Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1921)

October J g . i (j j i J.553 Strong Audience Appeal Dorothy Valerga, successful European dancer, who was imported for the lead in " Primitive Passion," six reel feature iust completed under direction of Harry J. Revier "Lure of Jade" Finished for R-C Release R. J. Tobin, general director of production for R-C Pictures Corporation at the Hollywood. Cal., studios has announced the completion of " The Lure of Jade," Pauline Frederick's next starring vehicle. It is scheduled for release on November 13 and reports indicate it will be one of the most unusual productions in which the noted star has ever appeared. " The Lure of Jade " is based upon a story by' Marion Orth and was directed by Colin Campbell, who heretofore has done notable work in supervising productions starring Sessue Hayakawa. Much of the action of the story is centered in the South Sea Islands and is rich in color and tropic atmosphere. It is strong drama throughout and perfectly suited to the talents of the star. The Authorship " A Man's Home ' T T is the contention oi the Selicnick organization that few piciiirLS come to the screen with so much public appeal in the matter of authorship, cast, direction and production as " A Man's Home," the Selznick special that has early attained so much publicity. The effectiveness of a book has a boxottice appeal that is confined to those who have read a single work, but in the case of Anna Stcese Richardson, who wrote the story of ■' A Man's Home," and Edmund Breese, her collaborator, there is a wider and constantly increasing interest in their achiex ements. Because of her present position as associate editor of ll'oiiiaii's Home Companion Miss Richardson is every week writing for mothers,, wives and daughters who constitute the national circulation of that magazine. Because of her past achievements in movements that benefit women and have aiined dirccth at the betterment of the .\merican home Miss Richardson is known, by her work, to hundreds of thousands of women. Edmund Breese, who collaborated with Miss Richardson in writing the play on which " A Man's Home" is based, is a dramatic actor of high standing in his profession. He contributed his knowledge and skill as a player to developing Miss Richardson's story into a play and his name used as and Direction of " of a High Order i(i-au;h(>r (if " .\ Mail's Home "will surely have a beneficial inlluencc on the box-ol'tice, attracting de\otees of the legitimate stage l)ecausc i>f the high standing Mi*. Breese has attained as leading man and stage star. Ralph Ince, who directed the picture, has attained distinction and fame in picturedom through years of e-xperience as both actor and director; and his screen career is but an extension of his achievements as an entertainer that began when he was a youth upt)n the dramatic stage. His work as a director began with Vitagraph in 1907, and for four years previous to his entr\ into pictures he was an actor on the stage. Thus his thirty-four years of life measure, from his youth excellent service to the fiekl of general amusement plus the specific accomplishment of more than 300 screen productions to his credit. With the Selznick organization Mr. Ince has been both director and star-directing himself in "The Land of Opportunity " and " The Highest Law." Meanwhile he has directed Zena Keefe, in " Red Foam " ; " Out of the Snows," a Ralph Ince special ; Eugene O'Brien, in "His Wife's Money"; Elaine Hammerstein, in ''Remorseless Lo\ e." and Conway Tearle in " After Midnight " and " A WidcOpen Town." ShortSubjects on Broadway Educational Fihns Reports Steady Increase in Its Broadway Showings WITH the releasing of the early numbers of the new xear's product, bookings of short subjects released by Educational Film Exchanges in the big Broadway houses are reported to be showing a steady and most gratifying increase. Each week recently has seen from one to three Educational pictures in the big \ew York first run theatres. The week beginning October 0 two two-reel comedies and a reel of Sketchografs were in ^hree houses. The new Campbell Comedies being made for Educational under the personal supervision of William S. Campbell, had their debut at the Capitol theatre, where "The Stork's Mistake" was on the programme. John Henrj-, Jr., other child actors, a score of babies and animals ranging from a turtle to a grizzly bear and a big white horse, are shown in this distinctive comedy. The Rialto theatre showed " Snooky's Blue Monday," a tworeel comedy featuring " Snooky, the Humanzee." " Eve's Leaves," Sketchografs by Julian Ollendorff, showed at the Central theatre, where another of this new series, " Play Ball," is booked for the week following. This follows immediately upon a week that also saw three Educational Pictures on Broadway. They were two releases of the series of Sketchografs and a scenic picture. Previous to this, two out of three of the new Selig-Rork Photoplays had their premieres on Broadway, the Capitol showing " The Northern Trail," and the Strand screening " The Ne'er to Return Road." Architectural Magazine Features Film'Story Something of a publicity feat for Cold\r\n Pictures Corporation was the publication in the September 1921 edition of The American Architect and The Architectural Record of a five-page story on its Italian spectacular film, "Theodora." The article, entitled, "The Photoplay Architect," illustrated with six cuts of scenes from "Theodora," was written by Jerome Lachenbruch of the Goldwyn publicit\ department. Slow Motion Used in " Glass Houses " Slow motion photography has been applied to certain scenes of Viola IDana's next Metro picture, " Glass Houses." The action so photographed is that of a Russian dance the star does. So far as is known this is the firit time in the history of the screen that this device has been utilized in the .straight narrative of a story in motion pictures Myrtle Stedman. She has just completed one of the Louis B. Mayer specials, and has arrived in New York Fight Pictures Do Heavy Business in New York Fred C. Quimby, who is handling the Dempsey-Carpentier fight pictures, has been forced by increased business to add to his New York exchange Irving Hanover, Dan Dolan and Robert Harris. These men, under the exchange management of Marx S. Nathan, are handling rental bookings of the championship pictures throughout New York State. The Quimby offices report that they have eighteen prints of the Dempsey-Carpentier films working in New York alone, while the Jersey territory also has been turning in good business from the start. The states of Oklahoma and California already have been opened up, and reports from there indicate big business, according to the Quimby offices. Looking for New Director for Harry Sweet Julius Stern, of Century Film Corporation is looking for a new man to direct Harry Sweet. Tom Buckingham's contract expired and Mr. Stern did not renew it, although Director Buckingham had several scripts ready for production. Alf Goulding' will take over the scripts and direct Sweet in the meantime. His first picture with Sweet is now in production and has Bartine Burkett, Century's new beauty, as leading woman. Charles Doretv's contract has also expired and was not renewed. Dorely will leave within the next week after he has completed the picture he is making at present on the Ccntur\ lot. Bosworth Starts Work on Warren Release An exceptional cast headed by Hobart Bosworth. Elinor Fair, Robert McKim, Freeman Wood, Baby Muriel, Al. KaufTman, Lei Lena has been selected for Lambert Hillyer's first Graf production of C. Gardiner Sullivan's great story " White Hands " for release by the F. B. Warren Corporation. .-Active production has already started at the Pacific Studios in ' San Mateo, California. Lambert Hillyer, is directing.