Motion Picture News (May-June 1921)

June 2 5 J 1 9 2 I 87 Small Town Sets Price Record MacCul lough Completes " Washday WHAT is said to constitute the highest figure ever paid for a first run booking in a community of but 2000 souls is credited to the enterprize of Leo J. Burkhardt, owner of the Hippodrome, in Crestline, Ohio. The top money ever known to have been paid by Mr. Burkhardt for the biggest special he ever played in his theatre, and he has played all of the biggest ones, was $55. In the paxment in advance of the extraordinarj sum of $200 for " The Black Panther's Cub " he has set a record figure. When Phil Selznick of the Phil Selznick Production, Inc., of Qeveland mentioned to Mr. Burkhardt that he (Mr. Selznick) was dickering for " The Black Panther's Cub " for the State of Ohio, Mr. Burkhardt offered to pay to the Phil Selznick Productions, Inc., the sum of $200 for first run in Crestline if Mr. Selznick secured the picture. This was on May 5th. Three weeks later Mr. Selznick consummated the deal with Equity Pictures of New York for this production for Ohio and promptly notified Mr. Burkhardt of that fact. Just as promptly did Mr. Burkhardt come through with his check for the amount agreed upon. Just what date the picture will be played in Crestline is yet unknown, but Crestline will see an advertising campaign and exploitation that will make the old timers sprout new Huge Price Paid for "Panther's Cub" First Run in Ohio hair according to the enthusiastic statements made by Mr. Burkhardt. In speaking of this record transaction Mr. Burkhardt said: " It did not require very much salesmanship on the part of Mr. Selznick to book this production into my theatre for I have had inside reports on this picture from the very day it was finished. I knew that the first production at the hands of W. K. Ziegfeld would be a winner for the Ziegfelds have reputations for doing things right. With the greatest cast of Broadway stars ever assembled for any motion picture in histor}-, and with a director like Chautard and the lead played by a box office magnet the caliber of Florence Reed I knew the resultant production would be a whale and it is. I read every report made by every critic that reviewed the picture and had a special emissary view the picture at its premiere at the Times Square theatre in New York. He reported it to be a lavish film and I expect to make a clean up with it in my town. " A number of friend exhibitors told me that the price I paid for ' The Black Panther's Cub ' "was exorbitant. I expect to show them that it is cheap at the price for it is not always the price paid that makes the box office bulge, it's the picture and the way it's handled. I don't recall any independent production that ever boasted of a cast such as is seen in ' The Black Panther's Cub,' nor such a star, nor such a storj and regal beauty of production, and after all these are the factors that bring money into the box office whether they are independently produced pictures or otherwise. Besides my intimate acquaintance with Selznick convinced me that you can't catch him napping. Phil knows pictures. He knows their box office value with a keeness that's uncanny. He can pick the winners with the same precision that Babson's reports call the turn on the tides of trade. We were both of the same opinion on the box office possibilities of this Ziegfeld production the minute it was first shown. " .-Ml I can say is that I am glad I made the first grab for my town and I expect to show the natives of my town a line of entertainment with "The Black Panther's Cub" that they haven't seen in a long time." Other territory sold by the Equity Pictures Corporation on this picture includes Greater New York and Northern New Jersey ( with calls in for most of the territory throughout the country. Curwood Sees His New Picture ACCORDING to an announcement from the Arrow Film Corporation, Tames Oliver Curwood, the author of so manj' popular Northwest and Alaskan motion picture stories, paid an unusual tribute to the first of the series of four Curwood pictures that are being produced for distribution by Arrow when he visited in Maine last week to watch the final work on the first release, " God's Country and the Law." Mr. Curwood made the trip all the way from his home in Michigan and was the guest of e.x-Governor Carl E. Milliken and Honorable Frederick W. Hinckley, the two heads of the Pine Tree Pictures, Inc. of Portland, Me., who are producing this series for Arrow. Immediately upon his arrival in Portland, Mr. Curwood motored out with Mr. Milliken and Mr. Hinckley to the Sebago Lake region where the final scenes were being " shot " for the first picture. Mr. Curwood was enthused and delighted with the effects and possibilities of the Maine woods as Loud in Praise of Initial Production for Arrow Release atmosphere for his pictures. They quoted him in part as follows : " I never saw such beautiful country for the making of motion pictures. It is the living glorious sjTionvTn for the well known phrase, ' the great outdoors.' Had you gone north of 52 up into the verywildest regions of Alaska, you couldn't have added more color or realistic atmosphere as a background to these stories." When one of the reporters asked him where he got his great love for the out of doors, Mr. Curvvood's reply was of the sort that would probably be of interest to exhibitors and thousands of others who have seen or handled Curwood's stories made into pictures. " I inherited it, I imagine," laughed Mr. Curwood. " You see my great grandmother was a full blooded Indian, so I am not a great many generations away from the forest primeval. It was probably my Indian ancestrj that bred in me such a love for the out of doors. And all my years in the Canadian Northwest only enhanced my taste for lite in the open. For this reason I have alwa3-s tried to keep the nature element uppermost in my stories. Of course, I try to write entertaining stories — stories that the public will like. Every author tries to do that. But above that ambition I cherish the other, to create in my readers a general love for nature." The Arrow company further announces that the negative of the first Curwood release, " God's Country and the Law," is now being cut and made ready in the laboratory imder the personal supervision of Sidney Olcott who directed it. It is said to be an unusual forceful Curwood drama with one of the story themes he loves best in it. Gladys Leslie will be seen in the role of Marie. The rest of an all star cast are William H. Tooker, Cesare Garvina, Fred C. Jones and Hope Sutherland. ^ Next weak — all about — devotion See our ad in next week 's journals Jingles " Washday Jingles " another of the Kid-Komedics on the " clean laugh " program originated by Jack MacCullough, was recently completed at his studio in Chicago. This number is a bright collection of childrens' pranks culminating in a laugh on radical prohibitionists that will cause no end of amusement. Hermaine France and Ralph Hoos appear in this as the sister and brother. This is the first of a series for every day in the week. Levey Exchange Opens in New York Harry Levey, president National Non-Theatrical Motion Pictures, Inc. makes another interesting announcement in the opening of the New York exchange of the " National." Mr. Levey has engaged Mr. Samuel A. Block, formerly manager of the Film Educational Department of the Fox Film Corporation, and more recently associated with the Church and School Film Service of this city, as manager of the local exchange. Temporarily the New York exchange will be housed in the home office of the "National" at 230 West 38th Street. Washington Exchange Features"Right of Way' ' The Citizen Film Company, a Washington, D. C, exchange, is featuring the Thomas Mott Osborne production, " The Right Way," which is released through producers Security Corporation. This photoplay had a big premiere in Toledo, O., recently. Dayton Auditorium to Run "Right of Way" Arrangements have been made by the Producers Security Corporation for the presentation of the Thomas Mott Osborne feature, " The Right of Way " in the Auditorium Theatre, Dayton, O., the latter part of June. Special exploitation will be given " The Right of Way," with the Producers Security likely sending a special publicity representative to Dayton prior to the opening. " Black Panther's Cub" Sold to Friedman Equity announces the sale of the rights to the W. K. Ziegfeld Production, " The Black Panthers' Cub," for the territory of Northern Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin to Joe Friedman of the Celebrated Players Film Co., of Chicago. Joe Brandt and Cartoonist in Film TieUp Joe Brandt says that he and Pat Sullivan, the cartoonist, have entered into an agreement to release a special novelty subject. Mr. Brandt has volunteered no further details on the arrangement effected.