Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

24 ' THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS Crowds See "The Sea Wolf" POLICE aid was called upon to handle crowds at the Imperial Theatre, San Francisco, on the occasion of the exhibition of Bosworth's seven-reel production of "The Sea Wolf." Films were running from 10 o'clock in the morning and took in seven thousand dollars the first six days. During the first two weeks of the exhibition an extra show was put on each night, and the last exhibition ended at 1 o'clock in the morning. They will be on exhibition there indefinitely. "John Barleycorn," Bosworth's second production of the Jack London series, is now ready and will be released shortly. "John Barleycorn," by Jack London, created a tremendous sensation when it appeared as a serial story in the Saturday Evening Post, and will appear in book form simultaneously with the film production. This is a most unique production, being practically a life confession of the early struggles of the author with King Alcohol. The difficult task of portraying the life and character of the author is clev PRODUCE FILMS AND VAUDEVILLE SKETCHES The Gorman Film Manufacturing Company, Inc., 1402 Broadway, New York City, is named after Jack Gorman, the author, who is president and general manager. The company has a studio at Cliffside, N. J., and will produce feature films and sketches for vaudeville. They are negotiating with Giles Warren, formerly with the Whitman Warren Company, to act as director. They will shortly release a three-reel feature of Western life with entirely new effects. Their second picture will be a threereel feature, "A Girl of the Underworld," taken from the play of the same name, of which Mr. Gorman is the author. He has three companies on the road now. KLEINE TO RELEASE AN AMBROSIO "The Marriage of Figaro" is an Ambrosio two-reel subject which George Kleine schedules for release through the General Film Company as a regular two-reel release, Tuesday, February 3, 1914. This subject was selected by Mr. Kleine personally while in Europe, and is notable for some of the most magnificent settings available in Seville, Spain, where the drama was staged. Several scenes show the royal castle "Alcazar" at Seville. The principal leads of the two-reel are the same whose work in Kleine's "The Last Days of Pompeii" has created so much favorable comment the world over. erly depicted by three actors. Matty Roubert, the celebrated child actor, late of the Universal Company, portrays the character of Jack London as a child of six, showing how he first got drunk from his father's beer jug at that tender age. Antrom Short, an older boy actor, portrays the role of Jack London at the age of 16. Elmer Clifton, who has remarkable physical and facial resemblance to Jack London, has been chosen to characterize the author at the age of 30. Mr. London himself appears in the production. In "John Barleycorn," London treats on the drink question in a manner never before shown, either in fiction or on the screen. Following the "John Barleycorn" pictures, the Bosworth Company, which has a contract to produce all of London's works in motion pictures, will film "The Valley of the Moon," "Martin Eden," "Smoke Bellew," "Burning Daylight," "The Iron Heel," and others of the best and most widely known of this celebrated author's works. RENFAX MUSICAL MOTION PICTURES The Renfax musical pictures are to be released through the Renfax Film Company, Inc., 110 West Fortieth Street, New York City, of which Mr. Dewitt Fox is the president and Mr. A. J. Abram is the general manager. They "I'LL GET YOU" Scene from Renfax Musical Motion Pictures. have about twenty releases of musical motion pictures, the synchronism of all of which is perfect and the photography very good. The rates on these pictures are within the reach of every exhibitor, who will find them a good drawing card. The Renfax Company have ten demonstrating companies en route at present. The company will be glad to furnish full detail to any exhibitor desiring same, regarding these singing and dancing movies of song hits. KEYSTONE "COPS" CAUSE EXCITEMENT Broadway, Los Angeles' most congested thoroughfare, was recently put at the disposal of the Keystone Company for the making of a picture entitled "His Sister's Kids." In the production the Keystone police were directed to make a chase down this thoroughfare at the busiest time of the day. The city traffic police mistook a fleeing player for an escaped lunatic and there was a genuine struggle in their attempts to capture him. A large crowd gathered, and a bystander was about to turn in a riot call, when it was discovered that it was the Keystone Company at work. Meanwhile the Keystone police, coming at full speed, had a hazardous time of it threading their way through the traffic. One of them was hit by a street car, ajid two others had narrow escapes from being run down by autos. FEATURES IDEAL REBOOKED Mrs. Agnes Egan Cobby, manager of Features Ideal, of 227 West Forty-second Street, is in receipt of the following letter, of which she is very proud, from an exhibitor who showed the first Features Ideal subject, "The Guerrillas of Algiers" : "It affords me great pleasure to write to you that on December 14, 1913, I ran your three-reel Feature Ideal, 'The Guerrillas of Algiers.' Beg to advise you that we did the greatest volume of business on that day that has ever been done there before, having 4,800 paid admissions. The audiences were so immensely pleased by same that, owing to the repeated calls, I have booked same for a return date. In all my experiences as an exhibitor I have never received so many compliments from my patrons as I did upon running 'The Guerrillas of Algiers.' "Sincerely trusting you will keep up the good work and give us more of the same kind, I remain, "Very respectfully yours, "Eighth Avenue Amusement Co., "E. H. Rauch." TETRAZZINI POSES Madame Luisa Tetrazzini fell a victim to the fascination of posing for motion pictures upon her recent arrival in New York on the Mauretania. The cameras of "Our Mutual Girl," accompanied by the little lady herself and a number of her supporting company, were on the dock to receive the big liner and meet some of the notables among its passengers. Tetrazzini took a lively interest in the proceedings, and the result was several hundred feet of pictures showing the famous star being welcomed to America and her experience with the reporters and custom officials.