The Moving picture world (November 1922-December 1922)

December 2, 1922 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 427 EDITH ROBERTS Who will star in "Backbone," io be made by Distinctive Pictures Corp. from Clarence Buddington Kelland's novel. W. Ray Johnston ' Starts On Trip W. Ray Johnston, vice president of Arrow Film Corporation, left New York last week for a flying trip to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. While he is away it is expected that he will go into conference with various executives in the above-named territory who are handling the Arrow product. In a wire received at the home office of Arrow Film Corporation from Mr. Johnston, he said, in part, that economic conditions in the territories visited, so far as he was able to determine, were excellent and showed every promise of a brilliant year ahead. "Java Head" Nearly Completed With the end of George Melford's production for Paramount, "Java Head," approaching at the Long Island studio, some of the leading members of the cast are already taking leave of the fellow members of the cast to return to the West Coast where they have been cast for future pictures. Others will begin shortly to arrive here from California to take their places as members of casts of pictures soon to be filmed in the East, including Mr. Melford's next. Innovations Made at Mark Strand Edward L. Hyman, managing director of the Brooklyn Mark Strand Theatre, made several innovations during the run of Hope Hampton's "The Light in the Dark," and in addition to introducing a new idea in overture presentation, in which he used the Mark Strand Ballet Corps to interpret a collection of melodies by Schubert, made a symposium of Neapolitan songs and dancers to adhere to the medieval spirit of the picture. PammOUnt Convention "Hearts Aflame" opens in Los Angeles to Metro One of the biggest receptions accorded the delegates to any convention ever held in Los Angeles marked the arrival in the West Coast metropolis Monday of the special train bearing the Eastern contingent for the Paramount sales convention. Mayor George E. Cryer, of Los Aflgeles, and delegations from both the Los Angeles and -Hollywood chambers of commerce whose efforts made possible the holding of the big meeting at the Western film capital, and officially welcomed Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky, S. R. Kent and the rest of the visitors. At the train also were a large number of Paramount stars, directors and leading players, including Gloria Swanson, Agnes Ayres, Sam Wood, Lewis Stone, Walter Hiers, Antonio Moreno and others. A blare of lively music from the Los Angeles American Legion band greeted the visitors as they stepped off the train and made their way to the waiting automobiles through a shower of ripe Califomia oranges thrown by Maude Wayne, pretty Paramount actress, from a float built to represent a huge orange. Over one hundred automobiles formed in line and headed by the band the visitors proceeded to the Paramount exchange at 924 South Olive St., where Messrs. Zukor, Lasky, Kent and Herman Wobber, West Coast district manager, reviewed the passing machines which carried the delegates and scores of Southern California exhibitors who had gathered to welcome Mr. Zukor and his associates. The business sessions of the convention started according to schedule on Tuesday morning at the Hotel Ambassador, with S. R. Kent, general manager of distribution, presiding. On Tuesday evening the bigsocial feature of the convention was held at the Lasky studio when hundreds of actors and studio production executives joined in honoring the visitors at a banquet held in the prehistoric forest setting for Cecil B. DeMille's current production, "Adam's Rib." Cecil B. DeMille. director-general of the company, acted as toastmaster, and in opening the postprandial formalities he expressetl his recognition of the importance of this, the first Pacific Coast meeting of the distribution department of the company. "The thing that this convention augurs," said Mr. DeMille, "is a closer co-operation between the men who make pictures and those who sell them. And this co-operation will bring closer contact with the public which is really the big goal of all of us. Our greatest duty is to serve the public with the highest grade of entertainment possible, and meetings such as this are certain to bring tliat duty closer to perfect fulfillment." The Eastern delegation was given a great send-off at the Grand Central station in New York when the special train left Thursday afternoon. Shortly before 5 o'clock a big surprise was sprung when a band composed of members of the Rialto and Rivoli orchestras, followed by fifty of the two theatres' ushers in uni form, marched into the big concourse where the departing delegates had gathered. As the party filed through the gates to the train shed a flood of arc lights was turned on and motion pictures of entire party -w^as taken. These pictures were shown the same night at the Rialto and Rivoli Theatres. A three-hour stop at Chicago enabled the delegation to visit Jones, Linick & Schaefer's new McVicker's Theatre. The next day at Kansas City Mayor Frank Cromwell, heading a big delegation from the local chamber of commerce, met the train and officially extended an invitation to hold the next convention in Kansas City. Tickets Sell Fast for Goldwyn Dance The Goldwyn dance, scheduled for Friday night, December IS, on the Roof Garden of the Astor Hotel, is going to be one of the biggest film events of the season, preparations for the big event and Goldwyn employees are putting all kinds of energy and pep into the preparations for the big event and they intend to make it something long to be remembered. More than a thousand tickets for the dance have already been disposed of and the ticket committee is continuing its efforts without let-up. Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Will Rogers, Alice Brady, James Kirkwood, Macklin Arbuckle, Pauline Frederick, Glenn Hunter, George Fawcett, Rodolf Valentino, Mme. Nazimova, Madge Kennedy, Richard Barthelmess, Marion Davies, Alice Calhoun, Earle Williams, Corinne Griffith, Mary Hay, John Gilbert, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, and scores of other noted screen stars who expect to be in New York at the time of the dance have indicated their intention to attend. Jerome H. Remick, the musi''. publisher, has agreed to furnish a ten-piece jazz orchestra to discourse music for the dance. Reginald Barker's first production under the Louis B. Mayer banner, "Hearts Aflame" for which there has been spirited bidding in Ne-w York, has been secured by the Metro Corporation. This became known on Thursday. Mayer's productions have heretofore been released through First National, the latest, "The Dangerous Age," a John Stahl production, being just about to start its release course. Goldwyn Adds Noted Players to Cast Goldwj^ has added . J;wo more noted pla^s to SfcefSk'st for the new Rupert \Hughe9^pfctj*e, "Souls for Sale," in the persOnV^f Barbara La Marr and Mae Busch>f' Miss La Marr has recently scored two decisive hits in Rex Ingraham productions, "The Prisoner of Zenda" and "Trifling Women," while Mae Busch has just finished acting the leading feminine role in Goldwyn's production of "The Christian." "Knighthood" Breaks Record "When Knighthood Was in Flower," the wonderful Cosmopolitan film starring Marion Davies, broke all known records in Milwaukee for motion picture attendance on its first two days' showing at the Garden Theatre here. The production had been so widely heralded as an historic classic that students of Marquette University' wei^ assigned to write essays on it. ' — Ham Succeeds Hodge W. W. Ham has been appointed director of publicity at the Vitagraph offices, succeeding C. F. Hodge, resigned. WHAT KNOCK — NiiuiNli roniody — romance — action — pnckinf*: all the craflh and tinele of a Jack DempHcy knockout! Kvery one a roaring; circiiH of laufcliH and llirlUs! Prize ring climaxes liot enousli to knocic Vm out of tlieir Ncatt^ — love Hcenes big enough to Hipiccze llieir hearts — everytliing big and fin© and wholesome — everything the wizardry of Witwer has created — poured and jammed into these amazing thunderl>olts of entertainment tlmt are coming to yon out of the pages of Collier's National Magazine as rapidly as efllcient production will bring them to you! WATCH TOR THEM! WAIT FOR THKM! COMMCNICATK RIGHT NOW VVITII YOUR NEAREST F. B. O. EXCHANGE OR GET LOST IN THE SHUIOTLE! Produced and distributed by F. B. O.