Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

119 January 8, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD Fourth Walsh Producers Distributing Corp. FlAs ^Great*Hit Announces New Y ear’s Qroup Cecil B. DeMille’s “King of Kings” Heads List; “Yankee Clipper” Gripping Special; Releases Noted up to July PRODUCERS DISTRIBUTING CORPORATION starts the new year with a program of De Mille and Metropolitan Studio productions interspersed with Christie Feature Comedies which, undoubtedly, will prove to be one of the outstanding groups of picture of 1927, "His Rise to Fame,” the newest production to star George Walsh in the production group this star is appearing in for Excellent Pictures Corporation, is in the hands of its editors and titlers. being made ready for review and distribution. The president of the producing company, Samuel Zierler, who ordinarily is not given to expansive self-satisfaction, declares himself unqualifiedly as believing that in “His Rise to Fame” the company has made a most unusual picture. This is George Walsh’s fourth picture produced under the banner of Excellent Pictures. All of its predecessors are said to be meeting with favor by exhibitors throughout the country. The first three were “The Kickoff,” “A Man of Quality” and “Striving for Fortune.” Johnny Hines Under Way in “All Aboard” “All Aboard,” starring Johnny Hines, is provided with an exceptionally fine cast supporting the talented star in his latest First National comedy offering. Edna Murphy plays opposite Hines. This charming actress recently did the leading feminine role in “McFadden’s Flats,” the Asher, Small and Rogers production for First National. She was also seen to advantage in “Clothes Make the Pirate.” The company has been doing location work at El Segundo, California, and animals in plenty are being used in the comedy, including parrots, goats, donkeys, camels, sheep, horses and snakes. Studio work has just commenced. The star is confident that the picture will represent his very best work to date. Tom Mix At Work On New Photoplay Tom Mix started work today at Fox Films West Coast Studios on “The Broncho Twister,” the second story written by Adela Rogers St. Johns especially for Mix. Helene Costello has the feminine lead. Others in the cast are Dorothy Kitchen, George Irving, Doris Lloyd, Paul Nicholson, Malcolmn Waite and Jack Pennick. 0. O. Dull is directing from John Stone’s scenario. Starring Again Ramon Novarro, MetroGoldwyn-Mayer star, now playing in “Old Heidelberg,” directed by Ernst Lubitsch. National Board Finds “It” Good “It,” Clara Bow’s first starring; picture for Paramount, lias been selected for the Photoplay Guide of popular entertainment lilniK, by the reviewing committee of the National Board of Review, It was also given an asterisk, which indicates that the picture is especially well done. The picture is declared suitable for the general audience. Standing at the head of the list and overshadowing every picture of either the past or the coming year, is Cecil B. De Mille’s personally directed production, “The King of Kings,” of which Jeanie Macpherson is the author. This, of course, is a special, and no plans have been made for ijts presentation, except that arrangements have been made to have it open Grauman’s new Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, probably in March. In importance of the subject, in magnitude of conception, in photography and in the personnel of its cast, it dwarfs any other film production. In January, P. D C. will release four pictures. The first is “Jewels of Desire,” starring Priscilla Dean, with John Bowers as leading man, and directed by Paul Powell. It is one of those stirring, thrilling stories for which Miss Dean is famous. Next comes “Fighting Love,” starring Jetta Goudal and directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander, formerly director-general of UFA and now working under the De Mille banner. Miss Goudal has three leading" men in this picture— Victor Varconi, Henry B. Walthall, and Louis Natheaux. This is a story of the Italian Foreign Legion. William Boyd and Elinor Fair will be seen in “Jim the Conqueror,” a Peter B. Kyne story of the war between the cattle barons and the sheepmen. This is a Metropolitan picture directed by George B. Seitz. Most of the scenes were taken in Arizona. This picture has a surplus of villains, three of the most famous heavies in pictures — Walter Long, Tully Marshall and Tom Santschi being in tire cast. This last release for the month is one of the finest pictures on this or any other program. It is “The Yankee Clipper,” a story of the days of the clipper ships, when America’s commercial supremacy on the seas was undisputed. It was produced by Rupert Julian and supervised by C. Gardner1 Sullivan for the De Mille studio, and the cast includes William Boyd, Elinor Fair, Junior Coghlan, Walter Long, Julia Faye and many more noted players. The story is of a race between an American and a British clipper ship, with cargoes of tea from Fuchow, China, to Boston. The stellar roles in the production are really played by the two ships, the Bohemia and the Indiana, which were of the old clipper fleet and were bought by Cecil B. De Mille for use in this production. “Rubber Tires” First The February releases are headed by “Rubber Tires,” a corned}'' of the auto camps produced by Alan Hale for the De Mille Studio, with Harrison Ford and Bessie Love featured in the cast. Second on the February list is Leatrice Joy’s new starring vehicle, “Nobody’s Widow,” an adaptation of the famous Avery Hopwood farce produced by Donald Crisp for De Mille. Charles Ray is Miss Joy’s leading man, and Phyllis Haver is a fascinating member of the cast. The third of this month’s releases is “No Control,” which features Harrison Ford and Phyllis Haver, a broad farce adapted from a story by Frank Condon, directed by Scott Sidney and supervised by A1 Christie. In March comes “Turkish De (Continued on page 126) Two Aces of the Pictures Anna Q. Nilsson and Kenneth Harlan in First National’s “Easy Pickings.”