The Film Daily (1921)

K^BftADSTREET >/ FILMDOM 7/cRECOCHIZED Authority rOL. XV No. 5 Friday, January 7, 1921 Price S Cents The Million Class irst National Officials Going to Show the "Big 5" ( -oup— High Exhibition Valu Placed First National offic are partic larh enthusiastic o\ : the first of -\e "Big 5" group of pictures which le circuit will offer during 1921. As oted, the pictures in this grouping re "Passion," "The Kid," "Man, Voman and Marriage," "The Oath" nd "Sowing the Wind." Circuit officials are of the opinion lat this series offers the most imortant productions released by their vvn organization or in fact, any in ie business. Exhibition values are f $1,000,000 each have been placed on Passion," "The Kid" and "Man, Voman and Marriage" and values jning high up into the hundreds of lousands have been fixed for the ther two. J. D. Williams, Harry O. Schwalbe ndothers of First National will leave )r Chicago on Sunday, where at the !ongress Hotel, the series will be nown to a number of important exibitors. These showmen have been ivited from every exchange center l the country. Not all of them are irst National franchise holders allough about one third will be. "Passion" is the only one of the Big 5" group that has so far been nown. WID'S DAILY, in its isue of Sunday, Jan. 15., will review ie remaining four of the group. Counselman Heads Committee Lee Counselman lias been named jiairman of finance committee of the iational Association, succeeding rthur S. Friend. Powerful Italian Firm in Films (Special to WID'S DAILY) Rome — The Italian Colonial Syndiite, a powerful organization with a ipital of 30,000,000 lire and offices all ver the world, has formed a film ranch to deal with the export and nport trades. The Italian trade ems to look with favor upon the trance of this company into the do estic picture business. Important Confab (Special to WID'S DAILY) Los Angeles — There was an imprtant conference of the directors j Associated Producers, Inc., held re last night. Oscar A. Price, present of the company, attended the eeting. Rescued from the face of almost cer Nance Abbott, pledged to wed anoth man she scarcely knows. Thomas H. among the score of thrilling ones in for Associated Producers, featuring Advt. tain death in a shipwreck at sea, er, finds herself the soul wife of a Ince personally directed this scene' "Lying Lips," his second production House Peters and Florence Vidor. — First Move Killed (Special to WID'S DAILY) Minneapolis, Minn. — The first attempt in Minnesota to put over Sunday closing was defeated by a vote of three to one at Waterville. The ordinance carried a rider which would compel exhibitors to exhibit pictures to censors at three o'olock en the afternoon of their showing. If censors were to decide that the production was unfit the theater would be dark that day. If the ordinance had passed at Waterville, many Minnesota towns and smaller cities would have followed suit. The Women's Christmas Temperance Union and other women's organizations were in back of thtr-ordinance, therefore it is looked upon as a big victory for Northwest exhibitors. The matter was of such importance that president. W. A. Steffes personally conducted the fight against the ordinance for the United Theatrical Protective League. Talk of Censors (Special to WID'S DAILY) Albany, N. Y.— There is talk of censorship in the air again. With the advent of the Republican Administration, it is expected that various reform organizations will again revive the agitation for a censorship bill for New York State. Various "uplift" bodies have indicated from time to time their desire to secure a more strict regulation of pictures and now that the legislature has convened, the presentation of a new bill is looked for. Stoll Breaking Into France (Special to WID'S DAILY) Paris — Stoll Film has sold to Pathe Freres "The Yellow Claw," a Sax Rohmer story. Je'ffery Bernard sold the film while in Paris recently at a figure which in some quarters is said to be a record price for a British production in France. Plans Uncertain Lillian Gish Says She Has Not Signed With Anyone — Wants Rest First Lillian Gish, who completed about two reels of "The World's Shadows" for Frohman Amusement when the latter company voluntarily went into bankruptcy, has not signed with any other producer, according to a statement she made to a representative of WID'S DAILY over the telephone on Wednesday evening. Miss Gii,h said she had not even bothered about a new contract and that she was determined to have four weeks' rest because she "hadn't had a vacation in six or seven years." She admitted that she didn't know just what she would do and stated that there was nothing definite to the report published by an afternoon paper that she would form her own producing unit. "I am not going to talk contracts for four weeks," said Miss Gish. R.-C. Buys Linder Film Robertson-Cole have purchased "Seven Years' Bad Luck," a five reel comedy starring Max Linder. WID'S DAILY in its issue of Nov. 26 stated from its coast correspondent that Linder and Robertson-Cole had a deal under way, but at that time the distributing company advised "forgetting" about the report. Max Glucksmann Coming Here Max Glucksmann, one of the most important of the film men in South America, particularly in the Argentine where he owns some of the largest theaters, is due in this country from Paris about the 15th. He leaves Havre on the SS. Lorraine tomorrow. Glucksmann has been in France for the past few months and recently spent a month in Germany. This will be his first visit in about four years. Foreign trade papers have linked his name with an important South American deal involving the powerful German U. F. A. Leased Indefinitely (Special to WID'S DAILY) Chicago— The D. W. Griffith organization has leased the Woods theater for an indefinite period to house "Way Down East," which did a gross business of $22,347 for the week ending Saturday. The local Griffith offices have leased the 44th St. theater for an indefinite period for "Way Down East," which is now about to enter its 20tb] week at that theater.