Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1922)

1257 Anita Stewart as she appears in her latest First National picture, “ A Question of Honor ” First Nat’l Films Scoring Record Business Being Reported by Exchanges on Eve of Big Drive 1 February 25, 1922 Winifred Yerina Wins a Contract With Pathe WINIFRED VERINA, a slim young English dancer, was graduated on Monday last from the Hippodrome ballet to a job as a “ dare-devil ” beauty in Pathe serials, starring Charles Hutchison. Miss Verina was not the unanimous choice of the judges. The try-out was opened by George B. Seitz, producer of Pathe serials, and, as the Keith’s Boys’ Band of 200 pieces blared out its contribution, 200 girls from the “Get Together” Ballet and the “ Good Morning Dearie ” chorus trooped from the wings. While the judges were deciding the winner, a Harold Lloyd comedy was shown. Winifred Verina has been trained in the ballet since she was five. She is now twentyone, is five feet seven inches in height, has natural blonde hair and light hazel eyes. She was discovered two years ago in a London dancing school by Pavlowa and subsequently toured North and South America with the famous ballerina. Miss Verina will leave shortly for Florida with the Pathe company, directed by George B. Seitz. She will be cast in the same Pathe seerial with Charles Hutchison and Lucy Fox. Two January Releases Work of Eve Unsell Two important releases within a month is an unusual record for a screen author. Miss Eve Unsell, editor at the R-C Pictures studios at Hollywood, achieved that record recently when R-C released “ Five Days to Live,” starring Sessue Hayakawa ; and “ The Call of Home,” L. J. Gasnier’s spectacular flood drama, for both of which Miss Unsell prepared the continuities. “ Five Days to Live ” was based on Dorothy Goodfellow’s story, “ The Street of the Flying Dragon,” and the adaptation was made by Miss Unsell in collaboration with Garret Elsden Fort. The story is a dramatic romance. “ The Call of Home ” is the picturization of George Agneu Chamberlain’s memorable novel “ Home ” and Miss Unsell made the adaptation alone. A Worthy Successor to Other McGowan Films With the release on February 26th of Jack McGowan’s “ Hills of Missing Men,” Playgoers Pictures say they have a worthy successor to the previous McGowan Westerns, “Reckless Chances,” “The Ruse of the Rattler ” and “ Discontented Wives.” “ Hills of Missing Men ” is declared to be the most lavishly produced feature of the entire series. The cast, besides McGowan, includes Jean Perry, Florence Gilbert, Andrew Waldron, Helen Holmes, James Wang and Charles Brindley. ID EPORTS from the First National exchanges indicate that First National week, February 18 to 25, celebrating the second anniversary of the formation of Associated First National Pictures, Inc., will exceed the most optimistic expectations, declares a statement from the home-office of that organization. More than 5,000 theatres have booked First National attractions solid for the week, it is announced, and the avalanche of bookings being received in the eleventh hour are expected to add considerably more to this number. Chief among the First National pictures which are going big is “Molly O,” the Mack Sennett special comedy starring Mabel Normand. In Cincinnati it shattered the box office attendance records of three of the largest theatres. At the Orpheum, the biggest house in the city, it “broke all records for attendance and box office receipts. The previous record was held by ‘The Kid.’ Stood them out in line all afternoon and evening.” The Boulevard theatre reported : “First picture Boulevard has ever given a week’s run. Smashed all records for Sunday and first half of week. Drew patrons from all parts of the city.” Other houses in which it broke office and attendance records are the Strand, Milwaukee, Wis ; the Majestic, Columbus, O. ; and the Luna, Lafayette, Ind. Chicago theatre-goers capitulated also to “Tol’able David,” Richard Barthelmess’ first starring vehicle for First National, “excellent attendance” characterizing its showing at the Harvard, and “very good attendance” at the Linden. “Exceptional box office receipts” were recorded at the Walnut in Cincinnati, the management of which declared: “Stood them out to the sidewalk Sunday afternoon and evening. Good business all week. Went over very big.” “Did a fine business,” reported the Princess, Sioux City, la. “The Lotus Eater,” a John Barrymore production directed by Marshall Neilan, drew “very good attendance” at the Kenwood and Harvard theatres in Chicago, and won “very good receipts” at the Orpheum in Cincinnati. “The Sign on the Door,” starring Norma Talmadge, “almost” broke the attendance records of the Regent, Springfield, O., and was responsible for “excellent receipts” at Thielen’s Majestic, Bloomington, 111. “Hail the Woman,” Thomas H. Ince’s masterpiece, was booked by the Jewell, Fremont, O., for a week, providing business warranted. It did. Records for midweek attendance and receipts were slightly exceeded. “Fine receipts,” reported the Majestic, London, O. “The Child Thou Gavest Me,” a John M. Stahl production, was shown at the Empress, Owensboro, Ky., with resultant “Good business.” William Gordon, of the Palace, Newport News, Va., reported “ it did more business on the third day than it did on the first. I have never had a picture do this before.” Mat Kohler, of the Eagle, Buffalo, Minn., stated “manjr patrons came to see it twice.” Fox News Has Woman as Associate Editor FOX FILM CORPORATION announces this week the appointment of Miss Mildred E. Phillips, formerly Sunday editor of the Post-Standard, Syracuse, N. Y., as associate editor of the Fox News. This is said to be the first time that a woman has been appointed to the editorial staff of a news reel. The Fox organization states the appointment is the result of Mr. Fox’s efforts to give the feminine patrons of motion pictures greater satisfaction. Miss Phillips left the PostStandard to join the Fox publicity department, of which she has been a member since last October. Child Actress in Personal Appearance Little Miriam Battista, who has an appealing part in the prologue of William Christy Cabanne’s production, “ At the Stage Door,” presented by R-C Pictures, has added new laurels to her crown by personal appearances of “ a different kind” with the presentation of the picture at Loew’s State Theatre, Newark. Miriam came out before the footlights dressed in the costume she wears in the picture, and carrying the little broken doll she uses in her scenes. She addressed the audience and explained to them her longing to grow up and be like Lillian “ Billie ” Dove, who plays the same part Miriam does, after the character has grown to womanhood. Miriam then enacts a scene just as Miss Dove does in the picture. The audience caught the spirit of the presentation, and applauded the talented child vigorously. She followed with a song and dance, and gave a number of dramatic and comedy recitations. “Molly O” in Detroit for Second Run One week of “Molly O” was not enough for the patrons of the Madison theatre, Detroit. Mack Sennett’s First National super-comedy was brought back for another run seven days after the close of the first engagement. Here is the way the Detroit newspapers recorded the event: The Free Press : “So insistent were the demands for a return engagement of ‘ Molly O,’ Mabel Normand’s latest starring vehicle, that John H. Kunsky defied tradition and brought the picture back for another week’s showing. Mabel Normand was never better than in this comedy-drama of city moments, too, when tears come close to the surface.” The News : “Mabel Normand is back at the Madison again this week in ‘Molly O,’ and cavorting in real Mack Sennett style, all of which means romance, melodrama and fun of the most interesting kind.”