Exhibitor's Trade Review (Aug-Nov 1925)

September 5a 1925 Page 39 MUSIC MASTER SERIES REAL ENTERTAINMENT SOME of the finest and most popular short subjects ever produced and distributed are the famous Music Master Series by James A. Fitzpatrick, of Fitzpatrick Piclures, Inc. The series comprises one reel subjects of incidents in the lives of famous composers, the reels being accompanied by full orchestrations for piano and organ solo parts, especially arranged and synchronized by Hugo Riesenfeld. Because music has become indispensable to the cinema, Fitzpatrick undertook the production of this series, to emphasize the motion picture theatre's achievement in bringing great music within the understanding and appreciatoin of all people. The composers' lives upon which the onereelers are built are Schubert, Mendelssohn, Foster, Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Handel, Wagner, Mozart, Verdi, Haydn, Macdowell and six more to follow. The Wagner reel is playing this week at the Rivoli. In addition to the Famous Music Master Series, Fitzpatrick is geting out another series early in the coming spring, to be known as the Famous Melody Series. The idea of the series is to group all the famous heart tunes of each country, using the original documents wherever possible. Folk songs of Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain and America will be included in the series. * * * NEW WANDA WILEY READY "Won by Law," a two-reel Century Comedy starring Wanda Wiley, has been released as the first W anda Wiley comedy in Edward I. Luddy and was produced with an especially strong cast, including Bob Reeves, Lillian Worth and Frank Whitson. The two-reeler is filled with funny situations and good gags. It is being released through all Universal exchanges. ROCK STARTS THIRD STANDARD Joe Rocks' trio of heavyweight comedians, "Fatty" Alexander, "Tiny" Carr and "Kewpie" Ross, or "A Ton of Fun" as they are collectively better known, are starting production on their third Standard Comedy. The action takes place in a beauty parlor where the trio will have every opportunity to upset things and create gales of laughs. When completed it will be released in November by F. B. O. The second picture will be released in October and is titled "Three Wise Goofs." Use Slugs for Shorts f~\ NE of the most essential ai^s to ^-^ exhibitors in exploiting features, has been the use of slug and one column cuts to be used as teasers in newspapers and programs. This same method should be effective with your short programs as well. If you are going to get all the possibilities out of your short subjects as you do with futures don't overlook a liberal distribution of these teasers, probably the mo?t important advance exploitation you can give any film, long or short. Distributors of short films are paying more and more attention to this phase of exhibitor helps. Make your patrons just as well acquainted with your comedies and novelties, as far in advance as possible, as thev are with features. They'll watch for them and come to see them. What movie fan would miss an "Our Gang" comedy if he knew exactly when he could see it? Not one. What lover of good music wouldn't appreciate knowing when vonr theatre was running one of the "Music Master" series, or the M=».ck Sennett fans, when you play a Sennett comedy. Not one. Until th«"' have taken it for granted that they'll see something interesting in the short films whenever they go, but why not play up yovir best shorts and get pi! the possible business that might be lying around. Walter Hiers Completes First for Educational "Off His Beat," the first of the new 192526 series of Educational-Walter Hiers Comedies, starring the rotund comedian, presents Hiers in the role of a traffic cop. Evelyn Francisco is Hiers' leading lady. She has appeared in several EducationalChristie Comedies, opposite Bobby Vernon and Neal Burns. Jack Duffy, who is noted for his characterizations of old men, also supports Walter, and plays the part of the head of the police band, and Bill Blaisdel has a good part, playing the role of Walter's pal. Archie Mayo, who directs the corpulent Walter, was responsible for the direction of a number of his successes, including "Oh Bridget," "Tender Feet" and "A Rarin' Romeo." Charles La Mont Engaged To Direct Lupino Lane LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5. — Charles LaMont will direct the second EducationalLupino Lane Comedy to be made at the Educational Studio in Los Angeles. LaMont, still in his early twenties, is rising rapidly. He directed one Cameo Comedy and was then placed in charge of the Juvenile company, and his most recent move, directing the famous English comedian and late star of the Follies, is proof of the confidence reposed in him by Jack White, the directorgeneral in charge of production at the Educational Studios. PREFERENCE IN ADS Y^/ HAT percentage or share of your advertised program in local paperss on features and presentations, shall your short subjects take up? Exhibitors are divided on this point, with an increasing number coming out for at least 10 per cent of the total advertising done in favor of shorts. The managers of two of the larger down town first run houses in Kansas City differ somewhat in their policy of advertising shorts. Bruce Fowler, of the Newman Theatre, usually likes to get in an explanatory insert on his feature just to the right and at the top of the advertisement, using larger black-face type in the lower right hand corner for the comedy or short subject. i"VN THE other hand, Samuel Carver of the Liberty Theatre always prefers the middle at the bottom for advertising his short subjects. He has the public in the habit of looking there for them. In any place, and in any event, the sooner you give the problem of proper advertising of shorts some real thought, the sooner will you build up a regular patronage for shorts as well as for features. Same as the Feature — Bobby Vernon (Educational Star) gets full marques ad at Keith's Majestic Theatre, Louisville, Ky. Window stunts for Ford agency pulled for Johnny Arthur while playing N. Y. Rialto in Educational's "The Tourist."