dog  looks  through  the  window  in  time  to  see  the 
old  man  murdered.  Phil,  terrified  sees  the  face  of 
the  dog  through  the  window  and  flees.  Jack  en- 
ters and  is  found  bending  over  the  old  man  Cir- 
cumstantial evidence  sends  Jack  to  the  penitentiary, 
the  dog  effects  his  master's  escape,  and  they 
J°m.  th,e  g'ri.  Hoping  to  force  a  confession  from 
tfhil,  they  follow  him  to  Argentine  where  fear  of 
his  crime  has  driven  him.  The  dog  pursues  the 
murderer  inexorably  until  he  gives  up  and  confesses. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien. 

XT  ERE  is  a  picture  that  is  distinctly  dif- 
J-J-  ferent  with  the  result  that  it  is  im- 
mensely enjoyable.  It  was  a  theme  that 
could  readily  have  been  ludicrous,  had  it 
not  been  intelligently  directed,  convincing- 
ly told  and  especially  well  played,  but  as 
it  stands  it  is  a  silent  tribute  to  everyone 
connected  with  its  production.  To  Chester 
Franklin,  who  ,  is  responsible  for  this 
classic,  a  special  word  of  commendation 
for  his  artistic  and  skillful  direction.  You 
may  safely  mark  this  down  on  the  sched- 
ule for  an  extra  day's  engagement  with- 
out the  slightest  fear  of  error.  It  is  bound 
to  be  a  money-maker  in  any  theatre. 

One  might  except  the  story  of  a 
dog  endowed  with  the  superior  brand  of 
intelligence  the  story  calls  for,  to  prove 
too  great  a  strain  on  the  intelligence 
of  the  most  credulous  observer,  but 
such  is  not  the  case,  and  after  witnessing 
this  film  you  will  unquestionably  be  a 
convert  to  the  ranks  of  believers  in  canine 
intelligence.  This  we  attribute  mostly  to 
the  splendid  direction  and  partly  to  the 
histrionic  ability  of  this  remarkable  dog 
Peter. 

The  story  of  a  man  haunted  by  the 
image  of  the  ferocious  animal  who  was  the 
only  witness  to  his  dastardly  crime,  until 
finally  after  a  terrifying  chase  by  the 
silent  accuser,  bleeding  an*-:  on  the  verge 
of  madness,  he  confesses  his  guilt,  is  novel 
enough  and  sufficiently  dramatic  to  hold 
the  interest  of  any  spectator.  One  of  the 
most  moving  and  pathetic  scenes  is  where 
Peter's  master  is  torn  from  his  embrace 
to  answer  for  a  crime  he  never  committed. 
Peter,  his  fine  head  hung  low  and  his  sad 
eyes  misty,  senses  that  he  is  to  be  separ- 
ated from  the  one  he  loves,  and  presents 
a  picture  of  woeful  desolation  moving  be- 
yond words. 

The  photography  in  this  picture  is  es- 
pecially fine,  the  continuity  is  smooth  and 
unbroken  and  as  has  been  remarked,  the 
direction  could  not  have  been  better. 
Eleanor  Boardman  is  a  charmingly 
piquant  heroine,  Earl  Metcalfe  plays  the 
thankless  role  of  Phil  with  understanding 
and  conviction,  while  Raymond  McKee  in 
the  sympathetic  part  of  the  wronged  man 
is  appealing  and  properly  restrained.  The 
remainder  of  the  small  cast  is  capable 
and  Peter,  the  dog,  is  by  far  the  best  ca- 
nine actor  we  have  seen. 

In  your  exploitation  campaign,  the  film 
might  be  advertised  as  the  drama  of  a 
faithful  dog's  love  for  his  master,  and  his 
vengeful  pursuit  of  the  real  murderer.  Fea- 
ture Eleanor  Boardman,  who  is  popular. 


Page  40 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


MONKEYS  OFFER 
NOVEL  ENTERTAINMENT 

Simian  Thespians  Help  Prove  "Darwin 
Was  Right" 

"DARWIN  WAS  RIGHT."  William  Fox 
Production.  Author,  Edward  Morgan. 
Director,  Lewis  Seiler.  Length,  4,992  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Egbert  Swift    Lon  Poff 

Alexander    Bud  Jamison 

Courtney  Lawson    Stanley  Blystone 

Professor  Baldwin    Dan  Mason 

Aunt  Priscilla   Nora  Cecil 

Alice   Nell  Brantley 

Professor  Baldwin  has  spent  a  life  time  in  search 
of  a  formula  for  the  restoration  of  youth.  His  schem- 
ing, villainous  attorney  has  him  kidnapped  and  de- 
clared incompetent.  The  Professor,  together  with 
his  secretary  and  butler  are  confined  in  an  insane 
asylum.  Meantime,  three  escaped  apes  make  them- 
selves at  home  in  the  Professor's  abode.  The  Pro- 
fessor and  the  monks  all  have  many  adventures. 
Eventually  he  escapes  in  time  to  thwart  the  lawyer's 
attempted  villainy. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

TJ  ERE  is  a  novel  comedy  that  is  far 
away  from  the  beaten  track.  It  makes 
good  entertainment  and  will  please  both 
adult  and  juvenile  audiences.  The  interest- 
ing performance  of  the  three  monkey  actors 
will  arouse  much  comment,  and  business  will 
hold  up  every  day  of  your  showing. 

The  idea  of  making  the  apes  a  most  im- 
portant part  of  a  feature  length  film,  is  in 
itself  rather  unique,  and  folks  will  come 
to  see  what  these  screen  stars  portray. 

The  story  is  distinctly  "different,"  and  al- 
though somewhat  far-fetched  the  novelty 
appeal  will  be  sufficient  to  avoid  any  un- 
favorable criticism. 

The  picture  might  have  been  improved 
by  some  cutting,  for  no  matter  how  "bril- 
liant" animal  actors  may  be,  it  is  somewhat 
difficult  for  them  to  sustain  the  action 
through  five  reels. 

The  antics  of  the  monks  are  truly  marvel- 
lous, and  tell  a  plain  tale  of  many  weary 
and  patient  hours  spent  in  training  them. 
They  seem  very  nearly  human,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  believe  that  they  are  not  going 
through  their  parts  of  their  own  volition. 

The  human  actors  do  well  in  the  parts 
assigned  to  them,  and  there  is  some  good 
suspense  and  exciting  action.  Dan  Mason 
is  as  fine  a  character  actor  as  ever,  and  does 
splendidly  as  the  Professor. 

The  sequence  is  especially  good  where  he 
endeavors  to  imbibe  the  youth  restorer  which 
he  has  discovered  after  a  lifetime  of  re- 
search and  endeavor.  Each  time  he  is  about 
to  take  the  elixir  something  intervenes,  and 
his  purpose  is  thwarted.  There  is  also  a  good 
fight  between  the  lawyer  and  Alice's  sweet- 
heart, which  will  supply  a  more  than  passing 
thrill. 

However,  the  principal  attraction  is  the 
monkeys,  and  exhibitors  should  bear  this  in 
mind  in  booking  the  film,  and  later  in  adver- 
tising the  attraction  and  exploiting  the  pic- 
ture. 

It  is  biological  entertainment  well  built 
around  the  grotesque  antics  of  the  "missing 
links."  As  such  it  will  interest  your  patrons, 
but  if  they  do  not  care  for  this  brand  of 
entertainment,  they  are  going  to  be  disap- 
pointed. Be  sure  to  tell  them  just  what  you 
have.  You  will  find  there  are  enough  novel- 
ty seekers  to  get  a  big  box-office  gross. 

Seek  the  cooperation  of  the  zoo  in  ex- 
ploiting this  one.  The  menagerie  is  always 
well  attended  and  through  such  a  tie-up  you 
may  divert  much  patronage  to  your  theatre. 
Arrange  a  bally  consisting  of  a  man  garbed 
as  the  Professor,  and  have  him  parade  the 
streets  with  a  monkey  on  his  shoulder.  The 
lobby  should  also  be  arranged  to  feature  the 
monks  in  some  manner,  and  a  "monkey  pro- 
log" of  dancers  clad  as  apes  will  help  your 
presentation. 


"RECKLESS  ROMANCE" 
A  ROLLICKING  COMEDY 

Picture    Made    From    Stage  Success 
Abounds  in  Laughs 

"RECKLESS  ROMANCE."  Producers  Dis- 
tributing Corporation.  Adapted  by  F.  Mc- 
Grew  Willis  from  the  stage  play  "What's 
Your  Wife  Doing?"  by  Herbert  Hall 
Wmslow  and  Emit  Nyitary.  Director  Scott 
Sidney.    Length  5,530  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jerry  Warner   T.   Roy  Barnes 

Christopher  Skinner   Harry  Myers 

Beatrice   Skinner   Wanda  Hawley 

Edith  Somers   Sylvia  Breamer 

Judge   Somers   Tully  Marshall 

Grandpa  jack  Duffy 

Uncle  Bellamy   Lincoln  Plumer 

Harold  Shrewsbury   Morgan  Wallace 

Judge  Somers  tells  Jerry  he  may  marry  Edith 
providing  he  proves  his  ability  to  hold  on  to  ten 
thousand  dollars  for  thirty  days.  He  buys  oil 
stock  in  the  "Golden  Gusher"  which  is  being  "in- 
vestigated" by  the  authorities,  and  lends  the  other 
five  thousand  to  a  friend.  To  recoup  his  losses  it 
is  arranged  that  he  act  as  "co-respondent"  for  his 
mends,  the  Skinners,  who  must  temporarily  divorce 
one  another  or  lose  the  allowance  made  by  Grand- 
pa. The  ensuing  episodes  are  hilarious  in  the  ex- 
treme. In  the  end  Grandpa  approves  of  Beatrice, 
making  the  divorce  unnecessary,  and  Jerry's  affairs 
untangle  themselves  so  that  he  may  marry  Edith. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

XT  ERE  is  a  laughter  maker  that  will 
please  wherever  smiles  are  enjoyed. 
It  is  a  good  example  of  how  a  stage  suc- 
cess my  be  transferred  to  the  screen  with- 
out the  loss  of  even  a  single  chuckle  that 
helped  to  make  "What's  Your  Wife  Do- 
ing?" a  screaming  farce. 

There  is  enough  foolishness  in  every  foot 
of  film  to  cause  the  most  chronic  dyspeptic 
to  forget  his  troubles  in  hearty  laughter. 

The  complications  arising  from  the  at- 
tempted "compromising"  of  Beatrice  in  order 
to  secure  the  divorce  necessary  to  please  the 
wealthy  grandfather  are  many  and  various. 
Upon  each  occasion  some  kind-hearted  in- 
truder decides  to  "save"  Beatrice  and  Terry 
just  as  grandpa  and  Chris  crash  in  on  the 
scene.  Try  as  they  may  the  trio  of  young 
conspirators  always  fail  in  their  object. 

The  antics  of  grandpa  are  indeed  provo- 
cative of  much  mirth.  The  old  boy  arrives 
decked  out  in  a  resplendent  wardrobe,  but 
his  feet  gave  him  untold  agony.  In  one  se- 
quence he  removes  his  shoes  in  a  taxicab  and 
when  leaving  it  to  enter  the  cabaret  he  for- 
gets his  shoes  in  the  cab.  The  old  man  re- 
ceives pretty  strenuous  treatment,  but  he  is 
game  to  the  end,  and  in  one  of  the  final  bits 
in  which  a  taxicab  chase  is  staged,  he  fol- 
lows the  other  folks  in  a  wildly  careening 
side-car  motorcycle. 

In  one  part  of  the  picture,  Jerry  has  told 
Edith  he  has  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  to  attend,  and  she  takes  her  father, 
the  hard-boiled  judge,  to  the  restaurant 
where  Jerry  is  supposed  to  be  in  conference. 
Jerry  is  there  but  in  the  company  of  Beat- 
rice, with  whom  he  is  supposed  to  be  dis- 
covered by  Chris  and  Grandpa.  When  he  dis- 
covers Edith  in  the  room  he  drags  a  lot  of 
waiters  to  a  table  and  addresses  them  as 
though  they  were  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
his  fictitious  company. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  comical  mo- 
ments in  the  picture.  There  are  many 
others — enough  to  make  the  production  a 
box-office  favorite.  The  cast  is  uniformly 
fine,  with  special  honors  for  Jack  Duffy  who 
plays  the  grandpa  role. 

Exploit  the  fact  that  the  picture  is  an 
adaptation  of  the  stage  success,  give  the  star 
cast  prominence.  One  idea  for  a  bally  would 
be  a  man  parading  the  street  in  a  get  up 
like  Jack  Duffy's  idea  of  grandpa.  Have 
the  ancient  sport  carry  his  shoes  in  his  hand. 

Another  idea  would  be  to  exploit  the 
honeymooners,  Chris  and  Beatrice  by  having 
characters  representing  them  drive  through 
town  with  "Just  Married"  signs,  etc.,  at- 
tached to  their  vehicle. 


HORSE  AND  DOG  SHARE 

HONORS  WITH  MIX 

Fast  Riding  Western  Stars,  Brilliant 
Animal  Actors 

"TEETH."  William  Fox  Photoplay.  Authors 
Clinton  FI.  Stagg  and  Virginia  Hudson 
Brightman.  Scenario,  Donald  Lee.  Di- 
rector, J.  G.  Blystone.    Length,  6,190  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dave  Deering   Tom  Mix 

Tony   Tony,   the  horse 

Teeth   Duke,  the  dog 

Paula   Grayson   Lucy  Fox 

Dan  Angus   George  Bancroft 

Sheriff   Edward  Piel 

Under  .Sheriff   Lucien  Littlefield 

After  a  beating  at  the  hands  of  a  drunken,  brutal 
baggageman,  Dan  Angus,  the  prize  dog  "Curly" 
jumps  from  a  moving  train  and  is  adopted  by 
Dave  Deering,  a  prospector.  The  dog  is  re-chris- 
tened "Teeth."  Dave  is  arrested  and  charged  with 
murder  and  robbery.  Dan  smarting  from  a  bad 
beating  at  the  hands  of  Dave  and  "Teeth,"  incites 
the  fury  of  a  lynching  mob  against  Dave.  The  dog 
saves  Dave's  life  and  assists  him  to  escape.  The 
two  become  separated  and  "Teeth"  meets  Paula, 
his  former  owner.  She  chains  him  in  her  car  and 
takes  him  away.  Dan  reappears  to  kidnap  the 
girl  and  start  a  forest  fire.  Dave  appears  in  time 
to  save  the  girl,  and  Dan  rushes  into  the  forest 
followed  by  "Teeth."  A  posse  looking  for  Dave 
finds  Dan,  and_  the  latter  confesses  to  the  crime 
for  which  Dave  is  wanted.  'Teeth"  leads  the  rescue 
party  to  the  fire-surrounded  shack  where  Dave  and 
Paula  are  fighting  for  life,  and  is  instrumental  in 
uniting   the  two. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank. 

'"PHIS  actionful  photodrama  should  gross 
■*■  big  for  exhibitors  whose  patrons  like 
Tom  Mix,  his  horse  and  his  dog.  If  they 
enjoy  loosening  all  stops  on  their  emotions, 
if  they  love  a  dog  that  is  a  loyal  and  brainy 
pal,  if  an  almost  humanly  intelligent  horse 
will  make  their  hearts  beat  faster,  they  are 
in  for  an  hour  of  happy  emotional  exer- 
cise when  they  ride  with  Tom  Mix  in 
"Teeth." 

This  latest  achievement  of  Director,  J.  G. 
Blystone  is  an  outstanding  thriller  that  will 
stiffen  muscles  and  curl  hair.  Tom  Mix  has 
proven  himself  a  real  artist  in  his  perfect 
willingness  to  share  honors  with  his  equine 
and  canine  pals  in  order  to  aid  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  placing  them  in  stellar  roles. 

The  acting  of  the  horse  and  dog  place  the 
film  in  the  class  of  being  a  distinctive  novel- 
ty feature,  and  the  additional  drawing  power 
of  Tom  Mix's  name  guarantees  good  busi- 
ness for  all  exhibitors  showing  the  picture. 

While  the  love  motif  assays  "only  a  trace," 
there  are  enough  truly  thrilling  incidents  to 
make  up  for  the  generally  present  elements 
of  heart  interest.  One  of  the  best  of  these  is 
the  climactic  scene  staged  amid  the  smoke  and 
flame  of  a  raging  fire.  Here  "Teeth"  receives 
his  revenge  against  the  villain  who  has  mal- 
treated him.  The  sight  of  this  magnificent 
brute  tearing  after  the  man  he  has  learned 
to  hate  will  have  folks  holding  onto  their 
chairs. 

Other  scenes  woven  into  the  fabric  of  the 
film  include  the  rescue  of  Dave  by  the  dog 
from  a  maddened  mob  of  whiskey-crazed 
roughnecks  bent  upon  lynching  the  hero ;  the 
laying  low  of  a  hard-boiled  Western  sheriff 
by  the  dog  in  assisting  Dave's  escape  from 
the  law,  and  several  more  of  great  dramatic 
value.  The  scene  at  the  water  hole  where 
the  wildly  blazing  fire  threatens  the  life  of 
an  assorted  lot  of  fugitives  including  wild 
cats,  bears,  coyotes,  deer  and  mountain  lions 
is  intensely  interesting.  And  in  spite  of  the 
super  intelligence  of  the  doer  and  the  wild 
fantasy  of  the  tale,  everything:  is  tied  to- 
gether so  naturally,  so  reasonably  and  with 
such  a  sure  hand,  that  the  onlooker  will  like 
every  minute  of  the  picture. 

Of  course,  your  exploitation  must  feature- 
Tom  Mix,  Tony  and  Duke.  Any  bally 
showing  the  man,  the  horse  and  the  dog  will 
be  especially  appropriate  and  will  enable  you 
to  attract  the  town's  attention  to  your  show- 
ing of  the  picture. 


November  22.  1924 


Page  41 


AIRPLANES  AND  JUNGLES 
FIGURE  IN  "WHITE  MAN" 

Schulberg  Has  Good  Box  Office 
Attraction  in  This  Melodrama 

"WHITE  MAN."  B.  P.  Schulberg  Produc- 
tions. From  the  story  by  George  Agnew 
Chamberlain.  Directed  bv  Gasnier.  Length, 
6,370  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Lady  Andrea  Pellor   Alice  Joyce 

White  Man   Kenneth  Harlan 

The  River  Thief   Walter  Long 

Lady  Andrea,  in  order  to  save  the  family  estate, 
consents  to  marry  Mark  Hammer,  a  South  Africa 
diamond  mine  owner.  She  goes  to  Africa  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  wedding,  she  takes  a  walk  along 
the  sea.  She  talks  to  an  aviator  and  asks  for  a 
ride.  He  takes  her  to  his  camp  in  the  jungles.  He 
breads  the  propeller  of  his  machine  and  she  must 
remain  in  camp  with  him.  The  River  Thief,  a 
white  man,  learns  that  the  girl  is  in  The  White 
Man's  camp  and  kidnaps  her.  The  White  Man 
rescues  her  and  kills  the  River  Thief.  They  return 
to  the  _city  and  she  learns  the  White  Man  is  her 
brother's  friend  and  they  live  happy  ever  after. 

By  Len  Morgan. 

rT  HIS  picture  will  without  a  doubt  prove 
an  exceptional  box-office  attraction.  It 
has  a  good  story;  melodramatics ;  keen  love 
interest;  jungle  surroundings;  and  a  good 
cast.    And  it  is  well  directed. 

This  picture  was  probably  made  with  the 
box-office  angle  in  view  for  it  has  heaps  of 
opportunity  for  exploitation  and  ballyhoo. 
It  is  not  a  hard  story  to  follow,  in  fact 
there  are  but  three  characters  that  figure  in 
it  to  any  extent.  It  is  just  one  of  those 
stories  that  are  appreciated  by  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  movie  fans. 

Practically  the  whole  action  takes  place  in 
the  jungle  and  the  settings  are  exceptionally 
clever.  It  makes  one  feel  that  he  has  been 
suddenly  placed  in  the  heart  of  the  African 
jungle  and  succeeds  in  giving  the  feeling 
of  something  real. 

There  are  innumerable  natives,  thatched 
huts,  wild  animals  and  all  the  trimmings  that 
go  should  accompany  such  scenes.  There  is 
a  tropical  storm  thrown  in  for  good  measure. 

The  picture  contains  a  good  climax  and 
it  is  worked  up  in  a  clever  manner.  When 
the  River  Thief  kidnaps  the  heroine  and 
takes  her  to  his  camp,  The  White  Man's 
natives  give  chase  and  surround  the  camp 
and  give  battle.  The  heroine  fights  the 
villain  in  his  hut  and  as  a  climax  the  hero 
drives  his  plane  through  the  roof  of  the 
hut  and  kills  the  villain.  It  is  the  real  old 
fashioned  melodrama  that  never  fails  to 
go  over  big. 

Kenneth  Harlan  as  The  White  Man  is  given 
the  brunt  of  the  picture  to  carry.  He  is 
well  cast  and  gives  an  excellent  portrayal  of 
a  jungle  trader.  He  is  a  rough  and  ready 
chap  and  he  gives  a  good  account  of  him- 
self in  several  fistic  encounters. 

Alice  Joyce  is,  of  course,  a  finished  actress 
and  in  this  particular  picture  she  wins  the 
sympathy  of  her  audience  and  shows  she 
has  lost  none  of  her  emotional'  ability  since 
her  last  appearance  on  the  screen. 

Walter  Long,  as  The  River  Thief,  makes 
a  mighty  fine  villain.  He  has  a  hard  part 
to  portray  but  enters  into  his  villainy  with 
a  vengenance.  He  stages  several  fights  with 
Kenneth  Harlan  that  will  thrill  any  audience. 

The  rest  of  the  cast  are  of  no  particular 
importance,  the  whole  story  being  centered 
about  the  three  leading  persons. 

Alice  Joyce,  of  course,  has  a  large  follow- 
ing. Play  her  name  up  big.  Give  the  lobby 
a  jungle  atmosphere  by  the  use  of  palms. 

This  latest  Gasnier  production  is  the  most 
ambitious  one  so  far  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  those  that  follow  will  attain  the  high 
standard  set  in  "The  White  Man."  The  cast 
is  small,  but  makes  up  in  quality  what  it 
lacks  in  quantity.  Mention  the  fact  that  if 
is  a  Gasnier  production. 


"EAST  OF  BROADWAY" 

BOX-OFFICE  FILM 

Owen  Moore  Scores  in  Story  of  New 
York  Police  Force 

"EAST  OF  BROADWAY"  An  Associated 
Exhibitors'  Photoplay.  From  a  Story  by 
Richard  Council.  Adapted  by  Paul  Scho- 
field.    Directed  bv  William  Hozvard. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Peter  Mullaney  Owen  Moore 

Judy   McNulty  Marguerite  de   La  Motte 

Danny  McCabe  Eddie  Gribben 

Mrs.   Morrisey  Mary  Carr 

John  Gaffney  George  Nichols 

Prof.    Mario  Francis  McDonald 

Commissioner  Kondorman  Ralph  Lewis 

Peter  Mullaney 's  life  dream  is  to  make  the  police 
force,  which  is  likewise  the  ambition  of  Danny 
McCabe,  his  best  friend.  He  meets  a  girl  in  his 
boarding  house  with  whom  he  falls  in  love  and 
starts  training  for  the  force.  He  fails  in  the  written 
examination  as  does  his  pal  Danny,  and  the  latter 
joins  the  fire  department.  Peter  on  his  rounds  for 
the  last  time  rounds  up  a  band  of  robbers.  He  is 
seriously  wounded  in  the  scuffle,  however,  and  when 
he  wakes  up  in  the  hospital,  the  Commissioner  gives 
him  a  shield,  as  a  reward  for  his  bravery.  He  also 
wins   the  girl. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien. 

EAST  OF  BROADWAY"  is  certain 
to  prove  a  box-office  hit  in  any  thea- 
tre, for  it  possesses  all  the  essentials  of  a 
good  audience  picture.  There  is  the  young 
Irish  lad  who  is  anxious  to  win  his  spurs 
on  the  police  force,  the  motherly  board- 
ing-house keeper  (played  by  Mary  Carr). 
the  sweet  young  orphan  girl  who  has  run 
away  from  the  home,  the  whimsical  and 
kindly  old  policeman,  and — oh,  yes,  the 
villain !  In  a  word  it  has  all  the  ingre- 
dients that  make  for  popular  screen  enter- 
tainment, including  a  generous  sprinkling 
of  Irish  humor. 

The  author  and  director  respectively 
have  told  a-  love  story  without  labeling  it 
as  such  in  scenes,  situations  or  subtitles. 
The  spirit  of  delightful,  wholesome  ro- 
mance which  pervades  the  picture,  is 
something  which  is  felt  rather  than  seen. 
As  a  result  the  interest  in  the  devotion  of 
the  self-effacing  young  police  aspirant  and 
the  homeless  waif  of  the  orphanage  is 
heightened,  rather  than  lessened,  and  the 
suggested  progress  of  their  love  affair 
grows  on  one  with  a  pathetic  reaction  that 
is  decidedly  refreshing. 

A  humorous  situation  is  provided  when 
the  young  recruit  for  the  force  consults 
the  veteran  Gaffney,  on  some  of  the 
sample  questions  given  in  the  examina- 
tion. One  of  the  questions  that  troubles 
Mullaney  is  the  location  of  the  tropic  of 
Capricorn.  "Capricorn?"  says  the  dumb- 
founded Gaffney.  "I  know  it's  not  on  my 
beat.  Sure  it  must  be  up  in  the  Bronx." 
Sure  enough  when  the  fateful  day  of  the 
examination  arrives,  one  of  the  questions 
is:  "Where  is  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn?'' 
With  a  smile  of  confidence  the  aspirant  for 
the  department  writes  in  a  bold  hand,  "In 
the  Bronx."  This  brilliant  answer  costs 
him  the  job. 

Mullaney  is  Irish,  and  so  is  Owen 
Moore,  so  the  role  of  the  embryo  police- 
man is  in  safe  hands.  Moore  gives  a 
whimsical  and  winsome  performance  while 
Marguerite  de  La  Motte  as  the  waif  is 
sweet  and  a  picture  to  behold.  Mary  Carr 
plays  another  of  her  motherly  roles.  What 
else  need  be  said?  As  the  Commissioner 
Ralph  Lewis  gives  a  robust  and  satisfying 
performance.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
producers  have  done  well  by  "East  of 
Broadway."  They  have  given  the  story  a 
fine  production  and  an  all-star  cast. 

In  exploiting  this  film,  advertise  it  as  an 
absorbing  romance  woven  about  the  cen- 
tral character  of  a  policeman.  Feature 
Owen  Moore,  Mary  Carr,  Marguerite  de 
La  Motte  and  Ralph  Lewis,  and  you  will 
have  a  double  line  at  the  box-office. 


NEW  WESTERN 

SPEEDY  THRILLER 

"Romance  and  Rustlers"  Offers  Many 
New  Stunts 

"ROMANCE  AND  RUSTLERS."  Arrow 
Film.  A  Ben  Wilson  Production.  Length, 
4,939  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

"Bud"  Kane    Yakima  Canutt 

Ruth  Larrabee    Dorothy  Woods 

George   Wallace   Harris  Gordon 

John   Larrabee    Joe  Gerard 

Being  lonesome,  "Bud"  Kane  rides  to  town  and 
indulges  in  an  old-fashioned  pre-war  celebration. 
When  he  arrives  home  he  finds  a  beautiful,  fair- 
haired  girl  asleep.  Thinking  he  has  the  "blind  stag- 
gers," he  goes  to  sleep,  and  the  next  morning,  the 
girl  is  gone.  Ruth  Larrabee,  the  daughter  of  a 
ranch-owner,  returns  home  unexpectedly,  and  her 
father  arranges  a  party  in  her  honor  to  which  all 
the  rangers  are  invited,  including  "Bud."  When  he 
arrives  at  the  party  after  a  tussle  wi:h  a  band  of 
rustlers,  he  recognizes  Ruth  as  the  girl  who  was 
at  his  house.,  After  being  accused  by  the  ranch 
foreman  of  being  a  rustler,  "Bud"  finally  establishes 
his  innocence,  snows  the  foreman  in  his  own  colors 
and  wins  the  girl. 

By  Richard  B.  O'Brien 

WHEN  it  comes  to  daring  feats,  trick 
riding  and  furious  combat,  "Romance 
and  Rustlers,"  is  the  equal  of  any  of  its 
many  Western  rivals.  It  has  the  same  in- 
gredients of  plot  that  was  served  up  to  the 
patrons  of  the  cinema  when  Broncho  Billy 
enjoyed  his  great  vogue  as  the  terror  of  the 
plains.  These  pictures  still  have  their  appeal, 
and  if  your  public  likes  them  wild  and  wooly, 
"Romance  and  Rustlers,"  will  surely  set  them 
on  the  edge  of  their  chairs. 

There  is  plenty  of  punch  in  this  picture, 
and  sufficient  action  to  maintain  interest  in 
a  story  that  is  as  old  as  the  hills  in  which 
it  was  filmed.  The  usual  amount  of  fierce 
riding,  quick  gun-play  and  furious  fistic  en- 
counter are  all  there  as  well  as  the  indis- 
pensable love  interest.  It  appears  that  all 
Western  ranch  foremen  are  either  rustlers, 
bootleggers  or  smugglers,  and  the  one  in  this 
case  happens  to  be  a  cattle  rustler.  More- 
over they  alway  fall  in  love  with  the  hero's 
sweetheart,  which  complicates  matters,  and 
in  this  respect  "Romance  and  Rustlers,"  will 
not  disappoint  you,  for  it  runs  true  to  form. 

There  are  a  few  stunts  in  the  picture  that 
are  really  new.  In  one  sequence  "Bud"  is 
seen  on  the  ;rail  of  the  rustlers,  who  see  him 
and  follow  hard  after.  "Bud"  lassos  the 
limb  of  a  tree,  swings  himself  up,  and  lets 
the  horse  run  on.  When  the  rustlers,  intent 
upon  eluding  him,  pass  under  the  tree,  he 
drops  in  their  midst,  and  the  fight  starts.  In 
another  place,  he  jumps  from  his  horse  to 
another  prancing  steed,  catches  hold  of  the 
rider's  legs  and  rides  alongside  for  some 
distance.  These  feats  are  accomplished  with 
lightning  speed  and  remarkable  agility,  and 
should  be  played  up  in  exploiting  the  film. 

Yakima  Canutt,  proves  pleasing  and  cap- 
able in  the  athletic  role  of  the  hero.  An 
erstwhile  Rodeo  champion,  he  is  well  able  to 
fill  the  shoes  of  the  gymnastic  cow-puncher, 
and  registers  choice  bits  of  acting.  Dorothy 
Woods  is  easy  to  look  upon  and  serves  as 
a  pleasing  foil  for  Bud's  ardent  wooing,  but 
this  may  be  due  to  the  influence  of  his  fore- 
man, who  is  quite  the  most  genteel  rustler  on 
record. 

Advertise  the  fact  that  Canutt  was  one 
of  the  star  performers  of  the  Rodeo  at 
Madison  Square  Garden  and  play  up  the 
amazing  feats  that  he  performs  in  the  film. 

Some  Western  bally  will  help  along  a  film 
of  this  kind,  and  it  might  be  a  good  idea  to 
place  some  firearms  on  display  in  the  lobby. 
An  enterprising  exhibitor  might  also  arrange 
to  have  the  house  attendants  dress  up  in 
Western  costumes,  consisting  of  wide- 
brimmed  Western  hats  and  gaily  colored  neck 
scarfs.  Advertise  the  picture  as  a  roaring, 
riotous  romance  of  the  great  Western  plains. 


Page  42 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"LOVER  OF  CAMILLE"  MAY 
PROVE  TOO  HIGHBROW 

This  Classic  Might  Shoot  Over  the 
Heads  of  the  Average  Fans 

"THE  LOVER  OF  CAMILLE."  A  Warner 
Brothers'  Production.  From  the  stage 
play  "Deburau,"  by  Sacha  Guitry.  Di- 
rected by  Harry  Beaumont. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Jean  Gaspard  Deburau   Monte  Blue 

Marie  Duplessis   Marie  Prevost 

Robillard   Willard  Louis 

Charles  Deburau   Pierre  Gendron 

Madame  Deburau   Rose  Dione 

Madame   Rubard   Trilby  Clark 

Bertrand   Brandon  Hurst 

The  Unknown  Lady   Winifred  Bryon 

Deburau,  an  actor,  is  the  idol  of  Paris.  He  is  de- 
voted to  his  son  but  his  wife  is  impossible.  He 
meets  Marie  and  falls  in  love  with  her.  His  wife 
learns  of  the  affair  and  elopes  with  Robillard.  -De- 
burau returns  to  Marie  but  finds  she  loves  another. 
He  becomes  ill  and  waits  years  for  Marie  to  re- 
turn to  him.  She  finally  comes  to  his  home  and 
asks  him  to  return  to  the  stage.  She  becomes  ill 
and  dies  on  the  night  of  his  opening  performance. 
He  cannot  go  through  with  his  part  and  his  place 
is  taken  by  his  son  who  scores  a  success. 

By  Len  Morgan 

TN  "The  Lover  of  Camille"  Warner  Bros. 

have  produced  a  great  picture  but  whether 
it  will  meet  with  popular  appeal  in  the  small 
towns  is  a  question.  It  is  essentially  a  pic- 
ture for  the  highest  type  of  audience  who 
will  overlook  tragedy,  with  its  unhappy  end- 
ing, for  the  sake  of  the  art. 

Small  town  audiences,  however,  are  partial 
to  the  final  clinch  in  which  the  hero  wins 
the  heroine,  whereas,  in  this  picture,  the 
heroine  dies  and  the  hero  is  a  broken  man. 

From  an  artistic  standpoint.  "The  Lover 
c  Camille"  is  excellent.    Director  Beaumont 
has  made  a  classic  of  the  production,  but 
we  feel  he  has  shot  over  the  heads  of  the 
average  movie  patron. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  picture  is  the 
excellent  captions.  Many  of  the  lines  are 
taken  from  the  play  and  they  are  used  spar- 
ingly, yet  they  tell  their  story  in  beautiful 
words. 

There  are  several  scenes  showing  street 
scenes  of  Paris  which  are  well  done.  They 
have  been  given  deft  touches  and  they  por-  ' 
tray  the  real  Parisian  atmosphere. 

Monte  Blue  as  Deburau  has  a  hard  part 
to  portray.  He  is  shown  first  as  an  actor 
who  has  all  Paris  at  his  feet.  He  is  filled 
with  the  exhuberance  of  youth  and  later  he 

shewn  as  a  broken  old  man  who  has  lost 
everything.  Monte  does  well  with  his  part 
and  succeeds  in  winning  the  sympathy  of 
his  audience. 

Marie  Prevost  as  Marie  Duplessis  does  ex- 
cellently with  the  part  assigned  her.  She  is 
called  upon  for  some  heavy  dramatic  work 
and  never  fails  to  show  herself  as  a  finished 
actress. 

Willard  Louis  as  Robillard  and  Rose 
Dione  as  Madame  Deburau  furnish  the  few 
comedy  spots. 

The  photography  in  this  picture  is  excel- 
lent. The  cameraman  has  taken  advantage 
of  every  scene  to  make  it  stand  out  promi- 
nently and  he  has  obtained  wonderful  results. 

A  cut-out  of  Monte  Blue,  in  clown  cos- 
tume, will  attract  attention  in  your  lobby.  A 
man  dressed  in  a  clown  costume  and  sent 
about  the  streets  beating  a  drum  will  act  as 
a  good  ballyhoo.  Give  the  stars  good  adver- 
tising as  each  has  a  large  following  of  fans. 

It  might  be  a  good  idea  to  mention  the 
fact  that  the  picture  is  an  adaptation  of  the 
famous  Belasco  production  "Deburau"  which 
enjoyed  considerable  success  a  few  seasons 
ago.  The  photography  is  really  excellent, 
and  the  producers  have  gone  to  no  little 
trouble  in  lavishly  casting  the  piece.  Play 
up  the  title,  for  it  has  considerable  drawing 
power. 


"MY  HUSBAND'S  WIVES" 
GENERALLY  PLEASING 

Triangle  Drama  by  Barbara  LaMarr 
Proves  Fair  Entertainment 

"MY  HUSBAND'S  WIVES."  William  Fox 
Photoplay.  Author,  Barbara  LaMarr.  Di- 
rector Maurice  Elvey.    Length,  4,609  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Vale    Harvey   Shirley  Mason 

William  Harvey   Bryant  Washburn 

Marie  Wynn   Evelyn  Brent 

Madam  Corregio   Paulette  Duval 

William  marries  Vale,  old  school  chum  of  his 
ex-wife  Marie.  Vale,  unaware  of  the  former  re- 
lationship, invites  Marie  to  her  home.  Marie  and 
William  decide  to  keep  the  young  wife  ignorant  of 
the  situation.  Marie  endeavors  to  recapture  the 
love  of  her  ex-husband,  thus  causing  many  com- 
plications. Vale  discovers  their  secret,  Marie  leaves, 
:  'd  Vale  and  William  are  more  closely  united  than 
ever. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

rPHE  title,  cast  and  author  of  "My  Hus- 
*•  band's  Wives"  possesses  sufficient  pull- 
ing power  to  enable  exhibitors  to  attract 
patronage  for  this  one.  And  if  the  spectators 
accept  the  fictional  situation  about  which  the 
story  is  developed,  they  will  depart  having 
enjoyed  a  very  fair  evening's  entertainment. 

The  photoplay  is  a  somewhat  new  version 
of  the  "eternal  triangle"  theme,  with  some 
new  twists  that  help  to  sustain  interest.  The 
suspense  element  is  well  developed,  and  while 
the  final  outcome  is  never  in  doubt,  there  is 
room  for  speculation  as  to  just  how  the 
denouement  will  be  reached. 

There  is  a  colorful  bit  of  action  when  the 
scene  shifts  to  a  Venetian  carnival.  Here, 
against  romantic  background  and  lavish 
setting  is  portrayed  the  passoniate  revenge 
of  a  youthful  wife  who  uses  a  stiletto  quite 
effectively  in  eliminating  a  rival  for  her  hus- 
band's love.  Of  course,  this  turns  out  to  be 
merely  "The  stuff  that  dreams  are  made 
of,"  but  the  excellent  direction,  and  spectacu- 
lar costumes  in  this  picturesque  scene  pro- 
vide what  is,  perhaps,  the  biggest  moment  of 
the  production. 

This  is  no  problem  play,  but  rather  a  series 
of  episodes  depicting  the  vamping  efforts 
of  the  ex-wife  to  win  again  the  affections 
of  her  erstwhile  hubby  from  his  new  spouse. 
They  are  sufficiently  well  done  to  hold  the  au- 
dience's attention,  and  there  are  some  mighty 
good  flashes  of  comedy  as  may  be  imagined 
from  the'  peculiar  situation  that  is  created. 

Shirley  Mason,  as  the  unsophisticated  little 
wife  will  win  the  sympathy  of  all  onlookers. 
Her  portrayal  of  the  girl  whose  instinct  tells 
her  that  self  protection  from  her  wily  friend 
is  necessary  ring  true  to  life. 

Bryant  Washburn  acquits  himself  well  in 
a  part  that  is  not  too  easily  handled,  and  his 
fan  popularity  will  aid  materially  in  increas- 
ing box-office  receipts. 

The  other  members  of  the  cast,  Evelyn 
Brent  and  Paulette  Duval  are  entirely  ade- 
quate to  the  requirements  of  their  roles,  and 
each  renders  a  good  account  of  herself  in 
the  opportunities  offered  for  the  display  of 
histrionic  talent. 

The  exploitation  angles  of  the  picture  in- 
clude the  names  of  the  stars,  the  title  and 
the  name  of  Barbara  LaMarr,  who  is  listed 
as  author  of  the  story.  Ads  telling  folks  to 
see  Barbara  LaMarr's  picture  "My  Hus- 
band's Wives"  will  attract  patronage,  as  will 
throwaways  and  teasers  asking  "Where  Are 
'My  Husband's  Wives'"?  and  so  on. 

Don't  fail  to  play  up  Bryant  Washburn 
and  Shirley  Mason.  Both  have  large  follcw- 
ings  and  their  names  will  increase  the  gross 
taken  in  at  the  pay  box. 

Extensive  use  of  cut-outs  showing  the  Ven- 
etian carnival  in  progress  will  help  to  put 
this  picture  over,  and  act  as  a  come-on  to  pas- 
sersby.  Make  the  most  of  the  title  which 
has  considerable  pulling  power. 


BETTY  COMPSON  FINE  IN 
SOPHISTICATED  DRAMA 

"77ie  Garden  of  Weeds'  Deals  Deli- 
cately With  Ancient  Problem 

"THE  GARDEN  OF  WEEDS."  A  Para- 
mount Picture.  Adapted  from  the  Play 
by  Leon  Gordon  and  Doris  Marquette. 
Scenario  by  Walter  Woods  and  Anthony 
Coldeivay.  Director,  James  Cruse.  Length, 
6,230  Feet. 

CAST  AND  SYNOPSIS 

Dorothy   •  ■  Betty  Compson 

pi  „_  ■   Rockchffe  Fellowes 

Do"  «   Crawford  '  Warner  Baxter 

Paulson   Charles  Ogle 

Jack  Lane   V,v„-K,ngA  \"Y 

Arrhip   ....William  Austin 

Nick   T0yo  Fujita 

Hazel     _   '.  . .  Lilyan  Tashman 

Dorothy,  a  hard  working  ambitious  show  girl, 
tells  Flagg,  backer  of  the  show,  that  she  has  no 
time  to  play.  He  has  her  fired,  and  she  succumbs 
to  the  lure  of  wealth  and  leisure  which  he  offers. 
She  meets  and  loves  Douglas  Crawford.  They  are 
married,  but  she  lacks  courage  to  tell  him  of  her 
past.  Fate  throws  she  and  her  husband  in  contact 
with  Flagg  and  his  crowd.  She  is  tortured  by 
threats  of  blackmail  and  exposure.  Finally  she  tells 
the  truth  and  in  a  right  with  Douglas,  Hagg  is 
...  ied:    Douglas  forgives  her. 

By  Herbert  K.  Cruikshank 

IF  your  patrons  like  sophisticated  prob- 
lem-drama dealing  more  or  less  with 
the  seamy  side  of  things,  they  may  find 
fragrance  in  "The  Garden  of  Weeds.  The 
plot  is  true  to  life  but  trite.  The  title 
might  have  been  "Should  Women  Tell," 
for  that  is  the  question  about  which  the 
picture  is  builded. 

The  direction  is  excellent,  each  episode 
having  been  handled  with  the  deft  sure- 
ness  typical  of  Cruze.  Although  there  are 
incidents  that  border  on  the  sordid,  they 
have  been  depicted  with  a  delicacy  that 
eliminates  anything  objectionable.  There 
are  flashes  of  scintillating  comedy  that  re- 
lieve the  drab  background. 

The  cast  and  director  plus  the  pulling 
power  of  the  title  will  be  sufficient  to 
attract  patronage,  and  folks  care  for  this 
sort  of  theme,  the  picture  will  please  those 
who  attend. 

The  pathetic  figure  of  the  chorus  girl 
who  works  so  hard  to  attain  advancement 
in  the  theatrical  profession  that  she  has 
"no  time  to  play,"  is  sure  to  arouse  sym- 
pathy. And  she  cannot  be  blamed  for 
becoming  one  of  the  fragil  flowers  in  the 
villain's  "Garden  of  Weeds." 

An  effective  bit  is  that  where  Dorothy 
gains  courage  to  recount  the  past  to 
Douglas,  only  to  find  at  the  completion  of 
her  sad  tale  that  he  has  presumably  been 
asleep  during  the  telling.  Of  course  he 
really  heard  it  all,  but  loved  her  enough 
to  overlook  earlier  errors  and  to  make 
things  as  easy  as  possible  for  her. 

Perhaps  the  best  scene  of  all  is  that  in 
which  Dorothy,  Douglas  and  Flagg  are  at 
dinner,  and  the  latter  tells  of  a  girl  who 
"double  crossed"  him,  and  how  he  will  get 
even.  The  girl  is  none  other  than  Dor- 
othy, and  her  anxiety  is  heart  rending. 

Betty  Compson  does  some  remarkably 
fine  acting  as  the  sophisticated  chorus 
girl  heroine,  and  under  Cruze's  direction  she 
may  be  expected  to  accomplish  more  than 
°ver  before.  Rockcliffe  Fellowes  makes  a 
first  rate  villain.  As  Flagg,  the  cynical 
vicious  maintainer  of  "The  Garden  of 
Weeds"  he  contributes  a  striking  charac- 
terization. His  vain  search  for  feminine 
loyalty,  his  willingness  to  pay  the  piper,  and 
his  deep  disgust  for  the  fawners  who  sur- 
round him  are  points  in  his  favor.  The 
remainder  of  the  cast  is  entirely  competent. 

Exploit  the  cast,  the  title  and  the  di- 
rector, and  let  it  be  known  that  the  pic- 
ture presents  an  always  present  problem 
the  solution  of  which  would  be  of  interest 
to  many  .persons. 


November  22,  1924 


Page  43 


PRODUCTION  HIGHLIGHTS 


Frank  Borzage,  who  is  to  direct  "A 
Man's  World,"  from  the  Zoe  Akins 
stage  success,  "Daddy  Goes  a-Hunt- 
ing,"  for  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  is 
now  at  work  adapting  the  production 
for  the  screen  in  collaboration  with 
Kenneth  Clark.  Clark  is  one  of  a  new 
list  of  scenario  writers  recently  added 
to  the  large  staff  of  writers  already  em- 
ployed at  the  Culver  City  studios  of 
the  company. 

9f£       !|C  3|S 

"Cornflower  Cassie's  Concert,"  one 
of  Peter  B.  Kyne's  story  gems  of  the 
desert  country,  has  been  purchased  by 
the  Peninsula  Studios  at  San  Mateo 
to  serve  as  the  next  Frank  Woods 
Production  to  be  filmed  there. 

The  story,  originally  published  in  the 
Cosmopolitan  magazine,  is  Kyne  at  his 
best.  The  action  is  all  laid  in  Cali- 
fornia in  the  good  oid  mining 
days. 

*  *  * 

Two  important  Broadway  stage 
plays  have  been  purchased  by  the 
Peninsula  Studios,  San  Mateo, 
and  are  now  being  put  into  mo- 
tion picture  form  to  serve  as 
starring  vehicles  for  Agnes 
Ayres.  These  plays  are  Arthur 
Richman's  "The  Awful  Truth," 
produced  by  Charles  Frohman, 
Inc.,  with  Ina  Claire  as  the  star, 
and  Owen  Davis'  highly  colorful 
and  successful  tale  of  small  town 
life,  "The  Detour." 

*  *  * 

Alice  Terry  has  been  signed  for 
the  leading  role  in  "Kings  in 
Exile,"  the  romance  by  Alphonse 
Daudet  which  Victor  Seastrom 
is  to  produce  for  Metro-Gold- 
wyn-Mayer. 

*  *  * 

Irene  Morra  has  returned  to 
Los  Angeles  from  New  York 
with  the  film  of  "The  Rag  Man"  Jackie 
Coogan's  next  picture  for  Metro-Gold- 
wyn  release.  Miss  Morra  is  editing 
"The  Rag  Man"  and  expects  to  have  it 
ready  for  the  "O.  K."  of  Jack  Coogan, 
Sr.,  when  the  Coogans  return  from 
Europe.  *    *  * 

John  Gilbert,  whose  appearance  in 
Metro  -  Goldwyn  -  Mayer  productions 
this  season  is  winning  him  one  of  the 
largest  followings  of  any  screen  favor- 
ite, will  p'ay  Prince  Danilo  opposite 
Mae  Murray  in  "The  Merry  Widow," 
which  Von  Stroheim's  special  produc- 
tion on  camera  work  is  about  to  start. 

Claire  Windsor,  who  plays  the  part 
of  Judge  Roberts'  daughter  in  "Dixie," 
the  Gerald  Beaumont  story  which 
Reginald  Barker  is  producing  for 
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,  is  to  have  a 
prominent  role  in  Hobart  Henley's  new 
picture,  "The  Square  Peg,"  by  Lewis 
Beach. 


Director  Sidney  Franklyn  is  making 
rapid  progress  on  Joseph  Schenck's 
new  production  starring  Constance 
Talmadge,  "Learning  to  Love,"  writ- 
ten for  the  comedienne  by  John  Emer- 
son and  Anita  Loos.  Reports  from  the 
studios  indicate  that  the  role  of  Pat 
Stanhope  in  "Learning  to  Love"  gives 
Miss  Talmadge  every  opportunity  for 
expressing  the  delightful  sense  of  com- 
edy which  permeates  all  of  her  charac- 
terizations, as  well  as  calling  upon  her 
for  sincere  emotion. 

*    *  * 

William  Curran,  director,  has  been 
engaged  by  B.  P.  Fineman  to  direct 
episode  number  nine  of  F.  B.  O.'s  "The 
Go-Getters,"  of  which  there  will  be 
twelve  episodes.  George  O'Hara  and 
Alberta  Vaughn  will  continue  as  co- 


stars  with  Al  Cooke  and  Kit  Guard 

in  their  usual  role  of  comics. 

*  *  * 

The  new  First  National  picture  fea- 
turing Milton  Sills,  "As  Man  Desires," 
from  Gene  Wright's  novel  of  India, 
"Pandora  La  Croix,"  has  been  com- 
pleted in  so  far  as  photography  is  con- 
cerned and  Mr.  Si'ls  has  arrived  in 
New  York  ready  to  begin  work  on  his 
first  eastern  production  for  First  Na- 
tional, "The  Interpreter's  House," 
from  Struthers  Burt's  new  novel. 

■P  *r 

"Quemado !"  has  been  chosen  as 
Fred  Thomson's  second  vehicle  for 
Film  Booking  Offices  under  the  terms 
of  his  big  new  contract  with  that  or- 
ganization. "Thundering  Hoofs,"  the 
first  production  under  the  new  arrange- 
ment, has  just  been  released. 

*  *  * 

Wallace  Beery  has  been  engaged  by 
Peninsula  Studios  at  San  Mateo  for  a 


comedy  role  in  the  latest  Frank  Woods 
production,  "The  Dotted  Line,"  which 
is  now  being  filmed  under  the  direction 
of  Paul  Powell.  Beery  plays  the  part 
of  a  tug-boat  captain,  which  is  said  to 
possess  great  humorous  possibilities. 

*  *  * 

Work  on  Marion  Davies'  newest  su- 
per-production for  the  Cosmopolitan 
Corporation,  "Zander  the  Great,"  a 
picturization  of  the  famous  stage  suc- 
cess which  had  such  a  brilliant  en- 
gagement on  Broadway  last  season,  is 
progressing  rapidly  on  the  West  Coast. 
According  to  an  announcement  re- 
ceived this  week  the  cast  is  complete 
and  photography  on  the  production 
should  be  completed  within  the  next 
month. 

*  *  * 

Allan  Hughes,  protege  of  Major  Le- 
land  S.  Ramsdell,  producer  of  the 
"Puppy  Love"  series,  is  playing  a 
part  in  Richard  Talmadge's  new 
production,  "Laughing  at  Dan- 
ger," for  F.  B.  O. 

*  *  * 

Two  new  comedies  were  started 
this  week  at  the  Mack  Sennett 
Studios,  one  featuring  Harry 
Langdon  and  the  other  with  Ralph 
Graves  in  the  principal  role. 
*    *  * 

Josef  Swickard,  famous  char- 
acter actor,  for  twenty  years  a 
vaudeville  comedian,  plays  his 
first  screen  comedy  role  in  sev- 
eral years  in  "The  Wizard  of 
Oz,"  in  which  he  is  cast  as  the 
prime  minister. 

Hunt  Strdmberg  announced 
this  week  that  the  third  picture 
in  his  series  starring  Priscilla 
Dean  will  be  an  ultra-fashionable 
society  drama  with  an  Austrian 
background  in  which  the  star  will 
visualize  the  role  of  a  Viennese  Count- 
ess. 

*  *  * 

"The  Scarlet  Honeymoon,"  one  of 
the  most  successful  of  John  Golden's 
plays,  has  been  given  to  Shirley  Mason 
as  her  next  starring  vehicle,  it  was  an- 
nounced this  week  from  the  Fox  stu- 
dios. Scenario  and  sets  are  prepared  and 
casting  began  this  week  on  this  picture. 

jfc  *H 

Mae  Bush  has  been  engaged  to  play 
the  leading  feminine  role  in  B.  P. 
Schulberg's  latest  production  "The 
Triflers." 

By  special  arrangement  entered  into 
by  Schulberg  and  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer,  Miss  Bush  comes  under  the 
banner  of  the  Preferred  picture,  that 
is  released  and  distributed  by  the  B.  P. 
Schulberg  Productions,  Inc.,  organiza- 
tion. Production  for  "The  Triflers"  is 
scheduled  to  begin  this  week. 


Above,  we  see  Sam  Wood,  at  left,  getting  real  atmos- 
phere, in  an  Arizona  location,  directing  Dorothy 
Mackaill  and  Pat  O'Malley  in  "The  Mine  With  the 
Iron  Door,"  a  Principal  Pictures  feature  production. 


Page  44 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ARE  YOU  WORKING 

FOR  THE  OPTICIANS? 

You  can  buy  the  best  equipment,  you  can  rent  the 
finest  features,  you  can  provide  good  music  and  send 
your  customers  away  with  the  headache. 

Headache,  of  course,  isn^t  generally  reckoned  a 
good  boxoffice  item,  but  if  you  are  working  for  the 
opticians  it  is  great  stuff. 

Just  provide  a  little  flicker  and  a  lot  of  your  cus- 
tomers will  join  the  Never- Again  Club. 

Clean,  sharp  projection  is  easy,  if  you  know  the 
technique  of  the  business  in  its  detail.  But  that  means 
study,  and  then  more  study. 

As  an  exhibitor  you  should  be  a  projectionist. 

As  a  projectionist  you  can't  quit  learning  if  you 
expect  to  keep  up  with  the  times. 

A  good  book  on  projection,  one  that  will  help  you 
out  when  you  get  in  a  jam,  is 

Motion  Picture  Projection 

An  Elementary  Text-Book 
By  JAMES  R.  CAMERON 

While  the  limited  edition  lasts  you  can  get  a  copy  of  this  560- 
page  clothbound  book  absolutely  free  with  a  new  or  renewal 
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while  they  last,  they  are  a  real  bargain,  but  we  can't  get  more  when 
these  are  gone. 


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Address 


...  I 


November  22*  1V24 


Page  45 


Douglas  MacLean  has  done  his 
best  work  in  "Never  Say  Die." 
This  picture  contained  every  ele- 
ment that  goes  to  make  a  box- 
office  feature.  The  humorous 
situations  pile  one  atop  the 
other  in  .1  succession  of  laughter. 


There  are  lavish  sets,  a  good 
cast  and  a  really  funny  story  in 
this  picture  and  Douglas  Mac- 
Lean  takes  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  to  display  his  ability 
as  one  of  the  greatest  comedians. 


Thrills  and  Laughter  in  "Never  Say  Die 

Douglas  MacLean  as  his  own  rollicking  self  scores 
a  triumph  in  Associated  Exhibitors'  comedy 
drama  of  Life  and  Love. 


Page  46 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


The  cBi^  Little  Feature 


"Should  a  Husband  Tell?" 


Red  Seal 


2  reels 


Friend  husband  wakes  up  in  bad  shape  after  a 
rough  night  and  is  called  upon  for  an  explanation 
by  his  irate  spouse.  He  tells  a  wild  story  of  the 
many  accidents  that  delayed  his  homecoming,  only 
to  be  confronted  by  a  letter  from  the  friend  he  was 
supposed  to  be  with. 

This  Cranfield  and  C  arke  picture  is 
well  worthy  of  the  name  "featurette." 
It  is  loaded  with  laughs  and  will  pep 
up  any  program  upon  which  it  appears. 
The  many  accidents  described  by  the 
husband  are  all  portrayed  on  the 
screen  and  each  is  mirth  compelling. 
Trick  photography  plays  a  large  part 
in  the  film  with  ludicrous  results. 

One  amusing  incident  is  when  he 
claims  to  have  been  delayed  by  a 
parade  and  the  soldiers  are  shown  tak- 
ing a  few  steps  forward  and  then  a 
few  backward  so  that  they  remain  in 
the  same  place.  Another  is  his  diffi- 
culty in  securing  a  conveyance  to 
carry  him  home.  He  has  to  chase  the 
horse  which  backs  away  from  him. 
Even  the  train  pulls  into  the  station 
and  backs  out  again  as  he  tries  to 
alight. 

"Should  a  Husband  Tell  ?"  will  be 
found  good  for  a  laugh  in  any  com- 
munity. It  is  good  clean  comedy,  and 
will  please  the  most  particular  pa- 
tronage. 

*    *  * 


44 


Are  Blonde  Men  Bashful?" 


Pathe — Hal  Roach 


2  Reels 


A  farmer  lad  is  out  to  win  the  hand  of  his  em- 
ployer's daughter,  but  he  has  a  city  rival  whose 
bank  account  meets  with  father's  approval.  The 
dumb  but  honest  rural  boy  wins  the  gal,  although 
the  sleek  and  oily  city  chap  staged  a  real  Holly- 
wood in  his  effort  to  gain  the  fair  one. 

Just  what  connection  the  title  has  to 
do  with  the  picture  we  are  at 
a  loss  to  say,  but  then  the 
whole  business  brings  to  mind 
the  apt  quotation  "What's  all 
the  shootin'  for?"  If  you  are 
easily  aroused  to  fits  of  merri- 
ment this  one  may  afford  you 
an  outburst  or  two.  There  are 
no  particu'arly  novel  stunts, 
but  most  of  the  tried  and 
proved  gags  are  worked  in  at 
one  time  or  another.  The 
farmer  lad'  even  falls  down 
the  well,  and  comes  up  with 
his  Sunday  suit  up  around  his 
knees.  The  director  must  have 
thought  a  lot  of  this  stunt,  for 
he  worked  it  in  again  when 
the  hick  fell  into  the  swim- 
ming pool,  and  emerged  with 
his  bathing  suit  strongly  re- 
sembling a  shrinking  violet. 

The  humor  in  this  Hal 
Roach  comedy  is  essentially 
broad,   and   will  undoubted- 


Head-  Work,Not  Footage, 
Makes  Good  Shorts 


A' 


NYBODY,  properly  as- 
sisted by  a  strong-armed 
cameraman,  can  shoot  a 
few  hundred  thousand  feet  of  film 
and  call  it  a  "feature."  And 
when  somebody  else  has  played 
eeny-meenie  with  it — in  goes  this 
and  out  goes  that — it's  quite  likely 
that  there  may  be  enough  lucky 
accidents  left  to  carry  it  over 
with  a  normal  audience  that  has 
been  trained  not  to  expect  too 
much. 

But  there  are  no  von  Stroheims 
in  the  short-subjects  field.  In  fact 
there's  no  place  for  any.  They 
are  fine  where  they  fit,  but  not 
here. 

It  is  a  lot  harder,  you  know,  to 
write  a  good  short  story,  than  to 
produce  a  novel  in  three  volumes. 
And  the  short-story  writer  whose 
stuff  goes  over  isn't  the  one  who 
tries  to  cut  a  three  volume  novel 
to  fit  three  pages  of  the  Saturday 
Evening  Post. 

In  other  words,  short  stories, 
whether  in  words  or  in  motion 
pictures,  have  to  be  built  to  the 
right  dimensions  in  the  first  place. 
And  that  takes  brains — intelli- 
gence of  a  highly  specialized  sort. 

Equally,  there's  a  chance  for 
you,  Mr.  Exhibitor,  to  use  intelli- 
gence in  selecting  and  showing 
short  subjects.  If  you  are  doing 
justice  to  this  part  of  your  busi- 
ness, fine!  But  if  you're  just 
throwing  in  a  comedy  or  a  fea- 
turette to  fill  time,  you  ought  to 
wake  up.  Tap  yourself  on  the 
old  bean   and   come    out   of  it! 


In  advertising  this  film  mention  that 
it  is  a  Hal  Roach  comedy. 


ly  register  with  an  audience  that  is  par- 
tial to  the  horse-play  form  of  diversion. 


44 


Cut  Loose" 


Cameo  Comedy 


1  Reel 


From  the  above  it  appears  that  the  fire  will  be  all  over  before 
the  "Spat  Family"  arrive  wi^h  the  extinguishing  apparatus.  This 
is  one  of  the  many  scenes  in  "Hot  Stuff"  a  Pathe  release. 


The  exploits  of  an  old  soak  on  a  bus,  and  his 
efforts  to  get  home  furnish  the  theme  of  "Cut 
Loose."  At  one  point  he  climbs  to  the  top  of  the 
bus,  and  is  about  to  take  a  seat  when  he  finds  him- 
self suspended  on  a  telegraph  pole. 

The  comedy  in  "Cut  Loose"  is  es- 
sentially of  the  slap-stick  variety,  and 
some  of  the  old,  popular  tricks  are 
brought  into  play  with  the  result  thai 
the  film  may  be  described  as  mildly 
amusing. 

Most  of  the  thing  was  staged  on  a 
bus,  and  some  of  the  gags  will  bring 
forth  a  ripple  of  laughter.  In  a  word 
the  film  is  no  better  and  no  worse  than 
the  average,  and  will  do  well  enough 
as  a  filler  on  the  program  especially 
when  the  feature  picture  is  a  long  one. 

♦        !|£  3|C 

"Gridiron  Glory" 

Grantland  Rice  1  Reel 

In  "Gridiron  Glory,"  Grantland  Rice 
has  given  the  public  something  really 
worth  while.  Not  only  will  the  film 
prove  of  interest  to  the  great  army  of 
lovers  of  the  big  American  game,  but 
should  win  favor  with  any  audience 
as  short  entertainment. 

The  film  concerns  itself  with  the 
modern  game  of  football  as  it  is  taught 
in  the  larger  universities  and  colleges, 
and  gives  an  interesting  insight  into  the 
finer  points  of  the  game.  The  pictures 
are  in  both  normal  and  slow  motion,  and 
afford  an  opportunity  for  study  at  close 
range  that  could  not  possibly  be  had  as 
a  spectator  at  one  of  these  gridiron  con- 
tests. Forward  passing,  open  field 
running,  bucking  the  line, 
broken  field  running  and  vari- 
ous strategic  plays  are  demon- 
strated by  "Chick"  Meehan 
and  his  Syracuse  charges. 

Then  there  are  shots  of  , 
some  of  the  more  important 
engagements  in  the  season's 
schedule.  The  Yale- Army 
battle  at  the  Yale  Bowl  shows 
that  the  game  has  a  larger  fol- 
lowing than  any  other  Ameri- 
can sport,  for  this  contest  was 
witnessed  by  75,000  interested 
spectators.  The  Columbia- 
Dartmouth  game  is  an  excel- 
lent example  of  the  overhead 
style  of  playing,  while  the 
Fordham-Rutgers  engagement 
shows  what  can  be  accom- 
plished on  a  wet  field. 

"Gridiron  Glory"  will  prove 
an  interesting  filler  on  any 
program. 


\ 


J? 


November  22,  1924 

"Speed  Boys 

Century  Comedy  2  Reels 

"Speed  Boys''  is  the  story  of  a  gang  of  boys 
who  run  a  miniature  railroad  and  the  difficulties 
that  beset  them  in  making  a  paying  proposition  of 
the  venture.  It  takes  two  boy  engineers  to  run 
the  train  for  one  trip,  and  even  then  things  end 
disastrously. 

This  latest  Century  comedy,  "Speed 
Boys"  is  another  of  the  kid  films  that 
is  becoming  quite  the  vogue  since  Hal 
Roach  first  stepped  out  with  his  "Our 
Gang"  classics.  The  acceleration  in 
"Speed  Boys"  mostly  consists  in  the 
swiftness  of  a  toy  railroad  owned  by  a 
gang  of  boys  who  run  the  proposition 
on  a  strictly  business  basis,  not  even 
overlooking  the  opportunity  of  collect- 
ing two  fares  from  a  passenger  whose 
proportions  make  it  necessary  to  occupy 
two  seats. 

All  the  familiar  faces  are  there,  the 
mischievous  freckled-faced  lad,  the 
young  colored  clown  and  the  indispen- 
sible  "Fatty."  And  then  there  is  "Bud- 
dy" Messinger,  who  is  really  in  a  class 
by  himself.  "Buddy,"  although  only  a 
mere  shaver  has  that  indefinable  some- 
thing usually  classed  as  personality,  and 
is  sure  to  make  a  hit  with  the  most 
hard-boiled  spectator.  The  fun  is  not 
as  riotous  or  as  spontaneous  as  in  the 
Hal  Roach  gangsters'  series,  which 
either  consciously  or  unconsciously  it 
strongly  emulates.  However,  for  those 
who  are  interested  in  children  the  film 
may  prove  amusing,  although  we  are  of 
the  opinion  that  there  would  have  been 
more  chuckles  if  the  scenario  writer 
had  not  gone  so  far  afield  in  search  oi 
laughs. 

Any  picture  good  enough  to  show  is 
good  enough  to  exploit,  and  door  checks 
might  be  given  out  to  the  kids  with  a 
prize  for  the  one  holding  the  winning 
stub. 


Page  47 


News 
Reel 
Briefs 

International 

News  No.  92 

New   York  City 

—  Hit  by  shots 
from  3  pistols  hu- 
man target  just 
smiles.  New  ar- 
mored vest  proves 
effective  in  stop- 
ping bullets  fired 
at  range  of  six 
inches.  1  —  The 
plates  inside  do 
the  trxk. — Frisco, 
Cal. — "Rough  Rid- 
ers' defy  breakers 
in  thrilling  res- 
cue drill.  Keep- 
ing ready  for  busy 
season  police  life- 
savers  plunge 
through  heavy 
seas  to  lasso 
"drowning"  swiin- 
mer.  1 — One  rider 
swept  from  his 
horse — but  that's 
in  the  day's  work. 

—  Philadelphia  — 
"Daily,  thousand" 
keeps  kid  Macro- 
pus  fit.  How  the 
world's  champion 
jumper  gets  that 
way  discovered  by 
the  Internat.onal 
News.  1 — Twenty 
times  a  'minute 
ten  hours  a  day  is 
the  kid's  program 
and  perfect  form 
is  the  result.  2 — 
The  tail  acts  as 
balancer.  —  New 
York  City — (Omit 
Chicago)  Little 
"Miss  Mysterv" 

lost  in  Wall  Street   

whirlpool.      Blue-     MHi^BiHM  V 

coat  finds  tiny 
girl      astray  in 

heart  of  financial  jungles.  1 — Business  may 
be  business — but  callous  Wall  Street  for- 
gets its  quest  for  gold  in  the  hunt  for  Miss 
Mystery's  mama.  2 — Mama  (playing  the 
market,  perhaps)  fails  to  show  up — but  the 
little  wanderer  seems  quite  happy  at  the 
prospect  of  a  night  in  the  police  station. — 
Port  Totten,  L.  I. —  (Omit  Chicago,  Indian- 
apolis, Los  AnereVq  ^  Frisco) — Might"  anti- 
aircraft guns  repel  "invasion"  by  night.  12- 


MERMAID 
COMEDIES 

JACK  WHITE  PRODUCTIONS 

Can  Always  Be  Counted  on  For 

FAST  ACTION 
HAIR-RAISING  THRILLS 
SURE-FIRE  LAUGHS 


Presents 


POOR 

with 

"Fast  and  Furious" 
"Rough  and  Ready" 
"Wild  Game" 
"Pigskin" 

"Wedding  Showers" 


BUTTERFLY 

RUTH  HI  ATT 


»1 


"Hot  Air" 
"Air  Pockets" 
"There  He  Goes" 
"Family  Life" 
"Wide  Open" 
"Neck  and  Neck" 


"Flying  Finance" 
"Exit  Caesar" 
"Uncle  Sam" 
"Running  Wild" 
"High  Life" 


"THE  SPICE  OF  THE  PROGRAM" 


Jimmy  Adams  having  a  hectic  time,  but  he  seldom  worries.  He  is  particularly 
amusing  in  "Why  Worry."    An  Educational-Christie  Comedy,  a  side  splitting  farce. 


million-candle-power  lights  turn  night  into 
day  in  vivid  war  test.  (An  International 
News  Exclusive).  1 — Putting  up  a  barrage 
which  experts  declare  would  turn  back  any 
sky  invader.  Demonstrated  by  the  62nd 
Coast  Artillery. — Culver,  Ind.  —  (Chicago 
and  Indianapolis  only)  Crack  schoolboy 
troops  march  for  military  criiefs.  U.  S.  and 
Allied  army  and  navy  leaders  review  Cul- 
ver Cadets  in  stirring  parade.  1 — At  the 
new  War  Memorial  building — unveiling 
tablets  to  Culver  heroes. — Frisco,  Cal. —  (Los 
Angeles  and  Frisco  only).  Under  dread- 
naught's  guns  stage  stars  dance  for  gobs 
Unique  entertainment  on  deck  of  U.  S.  S. 
Maryland  with  a  reserved  seat  for  every 
one  attending. 

International  News  Presents  Film  High- 
lights of  National  Election — (An  Interna- 
tional News  Special). 

1 — A  flood  of  telegrams  from  all  parts  of 
the  country  congratulates  President  Cool- 
idge on  his  great  triumph.  2 — Cool  as  ever 
in  his  hour  of  victory.  3 — Any  housewife 
will  appreciate  how  happy  Mrs.  Coolidge  Is, 
she  won't  have  to  look  for  a  new  home.  4 
— General  Dawes'  favorite  pipe  accompan- 
ied him  to  the  polls.  5 — John  W.  Davis,  de- 
feated candidate  for  President,  stood  in  line 
with  Mrs.  Davis  like  an  ordinary  voter.  Lo- 
cust Valley,  L.  I.  6 — Bedford  Mass — Mrs. 
Cecilia  Coolidge,  a  relative  of  the  Presi- 
dent's, cast  her  first  vote  at  the  age  of  91 — 
for  the  winner,  of  course.  7- — New  York 
City — The  payment  of  one  of  those  freak 
election  bets  all  but  tied  up  Fifth  Avenue. 
8 — This  game  guy  agreed  to  push  an  egg 
across  Brooklyn  Bridge  with  his  nose  if  his 
choice  lost.  9 — Temple,  Texas — -"Ma"  Fer- 
guson, triumphantly  elected  in  Texas  as  the 
first  woman  governor  in  America's  history. 

10 —  Jersey  City,  N.  J. — Mrs.  Mary  T.  Norton, 
first  congresswoman  elected  from  the  East. 

11 —  New  York  City — (New  York  City,  Al- 
bany and  Buffalo  Only)  New  York's  idol. 
Governor  "Al"  Smith  voted  with  his  family 
and  cheering  crowds  forecast  his  remark- 
able victory.  12 — Having  escaped  the 
Coolidge  deluge  no  wonder  he  smiles. 

Kinograms  No.  5021:  Washington-Senators 
win  world  series  from  Giants;  New  York — 
Hundred  bishops  march  in  ceremonial:  New 
York — Arbitration  society  presents  resolu- 
tion to  Will  Hays:  Jefferson  City,  Mo. — 
Dedicate  state's  new  capitol:  New  York — 
Roald  Amundsen  polar  explorer  visits  city: 
London — Install  736th  Lord  Mayor  with 
ancient  rites:  New  York — Firemen  drill  at 
safety  exposition  Vancouver,  B.  C. — Prince 
of  Wales  poses  on  golf  course;  Niagara 
Falls — Miniature  cataract  built  to  show 
power   development   does   not   harm  falls. 


Page  48 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


"Easy  Pickin's" 

A   Christy   Comedy  2  Reels 

The  boy  is  in  love  with  a  sweet  debutante,  but 
the  girl  is  not  so  sure,  so  she  consults  a  fortune 
teller  to  determine  whether  she  is  making  any  mis- 
take. What  she  sees  in  the  crystal  decides  her.  The 
future  with  her  intended  would  be  no  bed  of  roses, 
future  with  her  intended  would  be  no  bed  of  roses 
it  is  all  the  bunk,  he  consults  the  seer.  The  tangle 
which  ensues  cannot  be  analyzed  in  so  many  words, 
but  is  one  long  howl. 

This  comedy  is  not  only  a  com- 
edy in  name  but  in  reality.  It  is  lively 
film  entertainment  with  Neal  Burns  as 
the  chief  funmaker.  "Easy  Pickin's" 
will  go  over  with  any  audience,  and 
will  be  particularly  appreciated  where 
the  feature  picture  is  of  a  serious  or 
depressing  nature. 

After  consulting  a  fortune  teller  to 
make  sure  that  the  future  with  her 
prospective  husband  will  be  happy,  the 
girl  decided  not  to  get  in  a  matrimonial 
tangle  just  yet.  Her  father,  who  is 
anxious  to  see  his  daughter  happily 
wedded,  tells  her  that  this  fortune  tel- 
ling business  is  all  the  bunk.  He  prom- 
ises to  prove  to  her  that  the 
man  is  a  charlatan,  and  with 
this  in  mind  goes  to  consult 
the  seer.  He  is  beaten  to  it, 
however,  by  the  disappointed 
bridegroom-to-be.  He  and  the 
fakir  enter  into  an  agreement 
that  will  work  out  for  the 
benefit  of  both,  the  crystal 
gazer  promising  to  win  back 
the  girl  for  him  if  he  will  help 
the  fortune  teller  to  make  his 
predictions  come  true. 

With  the  aid  of  Neal  Burns, 
all  that  the  father  has  been 
told  comes  true,  but  Neal  has 
a  larger  order  on  his  hands 
than  he  imagined.  One  of  the 
funniest  shots  of  all  is  where 
Neal  "takes  on"  a  local  cham- 
pion prizefighter  in  order  to 
fulfill  one  of  the  seer's  proph- 
ecies. The  champ  has  been 
"fixed"  not  to  "bear  down"  on 
Neal,  in  turn  is  doing  his  best 
to  be  knocked  out.  As  a  result  the 
fight  resembles  the  exhibition  of  a 
couple  of  toe  dancers,  and  at  one  time 
they  are  both  counted  out. 

*    *  * 


How  the  young  district  attorney 
brings  the  activities  of  a  band  of  crimi- 
nals to  an  untimely  end,  and  wins  the 
girl  in  the  bargain  holds  the  interest  ot 
the  onlooker  throughout.  Leslie  Aus- 
tin as  a  redoubtable  hero  gives  a  fine 
performance,  while  Nellie  Burt  is  an  at- 
tractive and  capable  heroine.  Ed  Rose- 
man  is  inclined  to  overact  as  the 
hynotist-criminal,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  cast  have  little  to  do.  The  direc- 
tion is  good,  and  the  film  will  find  par- 
ticular favor  with  a  juvenile  audience. 

In  your  exploitation  mention  the  fact 
that  these  stories  are  taken  from  life. 
It  would  be  a  good  idea  to  book  them 
on  a  Saturday  when  there  is  a  big  turn 
out  of  children  for  the  matinee. 

"Alice  and  the  Three  Bears" 

This  is  one  of  the  series  of  cartoon 
and  live  character  subjects.  Cartoonist 
Walt  Dinsay  has  conceived  a  method  of 


A  splendid  interpretation  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party, 
the  outstanding  episodes  in  American  History,  as  sh 
"Chronicles  of  America"  a.  Pathe  production, 


"Out  of  the  Storm" 

Pathe 

A  young  district  attorney  is  in  his 
going  over  the  papers  in  a  case  against 


2  Reels 
bungalow, 


famous 

criminal,  when  a  young  woman  comes  out  of  the 
storm.  The  girl  taints,  and  while  the  attorney'  is 
bending  over  her,  he  is  attacked  from  behind. 
When  he  wakes  us  he  is  in  a  robber's  den  and 
the  girl  with  him.  The  papers  have  been  stolen, 
and  the  attorney  finds  himself  the  prisoner  of  the 
criminal.  However,  with  the  aid  of  the  girl  who 
turns  out  to  be  an  arm  of  the  law,  they  both 
affect  an  escape  and  all  ends  well. 

"Out  of  The  Storm"  is  the  third  of 
the  True  Detective  Stories  series  based 
on  personal  experiences  and  data  gath- 
ered by  Major  Ross  D.  Whytock,  war 
correspondent  and  police  reporter.  The 
picture  is  one  of  those  short  thrillers 
well  stocked  with  adventure  from  be- 
ginning to  end,  and  provides  entertain- 
ment that  will  prove  especially  suitable 
where  a  light  feature  is  the  order  of 
the  day. 


having  a  little  girl  act  in  conjunction 
with  his  cartoon  animals  and  the  results 
are  amazing. 

In  this  picture  the  story  of  the  Three 
Bears  is  followed  more  or  less  closely. 
A  cat  figures  as  the  hero  and  protects 
the  little  girl  from  harm  by  the  bears. 

There  is  a  terrific  battle  staged  be- 
tween the  cat  and  the  bears  in  which 
the  cat  is  victorious. 

The  cartoonist  has  the  range  of  his 
imagination  to  work  with  and  some  of 
the  results  are  not  only  extremely  funny 
but  at  the  same  time  cause  the  audience 
to  wonder  how  it  is  all  done. 

If  your  audience  are  partial  to  car- 
toon comedies,  this  one  will  fit  in  nicely 
on  your   program.    It  is  well  worth 

booking. 

•  *    *  * 

"Vernon  and  Hiers 

Bobby  Vernon's  third  comedy  to  be 
released  through  Educational  Film  Ex- 
changes, Inc.,  will  be  "French  Pastry," 
following  "High  Gear,"  which  will  be 


released  during  November. 

In  "French  Pastry,"  which  is  about 
finished,  Ann  Cornwall  returns  to  the 
Christie  lot  as  leading  lady  with  Ver- 
non. During  the  production  of  "High 
Gear,"  in  which  Marion  Harlan  played 
the  leading  feminine  role,  Miss  Corn- 
wall was  loaned  to  Douglas  McLean, 
and  she  will  be  seen  as  leading  lady  to 
this  star  in  his  new  feature  production. 
"French  Pastry"  will  be  a  comedy  laid 
in  France  and  Germany  with  the  Army 
of  Occupation. 

Walter  Hiers  has  finished  his  second 
Walter  Hiers  Comedy,  "A  Fat  Chance," 
which  will  reach  the  screen  in  the  latter 
part  of  November.  Under  his  contract 
with  Educational,  Hiers  will  be  allowed 
to  appear  in  feature  productions,  and 
has  been  cast  in  a  big  picture  to  go  into 
production.  Duane  Thompson  is  his 
leading  lady  in  "A  Fat  Chance,"  which 
was  produced  under  the  title  of  "Slim 
Chance." 

*    *  * 

Buster  Brown 

Julius  Stern,  president  of 
Century  Comedies,  sends  word 
from  Hollywood  where  he  is 
supervising  production  activ- 
ities, that  his  company  will 
shortly  start  production  on  a 
series  of  two-reel  comedies 
based  on  Buster  Brown,  the 
famous  comic  strip  by  R.  F. 
Outcault. 

Arthur  Trimble,  who  has 
played  in  many  Century  Com- 
edies, and  who  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  and  promising 
of  the  five-year-old  screen 
players,  will  most  likely  be  se- 
lected for  the  title  role  in  this 
new  series  from  Century's 
studios.  The  director  and  sup- 
porting cast  will  be  announced 
later.  These  comedies  will  be 
released  through  Universal. 


one  of 
own  in 


Watson  to  Direct  for  Century 

William  Watson  has  been  engaged  by 
Century  Comedies  to  direct  Wanda 
Wiley  in  her  latest  picture  "What's 
The  Use?" 

Watson  directed  comedies  for  Cen- 
tury years  ago  and  for  the  last  three 
years  has  been  on  the  Universal  lot  di- 
recting and  supervising  their  comedy 
productions  of  one  of  two  reels.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Watson  has  been  called 
to  direct  comedv  relief  sequences  in 
many  of  the  big  feature  films  made  in 
and  around  Hollywood.  His  latest  work 
of  this  kind  was  for  Reginald  Barker 
in  "Dixie." 

Harry  McCoy,  Century's  star  com- 
edian will  play  opposite  Miss  Wiley  in 
"What's  The  Use?"  which  is  the  sec- 
ond of  the  new  series  from  the  stories 
by  George  Fouret,  noted  French  hu- 
morist. 


November  22*  1924 


Page  49 


News  of  Exhibitor  Activities 


Buffalo  Film  Board  Reorganized 

A  new  arbitration  board  personnel  has 
been  appointed  to  work  in  the  Buffalo  ter- 
ritory, with  headquarters  at  Buffalo.  The 
following  exchange  men  have  been  named 
by  Sydney  Sampson,  president  of  the  Film 
Board  of  Trade  to  represent  the  produc- 
ers: Howard  F.  Brink,  Educational; 
James  Speer,  Dependable;  Richard  C.  Fox, 
Selznick.  Alternates:  Henry  W.  Kahn, 
Metro;  Marvin  Kempner,  Paramount  and 
Mr.  Sampson,  Bond. 

J.  H.  Michael,  chairman  of  Buffalo  Zone, 
M.  P.  T.  O.  of  N.  Y.,  has  named  the  fol- 
lowing to  represent  the  exhibitors  on  the 
board:  Charlie  Hayman,  Strand  and  Ca- 
taract theatres,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. ;  Ben 
Wallerstein,  Broadway  theatre,  Buffalo; 
Dewey  Michaels,  Plaza,  Buffalo;  James 
Cardina,  Varsity,  alternate.  A  new  plan  of 
holding  meetings  has  been  declared  upon. 

One  month  the  board  will  meet  in  -  the 
office  of  the  Film  Board  of  Trade  with  an 
exhibitor  acting  as  chairman,  the  next 
month  the  hearings  will  be  held  in  the 
.office  of  Buffalo  Zone  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  N. 
Y.,  with  an  exchange  manager  acting  as 
chairman.  Both  offices  are  in  the  Root 
building. 

Heretofore  all  meetings  have  been  held 
in  the  Film  Board  office,  so  that  the  new 
arrangements  will  make  hearings  more  of 
a  50-50  proposition. 

*    *  * 
Free  Photos 

George  Roberts,  manager  of  the  Hud- 
son theatre  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  is  presenting 
every  lady  and  child  attending  matinees 
on  Tuesday  and  Friday  with  an  order  on 
a  local  photographer  entitling  them  to  a 
framed  photograph  of  themselves. 

Buffalo  Film  Ball 

The  annual  ball  of  the  Film  Board  of 
Trade  of  Buffalo  held  in  the  Hotel  Statler 
on  Hallowe'en,  Friday,  October  31,  was  a 
huge  success.  Attended  by  a  huge  throng 
of  exhibitors  and  exchange  men  and 
friends  of  both  these  fellahs,  the  ball  pro- 
vided entertainment  fit  for  a  king.  Henry 
W.  Kahn,  manager  of  the  Metro-Goldwyn 
office,  was  chairman  of  the  arrangement 
committee. 

•■Through  the  courtesy  of  the  Lafayette 
Square  theatre  there  was  provided  a  fine 
program  of  vaudeville  acts,  although  the 
piece  de  resistance  of  the  evening  was  the 
ballet  number  given  by  L'il  Phil  Cava- 
naugh,  publicity  purveyor  of  the  Shea 
Amusement  Company  and  Fred  M.  Zim- 
merman, manager  of  the  Producers'  Dis- 
tributing Corporation  exchange.  Similar 
weird  demonstrations  a  la  terpischore 
were  staged  by  Charlie  Hayman,  treasurer 
of  the  M.  P.  T.  O.  of  N.  Y.  and  owner 
of  the  Strand  and  Cataract  in  Niagara 
Falls,  J.  H.  Michael,  chairman  of  Buffalo 
Zone  of  the  state  body  and  Charlie  Bowe, 
manager  of  the  Frontier. 

At  midnight  a  bountiful  banquet  was 
served  and  the  way  some  of  the  knights 
of  the  leaping  tintypes  put  away  that  fod- 
der proved  they  had  been  fasting  for  sev- 
eral days.  Music  was  furnished  by  a  large 
orchestra  and  when  the  sun  peeked  over 
the  eastern  hills  about  6  A.  M.,  the  last  of 
the  frolickers  were  seen  to  wend  their 
weary  way  homewards.  Now  the  exhibi- 
tors are  talking  of  staging  a  ball,  to  get 
even  with  the  distributors. 


Title  Contest 

Manager  Ray  Tubman  of  the  Palace 
Theatre,  Calgary,  Alberta,  conducted  a 
"title  naming  contest"  for  the  feature  at- 
traction during  the  week  of  October  20, 
this  being  Paramount's  "The  Story  With- 
out a  Name,"  all  patrons  being  invited  to 
suggest  a  title,  the  best  of  which  was  to 
be  rewarded  with  a  prize  consisting  of 
a  $150  radio  set. 

The  judges  for  the  name  contest  were 
Aid.  Fred  Osborne,  L.  W.  Brockington, 
Calgary  city  solicitor,  and  S.  C.  Reat,  the 
American  Consul.  The  radio  set  was 
awarded  as  the  prize  because  of  the  radio 
angle  of  the  story.  Much  interest  was 
aroused. 


Claude  Cady,  a  prominent  exhibitor  of 
Lansing,  Michigan,  who  is  furthering  the 
moving  picture  activities  in  his  own  state. 


Associated  Theatres  Statement 

James  J.  MacFarlane,  vice  president  of 
Associated  Theatres,  Inc.,  and  owner  of 
the  Liberty  and  Playhouse  theatres  in 
Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  has  informed  the 
Film  Board  of  Trade  of  Buffalo  that  the 
recent  purchase  of  Harold  P.  Dygert's  in- 
terest in  Associated  Theatres  by  the 
Schine  Theatrical  corporation,  does  not  in 
any  way  affect  these  two  theatres  inas- 
much as  Mr.  Dygert's  interest  in  the 
houses  was  a  very  small  one. 

This  condition  is  believed  also  to  exist 
in  Penn  Yan  where  other  interests  own 
the  real  estate  and  Mr.  Dygert's  interest 
was  just  a  booking  one.  In  Lockport  also 
where  Mr.  Dygert  began  quite  some  time 
ago  to  build  a  house,  other  interests  have 
also  taken  over  the  proposition.  The 
house  started  by  Dygert  in  Batavia  also 
was  never  taken  beyond  the  stage  of  ex- 
cavation. 

The  Schine  company,  however,  takes 
over  control  of  the  Strand  and  Andrews 
in  Salamanca,  N.  Y.,  the  Smith,  Regent 
and  Temple  in  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  three  houses 
in  Corning,  one  in  Fairport,  several  in 
Newark,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Temple  and  Rialto 
in  Lockport,  the  last  named  being  a  new 
house  erected  on  the  site  of  the  former 
Thurston  Auditorium  and  which  is  about 
to  open  to  the  public. 


Wehrenberg  Opens  Thanksgiving 

Turkey  Day  is  the  date  on  which  Fred 
Wehrenberg  will  throw  open  the  doors  of 
his  beautiful  new  Michigan  Theatre,  7220 
Michigan  avenue,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  to  mo- 
tion picture  fans  of  Carondelet.  Work- 
men are  working  overtime  to  have  the 
new  house  ready  for  the  opening. 

The  feature  picture  will  be  "Barbara 
Fretchie"  and  there  will  be  other  attrac- 
tions in  keeping  with  the  standard  set  by 
the  principal  pictures.  Wehrenberg  has 
also  signed  up  a  fine  orchestra  and  is  put- 
ting in  a  fine  organ. 

He  recently  purchased  the  Michigan  and 
four  other  theatres  from  Fred  Hoelzer. 
The  houses  besides  the  Michigan  were  the 
Ivory,  Lidel,  Marguerite  and  Manion's 
Summer  Theatre.  The  transaction  is  said 
to  have  involved  upwards  of  $200,000.  The 
Michigan  will  cost  more  than  $125,000 
when  complete. 

Berinstein  Left  $700,000 

William  Berinstein,  a  well  known  ex- 
hibitor in  central  and  southern  New  York, 
whose  death  occurred  the  last  of  Septem- 
ber, left  an  estate  of  $700,000.  The  will 
provided  that  the  estate  should  remain  in- 
tact for  a  period  of  eighteen  years,  but 
that  yearly  allowances  would  be  made  to 
the  children. 

Mr.  Berinstein  owned  theatres  in  Al- 
bany, Troy,  Schenectady,  Newburgh  and 
Elmira.  George  Roberts  will  continue  to 
act  as  manager  and  buyer. 

*  *  * 

Exploit  with  Flivvers 

William  Smalley,  head  of  a  chain  of 
twelve  houses  in  New  York  state  is  using 
three  Ford  cars  as  traveling  billboards 
through  the  farming  sections,  advertising 
his  attractions.  The  cars  are  painted  a 
black  and  yellow.  Mr.  Smalley  uses  a 
three-piece  orchestra  in  all  of  his  houses 
and  charges  a  general  twenty-five  cent 
admission  except  for  specials  when  he 
boosts  it  to  thirty-five  cents.  His  recently 
acquired  house  in  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  is  due 
to  open  on  November  6,  and  inasmuch  as 
it  is  a  college  town,  he  will  use  "Grid- 
iron Glory"  for  the  opening. 

*  *  * 

Garrick  to  Continue 

The  creditors  of  Garrick  Theatres, 
Limited,  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  have  de- 
cided unanimously  to  continue  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Garrick  Theatre  as  an  independ- 
ent enterprise  because  of  the  splendid 
showing  which  the  theatre  has  been  mak- 
ing during  the  past  two  or  three  months. 
D.  E.  L.  Fisher,  managing  director  of  the 
company,  who  assumed  the  direct  man- 
agement of  the  theatre  some  months  ago, 
was  authorized  to  continue  as  manager  of 
the  house.  Under  a  court  order,  the  Stan- 
dard Trusts  Corporation,  Winnipeg,  will, 
however,  continue  to  act  as  trustee  of  the 
Garrick. 

A  financial  statement  presented  to  the 
creditors  showed  that  the  liabilities 
amounted  to  $63,318  but  it  is  expected  that 
a  balance  on  the  right  side  of  the  ledger 
will  be  secured  in  due  .timei  judging  by  re- 
cent reports.  The  Garrick  was  built  by 
local  interests  three  years  ago. 

At  a  meeting  of  creditors  a  few  days 
ago,  the  following  were  appointed  inspec- 
tors under  the  trur'  -°ship:  the  MacDonald 
Dure  Lumber  Comnany,  Thomas  Ed- 
wards arid  A.  "W.  Simpson. 


Page  50 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


New  Wurlitzer  for  Criterion 

The  Criterion  Theatre  at  Oklahoma 
City,  is  installing  a  new  $50,000  Wurlitzer 
Reproducto  Organ  which  is  the  last  word 
in  musical  instruments,  being  capable  of 
producing  full  orchestra  or  band  music  or 
any  other  kind  of  music  desired.  Pat  says 
that  future  strikes  and  labor  troubles  along 
musical  lines  for  the  Criterion  theatre,  has 
been  solved  for  all  time. 

*  *  * 

Exhibitor  Briefs 

Jimmy  Kelly,  formerly  at  the  Elmwood 
theatre  in  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  has  been  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  Avondale  theatre 
in  North  Tonawanda,  N.  Y.,  succeeding 
L.  E.  Barger,  resigned.  The  Avondale  is 
owned  by  Fred  M.  Zimmerman,  manager 
of  the  Buffalo  Producers  Distributing  cor- 
poration exchange. 

%    *  * 

.  Jake  Rosenthal,  of  the  Rose  theatre  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  plans  to  give  away  forty 
turkeys  at  Thanksgiving  time,  to  holders 
of  lucky  coupons.  Last  week  Mr.  Rosen- 
thal gave  away  various  articles  ranging 
from  ferns  to  blankets. 

*  *  * 

Louis  Saperstein,  manager  of  the  Rose 
theatre  in  Troy,  N.  Y.(  has  returned  to  his 
duties  after  spending  a  two  weeks'  vaca- 
tion in  New  York  City. 

*  *  * 

The  Opera  House  at  Festus,  Mo.,  is 
now  under  the  management  of  William  A. 
Doerge. 

*  # 

Horace  Green,  formerly  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  where  he  managed  the  Triangle 
office  at  one  time  is  the  new  manager  of 
the  Pert  Theatre  in  Gillespie,  111.  He  has 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  show  house 
and  will  handle  its  bookings,  etc. 

*  *  * 

The  Amuse  U  Theatre  in  Dupo,  111., 
has  been  purchased  by  Passek  &  Slock 
from  H.  Welch.  It  seats  450  persons.  The 
new  owners  plan  to  show  on  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  Wednesdays. 


A  large  part  of  the  territory  covered 
heretofore  by  the  Buffalo  office  of  Pro- 
ducers Distributing  Corporation  has  now 
been  taken  over  by  the  new  Albany  office 
recently  opened  under  the  management  of 
Frank  S.  Hopkins,  former  manager  of  the 
Buffalo  Universal  exchange. 

Gerald  K.  Rudolph,  manager  of  the  Fox 
exchange,  got  a  lot  of  publicity  in  the 
Buffalo  Times  through  co-operation  wilh 
that  newspaper  in  supplying  a  long  pro- 
gram of  Fox  pictures  for  showing  across 
the  street  from  the  Times  on  election 
night. 

*  *  * 

Fitzer  Brothers  of  Syracuse,  have  leased 
the  Auditorium  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.  Joseph 
M.  Schwartzwalder,  formerly  proprietor  of 
the  Universal  theatre  in  the  same  city,  has 
been  appointed  manager.  The  house  will 
be  redecorated  at  once  and  opened  soon 
with  pictures  at  10  and  15  cents.  Fitzer 
Brothers  control  the  Empire,  Rivoli,  Sa- 
voy and  Happy  Hour  theatres  in  Syra- 
cuse. 

*  *  * 

We'll  never  ask  George  Hanny,  manager 
of  the  Maxine  theatre,  Buffalo,  or  Al 
Becker  of  the  Becker  Theatre  Supply 
Company,  how  business  is  again.  We  saw 
both  of  them  the  other  evening  all  dolled 
up  in  soup  and  fish  and  installed  in  boxes 
at  the  premiere  of  Marilyn  Miller  in 
"Peter  Pan"  at  the  Majestic.  Basil  Brady, 
of  Pathe,  ditto. 

*  #  * 

Exhibitors  will  be  glad  to  know  that 
Tom  Brady,  special  representative  for 
First  National  out  of  the  Buffalo  office  is 
back  on  the  job  again  after  a  long  siege 
of  illness  which  kept  him  confined  to  a 
hospital  in  Albany.  Except  for  losing  a 
little  weight,  Tom  is  as  good  looking  as 
ever. 

Gene  Pfeil,  manager  of  the  Buffalo  Circle 
theatre,  dedicated  his  new  orchestra  organ 
on  election  night  when  he  also  kept  the 
show  going  to  well  after  midnight,  giving 
the  "customers"  the  returns  as  they  came 
into  his  office  via  radio  and  which  he  re- 
layed to  the  folks  in  the  audience. 

•Is  *(* 

J.  R.  Kersey  has  reopened  the  Majestic 
Theatre  at  Ozona,  Texas. 


H.  C.  Bissell  was  elected  president  last 
week  of  the  film  salesmen  of  Albany,  N. 
Y.  He  succeeds  James  Rose,  while  John 
Thurlow  was  elected  vice-president,  re- 
placing Nat  Marcus,  who  has  gone  to 
New  York  City  for  F.  B.  O. 

*  *  * 

Arthur  Richardson,  an  exhibitor  in 
Schroon  Lake,  N.  Y.,  has  left  for  Orlando, 
Fla.,  where  he  will  spend  the  winter.  Har- 
lan Nichols,  of  Keeseville,  N.  Y.,  is  also 
planning  to  spend  a  portion  of  the  winter 
in  the  south. 

*  *  * 

"The  Covered  Wagon"  will  be  shown  at 
the  Colonial  theatre  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on 
December  5,  at  prices  ranging  from  ten  to 
twenty  cents.  At  the  Rose  in  Troy,  N.  Y., 
"The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame"  is  book- 
ed for  November  8,  at  ten  cents  admission, 
the  lowest  price  to  be  asked  in  central 
New  York. 

*  *  * 

A  new  $25,000  theatre  will  be  built  by 
Mrs.  V.  A.  King  at  Greenville,  Texas, 
to  replace  the  old  Colonial,  destroyed  by 
fire  recently. 

*  *  * 

Tony    Ryan    has    resigned    as  resident 
branch  manager  for  First  National  at  Ok- 
lahoma City    and    is    succeeded    by    Ed.  • 
Brewer,  former  traveling  salesman. 

*  *  * 

Jewel  Hill  and  Dutch  Cameron  are 
opening  up  offices  in  Oklahoma  City  to 
handle  "Lustrewax"  and  will  also  handle 
the  state  rights  in  13  other  states. 

*  *  * 

The  San  Angelo  Amusement  Company 
has  purchased  a  lot  in  San  Angelo,  Texas, 
and  will  build  an  up  to  date  theatre  on  the 
site  in  the  near  future.  The  new  theatre 
will  seat  1,000  people  and  will  cost  about 
$40,000. 

P.  V.  Williams  has  placed  a  new  Repro- 
ducto organ  in  his    theatre    at  Munday, 

Texas. 

P.  C.  Montgomery,  special  representa- 
tive for  Producers  Distributing  Corpora- 
tion, out  of  the  Seattle  office,  is  laid  up  at 
Columbus  Sanitarium,  where  he  will 
undergo  an  operation. 


;  7AeSIGKALT0WER 


Johnny  Mack,  manager  of  the  Tivoli  Theatre,  New  York  City,  is  a  genius  at  arranging  striking  window  displays,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  above.    This  display  was  arranged  in  a  store  near  the  theatre,  for  the  engagement  of  Universal's  "The  Signal  Tower." 


November  22.  1924 


Page  51 


SHOWMANSHIP 

Begin  at  the  Beginning 


(Editors  Note :  The  author  of  this  article 
is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  new  St.  Regis 
Pictures  Corporation  releasing  through  As- 
sociated Exhibitors.  In  point  of  service  he 
is  one  of  the  oldest  advertising  and  exploita- 
tion managers  in  this  youthful  industry.) 

ASK  any  exploitation  manager  when 
he  thinks  the  groundwork  for  the 
exploitation  campaign  on  a  motion 
picture  should  be  laid,  and,  because 
there  are  more  real  showmen  in  the 
ranks  of  picture  exploitation  men  than 
are  under  any  other  big  tent  on  the  uni- 
verse, he  would  answer  right  back, 
and  without  a  moment's  hesitation : 
"When  the  picture  starts." 

But — that  same  exploitation  manager 
will  tell  you  that  it  is  not  always  pos- 
sible to  do  what  he  knows  is  the  right 
thing.  He  may  not  tell  you  why,  for 
obvious  reasons,  and  he  may  not  have 
been  on  the  lot  long  enough  at  any  time 
to-  know  the  exact  details  as  to  why 
such  an  important  feature  is  not  more 
universally  adopted. 

That,  however,  is  another  story.  The 
fact  remains  that  it  should  be  done  and 
it  can  be  done,  though  we  must  admit 
that  the  exploitation  man,  in  order  to 
make  his  demands  felt,  must  be  either 
production  supervisor  at  the  same  time 
or  part  of  the  producing  organization. 

The  correct  time  to  begin  anything  is 
at  the  beginning — and  that  holds  true 
about  exploitation  as  well  as  any  other 
thing  that  is  to  be  done  right. 

Exploitation  opportunities  are  the  am- 
munition for  showmanship. 

WHY  not  give  the  showman  his  op- 
portunities right  from  the  start? 
Why  handicap  him  by  making  him 
grasp  into  the  blue  air  for  them  when 
you  have  the  chance  to  use  his  energy 
in  putting  ready-made  chances  over  in 
the  biggest  way,  instead  of  expending 
some  of  it  to  do  things  which  you've 
willfully  left  undone? 

And — it  can  be  done,  in  the  begin- 
ning! Because  we  are  so  closely  asso- 
ciated with  it,  we  can  think  of  no  bet- 
ter example  than  the  film  adaptation 
which  is  now  being  made  of  J.  C.  Brow- 
nell's  magazine  novelette  "The  Ultimate 
Good"  by  St.  Regis  Pictures  for  Asso- 
ciated Exhibitors. 

One  thing  did  it — co-operation ! 
Just  as  co-operation  is  the  important 
cog  in  showmanship,  so  is  co-operation 


By   ARTHUR  HOERL 

the  important  cog  which  helps  make 
ammunition  for  the  showman.  E.  H. 
Griffith  directed  "The  Ultimate  Good." 
it  happened  that  Mr.  Griffith  was  at 
one  time  a  newspaper  man  who  held 
forth  in  Chicago,  San  Francisco  and 
other  big  cities.  Nobody  but  a  trained 
newspaper  man  could  ever  have  co-op- 
erated to  a  greater  extent  in  making 
showmanship  opportunities ;  the  stars, 
Conway  Tearle  and  Madge  Kennedy, 
knew,  without  being  told,  what  would 
be  the  value  even  to  them  personally 
of  such  opportunities  as  they  helped 
the  producer  create  for  the  showman. 


THE    correct    time  to 
start   the  exploitation 
campaign  is  when  the 
picture  starts. 


Why  don't  they  do  it 
oftener?  That,  as  some  fa- 
mous man  once  said,  is  an- 
other story. 

But  the  fact  that  it  can 
be  done  is  demonstrated 
by  the  methods  which  were 
used  to  make  "The  Ultimate 
Good"  what  will  probably  be 
one  of  the  most  exploited 
pictures  of  the  year. 


T.  Carlyle  Atkins,  president  of  St,  Re- 
gis, was  production  supervisor  which 
meant  co-operation  from  the  turn  of  the 
crank. 

NOW,  for  the  result :  We  will  name 
just  one  example — there  was  a 
theatre  scene  required  for  the  picture. 
Ordinarily  any  theatre  scene  will  suf- 
fice, just  as  you  might  say  any  drawing 
room  set  will  suffice  for  a  picture. 
Right  there  is  where  a  showmanship 
idea  comes  in.  Instead  of  "any"  theatre 
scene,  the  St.  Regis  boys  got  their  heads 
together  and  decided  there  was  a  chance 
to  put  in  an  opportunity  for  the  show- 


man, something  live,  something  to  hinge 
onto  even  out  in  the  sticks.  The  upshot 
was  that  the  now  nationally-famed 
"Counting  the  Hours"  number  from 
Earl  Carroll's  Vanities  of  1924,  just  as 
it  is  shown  on  the  stage  at  $4.40  and 
$5.50  per  seat,  was  transferred  to  the 
screen  and  became  a  part  of  "The  Ulti- 
mate Good." 

And  that  wasn't  the  half  of  it,  either. 
The  Vanities  had  already  been  tied  up 
locally  with  half-a-dozen  manufacturers 
of  nationally-used  articles.  The  result 
of  the  entry  of  the  play  into  the  picture 
meant,  ready-made,  a  half-a-dozen  na- 
tional tie-ups  with  over  fifteen  hundred 
outlets  throughout  the  country — fifteen 
hundred  potential  window  displays  and 
co-operative  advertisers  for  exhibitors 
everywhere. 

That,  mind  you,  from  but  one  se- 
quence in  the  picture ! 

ALSO,  tie-ups  arranged,  material 
prepared  and  indexed  even  before 
the  campaign  book  for  the  picture  goes 
into  work,  so  that  it  becomes  a  part  of 
the  definite  campaign  which  is  outlined 
to  the  showman. 

With  similar  methods  actual  exploi- 
tation tie-ups  were  arranged  with  man- 
ufacturers of  articles  which  are  house- 
hold words  in  every  city  and  hamlet 
around  the  country,  to  the  total  of  over 
five  thousand  agencies,  in  the  way  of 
shops,  department  stores  and  class  dis- 
tributors, which  are  potential  co-opera- 
tors with  the  showman. 

This  was  done,  mind  you,  without  a 
single  suggestion  of  advertising  of  any 
type,  kind  or  nature  in  the  film  itself. 
It  was  merely  the  establishing  of  live, 
human  accessories  to  help  put  over  the 
picture — 24  sheets,  as  it  were,  come  to 
life  when  the  picture  plays  in  any  city, 
anywhere.  Any  exploitation  man  with 
an  ounce  of  common  sense,  knows  that 
it  is  death  to  put  an  advertisement  obvi- 
ously into  a  film.  They've  tried  to  do 
it,  but  when  they  did  they  must  have 
been,  to  say  the  least,  slightly  misguid- 
ed. 

Exploitation  tie-ups  and  the  ammu- 
nition for  the  showman  can  be  put  into 
the  film  directly  but  not  obviously— 
and  it  can  be  done  only  at  the  begin- 
ning! 

That's  the  only  place  to  begin. 


Page  52 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Exploitation  Ideas 


OPPORTUNITY 

"Wine,"  originally  scheduled  for  re- 
lease late  in  December,  was  changed  to 
take  advantage  of  an  unusual  publicity 
"break"  which  Universal  executives 
capitalized  from  the  news  of  the  day. 
This  was  the  "floating  cabaret"  sup- 
posed to  be  hovering  in  New  York 
waters  just  off  the  12-mile  limit.  All 
New  York  newspapers  carried  columns 
about  this  mysterious  ship  and  papers 
all  over  the  country  copied  the  story. 

Because  of  a  similar  "12-Mile  Limit 
Cafe"  sequence  in  "Wine"  Universal 
took  advantage  of  the  peculiar  news 
story  and  by  a  clever  ad,  tied  up  the 
story  and  the  picture.  This  publicity 
was  broadcasted  all  over  the  country  by 
news  agencies  and  by  picture  agencies 
using  stills  from  "Wine." 

Advertising  broadsides  and  compre- 
hensive exploitation  campaigns  are  be- 
ing worked  out  by  Universal  along  the 
lines  of  the  "12-Mile  Limit  Cafe,"  to 
help  exhibitors  in  hitting  the  public 
with  this  picture  while  the  "floating  ca- 
baret" story  is  still  hot. 

*    *  * 

INGENIOUS  STUNT 

Unusual  attention  was  attracted  to 

"The  Navigator,"  playing  at  the  Cam- 

eraphone  Theatre  in  East  Liberty,  Pa., 

by  a  large  cut-out  of  Buster  mounted 

on  a  frame  with  the  head  detachable 

and  operated  by  a 

motor  which  made 

the   figure    roll  its 

head  and  eyes  in  a 

comical  and  life- 
like manner.  A  vic- 

trola   hidden  from 

view  and  equipped 

with     a  repeater 

played    "Asleep  in 

the     Deep."  The 

marquee     of  the 

theatre  was  decor- 
ated with  one-sheet 

cut-outs  of  Buster 

Keaton     in  sailor 

costume. 

This   exhibit  was 

supplemented  with 

another  which  was 

placed  on  view  in 

the   window    of  a 

prominent  shop. 

This  display  was  an 

automatic  book, 

which  opened  itself 

and  turned  its  own 

leaves     by  power. 

On  each  page  was  exhibited  a  hand 

painted  card  with  a  cartoon  of  Buster 

under  which  was  printed  a  snappy 
"gag."  The  keeper  of  the  store  in 
whose  window  this  book  was  exhibited 


PI 

|n  ov  elJu  n 

YOUHOT I 
WAN  Tgg  F|HA 

Bt  o|se  e||  i  t! 

Taking  advantage  of  the  rage  fcr  cross- 
word puzzles,  Vitagraph  utilized  this 
clever  idea  in  connection  with  an  exploita- 
tion campaign  on  "The  Clean  Heart," 
starring  the  ever  popular  Percy  Marmont. 

was  given  one  full  page  for  himself. 

In  addition-  to  these  methods  of 
arousing  interest  in  the  picture's  run 
in  East  Liberty  Flair  arranged  for  the 
granting  of  cut  rate  tickets  to  children 
in  the  public  schools  for  a  matinee  per- 
formance. 


When  the  Broadway  Theatre  at  Muskogee, 
Oklahoma,  played  Associated  Exhibitor's 
"Never  Say  Die,"  Manager  Harry  Marsh 
built  this  special  front  for  the  Douglas 
MacLean  comedy,  and  utilized  the  run- 
away cab  episode  as   a  horse  ballyhoo. 


NETTING  THEM 

One  of  the  most  attractive  campaign 
books  ever  created  by  the  Pathe  Ex- 
ploitation Department  in  connection 
with  the  launching  of  a  serial  produc- 
tion, was  released  to  the  trade  this 
week  in  the  form  of  a  24-page  com-' 
pendium  of  "Into  the  Net,"  a  thrilling 
police  and'  crook  story  written  by  Rich- 
ard E.  Enright,  Commissioner  of  the 
New  York  Police  Department  and  fea- 
turing Edna  Murphy. 

The  front  cover  of  this  elaborate 
"Into  the  Net"  press  book  features  in 
three  colors  a  snappy  twenty-four  sheet 
poster,  which  strikingly  bears  out  the 
theme  of  the  picture,  showing  a  power- 
ful guardian  of  the  law  with  a  fright- 
ened girl  clinging  to  his  arm  entwining 
a  net  around  a  band  of  murderous 
looking  thugs.  Considerable  space  is 
given  to  publicity  stories  as  well  as  to 
inexpensive  and  practical  ballyhoo  sug- 
gestions for  the  exhibitor's  convenience. 
An  additional  newspaper  page  insert 
contains  a  number  of  eye-catching  ads 
of  various  sizes. 

Also  illustrated  in  the  campaign  book 
are  a  heavy  nickel-plated  police  shield 
for  the  kiddies  and  a  souvenir  packet 
of  miniature  stills  representing  scenes 
taken  from  the  production,  a  novelty 
herald  throwaway  and  an  interest-grip- 
ping trailer. 

*    *  * 

CUT-OUTS 

Jess  Day,  mana- 
ger of  Palace  Thea- 
tre, Des  Moines, 
la.,  had  reason  to 
expect  big  business 
with  the  Warner 
Bros,  production, 
Rin  -  Tin  -  Tin  in 
"Find  Your  Man" 
— and  went  out  af- 
ter it. 

In  his  lobby  dis- 
play he  took  advan- 
tage of  the  cut-out 
opportunities  which 
the  producing  com- 
pany always  has  in 
mind  in  the  prep- 
aration of  their 
paper. 

Two  cut-  outs 
were  used  —  one 
from  a  three-sheet 
and  the  other  from 
the  six-sheet.  In  the 
three-sheet  cut-out 
the  picture  of  Rin-Tin-Tin  poised  on 
a  couple  of  rocks  on  the  bank  of  a 
turbulent  stream  was  mounted  on  a  cir- 
cular card  and  stood  out  about  three 
inches  from  a  bordered  background. 


The  JVoH)ehy  of  the  Season 


XShe 


Hal  Roach 


featur 


e  co 


medj 


Battling 


with 


GleimTiyon 


Study  the  following  pages.  They  will 
tell  you  how  you  can  make  much  money 
and*  many  friends  for  your  house. 


a1 


Page  54 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Above  we  discover  Glenn  Tryon 
and  Blanche  Mehaffey  foiling  the 
minions  of  the  law  at  the  end  of  a 
wild  chase  through  the  sacred  pre- 
cincts of  the  exclusive  club  which 
housed  the  ancient  "Battling  Ori- 
oles." Below  is  Glenn  himself  in 
the  role  of  Tommy  Roosevelt 
Tucker,  the  village  barber  and  town 
cut-up    who    goes    to    the  city. 


The  puzzle  in  the  picture  to  the 
left  is  to  decide  which  of  the,  dig- 
nitaries is  the  Admiral  and  which 
is  the  doorman  of  the  National 
Club.  Tommy  Tucker  and,  his 
friends  are  all  saluting  the  rising 
generation.  Below  Tommy  seems 
to  be  having  a  hot  time,  judging 
from  the  nervous  perspiration 
with    which    he    seems  afflicted. 


"The 
Battling  Orioles' 

A  Side  Splitting  Comedy  Built 
For  Big  Box-Office  Business 


In  "The  Battling  Orioles"  Pathe  Presents  Showmen 
With  a  Real  Bank-Roll  Booster 


NATION 


SECTION 


Get  In  the  Big  League  Money  With 


e  Battling  Orioles 


99 


ERE  is  a  photoplay 
with  a  box-office  wal- 
lop that  will  make 
Babe  Ruth's  home-run 
record  look  as  small  as 
a  newsboy's  income 
tax!  It's  a  punch-pic- 
ture if  ever  one  was 
produced.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  get  your  playdates  set,  and 
follow  the  exploitation  suggestions  in 
this  section  to  get  your  share  of  some 
real  world's  series  coin. 

Of  course,  "The  Battling  Orioles"  is 
comedy.  Rattling  good  comedy,  too. 
There  is  a  laugh  in  every  incident,  and 
plenty  of  thrills  besides.  It  is  a  film 
that  is  as  clean  as  a  Springtime  breeze 
and  just  as  thoroughly  enjoyable. 

The  handsome  hero  is  Tommy 
Rooseve'.t  Tucker.  The  part  is  played 
by  Glenn  Tryon.  And  he  makes  the 
youthful  go-getter 
barber  of  the  small 
town  a  figure  that 
everyone  will  love. 
Blanche  Mehaffey, 
the  girl  with  the 
glorious  eyes,  is 
his  sw  e  e  t  h  e  a  r  t 
Hope  Stanton,  and 
in  all  the  rapid  fire 
action  of  the  pic- 
ture, Blanche  is 
never  more  than 
one  jump  behind 
the  dynamic  Tom- 
my. 

It  seems  that 
way  ■  'back  in  the 
dark  ages  when 
weeping  willow 
foliage  was  the 
pride  of  the  young 
bloods  and  the 
despair  of  the 
necktie  manufac- 
turers, there  was  a 
ball  club  reveling 


in  the  name  of  the  "Battling  Orioles." 
You  know  the  kind  of  club  they  were. 
Despite  the  asparagus  that  fringed  each 
face,  they  were  all  hard  boiled  battlers. 
There  was  a  free-for-all  each  time  a 
run  was  scored,  and  it  generally  took 
about  two  umpires  for  each  inning  of 
play. 

Well,  when  the  good  old  days  slipped 
into  the  halcyon  past,  the  "Battling 
Orioles,"  degenerated  into  a  flock  of 
arm-chair  dodos.  They  gathered  daily 
at  the  National  Club  and  nursed  their 
respective  grouches.  They  were  ter- 
rible ! 

i 

THEN  one  of  the  members  stumbled 
across  Tommy  R.  Tucker,  and 
found  that  he  was  the  son  of  the  best 
battler  that  ever  batted  over  .300  for 
the  "Battling  Orioles."  So  "Cappy" 
Wolfe  decided  that  the  very  best  thing 


"Our  Gang"  helps  the  action  of  Pathe's  comedy,  "The  Battling  Orioles."    Here  they 
are  in  still  No,  33  which  will  help  you  tell  passersby  the  type  of  picture  you  are 
showing,  and  also  attract  attention  to  the  merchandise  displayed  in  the  tie-up  window. 


for  all  concerned  was  to  bring  Tommy 
back  to  town  to  bring  happiness  to  the 
kill- joys  that  had  once  rated  so  highly. 
And  then  the  fun  began. 

OF  course,  Tommy  was  tickled  to 
death  to  go.  Because  Hope  had 
travelled  to  the  big  city  in  charge  of 
her  uncle,  the  villainous  proprietor  of 
the  "Owl's  Eye,"  which,  in  the  ian- 
gauge  of  the  "bouncer"  was  "no  dump 
but  a  refined  joint." 

Tommy  started  on  his  mission  of 
cheer  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  Na- 
tional Club.  But  somehow  things 
weren't  so  good.  He  knew  some  good 
tricks,  such  as  the  one  with  the  rubber 
egg — but  the  ancient  Orioles  didn't 
seem  to  cheer  loudly  for  him  or  his 
entertainment. 

He  succeeded  in  accomplishing  a  lot 
of  things,  such  as  starting  a  fire,  and 
raising  general 
havoc  among  the 
members.  Finally 
the  boy  became  as 
disgusted  with  his 
father's  team 
mates  as  were  they 
with  him,  and  tell- 
ing them  a  few 
plain  truths  he  de- 
parted to  seek  his 
sweetheart  in  the 
dance-hall  that 
was  so  tough  that 
even  the  cat  had 
cauliflower  ears. 

No  sooner  had 
he  started  on  his 
quest,  than  who 
bumped  into  him 
but  Hope,  herself. 
She  was  breathless 
and  more  or  less 
disheveled.  In  a 
few  quick  words 
she  whispered  the 
glad    tidings  that 


a  lie 


56 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


she    was  fleeing 


world  ! 


from  the 

police,  having  been  made  a 
tool  in  one  of  the  "promo- 
tional" schemes  of  her  uncle 
and  his  boy  friend  who  had 
an  ingrowing  face  and  was 
called  "Jimmy  the  Mouse"  in 
rogues  gallery  circles. 

QUICK  action  followed 
quick  thought  with  Tom- 
my, and  before  Hope  knew 
just  what  it  was  all  about 
Tom  had  secured  the  aid  of 
a  husky  "cop"  to  help  him 
carry  a  heavy  basket  of 
laundry  into  the  club.  And 
in  the  basket  Hope  lay  con- 
cealed. 

This  was  the  last  straw ! 
A  female  woman  within  the 
sacred  precincts  of  the  most 
conservative  club  in  the  city ! 
Then  came  the  police,  and  in 
the  pursuit  that  followed  this 
home  for  aged  Orioles  was 
completely  demolished. 

Action?  You  can  tell  the 
Everyone  that  passes  his  coin  through 
your  box-office  window  is  in  for  a 
whirlwind  evening  with  "The  Bat- 
tling Orioles."  And  each  patron  will 
put  your  theatre  on  his  steady  call- 
ing list,  for  this  fun-film  is  one  of  the 
sort  that  will  make  every  laughter-lov- 
ing person  in  town  your  buddy  and 
the  firm  friend  of  your  playhouse. 

Well  to  get  back  to  the  story — all 
this  side-splitting  fun  is  only  a  build-up 
for  the  big  punch — the  audience  knock- 
out that  is  yet  to  come. 

Tommy,  separated  from  Hope, 
dashes  into  the  "Owl's  Eye"  to  see  just 
what  is  coming  off.  And,  oh  boy, 
what  a  rough  deal  he  gets  there!  It"s 
just  a  one-two-three  affair!  A  regu- 
lar triple  play !  Tommy  is  belted  from 
one  to  the  other  and  finds  himself  on 
the  outside  looking  in  before 
he  has  an  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve just  where  the  cyclone 
originated. 


AND  then — wonder  of 
wonders — as  he  picked 
himself  up  to  try,  try  again, 
he  was  confronted  by  the 
whole  outfit  of  "Battling 
Orioles  !"  There  they  were 
automobiles  full  of  them, 
waving  their  canes  and 
whiskers  in  the  air  and  sing- 
ing the  well  known  battle 
song  "Hail,  Hail,  the  Gang's 
All  Here." 

Tommy,  was  a  bit  dazed. 
He  wasn't  quite  sure  wheth- 
er or  not  these  wild-eyed 
oldsters  were  the  creations 
of  his  dizzy  brain.  But  soon 
the  situation  cleared.  This  is 
what  had  happened. 

One  of  the  "Orioles"  a  bit 
less  fossilized  than  the  rest, 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieiv 


Still  No.  120  from  Pathe's  "The  Battling  Orioles"  is  good 
for  a  laugh  in  any  window  where  it  is  shown.  With  appro- 
priate window  cards  it  will  make  an  excellent  tie-up  still. 


had  told  the  self-pitying  crowd  that 
Tommy  had  been  the  best  tonic  they 
had  taken  since  the  year  of  the  big 
wind.  He  pointed  out  that  one  had 
forgotten  his  lumbago  in  the  excite- 
ment ;  another  had  neglected  his  wheez- 
ing, and  still  another  had  forgotten  to 
make  faces  at  anyone  who  passed. 

THE  thought  had  trickled  through 
their  brain-pans,  and  they  dashed 
forth  en  masse  to  bring  Tommy  back. 
Chartering  cars,  some  straddled  the 
hoods,  other  clung  to  the  running 
boards,  a  couple  climbed  on  the  tire 
racks,  and  telling  the  chauffeurs  to 
"step  on  it"  they  careened  through  the 
streets  to  the  "Owl's  Eye"  in  search  of 
their  rejuvenator. 

And  they  arrived  just  in  time  to  ob- 
serve Tommy  come  hurtling  down  the 


Orioles 
up 


in 


Here  is  a  hair-tonic  tie-up  from  "The  Battling  Orioles"  that  will 
cause  folks  to  stop  and  smile.  This  Pathe  picture  is  a  hilarious 
comedy,  and  this  still,  No.  12,  will  help  you  to  tell  the  town. 


stairs,  and  sit  on  the  curb 
picking  stars  out  of  the  at- 
mosphere. After  mutual  ex- 
planations Tommy  said : 
"Well,  boys,  my  girl  is  inside 
there.  Do  you  kids  want  to 
help  me  get  here  ?" 
Did  they? 

Try  to  keep  'em  out !  Once 
again  they  were  "The  Bat- 
tling Orioles"  of  other  years. 
They  were  curly  wolves, 
wildcats,  tigers — and  it  was 
their  night  to  howl. 

In  they  swept,  Tommy  at 
the  head.  And  what  a  laugh 
went  up  from  the  inside  gang 
when  these  old  grand-daddies 
crashed  onto  the  dance  floor. 
Little  did  those  rough-necks 
know  that  in  their  hearts 
flamed  the  unconquerable 
spirit  of  the  "Battling  Ori- 
oles." An  ultimatum  was 
delivered  and  rejected.  And 
the  fight  was  on. 

What  a  battle!  What  the 
lacked  in  vigor  they  made 
strategy.  Your  patrons  will 
never  forget  the  old  boy  who  makes 
a  sling-shot  of  his  suspenders  and 
catapults  bottles  against  the  thick 
craniums  of  his  opponents.  Nor  will 
they  fail  to  smile  when  they  think  of 
the  antiquated  battler  who  stations 
himself  behind  the  bar,  and  pays  him- 
self a  good  cigar  every  time  he  scores 
a  hit  with  the  glassware  he  hurls  with 
such  deadly  effect. 

AND  the  fat  old  fellow  who  finds 
that  his  most  effective  way  of  bat- 
tling is  to  lie  under  a  table  and  trip 
every  anti-Oriole  by  crooking  his  cane 
about  enemy  ankles.  Then  there  are 
the  two  antiquated  gladiators  that  de- 
cide on  a  bit  of  team  work.  One  mounts 
the  others  shoulders  and  armed  with  a 
window-pole  they  charge 
upon  their  adversaries.  It 
is  a  battle  royal  with  a  ven- 
geance ! 

In  the  end  the  hordes  of 
"Owl's  Eye"  Vandals  are 
completely  subdued.  Mean- 
time, on  an  upper  floor 
Tommy  wages  his  own  pri- 
vate battle  with  dear  Uncle 
Sid  and  "Jimmy  the  Mouse." 
He,  too,  combines  bravery 
with  strategy,  and  after  a 
red  hot  melee  emerges  tri- 
umphant. 

The  final  scene  is  Tommy 
coming  down  stairs  with  "his 
girl"  safe  on  his  arm,  while 
"The  Battling  Orioles"  are 
gathered  in  a  group  singing 
a  hymn  of  victory — "Hail, 
Hail  the  Gang's  All  Here !" 

Such  is  the  picture  that 
has  been  selected  for  this 
week's  National  Tie-Up,  and 
it's  going  to  be  a  hum-dinger. 


Nov 


ember  22, 


1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


ige 


57 


Smash  Out 
A  Showmanship  Home  Run! 

B 


ESIDE  being 


a  picture  that  is  a 
four  base  hit  so  far  as  entertain- 
ment value  is  concerned,  "The 
Battling  Orioles"  assays  more  exploita- 
tion to  the  square  inch  of  film  than 
there  is  gold  in  the  Yukon. 

You  have  a  crackerjack  attraction 
in  this  fast  moving  comedy,  and  the 
showmanship  thing  to  do  is  to  shout  so 
loudly  about  it  that  folks  will  come 
over  from  the  next  town  to  take  a 
look-in  at  your  theatre. 

When  you  have  a  picture  that  is 
sure  to  please  your  patrons  don't'  hesi- 
tate to  tell  them  of  it.  Use  every  bit 
of  exploitation  that  is  available,  and 
your  efforts  will  echo  at  the  box-office. 

These  suggestions  will  help  you  to 
think  of  many  others.  Some  of  them 
may  not  be  appropriate  for  your  town, 
but  they  all  may  be  adapted  by  making 
a  few  minor  changes  to  meet  local  con- 
ditions. So  plan  your  campaign  now. 
Then  book  the  picture,  and  your  play- 
dates  will  be  red  letter  days  in  the 
history  of  your  playhouse. 


Remember  When 


One  thing  that  you  should  use  in 
your  advertising,  window  cards,  and 
where  ever  possible  is  the  "remember 
when"  idea.  On  throwaways,  in  con- 
nection with  some  old  time  pictures  in 
your  lobby  or  in  shop  windows,  make 
use  of  the  query  "Do  You  Remember 
When  ?"  Think  of  all  the  ques- 
tions you  can  ask  about  people  and 
things  of  yesterday.  They 
will  all  bring  back  mem- 
ories to  the  oldtimers  and 
arouse  interest. 

For  instance,  "Do  You 
Remember  When  Maggie 
Cline  sang  'Throw  Him 
Down  McCloskey  ?'  "  "Do 
You  Remember  When  Lily 
Langtry  was  called  'The 
Jersey  Lily?'"  and  so  on. 
Then  to  catch  the  genera- 
tion that  is  not  so  old  try 
some  about  the  Spanish 
War  or  similar  events 
more  recent.  And  don't  for- 
get to  reiterate  the  query: 
"Do  You  Remember  When 
'T  h  e  Batt'ing  Orioles' 
Won  the  Pennant?" 


national  sport — baseball.  Every  true 
American  is  a  baseball  fan,  and  you 
must  take  advantage  of  the  fact  to  col- 
lect more  coin  with  your  own  ball  club 
"The  Battling  Orioles." 

This  may  be  done  in  many  ways. 
You  should  have  men — preferably  a 
whole  baseball  nine- — parade  the  streets. 
Make  sure  that  they  wear  the  type  of 
hirsute  adornment  favored  back  in  '74. 
One  might  carry  a  sign  stating  that 
"The  Battling  Orioles"  will  play  at  the 
home  grounds  (your  theatre)  on  cer- 
tain dates. 

A  good  bally  would  be  to  have  your 
"Battling  Oriole"  baseball  nine  in  com- 
plete regalia,  whiskers  and  all,  get  off 
the  train  at  the  station  and  be  escorted 
through  town  by  a  brass  band.  Make 
all  the  fuss  in  the  world  over  them  just 
as  though  it  was  the  home  team  coming- 
back  with  a  pennant. 

Another  way  is  to  have  a  big  score 
board  before  your  theatre  showing  a 
tied  score.  Borrow  from  the  "morgue" 
of  your  newspaper  pictures  of  the  old 
time  ball  teams.  Use  them  in  lobby 
displays,  and  in  the  shop  windows  all 
over  town.  Give  baseballs  away  to  the 
kids.  Organize  your  own  team  among 
the  boys,  and  call  it  'The  Battling 
Orioles."  Get  the  endorsement  of  the 
captain  of  one  of  the  local  ball  clubs 
of  old.  Offer  free  tickets  to  all  the 
men  over  a  certain  age  who  played  on 
the  town  team.  Get  stories  about  excit- 
ing games.  Conduct  newspaper  con- 
tests offering  pass  prizes  for  anecdotes 


Here  is  the  Babe  Ruth  of  "The  Battling 
Orioles."  He  is  none  other  than  Glenn 
Tryon  who  swings  a  mean  bat  in  the 
Pathe  comedy.  This  and  similar  stills  will 
get  laughs  and  business  for  your  showing. 

of  thrilling  moments  on  the  diamond. 

Play  this  baseball  angle  for  all  it  is 
worth  in  as  many  .ways  as  you  can 
think  of.  And  start  your  exploitation 
well  in  advance  of  your  showing.  Get 
everyone  talking  about  "The  Battling 
Orioles"  even  before  they  know  that  it 
is  the  name  of  the  picture  that  is  com- 
ing to  your  theatre. 


Whiskers 


Ever 
soap,  or 


Baseball 


One  of  the  outstanding 
things  in  the  picture  is  the 


Still  No.  88  is  good  for  a  smile  and  also  for  a  tie-up  with  hair 
tonics.  It  is  one  of  many  comical  scenes  in  Pathe's  laugh  maker, 
"The  Battling  Orioles,"  starring  Glenn  Tyron  and  Blanche  Mehaffey. 


notice  the  ads  for  shaving 
razors,  or  whatever  it  is  ?  Re- 
member the  sports  of  a 
by-gone  day,  with  their 
carefully  cultivated  crops 
of  alfalfa?  In  these  days 
of  clean  shaves  and  boyish 
bobs  they  are  a  scream, 
aren't  they?  Play  'em  up. 
Cash  in  on  those  whiskers 
with  your  picture. 

Offer  prizes  for  photos 
from  the  old  family  album 
showing  the  town's  leading 
citizens  all  decked  out  in 
the  fashion  that  was  so  bon 
ton  then  and  seems  so  ludi- 
crous now. 

Advertise  free  admis- 
sion to  all  men  wearing 
side-burns  or  whiskers  of 
a  certain  length.  Have 
every  barber  in  town 
working  for  you — not  for- 
getting  that  Tommy 
Roosevelt  Tucker,  the 
hero,  is  a  "tonsorial  art- 
(Continued  on  page  60) 


ORIOLES 


tvtth 


But  ...» 


into 


got 

never  saw      »»  • 
c°ngreM  „f  .l  "yUl,nSr  fibre  it  ,t. 


Page  60 


NATIONAL  £Tl3nM?1^@12JI  £^  SECTION  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


ist."  Get  together  with  one  of  the 
newspaper  boys  and  have  him  inter- 
view the  barbers  regarding  the  style 
change  in  face  frills.  All  these  things 
are  good  for  a  laugh — and  at  the  same 
time  are  interesting. 

Set  up  a  barber  chair  in  the  lobby 
and  give  the  girls  free  bobs  with  every 
ticket  for  "The  Orioles."  Advertise 
that  you  will  give  a  shave  with  every 
ticket. 

Cooperate  with  the  best  barber  shop 
in  town  so  that  there  are  coupons  at- 
tached to  your  tickets  which  entitle 
holders  to  discounts.  Tie-up  with  the 
drug  stores  and  beauty  parlors  for 
samples  of  shaving  soap  or  massage 
cream.  Stage  contests  with  razors  for 
prizes.  Remember  you  are  showing  a 
comedy,  and  it  is  up  to  you  to  get  the 
town  snickering  about  "The  Battling 
Orioles/'  and  baseball,  and  whiskers 
before  you  "break"  your  announce- 
ment. 


Laundry 


Another  bally  is  to  have  a  young 
man  attired  as  a  small  town  wise- 
cracker,  the  part  Glenn  Tryon  plays  in 
the  picture,  and  a  big  fellow  dressed 
as  a  "cop"  parade  the  streets  with  a 
big  laundry  basket  containing  a  pretty 
girl. 

There  is  such  a  scene  in  the  picture, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  funniest  in  the 
film.  Laundry  tie-ups  are  in  order 
every  way  you  can  work  them.  See 
that  every  laundry  in  the  city  inserts 
cards  in  each  package  calling  attention 


to  your  theatre  and  the  fact  that  "The 
Battling  Orioles"  will  play  a  post-sea- 
son series  there. 

Have  every  wagon  carry  banners 
telling  of  your  show.  They  will  work 
with  you  in  exchange  for  a  card  in 
the  lobby,  or  a  slide  op.  the  screen. 
Don't  overlook  a  single  exploitable 
angle  of  this  picture.  Every  bit  of 
showmanship  you  exert  will  mean 
extra  greenbacks  in  the  bank. 


Marines 


If  there  is  a  recruiting  station  near- 
by tie-up  with  them  on  "The  Battling 
Orioles."  The  fact  that  they  are  the 
battlers  of  the  sea,  and  that  a  husky 
marine  and  an  Admiral  are  featured  in 
the  picture  furnish  sufficient  basis  for 
cooperative  work. 

In  exchange  for  helping  to  sell  your 
show  via  their  recruiting  placards  and 
so  on,  you  can  give  them  publicity  in 
your  theatre.  Have  a  recruiting  officer 
stationed  in  the  lobby  during  your 
showing,  let  him  make  a  recruiting 
speech  at  each  performance.  If  there 
is  no  marine  recruiting  station  cooper- 
ate with  a  local  military  organization. 


You  can't  blame  Tommy  for  laughing  at 
this  old  "Oriole."  The  people  of  the  town 
will  laugh  with  him  at  Pathe's  "The  Bat- 
tling Orioles."  Use  still  No.  37  and  others 
like  it  to  advertise   this    big  attraction. 


Your  lobby  decorations  should  be 
reminiscent  of  either  a  ball  game  or  a 
barber  shop.  Either  will  attract  atten- 
tion from  passersby.  If  you  use  the 
ball  park  idea,  make  your  front  look 
as  much  as  possible  like  the  entrance 
to  the  local  ball  grounds.  Have  kids 
selling  peanuts  and  programs,  see  that 
your  programs  are  printed  like  score 
cards,  have  sierns  over  a  dock,  or  an 
imitation  reading  "Game  Starts  at — " 
and  of  course,  the  clock  will  always  in- 
dicate that  the  game  is  just  to  begin. 
If  you  have  two  ad- 
mission prices,  make 
one  apply  to  the 
grand  stand  and  one 
to  the  bleachers. 


The  barber  shop 
lobby  will  require 
similar  treatment  in- 
asmuch as  the  idea 
will  be  to  make  the 
front  look  like  Tom- 
my Roosevelt  Tuck- 
er's tonsorial  parlor. 
If  you  use  this  one, 
be  sure  that  the  bar- 
ber himself  is  in  evi- 
dence and  make  him 
up  to  look  as  nearly 
as  possible  as  Glenn 
Tryon  does  in  the 
picture.  This  sort  of 
lobby  would  combine 
nicely  with  the  free 
bob  stunt. 


Tommy  Roosevelt  Tucker  gets  in  lots  of 
trouble  in  Pathe's  "Battling  Orioles,"  but 
quick  wit  and  lots  of  nerve  get  him  out  of 
it.  Still  No.  48  from  the  production  offers 
several  obvious   tie-ups   for   the  picture. 

An  amusing  touch  would  be  to  have 
a  couple  of  old  men  in  silk  hats  and 
so  forth  standing  in  the  lobby  or 
in  front  of  the  theatre  playing  ball. 
There  might  be  three  of  them — a  pitch- 
er, a  catcher  and  a  man  at  bat.  A  sign 
could  advise  the  public  that  they  were 
warming  up  for  the  big  game  inside. 

Don't  overlook  the  split-a-page  ad  in 
connection  with  your  showing  of  "The 
Battling  Orioles."  Every  merchant  in 
town  will  come  in  on  one  grand  glor- 
ious double  truck  publicity  smash  for 
his  shop  and  your  show. 

You  can ,  tie-up  with  every  store 
on  the  simple  proposition  that  the  out- 
fit was  in  business  when  the  "Battling 
Orioles"  were  baseball  champions. 


Here  is  a  massage  cream  tie-up  that  will  secure  window  pub- 
licity for  your  showing  of  "The  Battling  Orioles."  The  still 
number  is  112,  and  Glenn  Tryon  plays  the  village  barber. 


November  22.  1924 


NATIONAL 


SECTION 


Page  61 


WINDOWS  THAT  WIN 
PA  TR  ON  A  GE 


A 


S  soon  as  you  know  your  playdates 
step  on  the  gas  to  secure  every 
window  in  town  for  a  big  publicity 
smash  for  your  showing  of  "The  Batt- 
ling Orioles."  In  addition  to  the  Na- 
tional Tie-Up  manufacturers  who  are 
backing  you  with  all  the  cumulative 
value  of  million  dollar  advertising  cam- 
paign, go  after  the  local  merchants  also. 
Remember  that  every  window  carrying 
cards  and  stills  from  your  attraction 
means  actual  box-office  patronage  for 
your  theatre.  This  has  been  proven — 
there  are  no  "ifs,  ands  or  buts"  about  it. 

The  picture  you  are  showing  is  a 
comedy,  therefore  make  sure  that  your 
window  exploitation  gets  a  laugh.  There 
are  any  number  of  humorous  stills  to 
help.  In  fact  with  a  laugh-making  pic- 
ture like  "The  Battling  Orioles"  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  have  a 
still  which  was  not  a  smile-provoker. 

For  beauty  shops  and  specialty  shops  ; 
for  anything  having  to  do  with  beauti- 
ful womanhood  use  stills  of  Blanche 
Mehaffey.  She  is  practically  the  only- 
girl  in  the  cast.  And  she  is  plenty. 
Her  eyes  will  make  them  stop  and  look, 
both  at  your  theatre  announcement  and 
the  goods  displayed  by  your  tie-up  mer- 
chant partners. 

Stills  such  as  No.  38  will  enable  you 
to  secure  window — and  other — coopera- 
tion from  every  laundry  in  town.  And 
the  laundries  are  visited  by  a  whole 
lot  of  people  whom  you  can  interest  in 
your  theatre's  attraction. 

A  PICTURE  like  110  has  a  fine 
comedy  touch,  and  it  may  also  be 
used  in  tying-up  children's  wear  win- 
dows, haberdash- 
ers, maid's  apparel, 
and  even  with  the 
United  States  itself 
through  the  U.  S. 
Marines.  Such 
stills  as  Nos.  113,  5 
and  others  should 
be  used  in  profu- 
sion they  have  ac 
tion  value,  and 
serve  to  show  that 
there  is  a  lot  of  ex- 
citement in  the  film 
in  addition  to  the 
laughter  that  will 
fill  the  house.  In 
Still  No.  67  you 
have  a  specific  tie- 
up  with  billiard 
academies,  or  shops 
selling  tables,  cues, 
or  a  n  y  of  the 
equipment  neces- 
sary to  the  game. 


Still  No.  7  is  only  one  that  will  make 
every  barber  in  town  come  to  see  your 
show  and  tell  his  patrons  to  do  so  like- 
wise. 


Still  No.  38  from  Pathe's  "The  Battling 
Orioles"  will  enable  you  to  secure  window 
and  other  cooperation  from  every  laundry. 

Don't  forget  these  barber  boys  have 
a  great  reputation  as  talkers,  and  there 
is  no  reason  at  all  why  every  "shave 
and  haircut"  should  not  walk  right  out 
of  the  shop  and  attend  your  show  at 
the  barber's  suggestion. 

There  is  a  thrill  in  still  No.  43,  and 
also  tie-up  value  for  clothes  and  jewel- 
ry— not  to  mention  beauty.  Of  course 
there  is  a  very  logical  tie-up  with  all 
the  sporting  goods  stores  and  "The 
Battling  Orioles." 


No.  58  shows  Hope  and  Tommy  in  the  club  which  housed  the  doddering  Orioles 
before  Tom  brought  them  back  to  life  and  battle.  The  ttill  will  also  tie-up  with 
electric  fans,  feminine  apparel,  evening  clothes,  medicines  and  other  things. 


Displays  of  sporting  goods  will  at- 
tract attention  to  your  show,  and  the 
stills  with  which  you  decorate  the  win- 
dows will  bring  customers  to  the  shop. 
It  is  a  50-50  proposition  benefiting 
both  you  and  your  tie-up  friends. 

STILL  No.  15  shows  Blanche  Me- 
haffey and  Glenn  Tryon  in  a  ten- 
der moment.  Blanche  used  to  be  in  the 
Follies,  and  her  beauty  is  far-famed. 
This  still  will  make  an  attractive  tie-up 
for  such  articles  as  beaded  bags,  ear- 
rings, pearls,  wraps,  millinery,  mens' 
hats,  neckties  and  clothing. 

You  may  even  tie-up  with  art  dealers 
and  interior  decorators  with  pictures 
like  No.  87  which  shows  the  exclusive 
club  where  the  Orioles  made  their  home. 
No.  90  is  an  appealing  still  which  will 
help  you  to  secure  windows  from  shops 
selling  pets,  especially  dogs,  while  No. 
76  will  go  well  in  windows  featuring 
chess  boards  or  other  similar  amuse- 
ment equipment. 

No.  3  is  a  good  comedy  still,, 
while  No.  44  shows  a  lot  of  action  be- 
side being  good  for  a  laugh.  This  lat- 
ter picture  will  also  tie-up  with  fem- 
inine apparel  such  as  silk  sweaters, 
blouses,  lace  collars,  sport  skirts  and 
so  on.    No.  9  is  in  the  same  vein. 

THERE  are  any  number  of  pictures 
that  will  get  you  the  barber  vote. 
No.  114  is  one  of  them  which  is  a  cork- 
ing good  hair  tonic  tie-up.  Among  the 
others  look  at  No.  Ill,  116,  49,  109,  103 
and  7.  The  pictures  of  Tommy  show- 
ing his  various  tricks  to  the  unappreci- 
ative  Orioles  are  most  laughable,  and 
in  addition  to  hav- 
ing tie-up  value 
with  various  ar- 
ticles ranging  from 
silk  hats  to  cigars, 
shops  selling  novel- 
ties and  the  differ- 
ent paraphernalia 
used  in  parlor  mag- 
ic. To  get  the  idea 
glimpse  Nos.  11, 
59,  52,  80  and  16. 
It  should  be  pos- 
sible to  tie-up  with 
music  stores  with 
No.  25  and  others 
like  it.  In  this  still 
the  "Battling  Ori- 
oles" are  shown 
singing  after  their 
historic  battle  in 
"The  Owl's  Eye," 
and  the  vanquished 
ruffians  are  all 
used  in  windows  of 


Page  62 


NATIONAL 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


joining  in  the  chorus,  while  Tommy 
Tucker  weilds  the  baton. 

No.  51  and  No.  64  show  the  pretty 
little  Hula  dancer  who  was  one  of  the 
entertainers  in  the  cabaret.  She  is  cer- 
tainly a  pretty  girl,  and  her  pictures 
will  help  the  appearance  of  any  window. 

A GOOD  still  showing  the  battle  as  it 
starts  is  No.  19.  It  is  replete  with 
action  and  proves  to  your  prospective 
patrons  that  they  are  in  for  some 
speedy  entertainment  when  they  see 
"The  Battling  Orioles." 

There  is  a  good  optical  goods  tie-up 
in  still  No.  95  in  which  Glenn  Tryon 
has  placed  the  glasses  of  one  of  the 
grouchie'st  "Battling  Orioles"  on  the 
nose  of  a  statue.  A  card  to  the  effect 
that  everyone  should  have  his  eyes  ex- 
amined so  as  not  to  miss  any  of  the 
picture,  will  serve  to  remind  folks  that 
they  should  attend  to  their  optics  and 
that  they  cannot  afford  to  miss  your 
attraction. 

The  fact  that  the  ancient  Orioles  are 
rejuvenated  through  their  wild  experi- 
ences with  Tommy  Roosevelt  Tucker 
offers  a  drug  store  tie-up  with  some 
sort  of  tonic.  The  idea  is  to  take  the 
tonic  and  see  the  picture  in  order  to 
restore  youth  and  good  humor. 

The  anti-grouch  idea  may  be  played 
up  in  both  window  cards  and  other  ex- 


This  still  from  Pathe's  "The  Battling  Orioles"  will  enable  you  to  tie-up  with  news- 
dealers and  barber  shops  for  your  showing  of  this  laughable  comedy.  The  hero 
is  Glenn  Tryon,  who  plays  the  part  of   the   sporting   barber   in   a    small  town. 


Tommy  and  Hope  think  they  have  escaped  from  their  pur- 
suers, but  their  troubles  are  just  beginning.  This  is  one  of 
the  many  humorous  episodes  from  Pathe's  "The  Battling 
Orioles."    The  still  is  No.  113  and  conveys  the  atmosphere 

of  the  story. 

ploitation.  You  might  found  an  anti- 
grouch  club,  or  offer  a  prize  for  any 
grouch  not  completely  removed  after 
viewing  "The  Battling  Orioles."  Throw- 
aways  in  sealed  envelopes  marked 
"Grouch  Cure"  will  help  the  gross.  In- 
side would  be  your  announcement  that 
even  the  most  ingrowing  grouch  may 
be  dispelled  by  a  visit  to  your  theatre. 
The  same  thought  may  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  any  sort  of  window  dis- 
play. For  instance,  put  a  sign  in  candy 
shops :  "Don't  be  a  grouch.  Take  home 


a  box  of  candy  and  take  the  family  to 
see  "The  Battling  Orioles." 

A  window  idea  that  will  surely  pay 
dividends  is  to  arrange  with  some  mer- 
chant to  have  a  good  looking  girl  dem- 
onstrate some  product,  and  at  the  same 
time  show  the  crowd  outside  a  collec- 
tion of  stills  from 
your  attraction.  Do 
not  overlook  the  ad- 
vantage of  using  pos- 
ters from  the  produc- 
tion as  background  in 
your  w  i  n  d  o  w  dis- 
plays. The  lithos  are 
colorful  and  well  ex- 
ecuted. They  will  ac- 
complish the  purpose 
of  stopping  people  be- 
fore the  windows,  and 
your  stills,  window 
cards  and  the  mer- 
chants displays  will 
do  the  rest.  Remem- 
ber that  you  should 
secure  all  types  of  pa- 
ronage  for  this  pic- 
ture, and  don't  ne- 
glect any  opportunity 
to  sell  your  attraction. 
All  sorts  of  windows 
should  be  used,  for  in 
this  way  you  will  get 
attention  from  folks  who  will  look  in 
at  certain  kinds  of  stores  but  are  not 
interested  in  others. 


will  make  people  pause.  This  has  been 
proven  time  and  time  again.  It  has 
worked  for  innumerable  others,  and  it 
will  work  for  you.    Try  and  see. 

Next  to  having  actual  living  creatures 
in  your  windows,  the  best  bet  is  to  stim- 
ulate life.  This  may  be  done  with 
dummies.  For  instance,  your  largest 
window  might  be  arranged  with  a  num- 
ber of  figures  representing  young  Tom- 
mv  Tucker  and  the  "Battling  Orioles." 
The  display  would  serve  the  double 
purpose  of  giving  your  show  some 
smashing  publicity,  and  also  featuring 
whatever  merchandise  your  display- 
partner  wished  to  push.  Don't  confine 
your  window  advertising  to  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  your  theatre.  Extend 
its  scope,  you  will  be  surprised  at  the 
patronage  you  will  draw. 


R1 


EMEMBER  in  arranging  your 
window  displays  that  action  al- 
ways gets  attention.  If  you  can  intro- 
duce living  things  into  your  displays 
you  will  find  that  the  crowds  stopping 
before  the  windows  will  greatly  in- 
crease. One  idea  might  be  to  have 
some  live  birds — presumably  orioles — 
in  the  window.  But  a  rabbit,  a  pup,  a 
kitten  and  a  ball  for  it  to  play  with, 


The  Auto  Vacuum 
Ice  Cream  Freezer 

Beats  Alaska  For 
Keeping  You  Cool 

THE  story  of  the  Klondike — in  the  land  of 
the  Yukon — as  told  in  "Chechahcos,"  so 
strongly  suggests  the  idea  of  keeping  cool 
that  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if,  anywhere  in 
the  world,  there  could  be  a  better  exploitation 
tie-up  for  you  chan  that  you  can  get  from 
the  Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Company  through 
their 

'CHECHAHCOS' 

WINDOW  DISPLAYS 

All  you  have  to  do  is  mark  the  spot  in  the 
"Chechahcos"  coupon  and  the  big  co- 
operative merchandising  ball  will  start  roll- 
ing. You  will  then  reap  the  benefit  of  all  the 
national  advertising  on  the  greatest  ice 
cream  freezer  in  the  world. 

Auto  Vacuum  Freezer  Co.,  Inc. 

220  W«t  42nd  Street  New  York  City 


November  22,  1924 


Page  63 


Window  Display  Material 
For  National  Tie-Ups  On 
"The  Battling  Orioles" 


WHEN  you  book  "The  Battling  Orioles"  call  immediately  on  all  mer- 
chants carrying  the  nationally  known  products  listed  below.  They  will 
all  lend  hearty  cooperation  in  a  mutual  publicity  campaign  conducted 
through  their  windows.  Then  write  Exhibitors  Trade  Review  stating  your 
playdates  and  the  number  of  sets  of  window  display  material  you  require  on 
each  National  Tie-Up.    Your  communication  will  receive  our  prompt  attention. 


PRITCHARD  &  CONSTANCE 

New  York  City 

Product:  i'AmamV  Shampoo 

Display  Material:  Cards,  Posters 

Tie-Up:  Druggists,  Department  Stores,  Beauty 
Shops,  Barber  Shops 


FINE  &  LEVY,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:   "Sure-FW'  Caps 
Display  Material:     Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:   Habprdashers,  Hatters 


AUTO  STROP  SAFETY  RAZOR 

New  York  City 

Product:  Safety  Razors 

Display  Material:  Cards,  Cut-Outs 

Tie-Up:    Druggists,  Department  Stores, 
Hardware  Stores 


JULIUS  KLORFFEIN 

New  York  City 

Product:   "Garcia  Grande"  Cigars 
Display  Material:    Card,  Posters 
Tie-Up:   Cigar  Shops,  and  Stands 


FRANKLIN  KNITTING  MILLS 

New  York  City 

Product:  "Fashionknit,,  Neckwear 
Display  Material:   Cards,  Posters 
Tie-Up:  Haberdashers,  Department  Stores 


THERMO  MILLS,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:   "Thermo"  Sport  Coats 

Display  Material:   Cards,  Posters 

Tie-up:  Sport  Shops,  Department  Stores, 
Haberdashers 


WM.  P.  GOLDMAN  &  BROS.,  Inc. 

New  York  City 

Product:  "G.  G.  G."  Clothes 
Display  Material:   Cut-Onts,  Posters,  Cards 
Tie-Up:   Clothiers,  Department  Stores 


PAUL  WESTPHAL 

New  York  City 

Product:    WestphaVs  i(Auxiliator" 

Display  Material:   Cards,  Posters 

Tie-Up:  Beauty  Shops,  Druggists,  Department 
'  %  Stores,  Barber  Shops 


battling 

Orioles" 


The  Hero 

v    Thought  he  was  a  born  entertainer;  but  he  was  better 
at  loving  and  fighting. 


The  Girl 

A  sweet  young  thing.  She  should  have  known  better 
than  stick  her  pretty  head  into  that  tough  joint. 


The  Tough 

If  you'd  met  him  while  alone,  late  at  night,  you'd  have 
climbed  a  tree.   He  was  just  as  bad  as  he  looked. 


The  Clubmen 

If  you'd  spoken  to  them  without  introduction,  they'd 
have  called  the  police.  Sleepy,  bored  old  dubs.  But 
how  they  waked  up ! 

if  you  look,  You'll  Hook  Pafhepicture 

trade  OFT 


November  22.  1924 


Page  65 


m  55  5555 55  55  55  55  55  4 


Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 


Here  Will  Be  Found  the  Essential  Details  of  Productions  That  Have 
Reviewed  in  the  Columns  of  This  Journal  in  Preceding  Months, 
Including  Name  of  Director  and  Length  of  Film. 


Been 


Title 

West  Bound   

Slow  as  Lightning  . . 
Love's  Whirlpool 

Try  and  Get  It  

The   Average  Woman. 

My  Man   

The  Hill  Billy   

The  Goldfish   

The  Unknown  Purple 
Drums  of  Jeopardy  .  . 

On  Time   

Damaged    Hearts    .  . . 
Yankee  Madness 
Galloping  Gallagher 


Title 

$20  a  Week   

Borrowed  Husbands 
Wandering  Husbands   . . . 

Miami   

The  Covered  Trail   

The  Lone  Wolf   

King  of  Wild  Horses  . . . 

Girl  Shy   

The  Average  Woman  . . . 

Pal  O'Mine   

His   Forgotten  Wife  

Silent  Stranger   

Beloved  Vagabond   

A  Girl  of  the  Limberlost. 


MARCH 

Star 

J.  B.  Warner  

Kenneth  -  McDonald . 
Kirkwood-Lee  .... 
Bryant  Washburn.. 
Pauline  Garon  . . . 
Milier-Farnum 
Jack  Pickford  .... 
C.   Talmadge  .... 

Walthall   

E.  Hammerstein  .  . 
Richard  Talmadge. 

All-Star   

Geo.  Larkin  .... 
Fred  Thomson   .  . . 


Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Sunset   Mar.  15 

Sunset   Mar.  1 

Prod.    Dist  6177  Mar.  2 

Prod.    Dist  5707  Mar.  9 

Burr   Mar.  1 

Vitagraph    ...7,000  Mar.    9   Feb.  23 

Allied   P.   &  D  Mar.  9 

First    National....  Mar.  30 

Truart   Mar.  23 

Truart   Mar.  1 

Truart   Mar.  1 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  3 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  31 

F.  B.  O  Mar.  31 


APRIL 

Star  Distributor  Length 

Geo.  Arliss   Selznick   

Florence  Vidor  ...Vitagraph  ...7,000 
Kirkwood-Lee   ....  Prod.  Dist.  . .  .4695 

Compson   Prod.  Dist  6317 

J.  B.  Warner  Sunset  

Holt-Dalton   Asso.  Exhb  

Spec.   Cast   Pathe  ......5,000 

H.  Lloyd   Pathe   8,000 

H.   Ford-Garon    ..Burr   Pict  6400 

Irene   Rich   C.  B.  C  6070 

Madge  Bellamy  

Fred  Thomson   

Carlyle  Blackwell  

Gloria  Grey   


Release  Review 
Apr.  12 

Apr.  13   May  10 
Apr.  20   May  17 
Apr.  27  June  14 
Apr.  15 
Apr.  27 
Apr.  13 

Apr.  20  Apr.  12 
Apr.  15 

Apr.  18  June  14 
Apr.  14 
Apr.  21 
Apr.  21 
Apr  28 


MAY 


Title 

After  A  Milion   

Behind  2  Guns   

White  Shadows   

What  Shall   1  Do   

The  Lightning  Rider   

Between  Friends   

Virtuous  Liars   

One  Law  for  the  Woman.  . 

The  Desert  Secret   

The    Perfect    Flapper    . . . 

The  White  Moth   

Cytherea   

The  Circus  Cowboy   

Kentucky  Days   

No  Mother  To  Guide  Her. 

High  Speed   

The  Dangerous  Blonde  .  . . 

The  ChechaJicos   

Unseen  Hands   

The  Spitfire   

Traffic  in  Hearts   

Ten  After  Ten   

Untamed   Youth    .  .... 

The  Spirit  of  the  U.S.A.  . 

Dangerous  Coward   

Danger  Line   


National 
National 


Star  Distributor 

K.    McDonald  Sunset'  .. 

J.    D.    Warner.  ...  Sunset  .. 
Betty   Compson    .  .  Selznick 

D.    Mackai'll   Prod.  Dist 

H.    Carey   Prod.  Dist 

Calhoun-Telligen    .  Viagraph 

Powell   Vitagraph 

Landis-Harris    ....  Vitagraph 

Bill  Patton   Madoc   

Colleen    Moore    . .  First  National 
LaMarr-Tearle    .  . .  First 
Rubens-Stone    ....  First 

Buck  Jones   Fox   , 

D.  Farnum   Fox   , 

Spec.   Cast   Fox   , 

H.  Rawlinson  ....  Universal  . . 
Laura  LaPlante   .  .  Universal  . . 

Eva  Gordon   Assoc.  Exhib 

 Assoc.  Exhib 

Blythe-Dexter  .. 
Robt.  Fraser  .... 
Chas.  Hutchinson 
Ralph  Lewis  . . . 
Johnnie  Walker  . 
Fred  Thomson  .  . 
Sessu  Hayakawa 


Length 


. . .61 1 1 
. . .5771 
. . .6936 
. . .5500 


Release 
May  1 
Mai  15 
May  5 
May  11 
May  18 
May  1 1 
May  18 
May  25 


Review 


May  3 1 
June  28 


July  5 


4000 
4508 
6650 


Assoc.  Exhib. 

C.  B.  C  5549 

Weiss  Bros-Art 

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  


May  25 
May  11 
May  4 
May  1 1 


May  25 
May  19 
May  18 
May  25 
May  4 
May  23 
May  15 
May  5 
May  18 
May  26 
May  26 


July  5 
June  28 

May  3 

May  17 
May  11 

May  24 
June  28 

May  31 

May  17 
June  7 
June  14 

July  26 


JUNE 


Title 

For  Sale   

The  Self-Made  Failure  . 
Every  Woman's  Secret  . 
Lend  Me  Your  Husband  . 

Another  Scandal   

Daring  Youth   

The  Good  Bad  Boy   

Love  of  Women   

Wanted  by  the  Law 
The  Lone  Chance  ...... 

Western  Luck   

Daring  Love   

Broadway  or  Bust   

The  Reckless  Age 

The  Fighting  American  . 

The  6th  Commandment  . 

Law  Demands   

Napoleon  and  Josephine. 
There's  Millions  in  It.  . 
Swords  and  the  Woman. 
Fighting  Sap   


Star 

Windsor-Menjou 
Miller-Moore 


Kenyon   

Lois  Wilson 
Daniels-Kerrv 


Chadwick-Love  . . . 

J.  B.  Warner   

John  Gilbert 

Buck  Jones   

E.  Hammerstein  .  . 

Hoot  Gibson   

Denny-La  Plante. 
Astor-O'Malley 

Chas.  Hutchinson.. 

All  Star   

All  Star   

Pedro  de  Cordova. 
Fred    Thomson    .  . 


Distributor  Length 
First  National  . . . 
First  National    .  . . 

Lumas   

Burr  Pict.  ...6700 
Prod.  Dist.  . .  .7322 
Principal  ....5975 
Principal  ....5198 

Selznick   

Sunset   

Fox   4385 

Fox   5020 

Truart   

Universal   

Universal   

Universal   

Assoc.  Exhib  

Weiss  Bros  

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  

F.  B.  O  


Release 
June  15 
June  22 
June  1 
June  1 
June  22 
June  15 
June  29 
June  30 
June  15 


June  15 
June  9 
June  17 
June  22 
June  1 
June  15 
June  2 
June  9 
June  16 
June  30 


Review 
July  5 
June  28 

Oct.  11 

May  17 
June  7 
Aug.  2 

June  21 
June  28 
July  10 
Jne  21 
June  7 
May  31 
July  5 


JULY 


Title 

Yanke*  Speed   

The  Hellion   

Listen  Lester   

The  Masked  Dancer  ... 
Daughters  of  Pleasure.. 

Girls   Men  Forget   

Tiger  Thompson   

Her  Own  Free  Will  .  . . 
Code  of  the  Wilderness. 

Fightin  Thru   

Girl  in  the  Limousine  . 


Sfar 

K.  McDonald   

J.  B.  Warner 
Moran-Fazenda    .  . . 

Chadwick   

Prevost   

Patsy  R.  Miller   .  . 

H.  Carey   

Helene  Chadwick  . 
Bowers-Calhoun  .  . 

Bill  Patton   

Larry  Semon   


Distributor  Lt 

Sunset '  

Sunset   

Principal 
Principal 
Principal 
Principal 
Prod.  Dist.  . .  . 

Prod.  Dist  

Prod.  Dist  

Prod.  Dist.  .  .  . 
First  National 


ngth  Release 
....July  1 
....  July  15 
6242  July  6 
4720  July  13 
5698  July  20 
5166  July  27 
4920  July  12 
5959  July  20 
6480  July  6 


Review 
Aug.16 

May  10 
June  14 
June  14 

July  12 
Oct.  4 
July  12 


July  20  July  5 


Title 

The  Arab  

Revelation   

Romance  Ranch   

In  Fast  Company   

Behind  the  Curtain   

Young  Ideas   

The  New  Schoolteacher  .  . 

Fatal  Plunge   

Rough  Ridin'   

A  Woman  Who  Sinned  .  . 
Neglected  Women   


Title 

Manhandled  

Wanderer  of  the  Wastelana 
Changing    Husbands  .... 

Monsieur  Beaucaire   

Unguarded  Women   

The   Enemy  Sex  

Lily  of  the  Dust   

Bread   

Tess  of  the  D'urbervilles. 

Broken  Barriers   

Little  Robinson  Crusoe  .  . 

Unmarried  Wives   

America   

Coyote  Fangs   

Behold  This  Woman   

The  Speed  Spook   

Youth    For  Sale   

The  Fire  Patrol   

Truth  About  Women   

Legend  of  Hollywood    .  .  . 
The  Wise  Virgin  ........ 

The  Siren  of  Seville 

Welcome  Stranger   

World    Strugle    for  Oil.. 

In    High  Gear   

Horse  Shoe  Luck   

Against  All  Odds   

That  French  Lady   

The  Heart  Buster  .  

The  Desert  Outlaw   

Lash  of  the  Whip   

Two  Fisted  Justice   

Circus  Lure   

Three  Women   

The  Back  Trail   

The  Signal  Tower   

The  Sawdust  Trail   

Fighting  Fury   

Wine   

Lure  of  the  Yukon   

Stranger  of  the  North   .  . 

Who's  Cheating   

Lights  of  London   

Love,  Life  and  Laughter.  . 

Heart  of  Alaska   

For  Woman's   Favor  .... 

Never  Say  Die   

The  Battling  Fool   

Foolish  Virgin   

Radio  Flyer   

Battling  Buddy    

Radio  Fiver   

Battling  Buddy   

Fools  in  the  Dark   

Messalina   

American  Manners   


Star  Distributor    Length  Release 

Navarro-Terry    ...Metro   6710  July  21 

V.    Dana   Metro   8752  July  28 

Gilbert   Fox   4741 

R.   Talmadge    ....  Truart   July  15 

All  Star   Universal   June  21 

Laura  La  Plante  .  .  Universal   July  7 

Mickey  Bennett    .  .  C.  C.  Burr.  .  .5900  July  1 
Chas.  Hutchinson    Weis  Bros. -Art.   .  .  July  15 
Buddy    Roosevelt. .  Weis  Bros. -Art.   .  .  July  15 

Mae  Busch   F.    B.    O  July  7 

Seena  Owen   F.    B.    O  July  28 

AUGUST 


Review 
July  26 
July  5 
July  1 
June  17 
July  5 
July  26 


Star 

Swanson   

Jack  Holt   

L.  Joy   

Valentino   

Daniels-Dix   

Compson   

Negri   

All  Star   

B.  Sweet   

All  Star   

J.  Coogan   

M.  Harris  ....... 

All  Star   

Jack  Perrin   

I.  Rich   

J.  Hines   

May    Allison  .... 

All  Star  

Hampton -Sherman. 

Marmont   

Patsy  Ruth  Miller 
Priscilla  Dean  .  . . 
F.  Vidor   


K.  McDonald   

J.  B.  Warner   

Buck  Jones   

S.  Mason   

T.  Mix   

Buck  Jones   

Ashton  Dearbolt  . . 

Dick  Hatton   

Matty  Mattison  .  .  . 
Marie  Prevost  .... 

Jack  Hoxie   

Virginia  Valli  .... 

Hoot  Gibson   

Hoxie   

All  Star   

Eva  Novak   

Richard  Travers  . . 
Montague  Love  .  . 
Nigel  Barrie  .... 
Betty  Balfour  .... 
Maurice  Costello.  . 
Owen-Dexter  .... 

D.  McLean   

Fairbanks-Novak  . 

E.  Hammerstein  .  . 
Chas.  Hutchison  .  . 
Buddy  Roosevelt  . 
Chas.  Hutchinson. 
Buddy  Roosevelt... 
Moore-  &  Miller  .  . 
Countess  Liguoro 
Richard  Talmadge. 

SEPTEMBER 


Distributor    Length  Release 

Famous  P  6998  Aug.  4 

Famous   P  7000  Aug. 11 

Famous   P  6799  Aug.l  1 

Famous   P  9100  Aug. 18 

Famous   P  6051  Aug25 

Famous  P.  . .  .7861  Aug25 
Famous    Players    .  Aug25 

Metro   6726  Aug.  4 

Metro   7500  Aug.  11 

Metro   5717Aug.l8 

Metro   6126Aug.25 

Lumas   Aug.  1 

United  Artists  ....  Aug. 15 

Madoc  

Vitagraph  ...6425  Aug.  3 
East    Coast.  .  .6700  Aug.30 

Burr    Pict  Aug.  1 

Chadwick   6600  Aug.  15 

Banner   Aug. 15 

Prod.  Dist.  .  .5,414  Aug.  3 
Prod.  Dist.  .  .  .5991  Aug. 10 
Prod.  Dist.  ..  .6724  Aug.17 
Prod.  Dist.  .  .  .6618  Aug.24 
Selznick     (Selc.)  .  .  Aug. 15 

Sunset   Aug. 15 

 Aug. 15 

Fox   4809 

Fox   5470 

Fox   4500 

Fox  Aug.24 

Arrow   Aug.  1 

Arrow   Aug.30 

Sanford   Aug.  1 

Warner  Bros  Aug. 18 

Universal   Aug.  8 

Universal   Aug.  3 

Universal   Aug. 10 

Universal   Aug.24 

Universal   Aug. 31 

Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford  ....  Aug.  1 
Lee-Bradford    ....  Aug.  1 

Assoc.  Exhib  Aug.31 

C.  B.  C  4978  Aug.  1 

C.  B.   C  5900  Aug.15 

Weiss  Bros. -Art.  .  Aug.  15 
Weiss  Bros. -Art.  .  Aug.  15 
Weiss  Bros. -Art  .  Aug.  15 
Weiss   Bros. -Art    .  Aug.  15 

F.   B.   O  Aug.  4 

F.    B.   O  Aug.  24 

F.    B.    O  Aug.  24 


Review 
Aug.  9 
May  31 
July  5 
Aug.23 


July 
July 

Sept. 

Aug. 

Aug. 

Aug.16 

Aug.30 


Aug. 11 
Aug.30 

May  31 

Aug.23 


Aug.30 
Aug.30 
Aug.  2 


Oct.  4 


July  26 
Aug.23 


Aug.  2 


Title  Star  Distributor    Length  Release  Review 

Ramshackle  House   B.  Compson   Prod.  Dist.  ..  .6257  Sept.  1 

Barbara  Frietchie   F.   Vidor   Prod.  Dist.  ..  .7179  Sept.  7    Oct.  4 

Chalk  Marks   Marguerite    Snow.  Prod.  Dist  Sept. 14 

The  House  of  Youth  ....Jacqueline  Logan..  Prod.  Dist.  Sept.28   Nov.  1 

Sinners  in  Silk   All  Star   Metro   .5750  Sept.  1  Sept. 27 

The  Red  Lily   Navarro   Metro   6975  Sept.  8  Aug.16 

Yolanda   M.  Davies   Metro   10125  Sept.15 

Wine  of  Youth   All  Star   Metro   6600  Sept.22  July  26 

One  Night  in  Rome   .  . .  .  Laurette  Taylor   ..Metro   5883  Sept. 29 

His    Hour   All  Star   Metro   6300  Sept.29  Oct.ll 

In   Every  Woman's  Life..  Valli   First  National  ...Sept.28 

Sideshow   of   Life   Torrence   Famous   Sept.  1 

The  Covered  Wagon   ....  Lois  Wison   Famous   Sept.  8 

Man  Who  Fights  Alone..  Lois  Wison   Famous   5891  Sept.15  Aug.16 

Sinners   in    Heaven    Danies-Dix   Famous   6768  Sept.15  Sept.27 

The  Alaskan   Taylor-Meighan    ..Famous   6757  Sept.22    Oct.  4 

Feet  of  Clay   LaRocque-Cortez-R  Famous   9746  Sept.22    Oct.  4 

The  Female   B.  Compson   Famous   Sept.22 

Dorothy  Vernon   M.  Pickford   United  Artists  9500  Sept.  15   May  17 

Smoking  Trails   ...Bill  Patton   Madoc   Sept.15 

Captain  Blood   Kerrigan   Vitagraph     ..10086  Sept.  21 

Meddling  Women   L.  Barrvmore.  ....  Chadwick  ....7000  Oct. 18 

Man  without  a  Heart  .  . .  .  Novak-Harlan   ....Banner   Sept.17 

Empty   Hearts   Cara  Bow    Sept.15 

Captain  January   Babv  Peggy   Principal    ...  .6194  Sept.15 

Bowery  Bishop   Walthall   Selco   Sept.  I 

Dynamite  Dan   K.  McDonald    ....Sunset  Sept.15 

Last  of  the  Duanes   T.  Mix   Fox   6942  Sept.  6 

The   Breath    of   Scandal ..  Telllegren   Schulberg  ...  .6940  Sept.  1 


Page  66 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Production  Chart  with  Review  Dates 


SEPTEMBER— Continued 

Title  Star  Distributor    LengthRelease  Review 

The  Man  Who  Came  BackGeo.  O'Brien   Fox   8293Sept.28  Sept.  b' 

Honor  Among  Men   Edmund   Lowe   ...Fox  . .  4660Sept.28  Oct.18 

The  Cyclone  Rider   Spec  Fox   :.  .  .6700Sept.l4  Sept.13 

Dante's    Inferno   Spec  Fox   Sept.  7    Oct. 11 

Last   Man   on   Earth    ....Spec  Fox   Sept.28 

Oh  You  Tony   Mix   Fox   Sept.21     Oct. 11 

Painted    Lady   D.   Mackaill   Fox   6389Sept.28     Oct.  11 

The  Cowboy  Prince   A.   Dearbolt   Fox   Sept.  1 

Notch    No.    1  B.  Wilson-M.   DawFox   Sept.13 

Sell    'em    Cowboy   D.  Hatton   Fox   .Sept.27 

The  Ragged  Robin   Matty   Mattison    ..Sanford   Sept.15 

Reckless   Ridin'   Bill    ....Dick   Carter   Sanford   Sept.  1 

Billy's  Week-End   Bill    Franey   Sanford   Sept. 10 

Find   Your  Man   Rin  Tin  Tin  Warner,   Sept.  1  Oct.25 

Lover  of  Camille   Monte  Blue   Warner   Sept.15 

This  Woman   L.  Rich   Warner   Sept.29    Nov.  1 

Big  Timber   Wm.  Desmond   ...Universal   Sept.  7    Aug.  2 

The  Turmoil   All   Star   Universal   Sept. 14  June  21 

The  Family  Secret   Baby  Peggy  Universal   Sept.28  June  28 

Wolves  of  the  North  ....Wm.   Duncan    ....Universal     .  .  Seria.Sept.29   Aug. 30 

Passion's  Pathway   Estelle   Taylor    ...Lee-Bradford    ....Sept.  1 

Why   Worry   Harold    Lloyd    ...Pathe   6000Sept.l6 

The  Call  of  the  Wild   ..Spec.    Cast   Pathe   8000Sept.23 

Youth  For  Sale   Sigrid  Holmquist  .Burr  Pict.   ...6500Sept.  1 

Race    for    Life    ■■  Novak-Fairbanks    .C.  B.  C.  \  . .  .4954Sept.  I 

Price  She  Paid  Alma  Reubens   ...C.  B.   C  5957Sept.l5 

Fangs  of  the  Wolf   All-Star   Weiss   Bros. -Art   

Biff  Bang  Buddil   B.    Roosevelt    ....Weiss  Bros   Sept.15 

Vanity's  Price   Anna  Q  Nilsson   .F.  B.  0  Sept.  7 

Life's  Greatest  Game  ....Johnnie    Walker    .F.  B.  O  Sept.  28 

Stepping  Lively   R.   Talmadge    ....F.  B.  0  Sept.  28 

OCTOBER 

Title                             Star            Distributor    LengthRelease  Review 

Virtue's   Revolt   Edith  Thornton   .  .Wm.    Steiner   5175  Oct.  18 

Daring   Chances   J.    Hoxie   Universal   ....4543  Oct.  18 

Story  Without  a  Name   .. Moreno- Ayres    ...Paramount     ..5912  Oct.  18 

Circe  the  Enchantress  ...M.   Murray   Metro   68820ct.    6  Oct.  18 

City  That  Never  Sleeps   .Cortez   Paramount     ..6097  Oct.  18 

Tarnish   May   McAvoy    ....First  Natl.  ...6831  Oct.  18 

Hearts  of  Oak   H.    Bosworth   Fox   63370ct.    5  Oct.  11 

Turned    Up   Chas.  Hutchinson. . Steiner  Prod.  4990  Oct.  11 

Life's  Greatest  Game   ...Johnnie  Walker  .  .  F.  B.  O  Oct.    5  Oct.  11 

The  Clean  Heart   Marmont   Vitagraph     ...7950  Oct.  4 

Fast  &  Fearless   Buffalo  Bill,  Jr.     Artclass   4600  Oc*.  4 

The   Fast   Worker   Denny-LaPlante    ..Universal   6896  Oct.  4 

Cornered   Prevost   Warner  Bros.  6400  Oct.  4 

Measure  of  a  Man   Wm.  Desmond   ...Universal   ....4979  Oct.  4 

I  Am  the  Man   Lionel  Barrymore  .Chadwick  ....7460  Nov.  1 

Ridin'    Kid    from    PowderRiver   J.    Hoxie    .Universal     ...5727  Nov.  1 

The    Silent   Watcher   G.  Hunter   First   Natl.    ..75750ct.  5  Nov.  1 

Dangerous   Money   Bebe  Daniels   ....Paramount    .  .6864Oct.20  Nov.  1 

The  Bandolero   All-Star   Metro   5600Oct.20  Nov.  1 

Madonna  of  the  Streets  . .  Nazimova-Sills    ...First   Natl.    ..7507Oct.l9  Nov.  1 

Married   Flirts   Pauline    Frederick.  Metro   6765  Oct.25 

The  Painted  Flapper   .  . . . Kirkwood-Garon     .Chadwick  .  . .  .555lOct.l5  Oct.25 

Winner  Take  All   Buck  Jones   Fox   59490ct.l2  Oct.25 

Roaring   Rails   H.  Carey   Prod.  Dist.   .  .57540ct.  6  Oct.25 

Western   Wallop   J.   Hoxie   Universal   4611  Oct.25 

Rose   of   Paris   M.  Philbin   Universal   6320  Oct.25 

Welcome   Stranger   All-Star   Prod.    Dist.    .6700  Oct.25 

Her  Love  Story   Swanson   Famous  Play.  6750Oct.  6  Oct.25 

Walloping    Wallace   Buddy  Roosevelt   .Artclass   Oct.15 

Millionaire    Cowboy   Lefty  Flynn   F.  B.  O  Oct.  5 

Broken    Laws   Mrs  Wallace  Reed  F.  B.  O  Oct.19 

Dangerous   Flirt   Evelyn   Brent   F.  B.  O  Oct.19 

Thundering  Hoofs   Fred  Thomson   . . .  F.  B.  O  Oct.26 

Pearls  of  Paris   Pearl  White   F.  B.  O  Oct.26 

The  Border  Legion  Moreno-Chadwick .  Paramount    .  .7048 Oct.  27 


The  Warrens  of  Virginia..  M.  Mansfield 


.Fox   65360ct.  12 


Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 


NOVEMBER 

The  Snob   Bhearer-Silbert. ...  Metro   4513Nov  3 

Manhattan   Logan-Dix   Paramount  . .  .6415Nov.  10 

The  Only  Woman  N.  Talmadge   First  National   6770Nov.  3 

Border  Justice   Bill   Cody   Independent  ..5432  Nov. 

Flattery  De  la  Motte  Chadwick  ..6  reels 

Youth    for  Sale  May  Allison   C.  C.  Burr.  ..6100 

The   Sunset  Trail  Wm  Desmond  ....Universal  ....4920 

The  Rip  Snorter  Dick  Hatton   Arrow   4998 

The  Tornado   House  .Peters   ....Universal  ....6375 

Worldly  Goods   Agnes  Ayres   Paramount   


Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 
Nov.  8 


Coming  Productions 


FAMOUS  PLAYERS 


Title 


Star  Length  Released 

Empty   Hands    Holt-Shearer   Oct.  "13 

The  Fast  Set    Compson-Dexter   Oct.  20 

Wages   of  Virtue    Swanson-Lyons   Nov.  10 


Valentino    .  . .  .'  .......Nov.  17 

Negri   Nov.  24 

Compson  Dec  8 

Meighan-Love   Dec.  15 

Holt   ..Dec.  22 

Daniels-Cortez   Dec.  29 

Betty  Bronson   i.Dec.  29 

lacked   Doors                                Compson   Jan.  5 

Interlocutory                                     Ayres   Ian.  5 

A  Woman  Scorned                         Negri  Jan.  12 

Miss  Bluebeard                              Daniels   ....Jan.  19 

The  Golden  Bed                            l  a  Rocque   Jan.  19 

Man  Must  Live                              Richard  Dix   ;....Ian.  26 

Bed-Rock                                       Meighan     ..Jan.  26 


A  Sainted  Devil 
Forbidden  Paradise  ... 
The  Garden  of  Weeds. 
Tongues  of  Flame 

North  of  36   

Argentine  Love   

Peter  Pan 


FIRST  NATIONAL 

Title  ,\  Star  Length  Released 

Heart  Trouble    C.  Talmaage   Nov.  16 

Frivolous  Sal   . . .-   Spec.  Cast  Jan.  18 

Idle  Tongues    Marmont-Kenyon   Nov.  9 

Inez   from    Hollywood    Nilsson-Stone   Jan.  4 

The   Lady    N.  Talmadge   

The  Lost  World    Stone-Love-Beery   

Sundown   Spec.    Cast   ...Nov.  23 

Christine  of  the   Hungry  Heart  Florence  Vidor   Oct.  12 

Husbands  and  Lovers    Vidor-Cody   Dec.  28 

Classmates    R.  Barthelmess   Nov.  30 

Wilderness    Corinne  Griffith   Dec.  7 

So  Big    Colleen  Moore   Dec.  14 

If  I  Marry  Again    Kenyon-Hughes   Dec.  21 

Sandra    B.  LaMarr    Oct  26. 

As  Man  Desires    Spec.  Cast  Jan.  11 


SELZNICK 


Title 

Greatest  Love  of  All. 


Star                Length  Released 
  Geo.  Beban    Oct.  15 

ASSOCIATED  EXHIBITORS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Price  of  a  Party    Hope  Hampton   Oct.  19 

Barriers  Burned  Away    Spec.  Cast;  Nov.  30 

East    of    Broadway   Owen  Moore   Nov.  23 

Why  Women   Sin  Jan.  11 

Children    of   the   Whirlwind  Feb.  8 

PATHE 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Dynamite   Smith    Chas.   Ray    7000  Oct.  12 

The  Battling  Orioles    Glenn  Tryon    6000  Oct.  26 

SANFORD  PRODUCTIONS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Pirate  Peter  Pepper    Matty  Mattison   Nov.  1 

Let  Him  Buck    Dick  Carter   ,.  Oct.  1 

Battlin'   Billy    Dick  Carter   Nov.  1 

The  Captivatin'  Cannibal    Bill   Franey   Oct.  1 


J.  J.  FLEMING  PRODUCTIONS,  INC. 


Title  Star 

Shackles  of  Fear    Ferguson-Conley 

Trail  of  Vengeance    Ferguson-Conley 

PRINCIPAL 

Title  Star 

Helen's  Babies   Baby  Peggy  .... 

The  Mine  with  the  Iron  Door.  .  Mackaill   

Taming  of  the  Shrew    Daniels   

Daughters  of  Pleasure    Prevost   , 

Good  Bad   Boy    Spec.  Cast 

Daring  Youth    Daniels-Kerry  .. 

Listen   Lester    Fazenda-Myers  . 


Length 

  5000  . 

  5000  . 


Released 


Length 
6200. . . 
6180. . . 


Released 
.Oct.  12 
.Oct.  2 


ARROW 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Come  On  Cowboys    Dick  Hatton   Dec.  6 

Western  Feuds    Edmund  Cobb   Feb.  14 

The  Diamond  Bandit   Ashton  Dearholt   Oct.  15 

The  Lash  of  Pinto  Pete    Ashton  Dearholt   Nov.  15 

Ridin'  Mad    Yakima  Canutt   Oct.  11 

The  Desert  Hawk    B.   Wilson-M.    Harris  Oct.  25 

Horse  Sense    Hatton-Mills   Nov.  8 

His  Majesty,  the  Outlaw    B.  Wilson-V.  LaPlante  Nov.  22 

Branded  a    Bandit    Yakima  Canutt   Dec.  20 

Vic  Dyson  Pays    B.  Wilson-N.  Gerber  Jan.    3  '25 

The   Cactus  Cure    Dick   Hatton-Mills   Jan.  17'25 

Sand  Blind    Ben  Wilson  Jan.  31  '25 

Where  Romance  Ends    D.  Hatton-M.  Mills   Mar.  28  '25 

PRODUCERS  DISTRIBUTING 

Title  Star  Lengths  Released 

Another  Man's  Wife   Kirkwood-Lee   Oct.  19 

Trouping  with  Ellen    Chadwick   Oct.  26 

Reckless   Romance    T.  Roy  Barnes   Nov.  2 

Girl  on  the  Stairs    P.  R.  Miller   Nov.  9 

The  Chorus  Lady   Margaret  Livingston   Nov.  16 

A   Cafe  in  Cairo    Priscilla  Dean   Dec.  1 

Flaming  Forties   H.  Carey   Dec.  7 

The  Mirage    F.    Vidor   Dec.  21 

On  the  Shelf    All  Star   Jan.  4 

Soft  Shoes    H.  Carey   ..Jan.  11 

Off  the  Highway    Logan   Jan.  25 

METRO 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Navigator    Buster  Keaton   5600  Oct.  13 

Janice    Meredith    Marion   Davies    12000  Oct.  27 

Mrs.   Paramour   All   Star   Oct.  27 

The  Great  Divide    Alice    Terry  Nov.  3 

He   Who   Gets   Slapped    Lon  Chaney    6600  Nov.  17  ■ 

Along  Came  Ruth    Viola  Dana   5161  Nov.  10 

The   Rag  Man   :   Jackie  Coogan  

The  Silent  Accuser    All  Star   Nov.  24 

So  This  Is  Marriage    All  Star  Nov.  24 

Beauty  

The  Beauty  Prize    Viola   Dana    5750  

Ben  Hur   

The  Charity  Ball  

Cheaper   to  Marry   

Excuse  Me   ■  ■  '.    

Fast  Life  in  New  York   

A  Girl's  Rebellion  

Dixie  


Oreen  

The  Prairie  Wife    H.  Rawlinson   

Married   Flirts    Pauline  Frederick 


6765  Oct.  27 


Vovember  22. 


Page  67 


Current  Production  Chart — Continued 


Com in»  Productions — Continued 


Title 

The    Brass  Bowl   

Gerald   Cranton's  Lady   

Mv  Husband's  Wives   

The  Race   

The   Wolf  Man   

Daughters    of   the  Night   

Darwin    Was  Right   

Every   Man's  Wife  

Dick  Turpin   

Flame  of  Desire  

The  Fool  

Gold  Heels   

The  Great  Diamond  Mystery  .  . . 

The    Hunted  Woman   

Hunting  Wild  Animals  in  Holly 

In  Love  with  Love   

Teeth   ■  •  

Thorns   of  Passion   

Troubles  of  a  Bride   


FOX 

Sfiir  Length  Released 

Edmund  Lowe   Nov.  2 

Alma  Rubens   

Sherlev   Mason   Nov.  16 

 Oct.   1-2  . 

John  Gilbert   Feb.  17 

Special  Cast   Oct.  19 

 Oct.  19 

Special-  

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix   

Tom  Mix   

S.  Mason   Oct.  5 

Special   Oct.  5 

wood    Special   cast  ..  


Tom  Mix 
Special  . 
Special 


Title 
Stepping  Lively 
Going    High  .... 


TRUART 

Star  Length  Released 

.   R.  Talmadge   Oct.  1 

.   R.  Talmadge   Nov.  1 


WARNER  BROS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Narrow  Street    Dorothy  Devore   Oct.  15 

A   Lost   Lady    Irene  Rich   Nov.  24 

The    Dark    Swan   ■•.  Prevost-Blue   Oct.  29 

Age  of  Innocence    Beverly   Bayne   Nov.  10 

How  Baxter  Butted  In    Willard  Louis   

The  Lighthouse  by  the  Sea....   Rin  Tin  Tin   Dec.  15 

Recompense    Blue-Rich   

Bridge  of  Sighs    Blue-Rich   

The  Dear  Pretender    Marlow-Roche   

A  Man  without  a  Conscience  

Eve's  Lover   •'■  

My  Wife  and  I   •  •  

The  Broadway  Butterfly   

The   Eleventh  Virgin  

LUMAS  FILM 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Black   Lightning    Thunder  (dog)   Oct.  1 

Women  and  Gold    All  Star   Dec.  1 

The  Night  Ship    All  Star   Feb.  1 

F.  B.  O. 

Star  Length  Released 

  Bob  Custer  Nov.  2 

  Madge  Bellamy   Nov.  9 

  Lefty  Flynn   Nov.  16 

  Richard  Talmadge   Nov.  23 

  Evelyn  Brent   Nov.  30 

  Lillian  Rich   Nov.  30 

  Fred  Thomson   Dec.  7 

  Bob  Custer   Dec.  14 

  All  Star  Dec.  21 


Title 

Trigger-Fingers    . . . 
Sold  For  Cash 
The  No  Gun  Man  . 

Hail  the  Hero  

Evelyn  Brent  No.  2 

Cheap  Kisses   

Quemado   

Custer  No.  2   

Parisian  Nights   .  . . 


UNITED  ARTISTS 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

No   More  Women    Bellamy-Moore   Feb.  15 

Loving  .Lies    Monte  Blue-Brent   Feb.  15 

A   Woman's  Secret    Mae  Marsh   .Feb.  15 

The   End  of  the  World    Jack  Pickford   

MADOC 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

A  Game  Fighter    Bill  Patton   November 

Ridin'    West    Jack   Perin   October 

Desert  Madness   December 

(3  more  to  follow) 

VITAGRAPH 

Title  %  Star  Length  Released 

Greater  Than  Marriage   i  Daw-Tellegen   Nov. 

The  Magnificent  Ambersons   Nov.  30 

The  Beloved   Brute    M.  de  la  Motte   Dec.  21 

Baree,  Son  of  Barzan   •   1  92d 

Pearls  of  the  Madonna   >   1925 

Steele  of  the  Royal  Mounted  "   '925 

In  the  Garden  of  Charity   1925 

The  Happy  Warrior    1925 

The  Alibi    '925 

The  Road  that  Led  Home    ,925 

The  Unknown  Story    192^ 

BANNER 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Daughters  Who  Pay    All  Star   Jan    15  '25 

Those  Who  Judge    P.  R.  Miller-Tellegen  Nov.  15 


WEISS  BROS.  ARTCLASS 


Title 

Rip  Roarin'  Roberts 


Sfar               Length  Released 
Buddy  Roosevelt   Nov.  15  '24 


Title 


INDEPENDENT 

Star 


Length 


Released 


Billy  the  Kid    F.  Farnum   Feb.     1  '25 

Dangerous    Pleasure    Special  cast  Nov. 

The  Gambling  Fool    F.  Farnum   Jan.     1  '25 

Outwitted    Desmond- Holmes   Nov. 

A   Woman   Under    Oath    Florence  Reed   Nov. 

Border  Intrigue    F.  Farnum   Nov. 

Corsican  Bros   Dustin    Farnum   Nov. 

Courage   F.  Farnum   .Dec. 

Her  Code  of  Honor    Florence  Reed  Dec. 

Her  Game    Florence  Reed   Jan.     1  '25 

Offended    Marjorie  Wilson   Nov. 

Blood  and  Steel   Desmond-Holmes   Dec. 

Moccasins    Bill  Cody   Dec. 

When  Winter  Went    F.  Farnum   Dec. 

Calibre  45    Raymond  Griffith   Oct. 

Riders  of  Mystery    Bill  Cody   Nov.  1 

CHADWICK 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The   Tomboy    Devore  Rawlinson   Dec.  15 

The  Street  Singer    Not  cast  yet   Jan.    15  '25 

Romance  of  an  Actress    Not  east  yet   Mar.   15  '25 

Sunshine  of  Paradise  Alley   ...  Not  cast  yet  Apr.  '25 

RAYART 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Midnight  Secrets    George   Larkin   Oct  1 

The  Street  of  Tears    Sanchie  &  Clayton   Oct.  15 

Just  Mary    Harlan   Nov.  1 

The  Pell  Street  Mystery   George  Larkin   Nov.  1 

Trail  Dust    David  Dunbar   :   Nov.  1 

B.  P.  SCHULBERG  PRODUCTIONS 

L  Released 


Title  Star  Length 

Frivolity  ■  

White  Man    Alice  Joyce    6370  Nov.  15 

The  Boomerang   Special  cast   

Faint  Perfume    Special  cast   >J  

Mansions  of  Aching  Hearts    ..   Special  cast  

The  Triflers    Mae  Bush  Dec.  15 

When  a  Woman  Reaches  40  .  .  Special  cast   

My  Lady's  Lips    Special  cast  

Capital   Punishment    Clara  Bow    Dec.  15 


Title 

Hit  and  Run   

The  Tornado   

Dangerous  Innocence 
The  Hurricane  Kid  .  . 
California  Straight  Ahead 


UNIVERSAL 

Star  Length  Released 

  Gibson   Oct.  5 

. ...  House  Peters   Jan.     4 '25 

  Mary  Philbin   Jan.  21  '25 

Hoot    Gibson   Jan.  25  '25 

Reginald  Denny   Apr.  26 '25 


Captain  Fearless    Reginald  Denny 

The  Price  of  Pleasure    Valli-Kerry   Mar.  15 '25 

The  Flower  of  Napoli    Bellamy   

Fighting  Back    Desmond   Apr.     5  '25 

The  Gaiety  Girl   ■■   Mary  Philbin   Dec.  21  '24 

Head  Winds    House  Peters   

Jazz    Parents    May    McAvoy   Mar.     1  '25 

Ridin'   Pretty    Desmond   Feb.  22 '25 

Let  Her  Buck    Hoot  Gibson   May   31  '25 

Oh  !   Doctor    Reginald  Denny   Feb.     1  '25 

Secrets  of  the  Night    Bellamy-Kirkwood   Feb.     1  '25 

K  The  Unknown    Valli-Marmont    7000  Nov.  23 

Love  and  Glory    Bellamy     Dec.  7 

LEE-BRADFORD  CORP. 

Title  Star  Length 

Lure  of  Love    Zeena  Keefe   

Pearl  of  Love    Leslie-Sherry  


Released 


EAST  COAST  FILMS,  INC. 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

The  Speed  Spook    J.  Hines    6700  Nov.  1 

The   Early   Bird   J.  Hines    6400  Jan.     1  '25 

The   Cracker  Jack    J.  Hines    6500  Mar.      1  '25 


ERNEST  SHIPMAN  PRODUCTIONS 


Length 


Released 


Title  Star 
The  River  Road    Hamilton- Aliison   

C.  B.  C. 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Fight  for  Honor    Fairbanks-Novak     ....  4570  Oct.  1 

The   Beautiful    Sinner    Fairbanks-Novak   Oct.  1 

Midnight   Express    Elaime   Hammerstein  Oct.  15 

Women   First    Fairbanks-Novak   Nov.  1 

One  Glorious  Night    Elaine    Hammerstein  Nov.  15 

A  Fool  and  His  Money   

Fighting  the  Flames  

After  Business  Hours   ■  

Who  Cares  ;  • 

Tainted  Money   

The  Fearless  Lover   • 

The  Fatal  Kiss  •   ■  •   • 

CLIFFORD  S.  ELFELT  PRODUCTIONS  INC. 

Title  Star  Length  Released 

Law  or  Loyalty    Lawson  Harris   .Nov. 

$50,000  Reward   Ken  Maynard   ...Dec. 

Under  Fire    Bill  Patton  -i.-Dec. 

My  Neighbor's  Wife    Lawson  Harris  Dec.  27 

Siren  of  the  Montmarte    All  Star   '.  .Feb. 

Fighting  Courage    Ken  Maynard   Jan.  10 

The  Red  Frontier    Bill  Patton   Jan.  29 

Parisian  Nights    All  Star  Feb.  28 


Page  68  Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


^^ext  "week 


tn 


this 


magazine 


The  first  announcement 
anywhere  of 


Gparamount 

Profit 

Cpictures 


THE  BOOKING  GUIDE  TO  REAL  SUCCESS 


Member    Motion   Picture    Producers    and   Distributors    of   America.     Will    H.    Hays,  President. 


J 


November  22,  1924 


Page  69 


jjjjpillllllllllllllNIIIIIIIIIIW 

I   9ho/  and  Proved  Pictures  I 

i  i 

Iiiiiiiihiihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim 


Every  Exhibitor 
A  Salesman 

His  Line  Is  Entertainment  and 
He  Must  Meet  Competition 

By  HARRY  KERRY 


Is 


T 


HE  best  salesman  is  the  one  that 
has  confidence  in  his  goods.  A 
motion  picture  exhibitor  is,  in  the 
last  analysis,  a  salesman.  He  tries  to 
sell  his  product  (entertainment)  to  the 
public.  If  he  has  a  reputation  for  sell- 
ing good  entertainment  he  will  be  a  suc- 
cess. If  his  entertainment  gets  an  op- 
posite verdict  he  is  sunk. 

It  is  possible  for  every  exhibitor  to 
give  the  public  THE  BEST.  Choose  a 
picture  that  has  been  Tried  and  Proved 
and  shown  by  its  record  that  it  is  a 
product  worthy  of  your  theatre,  then 
get  back  of  it  and  tell  your  public  what 
you  have  and  you  will  reap  big  benefits. 

In  selling  entertainment,  the  exhib- 


One  of  the  many  girls  in  the  cabaret  scene 
in  Metro's  "Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew." 
This  poster  could  be  made  into  a  very 
attractive  cutout  for  the  lobby. 


itor  must  meet  keen  competition.  Some 
competitors  will  offer  a  brand  as  flashy 
as  Christmas  jewelry  but  lacking  in 
quality.  They  can't  fool  the  people  long. 

You  can  establish  a  reputation  for 
sterling  product  by  giving  Tried  and 
Proved  pictures.  You  will  be  taking  no 
chances  on  fooling  your  public.  There 
will  be  no  back-fire  of  disapproval.  You 
will  be  building  a  substantial  patronage 
that  will  steadily  increase. 

THERE  are  many  pictures  that  have 
been  Tried  and  Proved  to  be  box- 
office  successes.  Choose  one  that  has 
exploitation  angles  and  well  known 
stars.  Give  time  and  detail  to  putting 
the  picture  over  and  watch  the  results. 

Take  for  example  Metro's  "The 
Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew."  This  pic- 
ture was  made  from  Robert  Service's 
famous  Alaskan  poem  and  has  been 
read  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
people.  It  is  one  of  the  old  standbys 
for  amateur  elocutionists  and  needs  no 
introduction  to  the  public. 

It  has  as  its  stars  Barbara  LaMarr, 
Lew  Cody  and  Percy  Marmont.  The 
setting  is  in  Alaska  during  the  feverish 
gold  rush  days  and  is  one  of  the  out- 
standing melodramatic  pictures  of  the 
season.  It  is  also  timely  for  the  Winter 
season. 

I  would  first  have  the  poem  printed 
on  handbills  or  cards  and  distributed 
throughout  the  audience  of  my  theatre 
about  two  weeks  before  the  picture  was 
to  appear.  I'd  try  to  have  everyone  in 
town  quoting  from  "Dan  McGrew." 

I'D  plaster  the  town  with  posters 
showing  the  most  melodramatk 
scenes.  I'd  send  out  form  letters  to 
several  thousand  movie  patrons  an- 
nouncing the  coming  of  the  production 
and  get  them  pepped  up  and  make  'em 
want  to  see  it. 

I'd  have  a  man  dressed  in  furs,  and 


Barbara  LaMarr  and  Lew  Cody  are  shown 
in  the  famous  bar-room  scene  in  Metro's 
"Shooting  of  Dan  McGrew"  where  Dan  is 
put    out    of    commission    by    his  rival. 


have  him  walk  about  the  streets  bearing 
a  sign  "I  am  dangerous  Dan  McGrew," 
and  give  the  date  of  the  picture  at  the 
theatre. 

I'd  round  up  all  of  the  relics  of  the 
Alaskan  gold  rush  days  and  I'd  tieup 
with  a  bank,  showing  gold  coins  in  the 
window. 

If  it  was  cold  weather,  I'd  arrange  a 
dog  team  race  among  the  kids  of  the 
town.  Each  youngster  could  hitch  his 
dog  to  a  sled  and  enter  him  in  the 
"McGrew  Sweepstakes."  I'd  ask  the 
police  to  rope  off  one  of  the  main  thor- 
oughfares during  the  race  and  get  some 
newspaper  publicity. 

I  would  announce  a  contest  for 
amateur  speakers  and  offer  a  prize  for 
the  best  recitation  of  "Dan  McGrew" 
and  I'd  try  to  get  the  high  school  teach- 
ers to  act  as  judges. 

I  might  also  arrange  a  contest  for 
rag-time  piano  playing  which  would  tie- 
up  with  the  famous  "Jagtime  Kid"  in 
the  poem. 

I  would  arrange  a  lobby  display  of 
small  pine  trees  and  a  cutout  of  a  dog- 
team  from  the  posters.  I  would  use 
green  lights  in  the  lobby  to  lend  atmos- 
phere. 

There  should  be  no  trouble  in  tying 
up  with  a  women's  furnishing  store  to 
display  a  window  of  furs  as  a  tieup. 

I  would  leave  nothing  undone  to 
make  the  picture  a  howling  success  and 
I  would  feel  that  I  had  gained  strength 
in  the  community  and  had  made  many 
more  satisfied  customers. 


Page  70 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


STUNTS  That  Are 
Building  Patronage 


Free  Tickets  in  Auto 
License  Publicity 

Rex  Ingram's  "The  Arab,"  the  Met- 
ro-Goldwyn  film  produced  in  Algiers 
from  the  Edgar  Selwyn  stage  success, 
has  been  cleverly  advertised  in  Lima, 
Ohio,  by  C.  C.  Deardourff,  Metro-Gold- 
wyh  publicity  representative,  who  re- 
cently tied  up  the  showing  of  the  pic- 
ture at  the  Lyric  Theatre  with  the  Lima 
News.  Alice  Terry  and  Ramon  No- 
varro  play  the  leading  roles  in  this  film. 

This  popular  daily  was  induced  to 
print  five  auto  license  numbers  scat- 
tered throughout  its  columns  each  day 
during  the  run.  and  to  present  a  couple 
of  passes  to  the  owners  of  the  specified 
licenses,  who  were  invited  to  call  at 
the  office  of  the  News  with  their  license 
cards  for  their  awards.  This  exploit 
created  vast  interest  in  the  film,  and  en- 
sured a  careful  reading  of  every  column 
of  the  newspaper  by  all  drivers  of  auto- 
mobiles in  the  city.  The  numbers  were 
watched  for  and  looked  for,  it  was 
found,  by  all  citizens  whether  they 
drove  machines  or  not.  Attention  was 
called  to  the  contest  on  the  front  page 
of  the  News  daily  throughout  the  run, 
including  the  Sunday  edition. 

Crossword  Puzzles 
Contest  Staged 

John  Dittman,  manager  of  the  Lindo 
Theatre,  Freeport,  Illinois,  a  Balaban 
Katz  Midwest  Theatre,  hit  upon  an  ap- 
parently new  and  highly  effective  idea 
for  building  up  an  off  night. 

The  stunt  consisted  of  a  cross  word 
puzzle  in  which  $66  worth  of  free  tick- 
ets were  awarded  to  the  first  2  people 
who  submitted  20  correct  or  nearly  cor- 
rect answers  to  the  puzzle.  One  of  the 
conditions  of  the  contest  was  the  fact 
that  all  entrants  had  to  be  in  the  Lindo 
Theatre  on  the  Thursday  night  when 
the  winners  names  were  announced  and 
prizes  awarded. 

The  direct  tie-up  with  the  theatre  was 
made  by  having  most  of  the  answers 
pertain  to  current  and  coming  attrac- 
tions and  the  various  facilities  of  the 
theatre. 

Dittman  reports  that  141  answers 
were  received,  of  which  twenty-five 
were  correct.  The  contestants  evident- 
ly marshalled  all  of  their  friends  with- 
in hailing  distance  to  accompany  them 
to  the  theatre  on  the  night  the  prizes 
were  awarded  from  the  stage,  for  he 
was  rewarded  with  the  biggest  Thurs- 
day night  business  he  has  recorded  in 
more  than  a  year. 


So  successful  was  his  cross  word 
puzzle  contest,  that  he  immediately  fol- 
lowed it  up  a  week  later  with  one  keyed 
to  appeal  exclusively  to  children. 
*    *  * 

Babbittville  Realtors 
Get  Publicity 

When  a  flashing  24-sheet  stand 
planted  on  location,  announced  to  the 
world,  last  week,  that  George  F.  Bab- 
bitt was  ready  to  sell  lots  in  the 
new  town  of  "Babbittville,"  and  a  real- 
estate  office  was  erected  for  business, 
the  surrounding  country  flocked  to 
"Babbittville  to  hear  the  news. 

Innocent  of  any  intent  other  than 
getting  set  on  location  to  shoot  the  real- 
estate  scenes  in  the  Warner  production 
"Babbitt,"  Harry  Beaumont,  directing, 
this  scene  version  of  Sinclair  Lewis' 
novel,  was  bewildered  at  the  resulting 
publicity. 

From  an  adjoining  tract  came  two 
enterprising  agents  who,  fearing  com- 
petition, rushed  over  to  inquire  who  this 
Babbitt  was,  what  the  proposition 
meant,  and  "whoinell  ever  heard  of 
'Babbittville.'  " 

Cameraman  David  Abel,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  leaning  in  the  doorway  of 
the  "Babbittville"  headquarters,  was 
hard  put  to  it  to  explain  the  situation, 
but  when  others  began  to  arrive  on  the 
scene,  he  decided  to  capitalize  this  un- 
usual opportunity  for  publicity. 


For  the  benefit  of  the  onlookers,  he 
went  through  the  action  of  closing  a 
deal  for  several  "Babbittville"  lots. 
Prospective  customers  came  over  to  Mr. 
Beaumont,  addressing  him  as  "Mr. 
Babbitt,"  and  sought  detailed  informa- 
tion. 

After  a  while,  as  the  entire  company 
came  on  the  lot,  it  was  explained  that 
the  whole  outfit  was  just  one  of  the 
scenes  what  would  appear  in  the  mo- 
tion picture  "Babbitt." 

*    *  * 

Unique  Display  for 
"Flowing  Gold" 

To  gain  more  than  mere  attention  of 
the  townsfolk,  the  manager  of  Madi- 
son Theatre,  Peoria,  111.,  arranged  an 
outdoor  display  in  front  of  his  theatre 
during  the  showing  of  "Flowing  Gold." 

The  cooperation  of  an  oil  company 
was  secured,  for  the  subject  of  the  title 
is  really  petroleum, — and  large  iron 
containers  of  gasoline  were  placed 
close  to  the  curb,  the  full  length  of  the 
theatre  building. 

On  each  can  were  painted  in  large 
dimensions,  a  letter  of  the  film's  title, 
so  that  the  entire  name  "Flowing 
Gold"  could  be  spelled  out  from  the 
street.  Posters  were  placed  on  stands 
at  either  end  and  the  announcement 
could  be  read  from  all  sides. 

Hence  a  real  tie-up  and  an  appropri- 
ate one. 


A  clever  theatre  lebby  for  First  National's  "Secrets"  in  which  Norma  Talmadge  stars. 
This  lobby  cannot  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  passersby  and  make  new  cus- 
tomers for  the  theatre.     It  is  the  best  kind  of  advertising. 


November  22,  1924 


Page  71 


A  miniature  stage  was  constructed  by  this  enterprising  exhibitor  in  showing 
"Another  Scandal"  with  Lois  Wilson.    A  release  of  the  Producers  Dist.  Corporation. 

Selected  Headliners 

As  Disclosed  By  Their  Past  Performances  in 
the  Box   Office  Hall  of  Records 


Special  Lobby  for 
"Wolves  of  the  North" 

M.  Mitchell  of  the  Eagle  Theatre, 
Hamilton,  Ohio,  assisted  by  Charles 
Lowenberg,  Universal  exploiteer,  did 
some  extensive  exploitation  for  Uni- 
versale serial,  "Wolves  of  the  North," 
and  reported  a  record  breaking  opening 
as  a  result. 

For  his  lobby  he  constructed  a  special 
front  consisting  of  a  log  cabin  around 
the  box-office  with  six-sheets  cutouts  of 
William  Duncan,  the  star  of  the  picture 
in  front  of  it.  Imitation  snow  was 
scattered  about  giving  the  most  realistic 
effect  of  a  lone  cabin  in  the  north 
woods. 

Another  stunt  which  Mitchell  used 
in  the  balloon  stunt  that  Universal  ex- 
ploiteers  are  using  all  over  the  country 
with  remarkable  results.  A  huge  col- 
ored balloon  with  the  title  of  the  pic- 
ture and  name  of  the  theatre  on  it  in 
large  letters  is  anchored  to  the  roof  of 
the  theatre  with  a  long  rope  and  al- 
lowed to  drift  around  during  the  day. 
This  attracts  considerable  attention  and 
is  a  very  inexpensive  proposition. 

Party  for  Contest 
Prize  Winners 

"The  Nervous  Wreck,"  which  is  be- 
ing serialized  in  Scripps  papers  in  the 
Northwest  at  this  time,  furnished  the 
background  for  a  clever  stunt  at  Neil 
&  Allender's  Casino  theatre,  Spokane, 
during  the  run  of  "Excitement." 

An  invitation  was  extended  by  "The 
Nervous  Wreck"  for  the  fifteen  win- 
ners of  the  contest:  "The  Most  Ex- 
citing Moment  I  Ever  Had,"  to  an 
"Excitement  Party"  at  the  Casino.  Re- 
sponse was  excellent. 

S|C  S)S- 

Telegraph  Tieup  for 
"Hunchback" 

An  excellent  example  of  a  campaign 
that  utilized  every  known  avenue  to 


Paramount 

THE  PURPLE  HIGHWAY— Whimsical 
Comedy.  Reviewed  April  19.  BECAUSE  it 
is  an  appealing  story  which  Madge  Kennedy 
carries  across  to  real  success  and  it  has  pro- 
vided good  entertainment  where  it  has  been 
shown. 

THE  WHITE  FLOWER— Released  March 
4,  1923.  Tropical  Love.  Reviewed  Febru- 
ary 2.  BECAUSE  it  handles  South  Sea 
scenes  with  a  delicacy  and  romance  that  gives 
Betty  Compson  an  opportunity  for  some  ex- 
ceptional interpretations. 

HER  GILDED  CAGE— Reviewed  March 
8.  Love  Drama.  BECAUSE  it  is  an  inti- 
mate pathetic  story  which  touches  the  heart 
and  appeals  to  the  sophisticated  and  the  sim- 
ple, and  it  presents  Gloria  Swanson  in  a 
role  that  her  followers  like  and  approve. 

BACK  HOME  AND  BROKE— Comedy 
Drama.  Reviewed  March  1.  BECAUSE  it 
is  a  George  Ade  story  of  the  highest  type 
and  it  gives  to  Thomas  Meighan  a  delightful 
role  which  he  portrays  capably  and  in  a  man- 
ner to  please  the  most  fastidious. 

TRAIL  OF  THE  LONESOME  PINE— 
Reviewed  December  22.  Family  Feud.  BE- 
CAUSE Antonio  Moreno  and"  Mary  Miles 
Minter  have  made  of  this  picture  a  highly 
interesting  and  entirely  absorbing  story  that 
is  liked  everywhere. 

BLUEBEARD'S  EIGHTH  WIFE— Re- 
viewed February  16.  Matrimonial  Tangle. 
BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson  infuses  the  pic- 
ture with  a  subtle  humor  and  a  droll  pathos 
that  make  of  it  an  intensely  interesting  story. 

THE  OLD  HOMESTEAD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Small  Town  Life.  BECAUSE 
it  is  a  James  Cruze  picture  that  has  been 
phenomenally  successful  in  large  cities  and 
small  towns  and  it  has  still  a  strong  appeal. 

TO  HAVE  AND  TO  HOLD— Reviewed 
March  22.  Historical  Romance.  BECAUSE 
it  is  rife  with  excitement  of  the  highest  type 
and  its  story  is  of  the  substantial  class  which 
never  goes  out  of  style. 


picture  exploitation  is  furnished  by  the 
Irvin  Theatre,  Blooinington,  Illinois,  a 
Balaban  Katz  Midwest  House.  The 
picture  benefited  by  this  campaign  was 
"The  Hunchback  of  Notre  Dame." 

The  most  noteworthy  feature  of  the 
Blooinington  drive  was  the  dispatching 
of  two  hundred  bona-fide  telegrams  to 
a  selected  list  the  day  on  which  the  pic- 
ture opened.  The  local  Postal  Tele- 
graph office  attended  to  all  other  ex- 
penses on  the  strength  of  a  line  used 
in  the  wire  reading:  "To  make  sure  you 
receive  this  important  message  we  have 
called  upon  the  most  dependable  of  tele- 
gram services,  Postal  Telegraph. 
Whenever  you  have  an  important  mes- 
sage to  convey  we  suggest  you  do  the 
same."  The  foregoing  part  of  the  mes- 
sage told  of  "The  Hunchback's"  open- 
ing and  carried  a  strong  line  of  selling 
copy. 


WHAT'S  YOUR  HURRY?  —  Reviewed 
March  15.  Auto  Comedy.  BECAUSE  there 
are  great  numbers  of  Wallace  Reid  admirers 
who  want  to  see  his  pictures  again  and  this 
one  is  no  doubt  one  of  his  best. 

THE  GREAT  IMPERSONATION  — 
Mystery  Drama.  Reviewed  February  23. 
BECAUSE  its  past  record  has  shown  it  to  be 
a  record  breaker  in  both  large  and  small 
theatres  and  it  is  cleverly  acted. 

THE  LAW  AND  THE  WOMAN— Re- 
viewed March  8.  Murder  Mystery.  BE- 
CAUSE the  highly  dramatic  scenes,  espe- 
cially the  court  scene  give  Betty  Compson 
a  chance  to  appear  to  good  advantage  and  to 
get  across  big  with  her  audiences. 

MY  AMERICAN  WIFE— Released  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1923.  Sport  Romance.  Reviewed 
February  9.  BECAUSE  Gloria  Swanson 
appears  in  it  in  a  role  that  will  thrill  and 
satisfy  her  most  ardent  admirers. 

IS  MATRIMONY  A  FAILURE— Re- 
leased April  23,  1922.  Farce  Comedy.  Re- 
viewed February  2.  BECAUSE  it  is  a  catchy 
light-hearted  picture  that  sends  audiences 
away  pleased  and  happy. 

C.  C.  Burr 

THE  NEW  SCHOOL  TEACHER— Rural 
Romance.  BECAUSE  it  features  Russel 
Griffin  in  a  part  for  which  he  is  admirably 
suited  and  into  which  he  injects  a  personal 
touch  that  cannot  fail  to  get  across  to  all 
audiences. 

RESTLE5S  WIVES— Matrimonial  Prob- 
lem. BECAUSE  it  is  a  story  with  a  strong 
appeal  to  both  sexes  and  attempts  to  bring 
about  a  better  understanding  of  the  existing 
conditions  in  matrimonial  life  of  the  middle 
classes. 

THREE  O'CLOCK  IN  THE  MORNlNv 
— Modern  Youth.  Reviewed  March  22 
Booked  100  per  cent  States  Rights.  BE- 
CAUSE it  has  every  element  to  please  small 
and  large  town  audiences  interested  in  youth 
of  the  jazz  age 


Page  72 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Projection  Hints 

Optics  Practical  Ideas  and  Electricity 
  By  WESLEY  TROUT   


A CHICAGO  firm  is  placing  a  new 
style  of  Intermittent  Movement 
for  a  Powers  machine.  This  new 
movement  employs  a  star  wheel  and 
can  in  place  of  the  pin  cross  and  cam. 
There  is  quite  a  saving  in  purchasing 
parts  for  the  Geneva  movement  than 
for  the  roller  pin  type  of  intermittent, 
so  this  firm  claims.  The  writer  has 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  move- 
ment in  operation  and  found  it  to  be 
well  built  and  deliver  a  very  good  pic- 
ture on  the  screen.  Can  be  placed  in 
any  model  of  Powers  machines  in  a 
very  few  minutes  by  the  modern  pro- 
jectionist. 

Use  Good  Condensers 

I  have  been  in  projection  rooms 
where  the  projectionist  has  been  using 
a  cheap  grade  of  condensers  and  the 
condensers  were  very,  very  dirty  at 
that.  To  secure  perfect  light  and  pro- 
jection you  must  keep  the  condensers 
clean  and  use  a  good  grade  of  con- 
densing lenses.  It  does  not  pay  to  use 
a  cheap  grade  of  condensers  as  they 
will  crack  easily  and  give  you  poor  re- 
sults on  the  screen.  Be  sure  and  give 
your  condensers  the  same  care  and 
cleaning  as  you  do  your  projection 
lenses  and  you  will  secure  more  near 
perfect  screen  results  then  you  will 
with  a  dirty  and  cheap  condenser.  Con- 
densers should  always  have  a  little 
"play"  in  holders. 

Projection  Arc  Lamp  Lubrication 

The  lubrication  of  the  motion  pic- 
ture arc  lamp  is  an  exceedingly  very 
important  matter  that  every  projection- 
ist should  attend  to  regularly.  The 
projectionist  should  make  it  their  prac- 
tice to  lubricate  their  arc  lamp; 
thoroughly  at  stated  periods.  Twice;7 
every  year  the  projectionist  should  re- 
move all  the  screws  from  his  arc  lamp 
and  dip  them  in  a  can  of  kerosene  and 
then  into  a  box  of  good  grade  graphite, 
the  oil  merely  being  intended  as  a  binder 
to  hold  the  powered  graphite  to  the 
screws  that  are  being  replaced  in  your 
arc  lamp.  Moving  parts  of  the  arc  lamp 
should  be  lubricated  by  rubbing  them 
with  a  cloth  wet  with  kerosene  and 
then  graphite  placed  on  same.  If  kero- 
sene is  not  available  to  the  projection- 
ist why  he  can  use  lubricating  oil  as 
a  binder  for  the  powdered  graphite, 
but  the  projectionist  must  keep  in  mind 
that  the  oil  is  not  for  lubricating  the 
arc  lamp,  but  merely  a  binder  to  hold 
the  graphite.  The  graphite  itself  is  the 
lubricant,  you  know  graphite  being  it- 
self a  very  high  lubricant  and  one  which 
is  impervious  to  the  action  of  heat  at 


ordinary  temperture.  You  will  be  able 
to  handle  your  arc  lamp  in  a  much 
better  manner  if  the  lamp  is  properly 
lubricated.  A  "sticky"  lamp  is  a  mighty 
hard  thing  to  get  any  results  from 
and  to  get  it  to  work  properly  on  the 
screen  as  you  would  like  to  have  it 
work. 

The  modern  projectionist  should 
make  it  his  invariable  practice  to  re- 
move the  carbon  clamp  screws  every 
day  if  the  run  be  a  twelve-hour  one, 
or  in  any  event  frequently,  and  lubri- 
cate them  with  graphite.  Be  sure  and 
do  this  and  you  won't  have  to  screw 
the  lamp  up  with  a  pair  of  pliers. 

By  all  means  you  should  keep  the 
entire  arc  lamp  clean  as  you  would 
the  rest  of  your  projection  machine. 
You  can't  do  good  work  with  a  dirty 
arc  lamp  and  a  dirty  machine.  The 
manager  wants  results  on  the  screen 
and  you  can  give  him  results  if  you 
keep  your  equipment  in  A-l  shape 
which  will  only  take  a  few  minutes 
each  day  to  do  this. 

The  asbestos  wire  lamp  leads  of 
your  arc  lamp  are  a  thing  concerning 
which  the  modern  projectionist  must 
use  great  care  and  intelligence,  else  he 
will  have  a  heavy  loss  by  the  reason 
of  their  high  resistance.  The  pro- 
jectionist should  keep  the  lamp  leads 
in  good  condition  at  all  time  to  secure 
the  very  best  results  from  his  equip- 
ment. Use  the  correct  size  leads  for 
the  amperage  that  you  are  using  at  the 
arc  lamp  so  that  they  will  not  over- 
heat at  any  time.  The  best  policy  is 
always  use  a  little  larger  wire  than  the 
amperage  calls  for  and  you  will  always 
have  a  wire  of  safe  capacity  for  the 
amperage  you  may  use. 

Install  New  Projection  Equipment 

The  Rex  Theatre  at  Greely,  Colo., 
has  recently  installed  two  new  Power's 
Type  "E"  projectors  and  new  Cine- 
phor  projection  lenses.  60  amperes  is 
used  at  the  arc.  Current  for  the  arc  is 
furnished  by  a  60  ampere  Martin 
Rotary  Converter.  During  my  vacation 
in  Denver  I  had  the  pleasure  of  visit- 
ing this  projection  layout  and  theatre, 
and  during  my  visit  I  found  screen 
results  to  be  very  good.  Changeovers 
were  well  made  and  the  light  was  kept 
steady  and  even  during  the  projection 
of  the  picture.  The  projection  room 
was  kept  neat  and  clean  which  is  all 
very  good  for  perfect  screen  results. 
The  lenses  and  condensers  were  kept 
clean  and  the  spot  was  of  the  correct 
size  on  the  cooling  plate.  Dave  Morri- 
son is  the  manager  of  this  house  and  a 


real  live-wire  at  that.  I  certainly  thank 
the  management  for  their  most  cour- 
teous treatment  and  welcome  while  in 
Greeley. 

Have  You  Any  Projection  Troubles? 

As  I  have  said  before,  the  writer  of 
this  department  is  glad  to  answer  any 
questions  pertaining  to  projection,  op- 
tics, electricity  or  equipment  at  any 
time.  This  service  is  free  to  the  read- 
ers of  this  department.  If  you  wish  a 
reply  by  mail  I  ask  that  you  please  en- 
close a  stamped  envelope  for  your  re- 
ply. I  will  be  pleased  to  hear  from 
exhibitors  and  projectionists  at  all 
times.  Send  in  your  practical  ideas  and 
projection  room  "stunts"  and  they 
may  be  of  a  big  benefit  to  other 
projectionists. 

Mazda  Equipment  for  Projection 

The  900-watt  National  Mazda  lamp 
with  a  G.  E.  Incandescent  Lamp  Pro- 
jector can  be  used  very  successfully 
in  motion  picture  theatres  having  a 
main  floor  seating  capacity  of  about 
800  people,  or  a  picture  that  does  not 
exceed  widths  up  to  16  feet,  or  throws 
not  exceeding  about  100  feet.  It  gives 
much  better  results  then  the  alternat- 
ing current  arc  at  60  amperes  and  is 
equal  of  the  direct  current  arc  up  to 
50  amperes  or  so. 

The  G.  E.  Mazda  Lamp  Regulator 

The  regulator  is  designed  to  reduce 
the  line  voltage  to  that  required  by 
the  lamp  and  to  control  accurately  the 
current  supplied  to  the  lamp  at 
all  times.  The  Mazda  lamp  oper- 
ates either  on  direct  current  or  al- 
ternating circuits.  For  the  alternating 
current  a  transformer  must  be  used, 
this  transformer  supplies  a  current  of 
30  volts.  When  direct  current  is  the 
source  you  can  then  use  a  rheostat  to 
reduce  the  current.  Inasmuch  as  this 
involves  a  considerable  resistance  loss, 
a  D.  C.  A.  C.  synchronous  converter 
has  been  developed  so  that  alternating 
current  can  be  supplied  to  the  hand 
controlled  regulator. 

Large  Lens  Diameter 

I  would  recommend  a  large  diam- 
eter, high  grade  No.  2  objective  lens 
for  use  with  Mazda  equipment  as  you 
will  secure  a  better  light.  With  the 
Mazda  equipment  I  would  also  recom- 
mend the  use  of  the  new  Double-Disc 
shutter  which  will  also  increase  your 
light  to  a  great  extent  on  the  projec- 
tion screen.  The  more  light  you  can 
get  the  better  it  will  be.  A  high  grade 
projection  lens  is  recommended  when 
using  Mazda  equipment. 


November  22,  1924 


Page  73 


Equipment  Notes 


Flickering  Films 

Problem  Solved 

New  Automatic  Machinery 
Replaces  Human  Hands  in  the 
Manufacture  of  Release  Prints 


■jlyTILLIONS  of  feet  of  film 
VI  printed  and  developed  and  each 
inch  perfect,  that  is  the  out- 
standing accomplishment  made  possible 
by  the  new  automatic  machinery  that 
has  been  installed  in  the  plants  of  the 
Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc. 

This  organization  which  combined 
the  resources  of  four  leading  labora- 
tories, has  spent  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  on  research  and  experimen- 
tation and  has  perfected  the  methods 
and  processes  of  every  department  to 
such  a  degree  that  the  production  of 
uniform  standard  high  quality  release 
prints  can  be  absolutely  guaranteed. 

Commenting  upon  the  successful 
operation  of  this  new  and  exclusively 
owned  machinery,  H.  M.  Goetz,  Vice 
President  of  the  Consolidated  Film  In- 
dustries, Inc.,  pointed  out  the  box-office 
value  of  well  made  brilliant  release 
prints. 

"Few  people  not  intimately  acquaint- 
ed with  motion-picture  technique  real- 
ize the  remarkable  fact  that  more  than 
100,000  separate  little  pictures  or 
'frames'  as  they  are  called,  are  flashed 
on  the  screen  in  one  average  length 
photo-play." 

"It  is  impossible,"  declares  Mr. 
Goetz,  "to  attain  the  accuracy  neces- 
sary for  the  successful  reproduction  of 
the  wealth  of  detail  comprised  in  each 
of  these  little  'frames'  by  the  old-fash- 
ioned methods  or  in  laboratories  whose 
equipment  has  not  kept  pace  with  the 
latest  scientific  achievements." 

Only  those  familiar  with  the  techni- 
cal details  of  this  highly  specialized 
branch  of  the  motion-picture  industry 
understand  the  complexity  of  the  daily 
task  confronting  manufacturers  of  mo- 
tion picture  prints. 

The  size  of  the  average  picture  pro- 
jected in  the  larger  theatres  may  be 
more  than  40,000  times  that  of  the 
original  appearing  on  the  film,  and  the 
slightest  blemish  or  the  least  imperfec- 
tion— unnoticeable  often  to  the  naked 
eye — will  stand  out  very  plainly  when 
undergoing  such  great  magnification. 


To  avoid  all  such  defects  which 
greatly  hinder  the  perfect  reproduction 
of  the  photographic  beauty  of  a  pic- 
ture it  is  essential  to  provide  ideal  at- 
mospheric and  temperature  conditions 
in  the  laboratories  where  the  film  is 
treated  and  handled.  At  the  Consoli- 
dated plants  the  air  throughout  is 
cleansed  and  moistened  in  a  series  of 
special  processes  and  the  proper  even 
temperature  is  maintained  under  a  sys- 
tem of  automatic  control  that  insures 
perfection. 

Similar  care  must  be  taken  in  the 
matter  of  lighting  and  in  the  quality  of 
the  chemicals  used  and  the  purity  of 
the  water.     It  is  on  account  of  the 


H.  M.  Goetz,  Vice  President  of  the 
Consolidated  Film  Industries,  Inc., 
one  of  the  sponsors  of  the  idea  of 
spending  considerable  sums  which 
have  resulted  in  the  solution  of  the 
flickering  film  nuisance. 

careful  attention  to  all  these  details  in 
every  department  that  the  Consolidated 
is  enabled  to  place  its  guarantee  of 
satisfactory  quality  on  every  release 
print. 

*    *  * 

THEATRE  NEWS 

G.  Rogney  will  soon  open  a  modern 
picture  theatre  at  Froid,  Mont. 


The  Majestic  Theatre,  Little  Rock, 
Ark.,  has  again  reopened  under  the 
management  of  A.  S.  Watlington,  Jr. 

The  theatre  has  been  remodelled. 

*  *  * 

The  Empire  Theatre  at  Chillicothe, 
Mo.,  has  reopened  its  doors  to  very 
good  business  after  being  closed  all 
summer. 

*  *  * 

Work  has  started  on  the  new  motion 
picture  theatre  for  Warren,  Ark. 

*  #  # 

The  City  of  Beggs,  Oklahoma,  will 
have  Sunday  shows.  The  question  was 
finally  settled  when  Mayor  A.  Jones 
announced  his  veto  of  the  ordinance 
closing  Sunday  shows  which  was  passed 
recently  by  the  city  council.  The  man- 
ager of  the  Cimea  Theatre  reports  very 
good  business. 

The  Beeson  Theatre,  Dodge  City, 
Kan.,  has  been  leased  by  W.  H.  Har- 
pole,  manager  of  the  Crown  Theatre, 
that  city,  until  November,  1933. 

The  new  Campbell  Theatre,  Denton, 
Texas,  has  been  leased  and  will  be  op- 
erated under  the  management  of  G. 
Campbell. 

-a-  rr 

The  Maritni  Theatre  at  Galveston, 
Texas,  has  again  reopened  to  a  very 
good  business  with  vaudeville  and  pic- 
tures as  the  feature. 

Mrs.  Minni  Heiser  has  purchased  the 
Cine  Theatre  at  Green  Forest,  Ark., 
and  will  present  pictures  as  the  new 
policy  of  the  house- 

*  #  * 

Announcement  has  been  made  by  A. 
Eiler,  manager  of  the  American  Thea- 
tre, Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  that  his  house 
will  undergo  a  complete  remodelling  at 
an  early  date.  New  equipment  will  be 
installed. 

*  *-  * 

The  Cozy  Theatre  at  Shawnee,  Okla., 
is  now  being  completely  remodelled. 
New  equipment  is  being  installed  and 
the  theatre  completely  repainted.  Busi- 
ness at  the  various  theatres  is  reported 
to  be  very  pleasing. 

*  *  * 

A.  A.  Choteau  is  erecting  a  modern 
picture  theatre  at  Forth  Worth,  Tex. 

*  *  * 

W.  J.  Hicks,  Rocky  Ford,  Colo.,  an- 
nounces that  he  has  closed  his  airdome 
for  the  winter  season. 

■»    *  * 

Dr.  Leach  is  operating  the  Pastime 
Theatre,  Woodward,  Okla.,  to  a  very 
good  business. 

*  *  * 

L.  D.  Brown  recently  purchased  the 
Victory  Theatre  at  Brownwood,  Texas. 


Page  74 


Exhibitors  Trade  Revieu) 


THEATRE  EQUIPMENT 

AND  ACCESSORIES 


Ventilation 

ONE  thing  that  is  of  vital  importance 
to  the  theatre  owner  is  to  make 
sure  that  the  air  in  his  house  is  fresh 
and  pure.  This  may  be  accomplished 
partly  by  airing  the  theatre  thoroughly 
during  the  day  and  by  means  of  proper 
ventilation.  The  cleansing  and  cooling" 
of  air  in  theatres  has  been  reduced  to 
a  science.  The  Atmospheric  Condition- 
ing Corporation  specializes  in  ventilat- 
ing equipment  of  this  kind.  One  of 
their  products  is  the  Webster  Air 
Washer,  which  is  designed  with  a  free 
area  that  will  allow  the  passage  of  a 
desired  amount  of  air  per  minute.  It 
will  cleanse  the  air  handled  of  all 
foreign  matter.  All  those  who  have 
used  this  ventilating  system  speak  of  it 
in  the  highest  terms. 

*    *  * 

Proper  Lens  Important  in 
Good  Projection 

IN  these  days  of  keenest  rivalry 
among  moving  picture  theatres  no 
detail  which  will  make  for  a  better 
show  can  afford  to  be  overlooked  by 
the  enterprising  exhibitor. 

So  much  depends  on  the  proper  pro- 
jection of  the  picture  that  a  great  deal 
of  attention  should  be  given  to  the  selec- 
tion of  the  proper  lens  in  order  to  get 
the  best  possible  effect  out  of  every  pic- 
ture. Very  often  a  beautiful  photo- 
graphed picture,  excellent  in  shadings 
and  scenic  effects,  is  virtually  ruined  by 
poor  projection. 

Realizing  the  importance  of  having 
as  nearly  perfect  a  lens  as  it  is  possible 
to  get,  Bausch  and  Lomb  have  concen- 
trated a  great  deal  of  time  and  attention 
on  securing  the  best  possible  product 
The  result  of  this  research  work  is  the 
production  of  the  Cinephor  Lenses 
which  have  been  designed  to  fulfill  the 
four  big  requisites  of  lens  perfection : 
definition,  flatness  of  field,  illumination 
and  maximum  contrast  between  black 
and  white. 

Theatre  Switchboards 

THE  milti-preset  feature  is  a  new 
Westinghouse  development.  It  is 
claimed  that  up  until  the  present  time 
the  best  board  which  has  ever  been  pro- 
duced could  be  used  to  set  up  the  light- 
ing effects  for  one  scene  in  advance, 
and  one  only.  The  multi-preset  board, 
featured  in  this  circular  is  the  Westing- 
house  under  the  old  method  of  control. 

With  this  board  all  the  lighting  ef- 
fects for  every  scene  of  a  theatrical 
production  may  be  set  up  in  advance 


and  remain  undisturbed  for  the  entire 
run  of  the  production. 

These  effects  may  be  worked  out 
previous  to  the  first  performance,  the 
proper  switches  thrown,  and  the  cabi- 
net doors  closed  and  locked,  completely 

protecting  them  from  molestation. 

*  *  * 

Additional  Equipment 

ADDITIONAL  equipment  that  lends 
completeness  and  an  air  of  distinc- 
tion to  the  presentation  of  a  show,  are 
curtain  control  and  house  lighting  con- 
trol apparatus.  In  the  curtain  control 
apparatus,  we  have  a  device  that  allows 
the  projectionist  to  operate  the  dra- 
peries and  curtains  on  the  stage  at  the 
opening  and  closing  of  the  show  and  in 
between  each  performance,  while  the 
lighting  control  can  also  be  operated 
from  the  projection  department  in  much 
a  similar  manner  and  enhance  the  pres- 
entation  of  the  picture  and  musical 

numbers  by  modified  lighting. 

*  *  * 

Br  ay  co  Projector 

TTERE  is  a  scientifically  constructed 
J-A  still  picture  projector  using  strips 
of  standard  size,  non-inflammable  pic- 
ture film,  instead  of  heavy  but  fragile 
glass  slides.  Each  strip  of  film  carries 
from  sixteen  to  four  hundred  separate 
pictures. 

The  operating  cost  is  about  a  cent 
per  hour,  and  the  projected  pictures 
measure  from  5x8  inches  to  8x10  feet 
depending  upon  the  distance  from  the 
projecting  surface. 

The  machine  has  proven  itself  a  dis- 
tinct asset  in  attracting  attention  of 
passersby  to  lobby  displays,  and  is  a 
good  investment  for  any  snowman  con- 
templating a  lobby  show  as  part  of  the- 
atre exploitation. 

*  *  * 

Raven  "Halftone"  Screens 

A  FTER  much  experimentation  a 
-f*-  screen  has  been  evolved  which  no 
less  an  authority  than  "Roxy"  Rothafel 
hales  as  approaching  perfection  for  the 
requirements  of  his  Capitol  Theatre. 

The  screen  installed  is  sufficiently 
tinted  to  absorb  objectionable  colors, 
but  it  also  retains  enough  pure  white  to 
reflect  desirable  colors,  the  remaining 
light  being  comparable  to  sunlight. 

This  is  accomplished  by  spreading 
over  the  back  of  a  finely  woven  white 
fabric  a  coating  of  soft  rubber,  tinted  to 
any  desired  shade.  The  rubber  is  then 
forced  into  the  fores  of  the  fabric  so 
that  it  shows  on  the  face-side  under  a 
magnifying  glass  as  tiny  pin  points. 
These  points  of  tinted  rubber  absorb 


News  and  Facts  Bearing  on  the 
Improvement  of  the  House  and 
Its  Facilities 


undesirable  color  from  the  light  that 
strikes  them,  and  the  white  threads  are 
reflected  in  their  entirety. 

Tests  conducted  by  the  Sperry  Gy- 
roscope Company  show  a  difference  of 
only  one  foot  candle  power  between 

center  and  edge  of  screen. 

*  *  * 

Roll  or  Folded  Tickets 

WHAT  purports  to  be  the  world's 
largest  exclusive  amusement  ticket 
plant  is  run  by  the  Arcus  Ticket  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  This  firm  has  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  theatre 
and  other  amusement  <ickets  for  twen- 
ty-eight years  and  offers  the  full  weight 
of  its  experience  and  knowledge  of  the 
showman's  requirements  in  rendering 

service  to  clients. 

*  *  * 

Typhoon  Fans 

A COOLING  system  which  is  easily 
installed  and  when  in  commission 
works  noiselessly  and  unobstrusively  is 
that  announced  by  the  Typhoon  Fan 
Company  of  New  York,  with  branch 
offices  in  Philadelphia,  Jacksonville, 
New  Orleans,  Dallas  and  Los  Angeles 
Prospects  are  advised  by  this  firm  to 
write  for  booklet  32. 


A  LETTER 

A  brief  article  sent  to  us  by  the 
Projection  Optics  Co.,  Inc.,  of 
Rochester,  New  York,  intended 
to  advise  us  of  the  insertion  of  a 
new  page  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
Coleman  Electric  Co.,  of  Toron- 
to, Canada,  containing  the  follow- 
ing quotations  from  a  letter  writ- 
ten by  the  latter  concern: 

"Replying  to  yours  of  July 
14th,  we  beg  to  advise  that  the 
series  III  SUPER-LITE  Lens 
you  left  with  us  in  June  was 
turned  over  to  the  projectionist  at 
Toronto's  newest  and  largest  Su- 
burban theatre. 

"He  has  been  using  lenses 

and  after  trying  yours  has  been 
very  much  pleased  with  the  re- 
sults obtained.  To  use  his  own 
expression,  he  stated  that  your 
lens  was  the  "Cat's  Whiskers." 
He  claims  more  light  and  better 
definition  with  a  very  evenly 
illuminated  field. 

"The  lens  is  still  at  that  thea- 
tre, and  the  projectionist  is  try- 
ing to  induce  the  management  to 
get  him  a  pair  of  them,  and  we 
think  he  will  be  successful  a  little 
later. 

"We  might  add  that  this  favor- 
able report  means  a  lot  to  us,  and 
we  will  advise  the  use  of  your 
lenses  on  all  future  installations. 
Also  in  getting  out  our  1925  cata- 
logue, we  intend  inserting  a  page 
featuring  your  lenses." 


November  22,  1924 


Page  75 


Equipment  Notes 


Trailers 


A GOOD  way  to  cheaply  and  effect- 
ively advertise  coming  pictures  is 
by  means  of  trailers.  It  will  add  inesti- 
mably to  the  prestige  of  your  theatre 
to  shoot  a  presentation  trailer  on  the 
screen  preceding"  your  feature  picture 
reading:  A  Blank  Theatre  Presenta- 
tion. These  trailers  can  be  used  to 
precede  the  feature,  to  announce  com- 
ing attractions,  to  precede  the  news 
weekly,  the  comedy  and  to  close  the 
evening's  entertainment. 

These  presentation  trailers  are 
manufactured  by  Irving  Mack  &  Co., 
and  are  now  being  used  by  the  big- 
gest exhibitors  in  the  country. 

Slide-O-Graph 

A  VERY  effective  way  to  advertise 
coming  as  well  as  current  attrac- 
tions is  by  means  of  a  sliding  color  plate 
in  front  of  your  theatre.  This  new 
device  which  is  finding  great  favor 
with  the  exhibitors,  is  known  as  the 
Slide-O-Graph.  It  consists  cf  a  raised 
cameralike  affair  with  a  decorative 
gold  frame  front.  Slides  are  slipped 
into  a  carrier  which  automatically 
projects  them  on  the  screen.  The  pic- 
tures change  at  regular  intervals, 
quickly  and  quietly,  then  repeat.  On 
a  screen  that  measures  sixteen  inches 
square  as  many  as  forty-eight  slides 
may  be  automatically  displayed.  This 
is  gotten  out  by  the  Slide-O-Graph 
Company. 


Lamp  Coloring 

HPHERE  is  a  chemical  on  the  market 
for  coloring  lamp  bulbs.  It  comes 
in  many  colors  and  is  quick  drying  and 
will  not  fade.  The  bulb  is  simply 
dipped  into  the  can  of  paint  without 
any  means  or  expenditure  of  time. 
Every  theatre  should  have  cans  of 
this  paint  in  various  different  colors. 
Colored  lights  used  in  lobby  and  in- 
terior decorating  give  some  excellent 
effects  and  soft  tints. 

*  *  * 

Seat  Indicator 

IT  is  the  usual  custom  for  ushers 
in  photoplay  houses  to  hold  the  wait- 
ing patrons  at  the  back  of  the  theatre 
while  another  usher  walks  down  the 
aisle  to  find  out  the  number  of  vacant 
seats.  In  order  to  do  away  with  this 
awkward  system,  a  seat  indicator  was 
invented  by  Wilfred  L.  Guerin.  It 
consists  of  a  box  containing  an  elec- 
tric battery  wired  to  a  number  of 
small  electric  bulbs  set  in  slots  in  the 
front  or  side  of  the  box.  On  top  cf 
the  box  are  switches  which  the  oper- 
ator presses  to  illuminate  as  many 
lights  as  there  are  vacant  seats. 

*  *  >:= 

Fashion  Floodlite 

HP  HE  Brieloff  Manufacturing  Com- 
*-  pany  puts  out  a  product  called  the 
Fashion  Floodlite.  It  is  a  non-break- 
able unit  made  of  aluminum,  neatly  fin- 
ished  in   a   pleasing  green   which  is 


baked  deep  into  the  surface  and  will  not 
peel.  It  is  easily  installed  and  can  be 
adjusted  to  any  angle. 

The  light  will  flood  the  lobby  with 
either  colored  or  white  light,  and  at  the 
same  time  concentrate  a  powerful  spot- 
light on  any  part  of  the  display  upon 
which  emphasis  is  desired. 

A  standard  200-watt  lamp  is  used. 
By  means  of  a  universal  joint  the  light 
may  be  attached  readily  to  ceiling,  wall 
or  floor,  and  the  beam  pointed  in  any 
direction. 

It  is  simple  to  change  a  color.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  lift  the  spring  fast- 
ener in  order  to  open  the  double  frame. 
Then  the  slide  may  be  changed  and  the 
frame  closed.  Units  consist  of  metal 
retainer  frame,  spring  fasteners  and 
five  gelatine  films  in  red,  amber,  blue, 
green  and  violet. 


Ticket  Register 

ANY  times  during  the  rush  hours 
a  line  is  kept  waiting  at  the  box-of- 
hce  window.  This  can  be  eliminated  by 
installing  a  ticket  register.  A  fine 
product  is  now  being  distributed  by 
the  World  Ticket  and  Supply  Co., 
and  is  reported  to  be  superior  to  any- 
thing so  far  offered.  This  machine 
has  the  additional  advantage  of  be- 
ing a  counter  as  well,  and  will  give 
the  proprietor  a  check  on  the  number 
of  tickets  sold  without  any  fear  of 
error.  The  improved  model  Simplex 
Ticket  Register  has  already  been 
widely  distributed  among  exhibitors 
with  most  pleasing  results. 


2.:/  *TMi      ■  V 


Consolidated  Certified  Prints 


NEW  YORK 


The  CONSOLIDATED  FILM  INDUSTRIES,  Inc. 
729  Seventh  Avenue 


LQ5  ANGELES 


WORLD'S  LARGEST  EXCLUSIVE  AMUSEMENT  TICKET  PLANT 


TWENTY- EIGHT  YEARS  EXPERIENCE  AT  YOUR  SERVICE  ( 


£             352  N.  ASHLAND  AVENUE         \V  I     ■   \>S  W% 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS  ^— '     •  -  -        —        —  - 


ETS 


BEST  fOR  THE  LEAST  MONEY  QUICKEST  DLLIVERY  CORRECTNESS  GUARANTEED 


Page  76 


Exhibitors  Trade  Review 


Callahan  &  Ray  have  purchased  the 
Star  theatre  at  Palestine,  Texas. 

The  Colonial  Theatre  which  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  at  Greenville,  Texas, 
will  he  rebuilt  in  the  near  future. 

.  *    *  * 

Manager  Lindsay  is  erecting  a  hand- 
some new  theatre  at  Lubbock,  Texas, 
to  cost  over  a  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars.   It  will  be  strictly  modern. 

A  new  theatre  is  being  erected  at 
Stamford,  Texas. 

The  Southern  Enterprise  is  erecting 
a  new  theatre  at  Houston,  Texas,  to 
cost  about  $15,000. 

*  *  * 

The  Martini  Theatre  at  Galveston, 
Texas,  is  being  remodeled  and  will 
show  vaudeville  and  road  shows. 

L.  B.  Brown  has  purchased  the 
Victory  Theatre  at  Brownwood, 
Texas. 

*  *  * 

Putnam,  Texas,  opened  its  first  pic- 
ture show  last  week. 

*  *  * 

G.  Lloyd  opened  his  new  picture 
house  at  Paris,  Ark. 

The  name  of  the  Electric  Theatre  at 
Morrilton,  Ark,  has  been  changed  to 
the  "New  Grand  Theatre." 

The  Orpheo  Theatre  at  Pine  Bluff. 
Ark.,  has  been  condemned  by  the 
building  inspectors  and  will  be  torn 
down  in  the  near  future. 


Mailing  Lists 


Mailing  Lists 

Will  help  you  increase  sales 
Send  for  FREE  catalog  giving 
counts  and  prices  on  classified  nameh 
of  you  rbest  prospective  customers- 
National,  State,  Local—Individuals, 
Professions,  Business  Firms. 

C\C\Of  Guaranteed   Crf  , 

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Hotel  Accommodations 


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Classified  Opportunities 


LASSIFIED  AD 
DEPARTMENT 

Rates,  2  cents  a  word.    Cash  with  copy 


Positions  Wanted 


POSITION  wanted  by  experienced  projectionist. 
Ivan  Fry,  Box  382,  Minerva,  Ohio. 

YOUNG  MAN  desires  position  offering  advance- 
ment. With  Film  Exchange  or  Export,  Eleven 
years  experience  in  industry.  Box  A.  B.,  Exhibitors 
Trade  Review. 

PROJECTIONIST     DESIRES     POSITION,  9 

years  experience.  Now  in  Nebraska,  wishes  new  lo- 
cation.    Box  OHS,  Exhibitors  Trade  Review. 

SOLO  ORGANIST  desires  permanent  position, 
first-class  theatre,  with  good  modern  Organ.  Ex- 
perienced. Feature  Songs.  Complete  library.  Union. 
Address  Organist,  4077  Manayunk  Avenue,  Wissa- 
hickon,    Philadelphia,  Pa. 

MUSICAL  CONDUCTOR-ARRANGER.  Open 
for  engagement.  15  years'  experience  cueing  pic- 
tures-concert. Extensive  and  up  to  date  library. 
Address  M.  V.  Apartment  1-C,  203  West  107th  St., 
New  York  City. 


For  Rent 


MOTION  PICTURE  and  "Still"  Can.eras  rented, 
sold  and  exchanged.  Portable  lights  for  sale  and 
for  rent.  Keep  us  advised  of  your  wants.  Ruby 
Camera  Exchange,  727  Seventh  Ave.,  New  York 
City. 


Miscellaneous 


THE  SMALL  SUM  that  it  costs  to  insert  an  ad- 
vertisement in  the  Classified  Section  of  EXHIBI- 
TORS TRADE  REVIEW  enables  you  to  place 
your  desires  in  the  minds  of  men  who  are  always 
interested  in  a  good  proposition. 


Local  Films 


MOTION  PICTURES  made  to  order.  Commercial, 
Home  or  Industrial.  We  have  excellent  facilities, 
and  the  best  cameramen.  Our  price  20c  per  foot. 
Ruby  Film  Company,  727  Seventh  Avenue,  New 
York. 


Theatre  Wanted 


WANTED:  PICTURE  THEATRE  OR  COM- 
BINATION HOUSE  offering  possibilities.  Strictest 
investigation  required.  Have  cash.  F.  F.  Von 
Court,   Princeton,  W.  Va. 


Supplies 


MIDWESTERN  EXHIBITORS!  !— Your  new  the- 
atre supply  house  is  the  MIDWEST  THEATRE 
SUPPLY  COMPANY,  122%  N.  Market  Street, 
WICHITA.  KANSAS.  A  complete  line  of  sup- 
plies.   Send  for  Catalogue  TODAY. 


Musical  Instruments 


15  ELECTRIC  PIANOS,  $50.00,  $150.00,  $285.00. 

latest  rolls.  Band  and  Orchestra  instruments,  low 
prices.  Musical  Instrument  Supply  Co.,  70  So.  8th 
St.,   Minneapolis,  Minn. 


ORGAN  FOR  SALE.  Beautiful  new  self-playing 
Link  Pipe  Organ.  Meets  every  requirement  of  the 
pictures.  Operated  from  booth  or  elsewhere.  Can- 
not be  played  by  hand.  Library  of  new  music  rolls. 
Wilbor  A.  Shea,  83  Water  Street,  Eastport,  Maine. 


For  Sale 


NEW  5x7  CONTESSA  NETTLE  CAMERA,  trop- 
ltcal  finish,  Carl  Ziess  f4,  5  lens,  3  plate  holders 
and  film  pack  adapter,  $125.  List,  $295.  New  Carl 
Zeiss  Telephoto  lens,  45  cmm.,  $33.  List  price  $75 
WM.  FARRELL,  272  Flafbush  Extension,  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.    Phone  Triangle-8073. 


FOR  SALE — NEW  AND  USED  MOVING 
PICTURE  MACHINES.  Screens,  Opera  Chairs, 
Ventilating  Fans.  Generators,  Compensares,  Rheo- 
stats, Rewinds,  Portable  Projectors,  Spot  Lights, 
Wall  Fans,  Stereopticons,  Fire  Extinguishers, 
Rubber  Floor  Matting,  Steel  Booths,  Motors,  Lobby 
Frames,  Electric  Heaters,  Ticket  Choppers,  Lenses 
and  everything  for  the  Theatre.  The  largest  stock 
of  used  equipment  in  the  country.  Write  for  prices 
MOVIE  SUPPLY  CO.,  844  S.  Wabash  Ave.', 
Chicago,  Illinois. 


POWERS  NO.  S  MECHANISM,  $30.  Rheostat, 
slightly  used,  40  to  50  amperes,  $17.50;  Small  20 
ampere  Rheostat,  $9.50.  Powers  Arc  lamp  without 
base  or  handles,  but  complete  otherwise,  $7.75. 
Cash  with  Order.  Above  sent  prepaid.  W. 
TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY,  ENID,  OKLA- 
HOMA. 


SIMPLEX      INTERMITTENT  SPROCKETS, 

$3.98 ;  Powers  Intermittent  Sprockets,  $3.89 ;  Edison 
or  Motiograph  Intermittent  Sprockets,  each  $4.58. 
Takeup  or  feed  sprockets  for  any  of  the  above 
makes  of  machines,  each  $2.79.  Baird  Rewind 
Complete,  each  $6.98.  New  adjustable  Film  Mender, 
Edison  Type,  each  $5.78.  Famous  Sun-Ray  Con- 
densers, Best  on  the  market,  any  size  or  focus  you 
want,  each  $1.18;  M-enicus  or  Bi-Convex,  each 
$1.50.  We  GUARANTEE  ALL  THE  ABOVE 
GOODS.  CASH  WITH  ORDER.  BE  SURE 
AND  ENCLOSE  POSTAGE  WITH  ORDER. 
W.  TROUT  THEATRE  SUPPLY,  Box  No.  499, 
ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


ADDRESSOGRAPHS.  Letter  Folders,  Multi- 
graphs,  Envelope  Sealers,  Duplicators,  less  than  half 
price.  Guaranteed.  Pruitt  Co.,  170  North  Wells, 
Chicago. 


FILMS  FOR  SALE.  Features  and  short  subjects 
cf  every  character  at  extraordinary  low  prices.  Send 
for  lists.  Films  RENTED  to  permanent  theatres  at 
75c  per  reel.  References  required.  NATIONAL 
FILM  BROKERS.  1710  West  45  Street,  Kansas 
City.  Mo. 


3   TWO-REEL   SLAPSTICK   COMEDIES,  $3.56 

per  reel,  while  they  last.  Will  ship  subject  to 
examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M  Gordon,  1618 
Mailer's    Bldg..    Chicago,  111. 


NEW    AND    USED    THEATRE    CHAIRS.  Bis 

Bargains.  Immediate  Shipments.  C.  G.  Demel,  845 
South   State  St.,   Chicago.  111. 


HEAVY  TRIPOD  WITH  TILT  AND  PAN,  $55; 

Goerz  Hyoar  Lens,  F.  3.  5..  in  focusing  mount. 
$21.  Special  F.  3.  5.  Lens,  $10.  Will  ship  sub- 
ject to  examination  on  receipt  of  deposit.  M. 
Gordon,   1618  Mailer's  Bldg.,  Chicago,  111. 


HEALTHY  INTELLIGENT  REGISTERED 
MAMMOTH  GREAT  DANE  PUPPIES  AND 
GROWN  DOGS' for  sale.  The  most  pomilar  do<r  in 
Motion  Pictures.  There's  a  reason.  Writer  Ken- 
nels, Dept.  R.,  New  Richmond,  Ind. 


FIFTEEN  HUNDRED  OPERA  CHAIRS  made 
by  Haywood  and  all  in  good  shape.  Asbestos  cur- 
tain. Complete  set  of  scenery  with  all  attachments 
necessary  to  hang  one  single  and  one  double.  As- 
bestos booth.  The  complete  equipment  of  an  opera 
house  offered  at  a  price  that  will  save  you  money. 
J.    P.   Redington   &  Co.   Scranton,  Penn. 


Machine  Parts  W anted 


PARTS  WANTED  FOR  ALL  MAKES  OF 
MACHINES.  WE  PAY  CASH.  We  are  in  the 
market  for  Powers,  Edison.  Motiograph  and  Sim- 
plex Parts.  Must  be  GENUINE  PARTS  and 
sent  us  subject  to  inspection.  Powers  and  Edison 
Parts  at  10  per  cent  discount  from  lists.  Send  for 
our  SPECIAL  CATALOGUE.  SEND  POSTAGE 
WITH  ORDERS.  W.  TROUT  THEATRE 
SUPPLY,  ENID,  OKLAHOMA. 


From  studio  to  screen — 

EASTMAN  FILM 

Just  as  in  the  studio  where  East- 
man Negative  Film  makes  the  most 
of  the  cameraman's  skill,  so  in  the 
theatre  Eastman  Positive  Film  carries 
quality  through  to  the  screen. 

Look  for  the  identification 
"Eastman"  "Kodak"  in  the 
film  margin. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  COMPANY 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


MACK.  SEJVJVETT 


presents 


BEN  T  VR  TIN 


m 


"The  'Reel  Virginian 


99 


A  Tbvo  'Reel  Comedy 


A  copper  ran  up  to  the  theatre  door. 

"Let  me  in!    There's  a  riot  inside,  I  am 
certain!" 

"Nay,  Nay!"  quoth  the  man  at  the  square 
glass  box, 

"That  ain't  no  scrappin', — it's  Tut  pin!" 

This  Is  A  H/ot  and 
It's  Turpin 

Pafh&omecjy 

TRAOE      f  4m\      MARK  """" 

LbAg'26 


j 


A  copp 

"Let  n 
certain 

"Nay, 
glass  b« 

"That  8 

B 

Lb 


LIBRARY  OF 


CONGRESS 


0  007  551  536  4