The Moving picture world (January 1924-February 1924)

642 MOVING PICTURE WORLD February 23. 1924 When a Man 's a Man "Widely Exploited in New York City HAROLD BELL WRIGHT'S "When A Man's A Man," presented by Sol Lesser and released by First National, is sweeping the entire country, according to reports received at the offices of First National and of Principal Pictures Corporation. It has had successful test runs in twelve cities in various parts of the United States. Placed in B. S. Moss' Cameo Theatre, New York, for a two weeks' run, it achieved a great record. Irving M. Lesser, vice president and eastern representative of Principal Pictures Corporation, who had charge of the Cameo showing extended the run for an indefinite period. The actual circulation of "When A Man s A Man" in book form is 1,400,000 copies. The circulation of the ten books written by Harold Bell Wright is 10.000,000 cop A questionnaire given to an average evening's crowd at the Cameo shows that 65 per cent, of them had read at least one of the novels of Harold Bell Wright. Twenty-five per cent, had heard of his stories through friends; five per cent, knew of Wright's reputation as an author and only five per cent, had not heard of him. The success of the picture as well as the result of this questionnaire wholly justifies the advertising, publicity and exploitation campaign mapped out by Sol and Irving Lesser and Mike Rosenberg at a conference in Los Angeles. It was their judgment that the name of Harold Bell Wright and the title of the picture should be emphasized and that the elements of love, adventure and self-sacrifice in the picture should be made secondary. Two of. the "boo'<s," men encased in big covers, visited the New York Public Library and invited the Librarian to attend the Cameo showing. When they first ascended the Fifth avenue entrance to the Library an attendant tried to push the "books" back into Fifth avenue. A tremendous crowd gathered. The Librarian came out and accepted the invitation. He said he would invite the books inside, where they had many companions, but that there was not a shelf large enough to accommodate them. The crowds laughed and cheered. A Fifth avenue merchant cam" up and said it was an outrage to be advertising a motion picture show on Broadway. He called the traffic policeman at 42nd. street and Fifth avenue and demanded that the "books" be arrested. The crowd hooted. The policeman laughed. "Six Days" in Canada Dominion Exhibitors Congratulate Artclass Louis Weiss of Artclass Pictures Corporation announces he is in receipt of many congratulatory letters and telegrams from cxchangemen and exhibitors who have both bought and played "After Six Days." David Starkman of the Standard Film Attractions wired that "never in my experience in the motion picture business have I seen a picture with the tremendous box office pull of your 'After Six Days.' It is breaking every known record in every theatre I have played to date, and that is without exception. Some few skeptics in this territory wanted to be shown, when I suggested that the picture would do more business than any attraction they ever played, and accordingly, I wanted a price in accordance to this, they have been shown in no uncertain terms, not only in Philadelphia but in towns like Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading and Trenton." Charles Lalumiere, who controls the picture for the Dominion of Canada, wires that the production is doing great business. Lalumiere had his first Canadian showing at the St. Dennis Theatre, Montreal, which established a record. Compromise Abrogated Music Tax Reduction in North Carolina Terminated John H. Manning, Esq., of Raleigh, North Carolina, state representative for the American Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers, has notified the executive committee members of the North Carolina M. P. T. O. that effective February 1st, the compromise blanket agreement entered into last November with the members of the North Carolina exhibitors organization whereby a rate less than half the former rate for music license could be enjoyed by all theatre owners in the State is abrogated. According to Mr. Manning's letter only about twenty five per cent, of the exhibitors have taken advantage of the opportunity to file application for a license under this new rate, which according to the original understanding makes the contract null and void. Secretary Estridge and President Varner, of the North Carolina M. P. T. O. have used every eflort to persuade the exhibitors to forward their applications, so as to make the reduced rate effective, and have addressed numerous letters to all theatre owners in the State, but without much effect. Judge Manning in his letter to the members of the executive committee expresses appreciation for the efforts they have made to have the contract lived up to by theatre owners of the State, but declares that, since the theatre managers themselves have failed to avail themselves of this privilege, he will now proceed to enforce the suits against such members as have not filed application for license, said suits having been dropped by the Society when the agreement was entered into last year. He states also that evidence will be gathered anew against other non-members for prosecution under the copyright laws. Scenes from "Fool's Highway," a Univers al-Jewel production, starring Mary Phllb n.