The Moving picture world (June 1922)

728 MOVING PICTURE WORLD June 24, 1922 In the Independent^Field Weiss Bros/ ''After Six Days'' Gets Circus Exploitation Prior to Atlantic City Premier History in the exhibition of independent pictures is expected to be made next week at the spacious Woods' Theatre in Atlantic City, N. J., where Weiss Brothers' spectacularly beautiful super- special, "After Six Days," a visualization of the Old Testament, will be given its American premier. The engagement will open Saturday afternoon, June 17. The presentation is under the per- sonal supervision of David Starkman, one of the shrewdest show- men in the country, who has taken over a 12-week lease on the theatre, which is centrally located on the Boardwalk. Atlantic City has been circused with paper. 100 twenty-four sheets having been plastered in the best spots in the town with more than 1,000 ones, threes and sixes thrown in for good measure. Two thousand cards also have been used in herald- ing the advent of the production, which is incidently being exploited through priests, ministers, rabbis, city and State and school officials, and the local and Philadelphia dailies and foreign publications Crosby Brothers, who operate the Lily Theatre in Buffalo. N. Y.. write to the effect that Arrow's "Ten NMghts in a Barroom" proved a good attratcion Above the inviting entrance to a ''"d made big money for them. long lobby is an enormous sign, the largest of its kind used by any thea- tre in the country. This sign bril- liantly illuminated, constitutes one of the features of the Boardwalk. The lobby was attractively renovated with magnetic cut-outs from the picture. The presentation, as outlined to "Innocent Cheat" at the Broadway Announcement is made by W. E. Shallenberger, President of the Ar- row Film Corporation that the big the writer by Mr. Starkman, should Arrow-Ben Wilson special "The .,,,1,^ .„c,^/n^1,t=n o„H Af. Innocent Cheat, starnng Roy Stew- make cosmopolitan and merry At- lantic City sit up and take notice art and Kathleen Kirkham. will have Two special projectionists have been '^^ ^ew York premier at the Broad- contracted for during the engage- Theatre, where it opens for a ment of "After Six Days." Bert run on Stinday, June 18. Ennis and David Starkman co-op- . Wilson, producer of this erated in putting over one of the P'^*"'"'^' '^'l? ^.''^ P^'!°':f]'7„'^'r,e^J^^ greatest advance campaigns given in ) ' / , ction with the showing of any ^"t producti . tu^,„ All :„ „ir ;^ The Innocer states that he considers it the tion he has ever made, inocent Cheat" is an original story written by J. Grubb Alexan- will stand up behind everv promise j'". .^nd has been produced on a ^„ k., A/r„„ c.„.i.™'„_ u:. lavish scale by Director Wilson. In conj un picture there. All in all it looks like a record-breaker, for the picture made by Manager Starkman to his public. addition to Roy Stewart and Kath- leen Kirkham a strong supporting Gene Burneli, star of "Determina- c^st appears in the picture, headed tion," the Lee-Bradford special, is win- bv .Sidne de Gray, George Hernan- ning considerable pubiicity as a con- ^^d Rhea Mitchell, sequence of her personal appearances, and incidentiy these are held much on the drawing power of the production. As a resuit of her worlt at the Victory Theatre in Providence, R. L, recently. "Determination" played to its biggest business. Miss Burneli, because of her popularity, has been the recipient of many good offers. Good business was experienced by thf » , tt ^ Randolph Theatre in Chicago during Lesser and Western Pictures Ex the run there of "Your Best Friend." ploitation Company left New York yj=i^,?'""i°?„'HM this week on a tour that will take ture. Mother love and the splendid , . n r i ..... . teaser campaign backed by a satistac- him to all of the principal cities and tory picture in every way helped put it excliange centers in the United over in one of the hottest weeks of the Cj^fp- season," says the Chicago report. ?i .n> i , , Mr. Rathner will look after the Lester's Rivoli Theatre In Columbia, affairs of Western Pictures Ex- l.andereg^BVTonat7-^?o7wo%a^y^s ploitation Company and Jackie of good business. The picture wa.5 Cnnean Productions while on this heavily advertised^ tniir and expects to be away for sev- The personal appearance of Vera eral months. His first stop will be Gordon in coniunction with the show- at Washington. Among other ex- Ing of "Your Best Friend" heliied draw diantre centers that he will visit im- business at Saxe s Strand In Milwaukee ,. , _. u t. t ^ mediately are Pittsburgh, Toronto, Harry Rathner on Road for Lesser Harry Rathner, personal repre- sentative in the field for Irving M. E. C. Klatt of star Theatre, Farm- ington, Minn., saia ne had them stand- ing to get into his theatre during the run of "Out of the Dust" at his house a tew weeks back. over the Stanley circuit in Philadelphia, opening at the Palace in that city next Monday. Competition of a most bitter sort put the crimp in the engagement of the Clara Kimball Young production. "Eyes of Youth," at the Royal Theatre, Hopkins, Mo., according to Manager F. O. Litch. Grace Davison in "Love, Hate and a Woman," an Arrow feature, held up the good business at the Plcadllly In Rochester, N. Y.. this week, for three days, according to a report from there. Clara Kimball Young's latest, "The Worldly Madonna," has been booked put "School Days" with Wesley Barry over with a bang at the Liberty The- atre in Seattle, Wash., a couple of weeks ago. The accessories, distributed free, helped considerably, the exhibitor reports. "Where Is My Wandering Boy To- night?" opened up like a house afire at the Blackstone Theatre in Pitts- burgh on Monday of this week, accord- ing to a telegram to this office. Manager Fred Gantz of the Star The- atre, Sand Springs, Okla., reports that "The White Mask," a William Smith production, starring Franklyn Farnum* broke records at that house. Newsy Gossip of the Trade Ben Friedman, of Minneapolis, was a New York visitor this week, lining up product for next season. Jack Warner and Harry Rapf, both producers for Warner Brothers, were slated to retun to New Yok on Thurs- day of this week. Pittsburgh office, and is looking tor- ward to a big season. S. K. Brin, of Seattle, was another State right buyer who came to New York this week to line up pictures for next Fall's distribution. He will In all probability contract for the entire output of Warner brothers for 1922-23. The annual picnic of the employes of the Columbia, Educational and First National exchanges of Pittsburgh will be held Saturday, June 24. The San Francisco Federated ex- change has moved to a new building at 298 Turk street, and its former quar- ters have been taken over by Supreme Photoplay Corporation, which had been occupying upstairs quarters at 86 Gol- den Gate avenue. Harry Charnas, the live Cleveland exchangeman, returned to his home last week after spending a ten-day busi- ness visit in New York. Tom Bible, one of the most enter- prising exploitation men in the Inde- pendent market, is now handling ex- ploitation on pictures being distributed in Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey by Dave Segal, of Royal Pictures, Inc., of Philadelphia. Sam Grand, of Federated in Boston, has taken over the New England dis- tribution on Sacred Film, Inc's, Bible series of one-reelers. Major Film ex- change formerly handled the pictures. Maurice Cohen has resigned as man- ager of the .\lbany branch of Nu-Art Pictures Corporation of Buffalo. He has been succeeded by Bob Berchey, formerly Grand-Warner representative in the same district. John G. Furrer, one of the best known Pittsburgh salesmen, formerly travelling for Standard Exchange there, has deserted the film business and is now selling automobiles to his former associates. Harry Cohn, producer of Screen Snapshots and other money-maljing C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation fea- tures, is due to arrive in New York this week. L. W. Greenstein, vice president of the Pittsburgh Federated Exchange, and Cleveland, has concluded a series of conferences with Joe Lefko. of the Oscar Jacobs, an enterprising pro- ducer from Los Angeles, whose firm produced "The Adventures of Tarzan" with Elmo Lincoln, for Weiss Brothers, came to New York this week. Mr. Jacobs is planning the production of another big animal serial. recently. Detroit. Milwaukee. Cleveland, Cin- A cleverly staged local P/olofue. cinnati, Louisville, Indianapolis, Chi- backed with spectacular advertising ' ,. i- > reaching to most of the local homes, cago and Minneapolis. Shallenberg Closes Big New England Deal for Arrow on the .'\rrow Comedy Franchise. These are made up of four brands: the Arrow-Speed Comedies, twelve 2-reel comedies produced under the personal supervision of Reggie Morris and featuring such well- known players as Neely Edwards, Jay Belasco, Margaret CuIIington, Charlotte Merrian and Jack Duffy; fourteen 2-reel Broadway comedies featuring Eddie Barry, Helen Dar- ling and Vera Reynolds; five 2-reeI Cruelywed Comedies featuring Paul Weigle, Lilie Leslie and Dot Farley, produced by S. M. Herzig. These comedies have been meeting with great success and are on the style of the popular Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew comedies; fourteen Mirth- quako Comedies produced under the personal supervision of Fddie Lyons and starring that diminutive com- edian Bobby Dunn. Word has been received from W. E. Shallenberger, president of the Arrow Film Corporation, of the closing of an important contract for the distribution of short sub- jects in New England, with the American Feature Film Company, 37 Piedmont Street, Boston, Mass., of which company Harry Ascher is president. The American Feature Film Com- pany of New England is oiie of the oldest and best-known independent exchanges in New England and their activity at the present time is looked upon by Mr. Shallenberger as being a most encouraging sign indicative of the rapid return of business to normal. The contract calls for the exclu- sive distribution in New England of forty-five 2-reel comedies, released