Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

Motion Picture News 1666 Distinctive Releases via Goldwyn Twelve Features Scheduled for 1923; One Finished, Three Near Completion FOLLOWING the merger of the distribution of Cosmopolitan Productions and Goldwyn Pictures comes the announcement that the Goldwyn Distributing Corporation will also handle the entire future motion picture output of Distinctive Pictures Corporation. An agreement to that effect was reached during the week between Arthur S. Friend, president of Distinctive Pictures, and F. J. Godsol, president of Goldwyn. Twelve features are scheduled by Distinctive for 1923. The company now has one picture ready for release, " Backbone," a romantic story with a Northern Maine and a French setting, written by Clarence Budington Kelland. It was directed by Edward Sloman. The cast presents Alfred Lunt and Edith Roberts in the featured roles. Three other pictures are now nearing completion. The first is " The Ragged Edge," a story with the action taking place in Canton, China, and in the South Seas, written by Harold MacGrath. Harmon Weight is the director, and the leading players are Mimi Palmeri and Alfred Lunt. Another Clarence Budington Kelland picture, " Steadfast Heart," is in preparation at the Distinctive studios in New York. It is a story7 of life in a small Virginia town and the social barriers which are found there. Sheridan Hall is directing this. In the leading roles are cast Edith Roberts and Joseph Striker with little Joseph Depew as a featured player. The third story now in the preparatory stage is called " two Can Play," a Saturday Evening Post story by Gerald Mygatt .which Harmon Weight will direct. Mimi Palmeri and Alfred Lunt will head the cast. Among the story rights which Distinctive Pictures owns is " Salome of the Tenements," by Anzia Yezierska, author of " Hungry Hearts." ' which Goldwyn produced. " The Green Goddess," a melodrama by William Archer which ran for a year on Broadway, is also on Distinctive's program. Sir Gilbert Parker's Egyptian novel, " The Weavers," is another story which Distinctive will produce. Another Distinctive feature will be " The Adopted Father," by Edgar Franklin. This producing organization also controls the picture rights to I. A. R. Wylie's novel, " The Inheritors," and to Clarence Budington Kelland's " Hearts and Fists." Distinctive Pictures Corporation w7as organized in its present form on October 5, 1922. Prior to that time it was known as Distinctive Production, Inc. Arthur S. Friend, formerly treasurer of the Famous Players-Lasky organization and one of the organizers of that company, is president. Henry M. Hobart, formerly with Cosmopolitan Productions, is vice-president. Charles S. Hervey is treasurer. On the board of directors are Mr. Friend, Mr. Hobart, Richard Whitney, Winthrop W. Aldrich and Mr. Hetrvey. Miriam Cooper Cast for "Daughters of Rich" Miriam Cooper, as a result of her work in " The Girl Who Came Back," has replaced Marjorie Daw in " Daughters of the Rich." Gasnier now has the picture well under way at the Schulberg studios for Preferred Pictures. It will be released next month in the first group of Al Lichtman attractions. The complete cast includes Gaston Glass. Ruth Clifford, Ethel Shannon, Miriam Cooper, Joseph Swickford, Stuart Holmes and J. Gunnis Davis. Scenes from "The Affairs of Lady Hamilton," which I appears on the Hodkinson schedules "Enemies of Women" in Special Showing A distinguished audience is expected at the I Central theatre, New York City, on Saturday I night, March 31, when there will be a special I invitation presentation of " Enemies of I Women," Cosmopolitan's picturization of I Vicente Blasco Ibanez's novel. The photoplay will have its first public per I formance on Easter Sunday, April 1, when | it will begin an indefinite run. The Cosmo ( politan Corporation, which has leased the I Central theatre for the showing of the film, ? took over the house this week. Among those who are expected to attend ! the invitation performance are Mayor John F. Hylan, Will Hays, Eugene Zukor, Hugo Riesenfeld, S. L. Rothapel, Marcus Loew, Joseph Plunkett, Arthur Brisbane, Barney Baruch, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles B. Dillingham, Howard Chandler Christy, Nathan Burkan and a host of others. Schulberg in East for Conference on Production B. P. Schulberg, head of Preferred Pictures, is at present in New York for conference with the Lichtman executives on Preferred's schedule of forthcoming productions. It is an-1 nounced that Schulberg has assembled at number of stories for picturization, including t several from Europe acquired by Lichtman. during his trip abroad. Mr. Lichtman is J expected to return soon from Europe. The; following stories will shortly be scenarized:. for production by the Basnier, Tom Forman and Victor Schertzinger companies : " The Parasite," from the novel by Helen! R. Martin: "Aristocracy," from the storyl written directly for the screen by Larry Evans: "My Lady's Lips," from the stage play by Edward Locke: "Exclusive Rights."! author unnametl>; " Appearance," from an original screen story; "Daughters of the Poor," a sequel to "Daughters of the Rich."] for which several stories already have beeJ submitted,