Motion Picture News (Sep-Oct 1923)

September 8 , 1923 1235 Dig A Little Deeper, Is F. B. O. Sales Slogan F. B. O. salesmen start a new sales campaign this week under the slogan of " dig a little deeper." This was adopted at a recent sales meeting headed by H. M. Berman and the novelty of the phrase struck them as being a good sales motto. As a result of a recent sales campaign five watches were awarded branch managers. The winners were Roth at Boston, Hull at Indianapolis, Metzger at Seattle, Young at Des Moines and McNamee at W ashington. Statistics Prove Mix Pictures Popular According to statistics gathered by Fox Film Corporation, Tom Mix pictures are shown every night at 500 theatres somewhere in the United States, and witnessed by a daily average of 200,000 people. Although Tom is now the owner and skipper of a handsome power boat he still remains true to his devotion to fleet-footed cow ponies. He has had a picture of Tony painted on either side of the bow of his yacht and swears there is nothing equal to horse power. Giblyn Starts Work On " Leavenworth Case " Charles Giblyn, who is directing Whitman Bennett's coming production of the famous mystery novel, " The Leavenworth Case " by Anna Katherine Green, has begun work at the Whitman Bennett studios in Yonkers. This is one of the six Plan "If Winter Comes" Premieres New York and Chicago Dignitaries to Be on Hand for Opening Performances attend the New York opening. Marmount is engaged in the filming of " You Can't Get Away With It," which Roland V. Lee is adapting from the Gouverneur Morris slory and which has been announced on the Fox list of 25 specials for 1924. NEW YORK and Chicago will be shown the William Fox film version of A. S. M. Hutchinson's " If Winter Comes," directed by Harry Millarde, at premieres in both cities on September 3rd and 2nd, respectively. The Broadway opening, scheduled at the Times Square theatre, has been prepared for one of the most elaborate and distinguished first nights a motion picture has ever experienced in the east. The theatre itself has been given over to the film for the first time in its history, and nearly every prominent newspaper man, magazine editor, critic, author, artist, social leader and business general has accepted an invitation for the first presentation, it is claimed. In Chicago the picture goes into the Sam H. Harris theatre, which heretofore has been devoted exclusively to offerings of the spoken stage. Considerable preparation, here, too, has been given the pending exhibition and the same spirit which identifies New York's rialto is evident along the theatrical and picture thoroughfares of the Michigan Lake metropolis. Percy Marmount, the noted actor who assumed> the difficult role ot " Mark Sabre " and whom San Francisco critics declared to be superb in his part, sent a last minute wire from the Pacific coast carrying his regrets at being unable to Constance Binney Takes Brief Vacation Constance Binney, who is starring in a series of C. C. Burr pictures, is vacationing at Beverley Farms, Massachusetts, on the North Shore between Boston and Manchester. She is scheduled to be at the Burr Glendale Studio before the first of September. Her initial Burr pocture, directed by Kenneth Webb, is now being cut and titled for release through Associated Exhibitors. Truart Producer Off For East With Prints When A. Carlos, president of Carlos Productions, Inc., which unit is producing at the Coast for Truart Film Corporation distribution, leaves Los Angeles this week he will take with him the first print of " The Unknown Purple," an eight reel production, and " Fast Freight," starring Richard Talmadge. Campaign Is Planned for "Michael O'Halloran" An exceptional exploitation campaign has been planned by W. W. Hodkinson Corporation in connection with " Michael O'Halloran." Grosset and Dunlap, publishers, will issue a reprinted edition of Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter's "Her Father's Daughter" and at the same time will publish a popular photoplay edition of "Michael O'Halloran," thus effecting a strong tie-up with the exhibitor. Every book store in the country and each salesman of the publishing house will centre their efforts toward Gene Stratton-Porter, tie-ups with exhibitors and all forms of exploitations between the book merchant and the theatre manager, it is claimed. Seastrom Takes Company To San Francisco Victor Seastrom, the eminent Swedish director, who is now well under way on his first American production, "The Judge and the Woman," left the Goldwyn studios this week for a location trip to San Francisco. Conrad Nagel, Mae Busch and Patsy Ruth Miller, who have the leading roles, will take part in these San Francisco scenes. The picture is a screen adaptation of Hall Caine's latest novel, " The Master of Man." The picture is one of Goldwyn's specials for 1923-24 release. 'CFtSRCi cm