The Film Daily (1921)

jijs^A DAILY Wednesday, January 26, 1!1 Vol. XV No. 24 Wed. Jan. 26, 1921 Price 5 Cents Copyright 1921, Wid's Film and Film Folks, Inc., Published Daily at 71-73 West 44th St., New York, N. Y., by WID'S FILMS and FILM FOLKS, INC. F. C. ("Wid") Gunning, President and Treasurer; Joseph Darmenbcrg, Vice-President and Editor; J. W. Alicoate, Secretary and Business Manager. Entered as second-class matter May 21, 1918. at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States, Outside of Greater New York, $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign $15.00. Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to WID'S DAILY, 71-73 West 44th St., NewYork, N. Y. Telephone; Vanderbilt, 4551-4552-5558 Hollywood, California. Editorial and Business Offices: 6411 Hollywood Blvd. Phone, Hollywood 1603. London Representative — W. A. Williamson, Kinematograph Weekly, 85 Long Acre, London, W. C. 2. Paris Representative — Le Film, 144 Rue Montmartre. Quotations Last Bid. Asked. Sale Famous Players . . . 57}i 59 58^ do pfd Not quoted ;oldwyn 5J4 W\ D. W. Griffith, Inc Not quoted Loew's, Inc., 1634 16^ 16J4 Triangle 7/16 7/16 7/16 World Film Not quoted •Quotations by H. Content & Co. More Records "Alan-Woman-Marriage" broke all Monday records at the Regent, Patersou, N. J., when the picture grossed $1,225 in a 2,400 seat house. The picture played to a total number of 5,193 people on that day. This represents a business 35% greater than was done on any other Monday. The matinee prices were 15 and 20 cents, and at night, 20 and 30 cents. "Passion" in Washington (Special to WID'S DAILY) Washington—" Passion" established a unique record at the Metropolitan last week when it grossed $28,000. This represents $15,000 more business than lias ever been done by any attraction in this theater. The previous record was held by "The Woman in His House." Dean Film in Boston (Special to WID'S DAILY) Boston — All Monday records were broken at the Park, a 900 seat house with "Outside the Law." The total business for the day topped previous records by $400. The sale of prices is 60 cents top. (f (Qaaxxiticrricil (J ictuAJU^ SPICE OF THE PROGRAM" A New Los Angeles (Continued from Page 1) whatever prestige or circulation that they have had during the past five or six years. The crippled resources of the war stricken countries do not allow them to pay anywhere near the sums that they were paying in the previous years. Furthermore, countries like Italy, Sweden, Denmark, France and Germany are placing their pictures in England in some instances without any advances and if an advance is given it is too small to be of any consideration whatsoever, which they are doing to push their films on the market and meet conditions prevailing today. To give you an idea of the workings of the film business in England today, as conducted by the large distributing organizations, you will realize how impossible it is for them to pay the prices that they were paying. 1. — The block booking now extends in some instances over two years, which means a terrific investment carried by the distributor in pictures already bought, as the exhibitor in England does not deposit any moneys on pictures he books and does not pay for same until he has the picture delivered to him on the day of his showing. This, you will realize, is a tremendous burden for the distributor to carry, therefore the distributor is placed in a position where he must buy pictures much cheaper on account of this financial burden and furthermore on account of the unsettled conditions that are prevailing in the film industry in that country today. 2— With the German, French, Italian, Danish and Swedish pictures coming into the English market today and with the limited number of theaters to supply, this also makes the market much harder to handle as regards selling our pictures at the prices we have been formerly able to obtain, as England can only consume a certain amount since there are just about 3,000 theaters in England today. 3 — Apart from the fact that the above mentioned countries are sending their pictures into England, there is to be considered the number of British pictures that are on the market today. Taking these facts into consideration. I think the clay is past when American manufacturers can hope to get anywhere near the prices that they have obtained formerly. The day is also past when the cheap mediocre films can ever be sold in England again. As regards distribution, I have gone into it very carefully and know from actual observation the bookings that a great number of the distributors are obtaining and I regret to say that American pictures are not obtaining anywhere near what they formerly did. However. I must admit that, although the British pictures have had considerable success in the past, I am afraid that if they continue to make the same grade of pictures that they are making now that the British public will get tired of them very shortly. To my mind, the British producer has had considerable success with his productions in England financiallv as well as in distribution, but their pictures have always been produced for the local market only, and such being the case, I do not think that they can hope to live unless they make pictures with an international appeal. From my observation. I feel sure that the day is not far distant when the British producer will seek the American market and make pictures with that view in mind. As regards London ever being a film producing center, I firmly believe that that will never be on account of the fogs. Why studios have been built there is beyond my comprehension and more especially on the side of a river or near a river where the mist and fogs prevail mostly. Personally, I cannot see why they have not gone further away from London to build studios. On the Continent the selling of American pictures is even worse than England, although there is no block booking system in vogue, but that is due to the fact that these countries have very little money and what with the exchange as it stands today, buyers cannot pay the prices for American pictures. Personally, unless the American manufacturer is willing to alter his prices to meet these conditions. I see little hope for American pictures, and I am afraid in a very short time the people will have acquired a liking for other foreign pictures and that the spade work that America has done in having her pictures distributed all over the world will lie lost. Personally, I would rather have francs, marks, pounds, lires piling up in the banks in various countries than have films lying on the shelf in America. I think that after a careful analysis of the exports out of this country during the past year in comparison, the number of American pictures sent abroad during 1919, is con F. P. Managers Here Lester Rosenthal, Washington manager, John Clark, Philadelphia manager and William E. Smith, district manager of Famous Players are in town. Renco Film for Ambassador Ernest Shipman was advised by wire from the coast yesterday that "Lavender and Old Lace" made by Renco Film Co. would have a run at the new Ambassador, Los Angeles, following "Passion" and "The Kid." siderably lower, but the number of pictures to be sent abroad this year will be still lower. This has not been brought about by the fact that the American pictures are not as good, as I think they are better than any of the foreign pictures, but that the prices asked for them with the rate of exchange of today and other conditions prevailing forces the buyer to obtain merchandise that their purses will allow. In fact the world in general is trying to get down to saner business-like methods and I think the day here in America has come to that way of thinking, more especially with your own business, as I think even America will be importing 25% of its distribution before 18 months is passed of foreign pictures owing to the high cost of pictures and trade conditions being unsettled. DIRECTORY OF THE TRADE A RELIABLE GUIDE FOR READY REFERENCE ACCOUNTANTS EDMONDS & BOUTON, INC. 56 Pine St., 1645 La Brea Av» New York City. Hollywood. **-" ADVERTISING— PUBLICITY MERRITT CRAWFORD The Screen Bulletin 904 Fitzgerald Bldg. Bryant 561; ARTISTS AND ART TITLES F. A. A. DAHME, INC., Art Titles — Animation — Leaders 220 W. 42nd St. Bryant 679t MARTIN-McGUIRE & NEWCOMBE Art Titles 727 7th Avenue Bryant 561 ENGRAVERS THE STANDARD ENGRAVING CO. INC Half Tones — Line Engravers — Electrotypes 225 W. 39th St. New York Bryant 862 ENLARGING AND COPYING W. J. MORAT Grainless Enlargements M. P. Film 302 E. 33rd St. Phone Vand. 736" FILM CLEARING JAWITZ PICTURES State Right — Export & Import — Film Cl'r'ni 729 7th Ave. Bryant 9444 LABORATORIES EVANS LABORATORY Quality Motion Picture Printing 416-24 W. 216th St. Wads. 3443 CLAREMONT FILM LABORATORIE, 430 Claremont Parkway Tel. Tremont 376' H. J. Streyckmans, General Mana?" NICHOLAS KESSEL LABORATORIES 'Kessel Kwality Prints" Fort Lee, N. J. Fort Lee 2? PRINTERS BARNES PRINTING CO. Motion Picture Specialists SB East 22d St Phone Gramercv 94! PROSPECT PRESS Quality Printing for the Trade 188 W. 4th St. Spring 207t STUDIOS ESTEE STUDIO AND LAB.. INC. Studio— 209-219 E. 124th Harlem 71IM Studio — 361 W 125th Horn. 49SS ■ g PatneNesvs No. 8 ROBERTSONVILLE, N. C— The la es family in America. Ruben Bland, w< let twice, is proud of his 34 children, and m mons his brood together for the bene) o the cameraman NEW YORK CITY— You don't hav I get out and get under any more. Turn Ki device revolves car so that it can be rep-et NEW YORK CITY— Deport Soviet ■ comfortably. resentative. L. C. A. K. Martens, his 1 get out and get under any more. ' rn Auto device revolves car so that it ce b> repaired conformtably. NEWPORT, N. H— Pleasure-seekers in. rare 'sport in snow carnival. Ski-t nj proves again the "under-dog" must ge thi worst of it. IN THE LIMELIGHT— Carry ele.jra vote by plane for first time. Mrs. H H Wheeler and Mrs. Draper Smith leave ta aha for Washington, bearing Nebn a' electoral vote. MACON, GA.— Carriers of the Dese ii harness. Southern farmers combine nciltj and efficiency in using camels for Urn labor. PENSACOLA, FLA — Historic wihi[ for army target-practice. Shore guns fi oi U. S. S. Massachusetts, relic of Sp. sh American war. ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA.— Senator ijrd seeks rest from post-election activities jm< finds exercising on the links his fatiti pastime. When the RITCHEY trade mark appears upon his posters the exhibitor knows that the distributor ' is doing all he can to furn:sh the finest kind of ad' vertising for that particular photoplay. RITCHEY; LITHO. CORP. 406 W. 3 1 st St., N.Y. Phone Chelsea 8388 OJVICTOR KREMR "MAD LOV IS A HONEYMOOi> IN A VOLCANO ii»