The Moving picture world (July 1920)

Ju ly 24, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 489 $10,000,000 Company Features Works of Maibelle Heikes Justice, Screen Writer Mary! Mary! Gowned Like a Fairy! Mary Miles Minter in "Peggy Rebels," a new American release. Buys Story for Carmel Myers Carmel Myers, the new Universal star, who has just completed her first picture, "In Folly's Trail," by Helen GardenshireMartens and Katherine Leiser Robbins, found the story so adaptable to her screen abilities that Universal has purchased a second story from the same writers. It is "The Gilded Dream," a novelette published in Young's Magazine for March, this year. "In Folly's Trail" was published in novelette form in Snappy Stories for January, this year. Stroheim's "Blind Husbands" Is Popular in Great Britain BLIND HUSBANDS," the first big von Stroheim picture, has been royally received in Great Britain, word has reached the Universal office from George Kann, the Universal export manager, now in Europe. Only one objection was raised to the feature. Mr. Hussey, one of the leading censors of the English film world, •worried over the picture because he thought the British public might be cool toward a photoplay they knew to have been taken in Austria, so recently an enemy country. The censor was astounded when he was assured that every scene in the big Alpine picture had been filmed in California. The initial showing in England was held in the Alhambra, one of the largest theatres in London. A representative audience was present and loudly acclaimed the feature. British critics were unanimous in praising the film. "Humoresque" Begins Seventh Week "Humoresque," Cosmopolitan Productions' picturization of Fannie Hurst's story •of mother love, began the seventh week of its indefinite engagement at the Criterion Theatre, Broadway at Forty-fourth street, on Sunday, July 11. Its sixth week was one of the best that the picture has had since it opened, despite the fact that it was Fourth of July week, when every one is supposed to be out of town, and also despite the fact that the weather was very 'warm. Levey Appoints Frazer Harry Levey has appointed Harry L. Fraser chief of production for the Harry Levey Service Corporation. In his capacity Mr. Fraser will devote his attention to writing, acting, directing educational and industrial motion pictures. THE subscription by New York brokers of one-tenth of the $10,000,000 stock offered by a motion picture producing company which will feature an author, was announced last week by Colonel Harry Byrens, of Texas, who is associated with Colonel William N. Selig in the enterprise. This new company, which will have completed its first feature within a month, is known as the Maibelle Heikes Justice Photoplays Company and is a' singularly interesting departure from the usual run of motion picture companies. Miss Justice, its featured author, has written over 175 original photoplays for the Selig Polyscope Company, Vitagraph, Fox Film, Lubin, Essanay, Mutual and other producing companies. Before engaging in photoplay writing, Miss Justice was equally well known as a novelist and writer of short stories. The success of Miss Justice as a scenarist led Col. Selig and Col. Byrens to develop a belief of theirs of long standing — that the scenario is the prime essential of a photoplay. They have seen how many films have failed because of weak plot structure, and they believe that Miss Justice's undisputed talents can be utilized to form the basis for a series of particularly successful pictures, produced with all-star casts. Four to Six a Year. The company filed a declaration of trust under the laws of Texas on June 26, 1920. The trustees are Col. Selig, Col. Byrens and Miss Justice. The company will be incorporated immediately under the laws of Delaware. Until studios large enough to house at least two units can be erected in Los Angeles, the company will produce in Col. Selig's spacious studios. Miss Justice has twenty-seven plays ready for production, but there will be no tendency to "over-produce," the annual production probably being limited to from four to six specials. It is likely that the company will add by-productions such as a news weekly along original lines, scenics and educational, but the works of no author but Miss Justice will be produced. General offices will be opened in New York during the autumn. The present New York address is 41 West Forty-seventh street and the Texas office is in the Alaska Building, Fort Worth. Col. Selig is one of the pioneers in the motion picture field, having been producing successfully for twenty-three years. His large menagerie in connection with his Los Angeles studio is famous. Favors Original Stories. Col. Byrens, founder of the Texas Independent Pipe Lines Company, has been in charge of the distribution of United States government land sales in Oklahoma for several years under the supervision of Cato Sells, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C. He disposed of millions of dollars worth of public land from the Choctow and Chickasaw nations for the government. He also is a prominent oil and land operator in Texas and Oklahoma and owns several large ranches in Texas. Like Col. Selig, Miss Justice needs no introduction to the trade. Interesting is her announced determination to encourage by her screen productions budding photodramatists. She believes that high screen standards will never be reached until the production of books and stage plays is largely done away with in favor of the work of photodramatists who can write their stories and continuities complete to hand to the director, without the intermediary of an adaptor or other staff writer. She intends to supervise the production of her plays. Application soon will be made to list the stock on the New York Exchange. The personnel of the board of directors and executives will be announced later. Much of the capital will come from the South, it is said. MENA, ARK. — S. H. Blair has sold Lyric Theatre and the Airdome to Price McGall. WILMINGTON, DEL.— Associated Producers, Inc., has been organized with $1,000,000 capital to acquire and dispose of plays and photoplays. LARRY SEMON in The Stage Hand He wasn't superstitious — didn't believe in signs — so, without the ouija board to guide him, how was he to know that right beside him, as he calmly puffed his Flor de Ropo, was a ton of powder just dying to go off and go up? But it proved a blessing to Larry. It gave him prominence; sent him thiough a few slight carriers like a stone wall, an iron door and other things, and landed him right on the stage as the central attraction of a beauty Pallet.