Motion Picture News (Mar-Jun 1920)

4806 Motion Picture News Sennett Feature to be Released June 15 Following private screenings at Pasadena, advices from Sol Lesser and E. M. A she r, who claim that " Married Life,'" Mack Sennett's initial special feature attraction to he distributed by First National Exhibitors' Circuit, is one of the greatest comedy knockouts ever produced, First National this week authorizes the statement that June 15th has been set as a national release day. Among the members of the cast Ben Turpin and Philys Havers stand out prominently. The Sennett beauties have a prominent place in ihe production, the nature i.i which takes in almost everything. "The Vanishing Dagger'Released Shortly Universal's long heralded policy of making serials that are high class adventure and travel pictures, instead of the usual serial hodgepodge of torture chambers and crashing railway trains, will have its initial try-out in the next few days, when Eddie Polo's international serial, " The Vanishing Dagger," will be released. Polo and his party crossed the Atlantic last summer in order to film scenes in England, Scotland and Wales, and the continent of Europe. Three months were passed abroad. Many thousand feet of film were taken showing the actors in the serial cnactiftg incidents of the plot in the actual settings called for in the scenario. Ray Signs with Rothacker The Prints of Star's First National Pictures to Be Done by Rothacker tail of production could not be underestimated. The first of Mr. Ray's productions to be printed in the Rothacker laboratories 'will be his picturization of " Forty-five Minutes from Broadway," the well known George M. Cohan comedy-drama. As the initial First National attrac■ tion to be presented by Arthur S. Kane, in which Mr. Ray makes his bow as an independent star, every detail of production is being carefully considered, it is stated, and the selection of the Rothacker concern for printing reflects the faith which the star and his sponsors have in the standard of work done by the Chicago concern. In a statement to the Rothacker company Mr. Ray makes plain his estimate of the important place which film-printing should occupy in the process of photoplay production. According to the First National star, it has frequently been the misfortune of stars and directors to see particularly effec-. tive work into which they had put time and money eradicated in the final showing by mediocre print work. Upon the ultimate appearance of a picture play on the screen everything depends, and therefore the printing of a film should be considered one of the greatest considerations, according to the First National star. Charles Ray CHARLES RAY has just completed arrangements in Los Angeles for the services of Rothacker prinls in his forthcoming First National series. Mr. Ray, in signing with the Rothacker Film Manufacturing Company of Chicago, issued a statement to the film concern asserting his satisfaction that his First National productions were to be Rothacker printed, and declaring that the importance of this de Eileen Percy at Work on Another for Fox Word has reached the executive offices of Fox Film Corporation in New York that Eileen Percy, who has been made a full-fledged star by William Fox, is about to start work upon her second stella>r production under that banner. Several popular short stories and novels have already been purchased by the producer for use by Miss Pi rev, and the selection of the first to go into work was put up to the star herself. She chose F. Scott Kiizgcrald's " Myra Meets His Family." Ince's Studio Tests Attract 2,000 The complimentary motion picture tests and trvouts, staged by Thomas H. luce as an exploitation feature for Hobart Bosworlh's " Below the Surface," attracted approximately two thousand ambitious men, women and children to the Ince lot recently. The test drive was staged in conjunction with Sid Grauman and the Los Angeles Record. S. Hayakawa Gone West To Resume Work for RobertsonCole; Makes Statement of Plans get. Let, me show you how differently the great success, which lives for years, gets over. "The latter sort of picture— the kind you never forget— has beyond its action, its love interest, its drama, a spiritual— perhaps one might esay an intellectual— tone which appeals to the mind. It carries conviction. It impresses in an indelible manner. It goes deeper than the emotions, appealing direct to the spirit. That is what we know we are going to be able to do under the new contract which provides at least three months for each picture, and an unlimited financial support." Bosworth Completes "Bucko MacAllister" The Hobart Bosworth company returned to San Francisco this week to complete the " ship-burning " scenes that were started when the company were in the Bay City a few weeks ago. These scenes will complete Bosworlh's Read production, " Bucko MacAllister." AFTER a fortnight's sojourn in New York City, Sessue Hayakawa, the Robertson-Cole star, has returned to California to resume work for Robertson-Cole under his new contract with that organization. Before leaving for the Coast, Mr. Hayakawa issued the following statement : " While the pictures which are now being released are excellent attractions, and represent a maximum of entertainment for the time and money invested, the ones just ahead will be better, for the natural reason that I will have both greater time and means to put into them. Already we have chosen out first picture, and I will start work on it immediately upon my arrival on the Coast. " This picture, and the others of the new series, will have strong dramatic stories, and the most colorful artistic atmosphere obtainable. Beyond these elements we will stress another factor, which is the spiritual. By this I don't mean anything heavy, or psychological, but an all pervading spiritual tone, which goes home to the brain as well as the emotions. " If you think it over, you will find that the photoplay which has nothing behind it but thrills, and rapid-fire action — such as many of our passing successes have— makes its appeal only to the emotions. We ilirill for the moment, and then for Terriss Will Complete Picture in East After three months on the Coast where he has been directing the big Vitagraph special, " Trumpet Island, Tom Terriss is on his way East with a large company to make the final scenes for this picture in New ^ ork City and along the Hudson. It is slated by Vitagraph that an expenditure of $200,000 has already been realized on this production. Marguerite De La Motte has the principal role. The male lead is Wallace MacDonald. Joseph Swickard, Arthur Hoyt, Marcelle Daly Hallam Cooley, Percy Challenger and numerous other widely known players make up the supporting cast. Realart Executives Are Presented with Gifts The managers' dinner at the Hotel Astor, New York, which closed the recent convention of the Realart field forces, was marked by the presentation to Morris Kohn, president of the Realart Pictures Corporation, of a massive gold set" and to John S. Woody, generai manager, of a valuable platinum and diamond watch and a pearllinked platinum chain. The presentations were made by Ben F. Simpson, Realart's San Francisco manager, on behalf of the assembled managers. Mr. Kohn in his response thanked the men not only for the gift but especially for the spirit of fraternity that prompted it. Mr. Woody expressed his gratitude for the rare marks of appreciation conferred on him and declared that the way the managers had met his approaches of good fellowship had fairly staggered him. Parchments, personally signed by thedonors, accompanied each one of the gifts. Christie Names Cast of "So Long Letty" Al Christie has secured Grace* Darmond to play the title role of "Letty" in the production "So Long Letty," the filming of which will soon start at the Christie studio in Hollywood. Another big name which has just been added to the cast is that of T. Roy Barnes.^ Walter Hiers has been secured' through the courtesy of Charles Eyton and Frank Garbutt of the Famous Players-Lasky Corp. The other important girl part in "So Long Letty" is to be played by Colleen Moore who is under contract with the Christie company for a long period of time. "Miss Hobbs" Opens at Sid Grauman House With a list that showed 3,500 bookings in the most representative houses in the United States, " Miss Hobbs," the initial production in which Realart's recently launched star Wanda Hawley appears, was given an enthusiastic premier at Sid Grauman's theatre in Los Angeles, announces Realart Pictures Corporation. Sid Grauman wired J. S. Woody, Realart's general manager, that " Miss Hobbs " was a " perfect production and superior to anything of a similar-theme" and that "its national premier was gratifying in the extreme." Exploitation Campaign for " Sex " Feature F. B. Warren, general manager of the Associated Producers and formerly manager of the W. W. Hodkinson Corporation, and Sig Schlager, a representative of the sales department of the I. Parker Read. Jr., Productions, have mapped out an exploitation campaign for Mr. Read's production, " Sex," it is stated, in an announcement from the Read offices at Culver City. Great stress has been placed on the feminine appeal of the picture, it is declared. Mr. Warren has supervised the distribution of the paper from the Hodkinson office, while Schlager has arranged number of tie-ups.