Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

March 24, 1923 1465 ^iilUUUIIUIIIIIIIIIIIUHIIIIUllllllllllllHHIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIUIIIIIIIUWIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIlUr m r V T /"> • XT r~^\ 1 Late Studio and | Y or ke Norroy Series Now Heady L Player Briefs ■uumiiuuiuaniiuimauiiHiMiumBiiniimnmiiinnniiiuiiimtinimmii Tales innnniiiiiiiiiiirmimniiiiminiimwimininiiiiniiiiiiimiiiiiiiuiiiniiiiiiiiiiiinnl F. B. 0. Production Notes The steel work of the sky scraper built for scenes in " Day Time Wives " was wrecked for the accident sequence. No one hurt. The production is under the direction of Emile Chautard. The title of Harry Carey's next starring vehicle is "The Miracle Baby," under the direction of Val Paul. The company has gone to Truckee for snow scenes. The Chester Bennett production starring Jane Novak, originally titled " Divorce," has been changed to " I Want a Divorce." A big cafe set, with aa ice skating rink was built for this production and twenty professional skaters were schooled into remaining within camera range. Mai St. Clair is beginning the tenth of the " Fighting Blood " Series " The End of a Perfect Fray." Ernest C. Ward has been placed under long term contract as director. Tom Wilson has signed a contract for two years, to play character roles. George Bronson Howard's of Secret Service in Two-Reelers It is called "One of At Universal City Wallace Worsley is now filming the mob scenes for " The Hunchback," using twelve hundred extras for whom especially designed costumes, made to measure, are being used. The call for extras was for seven o'clock. All were made up and on the set at eight o'clock when the first scene was made, due to the management of Charles Stalling, production manager and William Koenig, business manager for the company, who were congratulated for the unprecedented efficiency employed. Universal has employed a large receiving outfit to be used as entertainment for players and extras during noon hours. Earle Kenton, for two years Sennett director, has been engaged by Universal to film the new series of " Leather Pushers," featuring Reginald Denny. " Up the Ladder," starring Virginia Valli, with Reginald Denny as lead, will not be filmed for a number of months. Instead, Valli will be starred in "A Lady of Quality " by Frances Hodgson Burnett, under the direction of Hobart Henley. The cast supporting Herbert Rawlinson in "Twenty Dollars," under the direction of Herbert Blache, includes Tully Marshall, Doris Pawn, Nickolai De Ruiz, John Cossar, Roy Laidlaw and Arthur Hull. Ethel Gray Terry has been engaged as lead for the all-star cast subject "What Wives Want," under the direction of Jack Conway. The players include Niles Welch, Ramsey Wallace, Vernon Steele and others. Marion Orth, short story writer and author of " The Price of a Good Time," "Borrowed Clothes," " The Lure of Jade," and others, has been added to the Universal scenario staff to write seven original screen stories during the year. <<nrHE FURTHER ADVEN1 TURES OF YORKE NORROY," a series of four two-reel features from the pen of George Bronson Howard, internationally popular novelist, are now being released by Universal. The pictures were made under the direction of Duke Worne, with Roy Stewart as star. Part of the series was personally supervised by the author himself, who was a member of the Universal City scenario staff until his recent death. "Yorke Norroy" was Howard's best known and most popular fictional character. He was the first diplomatic secret agent used as a hero of fiction. The original stories, a series called "Yorke Norroy, Diplomatic Agent," were widely hailed when they appeared in the Popular Magazine. The adventures of this diplomatic detective were followed by thousands of fiction fans. The new York Norroy stories, which have been screened as "The Further Adventures of Yorke Norroy," were written by Howard shortly before his death, and are said to be his best work. The first of the series now is being shown. Three." "Under Secret Orders" is the second of the series. It is to be released March 19. The action is laid partly upon a transatlantic liner and shows Norroy again foiling foreign crooks seeking to get important documents from the American secret service agents. The third of the series is "The Secret Code," to be released April 14, following the one-every-threeweeks policy for this series. It involves the seizure of a radio station in America by foreign agents who seek to transmit dangerous information to their respective governments. The last of the series, to be released May 5, is entitled "The Radio Active Bomb." The story deals with the attempt by a group of foreign secret service agents to get possession of a radio active bomb which an American inventor submitted to the War Department. Although released in a series, "The Further Adventures of Yorke Norroy " pictures have no connection with one another except the leading character, "Yorke Norroy," which runs tb-ough the entire series. Leather Pushers" in Demand Third Series of Universal Fight Two-Reelers Being Booked Rapidly UNIVERSAL'S announcement that a third " Leather Pushers " series of two-reel UniversalJewel pictures is to be made has met with country-wide acclamation on the part of exhibitors and photoplay patrons, it is announced by Art Schmidt, Universal sales chief. Although arrangements have just been completed for their production, many exhibitors already are booking them. This demand for advance bookings on the new series is growing by leaps and bounds, it is stated, and indicates the great popularity of the original " Leather Pushers " series of six pictures and the recently released " New Leather Pushers " series of six more pictures. As in the original series and the second series, the third series will have Reginald Denny as the star, and will be made by Harry Pollard. Also, Hayden Stevenson, the genial prize fight manager, will play the same role in the forthcoming series. As an example of the eagerness with which exhibitors and the public are looking forward to more " Leather Pushers " pictures, the Universal offers in evidence the following wire from one of its exhibitor patrons, and which is said to be indicative of many communications received: " One of the best steps Universal ever took was to plan release third series ' Leather Pushers.' Contracted for same yesterday. Announcement to patrons greeted by deafening applause. Everybody anxiously awaiting release. Goes to show people appreciate pictures as your above ordinary, such ' Leather Pushers.' " The foregoing telegram was received from Mr. A. Dobbs, manager of the Empire theatre, Milwaukee, Wis. In the New York territory the effect of the announcement was beyond all expectations. As soon as word of the projected series was received from Universal City, the big " U " exchange sent out a brief mail notice to all its exhibitor patrons. In less than twenty-four hours the exchange telephones were busy answering queries. Practically every exhibitor who had used the first two series wanted the third. The theatre owners were especially anxious to copper rivet the series for the coming summer season, as it was frankly admitted, according to Universal executives, that " The Leather Pushers," the first series, did more to hold up business during the hot weather last year, than any other film offering. Territory on "Her Accdental Husband" Solid Requests for open territory on " Her Accidental Husband " active, reports the offices of the C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation, and it is announced this week that negotiations are pending which will put this feature over one hundred per cent in record time. Another important territory was closed when Independent Film Company of Philadelphia completed arrangements to handle the production in their territory. This includes Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The sale was made to Louis Berman of that company, who immediately following the announcement of the readiness of this production for release, immediately wired to learn whefher his territory was still open and to inquire details. Following a reply in the affirmative, Mr. Berman made a special trip to New York to see the feature screened. He declared the cast, which includes Miriam Cooper, Forrest Stanley, Mitchell Lewis, Richard Tucker, Maude Wayne and Kate Lester wonderfully suited to their respective parts. Mr. Berman announced before leaving New York that he would make arrangements to release " Her Accidental Husband " immediately in his territory, and asked for prints at the earliest possible opportunity. "Suzanna" Gets Approval of Frisco Mayor Declaring that he had been thoroughly entertained by Mack Sennett's newest comedy drama, "Suzanna," an Allied Producers and Distributors Corporation release, starring Mabel Normand, Mayor James S. Rolph, Jr., of San Francisco, wrote the following letter to Mr. Sennett: "It was my privilege a few niehts ago to witness a pre-view of your latest picture, 'Suzanna,' starring Mabel Normand and which has been showing at the Strand theatre in this city. "I was greatly interested in this production and thoroughly entertained by it, enjoying particularly the touches of life in early California which this theme so cleverly portrays." "Shipwrecked" Is Joe, Rock's Latest Jo-Rok Productions, distributors of the two-reel comedies starring Joe Rock, this week received his latest subject, "Shipwrecked," in which Billie Rhodes supports him. It is his sixth release this year and is said to maintain his standard of clean-cut, original fun. The comedy is a burlesque on " Captain Kiddo." Cordouan Light in Fox Educational In the Fox Educational Entertainment, " Sentinels of the Sea," scenes are shown of the Cordouan Light, off the southern coast of France. The light is ten miles from the shore and for days at a time the keepers are prevented from leaving the light by the roughness of the water, always bad at this point. The Fox cameraman was forced to make the trip in an open boat and was reached into the water before reaching the lighthouse. The views he took bear the official approval of the United States Bureau of Lighthouses.