Motion Picture News (May-Jul 1916)

July 1, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 4045 AGENCY HANDLES PUBLICITY FOR NASHVILLE EXHIBITORS In more than one city, exhibitors are finding it to their advantage to place the handling of their publicity with advertising agencies. Good results are obtained by having trained writers prepare ad copy, and look after the "planting" o£ stories in the newspapers. This is possible, of course, only in the larger cities. But the principles of picture publicity are the same everywhere, and some of them are neatly stated in the following letter to Motion Picture News from the Anderson Advertising Agency, Nashville. " A realization that your energies are directed in the benefit of those connected with tlie motion picture industry in all its ramifications, inpired this message from one who represents a clientele of exhibitors in this city with publicity and advertising service. " Our organ — Amusement News — ^is selfsupporting. A complete program of all the local theatres is given, although subordinate to the interests of our clients. Cooperation has been cheerfully given by the producing companies furnishing service to our patrons and the paper promises to be popular, especially with the feminine element toward whom we direct our main volume of advertising. " The stories about coming plays are a bit more lengthy than we furnish the newspapers— with an obvious reason. We find that a short, snappy story, gleaned from reviews furnished by leading trade journals, including Motion Picture News, is the ideal medium to run in the amusement columns of local newspapers. Conditions here are a trifle slack and we could exploit the ancient circus poster style without the least trouble, even in the news columns, but such a method is decidedly against our ethics. Our complaint we wish to register is the manner in which advance press matter is written — and some of the larger companies are the chief offenders. " We are indebted to the timely articles in Motion Picture News written from time to time by publicity men who are doing much to remedy the gross carelessness of the producing end in not furnishing the proper kind of copy, and also to your campaign in winning over the press to a more reasonable viewpoint to our needs — which is more space." Rembusch Throws His Hat in the Ring for National President Head of the Indiana Branch Has the Support of His State and the Illinois Organization — He Is One of the Most Prominent Exhibitors in the Country "IT WAS DECIDEDLY A HIT," SAYS THIS EXHIBITOR Editor, Motion Picture News, New York City. Dear Sir: I have thought for some time that I should write a line to give your magazine a boost, as I consider it equal to any picture magazine I have ever had and think I know most of them in publication, as I have been a subscriber to them in the past. Your good book reached me in the way of a sample copy. I read it at once. "It Was Decidedly a Hit." You will have my subscription for a year more. It is just right, splendid descriptions and all anybody could ask. Very truly yours, R. W. Jeslyn, 77 Bank Street, Lebanon, N. H. FRANK J. Rembusch, president of the Indiana State branch of the M. P. E. L. and one of the most prominent and popular exhibitors in the country, announces in a letter to Motion Picture News that he is a candidate for national president of the Motion Picture Exhibitors League of America. Mr. Rembusch needs no introduction to the exhibitors of the country. He has taken a prominent part in every convention and in the affairs of the Exhibitors League since its inception. He owns several theatres in Indiana and heads the present state league, in which he has always been a foremost organizer. It is stated that Mr. Rembusch has the solid backing of the Indiana and Illinois State organizations. Other possible candidates from the Middle West, Wm. J. Sweeney of Chicago, Tom Furniss of Duluth and Peter J. Jeup of Detroit have announced in terms that leave no room for doubt that they will not enter the lists. Mr. Jeup holds a civil service position in Detroit, which makes him ineligible. Mr. Furniss, who has received a number of letters advocating his candidacy, asks Motion Picture News to deny any desire upon his part for any office in the National League. He is, as always, vitally interested and he wants a "big" man for president, " a man who has done things and is doing them, a big man in his own territory." But he feels that he has done his share of work in the past seven years and he is going to Chicago " not even as a delegate, but with a spirit to assist all I possibly can in perfecting a good organization and for the good of the industry." Wm. G. Sweeney is prominently mentioned for national secretary. The field is therefore open to Mr. Rembusch in the Middle West, and the candidates are now narrowed down to Lee W. Ochs of New York, Fred J. Herrington of Pittsburgh, national president of the League, and Frank J. Rembusch of Shelbyville, Indiana. Mr. Rembusch is out on a platform featuring the curtailing of ruinous competition, the details of which will be announced in the next issue of Motion Picture News. All the candidates, it is believed, favor systematic co-operation with the producer and distributor, upon some practical basis not to interfere with the entity of the Exhibitors League, in order to secure ^'tal improvements for the betterment of exhibitor conditions. Grifl&th Is Putting Finishing Touches on Big Multiple Producer Has Not Had Anything to Do With Pictures for Several Years Except " Birth of a Nation " and the Forthcoming " Mother and the Law " r\ W. Griffith, who is working night and day at his studios in California putting the finishing touches to his forthcoming production of " The Mother and the Law," has wired to his New York offices the following statement : " In the light of reports that are reaching me through the press and newspaper clippings from New York, I deem it only fair to the public to state my plans. The efforts to associate the popularity of "The Birth of a Nation" with several recent motion picture productions in the East is wholly unwarranted. Eliminating the time spent in bringing out this story, I have not worked on any picture production except " The Mother and the Law." The ideas revealed in " The Birth of a Nation," as far as its screen version is concerned, were entirely my own and were worked out without the assistance or co-operation of |iiniiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiniiiiiiuiijuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiui[iiiiiuiiiiiiiuiiiiiuiiimuiiuiiu I THE JUNE INDEX OF | I REVIEWS (COVERING | I THE ISSUES OF JUNE | I 3.JULY 1 INCLUSIVE) | I WILL BE PUBLISHED | I IN NEXT WEEK'S | I MOTION PICTURE NEWS | .iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiimniniunioiiimiiimimiiiiniiniimniiimininiiimiiniiiiniiiniim^ anyone except the members of my personal staff who look after minor details. " With this production out of the way, I resumed work upon " The Mother and the Law." a study which has taken a major part of my time for the past four years. This story is now nearing completion and will be revealed in New York early in the Fall. The enormous profits of " The Birth of a Nation" have been turned back into this production for the public's approval. I do not wish to announce anything further regarding the new production until it is seen and passed upon by the people who have been so generous to my productions in the past, but I would like to request the privilege at this time of making it emphatic that I have not had anything to do with any other picture for several years excepting these two." IRENE CASTLE, FAMOUS DANCER, SWIRLS INTO INTERNATIONAL SERIES Irene Castle, the famous dancer, has returned from a flying trip to England, where she said good-bye to her husband, Vernon Castle, before his departure for the front, as a member of the Royal British Flying Corps. Mrs. Castle began work last week in the first of a series of photoplays for the International Film Service under the supervision of Director-General Paul Dickey. Immediately upon landing in New York Mrs. Castle was presented with the Hearst trophy awarded the motion picture actress receiving the most votes at the recent Exposition of the Motion Picture Board of Trade at Madison Square Garden.