The Moving picture world (January 1923-February 1923)

644 MOVING PICTURE WORLD February 17, 1923 Putting Theory to Test Vitagraph President on West Coast Supervising Big Productions In order to test out his theory that big special productions with several well known players in each cast will tend to stabilize the motion picture industry and give it a place which for years has been occupied by the legitimate drama, Albert E. Smith, president of Vitagraph, has gone to California to supervise the making of the second of twelve big productions. Mr. Smith left New York two weeks ago, but stopped in Chicago to make a survey of the industry in the middle west. Last spring he made an extended tour abroad to study conditions in England and France and as a result of his studies in this country and abroad came the announcement of twelve special productions, the first of which is already meeting with phenomenal success. This production, "Ninety and Nine," adapted from Ramsay Morris' play of the same name has gone far to prove that Mr. Smith's theory is a practical one. The second, "Masters of Men," from Morgan Robertson's famous sea story of the same name, will be produced under Mr. Smith's personal direction. The cast for this production includes Earle Williams, Cullen Landis, Wanda Hawley and Alice Calhoun. One of the first things Mr. Smith will do upon getting into the harness will be to select the cast for the third of the series of twelve specials. This is an adaptation of Emerson Hough's famous novel, "The Man Next Door." To Make Four Features J. A. Fitzgerald has signed a contract with the Lee Bradford Corporation to make four features a year. These pictures will be known as J. A. Fitzgerald Productions, and will be made in conjunction with the Carl A. Theobald Producing Company, which has studios at Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Fitzgerald, who is at present in New York, has arranged for the appearance of Martha Mansfield at the moving picture ball to be held at the Miami Hotel, Dayton, February 12. "Unknowns" Get Chance The Granada and California Theatres in San Francisco, two of a chain operated by Herbert L. Rothchild Entertainments, Inc., are presenting concerts every Sunday which are intended to give young musicians an opportunity to appear before the public. On the same bill a number of well known artists also appear, and it is stated that these concerts have found much favor with the public. Pelley Joins Van Loan Announctnicnt is made of the association of William Dudley Pelley, of Xew York City, magazine writer and novelist, with H H. Van Loan, photodramatist, and one of the most successful script writers in the trade. Mr. Pelley has arrived in Hollywood and taken offices with Mr. Van Loan in the Security Bank Building. The joining of forces came about as the result of Mr. Van Loan's adaptation of Mr. Pelley's last novel, "The Fog," which Graf Productions are now screening for April release on the Metro program. Zukor-Kent Luncheon Adolph Zukor and S. R. Kent, who sail Saturday on a two months' business trip to Europe, will be the honor guests at a bon voyage luncheon to be given by the executives of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation at the Hotel Commodore Friday noon. Jesse L. Lasky will act as toastmaster. North Carolina Exhibitors Preparing to Fight Music Tax WE have employed six of the best attorneys in the United States to handle our defense in the forty-six cases brought against North Carolina theatre owners by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and intend to fight the matter to a finish," declares Colonel Henry B. Vamer, secretary of the North Carolina M. P. T. O. Colonel Varner held a preliminary meeting with leading exhibitors against whom suits have been started by the society in Greensboro on) January 26, at which tentative plans were adopted for defending the theatre owners against the twenty-nine suits which will be heard in the Federal Court at Greensboro smd seventeen cases which come within the jurisdiction of the United States Court at Raleigh. Bynun, Hobgood and Alderman, leading firm of attorneys of Greensboro, will prepare the answers and defend the suits in the Greensboro courts and Pou, Bailey auid Pou. of Raleigh, will handle the defense for the theatre owners in the Raleigh courts. These attorneys have already met with the exhibitors and are at present preparing answers to each of the forty-nine cases. Colonel Vamer declares that, contrary to general belief, very few exhibitors in the State have paid the tax, these few being located for the most part in the larger cities. They have a woman spy, according to Mr. Varner, who visits the theatres and after getting evidence notifies them of the fact and threatens suit if payment is not immediately made. "This is almost a life and death case with us exhibitors," declares Mr. Vamer, "and we must win. There never was a more unjust law enacted on the statute books. It was lobbyed through Congress when nobody was looking else such a law would never have passed," 4r Clifton Tells Why He Made 'Down to the Sea in Ships" ELMER CLIFTON'S super-special production, "Down to the Sea in Ships," shortly to be released through the W. W. Hodkinson Corporation-, is designed and intended as a lasting memorial to perpetuate for coming generations, through the medium of the rnotion picture screen, the romantic thrilbi and adventures of the whaling days of a century ago according to a statement made by Mr. Clifton. The old whaling days, now gone forever, form one of the most fascinating and significant pages in America's history. The adventures that a whaler met on a single voyage would often supply enough exciting material to fill a dozen volumes. Only a few of the men who in their prime frequently heard the cry of "there she blows," are still alive, and before they are all gone, the idea was conceived by John L. E. Pell, of New Bedford, Mass., a descendant of one of New England's foremost whaling families, to utilize the knowledge of these men in staging for the screen a whaling voyage just as it would have been carried out eighty years ago. New Bedford, long the recognized cente^ of the whaling industry in the United States, responded financially to the plan, and there was organized little more than a year ago the Whaling Film Corporation. To Elmer Clifton, who long has been identified with "big times" in the production line, was entrusted the task of producing a feature that easily takes rank with the foremost screen presentations of the age, and which, from the viewpoint of thrills, heart-interest and photography, should live on and on, a fitting tribute to the brave men of the sea who risked their lives in pursuit of the greatest of ocean monsters. The production was completed, after eight een months of hardships, and recently Mr. Clifton concluded negotiations with the W. W. Hodkinson Corporation whereby he could be assured a proper distribution of his super-special. The tentative release date for "Down to the Sea in Ships" is set for March 1, with the indications pointing to an advance showing in one of the principal Broadway theatres, prior to general distribution. Mr. Clifton was prompted to undertake the production of this new feature because of his constant desire to create a screen spectacle of the unusual type. He was not content to produce an ordinary whaling picture, and in order to secure every possible bit of realism, veteran whalemen, long since retired to shore pursuits, were recruited to form the nucleus of the crew that was sent down to the Caribbean Sea on the hunt for whales. The cruise was made aboard the square-rigger "Charles W. Morgan," built in New Bedford in 1842, and said to be one of the oldest whaling vessels afloat. By means of the use of a gyroscopic camera, Mr. Clifton was enabled to overcome many of the difficulties which are ordinarily evident in sea scenes, and by introducing modern methods, such as a ship's yawl boat equipped with motive motor, every minute particular of the perilous chase, exactly as it was done a century ago, has been vividly recorded for the screen. New Company Formed Reports received at the Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C., state that a new moving picture company has been formed at Madras, India, under the name of "The Star of the East Films, Ltd." The new company has an authorized capital of 4,000,000 rupees (one rupee, 3.24 cents), of which 2,000.000 rupees is to be issued in 80,000 shares of 25 rupees each. The directors and promoters are reserving 10,000 shares.