Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

October 22, i 9 2 i 2177 Thousand Houses Booked for Goldwyn Week WITH four weeks in which to obtain additional bookings, the twenty-two branch exchanges report more than 1,000 theatres signed up to show Goldwyn photoplays exclusively for a solid week from October 23 to 29 to be known as National Goldwyn Week. And at that, two or three exchanges have not yet sent in their Goldwyn Week bookings. Others have not reported the bookings obtcuned last week. As an additional aid to the exhibitors signing up for a full week the Goldwyn advertising and publicity departments have prepared a service book of an elaborate character. Edwin Mayer to Write Goldwyn Titles The GoldwjTi company continues to infuse new blood and new ideas into its Western scenario department. Following the appointment of Paul Bern to the directorship of the department with Clayton Hamilton and Ralph Block as his associates, comes the announcement that Edwin Justus Mayer, of the Eastern publicity department, has been transferred to the studios at •j3}u.\v apij SB '1^3 '^113 J3Ajn3 Mr. Mayer has had a long career as a newspaper and magazine writer. His clever Sunday newspaper articles attracted the attention of Samuel Goldwyn, with the result that Mr. Mayer will now write titles for the Lion Brand of photoplays. Will Rogers Plays Lead in Paramount Comedy Work was started this week at the Lasky studio, on the special comedy feature, tentatively titled "Ek," for which Will Rogers, has been specially engaged for the leading role. James Cruze is directing and in addition to the wellknown Western actor, Lila Lee will play the feminine lead and others will include, Allan Hale, Emily Rait, Clarence Burton and John Fox. The latter is a boy and will interpret the very unusual part of Ek, a vagrant soul looking for an earthly home. THE SON OF WALLINGFORD Boston Welcomes "Doug'' " Three Musketeers " Wins Usual Praise from Press and Public «nPHE THREE MUSKEA TEERS " was accorded a tremendous reception in Boston when the picture opened at the Selwyn theatre in that city. The press critics were as enthusiastic in their praise of the picture as the audience which filled the big theatre at the opening performance. Some of the press comments are quoted as follows in a statement just received from the headquarters of the United .\rtists Corporation. " Mr. Fairbanks has so interpreted the role of D'Artagnan, Dumas" immortal hero, that there isn't a red-blooded American who wouldn't appreciate every adventure of the young Frenchman." " Douglas Fairbanks has made us a D'Artagnan as we would have him," says the critic of the Boston Transcript, " over-quick with the sword and temper, slow to smile and quick to think. That Mr. Fairbanks would make a passable D'Artagnan none could doulit ; that he could be for two hours the fier\' young Gascon of Dumas' tale and not a clever actor assuming the trappings of a romantic part, is revelation itself. " The very streets of Paris arc endowed with an illusion far beyond that of the ordinary setting of the ordinary motion picture." F. H. Cushman in the Boston Telegram declares that " The Three Musketeers " on a whole is a work of which Mr. Fairbanks may justly be proud, and goes on to say : " This plot has been embellished in order to afford opportunity for illustrating the many adventures of D'Artagnan, the Gascon, and his three companions, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, all of whom, as chosen members of the King's Guard, would rather fight than eat. There is fighting galore during the progress of the play and it is doubtful if such wonderful fencing was ever seen off the stage or on the screen." "Historical" Comedy to be Offered by Christie The Christies are producing a spectacular costume play which is said to be the biggest thing of its kind attempted in a two-reel comedy. Bobby Vernon plays the leading role, and work has been started with Hal Beaudine as director under the supervision of Al Christie. The play is in the French romantic period, with a rare combination of an American farmyard of the period of 1921, and some say that the leading characters more closely resemble D'Artagnan and his followers in the dream sequence of the picture. Universal Announces a Lee Moran Release A new Universal-Jewel comedy starring Lee Moran is ready for release, it is announced at the Universal home office. This latest short reel feature is called " P. D. Q." and shows the comedian as a bicycle-race champion. William Watson directed the J» « I • -pv 1 comedy, from a story by W. Scott 11 P» \/l Q f* h IC ^f^l'C Iv P^C*CMrf\ Darling, of the Universal short reel Llllt iTlilLllla Ot/Lo XVCV^Wl \J scenario department. It is the second Universal-Jewel comedy featuring Lee Moran alone. The first was " Robinson's Trousseau," released several months ago and which has been played in many of the big houses of the country. Metro Continuity Writer Turns Out Six Features in Five Months JUNE MATHIS, of Metro's scenario department, is starting work on the seventh photoplay she has handled since her return to Holly\vood from New York five months ago. Her visit to New York was made for the opening of the Rex Ingram production of "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," for which she wrote the continuity. "The Conquering Power," the adaptation of Balzac's "Eugenie Grandet," produced by Mr. Ingram as successor to "The Four Horsemen," was the first work on her return. Then followed "A Trip to Paradise," from Benjamin F. Glazer's English text of a Hungarian drama by Franz Molnar, produced by Maxwell Karger with Bert Lytell as star; "The Idle Rich," another Lytell picture, adapted from Kennett Harris's Saturday Evening Post story, "Junk" ; "The Golden Gift," an original story, done with Florence Hein with Alice Lake as star; "The Hole in the Wall," another Alice Lake picture, adapted from Fred Jackson's drama, and "Turn to the Right," a Rex Ingram production of the John Golden stage success by Winchell Smith and Jack Hazzard, on which Miss Mathis collaborated with . Mary O'Hara. Miss Mathis's new picture will be a starring vehicle for Alice Lake. According to present plans. Miss Mathis will devote her time in the future to the Metro producing unit headed by Maxwell Karger, with Miss Lake as star. Has New Form of Pressbook Realart Announces Radical Change in Size and Make-Up of Pressbook Viola Dana Picture Is Started by Metro "Seeing's Believing," a screen comedy written for Viola Dana by Rex Taylor, has been selected by Metro as the little actress's next starring vehicle. The continuity has been prepared by Edith Kennedy, of Metro's scenario department. Harry Beaumont, who directed Miss Dana in her last two pictures, "Glass Houses," by Clara Genevieve Kennedy, and "The Fourteenth Lover," by Alice D. G. Miller, will again be in charge of the production. He is now selecting the cast. Allan Forrest, who played opposite Alice Lake in "The Hole in the Wall," has signed a Metro contract and will place the leading male role in "Seeing's Believing." BEGINNING with the pressbooks issued for "Dawn of the East," an Alice Brady production of the current season, Realart announces that a radical change has been made in the size and make-up of these exhibitor aids. The new pressbooks contain twice as many pages as they did formerly, and are just the same dimensions as the trade journals, which will no doubt prove a more popular size. Their appearance has been greatly enhanced also by being printed on a heavier grade of coated stock, the covers being in two colors. The first two pages of the Realart pressbook on " Dawn of the East " contain excellent halftones of the 8x10 black and white lobby photos, the 11 xl4 colored photographs, the 22 X 28 colored enlargements and the slides, with appropriate descriptions. These pages also contain snappy " program readers " and suggested text for post cards to be used in mail campaigns. The following two pages are given over entirely to practical though inexpensive exploitation suggestions, accompanied by graphic line-cut illustrations. Eight pages are devoted to the cast, a short synopsis, catch lines, one, two and three column advertising cuts with appropriate text, one, two and three column production cuts and many well-written newsy reviews and " shorts " to be clipped and sent to the local newspapers before and during runs. The last two pages contain the musical setting, a complete list of all of Realarts productions and branch offices for ready reference and a handy order form for accessories. The back cover is made up of reproductions of the posters. Ince to Do "Jim" for First Nat'l Release "Jim," a big drama of California and New York, by Bradley King, has been selected by Thomas H. Ince as his next special production for Associated First National Pictures, Inc. It will follow the recently completed Ince drama, "Hail the Woman," which is scheduled for release late this fall. Florence Vidor and John Bowers have already been signed as members of the cast. Production will start at Culver City within the next week. At least three members of the cast of " Jim " will be players who have been starred in the past, it is declared. The production will be directed by John Griffith Wray. Mr. Wray and Mr. Ince selected the story and with Miss King laid out the seen