The Film Daily (1924)

, , iTHE jAe BRADSTREET of FILHDOM f^RECOCMIZEl Authority ^mw Vol. XXIX No. 44 Thursday, August 21, 1924 Price 5 Cents COMING By DANNY A business revival. Heralded on all sides. Which is mighty good news. And is going to help a lot. To "pep" things up. Where they are needed. Nation wide travelers report healthy signs. Important publications — like the New York Times — see an era of trade revival. In the West — in the wheat section — for the first time in months there seems hope. Wheat is selHng at th highest price. Since 1920. The cottor crop looks good. The European situation is most hopeful. Never in history was call money cheaper. There is far rtoo much money loose in Wall Street. Which shows a hesitancy on the part of manufacturers to proceed. In view of what has been the unsatisfactory outlook. Keep a weather eye open. And look for tighter money. The picture business has been very lucky. Many industries have felt the pinch. Of difficulties. During the past six months. Or more. But except in spots. Picture business in this country has been uniformly good. And with the "break" in sight. For better business. Even the spotty sections promise a development of interest. And this — coupled with the big pictures' in sight — well, what a Fall business should develop! Title writers please take 7iotice. Kindly get to the level. Of common ordinary white folk. Keep your titles out of the Ritz atmosphere. Here is one. Worth noting. In a neiv release : "..../ love him. I'd scrub for him — cook for him — die for him." Now since when was it a sacrifice for a woman to scrub or cook for a man? Millions of women, movie fans and others, are doing this uncomplainingly day after day. For their httsbands and in their homes. Ayid the sooner these title writers learn this the better off they may be. Women like romance. Tliat's natural. They like the idea of "dying" for a man— so long as they get him. But if a woman has been keeping house a long time and cooking three {Continued on Pagt 2) Ads In 4,000 Papers Paramount Plans Greatest Campaign In History for Seventh Annual Week, Aug. 31-Sept. 6 Paramount has organized what it calls its greatest newspaper campaign to date for the seventh annual Paramount Week, Aug. 31-Sept. 6. A total of between 3,500 and 4^300 newspapers will carry the copy. This means a broadside of approximately 3,600,000 lines, or nearly 260,000 inches, blanketing the country with a total reader circulation of around fifty millions. Supplementing this newspaper advertising will l)e the regular national advertising of the "Famous Forty", led by a full page in the Ladies Home Journal, and including a four-color double-page spread in the Saturday Evening Post of Aug. 20, a two-color page two weeks later in the same periodical, a double page center spread in Liberty and full pages in all the current fan magazines. Every exhibitor who plays Para mount pictures for a minimum of five days during the week will have the assistance of the big advertising copy placed in his local newspaper. The space to be used will range from full pages in the key cities down through five sizes of copy, according to the space required by the listing of the theaters participating. The minimum space of the entire campaign, used in single theater towns where the exhibitor has booked the required minimum of five days, is 840 lines, six columns wide by 140 lines, or ten inches, deep. Lytell Off for Coast Bert LytelJ, having completed work in "Sandra" leaves for the Coast today to appear opposite Anita Stewart in '"Never the Twain Shall Meet." Norma In Costume To Star in "Madame Pompadour" — Follows "The Lady"— 1st Nat'l Producers Busy (Sfecial to THE FILM DAILY) Los Angeles — Norma Talmadge will make another costume picture, "Madame Pompadour." The story deals with the Napoleonic court and is scheduled to be placed in work after "The Lady." Constance Talmadge, now half way through "Heart Trouble" is down for "The Man She Bought" and "Learning to Love." A detailed production statement from First National indicates that the company's own units and producers under contract are busip on (Continued on Page 5) Earle Plans "Faust" Much Discussed Subject May Be Filmed FlinaHy — Leon Bakst to Do Designs (.Special to THE FILM DAILY) Los Angeles — It is understood that Ferdinand Pinney Earle has definitely determined to produce "Faust," the famous Goethe opera and that Leon Bakst will design costumes. The same system of painted backgrounds that Earle used for "The Rubaiyat" will be utilized in "Faust." No one has been selected for the role of Mapg«€4^ite. D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Ernst Lubitsch have, at various times, considered a production of "Faust." Griffith probably advanced further in that direction than the others, but the censorship problems attendant upon a subject of that nature were finally considered too weighty. Madge Kennedy in Radio Film Madge Kciinedy will shortly star in a picture that has a radio theme. It will probably be a Spring release. New Fox First-Run Fox will turn the Strand, Denver into a first-run. John Zanft will handle detail on his present Western trip. "Wagon" Held Over "The Covered Wagon" will be held for a second week at the Rialto. Pola Negri in "Lily of the Dust" opens at the Rivoli Sunday. Gothic to Star Evelyn Brent Los Angeles— Evelyn Brent, will star in a series of Gothic Prod., to be released through F. B. O. The first story is "The Prude." Milwaukee Battle Uihleins and Saxe Interests Seen in Fight for First-run Control There— More Theaters (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Milwaukee— It is practically certain that the Ulhlein interests, which formerly controlled the Schlitz brewerv will build a $2,500,000 theater on "5th St. near Grand Ave., across the street from Saxe's Strand and the new Wisconsin. The house will seat from 3,000 to 4,000. It is considered that the erection of this new theater presages another step in the battle for theater supremacy here between the Uihleins and the Saxes. The Uihlems own the Garden and Alhambra. Reports arc again current that the Gar(Continntd on Page 2) Director Deal Off? Reported Coast Unit Will Not Make Pictures for Grand-Asher — No Confirmation It was reported yesterday that the deal between M. P. Directors' Holding Co. and Grand-Asher for the productipn and distribution of a series of twtenty pictures had fallen through. At it he Grand-Asher offices, nothing coi'ld be learned. It was stated that Sam Grand was scheduled to arrive in New York from Boston late last night. EflForts to reach both Grand and Harry Asher at the offices of the American Feature Film Co., in Boston on the long distance telephone brought forth the reply that both were out-of-town. Buffalo Meeting Sept. 9 (Special to THE FILM DAILY) Bufifalo— The Bufifalo zone of the M. P. T. O. will meet Sept. 9. Resumes Shipments To Brazil In the past two weeks. First National has resumed shipment of films to Brazil, after a several weeks' interruption due to the revolt in Sao Paulo against the Brazilian government. This is considered a good indication that the revolutionary flurry is over. Expect Move From Operators It is understood that members of the T. O. C. C. will not concede any of the demands made by Operators' Union No. 306. Many exhibitors feel that the next move will come from union officials. The M. P. T. O. of New Jersey has called a meeting of Essex County exhibitors at the Robert Treat Hotel, Newark this morning to discuss the operator situation there. Expect Western Boom Crops and Mining in Mountain States to Benefit Industry, 1st Nat'l M'g'rs Say That business is looking up in the Mountain States is the report brought to First National by J. H. A.shby Denver manager and L. L. Hall of Salt Lake City, who have been spending some time at the home office. "There is a general feeling of prosperity in Colorado and the states around it." said Ashby, "due to the increased price being received for silver, lead and copper and the prospects for unusually good crops. This prosperity will naturally be reflected in the motion picture business. {Continued on Page 5)