Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1923)

In The Hepworth Has 14 This Season Following "Boden’s Boy,” to be released by Hepworth Distributing Corporation, Henry Edwards will start work on the screen adaptation of the E. Temple Thurston story, “The World of Wonderful Reality.” Joseph di Lorenzo, in charge of distribution for Hepworth, said that “The World of Wonderful Reality” would be completed by March, 1924, and would undoubtedly be added to the 1923-1924 releases, making a total of fourteen pictures to be released by Hepworth this season. Independents Purchase “Trip to Mars” Export & Import Film Company’s announcement of its purchase of United States and Canadian rights to the big five-reel spectacle, “A Trip to Mars,” has met with instant response from the independent field. Masterpiece Film Attractions has bought the Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey rights, and the Aywon Film Company has bought the Greater New York rights. Truart Sales Head Back From Abroad Alexander Aronson, general manager of sales for Truart Film Corporation, who has been abroad for over two months, making an extensive survey of the foreign market, has returned. Aronson made numerous affiliations with foreign distributors covering the entire next season’s Truart product. Title Changed Hepworth announces that Cecil M. Hepworth’s production, “Mrs. Erricker’s Reputation,” from the novel by Thomas Cobb, will be released under the title, “Speak No Evil.” Chicago Likes Normand Film Aaron Jones closed a contract with Associated Exhibitors this week for an indefinite run of Mabel Normand in “The Extra Girl” at his Orpheum Loop Theatre in Chicago. The run is to start at the close of the present engagement of Mary Pickfords “Rosita.” “The Extra Girl” has just closed the eighth week of its world premiere run at the Mission Theatre, Los Angeles. Playing to record houses at the start, this attraction has proved an extraordinary drawing card and the newspapers continued to lavish praise upon it even when the run was several weeks old. INDEPENDENT FIELD Independents, Take Heed of the Lull, Says Grand Truart Sells Rights to Luporini “Now is the time for the independents to put their best films cn the market,” said Samuel V. Grand, president of the GrandAsher Distributing Corporation, while in New York City a few days prior to his return to the Boston office. Mr. Grand expressed himself as being well satisfied with the general business outlook. He based this mainly upon his recent midwestern tour, when he looked over many exchanges and interviewed prominent exhibitors. Speaking of the independents, he commented: “They should gather organizations which will form the nucleus for much greater companies, and they should draw to them men who are fitted to handle any situation and deal with any business problem. For, when this condition of chaos has passed, we will find that the industry, as a whole, has not suffered and that only the firms and people who richly deserve it have been eliminated.” The foreign department of Truart Film Corporation has consummated negotiations with Ferdinand Luporini, for the sale of the rights to the first two Elaine Hammerstein productions, “Broadway Gold” by W. Carey Wonderly and “Drums of Jeopardy” by Harold MacGrath, for Brazil. With the addition of the rights to these two productions Luporini now controlls all Truart product thus far released for this South American country. Big Campaign Sheet for “Barefoot Boy” Women Highly Praise The Barefoot Boy” 44' Last Saturday Mrs. Thomas Slack, president of the New York Federation of Women’s Clubs, paid the producers and distributors of “The Barefoot Boy” the compliment of requesting a special performance of the picture. Accordingly a big pre-release premiere was arranged at the Palace Theatre, New York, under the special patronage of Mrs. Slack, with the assistance of the C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation which is distributing the Mission Film Corporation feature, and the Commonwealth Film Corporation of New York which holds the New York rights. At Mrs. Slack’s invitation various bodies of New York clubwomen to whose attention she wishes the picture brought, were present. They praised it highly. One of the most prominent audiences which has ever assembled to see a motion picture was present. A big twenty-four sheet campaign on “The Barefoot Boy” covering all of Greater New York, has been launched by Commonwealth Film Corporation which holds the Greater New York rights to the production which C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation is distributing for Mission Film Corporation. Sam Zierler, head of Commonwealth, has already arranged for 225 twenty-four sheet stands. Hepworth Films Before Royalty “The Acquittal” Lauded by Chicago Reviewers “The Acquittal,” Universal’s ;uper film starring Claire Windsor and Norman Kerry, was lailed as a “perfect picture” and ‘better than any stage mystery drama” by the Chicago newspaper reviewers after its world premiere in the big First Naional first run house, the Chicago rheatre, last week. Booked by Balaban & Katz for their palatial rouse on short notice, the picture opened with only a limited advertising and exploitation campaign behind it. The Chicago Herald and Examiner wrote: “It is better than any of the stage mystery dramas.” The Chicago Evening American; “Story, action, direction — they are all extraordinarily good. And when it comes to baffling the spectator — well, you will not know until the very end just who committed the murder.” From the London office of Hepworth comes word that -three of Hepworth’s one reel novelty subjects received a “command” for special screening before royalty at Balmoral Castle, on September 19th. The subjects screened were: “Peeps Into Puzzleland,” “Do You Remember?” and “A Rubberneck in London.” Last year Cecil M. Hepworth’s production of “Through Three Reigns” received a “comand” performance from Balmoral Castle for a screening before King George, Queen Alexandria, the Prince of Wales and the other members of the royal household. They Like It “Thundering Dawn” Has Manhattan Premiere hundering Dawn, the Lniil Super-Jewel, starring J. ren Kerrigan and Anna Q. son, was given its premiere New : City presentation last Sunday ing at the George M. Cohan itre. A packed house greeted Tarny Garson production, hundering Dawn” also opened un over the U. B. O. Circuit, ing Thursday. It is playing ltaneously in fourteen Keith, Moss and Proctor houses, and will play in the remaining four of this chain next week. The picture is reported to be attracting very satisfactory business in every house. The supporting cast: Tom Santchi, Winter Hall, Charles Clary, Georgia Woodethorpe, Winifred Bryson, Anna Mae Wong, Richard Kean and Edward Burns. The film is from the story by John Blackwood, adapted by Raymond L. Schrock. Warner officials are highly enthusiastic over “George Washington, Jr.,” the screen version of George M. Cohan’s famous musical play, starring Wesley Barry. The print arrived in New York from the West Coast and was given a private showing in the projection room immediately upon its arrival. It is their opinion that the Warner Classic is a surefire box-office attraction and one of the funniest comedies ever produced. Signs for Output Jensen and Von Herberg's circuit of western theatres signed contracts this week for this year's output of Preferred Pictures, constituting the fifteen novels and stage plays to be produced by B. P. Schulberg. i