The Moving picture world (June 1921)

June 18, 1921 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 735 600 Ohio and Kentucky Theatres Celebrate a First National Week More than 600 picture theatres in die southern half of Ohio and those along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River staged a mammoth "First National Week" beginning May 15, exhibiting eighty-three First Na- tional attractions during that period. The unprecedented size of the under- taking created considerable com- ment and the success which attended it has resulted in a determination to continue the custom. The week was launched with full- page advertisements in Cincinnati and Dayton newspapers and Iialf- pages in the Co'umbus dailies. The advertisers carried the names of all the attractions booked for the week and the city or town, theatre and date the feature was to be played. Set in minute type, this information consumed two-thirds of the page advertisement. Directly above this was a box in which appeared the advertisements of three of the largest houses; in the Cincinnati advertisements these were the Strand, Walnut and Pal- ace. Flanking these and at the top of the page were statements con- cerning the meaning of the week, the ])urpose for which Associated First National Pictures, Inc., was formed, the name of the stars en- FILMING FAMOUS '■CAPPY RICKS ' STORIES Director Tom Forman instructing Charles Abbe, Thomas Meighan and Ivan Linnw for a scene in the Paramount picturisation of one of Kyne's stories Selznick Keeps Up Interest in Fort Lee as Producing Centre Natives of Fort Lee do not miss the activities in picture mak- ing that they have been used to for,,so many years, regardless of the* fact that most of the studios are closed and the Selznick forces alone keep the town "on the map" as a producing point. With the companies now at work in the Selznick studios, village life at Fort Lee is enlivened by troupes of players working on exteriors. Eugene O'Brien's company in the production of "Clay Dollars"; Conway Tearle's preparations for "Love's Masquerade" and Elaine Hammerstein's production of "Remorseless Love" require nu- merous exteriors and there is ac- tive demonstration of the fact in Fort Lee and environs. Motion Picture Industry Will Have Art Exhibition in Autumn Motion picture fans and per- sons in the film industry will have an art exhibition all of their own on Fifth .A.venue next fall. Henry Olive, the well known portrait painter, whose paintings have adorned the covers of nearly all the popular magazines, has painted the portraits of some of the leading stars in the film in- dustry, and when the summer is over plans to hold an exhibition of his work in a well known Fifth avenue gallery. Mr. Olive, whose color work has won him a wide reputation among the younger American ar- tists, already has completed the paintings of Gloria Swanson, Wanda Hawley, Wallace Reid, Bebe Daniels and Agnes Ayres, and is now in New York City to paint portraits of other film stars in the East. rolled under its banner, and other illuminating information. The First National trade-marks were in the upper corners. "The Kid," Charles Chaplin's lat- est release, was most in demand, twenty exhibitors booking it during the week. Others which followed in popularity were "Passion," seven- teen theatres; "Nineteen and Phyl- lis," sixteen; "Unseen Forces," fifteen; "Mama's Affair," "The Jack-Knife Man," "The Scoffer" and "Love, Honor and Behave," fourteen each; "Old Dad," thirteen and "Not Guilty," eleven. R. H. Haines, manager of the Cincinnati exchange, supervised the writing and placing of the adver- tisements and won considerable commendation for the manner in which everything was conducted. The event was "played up" in the Cincinnati Post, Elmer H. Dress- man, photo-play editor, featuring it with a five-column head. The Dayton Journal and Columbus Citi- zen also contributed space liberally. Scores of the exhibitors showed First National features exclusively during the week, one of them, C. F. Pfister, of Troy, Ohio, making it a double-header. He began a week ahead of time and continued through the two weeks with features bearing the familiar trade-mark. Large Territory Has Been Tied Up With "The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg," the first release of "Aesop's Fables Modernized," scheduled for June 19, bookings for the series cover virtually the whole country, it is stated. As announced by Pathe Exchange, distributors for Fables Pictures, Inc., producers, the important list of houses in the Orpheum Circuit have contracted to show "Aesop's Fables Modernized," which means that every community of con- sequence west of Indianapolis and from New Orleans and St. Louis to Porland, Oregon, will profit by this screen revival of Aesopian wit, wisdom and humor. Book- ings throughout the Keith Cir- cuit, announced a week ago, and by other theatres, will cover the Middle West, the Southern, East- ern and New England states. Nigh to Direct Wesley Barry William Nigh, the author di- rector, according to an announce- ment just made will direct Wes- ley Barry, the famous boy star, in a screen version of "School- days," which he has written for Warner Brothers in collabora- tion with Walter De Leon. Work on the production began recently. Wesley Barry has been "loaned" to Warner Brothers. Abe Stern of Universal Returns Enthusiastic Over Trade Outlook With the final scenes of "Fool- ish Wives" completed, the last Universal official who has been steadily on the job at Universal City for the last six months has returned to New York. Abe Stern, treasurer of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, has had a pretty lively and ab- sorbing job on his hands in keep- ing the sinews of war for Uni- versal City's usual .activities and the Stroheim Company, also, sup- plied with the most essential ele- ment of moving pictures—money. But in spite of this, Mr. Stern returned to New York in a more optimistic frame of mind than Mr. Laemmle, Mr. Cochrane, or Mr. Thalberg, all of whom are confident that "Foolish Wives" will make a fortune for Universal. "I am mighty well pleased with the photoplay situation in Cali- fornia," said Mr. Stern, "and more particularly delighted with the line-up of Universal for the fall. The experience that the com- panies had early in the spring was mighty good for all those who were in anything like a sound financial position, and it shook out of competition all of the com- panies which should never have been making pictures anyway. "Universal's position was so strong that the tightness of money and credit had no effect whatever upon us except to con- vince us that the strictest econ- omy in all things was the best business policy that we could pos- sibly pursue. While other com- panies were hesitating and stop- ping business, we went right along, and next fall you will see the results of our preparedness to meet such a situation. Our line-up of stars in the fall will be a revelation to a great many peo- ple, and the pictures which Uni- versal is turning out now are going to set the pace in the pro- duction field." Mr. Stern will stay in New York until July 5, when he will sail for Europe. In the mean- time he has a number of finan- cial problems connected with the New York end of the company which will require his close atten- tion.