The Moving picture world (January 1920-February 1920)

568 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD January 24, 1920 in time to hear Jack Warner, one of Al's managers, telling him a few of the things yet to be done in the picture. "You invent a flivver and a milking machine, and try them both out, the flivver on a rocky road and the milking machine on a skittish cow. You tear down a lot of fences and two or three houses with the flivver, but it is not yet recorded what the cow will do; that will come later. "You get caught in a blast of wind and you're blown to the top of a building; you try to get down by sliding down a flag pole; the pole cracks; you are thrown into the open window of a hangar; you get in an airplane, touch the starting lever accidently and go up a mile or so; you see the. villains below with the girl; you drop down, land on one of the horses, chase the gang, clean them up and save the girl." Al listened to all of this with a sad eye. Every Prospect Pleases — But One. "How do you like the prospect?" Jack asked. "Fine," said Al. "But there's one little suggestion. I wish you'd see if you can pick up a prop cow somewhere." Then we went out on the lot, where Al's director, Frank Grififin, had a bunch of bathing girls grouped around a big tank just ready to make the jump-off, and we all felt chered up. We watched the girls dive, and Al and his leading lady, Betty Brown, posed for a picture, and I met William "Bull" Durham, the heavy of the piece, who used to be a pitcher on the N. Y. Giants, and watched the girls some more until time for lunch. If this installment of Rubbernecking seems somewhat jumpy and jerky — if the word paintings for which it is so justly celebrated seem a little smudgy, it is because the second finger on my right hand is sticking high above its jeweled fellows adorned with a dark complicated rag and throbbing with pain as I beat out this thrilling piece. Any writer who affects the one-finger movement and hunt-and-peck-system of typing will appreciate my difficulty. Digital Damage. The accident that disabled my digit occurred while "Mack" MacArthur and I were being piloted around the Lasky lot by Adam Hull Shirk. As we crossed a stage I was startled by a low rumbling sound issuing from a closed-in set. Thinking that the sound was the voice of Old Friday, the fiercest lion in the movies, I called a halt with the intentio'n of altering our route so that we could invade the closedin set and I could show Old Friday to Mack. I halted in the wrong place, a place selected by a stage carpenter as a resting place for lumber he was throwing from the roof of a set he was wrecking. I saw the lumber coming and heard the carpenter's "Hi, there! Look out below!" and by a hasty and agile step, I removed all of my person but the end of one finger, which was mashed, bruised and otherwise contused by the contact with the boards. Maybe a Lion Among the Ladies. Adam Shirk was deeply concerned atid conducted me to the Studio Hospital, to which place I walked with firm and fearless tread, sprinkling the floor of the stage with rich, red gt)re as I went. "Doc" Graham, the studio surgeon, fixed the finger by putting some nice red-hot stuff and a bandage on it, and then, in spite of the fact that I know that lions are enraged and made unmanageable by the smell of blood, I said, "Come on," in a fearless voice, "we will now go and beard Old Friday in his lair." Adam Shirk looked at me in a queer way and said something to Doctor Graham about examining my dome because I seemed to be talking balmy. "Balmy nothing!" I retorted, "I'm not afraid of any lion in the movies." "Where do you get that lion stuff?" said Adam. "There's no lion here." "What then," I demanded, "is that noise — that low rumbling sound like a fog horn with a turnip in its throat?" "Oh, that," said Adam. "That's Wallie Reid playing a saxophone." WITH Harold B. Franklin, managing director of Shea's Hippodrome Theatre, Buffalo, reporting "tremendous business" on Mary Miles Minter in "Anne of Green Gables," and his sentiments being echoed by Dave Harding, the Kansas City exhibitor, reporting "capacity business against keenest opposition of the year," the Realart film concluded another week of strong business in many houses, from Fayetteville, N. C. to Alhambra, Cal. The story of American girlhood was put over at Shea's Hipodrome with Mr. Franklin's customary insistence on dignity and refusal to boost the picture before his patrons co/uld decide for themselves. Neat advertisements of small size were used in the Buffalo newspapers throughout the run. This is particularly characteristic of Mr. Franklin's procedure and applies well to his patronage, where, perhaps, it would not suffice for a different clientele. After the usual Christmas day matinee, the evening houses swelled to a large total, the receipts being about $2,300. "Hooray! There Goes the Red 'Ark'"! Bill Desmond and Dorothy Dalton rejoice in their Triangle, "A Gamble In Souls." "Jubilo" Song Aids "Jubilo" Picture. Reports from numerous theatres where Will Rogers in his latest Goldwyn release "Jubilo" has been the attraction, have invariably referred to the appropriateness of the "Jubilo" song which has been made the main theme of the musical accompaniment. It suits the story and the personality of the happygo-lucky tramp portrayed by Rogers as though it had been composed expressly for the production, whereas as a matter of fact, it was listed among the three best sellers of sheet music some weeks before the picture was distributed. Gets Big "Flying A" Contract. The Idle Hour of Grand Rapids, Mich., is running American Film Company features exclusively from January 4 to February 16. This contract, secured by John McFarland, "Flying A" salesman, begins with "Trixie from Broadway," which is booked for three days. On Friday, business was reported to have maintained its high mark and on Saturday it was standing room only. Praise from the Reticent. Miss Minter's picture had the distinction of evoking praise in the same week from two showmen who are noted for their reticence in publishing their views of a photoplay. Realart was gratified to get from A. Karzas, of the Woodlawn Theatre, Chicago, a very congratulatory message. Mr. Harding, whose Liberty Theatre is known throughout the Middle West as a structure of beauty and simplicity, sent the following telegram to Realart: "'Anne of Green Gables,' featuring Mary Miles Minter, did capacity business against keenest opposition of the year. We are fortunate in having Realart series. Your success assured on productions of this kind." The smashing of a year's record with the run of the Realart film was reported by O. H. Schleusener, proprietor of the Superb Theatre, Alhambra, Cal. Miss Minter's recent activities on the Coast in behalf of her first Realart production are cited by western representatives of the producing company as definite causes of a widespread interest by fans in the star's new film. Exhibitors Co-operate. Another echo of Miss Minter's western popularity is heard in the following report from C. M. Epperson, Star Theatre, Lamar, Col.: "Accept my congratulations on your splendid production, 'Anne of Green Gables." This picture is a winner. Went over big for us and everybody well pleased." The first showing of the Minter picture in Michigan resulted in co-operation between W. S. McLaren, manager of the Majestic Theatre, and S. A. Moran, of the Arcade Theatre, Ann Arbor, whereby a telegram from the former to the latter, praising the film, featured an effective lobby display. Below the Mason-Dixon line sentiment for Mary Miles Minter was equally congratulatory. The showing of the film at Fayetteville, N. C, by William C. McIntire, manager of the Rose Theatre, resulted in congratulations for Realart. Many Exhibitors Unite in Praise of Mary Miles Minter Production