Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

998 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIX, No. 21. General Film Triples Line of Pictures Now Distributing Product of Thirty-One Manufacturers and Is Negotiating with More GENERAL FILM COMPANY is now releasing the product of thirtyone manufacturers, tripling its list of producing clients since last fall. From an official of General Film comes a statement reviewing the increase in activities, which accounts for the recent shift of the headquarters to 25 West Forty-fourth street, New York; the removal of the New York exchange to the ninth floor of 729 Seventh avenue, formerly occupied by the Paramount exchange; the removal of the Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington and Montreal exchanges to more desirable quarters, and other improvements. "General Film Company is able to care for a multitude of big accounts," said the official, "because its sole business is that of a service company. Any motion picture product of merit can find in General Film a route to its market. We are handling now a volume of business such as the company has not had in recent years. This does not show completely in regular weekly releases, because not all of our clients produce on the traditional weekly schedule. In fact, isolated special releases of all lengths are now being routed through our exchanges that formerly were sold through state rights exchanges. The owners of these films are convinced that one statement a week from one responsible concern covering the whole field economically and intensively is just about the right thing. "General Film did not start its service expansion at the easy end. It started with the biggest undertaking of . its career— with the acceptance by 'Hodkinson Service' of General Film as its medium for serving the country with Paralta plays. Our company felt big enough to tackle this and quickly proved itself to be, in that our exchanges already have $1,500,000 worth of business laid out on the product. "The same smooth running machinery that handles a huge proposition like this is also able to accommodate any amount of other product, and it is doing so. "General Film's plan for handling reT leases from many sources in one central organization has benefits that now are thoroughly understood. The chief of these is the elimination of extravagant duplicates in the physical distribution of film. "Having thirty exchanges, each thoroughly organized and equipped, all directed from headquarters in New York and constantly inspected by a force of travelling auditors and supervisors, the organization finds its task simplified by the more product it handles. Every customer for one product becomes a customer for another. If these were distributed through several exchanges in the same town each sale would have to be made separately at a compound of selling cost instead of a simple one." The official added that a great deal more new product is under negotiation which will be announced later. A Thriller the Camera Missed loe Rock leaped twenty feet once from one skyscraper to another in making a Vitagraph Big V Comedy and this leap was his record until last week, when he went it a full ten feet better. There was no director or camera to register the leap, but the way Rock tells it and the evidence he offers are most convincing. Joe was sunning himself outside his cabin on the side of LookOut mountain, not so far from Hollywood. A ten-foot rattlesnake was doing likewise. The snake knew Joe was there, but Joe's first intimation of the propinquity, as the comedian puts it, was the song of the rattlers. Then it was Joe made the leap in question and just as the snake struck at him. Joe turned the corner of the cabin still in midair and presently returned with his shotgun. Now, as to the jump being thirty feet. Joe was seated precisely .where the snake's head fell when he shot it off. The snake, head and all, was ten feet long and it was just twice his length from the head to the corner of the cabin. And Joe went another ten feet around the corner. Apfel Starts New Picture Immediately upon the filming of the final scenes of "Merely Players," Director Oscar Apfel of World Pictures, commenced the direction of Kitty Gordon in "Mandarin's Gold," which was an original story from the pen of Philip Lonorgan and was adapted to the screen by Lucien Hubbard of the World staff. Miss Gordon plays the lead and is supported by Irving Cummings, George MacQuarrie, Albert Hart and several others of note. The picture deals with life in Chinatown, New York, and the casting department was confronted with the difficult task of assembling an Oriental cast to support the star. William Desmond, as he appears in his latest Triangle picture, "Old Hartwell's Cub." Star Is Taken for College Girl Usually mistaken for anything but a screen star when she is away from the Goldwyn studios, Madge Kennedy was amused recently when she visited a New York shop where was not known. "This is a model very popular with college girls," the saleswoman remarked in showing the little actress a simple dress. Madge Kennedy smiled and said, "But isn't it too youthful for me?" "I'm sure your mother will like it," answered the clerk. "Why not let me send it on approval?" When Miss Kennedy gave her name the secret was out, of course, and it caused a ripple of surprised comment.