Exhibitor's Trade Review (Nov 1924 - Feb 1925)

December 27^ 1924 Page 77 PRODUCTION PROGRESS The White List By Carl Lot , • mlf President Universal Pictures Corp. The White List, the twenty-one pictures which Universal starts to release on January 18th with "Smouldering Fires," is far more than a mere designation of a certain number of pictures. A basic idea stands back of it, a basic idea produced it and the same basic will be carried out thoroughly in the distribution of it. The White List stands for clean-handed business. Clean-handed business has entered into the making of these twenty-one pictures at Universal City. Clean-handed business produced them and clean-handed business will be the principle upon which exhibitors will lease them. As has always been the case, Universal starts off the series with a sure-fire winner. Those who remember "The Storm," "MerryGo-Round" and "The Signal Tower" will be perfectly willing tc book "Smouldering Fires" starring Pauline Frederick with Laura La Plante on the reputation of its distinguished predecessors as the lead-off film. "Smouldering Fires" was written especially for the talents and ability of Pauline Frederick by Sada Cowan and Howard Higgin. It was directed by Clarence Brown, whose productions, "The Acquittal," "The Signal Tower" and "Butterfly" have boosted him far up the scale of perfection as a director. Trade paper reports and pre-views have set a very high standard for this picture. Reginald Denny, Universal's premier male star and apparently destined to be the most popular male star on the screen, is represented in the White List by two pictures. They are "Oh Doctor" by Harry Leon Wilson, a work popular as a serial in the Saturday Evening Post, and in novel form; and "I'll Show You the Town" by Elmer Davis, at the present moment enjoying extensive popularity as a holiday book. "Oh Doctor" was directed by Harry Pollard with Mary Astor as the pulchritudeness support while "I'll Show You the Town" was directed by Erie Kenton. Mary Philbin contributes "Fifth Avenue Models," the most dressed-up picture In which she ever appeared and an adaptation of Muriel Hine's "The Best in Life", under the direction of Svend Gade. House Peters is represented by two productions, "Raffles, the Amateur Crackman", produced by King Baggot with a cast including Miss du Pont; and "Over R. H. COCHRANE Vice-president of Universal Pictures Corp. board", an adaptation of "Head Winds" by A. M. Sinclair WUt. This latter production is being directed by Herbert Blache. Hoot Gibson Is represented in the White List by three productions, — "The Hurricane Kid", "The Saddle Hawk" and "Let 'Er Buck" — all directed by Edward Sedgwick. Virginia Valli contributes a film version of "Up the Ladder", under the direction of Edward Sloman, and she also co-stars with Norman Kerry in "The Price of Pleasure", by Marion Orth and Elisabeth Saxany Holding. Laura LaPlante, in addition to co-starring with Pauline Frederick, is starred with Eugene O'Brien in "Dangerous Innocence", a film version, directed by William Seiter, of Pamela Wynne's very popular novel, "Ann's An Idiot". CARL LAEMMLE President of Universal Pictures Corp. Jack Hoxie contributes two features to the White List, entitled "Ridin' Thunder" with Katherine Grant and Francis Ford, directed by Clifford Smith; and "Don Dare Devil" by William Cittens, also directed by Clifford Smith. William Desmond contributes two, — "The Meddler", directed by Arthur Rosson; and "Red Clay", directed by Ernst Laemmle. Edward Laemmle, in addition to directing "The Clash", also directed Herbert Rawlinson and Madge Bellamy in "The Man in Blue", a film version of Gerald Beaumont's Red Book story, "The Flower of Napoli". * * * Pathe's Outlook for 1925 Unusually Good, Reports Elmer Pearson from the West Coast Elmer Pearson, Vice-President and General manager of Pathe Exchange, Inc., who is at present on the west Coast super\ ising the lineup of productions for the coming year, announces in a statement received this week that the present outlook gives every indication of an abundance of high-class product, both in feature length and short .'•nbject fields, for Pathe's nationwide e.xhibitor patronage during 1925. All the Pathe producing centers are in full swing, reports Mr. Pearson. On the Mack Sennett lot every company has launched on a definite program that will keep each unit busy for months to come. The high batting average of home-run hitting two reelers is increasing as a result of the concentrated team-work on the production in hand. Mack Sennett has outlined a campaign of production for Harry Langdon that is second to none in the industry. Langdon is now several productions ahead with his technical staff busy every moment to maintain this advantage. The prospects for this star for the coming year bids well to making him the outstanding screen comedian of the day. Ben Turpin and his company have lined up a series of stories that promise to advance this comedy star to even greater heights of popularity. On the Hal Roach lot every effort Is being made to rush production through to supply the popular demand for the comedy brands being put out by this organization. New stages have been built, new permanent street scenes have been laid out while many additions have been made to the various producing companies. "Bob" McGowan has the "Our Gang" aggregation lined up for the biggest production period of their history, declares Mr. Pearson. Many new stories have been accepted for production by the Hal Roach "rascals", and one or two members have been added to the "Gang" on probation. Charley Chase has collected considerable story material along the lines of his recent releases and is at the moment considerably ahead of his production schedule. Glenn Tryon and other members of the Hal Roach Star Series are hard at work on a program of two reelers which will be notable for their fast tempo and original situations. The "Spats" are busily engaged on their 1925 program with the possible injection of additional characters in their coming comedies. The Harold Lloyd studios are busily engaged on the production of the star's latest Pathe comedy which will be based on college life. In the East preliminaries are under way for the launching of another Pathe serial under the direction of George B. Seitz, the prominent serial director, whose work in the field of chapter productions has been released under the Pathe banner for the past several years. The new serial will be adapted from Albert Payson Terhune's novel, "Black Caesar's Clan" and will be produced in Florida with AUene Ray in the stellar role. ELMER PEARSON Vice-president of Pathe Exchanges