Exhibitors Herald (Dec 1921 - Mar 1922)

March 4, 1922 EXHIBITORS HERALD 63 Two Meetings Mark Hammons' Coast Trip Educational President Calls Conferences at Chicago Feb. 20 and 21 E. W. Hammons, president of Educational Film Exchange, Inc., has left New York for a trip to the West Coast and a tour of many of Educational's branch exchanges. While in Los Angeles Mr. Hammons expects to close most of his contracts for next year's product for Educational, as well as to discuss the possibility of Educational taking over later the distribution of several popular series of pictures. Convene at Chicago Mr. Hammons' plans called for stops in Chicago and Kansas City where he conducted regional sales conventions. Henry Ginsberg, domestic sales manager, left New York with Mr. Hammons and was to accompany him part of the way. The Chicago district convention was held on Monday and Tuesday, February 20 and 21. Among the district managers present were: I. M. Schwartz, manager of the Chicago exchange; H. R. Skirboll, Cleveland; O. E. Watson, Cincinnati; M. H. Starr, Detroit; Harry Hollander, Minneapolis; H. J. Fitzgerald, Milwaukee; Carl T. Lieber, Indianapolis, and Lee Goldberg, Louisville. Will Meet Producers Mr. Hammons and Mr. Ginsberg then went to Kansas City, where a convention jvas held on February 22, with the following in attendance: H. E. Schiller, Kansas City; Harry Hynes, St. Louis; C. L. Peavey, Omaha; A. W. Kahn, D«s Moines; E. J. Drucker, Denver. Immediately after this meeting Mr. Hammons departed for Los Angeles where he will spend two weeks in conference with producers and the management of the Educational branch. Fox Presents Japanese Expansion Problem Pictorially in News Issues Feature Prepared After Months of Research and Expenditure of Vast Sum of Money— Several Installments Are Scheduled Irish Life Basis of New Vitagraph Film President Smith Supervises Production of "The Shaugraun" A picture treating of Irish life is to be produced by Vitagraph under the supervision of President Albert E. Smith and direction of David Smith. The production is "The Shaugraun," taken from the stage success of Dion Boucicault. It will be scheduled as one of the 1922 specials. Commenting on the production, a Vitagraph official said: Is Timely Feature "Perhaps no land is more in the public eye right now than the new Irish Free State. Few first pages of newspapers fail to carry a story of Ireland these Idays. 'The Shaugraun' should make not only a timely motion picture but an appealing one since it is a genial story which will please all possible factions and offend none." Pauline Starke and Pat O'Malley head the all-star cast of "The Shaugraun." The balance of the cast is equally notable, including Richard Daniels, whose charming work as "Micah" in "The Little Minister" attracted the attention of Vitagraph's president as well as thousands :>f persons who saw "The Little Minister" ~>n the screen; Henry Herbert, Maude Emery, Edwin Cecil, Helen Howard, lames Farley, Bobby Mack and FrankClark. After several months of intense preparation and the expenditure of many thousands of dollars, William Fox announces the publication of "Face to Face With Japan." This news and educational feature, the company states, deals impartially with the question of the so-called peril of Japanese expansion and territorial aggrandizement in respect to its effect upon American interests. The picture will be issued in installments, each to be a part of the even numbered issues of Fox News. The first installment appears in Fox News No. 40. Query Is Answered So far as is humanly possible, it is said, this Fox production answers the query "Does war threaten between United States and Japan?" Opinions of the nation's leaders have been diversified. Fox News, in this series, the company states, supplies the facts for the first time — throws open the door of mystery, lifts the curtain of intrigue, and for the first time in history reveals the secrets of Japan's army and navy. Because of the dearth of information on true conditions in the Pacific empire, Mr. Fox states that he felt the urge to get at the bottom of it all. Cameraman Sent Abroad Accordingly it was decided to send a cameraman to Japan to obtain actual photographs of material accomplishments, preparations and resources. Instructions were issued to Al Brick, the star photographer of the New York staff, to take the assignment and to procure every possible detail desired in photographic form, regardless of risk, time or expense. The journey took the Fox man more than 6,000 miles into portions of the world, it is said, never before photographed or entered by civilized white men. Brick braved death, prison, and other perils to accomplish his purpose and to present to the world this series of informative pictures. The production displays the vast resources of the empire, her civilization, her preparedness for war, her industries. It is the real Japan revealed for the first time, the company says. Shows Land Controlled The installment which inaugurates the series graphically describes, by means of a number of maps, the territory which Japan owns and controls, through military domination or otherwise. It takes up the Japanese expansion from 1894, including the territorial gains following the Chinese-Japanese war in 1894-95, the RussianJapanese war in 1904-5, and the world war of 1914-18. The introductory pictures show a review of the tremendous Japanese army, numbering in all 2,500,000 men and a review of the Japanese navy, which ranks third among the naval forces of the world. It includes views of the "camphor hells" on the island of Formosa, where Japan holds palpable control of the world's output of the camphor so necessary in the production of explosives. The Fox News supplement in future editions will show where the camera has invaded even more remote sections of Mongolia, Korea, Formosa, Manchuria, and other islands and parts' of the mainland which Japan either owns or dominates. Further announcements will be made by Fox Film Corporation concerning this highly informative news feature. Says "Lady Fair" is Typical Melodrama Producer Believes This Type of Picture Makes Best Entertainment Whitman Bennett, producer of "Lady Fair," second of the Rex" Beach pictures for United Artists Corporation, presents this new screen romance as an example of high-class melodrama with a broad general appeal. Must Appeal to All "It is my belief," says Mr. Bennett, "that melodrama if made clean enough and good enough to appeal to the educated, and elemental enough to appeal to the ordinary person, furnishes the most acceptable of all forms of picture amusement. Melodrama is stimulating in its action, and if it is logical in construction, and, in addition, kept clean, it has every element of amusement. "Alter all. what we want in the theatre is entertainment and melodrama seeks only to be entertaining without any pretext at unfolding great truths or theories, or expounding hypothetical sex or domestic problems. Is Informative "That's the reason I believe in the melodrama, and am bending every effort to make it so high class in character that its appeal will be strengthened and broadened in scope. "There is another thing about melodrama, and that is its informative value. By paying close attention to the subject one can glean much informat:on about a wealth of matters without the information being forced on one." Contest to Impersonate Lloyd Staged by Theatre The William Fox Audubon Theatre of New York City staged a three-day Harold Lloyd impersonation contest during the showing of the latest Associated Exhibitors-Lloyd attraction, "A Sailor-Made Man." The conditions specified that the entrants must appear in a sailor suit, to determine who was the best impersonator of Lloyd in his character of a sailor, in that production. Elimination contests were held every afternoon and evening, and a grand final contest on the last evening of the run. Leah Baird Picture to Be Published March 12 "Don't Doubt Your Wife," the first of a series of Leah Baird productions to be published by Associated Exhibitors during 1922 will be issued March 12. The picture was directed by James W. Home, and is said to be one of the outstanding works of his career. A large and able cast is in support.