Exhibitor's Trade Review (Nov 1925 - Feb 1926)

December 26, l()25 Page 87 Points To Be Remembered By chas. e. McCarthy Publicity Director, Famous Players-Lasky Corp. A producer can aam at no higher ideal and achievement than to please the theatre owner, for it is he who mirrors the attitude of the public, which is the motivating force behind the motion picture industry. Exhibitors in their reports on pictures, present in concise form a truthful record of the box office performance of a company's product. Likewise, these reports represent the public's appraisal of the film fare offered it. Through these reports, theatre owners have written this record of Paramount's achievements during 1925: "On an average Paramount pictures are the best." "My patrons all liked it." "By all means play it up big." "Good picture that drew well." "One of the best Westerns Paramount has ever made." "A refreshing story with a moral." "An excellent picture." "A mighty good action picture." "Wonderful picture," etc., etc. During 1925, Paramount released a universally great picture, "The Ten Commandments." It has been a money maker for exhibitors in cities and small towns alike. Many have acclaimed it as one of the greatest money-making pictures in the history of the industry. Throughout the world it holds long run records. Another money-maker released during 1925 was "The Pony Express," which has j -roved an outstanding picture from an exploitation viewpoint. This picture has been heralded as better than "The Covered Wagon." It is the type of picture which lends itself to the kind of exploitation which engenders good will. For most of its engagements exhibitors have held revivals of the pony express of the days of 1860. In this endeavor they have had the cooperation of city and state executives and civic organizations. Among other pictures of the past season which have prompted laudatory comments are "A Regular Fellow, "The King on Main Street," "The Street of Forgotten Men," "The Thundering Herd," "The Air Mail," "The Man Who Found Himself," "The Goose Hangs High," "Are Parents People?" "Feet of Clay," "Beggars on Horseback," "Seven Keys to Baldpate," "Stage Struck," "Irish Luck" and others. Such pictures as "Womanhandled," "A Kiss for Cinderella," "The Splendid Crime," "A Woman of the World," "Mannequin," "Hands Up," "The Enchanted Hill," "That Royle Girl" and "The American Venus" have not yet had their general release. Their record will not be written by exhibitors until next year. For 1926 Paramount has plans formulated for its biggest and greatest year. More money will be expended in production than in the past. Studio facilities are being expanded to handle this program. The new year will bring to the screen two historical epics, "Old Ironsides" and "The Rough Riders," the former a story of the battle engagements of the American frigate Constitution, and the latter a screen history of Theodore Roosevelt's part in the Spanish American war. James Cruze, who will direct "Old Ironsides," is now in Europe seeking locations for this feature. Lucien Hubbard will supervise production of "The Rough Riders." D. W. Griffith is now considering preliminary plans for what he hopes will be his greatest production, "The Sorrows of Satan," by Marie Corelli. This will be a road show attraction, as will "Old Ironsides" and "The Rough Riders." For the spring and summer Paramount is offering an outstanding array of showman's pictures. In producing this group Paramount has adopted the slogan, "Make it bigger, make it better and forget the season of the year." To accomplish this the company is putting more into these pictures than in all the fall and winter attractions ever released. Of this new group, "The Wanderer" and "The Vanishing American" have had prerelease showings in different sections of the country, and both have been acclaimed by the press and the public. In 'the new season's product are pictures with titles and casts that draw at the box office. There will be "The Grand Duchess and the Waiter," "The Song and Dance Man," "Behind the Front," "Moana," "The Blind Goddess," "For Heaven's Sake," Dancing Mothers," "Sea Horses," "Miss Brewster's Millions," "The New Klondike," "Let's Get Married," "Tamed," "Wild Geese," "I'll See You Tonight," "That's My Baby," "Desert Gold," "Fresh Paint," "Volcano," "The Rainmaker," "The Palm Beach Girl," "The Secret Spring," "Take a Chance," "Crossroads of the World," "The Deer Drive," "Grass" and "The Lucky Lady." WEBB COMPLETES BRILLIANT YEAR Kenneth Webb who directed "The Beautiful City" and "Just Suppose" which were recently produced by Inspiration at the TecArt Studio, has had a remarkably successful career, not only as a director, but as an author and playwright as well. While Mr Webb was engaged in directing "Just Suppose" the latest Inspiration picture in which Richard Barthelmess is starred, his play, "One Of The Family" had its premiere in Chicago and was an immediate success. Kenneth Webb is a graduate of Columbia University. He began his uirectorial career with Vitagraph, where his work in making the KENNETH WEBB Who has just completed "Just Suppose," starring Barthelmess, for Inspiration O. Henry series attracted wide attention. Since that time he has worked for practically all the principal motion picture producers. Among the photoplays he has staged are "Salvation Nell," with an all star cast, "Marie, Ltd.," with Alice Brady, "The Truth About Husbands," with May McAvoy, and "The Fair Lady," the Rex Beach story for United Artists. Mr. Webb is enthustiastic about Dick's characterization of the prince in "Just Suppose" which he believes to be one of the best roles Barthelmess has played. • The cast for this picture includes Lois Moran, Bijou Fernandez, Henry Vibart, Prince Rokneddine of Persia, and Harry Short. * * * Red Seal Bookings Increase 2000% Red Seal Pictures Corporation, today, at the end of 1925 is able to boast of a wonderful growth since 1924, both in the amount of product being released, and in the number of bookings achieved during the same period. This growth has been accomplished firmly and solidly under president Edwin Miles Fadman's able guidance. The previous year Red Seal released but twenty-six featurettes. The present year's schedule calls for one hundred and forty-one reel releases. The year of the twenty-six releases saw only one hundred and fifty theatres booking the Red Seal product. Yet 1925 ends with three thousand houses, all over the country, most of which are first run or very big theatres playing such series as the Marcus 'Animated Hair Caiioons,' 'Ko-Ko Song CarTunes,' 'Gems of the Screen,' 'Out Of The Inkwells,' 'Marvels Of Motion,' 'Searchlights,' 'Film Facts,1 and 'Reelviews.' "Our growth," Fadman states, "is the normal response to the demands of the exhibitors and public for short subjects of the better sort. Our subjects^ no matter how picturesque or scientific, never fail to be simple and thoroughly human. As a result of releasing featurettes which even a child may comprehend without any difficulty, we have obtained an artistic sense of simplicity which has given these short features a broad and really worldwide appeal. As a result, we have distribution throughout the entire world. "It is repeatedly proven in the motion picture industry that 'high pressure selling' backed up by big advertising campaigns never completely puts over a poor feature. If something like success be achieved through such methods, the reaction which results invariably injures that particular producer or distributor — or both, when either follow up with their subsequent releases. "As a result of understanding and bearing this psychological factor in mind, we have been working with, and releasing for the ablest and most sincere producers of short features who are available : Urban-Kineto, makers of "Reelviews' and 'Searchlights;' Max Fleischer, producer of 'Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes,' 'Out Of The Inkwells,' 'Marvels of Motion,' and 'Film Facts ;' Cranfield and Clarke who produce 'Gems of the Screen ; and Marcus, celebrated artist of the New York Times, who draws the 'Animated Hair Cartoons.' Prominent in the casts of these pictures are Gloria Swanson, Raymond Griffith, Bebe Daniels, Adolphe Menjou, Harold Lloyd, Douglas MacLean, Florence Vidor, Wallace Beery, Noah Beery, Ernest Torrence, Tom Moore, Bessie Love, Alice Joyce, Clara Bow, Raymond Hatton, Mary Brian, Betty Bronson, Greta Nissen, William Collier, Jr., Richard Dix, Lois Wilson, Thomas Meighan, Lila Lee, W. C. Fields, Ford Sterling, Harrison Ford, Lawrence Gray, Jack Holf, Billie Dove, Carol Dempster, Palo Negri, Ricardo Cortez, Donald Keith, Conway Tearle, George Bancroft and Lionel Barrymore.