Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

c t ob e r 2 2. i g 2 i 2167 scene from the spectacle drama, "Judgment." World Film's offering tit Independent Market Burn' Em Up Barnes" Sells C. C. Burr Closes Entire Middle West on Johnny Hines Feature tion and opening of the feature in the State theatre in Minneapolis. " Burn 'Em Up Barnes " will open there against the strongest opposition in the game today. Such features as " Way Down East," Nazimova in Camille, Mary Pickford in "Little Lord Fauntleroy" and others. All of the houses in Minneapolis are owned by the F. and R. Film Company and the State, their largest house, was chosen to carry the booking of " Burn 'Em Up Barnes " for one week. George Seery, of the Chicago First National exchange, is planning a special trade showing and a special first run release at one of the large loop houses. He has already arranged to have a racing car cover the city with a " Burn 'Em Up Barnes " sign in order to acquaint the people with the type of the feature. Five hundred posters have gone out for general distribution and the big twentyfour sheet stand will soon be out over the city. Manager Fred Cuberly in Minneapolis has capitalized the first run booking at the State theatre and already exhibitors are planning early showings. DURN 'EM UP BARNES " is figuratively burning up the right market. C. C. Burr, dent of the Affiliated Distors, has just returned from .Vest with contracts closing the e middle western territory on feature. First National Ex.:?es are buying the feature in irly all parts of the countrydate the following territory has n closed on " Burn 'Em Up nes " : New York State, Greater York and Northern New Tcro Sam Zeiler of the Common. th Pictures Corporation; WestI Pennsylvania and West Virla, Columbia Film Service of tsburgh; Ohio and Kentucky, irbolls Gold Seal Productions ; nnesota, Wisconsin, North and ith Dakota, to Associated First tional ; Utah, Colorado, New xico, Wyoming, and South ho, to Mountain State Film Atctions; Indiana, to Associated -t National; Illinois, to Asso(i First National; entire nion of Canada to the Capital ms, Ltd. Vhile in Minneapolis Mr. Burr ted Messrs. Finkelstein and n in arranging for the exploita A Bargain for Sale A Practical and substantial Moving Picture stage setting painted by Gates & Morange in beautiful Byzantine architecture. Can be seen daily now at the Mark Strand, Broadway and 47th Street, New York. FOR TERMS APPLY TO JOSEPH PLUNKETT, Managing Director Co-Stars in Selig Serial Hlinor Field and Van Dyke Featured Export & Import Release m tPl-lXOR FIELD and Truman ' Van Dyke will be co-starred in ihe new animal-jimglc liftcen episode serial which Colonel Wm. N. Selig is now making for the Export & Import Film Company, Inc., according to an announcement made liy this company. "Colonel Selig has given the star (|ucstion great thought," runs the Export & Import Film Co. statement, " and had any number of top-rank stars available for use in this feature serial. Elinor Field and Truman Van Dyke were chosen lo meet the peculiar demands of the story, which is of the superadxenture type, and to guarantee the exhibitor booking the new serial all the hox-oflicc value 'word of mouth ' ad\ ertising can bring him. '"Absolutely no effort will be made to dispose of the new Selig serial until the complete feature is finished. In other words, the Export & Import Film Co., Inc. is not going to sell a 'cat-in-the-bag' as some other producers have done, hut will screen every episode before it contemplates the sale of the picture. "There have been serials which were superb for the first three episodes and then fell flat. Colonel Selig's record is insurance against any such happening with this one. His two previous animal serials, 'The Lost City' and 'Miracles of the Jungle' proved that serials can improve with each episode. This is a very valuable feature for the exhibitor to bank on. "With El inor Field and Truman Van Dyke in the leading roles we have two players who will immediately win the public over to this serial. Miss Field is a vivacious, young, athletic type of womanhood and screens unusually well. She is .superb for the part she plays." No release arrangements have been announced by the Export & Import Film Company which controls the world.s rights to the serial. At their offices it was said that a print of the first three episodes was expected in New York momentarily. Australian Exploitation United Theatres Aggressive in Boosting Clara Kimball Young EWS received from Mr. John ^ ^ son. New York representative for the Australasian Films, Ltd., which conducts a chain of theatres throughout Australasia, tells of how the United Theatres set the pace for aggressiveness in exploiting firstrun productions in all their houses. The photograph on this page shows the front and lobby of the Crystal Palace theatre in Sydney, Australia, playing Clara Kimball Young in " For the Soul of Raphael." The lobby is forty-five feet wide with a height of thirty-five feet, providing more than generous space for all big displays and ballyhoos. The artistic lines of the arch, the motif of which is also carried out in the entrance, gives this theatre a character at once distinctive and decidedly unusual. The figure of Clara Kimball Young stands nearly fifteen feet high, done in colors, being a cut-out from a 24-sheet poster. It attracted loads of attention because of its huge size. Backing up the out-front display, there was used two sixsheet stands in the inside of the lobby in addition to several decorated boards carrying squeegees with scenes from the play. Despite the hugeness of the figure of Clara Kimball Young and the large specially painted banner behind her, the display did not hide nor. destroy any of the beauty of the front, and left ample .space for the crowds to pass in and out of the theatre, as the photo shows. All of the Clara Kimball Young productions have had their entree into the southern continent through United Theatres, Ltd., who report business as good in all sections with conditions getting better every minute. "'I Defy!" Arouses Interest Private Showing of Picture Evokes Enthusiastic Comment P RIVATE showings of "I Defy!" *■ the special feature production which signalizes the re-entrance of Morris A. Kashin into the field of motion picture distribution after a protracted absence, have disclosed a picture which, in the opinion of a selected few who were privileged to see it in its uncompleted form this week, rivals many of the really big feature productions which have lieen offered to exhibitors in this and in past years. The opinions of those who witnessed the vehicle were of added importance in view of the " hard-boiled " attitude common among these people. After the picture had been shown there was not a dissenting voice other than that Mr. Kashin had acquired a genuine cinema ten-strike. The enthusiastic reports which have followed the exhibition of the picture have encouraged Mr. Kashin to plan bigger things with his initial offering. At present an intensive advertising arid publicity campaign is in the process of formation, the work for which is being done by A. L. Feinman under the personal supervision of Mr. Kashin. Mr. Kashin is also planning a novel form of "retailing" "I Defy!" to the public. The " retail " idea, it is fntimated, will be of genuine help to the exhibitor in running the picture.