Moving Picture World (May 1919)

1386 THE MOx'lNG PldURE WORLD May 31. 1919 Robertson -Cole Lists Specials for Foreign Field C> OJIPETITION in the foreign field, i where the Robertson-Cole Company long ago obtained a firm footing, is keen right now, but because of the fine list of productions which it has to offer foreign buyers Robertson-Cole is maintaining its high position. The latest Robertson-Cole coup is the adding of the first six Rothapfel Units to Its list of foreign attractions. Besides offering the star series featuring Sessue Hayakawa, H. B. Warner, H. B. Walthall, William Desmond, Bessie Barriscalc, Billie Rhodes and Alma Rubens, the Robertson-Cole foreign department has a number of specials on its list produced by Tom Ince, Ralph Ince, Julius Steger and Sydney Olcott. In addition to these there are the three Robertson-Cole specials, "Cannibals of the South Seas," "The Turn in the Road," and "What Every Woman Wants." A large amount of territory has been disposed of on all the Robertson-Cole attractions, but there still remains some lucrative rights on such productions as "The Prodigal Wife," featuring Lucy Cotton and JIary Boland; "Where Lovj Is," Ann Murdock; fifcty-two MutuaiStrand comedies featuring Billie Rhodes; thirty Jester comedies starring Twede Dan; "The Zeppelin's Last Raid," Tom Ince special; "Those Who Pay," Tom Ince special, starring Bessie Barriscale; "Just a Woman," Julius Steger special, with Charlotte Walker; "Nine-Tenths of the Law," a Mitchel Lewis production; "The Devil's Playground," featuring Vera Michelena; "Her Man," Ralph Ince special, with Elaine Hammerstein; "The Eleventh Commandment," another Ralph Ince attraction, with Lucille Lee Stewart; "The Pendleton Round-Up"; "William J. Burns," featuring the well-known detective; "The Belgian," produced by Sydney Olcott, with Valentine Grant and Walker Whiteside the featured players; "The Love That Rules," and two Beatriz Michelena successes, "The Woman Who Dared" and "The Unwritten Law." bandit is played by Albert McQuarrie. Albert Parker is the director. "Knickerbocker Buckaroo" Is Doug's Best Artcraft DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS makes his reappearance as "Old Doc Cheerful" in his newest Artcraft picture, "The Knickerbocker Buckaroo," which is released May 18. The moral of the story is that doing something for somebody is a worthy and laudable ambition, but that unselfishness can sometimes be carried too far, and unless guided by calm judgment may bring the unselfish one results he does not expect, and, secondly, that the iproper place to start any reconstruction in character is at home. The play opens in a fashionable New York club, where a statue of Charles Darwin co-stars with the screen hero, making possible some interesting athletic action, when Doug, in his conversation, concludes, "Perhaps Darwin was right." Fairbanks plays the part of Teddy Drake, a wealthy New Yorker, who decides that his life is all wrong because of his selfishness, and starts out t do unselfish things. One of the exciting episodes is furnished when Doug climbs out of a window of a speeding Pullman car, continuing up to the roof of the car and running along the top of the train, then jumping to the swinging arm of a water feeder from which he leaps on to ihe back of a horse. This is the start of a thrilling chase in which two hundred cowboys pursue Fairbanks. Marjorie Daw, playing the feminine lead, takes the part of Mercedes, a beautiful girl, whom Doug rescues from a band of outlaws. William Wellman as the brother of the girl also has an excellent part. The ability of Frank Campeau to forcefully "put over" any crook or villain part is well known. In this picture he further establishes himself as a master screen villain. Edythe Chapman plays the part of Drake's mother. The role of a half-breed Lytell Faces Two Cameras in Making of Circus Story LONG shots and close-ups of Bert Lytell are filmed simultaneously in tlie production of "One-Thing-at-aTime O'Day" at the Metro studios. The star faces two directors and two cameramen in nearly every scene of the circus story. Maxwell Karger, who , supervises the production, was anxious to see the picture completed before he left for New York, so Director John Ince carefully laid out his production plan and sli£>wed himself to have the makings of an efficiency expert in the doing. Ince directs the body of the story and the master scenes of the circus episodes, with Robert Kurrle, Bert Lytell's photographer, at the camera crank. The closer scenes are directed by Webster Cullison and photographed by Eugene Gaudio, Nazimova's cameraman. In practically all of the scenes long shots and close shots are taken at the same time. William Dudley Pelley's story centers around the sawdust ring of a circus, and in his picturizatlon George D. Baker has concentrated his scenes on the show lot. Blackton's "House Divided" Booked by the Fox Circuit PE. MEYER, manager of the Film Clearing House's New York branch, • announces that Frank G. Hall's special release for the week of June 1, "A House Divided," a J. Stuart Blackton production starring Sylvia Breamer and Herbert Rawlinson, has been booked for maximum runs over the Fox circuit of theatres, the U. B. O. and the Picker. Harston and Meyer and Schneider houses in Greater New York. Reports from Mr. Meyer are to the effect that the New York office of the Film Clearing House is working overtime on the executive work incident to the large number of requests coming from exhibitors for showings and bookings on this feature. June 1 will mark the first run of the production, and, in view of this fact, Mr. Meyer states that the business that has been done to date succeeds the number of bookings on any other feature handled through the New York office prior to release. Harry P. Diggs, exploitation manager for the Hall interests, announces that he has prepared an elaborate press book on the Blackton feature containing eighteen pages and giving in detail helps to the exhibitor in advertising the run. A mailing card has been sent to exhibitors announcing this release, and the trade papers have carried the announcement in colored inserts. "Eternal Magdalene" Aided by Exploitation Campaign ONE of the most original and far-reaching exploitation campaigns ever devised for a single motion picture production has preceded and trailed the triumphant exhibition of the Goldwyn extra, "The Eternal Magdalene," in the leading theatres of the country. In Toronto the production had its premiere at the big Regent Theatre, the management employed display cards, fifty lines on two, for five weeks in advance of the showing of the picture. A reverse plate, with huge question mark and copy which read, "Do You Know Her? She Is Rich. She Is Poor," was inserted in the amusement and commercial columns of the Toronto Times. Special billboard exploitation, circularization and newspaper co-operative campaigns accentuated the importance of the newspaper "teaser" broadside. The stage prologue, as explained and illustrated in the Goldwyn Goldwynner, has been used with success in the larger theatres, having adequate facilities for unique exploitation of this type. Nathan Ascher, of the powerful Ascher Brothers' Circuit of Chicago and surrounding territory, was among the first to adopt and recommend the stage prologue. The Rialto Theatre, San Francisco; the Alhambra, of Toledo; the Majestic, of Detroit, and the Marcus Loew chain of theatres are other houses which have added to the effect and novelty of the play by staging that part of the original ttap.e play in which Che "Magdalene" meets the "reformer" for the first time. DeHavens Star in "In a Pinch." Capitol Comedies celebrate the beginning of their second year of releasing through Goldwyn with a honeymoon comedy featuring Mr. and Mrs. Carter De Haven. For many years they have been known to musical comedy audiences for their delicate sense of the comic and the delightful dancing interludes with which they punctuated many of the most successful Broadway productions. In choosing the Capitol banner under which to renew their screen acquaintance with their many followers, Mr. and Mrs. Carter De Haven have selected a fitting standard for the display of their individual gifts in the kind of plays which have earned an international reputation for them. Their first Capitol comedy, "In a Pinch," tells the story of a stage-door Johnny's liilarious past, which rises to trouble him when he returns from his honeymoon. The situations arising out of his oldtime Broadway escapades produce some lively scenes with wifey. Pete Morrison, Westerner, Executes a fancy draw in one of his Universal Western two-reelers. I'rjii.sc "Man Who Turned 'White.'' Many prominent exhibitors attended the first showing of the initial Robcrtson("ole superior picture, "The Man Who Turned White," featuring H. B. Warner, which was held during the past week in all the Exhibitors Mutual exchanges through which it will be released. This production from the Jesse D. Hampton studios was greeted with enthusiasm by the bookers of first-run attractions, jind from reports at hand it is beieved that the picture will "go across" in big fashion. The first big Warner attraction will be released in June.