The Film Daily (1924)

iTHE of FILM>OH «re(ocmizei Authority Vol. XXIX No. 58 Monday, September 8, 1924 Price 5 Cents GOOD WILL B\i DANNY Suggested edito.,..ly awhile ago. That instill'. tonal advertising be done. B^ the industry as a whole. T . ..i,v. est people not now i^ fsted. And get them in. 'SJ^l the newer, better type oi pictures. And to stimulate interest generally. In what this great industry is doing. Incidentally said, "Just because it never has been done isn't an argument. Against it," To which A. M. Botsford of Famous arises with wrath in his blue e3es. And shoots along a red hot letter. "What do you mean "it never has been done' " says "Bots." "Paramount began its national advertising on a large scale in 1917. The ads began at once to develop the family unit. They have from that time on been human interest messages that struck responsive chords in the hearts of America's thinking millions; messages that have placed motion pictures in the light of more than just entertainment, m the light of a public need, a pubhc force for good." And elsewhere he says:"" "What I want to get at is this: that although Paramount has advertised the film trademark, it has from the first and is now continually putting over ihe proposition that motion pictures as a whole are a distinctly worthy part of the social life of the world today. Inclosing I quote from our latest two-page advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post which appears Sept. 27. The words of this copy in part run as follows: "The great new shows of the grcatc^st season arc here. Every organization in the industry from Paramount down to the smallest, has exerted its utmost efforts to try and please. Every day this week there is hour after hour of thrilling entertainment for millions." Well, "Bots," that last paragraph is fine. But, despite its (Continued on Page 2) King Asks Referee Seeks Testimony of J. Boyce Smith and Walter Camp to Fight Inspiration Injunction Suit The defense of Henry King to the injunction suit brought against him by Inspiration Pictures to restrain him from accepting employment with any other company, was disclosed in the Supreme Court when King applied for the appointment of a referee to take the testimony of J. Boyce Smith, general manager and general counsel of Inspiration, and of W^alter Camp, Jr., large stockholder in Inspiration, in order that he may use their testimony in opposition to the injunction suit. King states that the contract signed May 17, 1922, by which he became associated with Inspiration, contains a clause that if at any time Charles H. Duell, Jr., leaves the corporation during the existence of the contract, and shall cease to be active in its affairs. King has the right to cancel the contract by written notice to the effect. He said that Smith told him that after the present suit was brought Duell severed his connection with Inspiration, to take effect Sept. 30. after which date he intends to produce on his own account, and that he told Smith he would pay any salary due King under the contract. King contends that these facts form a complete defense and show that he has a right to terminate the Inspiration contract. He states that Camp knows that Duell is to quit Inspiration. Griffith Sails {Special to THE FILM DAILY) London— D. W. Griffith, Carol Dempster, Neil Hamilton, J. C. Epping and others of the company that produced "The Dawn" in Germany left Saturday for New York on the Scythia. Semon's Plans Hollywood — Larry Semon is preparing "The Wizard of Ox". He will be supported bv Dorothy Dwan and Babe Hardy. When the picture is completed, Semon plans to go to New York for the world premiere. Neal Hart's Contract Near Finished (Special to TUB FILM DAILY) Hollywood — Neal Hart has completed "The Verdict Of The Desert", for William Steiner. He will soon start on his next, which will complete his contract. Jackie Coogan Sails Jackie Coogan sailed on the Leviathan Saturday on his Near East Milk Fund Relief mission. New Rules Will Govern Fall Golf Tournament — Prizes for Morning as Well as Evening Round The Fall Film Golf Tournament, to !)e held at Sound View. Great Neck, Long Island on Sept. 23 will have a number of innovations as to the playing and prizes. oecause of the difficulties that have been faced b}' the Committee, it was decided to appoint a special Handicap Committee and this Committee, consisting of G. Bruce Gallup, chairman, E. K. Gillette, M. P. News, Nat Rothstein and Thomas Gaylor, have filed their rulings which call for considerable changes. In the first place the morning round — nine holes — will be plaj'ed in four clases. Class A to consist of players having a handicap of 18 and under. Class B handicap of 19 to 25; Class C, 26 to 35; Class D, 36 and above. Cups will be awarded the winners and there will be runner-up prizes as well. The afternoon play will be as heretofore, with prizes for the winners of the foursomes, as well as the usual trophies for the low net, low gross, etc. An important ruling filed by the Committee is that all entries must be in not later than 48 hours ahead of play; (and where players have not contested previously three scores must be presented with the entry.) Here are two other important rulings of the Committee: No player can participate in the winning of the main prizes, that is, the low gross and runner-up cups, and the low-net and runner-up cups unless they have played in at least three former tournaments. Any player who changes arrangement of foursomes as they are posted by the Handicap Committee for the afternoon play shall automatically disqualify that foursome from participation in prizes. The latter ruling will be enforced to the limit. Violation of this rule caused great difficulty at the Spring tournament. Trophies As usual there will be many magnificent trophies and prizes. Reuben Samuels, Inc., will offer a cup for low net. Pathe Exchange, through Elmer Pearson, has offered the usual cup for runner up of low net. (Continued on Page 2) Patsy Miller Arrives Patsy Ruth Miller arrived from the C:oast on Saturday. Before leaving, she finished work in "The Wise Virgin," an Elmer Harris Prod, for Prod. Dist. Corp. State Rights Buys Selznick Making Purchases at Scattered Points — 40% of Country on Some Pictures Selznick is going in for a departure from what has been considered usual national distribution methods by arranging with state righters to handle certain of their releases out of Selznick exchanges. The company has not developed this practice to any great extent as yet, but fully intends doing so. A deal has been made with Lee-Bradford for three pictures: "Stranger of the North," "The Broad Road," "Is Money Everything" which Selznick will handle in forty per cent of the domestic territory. "Broadway Gold," an Elaine Hammerstein-Truart release, has been taken over by Selznick for distribution in the Washington territory. No outright buys are made. Selznick merely arranges to handle the product on a distribution percentage basis. It serves to give the sales . ganization a continual flow of product to handle and at the same time gives the state righter a definite releasing outlet in those points where he may experience difficulty. On one Lee-Bradford picture, "Is Money Everything?" which Selznick handle .sales out of Buffalo, Denver Dallas, Des Moines, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Albany, Omaha. Salt Lake, San Francisco and Seattle. 1st Nat'l Signs Viola Dana Hollywood — First National has placed Viola Dana under contract to play the lead in "Pandora La Croix." Chain Operation Plan of Nat'l Theaters Syndicate, California Company Acquiring Houses on Coast (Special to THE FILM DAILY) San Francisco — In a prospectus issued by the National Theaters Syndicate of California, a company listing its capital at $1,000,000, there appears a list of twelve theaters that have been taken over since July, 1923. Tliev are: Strand, and National, Modesto; National, Madera; National. Woodland; National and Liberty, Marysvdle; Monache, Portersville; Majestic, Broadway, Lyric and Airdome, Chicago and National, Stockton. The company is headed by L. D. Crook, described as the individual who "built up and headed the well known (Continued on Page 3)