The Moving picture world (July 1924-August 1924)

178 MOVING PICTURE WORLD July 19, 1924 Laemmle Sails; Announces Twelve Jewels for Spring CARL LAEMMLE, president of the Universal Pictures Corporation, sailed July 5 aboard the Leviathan for a three months' stay in Europe. On the eve of his departure he announced Universal's schedule of big pictures for next spring and summer. The list includes twelve Jewels, one super-production and a series of highclass western features, in addition to a short subjects output. The first will be "Smouldering Fires," a story by Sada Cowan and Howard, to be made as a Clarence Brown production. Pauline Frederick will play the feminine lead. The second Jewel will be a Virginia Valli picture. It is "Clinging Fingers," adapted from "The Price of a Good Time," by Marion Orth and "The Aforementioned Infant" by Elizabeth Saxany Holding. Edward Sloman is directing it, with a strong supporting cast including Norman Kerry, Louise Fazenda, ZaSu Pitts, T. Roy Barnes, Ward Crane and Kate Lester. The third will be "The Husbands of Edith," from the story by George Barr McCutcheon. Reginald Denny will be starred with Laura La Plante and the direction done by William Seiter. Others in the cast are Ethel Grey Terry, Muriel Frances Dana and Lee Moran. The fourth Jewel scheduled is "Oh, Doctor," another Reginald Denny picture. It will be a Harry Pollard production, from the story by Harry Leon Wilson. The fifth picture in line is "The Best in Life," from the story by Muriel Hine. Mary Philbin is the star. It will be directed by Sven Gade. The sixth is to be "The Nightcap," from the stage play of that name by Guy Bolton and Max Marcin. Herbert Black will direct it with an all-star cast featuring Madge Bellamy and James Kirkwood. Others in the cast will be Rosemary Theby, ZaSu Pitts and Tom Wilson. The seventh is "The Flower of Napoli," by Gerald Beaumont. Herbert Rawlinson and Madge Bellamy are co-featured in this production, which is being directed by Edward Laemmle. The cast also includes Cesare Gravina, Nick de Ruiz, Andre de Barange, Harry Mann, Jackie Morgan and Dorothy Brock. The eighth will be "Here's How," by the ex-ambassador Richard Washbury Child. Seiter will direct it with an all-star cast. The ninth will be "Up the Ladder," from a stage play of that name by Owen Davis. Virginia Valli will be the star. The tenth, eleventh and twelfth of the Jewel series will be three of the following four: "Christmas Eve," "Another Woman's Life," starring Mary Philbin ; "Miracle," an all-star production, or "Siege," starring Virginia Valli. The super-feature is "The Phantom of the Opera," Gaston LeRoux's mystery story. Lon Chaney is the star. Rupert Julian is making it. Closes Long Run "The Ten Commandments" Enjoyed 31 Weeks of Big Business at the Grauman Cecil B. DeMille's Paramount production, "The Ten Commandments," closed its long engagement at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, July 5 in a blaze of glory, the attendance and receipts for the final week breaking all previous records for the house. The receipts, it is stated at the Paramount office, exceeded those for the final week of "The Covered Wagon" engagement, which had previously held the house record, by several thousand dollars. "The Ten Commandments" run at the Egyptian was the longest, with one exception, in the history of the West Coast, the picture running thirty-one weeks, as against thirty-four for "The Covered Wagon." A significant feature of the run of each picture was the fact that it closed on the highest week's business of the entire engagement. Weiss Westerns Ready Third of Buddy Roosevelts and Fh*3t of Buffalo Bill Jrs. to Market A wire from Lester F. Scott, Jr., executive head of Approved Pictures Corporation, to Weiss Brothers' Artclass Pictures Corporation says that the third of the Buddy Roosevelt western series has been completed. ■ The first two carry the titles of "Rough Ridin'" and "Battling Buddy," respectively. The third has not been titled as yet. The Buddy Roosevelt series, which includes eight productions, is being filmed in Hollywood. The wire also stated the first of the Buffalo Bill, Jr., series of eight westerns, which Action Pictures is making for distribution through Weiss Brothers' Artclass Pictures Corporation, has been finished. This is captioned "Rarin' to Go," and introduces a new cowboy star in the person of Buffalo Bill, Jr. Four for August Century Announces List of Snappy Summer Funsters Abe Stern, vice-president of Century Comedies, on the eve of his departure for an extended vacation in Europe, announced that his company would release four two-reel comedies for August through Universal. The list is headed by "Her Fortunate Face," the first of the new series starring Wanda Wiley, the sensational "find" made by the Stern brothers. This picture has been shown to the trade and Miss Wiley's work and personality have been highly praised. In it she is supported by Harry McCoy and Hilliard Karr, both stars in Century Comedies. "Scared Stiff," with Henry Murdock and Bessie Welsh, is the second and will be followed by "The Blow Out," with Buddy Messinger and the Century Comedy Kids. "Eat and Run," the last on the list, is an unusual story for a two-reel comedy in that it carries a real plot throughout, which might easily be utilized for a feature length production. Max Davidson, the well-known Jewish character actor, is featured with Harry McCoy and Al Alt. Bessie Welsh plays the feminine lead. Young a Playwright Howard Irving Young, well-known scenarist, has turned his talents to the spoken drama. His first play. "March On," has just had its premiere in Nashville, Tenn., at the Orphcum Theatre, and according to newspaper reports has scored a big success. Alter its Nashville engagement "March On" will be sent on tour later in the season and will be brought to Broadway early this fall. Howard Young, who served overseas with the 27th Division, is well known in the film industry, his scenario activities dating from the old Kalem days. He served on the writing staffs of Famous Players, Fox and other leading companies and for a time was in charge of the scenario department at Cosmopolitan. For the past year he has been associated with J. R. Bray, as editor of the Brayco Library, a condensed edition of Bray films used on the miniature still picture projector, which Mr. Bray is manufacturing. "March On" is Young's first venture into the field of the spoken drama. Standing on the table is Baby Peggy in whose honor Principal Pictures recently gave a luncheon in New York City. The event was marked by a private showing of her latest feature, "Captain January."