Associated First National Franchise (1921)

June I , I 9 2 I First National Franchise 17 What The}) Said About "Gypsy Blood BEST EVER SEEN "One of the best pictures we ever saw. It is even better than 'Passion or 'Deception.' Never have we seen such realism, and Pola Negri is a powerful actress, who is fascinating, beautiful in a way that has character for its foundation, and intelligent. As Carmencita she gives a gorgeous performance. Not in the five years we have been seeing pictures have we been so delighted. We wouldn't have missed it for the world. It sets a new standard for pictures. It's a slice of life, full of fire and dash. There never could be another Carmen like Pola Negri." — New York Tribune. VIGOROUS, GLOWING, LIVING "A motion picture that can hold the interest and excite the discriminating admiration of intelligent people. Pola Negri has endowed a character with the attributes of reality. She is a vivid human being every moment of her performance. She has abundant personality and is expressive. The production as a whole is a vigorous, glowing, living thing that never lets the spectator's interest slacken for a moment." — New York Times. VIVID, COLORFUL "Pola Negri makes the role the most genuinely seductive seen in years on the screen. She puts a meaning in every line of her lithe figure. Splendidly conceived and stirring scenes. Miss Negri makes this a highly vivid and colorful photoplay." — Nciv York Herald. FIERY IN EMOTION "A bright beam of light in the movie darkness. There are amorous scenes so fiery that the film seems in danger of spontaneous combustion. Mile. Negri's fine eyes and mobile face are still on the job." — New York Sun. BETTER THAN PASSION "With all respect for past productions we feel that 'Carmen' has been done for the first time on the screen. In color, in sweep of action, in vivid and tense characterization, 'Gypsy Blood' surpasses both the other two Lubitsch productions, 'Passion' and 'Deception.' With a craft which the others lack, Lubitsch has caught all the savagery and lilt of this wild Romany tragedy which has held its fascination so long in legend and music. The film is a triumph of screen production." — New York Globe. FLAME OF ENERGY "Pola Negri is a beautiful, vehement and volcanic Carmen. She is a very flame of energy; she flings herself into the part with a turbulence and a brusque beauty that are extraordinary. She makes the illusion a perfect one, being at all times Carmen, not an actress trying to be Carmen." — New York News. REALISTIC ACTION "Pola Negri presents a super-emotional portrayal. The alluring eyes, the heaving bosom, the feline grace are vividly revealed. The scenario is excellent and the direction good throughout. The mountain scenes stand out splendidly and there is in every character, to the least one in the mob, a realism of appearance and action." — New York American. STAR IS EXCELLENT "Pola Negri was all that could be desired and at times more." — Nezv York Journal. REMARKABLE PICTURE "A remarkably good picture, full of tense scenes, and with crowded moments." — New York Evening Telegram . Opperman Needs Seats to Keep Up With His Business Exhibitor Hal Opperman, of the Crescent Theatre, Pontiac, Illinois, is facing a unique problem. He has outgrown his present theatre. It is not uncommon for the box office to close thirty minutes after a show starts, for the 450 seats of the theatre will be sold out by that time. He attributes this to a trinity of circumstances, the fact that he shows Associated First National Pictures, the pulling power of consistent advertising, and "managing from the lobby." The last is somewhat of a hobby of Mr. Opperman's, for he arranges to be in the lobby to greet his patrons, where he encourages suggestions, knocks, or boosts, and by introducing the personal element of being interested in each patron's film wishes, has built up a considerable following. The Crescent Theatre celebrated its second birthday under the Opperman management April 10th. In these two years it has developed from a puny infant into a lusty youngster that has outgrown present quarters. Now Mr. Opperman either has to quit advertising, or he will have to build a new theatre. From all indications, he is seriously considering the latter. As, an example of his wideawake showmanship, he ran "The Kid," Charlie Chaplin's Associated First National release, three days in March ; he brought it back for a two-day run April 15th and 16th, and the first night turned away 300 people. Mr. Opperman uses the trademark idea in his advertising. He has educated the people of his vicinity to accept the First National trademark as a promise of excellence, and he makes his advertising distinctive by employing that trademark. Just to Show His Appreciation! "Service" is the watchword of the First National Exhibitors' Exchange of Kentucky and Tennessee. The big Louisville office is always ready to go out of its way to do a favor for its patrons and help them run their houses with minimum trouble and maximum profit. This "bread upon the waters" often returns. In fact, the First National here has found that courtesy and consideration pay real dividends of appreciation and reciprocity. A letter that was received recently from Frank L. Teuton, one of the First National's West Tennessee patrons illustrates this. Mr. Teuton wrote : Gentlemen : In order to show my appreciation, I will take your films and drive into town, nine miles, and put them on the next express for Louisville, just as soon as the show closes tonight at 8 o'clock. Ordinarily, they would not go until next morning. I am doing this because I know what it means to have a dark house, and because the First National has been nice to me. Yours very sincerely, Frank L. Teuton. Should He Get It? The Editor of "Franchise" is up against a hard proposition. Since we offered to pay $10 for exaggerations and such, they have been picking on us something terrible. The latest request for the price of a new hat comes from \'ern \\ nliams, ot Fonde, Kentucky. It seems that in a few issues ago we published Harold B. Franklin's photograph with the following remark: "May he never run out of First National Pictures at his theatre. That would be hard luck which Buffalo might never live through." Now Mr. Williams declares that this is an exaggeration and insists that if Buffalo never had any more motion pictures they would just keep right on living. The question is — would it? We don't know and have no way of finding out, unless all of the exhibitors in Buffalo will agree to cut out motion pictures. Norma Wins Again Norma Talmadge has just won her second popularity contest in the Northwest, through the total returns shown in the Minneapolis Sunday Journal of recent date. Miss Talmadge had 15.933 votes and Anita Stewart was second with 12,022. Constance Talmadge had to be content with 1165, but at that she stood near the head of the list. The Minneapolis Journal gave much publicity to the contest and especially to Norma Talmadge and Associated First National. On the day the results were announced, the Journal ran a huge portrait of Miss Talmadge of four columns wide by twelve inches deep. First National Play Dates First Means Better Pictures at Less Cost Have You Had Your Grand Pictures Season Yet?