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

January 10, 1925 Page 19 The Pessimist's Window W'"ELL here we are at the beginning of a new year. According to our long-estabhshed custom, this paragraph must be devoted to the subject of Resolutions. This year we have confined ourselves to one and one only : That we will not break any of our resolutions during 1925. Having adopted that one, we paused a moment and realized •that we had gone far enough. So, as far as Resolutions are concerned, there isn't any more. An official-looking document, tied with pink ribbon, announces the arrival, on December 13 last, of Mr. Robert Anthony Coogan, who takes up his residence at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Coogan. Which means that Jackie is facing competition. And that's the way of the world. Jackie meets the crowned heads of Europe and all that sort of thing, finds himself one of the world's real celebrities, and then along comes a brother to take the centre of the stage. Never mind, Jackie ! After a while he will get a set of teeth and all the other accessories and then they won't make so much fuss over him. So let's just hope that he will do as well as you have. That's enough. * * * If the weather were a little better we should be tempted to take a run over to Paris to ask Gloria Swanson a couple of questions. For example, one about her new contract that is the basis of so much interesting gossip. But we know she isn't ready to tell anything just yet, so the trip will have to wait. Meanwhile Joe Schenck cables Film Daily that he has not seen nor signed Gloria since his arrival in Paris. But he had a lot of time before he arrived there. It's marvelous the things a proofreader can do along about hoUday time. Frinstance, he can make M. J. O'Reilly out of M. J. O'Toole, and make him chairman of the Public Service Department of M. P. T. O. A., when in fact he is merely president of the organization. Inasmuch as we were guilty of wishing the proofreader a "Merry Christmas" we guess it's our fault. So here's our apology, Mr. O'Toole. And we will revise what we said somewhere above by adding a resolution to call you by your right name hereafter. * * * As a measure of humanity we call the attention of the Red Cross to the recent flood out in Chicago. Our information comes from the pages of a publication called "Exhibitors Herald" which says its office was "flooded" with letters of indignant protest based on the wanton and wicked attacks recently launched by certain eastern trade papers against some sort of a department in the Herald. 'Stoo bad! * * * Speaking of a certain Chicago publication, our friend John Spargo remarked recently that "Editor Howe of ExhibiTORS Trade Review, likes the pictorial section of the Herald so well that he is copying it," or words to that effect. Now, John Spargo is a good fellow and he's merely trying to spoof us a bit, which is perfectly all right. But, just as a matter of information, this is to advise John that Editor Howe ran a pictorial section in a trade paper years before the Herald thought of such a thing. In fact, before the Herald came into existence. So John will have to try another one. We note that Albert E. Smith is back from the Coast to help celebrate the first anniversary of John Rock's management of Vitagraph. Considering the way Vitagraph pictures have been going over lately, there's some basis for a celebration, sure enough. The annual Better Films Conference is to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, January 15-17, and the annual luncheon of the National Board of Review at the same place January 17. Three women who will speak and lead the discussion at the conference are : Mrs. Henry Lilly, Miss Ruth Rich and Mrs. Harriet Hawley Locher. At the luncheon the speakers will include Adolphe Menjou, M. J. O'Toole, William DeMille, "Roxy" John Emerson, of the Actors' Equity, and a number of literary celebrities. * * * In view of what the reviewers thought of it in its English form, the recutting and titling of Cecil Hepworth's "Comin' Thru' the Rye" for adaptation to the American market will be of rather unusual interest. It is to be released on the independent market by Cranfield & Clarke. * * * Has anyone noticed that there seems to be an unusual crop of silly fiction built around the motion picture business lately? Of course the popular magazines have to talk about the picures, but why the eflfort to make it appear that the entire business is built on a violent sort of emotional insanity? * * * From Monte Katterjohn, in belated Christmas mail, comes a little booklet of unusual interest "Life of Barnum, the Man Who Lured the Herd," written by Charles J. Finger, with an introductory note by Mr. Katterjohn, who explains that the "Life" is not to be confused with his story and scenario, "The Great Barnum," but that it provides tangible evidence that Bamum's career contained the soundest sort of entertainment and picture material. In an accompanying letter Mr. Katterjohn says : "I've pored through more than a thousand books and thumbed five times as many pictures in order to prepare a motion picture scenario on the life of P. T. Barnum. It took a year and a half to fictionize history and legend ; to discover Barnum through the maze of fable and tradition, dry facts and bigoted opinions. Now that my job's about ready for the director, I find that Charley Finger has briefed history and summarized personality, drawing just such a portrait as I have been striving for." And he might have added that in all history there have been few other characters providing the proportion of action to mere living to be found in Bamum's career. That's why it should make good picture material.