Exhibitors Herald (Jan-Mar 1920)

EXHIBITORS HERALD Arthur B. Reeve Assails Effort To Bar Thrill Films From Mails Vice-President of Supreme Pictures, Inc., Declares Gore Bill Would Complete Task of Creating "Namby Pamby World" Scene from "The Twilight Baby," Henry Lehrman's first comedy featuring: Lloyd (Ham) Hamilton and Virginia Rappe, for First >ational Exhibitors Circuit. "Women Men Forget" Purchased by United American Cinema Feature Starring Molly King Obtained by Berst J. A. Berst, president of United Picture Theatres of America, announces that the organization has purchased outright the feature photodrama. "Women Men Forget," starring Mollie King, and which was produced by the American Cinema Corporation. The feature is in six reels, directed by John M. Stahl, from the original scenario by Elaine Sterne. It presents Miss King in a role of a New York society girl. This permits Miss King to wear an elaborate wardrobe. Miss King's gowns were especially designed for this production by the most fashionable modistes of Fifth Avenue, New York, and are said to be most unusual creations. Supporting Mollie King in "Women Men Forget" are Frank Mills. Lucy Fox, and Edward Langford. Minor roles have been acceptably filled by especially selected players. .As yet .it has not been decided when Women Men Forget" will be released. >>ut an announcement setting a definite late and outlining exploitation details will be forthcoming within a short time. Dolores Cassinelli in Schomer-Ross Feature A. S. Schomer, of the Schomer-Ross 3roductions. Inc., has started work upon he second motion picture to be made by hat company with Dolores Cassinelli in he star role. Ben Taggart appears as the eading male support. The Victor Studios on Forty-third street, ^ew York, have been engaged and actual vork upon the feature was started January th. No announcement has been made as o the title or authorship of the story. Senator Gere, of Oklahoma, has introduced a bill to prohibit Interstate transportation of "blood and thunder" films or still pictures. This would affect all motion pictures depicting 'thrills." "Shades of the yellow journals!" exclaimed Arthur B. Reeve, when he read it. "Why pick on motion pictures?" Mr. Reeve is vice-president of Supreme Pictures. Inc.. and he and John W. Grey, president of the company, are co-authors of "The Mystery Mind." the new idea serial which they are now producing with J. Robert Pauline as the star. Reeve and Grey have written several of the biggest "thrill" stories in filmland. Points to the Newspapers "Why not assail the daily newspapjrthat print thrilling stories of sensational murders, robberies and deeds of heroism as well as crime?" he continued, indignantly. "Why not forbid the reading of all history, which is filled with thrills? Why not abolish all theatres where human interest plays provide unlimited thrills? Why not drag from their pulpits the few priests and ministers who can arouse sluggard consciences? These men must thrill the congregation to be worth their salt. Can any one read of Cardinal Mercier and not feel a thrill : He should be jailed, if Gore has his way with the world. We may as well begin at the beginning and suppress the Bible — it reeks with thrills. Let us revise the hymnal and expurgate the Crucifixion. "It is but one step more to suppressing all these. Films are the books of the masses who read little. From 'movies' they gain a knowledge of the vital happenings in the world. The woman who couldn't spare time to read a 5,000-word story will get a clear idea of the same story from a well-produced film. "The world couldn't exist without thrills. Every noble deed has been the direct result of a 'thrill' of some sort. From the time our infant brains can grasp anything we love to be thrilled. Hasn't Senator Gore any childhood memories? Didn't he know Bluebeard and the creepy, chilly thrills he always gave us? Didn't his heart fairly stop beating with the suspense of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: didn't he hold his breath when the Bears returned and he knew Goldilocks was asleep in the house? If Gore never crouched in awed fear in the oven with Jack the GiantKiller. or felt his own muscles tense as he mentally pictured Jack climbing the fairy beanstalk, then he certainly missed part of childhood's joys. Would Hit Mother Goose "Gore's bill would do away with Mother Goose, with all fairy tales and legends, all folk songs; all are thrills written to stir human nature from the baby to the bearded warrior. From Gore's viewpoint Ulysses was a mere adventurer. Dante a plain liar with his tales of hell and a hereafter — and how they did thrill us when we first read them. Milton, who soared to the heights with his fallen Lucifer, was a deluded dreamer. Walter Scott — will any boy ever willingly give up the thrills of Scott? Yet Gore would ban him. Dickens and his common people are vulgar— they should not be admitted into polite society. "With the thrills eliminated, art could paint only birds and flowers, butterflies and sugary sweet girls. Yerestchagin painted only the thrills of life. Brutality, grief, misery. starvation, grim humor, these were his best subjects. They thrilled one to the soul with many emotions — and any emotion experienced by the human mentality is a thrill. Shall we destroy his pictures to please Gore? Today Raemmaker cartoons only thrills: shall we suppress his cartoons? Go through our Sunday School library books in any church. Each book tells a story of a good child rewarded and a bad one punished. Isn't there a thrill in the anticipation of a reward? If there's a thrill we must throw away the books. "Carnegie tried to give the world a lasting gift when he supplied books and places in which to preserve them. But the libraries harbor thrills, so tear them down. Would Hit Film Favorites "Douglas Fairbanks thrills every boy who goes to see him: Doug will have to quit thrilling. Even Mary Pickford go;s in for thrills — she rides a horse in her latest picture — she shouldn't do that. Some weak creature might get a thrill. "When one questions the morals of the 'thriller' — isn't the villain always punished? Isn't virtue always rewarded at the end of the last reel — generally with a typical fairy tale, 'they were married and lived happily ever after' ending' I'll wager there isn't a youngster today who sees movies who hasn't a very clear idea of the things he must not do if he wants to live on good terms with the world. "If the censors must object to something, let them cast an eye over some of the slapstick 'comedy' films that artshown. These teach children to be rude, cruel, disrespectful to their elders, overfamiliar with women and disgustingly vulgar in their ideas of what is funny. What Result Would Be "If the reformers, cranks and censors have their way the law will eliminate from our plays, literature and cinema stories all the vital human emotions. We shall have a 'perfectly lovely soda pop party' where inane ingenues will display the latest thing in chiffons and pretty faced boys will advertise somebody's 'correct college clothes.' There will be nothing else left to write about. Our big scenes will read something like this: 'Floribelle invites Clarence and Percy to a candy pull. Percy, being the villain, upsets the hot candy over Floribelle's arm. His hated rival. Clarence, bravely burns his own fingers to aid his love.' We might even have to cut out upsetting the hot candy— it would be too thrilling. (Continued on page $8) 57