Exhibitor's Trade Review (Dec 1922 - Feb 1923)

December 23, 1922 : 3*1 f is $g ' frty o T EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW 183 Paramount Announces featurettes As kales The Super 39 99 (Continued from Page 181) Rex Beach. Scenario by Tom J. Gerahty. Directed by. Alfred E. Green. In the cast are Lila Lee, John Miltern and Laurance Wheat. Alice Brady in "The Leopardess," by Katherine Newlin Burt. Scenario by J. Clarkson Miller. Directed by Henry Kolker. Included in the cast are Rober Etllis, Montague Love and Charles Kent. Jack Holt in "The Tiger's Claw" by Jack Cunningham. Directed by Joseph Henaberry. Cast includes Eva Novak, Bertram Grassby and Claire McDowell. Pola Negri in "Bella Donna," a George Fitzmaurice production. From the novel by Robert Hichens. Scenario by Ouida Bergere. Supporting Miss Negri are Conway Tearle, Conrad Nagel, Sigrid Holoquist, Claude King and Macey Harlam, "Grumpy," a William de Mille production with Theodore Roberts, May McAvoy and Conrad Nagel. From the play by Horace Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval. Scenario by Claire Beranger. "The Go-Getter," a Cosmopolitan production, with Seena Owen, T. Roy Barnes, Tom Lewis and William Norris. From the story by Peter B. Kyne, scenario by John Lynch. Directed by E. H. Griffith. Gloria Swanson in "Prodigal Daughters," a Sam Wood production. Adapted by Monte Katterjohn from the story by Joseph Hocking. Theodore Roberts and Ralph Graves are in the cast. "The Glimpses of the Moon," an Allen Dwan production, with Bebe Daniels and Nita Naild, From the Pictorial Review story and Appleton book by Edith Wharton. Scenario by Edfrid Bingham. Cast also includes David Powell, Rubye De Remer and Maurice Costello. Mary Miles Minter in "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," supported by Antonio Moreno. From the novel by John Fox, Jr., and the play by Eugene Walter. Directed by Charles Maigne. Dorothy Dalton in "The Law of the Lawless," supported by Theodore Kosloff and Charles de Roche. From the Pictorial Review story by Konrad Bercobici. Scenario by E. Lloyd Sheldon. Directed by Victor Fleming. "You Can't Fool Your Wife," a George Melford production with Leatrice Joy, Nita Naldi and Lewis Stone. By Waldemar Young, suggested by a story by Hector Turnbull. Walter Hiers in "Mr. Billings Spends His Dime," with Jacqueline Logan. From the Red Book story by Dana Burnet. Screen play by Albert Shelby Le Vino. Directed by Wesley Ruggles. "The Rustle of Silk," a George Fitzmaurice production with Betty Compson and Conway Tearle. By Cosmo Hamilton. Scenario by Ouida Bergers. Pola Negri in a George Fitzmaurice production, "Declasse," Ethel Barrymore's great Empire Theatre success by Zoe Akins. Scenario by Ouida Bergere. "Hollywood," a James Cruze production, based upon the novelette, "Hollywood, and the Only Child," by Frank Condon. With a cast including Cecil B. DeMille, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Thomas Meighan, Wallace Reid, Bebe Daniels, Agnes Ayres, Jack Holt, Betty Compson, May McAvoy, Leatrice Joy, Lila Lee, Theodore Roberts, Conrad Nagel, Lois Wilson, Theodore Kosloff, George Fawcett, Charles Ogle, Walter Hiers, Jacqueline Logan and others. "Vendetta," a Cosmopolitan production, with Lionel Barrymore and Alma Rubens. From the novel by Marie Corelli. Scenario by Frances Marion. Directed by Alan Crosland. Thomas Meighan in "White Heat," from the Saturday Evening Post story by R. G. Kirk. Scenario by Percy Heath. Directed by Alfred E. Green. Agnes Ayres in "Contraband," by Clarence Bud ington Kelland. Scenario by Beulah Marie Dix. Directed by Paul Powell. Betty Compson in "The Woman With Four Faces," by Bayard Veiller, author of "Within the Law," "The Thirteenth Chair," etc. Gloria Swanson in "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife," a Sam Wood production. Scenario by Monte M. Katterjohn from Charlton Andrews' adaptation of Alfred Savoir's play. "Only 38," a William de Mille production, with Elliott Dexter, May McAvoyt George Fawcett and Lois Wilson. By A. E. Thomas, suggested by a story by Walter Pritchard Eaton. Screen play by Clara Beranger. Bebe Daniels and Bert Lytell in "The Exciters," by Martin Brown. . Scenario by Julia Crawford Ivers. Wallace Reid in "A Gentleman of Leisure," by John Stapleton and P. G. Wodehouse. Screen play by Albert Shelby LeVino. Directed by Wallace Worsley. "Children of Jazz," with Nita Naldi, Jacqueline Logan, Conrad Nagel and Robert Cain. By Harold Brighouse. An Alfred E. Green production. Dorothy Dalton in "Fog Bound," by Jack Bechdolt. Scenario by E. Lloyd Sheldon. An Irvin Willat production. Alice Brady in "The Snow Bride," a screen play b.y Sonya Levien from a story by Sonya Levien and Julie Herne. Directed by Victor Fleming. Jack Holt in Peter B. Kyne's story, "The Light to Leeward." Scenario by Jack Cunningham. Directed by Joseph Henaberry. pliable Exhibitors to See on Own Screens What They Are Asked to Book Practical visual salesmanship of motion pictures is about to be an accomplished fact, declares Paramount, announcing its sales featurette's; For the first time exhibitors everywhere will be afforded the opportunity of seeing on their own screens what they are asked to buy, the announcement points out. "It is not always convenient, or even possible, for an exhibitor to attend a screening of a picture before buying it. Even less often is it possible for him to screen what he buys in his own theatre before signing his contract," the announcement continues. "Moreover, Paramount recognizes the fact that the best of salesmen cannot tell the exhibitor everything he ought to know or wants to know about a picture, especially the larger production that because of its very nature does not represent on its face the same stabilized value that the exhibitor knows he is gelwho have an established patronage at his ting when he buys pictures with stars box-office. "That's the reason for the featurettes. Starting with The Super Thirty-Nine, every Paramount salesman will carry with him a film of necessary length, which will tell the exhibitor, better than he can be told by words, what he would like to know about each of the season's specials. It is not a tabloid version of the feature — it is more than that. It tells him not only the picture story in abridged form but it visualizes to him the salient selling points connected with its production. And in addition it shows glimpses of all the big scenes which fia've been introduced to lend box-office value to the production. "The featurette on the James Cruze production, 'The Covered Wagon,' may be cited as an example. The film opens with a reproduction of the copy of the Saturday Evening Post in which the story started Paramount Date-Book for 1923 Unique among advertising booklets is the Paramount Date Book which has been prepared by the advertising department. Covered in limp cloth binding and printed in colors, this booklet contains a full-page or two-page illustrated announcement on each of The Super Thirty-Nine and these are followed by short illustrated official billings and brief synopses of all The Famous Forty-One. There are also brief seasonal announcements by Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky and S. R. Kent, but the main feature of the booklet is a complete exhibitor's booking guide and cost sheet for the entire year 1923. Each page covers a week's bookings with ample space allotted for entries covering each day's feature, comedy and miscellaneous films; accessories, including lithographs, lobby displays, heralds, etc.; the cost of picture, cost of advertising and day's receipts. This souvenir of "The Super ThirtyNine" is now being distributed through the exchanges to all Paramount exhibitors. as a serial. The first page of the story, showing the title and the name of the author, Emerson Hough, together with the manner in which it was displayed to the . Post's millions of readers, is reproduced. Then follow quickly one or two of the succeeding installments and then a copy of the book published by D. Appleton & Co. "Next is shown an animated map of that section of the Great West which is the locale of the story. A line is started at Kansas City, which at that time was known as Westport Landing, and follows the course of tne wagon train migration across the mountains and plains to the Coast — the historic journey which furnished the author with his theme. Then from Hollywood, Cal., another line moves across in opposite direction, showing where the Cruze company went, in Utah and Nevada, to make the big scenes for the picture. The preparations for the picture, the assembling of the equipment and the marshalling of the hordes of extras and technicians, the actual roping and breaking of the hundreds of steers used to draw the covered wagons in the picture, are all emphasized pictorially. "Then follow glimpses of the big scenes, such as the departure from Westport Landing; the attack by the Indians on Fort Bridger, the buffalo hunt and the exciting fording of the swollen river, together with the big intimate scenes more directly connected with the unfolding of the dramatic plot. Short subtitles give supplementary information concerning the cast and story as well as everything of advertising and exploitation value directly connected with it." "See for yourself," is the implied slogan of the featurettes, and it is the opinion of S. R. Kent and other Paramount sales executives that they are going to revolutionize the business of film selling as applied to special productions. "Knighthood" To End Long Run on B 'way On December 30th Owing to the fact that a longer tenancy of the Criterion Theatre cannot be secured, the Cosmopolitan Corporation will bring "When Knighthood Was in Flower," starring Marion Davies, to an end at that theatre on December 30. "Knighthood's" closing at the Criterion will mark the completion of one of the most remarkable engagements ever enjoyed by a photoplay production on Broadway. When Cosmopolitan's picturization of Charles Major's story plays its final performance at the Criterion it will have completed fifteen and a half consecutive weeks at that theatre, for a total of 245 performances in 108 days. Scheduled at the beginning for two performances a day, the demand for seats was so great that at was found necessary to give three performances every Saturday, Sunday and holiday. Even this proved insufficient and for a time four performances a day were given, an extra matinee being held at 11 A. M. Since its premiere on September 14 it has opened in London, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.