Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

1188 Motion Picture News Comedies, Short Subjects & Serials Change in Releases of Sunshine Comedies FOX FILM CORPORATION announces two changes in the release dates of the Sunshine Comedies, " The Fourflusher " and " Clothes and Oil." " The Fourflusher," which had been originally scheduled for distribution March 4th has been set back to March 18th, while " Clothes and Oil," scheduled for March 18th, has been pushed up to March 4th. Grand Rapids Critic Favors Short Pictures That the public is taking an active interest in the length of feature photoplays that are offered at its favorite movie houses, is evinced in an editorial in the reviewer's column of the Grand RaWs Herald. " Once in a blue moon or thereabouts," writes this critic, " a film comes along which in subject, direction and action deserves ten reels and no less. But a whole bunch of these long pictures' of nine and ten reels would be worth twice the price in entertainment value if they were carefully fitted into a compact six, seven or eight reels. Some of the biggest films ever made were six and seven reelers; for example, " The Miracle Man " and " Humoresque." Harold Lloyd's five reelers are bigger features and better drawing cards than most nine and ten reel subjects. " The average fan likes a little diversity in his entertainment. Along with the feature he wants a news reel, a comedy, and, if possible, something in the nature of a magazine supplement. Message of Emile Coue" Liked Consensus of Opinion \ Indicates This Two Reel Special A'Good Buy uHpHE Message of Emile Coue," A Educational's two-reel Special, which presents M. Coue personally delivering his theories from the screen, opened at the Rivoli Theatre, N. Y., and at other representative houses in other big cities, on Sunday, February 18. The picture earned excellent reviews and criticisms from practically all the papers in New York, and also in the other cities where it was shown. The New York Tribune in their review of the picture said : " ' The Message of Emile Coue ' is very well done. In it M. Coue tells just what he told us in his lectures, only it was easier for us to read it off the screen than it was to understand Coue's broken English. We had no idea that a film like that could be interesting." The Morning Telegraph, in a long review, gave an equally strong recommendation to the picture. After giving an outline of the subject, and commenting on its entertainment and instructional value, the Telegraph review concludes : " M. Coue proves to be a good pantomimist, and his dominating personality holds the undivided at tention of the audience. The picture was greeted with hearty applause and even very bronchial members of the audience forgot to cough during the entire showing of the two reels." Kunsky's Capitol at Detroit, also opened Sunday, February 18 with the Coue picture, and the success of the Rivoli in New York was duplicated in Detroit. Capacity business flooded the house on opening day, and indications were that the picture would hold up to Sunday's business during the entire run. The Detroit News, in its review of the . Capitol program, states : " The feature was forced to take second * place on the bill, even though in number of reels it defeats the Coue picture by something like three to one." An extensive advertising campaign, in which half page ads were inserted in the newspapers, was conducted by the Strand in Milwaukee. Coue interest is running high in the western cities, and house records for two-reel subjects are being broken with every showing of " The Message of Emile Coue." Pathe' s March 1 1 ProgramReadj Pearl White in Seventh " Plunder" Episode Heads Eight Releases PATHE'S eight releases for March 11 makes a program headed with a particularly vital Pearl White punch in the seventh episode of " Plunder." The heroine leads the arch villain to believe that both she and her mysterious " Mr. Jones " admirer have lost their lives in a cavern cave-in. Ultimately he recognizes her and puts her in a position of frightful danger. The Hal Roach one-reel comedy offering presents Paul Parrott and Jooyna Ralston in "Shoot Straight" — a satire on amateur hunters who rely on books of instructions, in this instance with really wonderful results. Screen Snapshots shows " Baby Peggy," by common consent, the most popular girl in California. Gaston Glass and William Desmond are fierce rivals for her affection — but she loves Harold Lloyd best of all. Viola Dana, Shirley Mason and Edna Flugrath appear as three of a kind, while it is apparent that Marion Davies never rests. Ora Carew and John C. Edward are pronounced man and wife. Other celebrities shown are : Louise Lovely, Milton Sills and his daughter Dorothy, and Betty Compson with members of her company. Lasky, Zukor and Marcus Loew are seen being welcomed by the Mayor. The Aesop's Film Fable in this list is call " The Traveling Salesman." Farmer Al Falfa has more than his usual share of trouble, in which he justifies the moral: "A Good Salesman Creates His Own Sales." Pathe Review presents as its leading feature a succession of pictures analyzing the valuable properties of " The Million Dollar Weed." This is the Water Hyacinth, of Florida, which yields : paper pulp, ether, oil, tannin, fertilizer and cattle feed. Pathe News Nos. 22 and 23, and Topics of the Day No. 10 are released in this program. Short Subject Program For Five Day Run The Rex theatre, Jackson, Mich., is building a program consisting of Educational Subjects, around the Educational Special, " The Message of Emile Coue," playing in all eight reels of Educational product. This program will run for five days without a chanpe. Roach to Produce Serial £for Pathe Release AS the fourth of the series of important announcements, Pathe's General Manager, Elmer Pearson, announces that Hal Roach will produce a ten episode serial entitled "What Should the Girl Do," for release immediately after Ruth Roland's fifteen episode chapter-play, " Haunted Valley." This is not the first time that Hal Roach has produced a serial for Pathe. Both "White Eagle" and "The Timber Queen," in which Ruth Roland was starred, came from the Roach producing plant. Pathe states that a well known female star will be featured and as soon as contracts have been signed, her name will be announced to the exhibitors and the public. "What Should the Girl Do " will really be a series serial, in which a beautiful girl is confronted in each episode with a different suitor for her hand, and each episode makes a complete picture. "Algeria" Fox Release for Early March Algeria — a country that has existed for centuries in the burning sands and tumbled hills of the North African coast — Algeria, the ancient, where they do many things today even as they did them thousands of years ago, this is the country, filmed so interestingly for the Fox Educational Entertainment to be released early in March. One hundred odd years ago Algeria depended for a large part of its revenue on the tributes wrested from the ships of other countries. But today we find the merchants of Algiers with their shops in the street. These people work at wood carving, exquisite in its quaintness. The jeweler plies his trade before the public gaze, sometimes envied by a spectator when he places a gold ornament on the ankle of some fair Algerian maiden. The farmer still uses the same kind of plow that Adam first invented. Their method of grinding corn must be good — they have been doing it that way for twenty centuries. Olive oil is the chief product of the land. Handy Andy Series for the Screen J. Ray Friedgen has started production on twelve melodramatic comedies at the Tec Art Studios, New York. The stories are adaptations from Samuel Lover's novel. They will be known as the " Handy Andy" series. Charles Ascott has been engaged for the title role. His adaptability to portray the loyable Irish character in Lover's novel is encouraging to the producers. Phillips Smallet *r GREAT TEMPTATION