Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

2444 Motion Picture News "Wanderer Big Exploitation Picture A BIBLICAL spectacle has been chosen by Paramount to head the list of box office attractions which will be released during the spring and summer season beginning on February 1. "The Wanderer," a story of the prodigal son, is the picture. Many who have viewed the picture during its four important showings, two for indefinite runs, have declared it to be "infinitely better done than ' The Ten Commandments,' a spectacle, and a tremendous one." It ran for eight weeks at the Criterion theatre in New York city, the engagement being concluded while the picture was doing fine business to accommodate "The Vanishing American," another of the new season's specials. It played at $2 top with an overflow standing at many performance-. The first week at the Criterion, the box office took in $11,000, and the house seats only between 600 and 700. The picture had its second opening at the Aldine theatre in Philadelphia, where it drew $1,100 the first matinee — a hot day —and $1,400 at night. Newspapers have not hesitated to accord this picture high praise. The same is true of the magazines. In Life, Robert E. Sherwood wrote that " 'The Wanderer' is probably the most marvelously beautiful picture that the movies have produced. The players have outdone themselves, particularly William Collier, Jr., who gives a startling impression of the Prodigal." "The Wanderer" offers unlimited exploitation possibilities. They might be enumerated as follows : Obtain a list of "missing persons" from the police department and run in this ad : EACH IS A WANDERER Can You Help Find Any of These Chicago WANDERERS ? (Names) SEE THE WANDERER at the (theatre name) and you'll never want to wander. Tieup with the Salvation Army. Get the organization speakers to talk about The Wanderer at their meetings. Display placards. Invite wanderers to see the picture. Tieup with newspapers: Who are the Great Wanderers of Today? Stories regarding the wanderings of our great explorers and discoverers. For a ballyhoo, a man dressed as the Wanderer could parade the streets riding a donkey. Tieups may be effected with churches, schools, Y. M. C. A. and kindred organizations. Sell blocks of tickets to these organizations. Ministers will talk about it in their pulpits. The picture has had two showings at popular prices — the Imperial theatre, Charlotte, N. C, and in Loekport, N. Y. The Charlotte News said of this picture : "Conceived on an epic scale and carried out with lavish attention to detail, as well as with rigid fidelity to historical background. '•The Wanderer' held a big audience in awed admiration Monday night at the Imperial theatre. "The settings are magnificent and replete with all the details essential to create the atmosphere of the gorgeous East. It is more elaborate than 'The Ten Commandments' and attains a majesty of historical perspective that few pictures of the kind have attained." Greta Nissen, in the opinion of the newspapers, established herself in this picture as one of the outstanding screen stars. "Greta Nissen," said the New York Sun, "is unbelievedly seductive and lovely." The New York Evening Post said: "Certainly Greta Nissen is the most amazingly lovely temptress a picture ever had. She is an entirely alluring vampire with whom it is conceivable that any man might fall in love." The Herald-Tribune had this to say: "As Tisha, priestess of the pagan gods, who is also a versatile lady of the evening, Greta Nissen is ravishing in every sense of the word." Raoul Walsh, who has received the plaudits of public and press alike for his direction of the opus, confesses that he joined Paramount because it owned the screen rights to this stage attraction. He said : "I have a confession to make. I had an ulterior motive in coming with Paramount. I signed that contract because Paramount owned the screen rights to 'The Wanderer.' I saw that wonderful story on the stage. Ever since it has haunted me. Always I have had visions of the marvelous picture it could be, the greatest picture in the world." This sentiment undoubtedly influenced Mr. Walsh in producing what the press and public call "a picture infinitely better done than "The Ten Commandments.' " Besides Nissen and Collier, the cast includes these noted players: Ernest Torrence, Kathlyn Williams, Wallace Beery, Tyrone Power, Kathlyn Hill and George Rigas. Some of the highlights of the Paramount production, "The Wanderer," in which E rnest Torrence, G.eta Nissen, William Collier, Jr. are featured players. It was directed by Raoul Walsh.