Movie Age (1927)

DECEMBER 31, 1927 PAGE 7 Charles Christie Says 1928 Will Be Best Year For Comedy Production The most optimistic view of the com¬ edy business which has been expressed during the last few years was indicated by Charles Christie, business head of the well known comedy organization, who makes a summary of the outlook for the coming season of 1928. This ex¬ pression is thought to be quite timely, coming from one of the oldest of the comedy producers in the business, and especially at this time when there have been many changes and when many wild rumors about the comedy end of the mo¬ tion picture industry might have indi¬ cated some uncertainty as to its future. “Heavy competition in the field of two-reel comedies during the last three years,” says Christie, “has brought all the leading comedy people to their toes in more consistent striving for outstand¬ ing product than ever before, with the result that the| best two-reel brands are better than they used to be and even the poorer ones not as bad as they were formerly. This is partly due to in¬ creased sums of money put into the busi¬ ness and partly to the gradual working out of finer organizations developed over a long period of years. “There must be some reasons for these increases and we judge them to be partly due to the extra distribution effort of the big companies, and partly to the fact that exhibitors are gradually looking again with more interest on the popular lines of two-reelers, which have been ‘kicked around’ to some extent by theatre people during a few past seasons. One proof of this return to comedies is that we note twenty-two big theatres in large cities playing this season’s comedies, theatres which played no two-reelers from any producer last year. “Another trend which helps is that hundreds of theatres, in playing feature productions which are mainly comedy in tone, are going to the policy of an all comedy bill, or at least a bill in which comedy predominates, by adding a tworeel comedy and giving their patrons a whole bill of humorous entertainment, with the exception of music, news, etc. The need for balancing the show is still taken care of in orchestra numbers, news, scenics and novelty reel numbers. “With these encouraging trends in mind, we can certainly look with great confidence to the still bigger improve¬ ment in the two-reel comedies them¬ selves, and the still greater importance which will be attached to them on the part of the theatres.” Universal Studios May Be Closed Temporarily Probability of Universal studios clos¬ ing temporarily after February 1 was admitted by Carl Laemmle, president of the Universal Pictures, in an Associated Press dispatch this week from Holly¬ wood. He said executives had been con¬ ferring on the desirability of a shut¬ down, but declared it had not been de¬ cided upon definitely. The executive said the closing would be because the company’s 1928-1929 production schedule had been completed ahead of time. He was unable to say for how long a period the plant would be idle. Warner Bros, and Mack Sennett stu¬ dios already have suspended operations for a time. Two National Motion Picture Papers Merge The Exhibitors Herald and the Mov¬ ing Picture World, two of the national film trade papers, have merged, effect¬ ive January 1. Joint announcement of the merger, has been made by Martin J. Quigley, president of the Quigley Publishing Co., which has been pub¬ lisher of the Exhibitors Herald, and John F.j Chalmers, president of the Chalmers Publishing Co., which has had the World. It has further been announced that the combined publications, edited and published by Mr. Quigley, will appear under the joint title of “Exhibitors Her¬ ald and Moving Picture World.” Film Party at Dangerous Portion of Grand Canyon The Pathe-Bray company, which is making “The Bride of the Colorado,” in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river, is now nearing the most dangerous part of its trip. This river party, which was lost for three weeks in the canyon, be¬ tween Green River, Utah, and Lee’s Ferry, Ariz., was joined at the latter point by Director Elmer Clifton, John Boles, the leading man, and other mem¬ leading etaoinshrdl etaoish rdetaoishr bers of the company, and continued down the river toward its objective, The Needles, Calif. Another unit of the party is at Her¬ mit’s Camp. From this point Donal Blos¬ som, leading woman, will fly down into the canyon, this sequence in the picture calling for the rescue of the hero who is being carried down the rapids in a boat by means of a rope dropped from the airplane by Miss Blossom. Although in the shadow of Hollywood the Grand Canyon has heretofore been entirely overlooked as a natural back¬ ground for a film drama. Since 1854, when the river was first navigated from Green River to Lee’s Ferry, only four other parties are known to have success¬ fully made the voyage. “Tenderloin” Last Picture Completed by Warner Bros. “Tenderloin,” starring Dolores Cos¬ tello, was the last picture completed by Warner Bros, before the closing of their studio last week. The last scenes were shot on Monday by Director Michale Curtiz for this underworld story. During the final week of production four additions were made to the cast. They were Hugh Herbert, Dorothy Ver¬ non, Evelyn Pierce and Fred Kelsey. The principal supporting roles to Miss Costello in “Tenderloin” are played by Conrad Nagel, Dan Wolheim, Mit¬ chell Lewis and Georgie Stone. The story was scenarized by E. T. Lowe, Jr. Lewis Stone to Support Jannings in “Patriot” Lewis Stone is to return to the Para¬ mount lot, after four years’ absence from the Lasky studio, to support Emil Jannings, in the German star’s next starring vehicle for Paramount, “The Patriot.” Stone is to play the role of “Count Pahlen,” originally intended for Jan¬ nings, who is to play the part of Czar Paul, son of Catherine the Great. “The Patriot” is the story of “Paul the First” from the pen of Morejkowski, and tells of the colorful reign of Czar Paul’s four years of insane rule, until he was murdered, as an act of patriot¬ ism, by Pahlen, who had been his closest friend and counsellor. “Wickedness Preferred” New Cody-Pringle Film “Wickedness Preferred” will be the final title of the latest Lew Cody-Aileen Pringle co-starring vehicle, formerly called “Mixed Marriages.” This farce comedy was directed by Hobart Henley from a story by Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements. The case includes Bert Roach, Mary McAllister and George K. Arthur. The first two Cody-Pringle pictures, “Adam and Evil” and “Tea for Three,” are of the sophisticated farce type and served to increase the popularity which each of the two players had previously established in his and her own right.