Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

September 21, i Q i 8 1887 Maurice Tourneur's " Sporting Life " Is Said to Be a Good Example of a picture with a Broad Diversity of Scenes. The Binney Sisters Are Featured Kempner Engages Wiener for " Manx-Man " Sales Director J. L. Kempner, of The Manx-Man Company, announces the acquisition of Louis Wiener, formerly of World Film Corporation for the force of " ManxMan " special representatives that are operating from the Goldwyn exchanges and in co-operation with the Goldwyn branch managers. Mr. Wiener originally entered the motion picture field with the old Kinemacolor Company, where he was also associated w:ith Mr. Kempner in sales work. He will explain the special publicity campaign and merchandising possibilities of "Manx-Man" in the New England territory. The New York Goldwyn office reported ten " ManxMan " bookings for the week commencing Monday, September 9. Up state the feature opens shortly at the Strand, Buffalo, with eight bookings at local houses to immediately follow. The film showed at the Washington, Detroit, last week and is now playing " follow " dates at Grand Rapids, Lansing and Bay City. In all these cities the Anglo-American propaganda campaign is being employed. Special Representative Leon Schlessinger, in a four-day flying trip through Iowa, visited Dubuque, Mt. Vernon, Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Lyons and Mechanicsburg, and booked " The Manx-Mora " to exhibitors in all of them. Pioneer Reports Sales of " Still Alarm " " Ashes of Love " Unfolds to the Trade Ivan Abramson's latest photodrama, " Ashes of Love," made for the Graphic Film Corporation, was scheduled for a trade showing at the New York theatre roof on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, September 10. With James K. Hackett, Effie Shannon and Mabel Juliene Scott in the stellar roles and a supporting cast including Ruby de Remer, Paula Shay, Hugh Thompson, William B. Davidson, Dora Mills Adams, Thea Talbot and William Bechtel, a strong story is unfolded, filled with tense moments and startling and unexpected situations, which keep the audience on the qui vive of expectancy from the first title to the final scene. This picture is said to represent Ivan Abramson at his very best. NATHAN HIRSH, president of the Pioneer Film Corp., reports that the " Still Alarm " has been disposed of for the following territories : First National Exchange of Denver, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico; Sydney B. Lust-Super Film Attractions; Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, Carolina, Special Features Co., Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida ; First National Film Exchange of Seattle, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana ; Hatch Film Co., Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania ; All Star Features, California, Arizona, Nevada; Supreme Photoplay' Productions, eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey; Superfeatures, Canada; Specialty Film Co., Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi. Exhibitors are said to be very enthusiastic wherever " The Still Alarm " is mentioned, as is best evidenced by the following excerpts from two letters received from R. A. McVey, manager of the Auburn Photoplay Co. of Auburn, N. Y. Mr. Mc Vey first wrote : " Gentlemen : — Ship me a print of the ' Still Alarm ' for screening at once. I will immediately return it but I MUST see this picture before I play it. If it is NOT as I understood it was I do NOT want it. I have every faith in Mr. Cobe, he is my best friend, but some place near here ran a play by this name recently and it has reached the ears of my public and patrons that it was terrible. I cannot believe it was the picture Mr. Cobe sold me but in any event I am going to call ten of these people together when it arrives, also our fire chief, who is a personal friend of Mr. Cobe's. " All other bookings O. K. but I must see this film right away or I shall have to cancell the booking. *' Be sure NOW and get it right down to me. It will be back the next day or can be shipped anywhere you may direct, but I must see it. Competition and business in general here is too tough to let a report go around like this." Harry Houdini Serial Nears Completion THINGS are going full blast at the two studios in Yonkers which B. A. Rolfe is using to produce the Houdini serial and work is progressingly famously under full speed ahead at these studios. Up to the present time a great many episodes have been taken and in an interview Mr. Rolfe stated : " I am more than pleased with the results that Burton King has obtained in the Houdini serial and really feel that a great deal of credit is due him, particularly as this picture is more like a feature than a serial from the standpoint of production, light effects, photography and action. When I started on the production of the serial I did not think it was possible to get the finer touches in a two-reel picture, but I felt that the success of a serial did not necessarily have to depend entirely on story, punch and thrill, but believed that the production itself could be materially improved by treating each episode in the nature of a feature. With this point in view, I set out to make the Houdini serial a series of two-reel features, and up to the present I must say that I am more than pleased with the results that have been obtained. It is our intention to give this picture every artistic touch and dress it up in the same manner and with the same care that a five-reel feature is handled." Moss Re-enters Production Field B. S. Moss has closed a contract with Charles K. Harris, the composer and music publisher, for the picture rights to his Spanish-American War Song, " Just Break the News to Mother." This will mark the re-advent of B. S. Moss in the picture producing field from which he retired last year to devote his entire attention to his circuit of vaudeville theatres, after having produced about a dozen features, among which were " Three Weeks " and " One Dayr." The personnel of the cast to appear in " Just Break the News to Mother " is not announced.