Exhibitors Herald (Mar-Apr 1924)

56 EXHIBITORS HERALD March 29, 1924 THE FILM MART] F. B. O. MATT MOORE has been engaged by B. P. Fineman, general manager of the F. B. O. studios, to play the leading role in "Fools in the Dark," work upon which has begun under the direction of Al. Santell. It marks the actor's first appearance in an F. B. O. production. + + + MAL ST. CLAIR has begun work on the seventh episode of F. B. O.'s "Telephone Girl" series. It is called "For the Love of Mike" and, like the preceding episodes, features Alberta Vaughn. There will be twelve episodes of two reels each in the first series which will, in all likelihood, be followed by a second series. + + + DOUGLAS MACLEAN has begun his third production with his own independent organization. It is "Never Say Die," one time comedy stage hit and starring vehicle for Willie Collier. It is being made at the F. B. O. studios formerly Robertson-Cole in Hollywood with Jess Robbins directing. + + + Metro VIOLA DANA might be honored with the title of the busy bee of the motion picture industry. Having already made four Metro starring pictures this season she is now engaged on her fifth, "Don't Doubt Your Husband." under the direction of Harry Beaumont from the story by Sada Cozvan and Howard Higgin. And when she is through zvith this one, Metro has another story zvaiting — "Along Came Ruth." a screen version of Ruth Chatterton's stage play produced in New York several seasons ago by Henry Savage. + + + KEATON has completed his third Metro feature length comedy, "Sherlock, Jr." and the combined forces of the titling, cutting and editing departments are now busy preparing it for Metro release this month. + + + A CABLEGRAM from Rex Ingram in Africa announces that he is setting sail for home this week with the completed film of his nezv Metro picture, "The Arab," a screen version of Edgar Selwyn's Broadway play. Which calls to mind the fact that Ingram's "Scarmouchc," a film version of Rafael Sabatini's novel, after playing for nearly six months at advanced prices on Broadway, has gone into the Capitol theatre on the same street. Universal CLIFFORD SMITH has begun the filming of his second Universal feature starring Jack Hoxie, "The Back Trail," from a western by Walter J. Cohurn. Hoxie recently played the starring role in "Ridgeway of Montana," adapted from William McLeod Raine's novel under Smith's direction. This was Smith's initial directorial effort at Universal City. For many years Smith was associated with the William S. Hart productions, directing Hart in many of his productions, including his most recent pictures, "Wild Bill Hickok" and "Singer Jim McKee." HOOT GIBSON has just started work in a new comedy feature at Universal City under the direction of Edward Sedgwick. The picture, tentatively titled, "Broadway or Bust," will be filmed from an original story by Sedgwick and Raymond L. Schrock, a combination that has written many of Gibson's productions, including "Out of Luck", "The Thrill Chaser", "Hook and Ladder" and his most recent picture "Forty Horse Hawkins". + + + RUTH DWYER, who recently finished the leading feminine role in "The Reckless Age" with Reginald Denny, will play the lead opposite Hoot in "Broadway or Bust". King Zany, who played the scenario writer in "Hollywood", is the only other member of the supporting cast so far selected. First National NORMAN KERRY and Betty Bouton have been selected by George Fitzmaurice to complete the cast of "Cytherea," Sam Goldwyn-Fitzmaurice production which he is now directing for First National at the United Studios. Others in the cast are Alma Rubens, Irene Rich, Lewis Stone and Constance Bennett. + + + ASSOCIATED First National Pictures Inc. announced this week that it had contracted for four more John M. Stahl productions to be presented through Louis B. Mayer. First National had been the distributor of Stahl pictures for some time, having offered "The Child Thou Gavest Me," "The Song of Life," "One Clear Call," "The Dangerous Age," of a year ago, and more recently "The Wanters." The con tract calls for these four productions to be delivered within the next two years. + + + Educational THE FIRST of the three special Jack White Comedies to be released by Educational Flm Exchanges, Inc., under the contract negotiated last year with Jack White, will be "Midnight Blues," zvhich is listed as an April release. Lige Conley is the featured comedian, and Peg O'Neill, Jack Lloyd, Otto Fries and others of the Jack White organization appear in the cast. The picture was directed by Norman Taurog. + + + BEFORE LEAVING for his tour of the western branches of the Educational Film Exchanges, Inc., Robert C. Bruce completed cutting and titling the last four of his Wilderness Tales of the 1924 series, photographed last summer and fall. Thpy will be titled "The Trade Keeps Moving." "Just Waiting," "The Ex-Bartender Retires" and "The Farewell." Pathe MARCH 23 will mark the release of Pathe program containing twelve subjects with a total of eighteen reels, and headed by the new Pathe serial, "Leatherstocking". In addition to the opening episode of "Leatherstocking" and the closing chapter of "The Way of a Man", Pathe's schedule for March 123rd will make available a "Spat Family" offering, "Hunters Bold" ; a Mack Sennett Comedy, "Scarem Much" ; the seventh of the "Chronicles of America" series, titled "Wolfe and Montcalm" ; one of Grantland Rice's "Sportlights", "Fields of Glory" ; an Aesop Fable, "From Rags to Riches and Back Again" ; a Charles Chase comedy vehicle, "Dont Forget"; issues No. 12 of Pathe Review and Topics of the Day. + + + GRANTLAND RICE, sport writer, and J. L. Hawkinson, who are producing the "Sportlight" series for Pathe distribution, have completed camera work on two more of this interesting group of sport pictures. The first of these, titled "The Swift and Strong", which will be made available by Pathe on April 6th, embodies a wide variety of action scenes, showing how speed and strength enter into the different fields of sport. The reel is espcially interesting in that it presents a number of the nationally known champions who will compete for Uncle Sam in the coming Olympic track and field events to be held in Paris in July of this year. Goldwyn MARION DAVIES has received a cablegram from Adam Poulsen, Danish tragedian, felicitating her upon her work in "Yolanda," the new Cosmopolitan picture in which she is starring at the Cosmopolitan theatre. The cablegram read: "My warmest congratulations for your notable success in 'Yolanda.' Wish I could have been present at the premiere." + + + THE FIRST selection for the cast of Marshall Neilan's fourth production for Goldwyn, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," from Thomas Hardy's novel, aside from the two leading players, is Joseph Dowling, one of the old time actors of the stage. He has been cast as the priest in "Tess." + + + FRANCIS X. BUSHMAN who is to act the role of the villainous Messala in Goldwyn's picturization of Gen. Lew Wallace's "Ben-Hur," arrived in New York from the Goldwyn studios on Monday and will sail on Saturday on the steamship Berengaria for Rome where he will join Director Brabin, June Mathis and George Walsh for active work on the picture. Century BUDDY MESSINGER, Century Comedy boy-star, has been loaned to Universal to appear in a part in "Relativity," in zvhich Laura La Plante stars. This deal, betzveen Universal and Julius and Abe Stern followed the completion of "Playing Hookey," Buddy's newest tzvo-rceler. + + + AL. ALT, comedian, who has been appearing in Century Comedies of late, has been placed under a long term contract by Stern Brothers. He zvill either star in his own comedies for this organization, or costar in those in which Hilliard Karr will be seen. Karr, too, has been placed under a longer contract.