Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1915)

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August 14, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 75 MiiiiiiiiE -: ; . v'liiniiiiiiii ill JUST TO MAKE TALK By George D. Proctor THE Mutual Film Corporation is to no small extent the cynosure of all eyes these days. The Mutual is the most recent of the three concerns distributing a full program to be blessed or cursed with a multiplicity of rumors concerning its past, present and future standing. The recent change in officers and directorate at the last election naturally furnished a fitting peg on which to hang rumors. So what John Cecil Graham, who signs himself J.C. Graham, has to say on the subject is illuminatingly important. It is well nigh superfluous to tell who J. C. Graham is. He has made the country from coast to coast for several years. He knows the best hotels in both Portlands, as well as in Detroit and New Orleans and intermediary stations. Organizations and exchanges are his specialties, as witness his time spent previously with the Mutual and with the Universal. "J. C." is now with the Mutual, an exchange owning and operating corporation, as assistant to the president, John R. Freuler, and the most active executive next to Mr. Freuler himself. While Mr. Graham has not yet had time to commit to memory the names of every man in every office he has his finger on the pulse of the Mutual, and especially is familiar with the work of girding up the loins of the company against the future. Further Mr. Graham is a valuable man from whom to get information, as he is painfully truthful, even though the truth is not pleasant for him or the listener. But right now the truth about the Mutual is painful to nobody. "You may say that the Mutual has several big deals completed, signed, sealed and delivered by which it will be ready by the first of September to deliver a program second to none in the business, a carefully selected, well balanced mixed program containing everything from split reel cartoons and educationals up to four and five reel features," said Mr. Graham. "I don't want to tell our new contracts, because it is a little premature yet, but they really exist. "I can say, though, that the number of comedies will be increased, among other things. Edwin Thanhouser will make two Falstaffs a week instead of one. The American Film Company will make an additional Beauty comedy weekly. David Horsley will furnish a comedy a week. The title will be "Cub Comedy— It's a Bear.'" These will feature George Ovey, whose work in MinA Films greatly increased the sales of that brand. The new Falstaffs will feature an English knockabout comedian, a real pantomime artist. ''Two and three reel features will be released to be known as Mutual Banner Features. The Mutual Masterpictures department will be continued to handle four and live reel features. New brands will be added, including Banner, Mustang and Rodeo. Old Mutual manufacturers, such as Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Thanhouser, will have additional films to make and new companies will be taken in. Several startiing changes will take place, and we are now fully prepared to let them come, for the Mutual now stands prepared to go ahead, no matter what happens when the present contracts expire late in August." producer off our list. If they don't like paper we'll order new. We are absolutely at the service of the exhibitor." Without quoting Mr. Graham any further one or two other significant statements are in order. A formal announcement has been made that the pictures hitherto known as Knickerbocker . Star Features, three reelers, will be seen on the Mutual program. The Knickerbocker folks do not confirm the statement. You can figure that out for yourself. Whatever the case may be in that situation, it is safe to presume that at least one other established company will join the Mutual program. The Horsley contract is a very fine one; its terms coming as near to guaranteeing good pictures as ink can come. One thing is certain. The Mutual will give Mr. Horsley an income big enough to enable him to make good pictures and still make a profit. This in itself, should please Mr. Horsley — also Chester Beecroft, his general manager, who was a mighty busy boy for the few weeks immediately proceeding the signing of the contract. One moment please, to change the subject. Now that a week has arrived without any conspicuous announcement of new film companies, it is a good time to spring a glittering generality without anyone taking the foolish assumption that he is the target. Why in the name of suffering humanity is it that all new companies issue a statement like this? "We are going to make good pictures. Quality first will be our motto. No one before has ever conceived this idea, but we have at last determined to reform the whole industry and make good pictures regardless of expense. "We are going to help the exhibitor. Our heart is so big that we simply want to help him because we are such good fellows. We are going to give him better paper, better heralds and better advertising helps than any other company has ever done. "We will submit these questions right to the exchanges for an answer. If the exchanges don't like a picture we'll cut the Oh, the many times the waste basket has yawned when this sort of stuff comes in. Now that this policy is hereby decried. Far from it. It is the only possible policy. It is the best policy. But why does every budding concern feel itself a 1915 Christopher Columbus when it "discovers" long established facts? Ouien sabe? Now that our own Selig tourists, with William A. Johnston among them, are back from the Pacific Coast, kind words are coming in about the -writing persons out there who furnish the connecting link between the producing activities of California and the public prints — in other words, the press agents. Press agentry can be raised to a fine art. The kind of man who sends out news stuff, who regards things with the eye of a reporter on assignment and who writes with the interest of the publication to whom the stuff is submitted as much at heart as if he were a reporter on that publication, is valuable both to the company which hires him and to the publications which get his stuff. On this honor list the following names be enrolled : Kenneth McGaffey, of the Jesse Lasky studios ; Kenneth O'Hara, of the New York Motion Picture Corporation studios ; M. F. Jonas, publicity manager of Universal City, and Ford Beebe of the same department; E. W. Heuston, who represents Thomas H. Ince and Mack Sennett; Kief, who is with "The Birth of a Nation," and last, but not least, Bennie Zeidman, the one time "Bennie from Lubinville," who is at the Reliance and Majestic studios. Then there is the king of them all, our own J. C. Jessen. The services these men render are really invaluable from a publicity standpoint. Time was when the West Coast publicity matter as disseminated in New York was only such material as could be gleaned by the New York men from looking over the pictures before release date and boosting the wonderful feats shown in such and such a picture which will be released on such and such a date. But, with the entry of high class men on the Pacific Coast, real publicity matter, printable and readable, is now obtainable. For this relief many thanks. The best little banqueter in the business, without pressing one's memory too hard, is the American Correspondent Film Comwhich recently showed its "The pany,