Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2518 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 16 Eugene B. Sanger Has Had Varied Experience Head of Sanger Picture Plays Corporation Will Utilize Past Experience to Put Quality Into His Pictures BIG KLEINE BOOKINGS Reports coining in from the various branch offices of the Kleine organization point to an even greater number of bookings on the George Kleine motion picture novel, " Gloria's Romance," at this time, than was the case when the picture was first announced for release. Not only are many houses now open and doing a good business which were closed during the hot summer months, when Billie Burke and " Gloria's Romance " first came into the public eye, but hundreds of new theatres, seeking an unusual attraction with which to inaugurate their advent into the amusement world, have chosen " Gloria's Romance." In the Middle West, Manager Jenner of the Chicago office, has already on his books a long list of theatres which are playing this twenty week feature offering, running it in conjunction with some of the five and six reel features now available on Kleine-Edison-Selig-Essanay Service. From the Denver and Salt Lake City offices Manager Buckwalter reports : " There is a renewed interest in Billie Burke and ' Gloria's Romance.' I find many houses ready and eager to begin the picture now that the hot summer season is past and an eager public is seeking recreation indoors, after months spent at the beaches or in the mountains." Still farther west. Manager Edmunds of the San Francisco branch, writes : " The new booking policy is meeting with much favor. I am closing great numbers of contracts for the run of the Hughes story with Western exhibitors, who are evidently strong believers in the power of advertising which such a tremendous attraction offers." VITA GRAPH MAKES CHANGE Beginning October 29, the Greater Vitagraph will release its Hughie Mack comedies directed by Lawrence Semon through the distributing organization known as V-LS-E. For sometime past various rumors have been abroad regarding this move but this is the first official intimation from Greater Vitagraph's executives that the comedies in which Hughie Mack is featured can be obtained after October 29 at any of the Vitagraph (V-L-S-E) exchanges. Mr. Semon, an artist and cartoonist of international reputation has created a splendid name for himself with these comedies, which have been heretofore upon the releases of the General Film Company. He has gathered together a company familiarly known as " Semon's Sea Lions," with which he has been turning out genuinely funny comedies. Among the important members of the company there can be named the following : Hughie Mack, Patsey DeForest, Edward Dunn, William Shea, Joseph Simberg and Frank Brule. SELIG FEATl.TRE NEARING COMPLETION The Selig feature " The Light of Western Stars " by Zane Gray, is rapidly nearing completion under the direction of E. A. Martin. The entire production fairly bristles with red-blooded action. Bessie Eyton and Tom Mix are co-starred. EVER since the initial announcements from the office of the Sanger Picture Plays Corporation, no small amount of conjecture has been hazarded as to the future policy of the new corporation. Up to date, all plans have been shrouded in silence, but some ideas of the quality of the plays to be produced may be determined when one realizes that the guiding force of the Sanger Picture Plays Corporation is Eugene B. Sanger. His thirty-five years' experience in the theatrical field has led him into practically every line, ballet, minstrelsy, vaudeville, musical comedy, light opera, the drama, Shakespearian repertoire, advance man, concert manager, director, and photo play manufacturer. It was Mr. Sanger who staged the first pageant presented in this country, the historical commemoration given at Bronxville in the May of 1908, in which the participants were the residents of Westchester. And it was Mr. Sanger who has made college theatricals a worthy representative of their respective Alma Maters. Mr. Sanger has produced as many as seven plays at a time, including those for the Triangle Club at Princeton, the Hasty Pudding at Harvard, the Paint and Powder at Baltimore, the Mask and Wig at Philadelphia, and for Yale, Columbia, Barnard, etc. " All art is a materialization of the imagination," says Mr. Sanger. " The photo play, to express it a little more definitely, a vizualization of the imagination. Can any one censor the imagination? One of our congressmen might just as well attempt to censor the kiss. But, I do adhere to this, whatever is agreed on as being vulgar, obscene, must be eliminated. If every photo manufacturer would see to it that his plant comprised a scenario editor. who is capable of judging plays, a director who can direct, capable actresses and actors — then we would not hear about so many committees and sub-committees delegated to confer upon censorship. " And to come down from a general discussion to matters more personal, while we are not yet prepared to give formal announcement of our plans, I can say this, our studio is located right here in New York City, we will have actors and actresses who will portray real plays, everything will be done in so constructive a manner that no steps will have to be retaken. " The scrip of the play to be produced will be read before the assembled company that they may know the story in its entirety and not, as generally happens, be put to the acting of assorted scenes, groping for effects they can only guess at. They will be given ample time, both after the reading and during the rehearsals, to think of their respective parts, to build up their characterizations, to give of their best. The same careful study will be given to the mounting of each play, even to the veriest detail." McCLURE SERIES NOT AN ALLEGORY While based upon a morality theme, " Seven Deadly Sins " the forthcoming series of McClure Pictures, is far removed from plays of the type of " Ever>Tnan." The action of " Seven Deadly Sins " occurs in the present. There will be no allegorical figures to t\-pify " Envy," " Pride," " Greed," " Sloth," etc. Instead these evils will be represented by men and women of today, whose characters are the embodiment of such sins. Opposed to them are noble characters depicted by such McClure stars as Anna Murdock, Nance O'Neill and Charlotte Walker. Ben Turpin Directing " The Vogue Comedy Four " (Mutual)