Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 1, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 37 Box-Office “Pulls” in Fox January Releases List Includes “One Increasing Purpose,” “The Auctioneer,” “Stage Madness,” “The Last Trail” and Other Features 4 'Better ’Ole” Is Included With Releases Owing to the demand for John Barrymore in “Don Juan, following its recent release over the country through Warner Bros. Extended Run Productions special sales department, Morris Safier, head of the department, announced this week that Syd Chaplin in “The Better ’Ole ' has also been released and was now ready for booking. Special Salesmen Out Special salesmen, who have no other pictures to sell, are now offering these Warner productions to showmen in their various territories. Both pictures are still playing on Broadway and will continue there for some time to come. “Don Juan” is in its fifth month at the B. S. Moss Colony Theatre and “The P«tter ’Ole” is on its third month. Garnet Weston, writer, Joins F. B. O. Staff Edwin King, in charge of production at F. B. O., varies his work of signing up big stars for his production by enticing high grade scenarists to his office and having them sign on the dotted line. The latest to join the writing forces is Garnet Weston, who has been selected to prepare the next starring vehicle for Alberta Vaughn. Free for the Kiddies The “Atlanta Constitution” and the Howard Theatre management entertained the child inmates of ten charitable institutions in the Georgia Capital Christmas week with free performances of Columbia’s comedy drama “Sweet Rosie O’Grady.” Cruze Directing James Cruze is directing Raymond Griffith in Paramount’s ’“The Waiter from the Ritz.” Marie Prevost in the Metropolitan P. D. C. “Almost A Lady.” Naive Norma Norma Shearer, the lovely Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer star, now in “The Demi-Bride.” Paramount Plans Program for 1927 (Continued from page 35) great hopes for this story. He predicts that Wynn will inaugurate a new type of comedy on the screen. Richard Dix is also scheduled to begin his next starring picture on January 3. It will be called “Knockout Reilly.” Dix has gone into training -for this picture as it requires some strenuous boxing work during many of the sequences. Alary Brian will play opposite him. The story is an adaptation by Pierre Codings and Kenneth Raisbeck from Albert Payson Terhune’s story, “The Hunch.” Some well known professional boxers will be cast for important parts in the picture. Herbert Brenon has found a story for his next production. He plans to begin work on January 10. No title has been chosen. The plot has a political background and is said to be highly dramatic. Following his completion of “Love’s Greatest Afistake,” Eddie Sutherland will do “The Undaunted Woman,” TWO OF DAVID BELASCO’S greatest triumphs, a Tom Alix-Zane Grey combination, a story by A. S. M. Hutchinson, author of “If Winter Comes,” a comedy-drama “original” with a knockout title, and a straight rib tickling farce from a yarn that literally laughed its way to “movie” recognition, is the diversified basis of Fox Films releases for January. From a box office standpoint, this group is the strongest to be offered exhibitors this season by Fox Films. For titles, authors’ names, cast names and antecedents which make them valuable, they come as close to perfection as the hardest boiled of showmen could want. Hutchinson Story “One Increasing Purpose” is the title of A. S. M. Hutchinson’s contribution to the January line-up which the Fox Company gives the place of “lead-off” for the new year, with January 2 as its release date. Harry Beaumont, who directed “Sandy” and “Womanpower,” was the megaphone wielder on this production, the exteriors of which were made in England. Edmund Lowe is featured, with Lila Lee, May Allison, Jane Novak, Huntly Gordon and Holmes Herbert. Following “One Increasing Purpose” is “The Auctioneer,” with all the prestige it brings as the human David Warfield starring success, produced by David Belasco. Alfred E. Green, veteran director of many screen hits, directed this production for the screen with a cast featuring George Sidney supported by Marian Nixon, Gareth Hughes, Doris Lloyd, Ward Crane, Sammy Cohen and Claire AIcDowell. “The Auctioneer’s” release date is January 9. “Stage Aladness” is the catchy box-office title of the release ot January 16, based on an original story by Polan Banks. Virginia Screen Fun Makers Ted McNamara and Sammy Cohen assist in maintaining a goodly proportion of the laughs an Raoul Walsh’s great production of the William Fox special, “What Price Glory,” which has swept New York City audiences off their feet. Valli and Tullio Carmenati have the leading roles in this one. The supporting cast includes Virginia Bradford, Lou Tellegen, Richard Walling, Tyler Brooke, Lillian Knight and Bodil Rosing. The release for January 23 is a Tom Alix starring vehicle based on a Zane Grey story, titled “The Last Trail.” “The Music Master,” second and greatest of the David Belasco-David Warfield triumphs of the stage, bears the same release date. Direction of the latter production was in the hands of Allan Dwan. Supporting Mix in “The Last Trail” are Carmelita Geraghty, as the feminine lead; William Davidson, Frank S. Hagney, Lee Shumway, Robert Brower, Jerry the Giant, and Oliver Eckhardt. Tony plays his usual important part. Box-Office Cast “The Music Alaster” cast is box-office from start to finish. Lois Moran, the feminine lead; Alec B. Francis, in the title role ; Neil Hamilton, opposite Miss Moran, and support coming from Norman Trevor, Charles Lane, William T. Tilden 2nd (the tennis champion) ; Helen Chandler, Alarcia Harris, Kathleen Kerrigan, Howard Cull, Clifford Holland, Armand Cortez, Leo Feodoroff, Carrie Scott and Dore Davidson. “Love Makes ’Em Wild,” for release January 30, is the last release in this group. This is a farce, directed by Albert Ray. It is based on Florence Tyerson’s story “Willie the Worm.” The cast includes Johnny Harron and Sally Phipps in the leading roles, with support from Pen Bard, Arthur Housman, J. Farrell MacDonald, Natalie Kingston, Albert Cran, Florence Gilbert, Earle Mohan, Coy Watson, Jr., Noah Young and William B. Davidson. New De Mille Stages In order to house the many huge sets used in filming Cecil B. De Mille’s Biblical production, “The King of Kings,” it was necessary to construct two additional stages at the De Mille Studio, giving the studio six stages with a total floor space of 115,000 square feet.