Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1921)

December 24, 1921 83 F E RRITORIAL SALES AND P U R C H A S E S In the Independent Field STATE RIGHT AND EXPORT NEWS AND VIEWS F5rst*SaleJ Reported on Brandt-Davis Feature Immediately following the announcement last week of the opening of the sales campaign on " Life's Greatest Question," George H. I Davis, Joe Brandt features. Dave I Mundstock, President of Strand ! Features of Detroit, made a special trip to New York for the purpose I of viewing the picture and securing rights to it in his territory. Immediately following a special screening. Mr. Mundstock purchased it for the Michigan territority. His interest in the feature was I occasioned by the fact that he holds territorial rights in Michigan to "The Heart of the North," the first of the Davis-Brandt features, and reports that it is one of the biggest j box-office attractions there. Mr. Mundstock, after seeing "Life's Greatest Question" pro I nounced it an even greater picture than "The Heart of the North" and said that the combination of (Davis and Brandt as producers, IHarry Revier as director, Roy Stewjart as featured player, and the II Canadian Northwest as the locale I of the action, was a hard one to (beat. Neal Hart on New Picture Completes " Tangled Trails " for Wm, Steiner and Begins Another WM. STEINER PRODUCTIONS, now producing the new Neal Hart series of five-reel features, have completed the first release " Tangled Trails,'' a thrilling story of the Great Northwest. It is said to be the strongest story that Mr. Hart has ever appeared in, and is packed with stunts and startling incidents ; wonderful, big, outdoor, winter scenes, teeming with atmosphere of the wilderness on virgin territory never before pictured. The company covered from the far Northwest to New York City, to take the last shots of " Tangled Trails," and as soon as the company could pack up, Mr. Hart and his principals took the train for San Antonio, Texas, to get the exterior scenes for the next Steiner Production. It will be a big story dealing with the cattle country, where Neal Hart will feel at home as he is an old ex-cowpuncher. At one time he Advertising Aids for "Oh, Mabel, Behave" The advertising accessories to 1 "Oh. Mabel Behave!" the five reel Mack Sennett comedy starring Mabel Normand, Owen Moore, Mack Sennett and Ford Sterling, the first offering of Photocraft I Productions, Inc., are reported to be very complete and quite out of the ordinary. The posters, ranging in size from several styles of 1 sheets to 24 sheets, are eye compelling and iartistic. The scenes for these posters were selected with the idea of presenting some of the most humor |ous episodes of the picture. One j of the six-sheets is said to be something entirely new in litho | graphs, it being a cartoon repre jsentation of the four stars, this poster in particular called forth jmuch favorable comment from all I those w-ho saw the line. There is a great demand for the souvenir mirrors and "Put and Take" games, for many thousands of which Mr. Hirsh had to place an additional order. The tie-up with the music stores throughout the country for the song entitled "Oh Mabel Behave " is well under way and it is predicted that this very catchy piece will be one of the I popular musical hits of the screen. was Sheriff of Manaville, Wyoming, and during his office there, he broke up several rustling gangs, including the " De Ford " gang that had terrorized that community for some time. Hart was also brand inspector for Converse County, Wyoming, and has had many thrilling experiences with brand plotters. Wishing to see the outside world, he joined the Miller Bros. 101 Ranch, and toured with that show for several seasons ; when the 101 boys were released for pictures, Neal Hart was among those present, and it was not long before his earnest and natural work attracted enough attention to become listed as a star. Neal is an expert roper. With the Miller show, he gave exhibitions not only in roping but bulldogging and riding bucking horses. His work in pictures is sincere and he has a large following among the fans, who like the red-blooded sons of the plains. Russell Production Sold " Shadows of Conscience " Bought by Geo. Levy for Denver Territory New Superior Salesman Clarence W. Phillips has been added to the City Sales force of 1 the Superior Screen Service, Inc., \ of Chicago, 111. FOLLOWING closely the announcement of the purchase of the Russell Productions, " Shadows of Conscience," by the Pioneer Corporation, for the states of New York, Northern New Jersey, Indiana and Illinois, comes the announcement from the Russell offices that the rights to Southern Missouri, the entire states of Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, have been bought by George Levy, head of the Supreme Photoplay Company, with offices in Denver, Col. Mr. Levy will open an exchange in Kansas City to assure the best possible service for the territory of Kansas and Southern Missouri, the release in that territory being made shortly after the first of the year. The far Western territory will be handled through the offices of the Supreme Photoplay Company, in Denver, Col. Mr. Levy, appreciating the magnitude of the feature, and the unusual combination of thrills with comedy and tensely dramatic situations, cunningly contrived by Director John P. McCarthy, is plann i n g an advertising campaign, which, from the standpoint of actual expenditure and broadness of scope will equal anything that has been appropriated for exploiting feature released this year. The Pioneer Corporation of Chicago is likewise preparing an immense advertising campaign which will break as soon as the first loop booking is closed. In Chicago, particularly, the feature offers a splendid field for exploitation. 40 Independents Form St. Louis Association Representatives of forty independent producers, with headquarters in St. Louis and operating in Missouri and Illinois, have formed the Exhibitors Direct Service Exchange, capitalized at $50,000 with Sidney Baker as general manager. Baker has been identified with the motion picture industry in St. Louis for several years. The new association announces that it has contracted for and will be ready to deliver on release the following productions, four Curwoods, four Peter B. Kynes, four Neva Gerbers, six Tack Hoxies, 52 comedies, a serial, "The Man of the North," in which Ann Lytle will star and four Grace Davidson productions. The stock is all sold. They announce that their intention is to place independent productions in as many houses as possible at once in Western Illinois and Eastern Missouri. Backer) Insists Stars Be Equally Advertised Of the several novel features introduced by Franklyn E. Backer, President of East Coast Productions, in the new franchise method of handling pictures by which the productions of Amalgamated will be distributed through independent exchanges, none has caused more comment than his insistence that the clause of the contract with Amalgamated artists which agrees to co-star all of the well known players, all of whom are said to be stars of recognized starring ability, shall be carried out to the letter in all advertising done by the exchanges and the exhibitors. Mr. Backer has held conferences with Franchise Holders in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago, and expects to continue his present swing around the circle until he covers every territory east of an including Minneapolis. "Pasteboard Grown" Is Well Built Picture " Permanent success is usually based upon a firm foundation " was the reply made by the producers of " The Pasteboard Crown," when being congratulated upon its many merits, following a private showing to interested parties and representatives of well known distributors. Messrs. Nathan & Semerad, who sponsored the Travers Vale production, also stated that while deeply gratified, they were not at all surprised. They expected a good picture because they made certain the requisites were there, before it was put into construction. " To begin with," said one of the gentlemen, "we knew the story was rattling good screen material. Miss Eve Unsell, who in collaboration with Garret Elsden Fort, made the original adaptation, assured us of that and we do not know of anyone in a better position to pass such judgment than the well-known scenario expert. Also, had Travers Vale not been certain of its screen value, he would not have held on to the rights for such an extended length of time — until he could produce it upon a scale he knew would make it one of the leading pictures of the year. Then came the assignment of the working 'script, which was done by Thomas F. Fallon, followed by the selection of a cast which everyone agrees, is paramount." The players ref ered to are : Robert Elliot. Eleanor Woodruff, Evelyn Greeley, Gladys Valerie, Al Roccardi, Jane Jennings, Dora Mills Adams, J. H. Gilmour, John Hopkins and others. In addition the heralded work of Jacques Bizuel, at the camera recommends the photographic value of "The Paste Board Crown,"