Motion Picture News (Apr-Jun 1919)

2874 Motion Picture News 'Z7Ke oJ^Ttciepertdent Qjfield E. W. Hammons Goes to Europe General Manager of Educational Makes Four Weeks' Trip Abroad in Search of Short Reels — Deal Awaits Closing EW. HAMMONS, Vice-President and • General Manager of the Educational Films Corporation of America, of 729 Seventh Avenue, New York, sails Monday on the Adriatic for London to begin a four weeks' trip through European cities in search of new things in single-reel film attractions. An important international business arrangement is in prospect and Mr. Hammons is planning the trip with the idea of closing up the matter in person. The necessities of business will be combined with pleasure in the sense that the ocean voyage will mark the first occasion in five years when Mr. Hammons has permitted himself to be absent from his desk for any such length of time. Mr. Hammons is one of the youngest executives in the motion picture field, and since 1914 has seen his organization build up from an idea to its present enviable position in the motion picture industry of today. At the present time the Educational organization is declared to be the largest in the field devoted exclusively to production and distribution of short-length films, and is operating sixteen exchanges in the United States, with a foreign sale for its product in every corner of the globe. The " Robert C. Bruce Scenics," the " International Cartoon Comedies," " Photoplay Magazine Screen Supplement," George D. Wright's Series on "Mexico Today" and the Ditmars' " Living Book of Nature " are the principal features of the Educational program at the moment, and are augmented by the release of numerous special productions and feature subjects of single-reel length. While abroad Mr. Hammons intends to make a thorough study of the reception of Educational short-length subjects for European audiences. The exceptional foreign sale for the Robert C. Bruce pictures of American scenery, and the International cartoon comedies, in particular, has been remarkable in extent and wonderfully interesting, from a viewpoint of the taste of European people. In the opinion of Mr. Hammons, the whole status of film exportation has changed in recent months. The day has passed when "junk film " was automatically consigned to foreign markets, and the worth-while American producer of today tries as hard to please his patrons in Patagonia and Peru as he does his first-run customers on Broadway. Tallman of Montana Buys Rights to " Boomerang " F. D. Tallman, of Montana, called at the offices of the Pioneer Film Corporation last week and asked to see " The Boomerang." After the seven reels had been run off Mr. Tallman asked the price of the Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana territories. He was told and at once signed contracts and made out a check to the order of the Pioneer Film Corporation. This was simply an instance of a real live showman seeing at once the possibilities of " The Boomerang " as an out of the ordinary motion picture. Supreme Pictures Organizes to Buy and Sell Supreme Pictures, Inc., with temporary headquarters at 116 West 39th St., has organized for the purpose of buying and selling features produced by independent manufacturers and distributing such productions of merit as will appeal to the independent exchanges of the United States and Canada, and at the same time afford such productions proper distribution in the foreigH markes. The corporation has a number of subjects under consideration for world wide distribution, and will shortly make announcement of its first offering. Announces Distribution of Houdini Serial Octagon Films announce that through an arrangement made last week with World Film, whereby that organization will distribute " The Master Mystery," starring Houdini, in thirteen states and half of another, all the territory has been sold. The distribution of the film throughout the world is being handled by twenty-six exchanges, twenty-four of them in the United States, one in Canada and one selling the foreign rights. They are : Criterion Film Service, Atlanta, Ga. ; Federal Feature Film Co., Boston; Day Film Corporation, Pittsburgh ; Arrow Film Exchange, Philadelphia; Southwestern Film Corporation, Dallas, Texas; Celebrated Players Film Corporation, Chicago ; Effano Film Exchange, New York; Exhibitors' Film Exchange, Washington, D. C. ; Mid-West Distributing Co., Milwaukee ; New Jersey Metro Film Service, New York; Star Feature Film Service, Cleveland; Joseph Goodstein, Denver; Criterion Film Service, New Orleans ; and Goyette Productions, Detroit. Independent exchanges are: World Film, Kansas City, San Francisco, Omaha, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago. Regal Films, Ltd., controls the Canadian territory, while Export and Import Film Co. is selling foreign rights. Gale Henry Comedies Sell Rapidly The Bulls Eye Film Corporation announces the rapid sale of territory on the Gale Henry subjects. The territories sold are as follows: Standard Film Service, for Ohio and Michigan; Interstate Films, Inc., for New York State; R. D. Marson Attraction Co., for Boston and Massachusetts ; Masterpiece Film Corp., for eastern Pennsylvania ; Bee Hive Exchange, for southern Illinois and Indiana; Canadian Film Service, for western Canada ; E. & H. Film Distributing Co., for Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina; Capital Film Service, Inc., for Washington, D. C, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia; Liberty Film Renting Company, western Pennsylvania. George Beban is star of " Hearts of Men," presented by Hiram Abrams, and his co-star is his little son, George Beban, Jr.