Moving Picture World (Jun 1919)

1528 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 7, 1919 Pathe's Dallas Exchange Is Up to Time on Its Sports. The baseball team, first among the exchanges, is made up of L. D. Brown, L. S. Diamond, J. W. Brooks, J. O. Allen, Sid Henry, Charles Touchon, H. Hester, H. O. Eakins and W. T. Yoder, who is first baseman and manager. The team has -entered the Victory League. Famous Players Buy Tourneur's "White Heather" THE Famous Players-Lasky Corporation has purchased Maurice Tourneur's spectacular production of the Drury Lane melodrama, "The White Heather," and will release it the latter part of June as a Paramount Artcraft Special. The melodrama from which the Tourneur production was adapted was written by Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton, who have collaborated in many of the greatest Drury Lane successes, and was first presented at the Drury Lane Theatre, London, in 1897. It is said the title comes from the good luck flower of the Scotch highlands, the white heather. Yet Scotland serves as the background for only a small part of the melodrama. The plot centers around the recovery of a marriage record from the hulk of a sunken yacht called "The White Heather." The big scenes take place at the bottom of the sea where the hero and his nemesis, in the weird costumes of deep sea divers, fight to the death on the ocean floor. Thus the thrilling portion of the production has the bottom of the sea for its background. For these scenes Mr. Tourneur employed the newest inventions of the Williamson Brothers, whose photographic devices make possible under water scenes. Much of the story is laid in London, revolving between the financial district and the slums. In photography, lighting and special effects, the picture is said to. be truly exceptional. The cast was carefully selected and the work of the principals is said to be especially noteworthy. Ralph Graves plays the hero. In Mabel Ballin, who has the leading feminine role, Mr. Tourneur is said to have uncovered a genuine "find," while H. E. Herbert is more than satisfactory in the heavy part. Little Ben Alexander has much to do, and Jack T-ilbert and Spottiswoode Aitken are also cast in important roles. short story and long ones for newspaper use, as well as advance stories. Special stories, chiefly biographical are included in this press book. In addition to the stories several black and white ad cuts are featured and the musical score is included. Issue Press Book on Universal Special. Universal's fourteen page press book and advertising aid on "The Big Little Person" for exhibitors is now being sent to the many Universal exchanges throughout the country for distribution. Mae Murray is the star in this Special Attraction. The principal supporting stars are Clarissa Selwynne, Rodopho De Valentina and Allen Sears. The press book contains a complete, "Happiness a la Mode" to Get Pre-Release View. CONTRACTS were signed this week by Fred C. Aitken, branch manager of Select Pictures Corporation's Chicago Exchange, for a pre-release showing of Constance Talmadge's coming Select picture, "Happiness a la Mode," in which she is presented by Lewis J. Selznick, at the Ziegfield Theatre in Chicago. By the terms of the contract, the booking on "Happiness a la Mode" is virtually a pre pre-release, the play dates being a week in advance. of the regular pre-relase booking at Sig Faller's Bijou Dream. The production will start a week's engagement at the Ziegfeld Theatre on June 15. On June 22 it will begin its regular pre-release showing of two weeks at the Bijou Dream. This is the first time in the history of Constance Talmadge Select Pictures that a contract has been issued for an advance pre-release showing of her attractions. Advance Bookings Show Popularity. This advance booking on Miss Talmadge's coming attraction is only one indication of the eagerness of exhibitors everywhere to book this picture. "Happiness a la Mode" is a comedyplus-drama attraction in which Miss Talmadge will be seen as a young married woman who brings about domestic troubles by allowing her husband too much liberty. Harrison Ford plays the part of the husband who sues for a divorce, but before he can bring about his proceedings he is made the victim of a frame-up and the tables are turned. The story is by Edwina Levin, and it was adapted for the screen by Alice Eyton. Walter Edwards did the directing. Employ Novel Ways to Advertise "Red Lantern" TWO more of the many big opportunities offered in the direction of advertising and publicity for Nazimova's "The Red Lantern" are described in the following account of the booking activities of the Metro offices. Urlin Perrill, publicity director for the Dayton Theatre, at Dayton, hit upon an idea which turned out to be a veritable mint, viewed from the box-offlce angle. Perrill had one of his Chinese restaurantowner friends to write in Chinese the words "the red lantern." Taking the copy to a newspaper office, he had a "blind" two column by twoinch cut made of the inscription, and used it in all the dailies with the announcement that the first ten best answers to the name of this attraction would get a pair of free passes to the Dayton. Swarms Came for Passes. "Shanghaied," "The Midnight Patrol" and "The Perils of Chinatown" were neckand-neck for first and second place when the bubble burst. It happened that an announcement had been shown on the screen at the Dayton giving the name of "The Red Lantern," and patrons, recalling this, began to swarm the place for their passes. The scheme resulted in heavy patronage. No less productive was the scheme of John Kunsky, of Detroit. The week before the showing of the picture, Mr. Kunsky purchased several small signal balloons, which he sent up from the roof of his theatre. At intervals on the tieropes, Mr. Kunsky fastened great red Chinese lanterns lighted by electricity from cables hooked to his house wires. This was done every night, and the effect created by the lighted lanterns suspended above the city brought thousands of sight-seers to the location, and incidentally to the box-office of the theatre. Outing-Chester Help Lift Morale of Fighting Forces AT Camp Custer, Michigan, the Camp Morale Officer has ordered the continuance, at the cantonment theatre, of Outing-Chester pictures, as a result of the fine effect their beauty and humor has had on the soldier audiences. So J. O. Brooks, manager of the theatre, writes to Arthur S. Hyman, distributor in Michigan. "As you know, we have been running the Outing-Chesters each week for the past month, and they cannot be beaten. They are being run for the benefit of the soldiers through and in connection with the Morale Division of the U. S. Army at this camp, and from every point of view they are excellent, and win great applause. I wish to send on the June dates, as I have been urgently requested by the Camp Morale Officer to continue them." Patricia Palmer In Mitchell Iyewis Cast. Patricia Palmer, who has been playing leads in many recent Christie Comedies, has been loaned by the Christie Company to play the leading role in support of Mitchell Lewis in a story being made at the Columbia River, in Washington. Sennett to Make Satire on "Uncle Tom's Cabin" FOLLOWING the success of the Paramount-Sennett satire, "East Lynne with Variations," Mack Sennett is directing a new Sennettized version of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which threatens to be the funniest comedy ever filmed on the Sennett lot. Ben Turpin will be the leading man: Charles Lynn is a ferocious Simon Legree, and Marie Prevost is the leading woman. Teddy, the famous dog of the Sennett forces, is to have at last a chance at real drama. And can you imagine Eliza crossing the ice with Teddy in pursuit? It is too early to give many of the details, but Mr. Sennett promises some surprises that will startle the most ardent Uncle Tom fans.