The Moving picture world (October 1920)

October 16, 1920 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 979 King Vidor and Grosset and Dunlap Together Exploit "The Jack Knife Man EDWARD GRAINGER New York manager for King Vidor "W ay Down East" Breaking Records D. W. Griffith's elaboration of "Way Down East" is Hearing its one hundredth performance at the Forty-fourth Street Theatre, New York, where it has achieved a success comparable only to Mr. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" and "Broken Blossoms." This production, in twelve reels, is a three-hour show. ARRANGEMENTS are being completed by Ed Grainger, New York manager for King Vidor, and S. A. Jenkins, publicist for Grosset and Dunlap, publishers, for a combination exploitation plan on "The Jack-Knife Man." The success which has come to the screen production of this novel by Ellis Parker Butler has revived a strong demand for the book, and as Mr. Jenkins has through long experience learned the efficiency of using a motion picture production for the purpose of boosting book sales, and knows that a selling campaign on a book will aid a screen adaptation of the same story, it is his intention to make the exploitation of the book fit in with the advertising on the picture. Mr. Jenkins declares that the public has accepted the fact that a book has been adapted for the screen as a guarantee that the story is worthwhile, and therefore the mere advertising of the fact that it is the basis of a screen production has a real selling power in connection with novels. A screen production also profits by such exploitation, according to Mr. Jenkins, by the fact that persons who buy the book and like the story are anxious to see it picturized, or even if they do not buy the book, the advertisement of it creates a desire for the story which can be gotten by going to the theatre showing the film. The campaign on 'The Jack-Knife Man" will be conducted along lines which Mr. Jenkins has found to be the most efficient Arthur Klein Describes His Plan for Furnishing Singers and Musical Acts ARTHUR KLEIN'S Manhattan exchange idea for the booking to exhibitors a continuous split or full week service of singers and musical acts has aroused widespread interest in the trade. Asked, as to just what he had in mind as to the scope of the proposed service and why he thought the exhibitor needed it, Mr. Klein admitted that for a year or more he has been studying the possibilities of breaking up the monotony of a straight picture program with some sort of entertainment. "Obviously," said Mr. Klein, "the entertainment would have to be of a type that would not too seriously interrupt the photoplay program, but at the same time would really entertain the 'wise audiences of the day.' One Kind of Talent "TJjexe is just one general kind of talent that will serve this purpose and that is the singing and musical numbers. If it has the class and is presented by finished talent, it can entertain anywhere, anytime, but is peculiarly adapted to photo-theatre needs. "Between photoplay subjects a relief from eye and mental strain is given an audience, just as it is a relief to have the curtain fall now and then in a dramatic show to give the audience a chance to relax, so it is a relief to have the steady progress of a photoplay program interrupted. Exhibitors Need Service "It has been proved that lighter diversion whether it be a song by a cultivated voice or an instrumental selection by an accomplished musician has met with all the desired success where it has been tried, and since the idea came to me — and let me admit now that it is not an original idea — I have been contracting talent, sounding managers and making arragements to launch my proposition on a national scale. "The inquiries received show the exhib itor's need of this service. We are trying to answer the predominating questions in this issue. We intend to give a frank answer to every inquiry, no evading of issues, no dodging of questions. We have no desire to serve any exhibitor who does not need the service — nor serve him unless his audience demands extra diversion." L. D. Willis Leaves Selznick for Sealed-Air Laboratories Lloyd D. Willis, franchise manager of National Picture Theatres, Inc., of which Lewis J. Selznick is president, has resigned to be secretary and treasurer of the SealedAir Laboratories, Inc., of New York, manufacturers of a process to preserve automobile tires. Mr. Willis is well known in the film industry. For many years he was a newspaper writer. He was secretary to Joseph Johnson, then fire commissioner under the administration of the late Mayor William J. Gaynor, When the Gaynor administration ended Mr. Willis became secretary to Charles S. Whitman, then district attorney of New York County, later governor of New York State. Mr. Willis, as Mr. Whitman's secretary, conducted the publicity and advertising campaign when Mr. Whitman was elected. He then joined the force of Fox Film Corporation as assistant general manager and served in that capacity for two years and a half, resigning in June, 1918, to engage in business on Broadway under the name of Lloyd Willis, Inc. He sold his business and returned to the motion picture field as assistant to J. A. Barst, president of the United Picture Theatres of America, Inc., in 1919, and resigned to become franchise manager for National Picture Theatres in February of the present year. from the point of profits for both the producer and the publishers. This consists of keeping in close touch with the bookings on the picture and then getting in touch with book stores in the vicinity of the theatre. The advantage to be gained by the book seller through an advertising campaign and window displays on the book, simultaneously with the advertising of the screen production of the same story at the local theatre, is obvious. Cut-outs, posters and other displays for use in the windows or in other ways of advertising are furnished by the publishers for the use of the book sellers. As near as possible these are made to conform with the advertising matter furnished the exhibitor by the distributing company. A special edition of "The Jack-Knife Man" will be published by Grosset and Dunlap in connection with the exploitation campaign. The edition will be illustrated by stills from the motion picture and the title page will carry an announcement of the adaptation of the book to the screen by King Vidor. Levey Sues Universal Suit has just been filed on behalf of Harry Levey in an action in the New York Supreme Court against the Universal Film Manufacturing Company to recover $20,000. Levy alleges that on April 1, 1919, he entered into a contract with Universal to be the general manager of its industrial department, and that the consideration was to be a salary of $200 a week, and 5 per cent, of all cash receipts arising in the department, on all contracts procured by Levey during the period of his employment. Levey alleges that he faithfully performed all the conditions of his part of the contract, while the defendant, he contends, received from clients or customers from contracts during his period of employment the sum of $400,000. on which he claims he is entitled to $20,000, representing the 5 per cent, provided for under the contract. Plunkett Books "Flivver Wedding" Federated Film Exchanges, of America, Inc., announce that manager, Joseph Plunkett, of the Strand Theatre, New York, has contracted for and is showing this week the Monty Banks comedy, "A Flivver Wedding." This is said to be one of the funniest comedies produced in a long time, and to give Monty Ban' s ample opportunity to display those qualities which have made him one of the foremost laugh provokers of the silver sheet. A man thought he loved The Wrong Woman But she really proved to be The Right Woman