Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1916)

1088 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 7 MUTUAL BRANCH MANAGERS PRAISE "REEL LIFE" tlie Mutual Magazine in Film, "Reel Life," which is manufactured by the Gaumont company, is coming into some wellmerited praise from Mutual branch managers. " It is the branch manager who is in close touch with the exhibitor, and it is extremely gratifying to the Gaumont company to find that these men are not only themselves enthusiastic over the new reel but are able to report that exhibitors are equally as well pleased. " We have received some very favorable comments," writes one manager, " and the picture is used in first run houses." From another comes word that " We have received nothing but the very best comments on ' Reel Life.' It is one of the most entertaining reels that can be a part of any program. The advertising campaign you are conducting is a good one, and we are quite sure will produce results." As an instance, the leading picture series in " Reel Life " No. 16 shows how water power is developed, throwing on the screen every method from the primitive water wheel which required twenty-four hours in which to grind a bushel of corn to the stupendous electric power houses which have hundreds of thousands of horse-power developed by water. Paramount Formulates Wiell-Rounded Program for August 14 Short Reel Stibjieic<s-W the Week'W'ifl Include Travelogue, "Innsbruck, Capital of Aus 'f.'" ,f.7'r,' I'.f! trian Tyrol," and " Bicycles I Have Met ■' P ARAMOUNT has formulated a ' wellrounded program for the week of August 14, in which there is contained a "THE DAWN OF FREEDOM" IS VITAGRAPH BLUE RIBBON OF THE WEEK " The Dawn of Freedom," a Vitagraph Blue Ribbon feature for release on August 14, presents a theme from the pen of William J. Hurlburt. It has as its central character a Captain Cartwright, a spirit of the days of 76, who lives again in the present period. He discovers that the ideals on which the country was founded are deplorably lacking in this year. Charles Richman essays this role and is supported by a large cast headed by Arline Pretty, James Morrison and Joseph Kilgour. Thedore Marston supervised the filming of the Revolutionary scenes and the prologue, while Paul Scardon directed the taking of the modern scenes. great amount of variety to meet the demands of every one of the rrtillions of photoplay lovers. The feature productions of this week are " The House of the Golden Windows," a Lasky production in which Cleo Ridgely and M'allace Reid are featured, and " The Stronger Love," a Morosco production, in which the charming Vivian Martin is starred. Both these five-reel . features are up to the Paramount standard and will be classed as two of the best pictures issued on the Paramount Program during the summer months. Short -reel releases for the week will include the twenty-seventh edition of the " Magazine-on-the-screen," the Paramount Pictographs ; the personally conducted tour with Burton Holmes in " Innsbruck, the Capital of the Austrian Tyrol," that week's release of the Paramount-Burton Holmes Travel-Pictures, and " Bobby Bumps Loses His Pup," a clever animated cartoon from the pen of Earl Hurd. The twenty-seventh edition of Paramount " Magazine-on-the-screen," Paramount Pictographs, is one of exceptional interest, in which there are five main subjects treated, giving it an excellent variety. The first is " Bicycles I Have Met," picturing the evolution of the bicycle. " Better Babies " are taught in this re lease how to set a table, picturing a grandmother teaching a twelve-year-old girl the process. The beginning of a very interesting series, entitled " Teaching the Business Man How to Plaj-," comes in this release, where the subject of tennis is discussed in pictures. This is the first of a series oi Paramount pictures endeavoring to interest the business men in how to play, because the average American does not play enough, principally because he does not realize how attractive sport is. Following this there is pictured the method in which milk is handled at the present time ; how cows are milked with a vacuum cleaner instead of by the oldtime method — the old hand method being shown, however, and followed by showing the method in which bottles are automatically filled, capped, etc. Professor Hugo Munsterberg of Harvard L'niversity makes his appearance in this release of the Pictographs, after a number of weeks' rest, bringing before the public the value of fitting oneself to their particular job. The animated cartoon of " Bobby Bumps Loses His Pup " is screamingly funny. Pa Bumps decides that Bobby's pup is a nuisance, and thereupon gives hi mawaj' to a colored gentleman down the street, with instructions that if a small boy with a white cap asks for the dog not to give up the pup without Pa Bumps' permission. " Chick " Evans, Golf Champion in Selig Series Jake Schaffer, Ed Renny and Other Noted Sportsmen Are Shown in Collection Athletic Pictures Released "Throueh the V-L-S-E of CHARLES (CHICK) EVAXS. recently won the National Amateur Golf Championship from over fifty of the greatest golf players in the United States and Canada, appears in the fifth reel of the Selig Athletic Series, being released through the V-L-S-E. Great Publicity Campaign for " God's Country " in Canada of Advertising Scheme for Big Vitagraph Toronto Contest With ^p25 Prize Offers Is Feature ' Feature in \ UNIQUE pre-publicity campaign is , that waged this week in Toronto by the branch office of the V-L-S-E on the Vitagraph eight-part feature " God's Country' arid the Woman." Like most other successful campaigns of a similar nature, curiosity forms the basis of the contest announced recently by Manager Gookin of the Toronto Big Four branch. The Strand theatre in that city, has booked the big Vitagraph feature, but the fact was kept a secret. A contest was announced in the Toronto papers in which readers were offered a prize of $25 for the best answer to the question "Which country is God's country." No mention whatever was made of the film, and it is quite probable that few in the city are aware of the meaning of the contest. Large advertisements asked this question in bold type and announced that the ' Strand theatre would give the person send ing in the best answer $25. An accompanying article declares that everyone has heard the expression " God's Country," but who can tell where it is located. Answers are to be confined to 250 words. The Big V-L-S-E feature is also stirring things up in Los Angeles. It has already run two weeks in the Superba theatre of that city, and to all appearances, is settling down to a prolonged run. Moreover, it has been deemed necessary to give midnight performances to accommodate the crowds that have been clamoring to see it. Nell Shipman, the charming Vitagrapher who takes the leading part in " God's Country and the Woman," has just finished another feature for that company, which, like its predecessor, will be released under the V-L-S-E banner. " Through the Well," the title of the new feature, is a splendid detective story from the pen of Cleveland Moffett. " Chick " Evans has long been among the golf leaders of the country, but up to this year had always met defeat in the national tournaments, either in the finals or semi-finals. His defeats were invariably taken with a smile, however, and when he came out on top this year, each and everj' golfer in the countrj" joined in congratulations. Jake Schaflfer, son of the late " \Mzzard " Schaffer, who, in the opinion of billiard experts, is destined for big things in balk line billards, is presented in a match with Harry Cline, of Philadelphia. Marvelous masse, draw and follow shots are demonstrated in the contest. Ed Renny, winner of the three-mile walk at San Francisco Stadium, is seen winning the strenuous pedestrian contest from a large field of competitors. Renny is the only man in the country pushing the famous Goulding for walking honors. A burlesque wrestling match between Kana Pasha, the Americanized Turk, and Jack Dribbs is side-splitting. Both men, although expert wrestlers, stage a travesty in which many strange and startling holds are exemplified. The final event is a bowling contest on the green. The games are plaj'ed on the lawn of the Crescent Club of Brooklyn. Not only are the fine points of the game presented, but a close-up view of William H. Herbert, bowling champion, is shown, together with his trophies.