The Moving picture world (September 1920-October 1920)

October 2, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD England No Rival of the United States for Picture Supremacy, Says Beaverbrook British Statesman at Zukor Luncheon Makes Status Clear GREAT BRITAIN is not a rival of the United States for the supremacy of the moving picture industry, but encouraged by American example and fortified by American achievement on the screen, the British producers have become friendly imitators. This was the message of the Right Honorable Lord Beaverbrook, one of Great Britain's foremost friends of the motion picture, at a luncheon tendered him by Mr. Adolph Zukor, president of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, at the RitzCarlton on Monday and attended by some fifty of the leading men in the industry. "We ha-ve followed," said Lord Beaverbrook, "with comparative ease and comfort the paths which you in America have made through the jungle." He then farther delighted his hearers when he definitely gave credit to the moving picture industry as the heartening influence which brought Great Britain to its final effort in the war. Lord Beaverbrook was presented as the friend of Mr. Zukor and as the apostle of informal amity in business and social relationship of Great Britain and the United States. Has Chain of Picture Theatres. Lord Beaverbrook, who has been prominent in English politics for ten years, is by birth a Canadian. He is the owner of the London Daily Express and other newspapers and has a chain of motion pictures throughout the United Kingdom. As director of British propaganda during the war he made first use of the motion picture in this work, beating out the opposition of the general headquarters of the army and sending the first motion picture cameraman, a Canadian, to the front lines. Mr. EIek John Ludvigh as toastmaster of the informal gathering in the Crystal Room, first presented Mr. Zukor who spoke feelingly of Lord Beaverbrook as his friend and the friend of all in the moving picture industry. During his stay in England, he said, the warmth of Lord Beaverbrook's cordiality made up for lack of coal and light and all else because it filled the visitor's heart with the sense of friendship. E. F. Albee, who first presented the motion picture at the Union Square Theatre, twenty-seven years ago. Gayer G. Dominick, picture at the crisis when England was depressed roused the Empire to that supreme effort that brought final victory to England and her allies." Lord Beaverbrook gave full credit to the United States as a determining factor in the war and said that he favored any cooperation and any sentiment of unity between America and Great Britain that was not machine made or the result of an organized effort. "I am not afraid of the future," he said in closing. "I see no dangers ahead in the relationship of our two peoples." Present at the notable luncheon were F. F. Killman, Adolph Zukor, Wm. A. Brady, Eleck John Ludvigh, Edward F. Albee, N. M. Schenck, Jesse L. Lasky, LeRoy W. ^ financial field, Jesse L. Lasky and ' Baldwin, Fel'ix E. Kahii, Martin Beck, Rich William A. Brady welcomed the guest of the day with cordial speeches. His Lordship, a man of square shoulders, large and well proporitioned head and a modesty of manner that only partially concealed his native forcefulness, was warmly greeted with cheers as he rose to speak. He described his early days in British politics and the embarrassments of his early political speeches, and then gave his tribute to the place of importance properly taken by the motion picture in winning the war. "This," he said, "has been overlooked in some quarters because of the many demands for recognition from so many sources but it shall be my business to continually register the fact that the motion ard A. Rowland, Hugo Riesenfeld, Walter F. Wanger, Mort H. Singer, F. Douglas Williams, J. W. T. Mason, William A. Johnston, Col. Herbert A. Bruce, R. A. M. C, Arthur James, John F. Chalmers, James R. Quirk, Joseph Dannenberg, Al Lichtman, Gabriel L. Hess, Lesley Mason, R. W. Saunders, Paul Brandt, P. L. Waters, Lee Shubert, H. D. H. Connick, William H. English, Arthur S. Friend, Frederic G. Lee, Gayer G. Dominick, Jules E. Brulatour, Bayard Dominick, Messmore Kendall, E. Kimball Gillett, William E. Smith, Ralph A. Kohn, Sydney R. Kent, Charles E. McCarthy, F. V. Chamberlin, Julian Johnson, John C. Flinn, L. W. Boynton, Charles H. Bell, Arthur N. Loew, Eugene N. Zukor, Morris Kohn and N. L. Nathanson. Harry Levey's First Feature Release Establishes Records of Various Kinds entire picture ready for release in three weeks — just one week ahead of the schedule, and the busy studio purchased by Harry Levey is ready for the second production, "The White Bottle." THE special pre-release invitation showing on Sunday evening, September 26, of "Uncle Sam of Freedom Ridge," the Harry Levey Productions' first release, establishes records of various kinds. First of all, the Harry Levey Productions is the second company formed by Mr. Levey within two months, the first being the Harry Levey Service Corporation, for the making of industrial-educational motion pictures exclusively. Having launched thatwell on the way to success, Mr. Levey chartered his second company, whose program is the making of eight feature dramatic photoplays a year — these to be "pictures with a purpose." Having started this company, Mr. Levey secured as his first picture "Uncle Sam of Freedom Ridge," a story which, since jt appeared in the June issue of the Atlantic Monthly, has been one of the most widely discussed stories of the year, winning nation-wide attention and columns of space on the news pages of the largest newspapers. He Organized for Speed The most important record of all, however, has been in point of time in which this feature has been produced. Mr. Levey set a definite production time limit of four weeks. Negotiations did not materialize as rapidly as expected. Margaret Prescott Montague, never having had a story screened, was loath to release it for the films, and it was not until a month ago that contracts were signed. So determined was Mr. Levey to secure the film rights, however, that, with negotiations pending, he lined up his director and cast and selected locations, so that everything should be in readiness when the story was secured. Therefore, when his perseverance was rewarded, the director, George A. Beranger, and the cast, including George MacQuarrie, William S. Corbett, Paul Kelly, Helen Flint, Leslie Hunt, Sheridan Tansey and Eugene Keith, were actually signed up the same day — and that night production was begun at the studios at 230 West Thirty-eighth street. New York City. Accomplished in Three Weeks The picture is an eight-reel feature, comprised of 550 scenes. Work went forward night and day, a basis of twenty-one actual working hours a day being established, with shifts and hours for each shift clearly defined. Allowances were even made for weather conditions in the making of the exterior scenes. Time for exteriors and interiors was about evenly divided, six days and six nights being given to each, and in this way an average of about fifty scenes a day were turned out. Two shifts of extras were used each night. So steady a basis was maintained that the actual work of production — the taking of the scenes — was accomplished in two weeks. Cutting, titling, tinting, assembling and editing were all done in another week, still at the rate of twenty-one hours' work a day, and Ben Blake, director general of production for Mr. Levey, announced the Maeterlinck Finishes First Screen Story for Goldwyn Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian poet and dramatist, has completed his first original motion picture scenario for Goldwyn. The scenario has been given the working title of "The Power of God." Goldwyn entered into an agreement with Mr. Maeterlinck on his arrival in America last year whereby the writer is to prepare one original screen story a year for that corporation. He spent seveal months at the Culver City studios studying the technique of the motion picture scenario, and the possibilities of the camera. But long previous to his arrival in this country, the great dramatist had been interested in motion pictures and their possibilities for development into a great new art. The preparation of the continuity has been entrusted to Elmer Rice, the young American dramatist who leaped into popularity with his first play, "On Trial," and whose "For the Defense" served Richard Bennett as a stellar vehicle on the speaking stage last season. Pathe Sues Astra. A summons only was filed in the county clerk's office, New York City, in an action brought by Pathe Exchange, Inc., against the Astra Film Corporation, to recover $30,294.62. As no complaint was filed with the summons which is an action brought in the Supreme Court, the cause of action is not disclosed.