Motion Picture News (Feb-Apr 1921)

1812 Motion Picture New Educational Books Big Circuit WITH the signature of a contract with the Southern Amusement Company, controlling the Hulsey-Lynch theatres in Texas and Arkansas, Educational Film Exchanges, Inc., announces that it has completed the task of booking practically every circuit of importance in this country and Canada. Dallas was one of the last of the Educational Exchanges to open, and changes in management delayed the completion of contracts in that territory, but according to the New York office that section will now show the same over the top business as the rest of the country. Provision for these first runs will also make the pictures available for the remainder of the territory. Included in the theatres which will show the entire Educational product are the Queen in Houston, Now Said to be Tied Up with Every Big Chain in Nation Victqry in Waco, Queen in Galveston, Royal in Little Rock, Ark., Olympic in Wichita Falls, the Queen, Old Mill and Hippodrome in Dallas, and all the houses in San Antonio. Assurances have been given, it is stated by Educational, that this product will be played in the $800,000 Palace theatre now being completed in Dallas, and which will open about July 4. The arrangements made also include adding a number of other theatres to the list just as soon as they have exhausted the short subject bookings that they now have under contract. In calling attention to the vast What The New York Newspaper Critics Said About "Black Beauty" Now Playing at the Strand Theatre " It is a far better product than the book itself, and it is probable that Anna Sewell would say as much. Must be considered as one of the fine pieces of motion picture work of the season. A picture play deserving of large patronage and long life."— New York M orning Wo rid. "Charm and good taste — the production and direction teem with them. ' Black Beauty ' is the sort of wholesome entertainment that builds sturdy tissue in the interesting picture industry." — New York American. " Right after the two weeks' run of ' The Kid ' the Strand Theatre presents this week 'Black Beauty' — another of the best pictures of the season. The picture is so refreshing in its atmosphere, so kind in its message and so clean in its purpose that it cannot fail to captivate the hearts of motion picture patrons." — New York Morning Telegraph. " The presence of the various stable characters makes this picture one of the alluring novelties of the season. A very attractive production which, in the immortal words of any clothing advertisement, is ' fitted to customers of all ages.' " — New York Herald. ""It's a job to be proud of, I think, having made 'Black Beauty' into a picture which will please infant and adult, a job which so easily might have been badly done, but is not. At the Strand there were hosts of unnaturally quiet little boys marshalled in to see it. They thought it was ' great stuff.' " — New York Daily News. "A picture that will attract thousands of animal lovers to the Strand this week. The film version of this tale follows the book closely." — New York Journal of Commerce. " So skilfully has Vitagraph told this story on the screen that to many it will seem even better than the book itself." — Arciv York Evening Telegram. "As a picture it is indeed a novelty for which the producers deserve more than the usual credit." — New York Globe. " On the silversheet ' Black Beauty ' is in many respects a remarkable picture. There are thrills aplenty likewise, the race for the train in the final scene being one of the best filmings of its kind the motion picture world has produced, with a succession of sensational riding feats. Jean Paige has an appealing beauty. She screens and plays extremely well. Her supporting cast is of the best." — New York Evening Mail. " One of the unique offerings of the season is ' Black Beauty,' which atones for many a vampire-laden blight of the past. It's a relief to meet with actors who aren't always trying to register. Jean Paige leads the human battalion and does it as one to the manner and the saddle born." — New York Evening Sun. number of big chains that have booked its product, Educational points to such as : the Rialto-Rivoli-Criterion, the Mark Strand Circuit and the Marcus Loew theatres in New York ; Balaban and Katz and Jones, Linick and Schaeffer in Chicago ; the A. S. Black and Gordon groups and every circuit of importance in all of New England ; the Stanley group of houses in Philadelphia; the Rowland and Clark chain in Pittsburgh and its section ; the Tom Moore and the Loew houses in Washington ; the Jake Wells theatres through Virginia ; the Lynch houses in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee ; the Levy theatres in Kentucky; the Linson houses in Cincinnati ; the Loew chain in Cleveland ; the Leiber houses in Indianapolis; the Saenger circuit in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida; the Skouras house in St. Louis ; the Kunsky circuit in Detroit ; Ruben and Kinklestein in Minneapolis; the Butterfield circuit through Michigan; the A. K. Blank chain in Iowa and Nebraska ; the Frank Newman theatres in Kansas City; the entire group of Denver theatres ; the Swanson and Nolan houses in Utah ; Turner and Dahnkerr in California ; Gramain's theatres and the Gore Brothers-Lesser houses in Los Angeles, and the Jensen and von Herberg circuit through the Northwest. In addition to the entire Educational product is shown in all of the sixty Allen theatres through Canada. " We believe," says statement from" Educational, " that we have established a new record in the film world. We know that we have today more first runs in leading theatres of the country than any short subjects have ever enjoyed before. When one reflects that the first of our exchanges was not opened until June 20 last year and that other offices were gradually established and the entire svstem not completed until late in October, we believe that the achievement will be acknowledged all the more notable." Urban Science Subject at Capitol Theatre One of the Kineto Reviews, "Nature's Handiwork," is at the Capitol theatre, New York, this week, and comes in for a good deal of praise at the hands of the press. " Nature's Handiwork" is one of the science subjects treated in the Kineto Review, dealing with the phases of life and transformation of caterpillars, moths and butterflies. MORRIS KOHN, president of Realart, left New York last week on a business trip that will include stops in most of the key cities of the United States. He will visit Realart's exchanges throughout the country and in addition will spend some time in Los Angeles, where he will inspect the production and other departments of Realart's new West Coast studios, where Mary Miles Minter, Wanda Hawley and Bebe Daniels are working. Mr. Kohn said he intended to devote particular attention while away to the business outlook in motion pictures. In order to gain the most complete information he will talk with representative exhibitors in all of the key cities he touches. Among the cities Mr. Kohn will visit are Chicago, St. Louis. Kansas City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, St. Paul, Omaha, Detroit and Cleveland. He will be away about five weeks. "Welcome Children" is Ready for Market The work of cutting and titling "Welcome Children,"' the first five reel feature to be made by Drascena Productions, of Los Angeles has been completed. The release date for the picture will be announced shortly by National Ex changes, Inc., which holds a contract with Drascena Productions, Co., Inc. for the exclusive distribu tion of that organization's pictures in the LTnited States and Canada " Welcome Children " was writ ten and directed by H. C. Matthews. The cast, which is an ex cellent one, includes Elsie Albert, Sidney Franklin, Orpha Alba, George Sherwood, Katherine Griffith, John W. Early. Pearl M Laight and several others, includ ing eight of the cleverest child actors seen on the screen in many day. National Exchanges, Inc. has arranged for its second release to be made one month following the release of " Welcome Children." It is the intention of the new distributing organization to adhere closely to its announced schedule cf only one release a month, or twelve annually, so far as feature pictures are concerned. The Devil " ' Black Beauty ' scores. There is the story." — New York Journal. an excellent race to climax Reproduction of the 24 sheet available in exploiting George Arliss in " The Devil" an Associated Exhibitor? production released by Pathe