The Moving picture world (July 1925-August 1925)

86 MOVING PICTURE WORLD July 4, 1925 Increased Bookings Follow Century Comedy Previews B CAROL DEMPSTER Featured in D. W. Griffith's "Sally of the Sawdust," for United Artists release. ELIEVING that the exhibitors of the country are paying far more attention to their short comedy bookings than heretofore, the Century Film Corporation, of which Julius and Abe Stern are the heads, have inaugurated a new method in marketing the Century Comedies distributed by Universal. It consists of the establishment in each Universal exchange of a schedule of immediate pre-views for next season's Century Comedies, extending as far ahead as the December and January releases. In discussing this innovation, which puts Century Comedies on the same sales footing as feature pictures, H. M. Herbel, sales manager for Century, calls attention to the fact that since this plan was inaugurated several weeks ago, sales on Century Comedies for Macfadden Starts Advertising First True Story Production THE first "broadside" of national publicity and advertising to publicize the Bernarr Macfadden productions being made by his own company, the True Story Film Company was begun this month in the Macfadden publications. Full page advertising is being carried in the True Story magazine, Dream World, True Romances, Fiction Lovers, True Detective, Modern Marriage, Dance Lovers, Movie Weekly, and Sportlife. The entire editorial page of True Story magazine in the August issue is taken up with an announcement of the latest Macfadden enterprise, True Story Film Company, and what it means both to the magazine field and the motion picture industry. The colored cover of True Story magazine for September will carry a picture of Anne Cornwall, who enacts the leading feminine role in the first Macfadden production, "The Wrongdoers." In addition to this cover Bachmann Appoints Rollo J. G. Bachmann, general manager of distribution for B. P. Schulberg Productions, this week announced the appointment of Stanley J. Rollo to the sales staff of his company. Mr. Rollo has long been identified with film distributions, since the days of Mutual Film Corporation of which he was general manager. He has recently been handling the sale of various state rights product. Mr. Rollo left New York this week to visit the exchanges of B. P. Schulberg Productions. there will be a full page advertisement of the production. True Story for September also will have the first installment of the Actionized version of the true story from which the motion picture of "The Wrongdoers" was made. This story will be divided into three instalments, each instalment to be featured story for the month in which it is published. Preceding the story and at the end of each instalment will be an editor's note to the reader that the story has been made into a motion picture production and that it will be available at the reader's favorite theatre. next season have shown a decided increase, both in volume and in price. "During the past few weeks most of the important key centers throughout the United States and Canada have been closed on Century Comedies," he said. "This goes to prove that the exhibitor realizes more and more the importance of selecting good, substantial Short Subjects to accompany his features. "We are finding out that the exhibitor is just as willing to preview a comedy as a feature, and that in contracting for a season's output he wants to know what he is getting. He does not want to buy a cat in a bag on his comedies any more than he wants to buy a block of features sight unseen. "By unprecendented production activity this spring, and by close co-operation with the Universal laboratories, we have been able to get far ahead on our comedy schedule. We now have Century Comedies in the Universal exchanges as far ahead as the first of the year. In fact, we have been that far ahead with sample prints for previewing for the last thirty days. And it is in this thirty days that we have noticed the increased booking most strikingly. "We attribute a large part of increased sales to the improved quality of our product,, of course. Never before in the history of the Century Film Corporation have we had such a line-up for fall. Exhibitors throughout the country are undoubtedly pleased with this lineup, which includes twelve Buster Brown Comedies, twelve Wanda Wiley Comedies, Twelve Edna Marian Comedies, six Eddie Gordon, six Al Alts and four made by Charles King. The Buster Browns, adapted from R. F. Outcault's famous newspaper comic strips, are proving a revelation. They have turned out to be of exceptional first-run value." Used Goerz Raw Stock Roald Amundsen took Goerz motion picture raw stock with him in his dash toward the North Pole, according to a letter from Ferdinand Schurman, president of the FishSchurman Corporation of New York, sole distributors for it in the United States. The MacMillan-Navy expedition also will use Goerz raw stock, having purchased it from Fish Schurman. Six of the Pathe Juvenile stars in "Our Gang" in scenes in "Official Officers.'