The Moving picture world (November 1921)

438 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 26. 192 1 ''The Sheik'' Played in One Week at New York Rivoli and Rialto Theatres to 112,625 People Hollywood, a picture entitled "Kisses," announcement is made that Metro has bought a new story for her. It is "Hate," a short-story by Wadsworth Camp, published originally in a magazine of national circulation. A total of 112,625 people saw George Melford's production, "The Sheik," at the Rivoli and Rialto Theatres last week when the picture had its premiere simultaneously at those two houses, according to a statement from Paramount. This beats the paid attendance for both houses for a single production, held by Cecil B. DeMille's "The Affairs of Anatol," by 14,912. The record for a single week at the Rivoli is held by "Deception" — 54^54. The paid attendance at the Rivoli for "The Sheik" was 52,721. "The Affairs of Anatol" held the record for the Rialto— 53,829. "The Sheik" broke that record by more than six thousand, playing to 59,904. Just how vast is this number of people who saw "The Sheik" in a single week at only two theatres is set forth by Paramount in a few comparisons. It is equal to the entire population of a city as large as Albany, Trenton or Salt Lake City. The enormous crowd that saw the Dempsey-Carpentier fight at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City — an event that received greater publicity than any other in the history of sport — numbered approximately 90,000. That is 22,625 short of "The Sheik" figures. About 75,000 people crowded the Yale Bowl to see the annual football game between Yale and Princeton last Saturday. "The Sheik's" crowds exceeded that one by 37,625, and would have required a Bowl 50 per cent, larger. The first three games of the World Series at the Polo Grounds registered an attendance of 105,403. "The Sheik" beat that figure by 7,222. Lined up in single file, three feet apart, these "Sheik" fans would form a line more than sixty-four miles long. And if this human line were to start North from a point just inside the northern border of Connecticut, the leader would cross the entire State of Massachusetts and penetrate nearly fifteen miles into Vermont before the last man stepped out of Connecticut. "This record," concludes the Paramount statement, has never been equalled in a single city in all the history of entertainment." Growth of Realart Studios Reflects Optimism of Officials Pa the News Shows Various Events Current issues of Pathe News, Nos. 89 and 90, display a variety of leading events here and abroad, it is said. The large cities of the U. S. are pictured acclaiming Marshal Foch and Generals Jacques, Diaz and Pershing. New York City welcomes the arrival for the Arms Parley of Premier Briand and ex-Premier Viviani, while, at Portsmouth, England, the Prince of Wales is pictured boarding the warship "Renown" for his voyage to India. As the "Renown" steams away, Nelson's old flagship, "Victory," fires a farewell salute. At Chalons, France, honors are paid to the unknown U. S. war hero, whose body is conveyed to the "Olympia" to be brought home to his native land. Japan's first woman teacher, Mme. Kaji, aged 20, brings to the U. S. a lOO-yard petition signed by Japanese women asking that an end be put to wars. In Pekin, China welcomes Major-General Leonard Wood. In Berlin is shown an example of how Germany's war heritage of 2,000,000 orphans are cared for in government asylums. Hammons Praises Moffatt's Work Through the nerve and fast work of A. S. Moffatt, cameraman representative of Educational's Kinogranis in Boston, Kinograms pre>,nls this week what are said to b» exclusive pictures of Sacco and Vanzetti, the anarchists under sentence oi death for murder, whose case has aroused radicals all over the world. Moffatt went to the Norfolk County Court House at Dedham, Mass., where the prisoner* are seeking a new trial, and got some excellent exclusive shots of these men despite threats by anarchist* against anyone who tried to get their pictures. "This is a fine example of how every member of the Kinograms staff is co-operating with Capt. Baynes in his campaign to make Kinograms the best news reel on the market," said E. W. HammonSr president of Educational. Ralph Ince to Direct O'Brien The next Eugene O'Brien picture, "Channing, of the Northwest." isabout to go into production. Vicepresident Myron Selznick has assigned Ralph Ince to direct it. It is a story of the rough outdoors just beyond the American-Canadian border and was writen by John Willard. The screen version is by Edward J. Montagne. Anything that will strike an optimistic note is particularly welcome these days when the trend of thought is somewhat in the opposite direction. To merely talk optimism does no particular good especially when conditions do not fully substantiate the verbal persiflage. But "actions speak louder than words," as the old saying goes : therefore the recent development of the Realart West Coast studios, during a period which has been universally recognized as one of business depression, has especial significance and is worthy of note. "Realart does not resemble the ostrich which sticks its head in the sand believing itself safe from surrounding forces merely because it cannot see them," says General Manager J. S. Woody. "We have recognized the fact that conditions have been subnormal, but we have not been so shortsighted as to believe that business will not again return to normalcy. Nor do I wish to decry the value of talking optimism. I believe it has a decided psychological value if indulged in conservatively. The smile \vill always pay more dividends than the frown. Expanded Rapidly "As far as Realart is concerned, we sincerely believe that there is a gradual upward trend to business and our confidence in the future can be manifested in no better way than the substantial manner in which we have gone right ahead with our production plans. "One year ago," says Mr. Woody, "we had at the West Coast two stages, one enclosed, the other open ; one dressing room block ; one dressing bungalow for the use of the stars — and a small building for the scenario department. "Today, Realart's plant includes four stages ; two blocks of dressing rooms ; two star bungalows ; added projection rooms; a doubled scenario department; fift>' additional lights and a precision machine shop where fine camera parts can be repaired at a minute's notice. "Of the four stages two have been built within the year, respectively 60 by 100 ft. and 80 by 100 ft., a total added production space of 14,000 square feet. We are soon to start the glassing in of the 100 by 160 ft. Number Two stage which will give us ample facilities for inclement weather. And, of course, with new stages we have new scene docks and a new paint frame. "These improvements cost many thousands of dollars — and are a silent tribute to the stability and success of the Realart program during a period of business readjustment. "Nothing has been left undone to bring to highest efficiency the West Coast production of features, starring Mary Miles Mintcr, May McAvoy, Constance Binney, Wanda Hawley and Bebe Daniels. The successful manner in which the improvements have been rushed to completion reflects great credit upon PVank E. Garbutt, studio manager; Elmer Harris, supervising director ; Mrs. Una Nixon Hopkins, art director; Harry Ensign, laboratory superintendent ; James Girton, production manager, and others of the department heads on the West Coast." Los Angeles Paper Gives High Praise to "Our Mutual Friend*' Metro Buys "Hate" While Alice Lake is enacting the early scenes of her latest special production at the Metro studios in What is considered by the Wid Gunning organization the most unusual appreciation ever given motion picture adaptation from a novel appeared in a recent issue of the Los Angeles Times. Frederic North Shorey, feature writer, in writing about the forthcoming Wid Gunning special, "Our Mutual Friend," devoted nearly a column to the subject. The picture played a special engagement at Clune's Broadway. Mr. Shorey, in his special article, declared in part : "Silas Wegg and his 'weal and hammers,' Noddy Boffin, the Golden Dustman with his suddenly acquired fortune, and beautiful and capricious Bella Wilfer are living again at Clune's Broadway this week. Those lovers of Dickens who have not seen Mary Carter, one of the most beautiful of blonds in motion pictures, in her portrayal of the daughter of patient 'Rumty' Wilfer, have missed a treat and a rare one, for seldom is it possible to see a literary classic so faithfully reproduced on the screen as is done in 'Our Mutual Friend,' Dickens' last completed novel. . . . Expecting the worst, in that Dickens' works seems less adapted to scenario writer's art than the works of any other author, and particularly this selection, I viewed with inexpressible surprise and delight the opening scene, when the rough and uncouth Gaffer Hexam in his dingy boat, is seen moving along the Thames, rowed by his handsome daughter, w'ith its grewsome "luck" in tow. "From the opening picture depicting the finding of the body of the supposed John Harmon, to the finale, when Bella Wilfer awakens to the fact that she has married the heir to the Harmon millions, the scenes are those of Dickens, the atmosphere is Dickens, the plot is tliat of the greatest fiction writer of the last century. "Whoever adapted it to the screen did a complete job ; whoever selected the players succeeded in imparting to them the inspiration of the creator of the quaint characteri^ villains, heroines, heroes and lay figures of the book. "One of the most exquisite piece* of acting is done by the portrayer of Mr. \'^enus, the articulator of skeletons, and temporary co-plotter of Wegg, the literary man with the wooden leg And Wegg, himself, seems almost to have stepped from the streets of London, as Dickens doubtless saw him many times, upon the screen to play his avaricious part, until he is finally disposed of in the garbage wagon. "Of course, in such a lengthy book as 'Our Mutual Friend' it is impossible to include every character, but the main ones have been selected, the main incidents of the book have been included, and the changes that were necessary to make in the tabloid version are so slight that the most captious Dickens critic could make no objection. "The lover of Dickens will carry away a lasting impression of the play, second only to the impressions of the novel. "Although there is a star, the play is built around the book.