Moving Picture World (Aug 1920)

August 7, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 723 Chester De Vonde’s “Voices Is First of Victor Kremer’s Original Offerings IN presenting to independent picture showmen Chester De Vonde’s “Voices," Victor Kremer, Inc., turns for the first time from a policy of handling only reissue to the work of distributing an original feature. Mr. De Vonde is the author as well as the director of “Voices,” a photoplay that deals in a dominant measure with the subject of spiritualism. Tohn Vance has been assigned to the role of Corliss Giles, the leading character in the De Vonde story. Diana Allen, as Mary Vance, is leading lady of the supporting cast, with Henry Sedley in the prominent role of Justin Lord, the “heavy.” That Mr. Kremer has faith not alone in “Voices” but in Mr. De Vonde as an author and producer is set forth in the announcement that four more features will come from Mr. De Vonde for presentation through Mr. Kremer. The New York Independent Masterfilms, Inc., exchanges are handling the distribution of “Voices” as well as the Kremer reissues. In “Voices” the discussion of the persistence of personal identity and consciousness and the question of continued life and activity after death affords abundant matter for exploitation. While it is said that the photoplay deals with spiritualism in a certain phase, the producer declares that it is not propaganda. Spiritualism is a big subject and one that is near to the heart of many persons, irrespective of religious creed. “Voices” is declared not to be an argument for spiritualism. It is a straightforward and altogether exciting story. In presenting “Voices” as the first of his big pictures Mr. Kremer feels that it will tend toward the establishment of confidence among exchanges and exhibitors as regards the quality of future product. Thus would he encourage independence. Goldwyn Foreign Sales Head Leaves for Europe August 4 ARTHUR ZIEHM, foreign sales manager for the Goldwyn Distributing Corporation, has booked passage for Europe and will sail on August 4. He will arrive on the other side in time to be present at the opening of the International Motion Picture Exposition to be held in Amsterdam, Holland, from August 12 to September 21 and will see that the Goldwyn productions are given the proper emphasis at the great show. He will leave Amsterdam before the exposition closes to attend the Kino Messe, or motion picture exposition, of Germany, which will be held in Leipsic the latter part of August. While abroad Mr. Ziehm will devote considerable time to looking after the interests of Goldwyn in European countries, particularly in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Spain. Educational Exchange Men to Meet in New York in August THE first conference of branch managers of Educational Film Exchanges, Inc., has been called for August 20. The meeting, which will embrace only the eastern territory, will be held at the Hotel Astor and will probably continue for a couple of days. Managers of the offices in Boston, New Haven, Buffalo, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati will be present. Already managers of most of these offices have visited New York and have talked over the general plan of operations with Educational officials. E. W. Hammons, president Educational Films Exchanges, Inc., will preside at the meeting and will give the visitors a thorough insight into operations up to date. Talks will be made by the heads of the various departments, and the managers will be especially urged to ask questions and settle any matters about which they have been in doubt. It is expected, too, that members of the home office staff will profit greatly by the information that will come to them in the talks of the branch managers. All the pictures received at that time in advance of their release will be shown to the visitors. Immediately on the conclusion of the conference Henry Ginsberg, manager of the domestic sales department, will start on a tour of the other exchanges, covering the entire country with the exception of the eastern district. Within thirty days the finishing touches will be added to Educational’s exchange system. Stanton Completes Film Made with Aid of U. S. Government RICHARD STANTON has completed his latest Fox special feature, a special Americanization film made in conjunction with U. S. Government propaganda against the spread of Bolshevism. Mr. Stanton was selected by the Government to make this special American epic picture. The authorities at Washington turned over Fort Meyer, Va., to Mr. Stanton to be used as the locale for certain parts of the story. He was furnished a cavalry regiment to be used in the scenes and given every co-operation toward making the picture a true exponent of the national ideals. Mr. Stanton is now supervising the cutting of the feature to seven reels, which, when finished, will be released as a special feature under Government auspices. This production is unique, inasmuch as for the first time a picture has been made simultaneously for five different foreign countries. As each scene was shot the actors were required by Mr. Santon to change costumes five times in order to represent their characters in the locale of England, France, Italy, Canada and America. In this way a large amount of production was saved. The completion of this feature marks the end of Mr. Stanton’s four years’ affiliation with William Fox. In that time the director has been engaged exclusively in the production of special features. Appoint Inter-Ocean Agents for Large London Film Firm INTER-OCEAN has been designated as American representatives for the newly established Inter Ocean Photoplays, Ltd., of London. Under the terms of the agreement made by Paul H. Cromelin, president of InterOcean, with Horace G. Harper, managing director of Inter-Ocean Photoplays, Ltd., the London organization will distribute the American productions acquired by InterOcean Film Corporation as well as accessory products for the United Kingdom. The London organization also proposes to acquire Continental films as well as many British productions which will be disposed of in the United States through its Amer Chester De Vonde. Author-director of “Voices” which is the latest Victor Kremer six-reel production. ican representatives. Inter-Ocean Photoplays, Ltd., has taken over the three floors in the Thomas A. Edison building at 162164 Wardour street, London, where it will maintain its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Plans, it is reported, are well underway for the establishment of branch offices in the various motion picture distributing centers throughout Great Britain. Mrs. Coffin in “The Great Day” Mrs. Hayden Coffin, a distinguishedlooking woman of the “grande dame” type familiar to British motion picture audiences, will appear in the first British-made screen production of the Famous PlayersLasky British Producers, Ltd., according to the announcement of Jesse L. Lasky. She takes the part of Mrs. Beresford, mother of the hero in “The Great Day,” which is the film version of a Drury Lane melodrama by Louis N. Parker and George R. Sims. Interior sets are being made in the recently completed Famous PlayersLasky studio at Islington, near London. Edwards in New York J. Gordon Edwards has just returned to the New York offices of Fox from the West Coast studios, where he directed William Farnum in a number of big productions during the past year. He will continue work with Mr. Farnum in the new Fox studios in West Fifty-fifth street. Mr. Edwards’ latest production, just completed in Hollywood, is “Drag Harlan,” from the pen of Charles Alden Seltzer, with Farnum as the star. In this the leading woman is Jackie Saunders. Others in the cast are Arthur Millett, Bill Nye, Herschel Mayall, A1 Fremont and Frank Thurwald. Levey to Go on Speaking Tour To “sell” to large manufacturing companies the idea of presenting their product on the screen through the medium of the industrial motion picture, and to increase the membership of the Screen Advertisers Association, of which he is president, and which is a department of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, Harry Levey is planning a lecture tour to begin about September 15. Mr. Levey is also president of the Harry Levey Service Corporation, producers and distributors of industrial-educational motion pictures.