The Film Daily (1918)

Thursday, August 15, 1918 a!i^ DAILY Published Every Day in the Tear at 71-73 West 44th St.. New York, N. T. By WID'S FILMS & FILM FOLK, Inc. F. C. ("WID") GUNNING President and Treasurer LYNDE DENIG, Editor Entered at New York Post Office as Secondclass Matter Terms (Postage free) United States, OutBide of Greater New York, $10.00 one year; 6 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign, $20.00. Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to WID'S DAILY, 71-73 West 44th St., New York, N. Y. Telephone: Vanderbilt 4551 — 2 In Memory of Mitchel The National Association intends raising quite a large sum to contribute to a suitable memorial to be erected to John Purroy Mitchel. About $1,000 has already been collected. William A. Brady and Marcus Loew are on the Finance Committee of the Mitchel Memorial Fund which includes such notables as J. P. Morgan, Seward Prosser, Jacob Schiff and Clarence Mackay. Serial For Newspapers As one of the helps to exhibitors booking the patriotic picture, "Why America Will Win," the Fox Film Corporation has sent out this week, through a big newspaper syndicate, a 32,000-word serial story on the life of General John J. Pershing, upon whose career "Why America Will Win" is based. The serial will appear in 500 of the most prominent newspapers in the country. Aiding Liberty Loan Metro has offered its stars for the furtherance of the Fourth Liberty loan. Edith Storey, Emily Stevens, Nazimova, Harold Lockwood and two others will make pictures for Secretary McAdoo. Edith Storey's contribution to the next Liberty Loan has already been started. The cast has been selected, and includes Guy Coombs, Joseph Kilgour and Frank Currier. The story the title of which has not as yet been picked, is by Col. Brady. Sells Comedies For Africa The African Film Trust has purchased from the Film Market, Inc., a series of twenty-two of the Jaxon Comedies and a five-reel feature entitled "Her Moment," with Anna Luther starred. This is the first of a number of feature productions which the Film Market offered the South African organizaion. INDUSTRY WILL AID THE Y. M. C. A. Assistance Pledged at Meeting With G. W. Perkins— To Entertain Boys in France With Pictures of Home Life The motion picture industry will aid the Y. M. C. A. in its forthcoming drive for $100,000,000. This decision was unanimously agreed upon yesterday at a meeting held in the National Association rooms between George W. Perkins, chairman of the Campaign Committee of the Y. M. C. A. in its new drive which will be launched shortly and well-known film men, who gathered in order to see how they could aid this branch of war work. Walter W. Irwin, general manager of Vitagraph, presided until the arrival of William A. Brady. Mr. Irwin introduced Mr. Perkins to the assemblage. Mr. Perkins spoke of the war work of the Y. M. C. A. and the neccessity of keeping up the morale of the troops abroad. He characterized the conflict as a nerve-sapping one and said that the soldiers in France must be entertained by good, wholesome pictures of home life with nothing in them that would tend to undermine their minds. The immediate problem on hand is the method which ought to be used to help the Y. M. C. A. secure its hundred millions. It was practically decided upon to adopt the same plan that will be used in the coming Liberty Loan drive. Theatre owners throughout the country will be supplied with trailers not more than three hundred feet in length to show in their houses. The film will be taken almost exclusively in France and then prepared for showings on this side. It was argued that the public is eager to see pictures of the boys in France and that home-made films were not so great a drawing power to the public. Walter W. Irwin was appointed chairman of a committee, whose members were not announced, to aid Mr. Perkins. The Y. M. C. A. was asked to supply immediately from twelve to twenty-four pictures to be distributed. The distributing companies are to do this free of charge and in many cases to pay the expressage for the films. Mr. Perkins was accompanied by Bruce Barton, director of publicity for the Y. M. C. A. and William A. Johnston, editor of the Motion Picture News who is managing the advertising work for the drive in the Eastern States. Others attending the meeting were as follows: Thomas G. Wiley, William L. Sherrill, Walter W. Irwin, W. E. Atkinson, J. E. Brulatour, George A. Blair, Richard Brady, Fred Beecroft, Edward Earl, Will C. Smith, William A. Brady, Paul H. Cromelin, Ralph Kohn, F. H. Elliott and W. R. Rothacker. Empey Must Answer Suit of Lee Keedick Is Held to Be Valid Sergt. Arthur Guy Empey, who has lost his captain's commission in the U. S. Army after he had it almost in his grasp, met with another reverse when Supreme Court Justice Donnelly decided that he must answer the suit of Lee Keedick, former manager of his lecture tour, to recover $88,589 damages for breach of contract. Keedick contends that because Empey quit the tour in the middle of his engagement the management lost $60,000 and is subject to claims for $22,500 additional by persons with whom lecture dates had been arranged. Counsel for Empey filed a demurrer to Keedick's complaint, alleging that the contract was not enforcable because it was too one-sided, being all in favor of Keedick. The defendant contended that while Keedick under the contract could compel him to appear for all the lectures arranged for he couldn't compel Keedick to give him any dates. The court held that the complaint states two good causes of action, and gives Empey permission to file an answer to the suit, if he has any defense. Seabury, Massey & Lowe appear for him. Not For Revenue General Film Company reports further bookings of the Red Cross film, "The Historic Fourth of July in Paris," extending far into September. Regarding the handling of its product, Joseph Johnson, director of publicity of the American Red Cross, states: "The re-organized Motion Picture Bureau of the Red Cross desires it understood that it is acting under the advice of the National Association of Motion Picture Industry as to distributing its materials. It is further anxious for everyone to know that its film operations are not designed for revenue in any sense of the word. Any money that is received is to cover the expense of production." Olin Howland, brother of Jobyna Howland, who gained fame first as one of the dancing set about New York and who last year was one of the principal comedy characters in "Leave It To Jane," has been signed to play in a series of sixteen of the Flagg comedies.