Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1923)

2584 Motion Picture News C. C. Burr Fu roduction Promises THOSE who know Charles C. Burr, President of Mastodon Films, Inc., know that his word is his bond. The success of his organization is virtually a history of the progress of the independent market in the past few years. Here is an organization that is known far and wide by its deeds — deeds that have fattened the bank accounts of live-wire exchanges that have handled his products. The career of C. C. Burr reads like one of Horatio Alger's stories of enterprising and ambitious go-getters and C. C. is every bit that. Mr. Burr has been producing feature length pictures for the comparatively short period of less than three years, and yet in that time he has produced money-maker after money-maker. That is why he has the same local distributors today that he had three years ago. They have made substantial profit with Mastodon pictures — and they have utmost confidence in Mr. Burr and his entire organization. C. C. Burr is one of those aggressive motion picture magnates who adhere to the old adage that " actions speak louder than words." He carefully lays out his plans, perfects and completes them and then informs his patrons — but not until after he has satisfied himself first that he can do everything he says he will do. And with making pictures does not end his responsibility, for he has established an organization that gives service — a service that compares favorably with that given by the milliondollar national corporations. Until a few years ago Mr. Burr confined his production activities primarily to the making of short subjects, including the famous "Torchy" comedies for Educational. In these comedies b" starred Johnny Hines, whose popularity and Lee-Bradford LEE-BRADFORD Corporation has developed into one of the most active firms in the independent market. In the comparatively few years that it has been in business this firm, of which the active head is Arthur Lee, has established a record that that firm can justly feel proud of. From a one-picture organization to one that now represents some twenty independent producers, briefly but accurately tells the story of the progress of the Lee-Bradford Corporation. Commenting on the status of the State Rights market, Mr. Lee this week said: " Our sales for the past few weeks best tell the story of the progress that we have made. As for the independent market it is coming along rapidly. It is not a question of independent or national producer or distributor; it is a question of good pictures. Sell pictures with entertainment value and merit and you'll find as many buyers in the independent market as anywhere in the picture business. Renown RENOWN Exchange, Inc., of New York City is comparatively an infant, but in its infancy this local distributing organization has been achieving so much that today it ranks second to none in the country. The popularity of the exchange is due exclusively to the fact that Renown has handled none but the best pictures available in the independent market— and not forgetting their pictures once they have been booked by the exhibitor. But let Jack Bellman, manager of the Renown Exchanges, Inc., to whom much credit is due for the popularity and success attained by that organization tell it : " Exhibitors demand the very best from in success as star is due chiefly to the untiring showmanship efforts with which the head of Mastodon "plugged" and exploited that comedian. It was Mr. Burr who first saw the possibilities of Johnny Hines as a star of the Wallace Reid type in independent feature length pictures — and so he produced " Burn 'Em Up Barnes," which made history for exchanges that handled it. And considerable money, too ; so much money, in fact, that Burr was urged to make more productions. He followed with " Sure Fire Flint," another Johnny Hines special that proved an even greater moneymaker and even more entertaining picture than " Burn 'Em Up Barnes." At the same time Burr also turned out " Secrets of Paris," and other specials, all of which made money. Then late' last season came " Luck," also starring " Torchy " Hines. And that picture proved so fascinatingly powerful as a box office bet that exhibitors throughout the country clamored for Hines pictures to the extent that many national producing companies began bidding for his services. Meantime, Mr. Burr continued making short subjects — and making even greater progress. His pictures and his straightforward, businesslike methods won the confidence of exhibitors and exchangemen. He planned greater things. He realized the necessity of acquiring his own studio, so he purchased the Glendale, Long Island, plant where he now makes all his pictures, features and shorts. There it was that " I Am The Law " was made for distribution through Mr. Burr's offices. That picture was one of the biggest money-makers of 1922-23 incidentally, one of the greatest Northwest pictures ever made. It was a clean-up for dependent exchanges. In fact, there are times when this demand is seemingly unjust, but nevertheless it is the demand of patrons upon whom we are dependent and for that reason it is a wise exchange that will heed the wants of the theatre man. From the outset the policy of Renown has been 'live and let live.' We have tried to build an organization that will be permanent and we have tried to give the exhibitor something more than film. " We have gone into the independent market looking and buying nothing but the best productions available. And we have succeeded in lining up a list of product that will compare favorably with any in the industry. We defy every exchange that handled this production. The current year rolled on and it found C. C. Burr and his organization stronger than ever. He had expanded. He had his own producing organization. He distributed his own pictures. He had disposed of the Johnny Hines contract to Warner Brothers, so he proceeded to acquire new stars. Meanwhile national distributing companies sought his product, but he remained faithful to those territorial buyers who made his meteoric career possible. So he went into the players' field and from it signed such box office luminaries as Doris Kenyon, Constance Binney, Charles Murray, Chic Sales, the inimitable vaudeville topnotcher; little Russell Griffin and many others too numerous to mention. And then the ball started rolling. In rapid succession came pictures like " Are You Guilty?" and "The Last Hour," both all-star cast productions. Then last summer he announced five super-specials, " Restless Wives," " Three O'Clock In The Morning," "Youth To Sell," " The Average Woman," and " Lend Me Your Husband." These all have all-star casts. " Three O'Clock In The Morning " is well on its way to a successful financial career. But C. C. Burr and Mastodon Films, Inc., have only started. Associated with Mr. Burr are Charles R. Rogers, Vice-President; and William Lackey, Treasurer. The local exchanges handling C. C. Burr pictures are Commonwealth of New York, Sam Moscow of Boston, All Star Features of San Francisco, Skirboll Gold Seal Productions of Cleveland, H. Leiber of Indianapolis, Columbia Exchange of Pittsburgh, Metro of Philadelphia, Favorite of Detroit, and Mid-West of Milwaukee. Booming any company to show us a better or more cleverly produced vehicle of entertainment than our ' The Unknown Purple,' a Truart special, that is a credit to the motion picture industry, for, as exhibitors have told me, it is a perfect picture. And I could go on naming many more, but the thought I want to register is that Renown Exchanges stand 100 per cent, back of their product. The exhibitor who patronizes our exchanges in New York, Buffalo and Chicago will not only get maximum service, but pictures that are productions of superlative entertainment value, pictures that will bring them at the box office and send them away perfectly satisfied." Find Market Is Progressive " The tra lble with a lot of men is that this talk of depression is nothing more than a state of mind. We are being frightened; by what I do not know. But one thing I do know and that is that there is altogether too much talk and altogether too little action. What the independent market and the whole industry most needs are pictures of merit, pictures that will bring people into the theatres, pictures that the exchange men can sell to the exhibitor, pictures that are made on an honest-to-goodness common sense basis — not million dollar films. We want pictures that will make money for everybody and at the same time entertain the public." Mr. Lee also announced this week a batch of territorial sales. He said that his two road representatives, A. J. McAllister and Frank Whittle, have been in the middle western territory and have met excellent success. Reports submitted by these representatives, he adds, show conclusively that alert independents are without complaint and finding exhibitors giving them good support by furnishing the necessary ■dates. " Mr. Whittle is now in the Cleveland territory, while our Mr. McAllister is in St. Louis," said Mr. Lee, " and judging from the deals they have closed we are forced to believe that there is no indication of any slump in the State Right market. If anything our sales for the past month indicate that the market is going along at a steady pace." Lee-Bradford are distributing " Adventures of the North," " The Broad Road," " Partners of the Sunset," "Is Money Everything?" " De termination," " Below the Deadline," " Shattered Reputations," ".Sister Against Sister," " Call of the Hills," " Male Wanted," " Branded," " House of David," " Shonta of the South Seas," "The Image Maker," Tense Moments from Opera series, " Serving Two Masters," Six Squirrel comedies and others. Wit ii Jack Bell man