Moving Picture World (Sep-Oct 1922)

116 MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 9, 1922 Paramount Has Fine September Schedule More Shorts September will see the first big expansion of the short subject program of the Film Booking Offices. During that month the first of three series of comedies will be available for exhibitors. They are: “Their First Vacation,” the initial Carter DeHaven comedy; “Pop Tuttle’s Movie Queen,” the first Plum Center Comedy starring Dan Mason, and “Sweet Thirteen,” which will introduce Gloria Joy in a series of Sherwood MacDonald two-reel children’s comedies. Heretofore the short subject program of the F. B. O. has consisted of two singlereel short subjects, Hy Mayer Travelaughs and Starland Revue. Both of these subjects have proved unusual moneygetters for exhibitors who find them among the most distinctive novelists on the market. Special Programs for the Blind The programs in raised lettering, used by the audience of blind persons at the special showing of Metro’s “Forget-Me-Not” at Loew’s New York Theatre recently; have proved one of the most interesting exploitation features in connection with this unusual event. As a response to the interest which has been displayed in these programs, the Metro officials have had a sufficient number of them printed to enable the vaious exchanges throughout the country to distribute them to exhibitors who may desire to carry out the same exploitation stunt which has aroused so much attention in New York. Making New Film Tom Mix’s next picture for William Fox will be “Do and Dare.” Mix’s last production was “Just Tony,” a horse story. “Do and Dare” is a story of Mexican revolutions. Promises Well Goldwyn Pictures Corporation states that since the announcement of the order and date of release of the first eight of its twenty big superfeatures for the new season, the requests for bookings in first run theatres of the first release has been very heavy. The first of the releases is the new Rupert Hughes’ “Remembrance,” a photoplay of intense human interest, of which Goldwyn expects a record that will surpass that of its companion picture, also by Mr. Hughes, “The Old Nest.” The cast includes Claude Gillingwater, Patsy Ruth Miller, Cullen Landis and Kate Lester. September holds promises of big things from Paramount, for that month will see the release of seven productions which include two of the biggest specials of the year, Fred Niblo’s “Blood and Sand,” starring Rodolph Valentino, and Cecil B. DeMille’s “Manslaughter,” with Thomas Meighan, Leatrice Joy and Lois Wilson. September 3 marks the opening of the fifth annual Paramount Week when approximately 7,000 theatres will show Paramount pictures exclusively throughout the week. More elaborate preparations are said to have been made this year than ever before for this sales and exhibition event. Preceded by a double page announcement in the Saturday Evening Post and many of the ieading monthly publications, the week will be ushered in by a tremendous smash of advertising in more than 1,300 newspapers in 900 cities and towns. Introducing Paramount Week will be released on the 3rd Gloria Swanson in “Her Gilded Cage” •and William DeMille’s production, “Nice People,” each of which has been booked day and date in nearly 250 houses. “Her Gilded Cage” is a Sam Wood production, the story being written by Elmer Harris, who based it upon the play by Anne Nichols. David Powell is Miss Swanson’s leading man and Anne Cornwall, Charles Stevenson, Walter Hiers and Harrison Ford are seen in support. William de Mille is said to have constructed an excellent screen drama, with the assistance of Clara Beranger, scenarist, from Rachel Crothers’ stage play, “Nice People,” which features Wallace Reid, Bebe Daniels, Conrad Nagel and Julian Faye. “Blood and Sand,” the Fred Niblo production starring Rodolph Valentino, which has just finished a record-breaking run at the New York Rivoli and “Grandma’s Boy,” the Harold Lloyd Associated Exhibitors’ super-attraction, produced by Hal Roach, is now in the sixteenth week of its record-smashing run in Dr. H. B. Breckwedel’s Symphony Theatre, Los Angeles, already surpassing by two weeks the longest previous run of any picture, of whatever length or nature, in that city. The Los Angeles record for the continuous showing of a comedy, established by Harold Lloyd with “A SailorMade Man,” was shattered nine long weeks ago. When Calvin Heilig on August 21 started “Grandma’s Boy” on its third week in the Heilig Theatre, Portland, Ore., the highwater mark for the showing of a photoplay in the Oregon metropolis was passed. The picture ran fourteen days in P. Mortimer Rialto, is scheduled for the 10th. This story of a bull-fighter’s life, was adapted by June Mathis from the novel by Vicente Blasco Ibanez, and the play by Tom Cushing. Lila Lee, as leading woman, and Nita Naldi, in the role of a Spanish vampire, are featured with Mr. Valentino who is here seen for the first time as a star. The other feature due the 10th is the Cosmopolitan production, “The Valley of Silent Men,” with Alma Rubens. This is from the novel by James Oliver Curwood and was directed by Frank Borzage. Lew Cody is seen as an officer of the Northwest Mounted and others in the cast are Joseph King, Mario Majeroni, George Nash and J. W. Johnston. On the 17th comes an Irvin Willat production. “The Siren Call,” with Dorothy Dalton supported by David Powell and Mitchell Lewis. This, too, is a story of the far North, from an original by J. E. Nash. For the same date is scheduled Jack Holt in “While Satan Sleeps,” from the novel, “The Parson of Panamint,” by Peter B. Kyne. Albert Shelby LeVino wrote the scenario and Joseph Henabery directed. It is the story of the regeneration of a wayward son of a clergyman. In “Manslaughter,” adapted by Jeanie Macpherson from Alice Duer Miller’s sensational novel and scheduled for release the 24th, Cecil B. DeMille has produced his greatest masterpiece, according to Jesse L. Lasky and other Paramount executives who have seen it. Thomas Meighan, Leatrice Joy and Lois Wilson are featured with other prominent roles in the hands of John Miltern. George Fawcett, Julia Faye, Edythe Chapman, Jack Mower, Dorothy Cumming, Gasson Ferguson, Mickey Moore, James Neill, Sylvia Ashton, Raymond Hatton, Charles Ogle, Guy Oliver and others. Lewis’s Bijou Theatre, Atlantic City, which is three days longer than any film ever played in that seaside resort town before. Until “Grandma’s Boy” appeared simultaneously in Homer Ellison’s Princess and Rialto, each of them a large downtown theatre, no picture ever had divided its first run in Denver between two houses. A telegram from Eddie Zorn, owner of the big Temple Theatre, Toledo, tells of the triumph “Grandma’s Boy” is scoring in that city and of the upset it has occasioned in his booking arrangements. Joseph Plunkett, managing director of the Mark Strand, is making elaborate preparations for the opening of the first New York run of “Grandma’s Boy,” Sunday, September 3, which is Labor Day week. A Great Start The week beginning August 27 saw two releases of the new Allied Producers and Distributors Corporation playing representative theatres in Greater New York, day and date. J. Stuart Blackton’s “The Glorious Adventure,” the first Prizma color photoplay, featuring Lady Diana Manners, started a run at the Brooklyn Strand, following an engagement at the Capitol Theatre, New York, and Max Linder’s burlesque, “The Three MustGet-Theres,” opened at the Strand, New York. After its run at the Strand the Linder film goes to the Keith-Proctor-Moss circuit, where it will feature the bills. Alexander Absorbed by Levey Through contracts signed this week the entire non-theatrical activities of the Alexander Film Corporation, 130 West Forty-sixth street, New York, are absorbed by the National Non-Theatrical Motion Pictures, Inc., of which Harry Levey is president and Arthur James is vicepresident. By the terms of the agreement 150 subjects, including William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Norma Talmadge, Charles Ray, Frank Keenon, Ray Stewart and a number of specials will be marketed non-theatrically solely by the National NonTheatrical Company. Christie Co. Service for Theatres In order to better serve the theatres which advertise comedy attractions in newspapers and house organs of their own, the Christie Film Company has inaugurated a special cut, photograph and mat service on all the new Christie Comedies beginning with “That Son of a Sheik” which is to be released in September through Educational exchanges. All of this material is being prepared by the Christie studios, under the direction of the exploitation department and will be available through Educational exchanges before release dates on all pictures. Production Started Emmett J. Flynn has started the production of “Without Compromise,” in which William Farnum will be starred. It is being made in the William Fox West Coast studios. Lois Wilson will be opposite Farnum and Robert McKimm will play the “heavy.” Tully Marshall also will have a prominent part in the production. COMING SOON PERFECT PICTURES “neither screen nor stage — RUT LIRE'S WINDOW " Grandma’s Boy” Is Cleaning Up