Moving Picture World (Jan-Feb 1927)

426 MOVING PICTURE WORLD February 5, 1927 Gotham Film Takes Lumas Corp. Record Despite the tact that "Heroes of the Night,” the Gotham fire and police drama starring Marian Nixon and Cullen .Landis, has only been released since the first of the year, it has set a record for play dates and bookings that surpasses any subject previously released by Lumas Film Corporation. Budd Rogers, vice-president of Lumas Film Corporation, who is in active charge of the New York offices of Gotham and Lumas, reports that actual played business to date on this subject exceeds even the advance written business on any previous Gotham production. Sedgwick Will Direct Coogan Edward Sedgwick, director of ‘‘Tin Hats” and of “Slide, Kelly, Slide,” a forthcoming William Haines release, will make “The Bugle Call,” Jackie Coogan’s first starring picture under his new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract, according to announcement by Hunt Stromberg. “The Bugle Call” is described as an adventurous story of the Western frontier in the early seventies, with Jackie in the role of a boy bugler attached to a cavalry post. Kains Signed Again Maurice Kains, who scored a hit with his military role, in "Tell It to the Marines,” now packing the Embassy, New York, and is now playing the role of the Officer of the Guard in “Old Heidelberg,” has been again placed under contract at the MetroGoldwyn-Mayer studios, according to an announcement from the offices of Irving G. Thalberg. Scenes From “The Kid Brother ” Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston are featured in this Paramount super-comedy, “The Kid Brother,’ now at the Rialto, New York. William Haines Wins Starring Contract From Metro-Goldwyn AS A RESULT of his exceptionally good work in the Metro-Goldwyn Mayer features, “Brown of Harvard,” “Tell It to the Marines” and “Slide, Kelly, Slide,” soon to be released, William Haines has been elevated to stardom. This announcement was made by Louis B. Mayer vice-president in charge of production for M-G-M, just before his departure for New York, where he wili confer with Nicholas M. Schenck on production plans for the new year. William Haines had been sell ing bonds when he began his picture career with the old Gold-' wyn Company back in 1921. At the chance suggestion of Bijou Fernandez, he underwent a camera test for the screen. It was so successful that he won a contract with the Goldwyn Company over thousands of other aspirants for a motion picture actor’s position, and, of course, gave up brokerage. Going to the West Coast, he began his career with a small part in “Three Wise Fools.” His upward progress after that was constant. Norma Shearer Co-Starred With Ramon Novarro in “Heidelberg” T Exchanges Everywhere HE COVETED ROLE of “Kathie” in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s elaborate production of “Old Heidelberg,” now being made under the direction of Ernst Lubitsch, has been assigned to Norma Shearer, who will be co-starred with Ramon Novarro in what promises to be one of the most ambitious photoplays ever made by the producers of “The Big Parade.” The cast in support of Novarro and Miss Shearer includes Jean Hersholt, Chester Conklin, Edward Connelly, Phillipe 20GEMS/^Tff$Nf DeLacy and Edgar Norton. Norma Shearer’s rise to the front rank of screen personalities has been a steady march. A Canadian girl, Miss Shearer came to New York with her mother, not so many years ago in search of a screen career. A year of small parts in independent companies and industrial films followed. Whi'e doing this work Miss Shearer met Louis B. Mayer, vice-president in charge of production for Metro-GoldwynMayer. Mr. Mayer was impressed with her unique type of beauty and put her to a camera test. Her success is a matter of history. PICTURES MAY ENTER AD WAR ( Continued from page 402) a Women’s Radio Club which has the same purpose in view. It already is in operation as a combination program of advertising and current events. She made a name for herself in Boston, under the nom de plume of Jean Sargent. For four years the Shepard stores used both radio and newspaper advertising. In a comparatively few days they have discarded newspaper advertising altogether in favor of the radio, as reported briefly in the daily newspapers. Newspapers Favored The edge in this controversy apparently lies with the newspapers. They are hardy opponents in any argument. Leaving out of consideration all political tactics, they have in their favor the argument that the average life of a newspaper in a home is from five to eight hours, wnile the radio merely flashes news or advertising and it is forgotten. Certainly it is impossible to conceive any plan whereby department stores can leave the newspapers entirely in favor of the radio. 'Such stores have, from time to time, peevishly discontinued newspaper advertising only to renew it hurriedly when the bottom dropped out of their sales. The daily gross of Warvamaker's in New York is around $200,000 and that great store would be lost, because of its downtown location, without newspaper advertising. Therefore it is and will continue to be the largest buyer of newspaper advertising space in New York City. Radio Lacks Development Radio, too, is not so highly organized that it can offer its advertising clients such aids as are offered by big newspapers. Anybody who wants to pay the advertising price — a huge one — can put over a new commodity in New York City with the aid of Hearst’s staff of experts. They will place his new commodity in almost every small =tore in the metropolitan district before a big advertising splurge is starred in the Hearst papers. Radio is not equipped to lend the advertiser any such co-operation. The advantage seems to be with the newspapers. Long established, they are powerful, though their news columns seem to be decreasing in influence each year as they follow the tabloid trend and play up sensationalism. Radio is a new industry, and because of the bitter controversy over wavelengths, and other business jealousies, it probably w!ll not present a united front. WEAF already has broken away from the others in its attempt to retain exclusive rights to its wavelength. Fo, it seems, without the militant intervention of the motion picture on the side of the radiothe newspapers are sure to win. But authorities say that, if the movies want to, they can swing the balance of power to the radio. The motion picture industry has a golden opportunity to obtain for itself a just treatment of its legitimate news in the newspapers. It can force newspapers to treat motion picture news on a par with stage news. It can force fair advertising rates.