Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2012 MOTION PICTURE NEWS .,yol. 14. No. 13 A HELEN HOLMES PRODUCTION LEADS MUTUAL ON THE 25TH Helen Holmes, in a star production entitled " The Manager of the B. & A.," leads off the Mutual Film Corporation's schedule of releases for the week beginning September 25. A second Mutual Star production, entitled " The Torch Bearer," featuring William Russell, is set for release on September 28. Next in importance among the week's releases from Mutual is the fourth number of the " Fantomas " series, under the title of " The Crook Detective." This will also be released on September 28. In " The Manager of the B. & A.," Leo Maloney, whose career with the Mutual has been so successfully bound up with the railroad pictures in which Helen Holmes has appeared, has an opportunity for good work. William Russell plays the role of the aristocratic son of a line of Boston " blue bloods " in his characterization of John Huntley Knox, the young and aggressive editor of the Boston Star in " The Torch Bearer," from the American Film Company, Inc. Charlotte Burton plays the role of Janet Dare, while Marie Van Tassell and Margaret Nichols appear as John's mother and sister. The remaining roles are played by Harry Keenan, Alan Forrest, Dick La Reno, Harvey Clarke and Nat Watt, popular Mutual players, all. Seven and Eight Reel Productions Planned by Arrow Basis Stori«s of the Subjects Will Be from the Pens of Famous Dramatic and Fiction Writers — Chief Among These Authors Is Hall Caine Three Writers for Arrow Pathe -Left to Right: W. E. Shallenberger, Hall Caine and Mrs. Wilson Woodrow FRANCHISES ON UNICORN GIVEN MANY PRODUCERS A number of franchises have been given producers for releases on the Unicorn program. General Manager Schlank states that he does not contemplate increasing the number of reels released each week, but that more two and three-reel subjects and a smaller amount of one-reel films would make up the programs. E. SHALLENBERGER, president )f Arrow Film Corporation, announces that he has signed contracts and completed arrangements, whereby Arrow will, in the next twelve months, produce in addition to its five-reel pictures, a number of seven and eight-reel special features and two serials, the basic stories of which include some of the best-known novels and stage plays of world-famous authors or else material written by them especially for Arrow. Chief among these writers is Hall Caine, the Manx author whose books have been published in twelve different languages and have sold, in the United States alone, into the millions of copies. Other famous authors who have written or now are working on stories acquired by Arrow are Vitagraph Will Present English Stars in Few Weeks On October 9 Public Here Will See Its First London Release, " The Firm of Girdlestone,"Later on " Caste," with Sir John Hare, Will Be Presented STARS of the London stage are beginning to take strategic steps preparatory to advancing to share some of the honors gained by the American stage stars. This is a bit of advance information just reelased by the Greater Vitagraph organization. On the ninth of October, Vitagraph's first London made release will be " The Firm of Girdlestone," a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the character of Sherlock holmes. In the cast appear the names of Charles Rock and Edna Flugrath. Mr. Rock is one of the most popular stars on the continent, and has played prominent parts in the " House of Temperley," Dickens Christmas Carol, " The Taming of the Shrew " and the " Sins of Society." He has also appeared in " England's Menace," and many other productions. Miss Flugrath was at one time with the Edison Company. At sixteen ^ears of age she was premier darseuse at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Later on Vitagraph will present the filmversion of " Caste " with Sir John Hare, in the role of " Oid Eccles," one of his greatest characters. He will be supported by Peggy Hyland, who has just played her first Vitagraph picture as leading lady with E. H. Sothern. Commodore Blackton, when in Washington last week expressed himself as follows : " I regard as of great importance the productions of the English stars we will present in this country." gjiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiu I ARE EXHIBITORS TO PAY EX | I PRESS AND TRANSFER | I CHARGES? I I It is understood on good authority | I that a letter was mailed yesterday to | I New York City exhibitors, advising | I them that an important group of ex i i change men in the New York terri 1 1 tory had agreed that exhibitors | I should pay all express and transfer | I charges hereafter on film returned to | 1 the exchanges. i I The letter, it is understood, advised 1 I that this ruling would take effect Sep | I tember 25. No exchange man in New | I York City would comment upon this | I ruling. I iuiiiiii:niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiiiiiiiniiniHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiin» Mrs. Wilson Woodrow, successful novels, much and the ultra-dramatic ' series to her credit; Thompson, who wrote, literary triumphs, " The who has fifteen magazine fiction, 'Who's Guilty?" Mrs. Maravene among her other Woman's Law," which was Arrow's first five-reel feature; William Hamilton Osborne, whose Saturday Evening Post stories have attracted wide attention to this lawyer-author, and a number of others. Stories, the exclusive world photoplay rights to which have now been acquired by Mr. Shallenberger, will be produced in the motion picture length which is warranted solely by the dramatic value of the material. Some will be only five reels in length, others seven, some eight, and at least one of them ten. This length will not be accurately determined until the picture is finally assembled, titled, and cut. Arrow does not intend to abandon, totally, the production of program features. But Mr. Shallenberger feels that it is best not to agree to make nothing but five-reel productions, turning every available plot into 5,000 feet of film regardless of whether it should be told in 3,000 or 7,000 feet. For the same reason, the number of episodes in Arrow's serials will not be determined until the complete scenario has been made of the whole story. In addition to the acquisition of these stories of world-famous authors, Mr. Shallenberger has brought to the United States, to appear in a number of Arrow pictures, Derwent Hall Caine, son of the Manx author and himself a famous London actormanager. Derwent Hall Caine, who has produced and starred in several of his father's plays on the English speaking stage, will be seen in the same parts in Arrow's film version of these new masterpieces. Derwent Hall Caine's American debut will be made in an eight-reel Arrow production of one of his father's best-known books. It is anticipated it will be ready for the market in about three weeks. Following this, he will be starred in a fivereel American picture of remarkable dramatic strength which Mr. Caine has helped to prepare for the screen.