Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

January 8, 1927 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 125 M.-G.-M. January List Includes Big Pictures Ready With Seven Big Features Including “The Scarlet Letter” and “Tell It To The Marines” METRO-GOLD WYN-MAYER will start the new year with a January card of seven releases that includes “The Scarlet Letter,” fresh from a five-months $2 top run on Broadway, “Tell It to the Marines,” the Lon Chaney special now running at the Embasy in Manhattan, and new starring vehicles for Marion Davies, Jackie Coogan, John Gilbert and Tim McCoy. “The Red Mill,” an elaborate will probably play the Capitol for adaptation of the popular musical play, starring Marion Davies, will be released on Jan. 22. Miss Davies plays the part of a little Dutch girl. The filming was dir ected by William Goodrich. A new starring vehicle for John Gilbert, whose “Flesh and the Devil” will open at the Capitol in the near future, is booked for release Jan. 28. This is “The Show,” a melodramatic tale of the Hungarian underworld with Renee Adoree playing opposite the star. The film was directed by Tod Browning. “Tell It To the Marines” is being released on Jan. 28, jut a few weeks after its smashing premiere at the Embassy, where it is now doing big business. New Year’s Day sees the release of Lillian Gish’s “Scarlet Letter.” This film is an adaptation by M-G-M of the Hawthorne novel of Puritan intolerance, directed by Victor Seastrom. “The Scarlet Letter” Denny Comedy Scores In the New Paramount two weeks in January. “A Little Journey,” an adaptation of Rachel Crothers’ play, with Claire Windsor and William Haines, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, is tentatively scheduled to open at the Capitol Theatre on New Year’s Day. New Coogan Release January 15 sees the release of the first Jackie Coogan starring: vehicle in many moons, and the long-awaited picture in which Jackie officially reaches the adolescent stage. This is called “Johnny Get Your Hair Cut,” and was directed by Millard Webb from a story of race track adventure by the late Gerald Beaumont. The second Western starring vehicle for Tim McCoy, “Winners of the Wilderness,” is also booked for release on Jan. 15. McCoy’s first film, “War Paint,” has been one of the big boxoffice draws of the season. “Noah’s Ark” Under Way at Warner Bros. THE RAINFALL started and Michael began to build “Noah’s Ark.” Sounds rather Biblical, but it is just a way of saying that preparation of , the story of “Noah’s Ark,” which is to be Warner Bros.’ picturization of the deluge, was begun on the first day of California’s rainy season. It is expected that actual production on this big picture will be started in one month. Warner Bros, are making no secret that “Noah’s Ark” and “Black Ivory” will be two of their biggest Extended Run Productions of the season. Curtiz has shown what he can do with his first American made production — “The Third Degree,” soon to be released. Owing to the nature of the spectacle, it will require several weeks of preparation before shooting finally gets under way. “Black Ivory’’ Next “Black Ivory” will follow as soon as “Noah’s Ark” is completed. Polan Banks, the young author of the American historical spectacle, is leaving for California soon and will be present during the filming of his novel. In addition to a hand-picked cast of principals for each production, several thousand extras, great flood scenes, tremendous battles at sea with an entire flotilla of ships in action, the slave markets and quadroon dancers of old New Orleans are among the big scenes. Lila Lee appears in “One Increasing Purpose” for Fox. Corinne Griffith in First National’s “The Lady in Ermine.' Billie Dove, the “Rainbow Girl” Billie Dove is called a “panchromatic subject,” by cinematographer Tony Gaudio, who is “shooting” First National's “Playing Around,” now in production under A1 Rockett’s management. Billie has beautiful eyes on any sort of film, but it happens that she has two separate screen personalities, depending on whether black-and-white or color photography is used. In the former, her eyes photograph very dark. In the latter, they are bright blue. She is said to be the real “rainbow girl” of the movies. The cheerful fraud,” Reginald Denny’s first big Universal picture for 1927, had its New York premiere Christmas Day in the new Paramount Theatre, thereby attaining the unique record of being the first outside production to be booked into the new cinema palace. Starting off with a rush, the picture, a rollicking farce adapted from a novel by K. R. G. Browne, was well received by the public and the critics and rolled up amazing totals during Christmas Week. Reginald Denny, who already has won high favor with screen fans, put his best farce comedy ability into the making of the Browne story, say those who have seen it, and the result is a hilarious feature which keeps the audience chuckling and laughing throughout, according to the critics. The picture is cited by Lou B. Metzger, general sales manager for Universal, as indicative of the forth-coming Reginald Denny pictures for 1927, several of which already have been announced, including “Slow Down,” now in the making, from a story by Denny himself ; “Fast and Furious,” from a farcical story by Peter Milne and Phillip Hurn, and “The Four Flusher.” “We are delighted over the Paramount Theatre showing with the new Denny picture,” said Metzger. ‘‘This is the best proof in the world that the new Denny product is aces high above anything he has ever done before, not excepting his big successes of the past year. We set out to line up a group of Denny pictures for 1927 that would top everything else in the market for entertainment value, and the premiere success of ‘The Cheerful Fraud’ convinces me we have hit the right strike with this sterling star.” Tollaire Cast August Tollaire, of “What Price Glory” cast, has been added to the cast of “Looie the Fourteenth,” in which Paramount will star Wallace Beery. Duane Thompson plucks her eyebrows between shots on Chadwick’s “Anril Fool.”