The Moving picture world (March 1925-April 1925)

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482 MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 4, 1925 Marin Predicts New Production Policy for the Coming Season NED MARIN, sales director for Universal, has just returned from a six weeks' tour of the West Coast and the picture production center at Universal City with a glowing report of the picture outlook for the coming season. He predicts that next year's output will have a far greater percentage of audience pictures than ever before. This prediction is based by Marin on a careful survev made by him of the current production policies of the various companies working around Los Angeles, and especially of the production plan and aims now in vogue at Universal City. "The producers realize." explained Marin in a recent interview, "that the day of the mediocre picture is past. They are fully aware of the fact that the public will stand for nothing but the best. This means infinitely more care in production. It means the acquisition of more virile stories and a much greater care in direction. Selection of casts also has taken a much more important place in the industry. "The public has become more demanding in many ways. This I found out by heartto-heart talks witih exhibitors from Chicago to Seattle and from Des Moines to Los Angeles. The public is shopping more for its pictures. A greater variety of pictures and a great improvement in photoplays is a necessity if the industry is to hold its public. New personalities also are needed for the screen. The older ones can't go on. The public is tired of the same faces in picture after picture. The producer who develops new faces is going to win out. In this connection Carl Laemmle, our president, is developing two sure winners in those delight ful stars. Mary Philbin and Laura La Plante. "It used to be that stars built pictures. The industry is swinging away from that status. Now, pictures build stars. Take Reginald Denny, for instance. By putting him in three first-class stories. Universal has seen him develop in the course of twelve months to a position among the leading light comedy stars of the screen. "Mr. Laemmle is letting no grass growunder his feet in regards to the coming season. We have five big pictures completed, or in the final stages of production, already. They are : "The Phantom of the Opera," a super-picture ; "California Straight Ahead," "Siege," a powerful picture, starring Virginia Valli ; "The Teaser," a great box-office comedy, starring Laura La Plante, and "Lorraine of the Lions," an adventure feature, starring Norman Kerry and Patsy Ruth Miller. "I would like to add that Universal is planning bigger things in the Western picture field. Hoot Gibson has developed into a Western star the equal of any. "Much of Universale progressiveness in keeping abreast and ahead of the time, is due to Mr. Laemmle's keenness in keeping in close touch with the public. He corresponds with individual picture fans and with movie critics and, what is more, he takes their suggestions." "Keep Smiling" Bank's Latest Word has been received from the Coast that the new Monty Banks' comedy, now in the course of production for Associated Exhibitors, has been given the working title of 'Keep Smiling." Arnold Daly and Clifton Webb in one of the comedy scenes that are a feature of "Heart of a Temptress," recently completed by Sawyer-Lubin for First National release. ZaSu Pitts in "Greed," the Metro-Goldwyn feature, reaches tragic heights. "The Thundering Herd" Los Angeles Critics Shower Praise on Newest Paramount "Western" A dispatch from Los Angeles describing the opening of Paramount's "The Thundering Herd" at Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre states that the production has taken the town by storm, and quotes from some of the reviewers, as follows : I» B Flower in The Daily News, "The Heralded Zane Grey film tale "The Thundering Herd' was ushered into Los Angeles yesterday and presented to one of the largest motion picture matinee audiences that has ever crowded into Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre." Florence Lawrence in the Examiner, "Laymen gasp and thrill as 'Thundering Herd' rolls on its cinematic way ... on the silver-sheet this picture presents a hundred angles of interest. Action, hardihood, heroism and suffering are all depicted within a few hundred feet of celluloid; and the accomplishment of this tremendous climax is really a notable piece of technique." Grace Kingsley in the Times: * 'The Thundering Herd' Is one of those pictures that after it has served its excellent purpose in the way of entertainment in this day, should be folded up and put away for colleges and high schools to look at fifty years from now. Perhaps never shall we again see another buffalo herd stampeding . . . never shall we again see a more interesting picture as regards an Indian pow-wow . . . certainly never shall we have so interesting an exhibition of universal Indian sign language as that in which these real braves of several tribes communicate with each other during their councils. These things are additionally interesting because they are vital part of absorbing story of 'The Thundering Herd.'" Monroe Lathrop in Evening Express says, "Here is a feature that for furious nerve tingling realism rivals 'The Covered Wagon.' Its scope is almost as great and had it appeared before that memorable picture It would certainly have taken to itself much of the honor that went to the Cruze super film. It is not too much to say that in portions it excels in real punch the earlier work. It is made on the same big scale. There is the same sincerity in its record of actual pioneering. The same conspicuous ability of direction that marked the translation of the Emerson Hough tale." Guy Price in the Evening Herald, "A production that will live long in the memory of everyone who sees it. For pure thrills based on actual fact, and not conceived In the mind of a writer of fiction, 'The Thundering Herd' has everything that this reviewer has seen for months far outclassed."