Movie Age (1927)

AUGUST 1 3, 1 927. PAGE 9 Universal Announces 20 Stories Purchased For 1928 29 Film Schedule With the slight changes necessary to complete its 1927-28 program an¬ nounced, the Universal scenario depart¬ ments in New York and at the coast are busy compiling a list of pictures suit¬ able for the following season. With pur¬ chases announced last week, Universal has a list of twenty Jewel pictures bought and most of them in the hands of adaptors and scenarists, for 1928-29 schedule. The three stories purchased were “The Worm Turns,” “Stop That Man” and “Phyllis of the Follies.” “The Worm Turns” is a novel of college life by Ward Russell, published last year. The name Ward Russell is a pseudonym and Universal signed an iron-bound agree¬ ment not to divulge the real name of the author. “Stop That Man,” the stage play by George V. Hobart, will in all probability be directed by Nat Ross, with Barbara Kent in the leading role. “Phyllis of the Follies” is an original story by Arthur Gregor, a director who received his first training in the mov¬ ing picture art on the Universal City lot. Universal will also be represented by a play of the character of “The Cat and the Canary,” having purchased and an¬ nounced some little time ago “The Last Warning,” a play by Thomas F. Fallon, which was produced at the Klaw thea¬ tre. “Give and Take,” by Aaron Hoffman, the Broadway play in which George Sid¬ ney and Louis Mann starred at the 49th Street theatre, is already in preparation at Universal City. Universal has signed George Sidney to play his own original part, and he will be teamed with Jean Hersholt. Other pictures scheduled for next year include the Peter B. Kyne story, “The Muzzle,” “The Best Policy,” by Edwin Justus Mayer; “The Broadway Romance,” a Red Book Magazine story by Nell Martin; “The Burden,” by Elsa Ledinger; “The Five Frankfurters,” the well-known European stage play; “Bill Smith, M. D.” by Bayard Veiller; “Polish Blood” by Leo Stein and Oscar Nedbal; “The Stolen Lady,” a novel by William Dudley Pelley; “Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?” an original which Gladys Lehman and Lee Jacobson are adapting to the screen; “Grease Paint,” “It Can Be Done,” by Carl Laemmle, Jr. “Justice,” the play by John Galsworthy, and “Blister Jones” by John Taintor Foote. Grainger Closes Big Deal for Fox Product With Pantages Circuit’s New Policy to Feature Pictures Gives Fox 100 Percent Outlet In Important Cities. Fox will give the Pantages Circuit its entire output of the current schedule, according to James R. Grainger, Fox general sales manager who closed a deal last week which involves a million dol¬ lars in rentals. The announcement comes as a result of Pantages’ determin¬ ation to change its policy so that vaude¬ ville will be subordinate to the pictures. Cities in which the new Pantages policy will take effect are Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, San Fran¬ cisco, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Van¬ couver, Memphis, Minneapolis, and Kan¬ sas City. In these cities the picture will be featured above the stage shows ex¬ cept when outstanding attractions war¬ rant a feature billing. “What Price Glory” and “Seventh Heaven” will play all the Pantages houses at increased prices. Closing of the deal comes as a climax to the strides being made by Pantages in the picture field, since embarking on the combination policy adopted by the circuit several years ago. The chain now is engaged on a building campaign which may extend activities to the East, which Alexander Pantages always has considered “a fertile field of develop¬ ment.” In Pacific Seaboard states, the FoxPantages deal will bring spirited oppo¬ sition to Wesco, now practically in con¬ trol of first runs in key cities by vir¬ tue of its arrangement to manage Publix and Loew houses. Tiffany Acquires Four Jack London Stories M. H. Hoffman, vice-president of Tiffany Productions, Inc., wires to the home office in New York from Holly¬ wood that he has acquired for his com¬ pany four Jack London stories which are soon to be put into production and will be released during the year in ad¬ dition to the twenty feature pictures now in the course of production for 1927-1928. The names of these four Jack London stories will be announced shortly and it is said that they are the most pow¬ erful from the pen of this great writer. Mr. Hoffman, in his announcement, also stated that the casts for these four specials will be made up of such screen players of ability who will fit their variou roles perfectly and will be in keep¬ ing with the tradition now firmly estab¬ lished in the motion picture business that Tiffany casts the individual play¬ ers to fit the part and not the story to fit the player. Vocafilm Closes Down After One Performance Vocafilm, the most recent of speak¬ ing accompaniments, failed to give satis¬ faction on the night of its premiere at the Longacre theatre, New York, last week and was forced to close down after one performance. Vocafilm had been booked for an indefinite run. “Twelve Miles Out” In Photo Play Guide Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s “Twelve Miles Out,” the John Gilbert starring vehicle has been chosen by the National Board of Reviews for their Photoplay Guide of popular entertainment. The film, an adaptation of Wm. An¬ thony McGuire’s stage play of the same name, will be listed in the monthly magazine which is issued by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Jack Conway directed this film for M-G-M. In support of John Gilbert there appears an exceptional cast, in¬ cluding Joan Crawford, Ernest Tor¬ rence and Eileen Percy. The picture is a vivid tale of bootlegging and hi-jack¬ ing off the shores of Long Island. “The Outpost” Changed To “The Desired Woman” Warner Bros, have given the definite title of “The Desired Woman” to the production made under the temporary name of “The Outpost” and recently completed with Irene Rich as its star. The basis of this dramatic romance of the desert is a story by Mark Cafield. Michael Curtiz is its director with Wil¬ liam Russell, William Collier, Jr., Jack Ackroyd and Douglas Gerrard appearing in the roles of principal support. “The Desired Woman” is the first Irene Rich vehicle on Warner Bros.’ new program. Its release date will be Aug¬ ust 27.