Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

September ^ , i p 2 i 1215 "The Atheist" Held Over at Cumberland, Md. "The Atheist," the initial release of the United States Moving Pictures Corporation, which had its premiere at the Maryland theatre, Cumberland, Md., on Wednesday and Thursday, August 17 and 18, respectively created so much enthusiasm among the photoplaygoers of Cumberland that the picture was played the two succeeding days, and has been booked for a return date early in September. No picture that has ever played in Cumberland before has created as much enthusiasm or received a warmer reception than did " The Atheist," according to Fred Mellinger, of Mellinger Bros., who own the ^larvland theatre. " Snapshots Wins Booking Federated Screen Snapshots Are Booked for Three Weeks on B'way Exceptional Publicity for Bible Picture Great newspaper publicity is being received by " The Bible in Motion Pictures," announces Sacred Films, Inc., of Burbank, California, which is producing these pictures. Newspaper editors have commented editorially upon the proportions of the undertaking, and the great body of Sunday School children have taken the news of the coming of the pictures into their homes. The first four stories are " Creation of Adam and Eve," " Cain and Abel," " Noah and the Ark," and " The Deluge." They are to be offered to State right buyers in September. Bradley Feature Film Resumes Operations The Bradley Feature Film Company, of Cleveland, O., announces that it has resumed operations with Samuel R. Bradley as president and picture director; Jacques Bergh as vice president and general manager; Samuel Robinson as treasurer ; Nat Barskj' as second vice president ; William A. Keogh as secretary and advertising manager, and Don Canadj' as cinematographer. Big Boy Williams Subjects Announced According to announcement from the A>-won Film Corporation the first two subjects of the Big Boy Williams series of six are " The Jack Rider " and " The Vengeance Trail." Exchangemen's Convention Postponed SAMUEL ZIERLER, president of the Commonwealth Film Corporation, announced this week that the convention of Independent Exchangemen, plaimed for the latter part of this month, had been postponed until late in September It will be held Sept. 26, 27, 28. Several prominent exchangemen had written in reqiiesting the postponement, principally on account of two other national conventions being held at the same time this one was originally planned for. WHAT is considered a great achievement for the short reel release, independently produced, is in the fact that one issue of Federated Screen Snapshots — release No. 6— has been booked solid for three consecutive weeks on Broadway, beginning Sunday August 6tli, through the weeks of the 6th, 13th, and 20th. This booking is made even greater in importance by reason of the fact that the reel is playing a " repeat " booking at the Rivoli theatre during the current week, continuing for a second week on the program with " Experience," and, for the coming week will, in all probability be booked by Hugo Riesenfeld, managing director of this theatre, at either the Rialto or the Criterion theatres. Special scenes taken exclusively for Federated Screen Snapshots No. 6, showing Sigrid Holmquist, "the Swedish Mary Pickford," in an aeroplane, and later playing with her pets, were included on the Rivoli program the week of August 6th. The reel contains a choice of many other " snapshots " of interest, among them such head-liners as Mac Murray and her husbanddirector Robert Z. Leonard; Ralph Graves, of Griffith's " Dream Street " ; J. Warren Kerrigan ; Betty Blythe, Billy Quirk, Wesley Barry, and Mary Miles ]\Iintcr. For the third week of its booking the reel will probably be transferred to the Rialto or the Criterion theatres. Jack Cohn, of the C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation, who, with Louis Lewyn is producing this single reel " fan news reel," says that while he is especially delighted with this hooking from a personal point of view, it is of even greater importance in that it is another step forward for the short independent subject. Mr. Cohn is of the opinion that such bookings for independent releases will not be considered phenomenal in the near future, since all signs point to the coming power of the Independent field. Arrow Reports Busy Days Buyers Continue to Flood N. Y. Offices, as Business Livens Up THE hustling activity and the flood of film buyers from all over the country that can be seen at the Arrow Film Corporation offices these days, should he a sign not only to the independent market, but to the industry at large, that the big boom is on. The report from W. E. Shallcnberger, president of Arrow, this week, shows two big record buys for the independent field. One is the closing of a contract with the Standard Film exchange of Pittsburgh through A. A. and W. J. Weiland, for distribution rights on the following features for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia: " Bachelor Apartments " ; " The Daughter of the Don ; " The Man Who Trifled"; "Love's Protege"; " Luxury " ; " The Way Women Love " ; " The Deceiver " ; " The Stranger in Canyon \' alley " ; " The Star Reporter " ; " Headin' North " ; the Ann Little serial. " The Blue Fox " and Jack Hoxie's four latest Western feature productions : " Cupid's Brand " ; " Devil Dog Dawson"; "The Broken Spur" and " Hills of Hate." The other is a big Canadian purchase through George W. Graham, of the Graham Productions, Ltd. of Winnipeg, Canada. This deal includes such features as " The Golden Trail "' ; the Hank Mann Comedies and the first series of Sport Pictorials which will be distributed in Western Canada by the Graham Productions. Among the State rights buyers visiting Arrow during the past week were Tony Luchcse of the De Luxe Film Co. qf Philadelphia, who closed one of the biggest comedy deals ever made in the East, contracting for the 52 comedies which Arrow is announcing; Joe Fox of the Phoenix Film Corporation, Kansas City; Herman Rifkin of Boston; E. C. Garner of the Reliance exchange, Washington, D. C. ; Bob Lynch of the Metro exchange, Philadelphia; M. Lessy of Screen-Art Pictures, Philadelphia, and A. J. Sherman of the Square Deal exchange, Philadelphia. The alterations now being made at the Arrow offices will serve to enlarge the quarters of the advertising and publicity department and the accounting and executive offices. These improvements are being made to provide more room and facilities for meeting the demand of increased business. Arrow Film Announces First Comedies THE Arrow Film Corporation, following close on the announcement last week of their plans for a 52-comedy program for the independent market, name the first four releases for September as follows: " His Hansom Butler," the first of the 14 Broadway Comedies featuring Eddie Barry, Harry Cribben, and Helen Darling; " The Trouble Doctor," opening the series of Arrow Speed Comedies, featuring Neely Edwards; "Uneasy Terms," the first of the Cruelywed Comedy series, and " Idle Workers," of the Arrow Mirthquake Comedies, featuring Bobby Dunn. A scene from " Gleam O' Dawn," a Fox presentation with John Gilbert and Barbara Bedford. Miss Bedford has been promoted to stardom as a reward for the particularly excellent work she has done in recent Fox releases and will henceforth be seen in Twentieth Century Pictures, release dates of which will be shortly announced Novelties to Publicize "Tarzan" Serial In addition to a number of regulation advertising suppplics which has been prepared to assist the buyers and exhiliitors in exploiting "Adventures of Tarzan," the new serial starring Elmo Lincoln, several novelties have also been made up for this purpose. A unique series of animal drawings, one for each episode, has been executed. These drawings consist of a series of numbered dots, which when traced out by pencil, reveal one of the big scenes in each of the chapters of the serial. A complete novelette entitled " Adventures of Tarzan," has also been written by Bert Ennis. This novelette gives the story of the serial in brief fiction and is illustrated with star poses of Elmo Lincoln and Louise Lorraine. It will be printed in two colors and made up for distribution by the exhibitor to his patrons during the showing of the concluding chapter of the serial. A variety of miniature animals of the jungle, made up in rubber and carrying a " squeek " when pressed, will also be available. **Girlfrom God's Country " at Clune's Vy'ILLIAM H. CLUNE'S ^ ^ Broadway theatre, Los Angeles, announces a new policy of extended runs beginning Saturday, September 3, when it will hold the world premiere presentation of Nell Shipman in "The Girl From God's Country," which will play a minimum engagement of four weeks. Miss Shipman is the author, star and director of this romantic melodrama of the great outdoors, the direction being in association with Bert Van Tuyle. "The Girl From God's Country " is released throughout the world by the F. B. Warren Corporation and Mr. Clune and his General Manager, Theodore Newman, have signed a contract for the exclusive first run for extended engagements on all of the productions to be released during the coming season through the Warren organization.