The Film Mercury (1926-27)

Page Ten THE FILM MERCURY, FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1926 Hollywood, Calif. BOX OFFICE (At the New York Theatres, as Reported in Variety.) Two outstanding box office marks loomed on Broadway last week. The first was the advent of the Douglas Fairbanks production, “The Black Pirate,” which came into the Selwyn Monday night and immediately leaped into the lead of the half dozen specials on the street by doing almost $22,200 in 13 performances. Next was the initial showing of “The Merry Widow” at the Capitol for the first time on Broadway at popular prices, after its run at the Embassy, where it stayed more than six months at $2 top, and the Capitol’s box office showing of around $68,700, which meant the holding over of the attraction for the current week. With the advent of the Fairbanks film the list of specials in legitimate houses or in run film houses on Broadway reached seven, with “The Volga Boatman” (P. D. C.) in the offing. The specials now rate “The Big Parade,” at the Astor, $20,250 last week; “The Sea Beast,” Warner, $18,750; “Ben-Hur,” Cohan, $15,825; “Mare Nostrum,” Criterion, $10,625; “La Boheme,” Embassy, $9,350, and “Stella Dallas,” Apollo, carried the red light at $7,100. The Rialto, with “The First Year,” suffered rather a severe bump, limping in with $13,650, while the Cameo, w’here the week had been taken up with a daily change of bill of an Ernst Lubitsch repertoire, registered $5,225, fair for the house. Apollo — “Stella Dallas” (Goldwyn-U. A.). Seventeenth week. Dropping for several weeks. Last week, down to $7,100. Astor — “Big Paradle” (M.G.-M.). Seventeenth week. Just a few dollars under previous week. $20,236. Strong box office pulling power in face of other special dropping in takings. Picture still way above $20,000 week average. Cameo — Lubitsch Repertoire. Last week interesting experiment tried at this little house with result business above average of last few weeks. Showed $5,228. C a p i t o I — “Merry Widow” (M.-G.-M.). First showing at popular prices on Broadway of Neilan to Produce Film in Ireland Marshall Neilan goes to Ireland the latter part of May, where he will make one picture as a starring vehicle for Betty Bronson. While abroad, Neilan will also complete “The Return of the Soldier,” which he began there last year. this Mae MurrayJohn Gilbert picture proved more or less of furore. $68,670. Held over. Cohan — “Ben-Hur” (M.-G.M.). This spectacle took $1,500 header last week for some unknown reason, although thought advanced that those who would swell attendance to capacity might be of a strictly religious turn and observing Lent. Last week $15,815. Colony — “The Cohens and Kellys” (U.). Fourth week. Planned to take picture off Saturday, but held over for current week, figured it might be St. Patrick’s Day special draw. Last week, $20,332, giving around $71,000 for three weeks. Criterion — “Mare Nostrum” (M.-G.-M.). Fourth week. Dropped about $600 under previous week, showing $10,626.50; highly profitable for picture and house. Embassy — “La Boheme” (M.-G.-M.). Third week. Dropped off during early part of week, but made over weekends. Three shows daily on each Saturday and Sunday, total of 16 performances on week. Last week, $9,350. Rialto — “First Year” (Fox). Did not fare so well, seemingly proving regulars on “the Corner” look for names and star is necessary to draw. $13,650. Rivoli — “Miss Brewster’s Millions” (F. P.-L.). Business here with Bebe Daniels in corking laugh picture and “The Jazz Rhapsody” failed to stand up. $24,250. Selwyn — “The Black Pirate” (U. A.). Second week. Latest Fairbanks’ picture came along Monday night of last week, and in 13 performances took lead of all specials in legitimate houses. Decidedly stiff $1.10 top matinee and $2.20 top night scale in effect, with line at every performance. First week showed $22,186. Strand — “Irene” (First Nat.) Second week of this Colleen Moore feature held up fairly well. Sub Rosa Doctor Millikan has promised to give us some startling facts on light waves in a very short time. What is light? Why does it reach us through the airless spaces which separate us from the planatory bodies? Why does it pass through glass, and other mediums in which there is no air? Sir Isaac Newton held the view that light possibly consisted of burning celestial bodies, or stars, discharging glowing particles into space, but early in the nineteenth century this theory was discarded because scientists could not account for the various colors of the rainbow. As a consequence, they created a medium now known as “Ether,” which is supposed to pervade all space, and everything being plunged into “Ether,” so to speak, including the atoms of which air is supposedly composed. We can rock a boat several times a minute in water and create waves with each movement of the boat, but an atom would have to rock many million times per second to generate the ether waves that we call light. This would be by a speed comparison. By this we understand that color is related to light as tone pitch is to sound, a matter of vibrational frequency. Violet compares to the highest tone pitch we can hear, and T HE A T RE TICKETS 6406 Hollywood Boulevard At Cahuenga ANY TICKET, ANY TIME, ANYWHERE GL. 7001 DELIVERY SERVICE HARRY LANGDON BACK TO START NEW COMEDY Harry Langdon returned to Hollywood this week from his trip East. He is to start soon on his second comedy for First National. The title of the comedy will be “The Yes Man.” the deepest visible red to the lowest audible sound. Pitch, or ratio of tone, is dependent on the movements, or vibrations, in a given time. Several systems of fixing the positions of the planets and stars on the surface of the celestial sphere for a certain period of time are now in use. These systems are known as spherical coordinates. Whether or not it was premeditated is not known, but in “The Merry Widow” it looks as though the cinematographer had unconsciously succeeded in putting over what we might call “psychological lighting and photography.” Action is made far more realistic by psychologically correct lighting and photography. SUB ROSA. ' * \ |Rfi€0 TftADC MARK STUDIO LIGHTING EQUIPMENT 923 Cole Avenue HO. 8923. HE. 3930. V < Richard Thomas Studio Santa Monica and and Van Ness Ave. Studio Space For Independent Producers Every Facility and Equipment of a Modern, Up-todate Studio. ALBERT A. KIDDER, JR. ATTORNEY AT LAW Artists, Directors and Independent Producers Exclusively GRanite 0243 Hollywood 1223 Taft Bldg.