Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

February 25, 1922 1255 “Old Swimmin’ Hole” at Special Showing The visual instruction ASSOCIATION of New York City has selected the Charles Ray-First National attraction, The Old Swimmin’ Hole,” in which Arthur S. Kane presents the star, as the feature picture to be shown at its benefit in the Maxine Elliot theatre, Sunday evening, February 19. Postmaster-General Will H. Hays is expected to be present to make an address and several picture stars have been invited to make personal appearances. The object of the entertainment is to obtain funds to further the work of the association which has full charge of the selection and placing of motion pictures in classes of the city schools. The city’s appropriation for visual instruction this year is only $25,000, an amount far too small for the carrying out of the organization’s program on the scale which had been hoped for. Unusual Story for Jack McGowan Feature “ The Hills of Missing' Men,” a new Jack McGowan feature, scheduled for release by Playgoers’ Pictures on February 26th, is declared by that organization to offer exhibitors the best audience appeal of all of the, McGowans released to date. The story, written by John B. Clymer, deals with the efforts of a rich fanatic to organize an army to usurp the peninsula of Southern California and set himself up as absolute monarch. Against him is arrayed Jack McGowan, posing as the powerful leader of a band of outlaws, but in reality an army officer sent by Washington to quell the disturbance. A romantic interest is added by the presence of two daughters of a rich rancher, one of whom is fascinated by the self-appointed monarch, and her younger sister, who falls in love with McGowan, the supposed bad man. American MESSMORE KENDALL’S production of Robert W. Chambers’ revolutionary romantic drama “Cardigan” is the opening attraction offered to exhibitors of the United States and Canada by American Releasing Corporation, the new international distributing company organized by Walter E. Greene and F. B. Warren. Since November this new organiaztion has maintained the utmost secrecy about the productions it had contracted to market. “Cardigan” was directed for Mr. Kendall by John W. Noble and edited by Mr. Chambers, Mr. Kendall and their editorial associates. It will have its world premiere the week of February 19th (Washington’s Birthday week) at the Capitol theatre, New York, with simultaneous engagements in first run theatres in twenty of the largest cities East of Denver. This surprise picture has been in the making for many months and comes as the direct answer to the often-asked question why some American producer has not offered a great American historical drama of the same magnitude as the spectacular German-made pageant dramas. “Cardigan” is the story of the outbreak of the American Revolution and its big historic moments embrace the battle of Concord, the march on Lexington, the thrilling ride of Paul Revere and the soothipg,. bitter struggle between the Loyalists and patriots in New England. American Releasing obtained the world-wide distribution of this production in competition with the largest and oldest distributing organizations of the industry, it is said. Releasing “Cardigan” has an all-star cast of widespread popularity, headed by Betty Carpenter and William (Buster) Collier, Jr. Simultaneous with this first production announcement American Releasing reveals its next five subjects, and the titles, together with advance news that has leaked out regarding the individual pictures, indicates a strong array of product for the company at the outset of its career. “Martin Johnson’s Jungle Adventures,” presented by Alexandei Boyfuss’ Exceptional Pictures, which had its American premiere at the New York Capitol theatre recently, is the second release offered by Messrs. Greene and Warren. Chester Bennett’s big Klondike melodrama, “Belle of Alaska.” starring wistful Jane Novak, is the third production gaining American release. James Oliver Curwood’s big outdoor drama of the Hudson Bay country, “Jan of the Big Snows,” is the fourth production of the group. It was directed by Charles M. Seay and stars Louise Frussing. This production is by the author of “The River’s End,” “Isabel, or Trail’s End,” and “The Yellow Back.” Marion Fairfax’s' “The Lying Truth,” a dramatic production personally directed by Miss Fairfax, has been held back off the market since November to be one of the early-released productions of this new distributing company. A new star and a brand new producing organization offering lighter romantic comedy-drama comes into the field through Frank Tuttle and Fred Waller, Jr., who present Glenn Schedule Hunter in “The Cradle Buster,” the story being by Mr. Tuttle, the director, and in the best Tarkington vein about adolescent youth. Glenn Hunter is known throughout the country, having been seen everywhere in Tarkington’s “Clarence." Sixth among the releases of American comes the first of the Pyramid Pictures’ productions, Ray Smallwood’s able picturization of “My Old Kentucky Home,” with an all-star cast comprising Sigrid Holmquist, Monte Blue, Lucy Fox and others. William P. S. Earle Pictures, Inc., also brings another director of note into the field producing on his own hook with his own personal organization. The first of his series of productions is “Destiny’s Isle,” made in Florida and the Bahamas, with an all-star cast including Virginia Lee, Florence Billings, Ward Crane, George Fawcett, Arthur Housman and William B. Davidson. American Releasing Corporation now makes definite announcement of one production to be released each week from February 19 to July 9, a period of twenty weeks, and fourteen of these twenty releases are completed and in the distributing company’s vaults in New York, thereby making certain that there will be no delays of any kind in meeting all scheduled release dates. The company will release in its first calendar year an absolute minimum of twenty major grade productions by the biggest independent producers in the industry, and between twenty and thirty additional moderate-priced productions of well known directors. Remarkable Beat for AFTER several months of preparation and the expenditure of many thousands of dollars, William Fox announces the publication of “ Face to Face With Japan,” a colossal news and educational beat which it is stated, deals impartially with the important question of the so-called peril of Japanese expansion and territorial aggrandizement in respect to the effect of these upon American interests. The film will be released in installments, each of which is to be embodied as a portion of the even numbered issues of Fox News. The first installment appears with Fox News No. 40. A statement issued from the Fox headquarters in connectionwith the announcement of the new picture follows : “So far as is humanly possible,” this Fox production answers the query “Does war threaten between United States and Japan?” Opinions of the nation’s leaders have been diversified. Because Japan has been a country of peculiar reticence and of more or less mysterj', no one has been able to ascertain the true motives actuating Japanese national life. “Fox news, in this amazing series of pictures, supplies the facts for the first time — throws open the door of mystery, lifts the curtain of intrique, and for the first time in history reveals the secrets of Japan’s army and navy. “Because of the dearth of information on true conditions in the Pacific empire, and because of the dangerous straits into which the American public might be led by virtue of its lack of such information, Mr. Fox felt the urge to get at the bottom of it all. “Accordingly it was decided to send a cameraman to Japan to obtain actual photographs of material accomplishments, preparations and resources. Instructions were issued to A1 Brick, the star photographer of the New York staff, to take the assignment and to procure every possible detail desired in photographic form, regardless of risk, time and expense. The journey took the Fox man more than 6,000 miles over stretches of land inhabitated in many sections of barbarous tribes under the military. control of Japan, and into portions of the world never before photographed or entered by civilized white men. Brick braved death, prison, and other perils to accomplish his purpose and to present to the world this amazing series of informative motion pictures. “The production vividly displays the vast resources of the nation of islands, her civilization, her preparedness for war, her industries. It is the real Japan revealed for Fox News the first time. “The installment which inaugurates the series graphically describes, by means of a number of maps, the territory which Japan owns and controls, through military domination or otherwise. It takes up the Japanese expansion from 1894, including the territorial gains following the ChineseJapanese War in 1894-95, the RussianJapanese War in 1904-5, and the World War of 1914-18. “The introductory pictures show a review of the tremendous Japanese army, numbering in all 2,500,000 men and a review of the Japanese navy, which ranks third among the naval forces of the world. It includes views of the “camphor hells” on the Island of Formosa, where Japan holds palpable control of the world’s output of the camphor so necessary in the production of explosives. These scenes were taken at great risk, and with the protection of a large body guard because of the savage character of the Mongolian tribes inhabitating the island. For nearly thirty years these people have been under the control of Japanese military., “These' unusual pictures are an integral part of every second issue of Fox News and are accordingly supplied to subscribers at no additional cost.”