The Moving picture world (December 1920)

908 MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 18, 1920 Realart's "The Furnace" Is Receiving Praise from Exhibitors in All Parts of the Country Wherever It Is Shown PLEASED patrons immensely" and "packed houses to the limit" are typical of the enthusiastic comments which Realart's William D. Taylor production, "The Furnace," is said to be exciting among exhibitors. Skouras Brothers Enterprises controls six theatres in St. Louis . They are the New Grand Central, West End Lyric, Central, Pageant, Shaw and Arsenal. Recently, Skouras Brothers booked "The Furnace" for showings in all of its houses. The picture was first shown at the West End Lyric and the New Grand Central theatres, where it opened for a week's run December 6. After the initial showing, Skouras Brothers sent the following wire to Realart : *We are pleased to report wonderful results with your Taylor special, 'The Furnace,' at both our New Grand Central and West End Lyric theatres, where it started a week's run today. The best part of the Opening of the engagement lies in the fact that it pleased our patrons immensely. You can sell us more pictures like 'The Furnace.' " A telegram from Detroit where the picture had a week's showing carries the same message of crowded houses and pleased patrons. '"The Furnace' opened John Kunsky's two thousand seat Madison Theatre to great business," says this telegram of November 30. "It jammed the house to the limit and continually held them out." Another message from the same source, dated December 2, says: "'Furnace' playing unusually consistent matinee business and holding them out night performances." This telegram is from the Rex Theatre, Oshkosh, Wis., dated November 26: "Today last day showing 'The Furnace' biggest day of the run, crowds jammed our house afternoon and evening. Broke all house records with this feature." The following theatres are among the more recent houses to book the pictu/e: Vaudette Theatre, Springfield, 111., seven days run; La Sails Theatre, South Bend, Ind., four days showing; Garden Theatre, Michigan City, Ind.; Strand Theatre. Pittsburgh, Pa.; Empire Theatre, Winchester, Va., two days' run ; Orpheum Theatre, Gary, Ind.; Mecca Palace, Saginaw, Mich., five days' showing; Frederick Theatre, East Pittsburgh ; Regent Theatre, Scranton, Pa. '"The Furnace' is an ideal example of what can be done by a clever director, unlimited capital and a magnificent cast," declares the reviewer in the Atlanta Weekly Film Review. "It is a picture with a surefire appeal, both to men and women." Exhibitors Tell of Satisfaction and Spirit of Co-operation with Fox Work F iROM many of the letters received from showmen who have played Fox special features the producer not only gets keen satisfaction that his product has brought profit to the exhibitor, but he finds in many of the communications also a spirit of co-operation that, in its continuation, is sure to make the exhibition of moving pictures an increasingly better business, officials of the company say. One of the most pleasing expressisns of friendly interest that has come to Mr. Fox recently is cited in letters and telegrams that have reached the home office in New York from James B. Clark, of Rowland & Clark, Pittsburgh, and Nate Gordon, of Boston. Both these showmen hold First National franchises for their respective territories and have, in consequence, their own attractions to exploit in their theatres. But Mr. Clark says the biggest individual stars This is hoiu she conveyed the message by means of a lip stick. Vitagraph' s "Dead Men Tell No Tales" figured in the note. of the screen have not been able to meet the record of "While New York Sleeps" — three weeks of capacity business. Nate Gordon said in his letter to Harry F. Campbell, manager of the Fox Boston branch, that "While New York Sleeps" was played in the Gordon's Old South Theatre, Boston, for two weeks "with the biggest business the house has ever done under our management. It has likewise done a big business at our Olympic Theatre, Lynn, and Gordon's Central Theatre, Cambridge, and a good business at Uphams Corner Strand, Dorchester." From the Empire Theatre, New London, Manager Pouzzner wrote to Mr. Fox: "This production impressed me sufficiently to run it on the biggest week of my year— anniversary week." Letters from two showmen in Grand Rapids, Mich., give an effective line of this Fox special in the matter of second runs. Power's Theatre played it for a full week on the first run, and later on the Temple Theatre gave it still another week. Teaser Advertising in a Murder Mystery Vitagraph's teaser advertising for "Dead Men Tell No Tales" brought an unexpected result in Philadelphia last week when "Boots" Rogers, a suspect in the Pierce murder case used one of the reverse cuts to send a message to the man suspected of the crime. She and a friend has been arrested on suspicion. Later the man who is reported to have confessed to the crime was brought in. The girl sent a note to him, written with her lip stick on a scrap of paper, and enclosed one of the Vitagraph teasers with the "Tell No Tales" crossed off, apparently to divert attention. The "Philadelphia papers all reproduced the note, most of them making a splash on the front page. The cut shows the four-column use in the Philadelphia North American. , , Better still— for the Vitagraph— the story was flashed all over the country by the press associations, bringing attention to the teasers which are being run in all the big city papers and giving the Vitagraph thousands of dollars' worth of front page publicity, if breaking into the live news can be estimated on a dollar and cents basis. MA HI I Tba. W lb* !*sir^*. tunr.jf r.* i*r. il. n«tr* f—« T. *K* ■it* ..,.<% !b* "UU 1 (.« few r*.J hvitwn.:. n.. BOOTS' ROGKBs'aKD IIBR ! P-8TK'R JAIL u '..t »rr~., '- ' : ' -r t »• r ,-.•>! California Director Resigns W J Stewart, director of production of the California Theatre, has resigned from that post, and will return to the fcast. if. Wilkerson has been appointed to succeed him.