Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1917 - Jun 1918)

X H I B O R H R D Universal Completes Five-Reel Features To Carry Their Programs Up to August The lateness of the rainy season in California has enabled the Universal Film Manufacturing Company to work on productions four weeks longer than was anticipated and thus the company has had an opportunity to get farther ahead on their programs, both Bluebirds and Universal features, as well as serials. "Not counting any new negatives started during the past week at Universal City, we now have on hand enough rirst-class five-reel feature pictures to take care of all release dates up to next August," said President Carl Laemmle in a statement issued last week from the Universal offices. "For that reason and also to avoid unnecessary producing during the expensive rainy season, we have temporarily aid off all companies except those proJucing Bluebirds and Universal serials. "By this plan we kill two birds with >ne stone. First, we eliminate the terriile waste that has hitherto been un Thomas Dixon, Jr., one of the notable igures in American literature, spent several days in New York, last week, conerring with the directors of the newly ormed Mastercraft Photo-Play Corporaion, in reference to producing his literiry works upon the screen. Since the making of "The Birth of a S'ation," it is said producers have enleavored to obtain other works of Mr. Dixon for the screen, but up to the formng of the Mastercraft Photo-Play Cor>oration he had refused to consider any >f the offers made him. "I attribute a great deal of the sucess of 'The Birth of a Nation,' said Mr. Dixon, 'to the fact that Mr. Griffith and nyself went over the script many, many imes in a careful, painstaking manner, md we visualized in our own minds, beore the actual work of filming, just what he result would be upon the screen. Up o the present time producers have not avored this method of working, but eemed to prefer to purchase a story rom the author and then turn it over o their scenario department and direct>rs to make as they think best. A great 'nany times these men have not the sym>athy or the same viewpoint as the auhor has and thus a great many pictures re failures, where it would have been ■ossible to have made them highly sucessful. It is the intention of the Masercraft Photo-Play Corporation to work with the author, trie same as Mr. Griffith nd I worked with 'The Birth of a Naion' and this is the chief reason why I m becoming affiliated with this newly ormed organization. "The company will make not less than our nor more than six productions a ear, but these productions I feel confilent will be of such magnitude that I vill be proud to have my name associted with them. I am at this time workig on three of my stories, 'Comrades,' The One Woman' and 'The Root of -vil,' all of which will probably be prouced for the screen. We have not de avoidable during the rainy season when hundreds of people had to be carried on the payroll but could not be used on account of bad weather. Second, we also meet the request of the Government Fuel Administrator to conserve coal in every industry, for under this plan we will require but one-third as much power as we have used in previous seasons. "This year we have been fortunate because the rainy season instead of starting in December, held off until this month, giving us four extra weeks in which to work at full blast. This has given us an opportunity to get farther ahead on high-class five-reel negatives than we have ever been since the organization of the company. "When the rainy season is over and we have nearly used up our reserve supply of five-reel negatives, the force at Universal City will again be increased so that we can make all of next winter's pictures before January, 1919." cided definitely yet just which of these stories will first go into production, but we will probably determine this question before I leave the city." $2,500 Paid for Use Of Furniture One Week "The Life Mask," the third production which will serve as a starring vehicle for Madame Petrova, contains several scenes notable for the luxurious atmosphere provided for in the scenario, the work of Mrs. L. Case Russell. The story, an adaptation of the novel by the anonymous author responsible for "To M. L. G," required the use of a specially designed boudior set. In order that the furnishings of these scenes might be in proper accord with the atmosphere of the set, Director Frank Crane decided on the use of hand painted furniture exclusively. After a thorough search of many of New York's Fifth Avenue shops, Mr. Crane located the exact furniture necessary for the boudoir scenes. A rental price of twenty-five hundred dollars to the firm of Tobey & Co.. furniture dealers, was paid by Mr. Crane for the use of five pieces during a period of seven days. "Cast-Off" Starring Bessie Barriscale Arousing Interest George Backer's big feature, "The "Cast-Off," in which Bessie Barriscale stars, with Howard Hickman in support, is starting bookings with a rush. Hoffman Foursquare announces. This Thomas H. Ince production, which is being distributed by Foursquare Pictures, has aroused keen interest among exhib itors. The Newark Theatre has booked "The Cast-Off" for one week. According to M. H. Hoffman, of Foursquare Pictures, this photoplay is the most human, the most appealing, and one of the finest in quality which has been produced this season. "I rarely believe in speaking highly of my own product, yet here is an instance that warrants making an exception," said Mr. Hoffman. "I can recommend 'The Cast-Off as a picture which will get money, and a lot of it. Nothing Thomas H. Ince has produced excels 'The Cast-Off' in those essentials that the public loves, and never has Miss Barriscale had a role more sympathetic than in this picture or one she played and appeared in to such advantage." Record Bookings on Reissue of Chaplins Reported by Mutual Charles Chaplin's twelve Mutual specials, the two reel comedies which the screen comedian produced under his $670,000 contract with the Mutual Film Corporation, have set new records for repeat bookings in the history of the motion picture industry, according to that company. The record is held by the Gem theatre, a loop house in Chicago, which has played the twelve pictures a total of 175'imes, an average of nearly fifteen times* each. The high mark is held by "The Vagabond," which has been shown on the screen at the Gem twenty-one times. "The Floorwalker" has been run nineteen times, "The Fireman," "The Pawnshop" and "Easy Street" eighteen times each, "Behind the Screen" seventeen, "The Rink" sixteen, "The Count" fifteen, "The Immigrant" ten, "The Cure" nine. "The Adventurer" eight and "One A. M." seven. The Star theatre at Boston claims second place. It has run sixty-one twoday showings from the twelve releases, a total of 122, an average of better than five two-day showings for each release. The Star theatre, a downtown house in Chicago, has almost reached the same mark. The Royal Theatre at Virginia, Minn., played all of the Chaplins for three days on first run and the Bijou, an opposition house, repeated them all for second run on a one day schedule, and has just commenced a third run of three days each, booking the twelve solid. Reuben and Finkelstein's houses in Minneapolis have repeated all of the series at their first run houses and in spite of this the Garden theatre, a downtown house, has booked the series of twelve for four days each. This bookingmakes virtually the third run for the Chaplins in downtown Minneapolis and a four day run at that. Records of tbe Mutual show, it is said, that nearly all of the suburban and neighborhood houses which played the Chaplins at first run for one, two and three days has begun a second run before the release of "The Adventurer," the twelfth of the series and that scores of houses which played the series for first and second runs are rebooking under the new booking plan for the third run. Three of Thomas Dixon's Literary W orks Under Consideration by Mastercraft Corp 43