The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

136 MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 14, 1925 GEORGE WALSH is "Renee Duval," "The Count of Luxembourg," in the Chadwick picture of this latter title, and the star is capably supported by Helen Lee Worthing, former Ziegfeld Follies beauty, who has the role of "Angele Didier." Fox Buys More Popular Plays and Novels for Production Fox FILMS has brought screen rights to ten of Charles H. Hoyt's big stage successes, four modern stage hits and three current novels, according to news refrom Winfield R. Sheehan, vice president and general manager of Fox Film Corporation, who is now conferring with production executives of his organization in Hollywood. The Hoyt plays thrilled an earlier generation of American playgoers and made the name of the playwright a household word twenty or thirty years back. In that colorful period of the American stage, a Charles Hoyt play spelled success. All of them start with "A." Otis Harlan, who played in the Fox screen version of "Lightnin' " and "Thunder Mountain" this season, played the title role in "A Black Sheep." The other celebrated plays in the Hoyt list are "A Temperance Town," "A Trip to Chinatown," "A Runaway Colt," "A Milk White Flag," "A Rag Baby," "A Brass Monkey," "A Day and Night in New York," "A Dog in the Manger" and "A Hole in the Ground." The four recent Broadway hits contained in Mr. Sheehan's announcement are "Pigs," "The Family Upstairs," "Going Crooked" and "The Way Things Happen." The Fox raid on Broadway is growing greater. "Pigs" is John Golden's litter of laughs. Anne Morrison and Patterson McNutt wrote the play and Frank Craven staged it. After ten month on Broadway, "Pigs" is making a cleanup on the "subway circuit" preparatory to going on the road. "Going Crooked" will be launched on Broadway this season after six successful weeks at the Cort Theatre in Chicago and a brief road test. The play was written by Aaron Hoffman and Willie Collier, Sr., and the latter is bringing it to New York. One of the Fox scouts saw its admirable screen qualities while it was playing in Chicago, and the deal was completed. "The Way Things Happened," produced by A. H. Woods in association with Guthrie McClintock, was written by Clemence Dane. Katherine Cornell was featured in the principle role in the 1924 season. "The Family Upstairs" is a slice of American life written by Harry Delf and produced by Sam H. Harris this season. It is a stirring drama with a theme that hits home and hits hard. It's the story of what happens behind the closed doors of half the homes in America. "Married Alive" is a current novel by Ralph Straus which was purchased from Henry Holt & Co. The story centers about a professor of psychology at Cambridge whose frank comments on women and love have made him widely known. Straus has written a bold novel with a modern theme which probably will cause as much debate as Hutchinson's latest novel, "One Increasing Purpose." The other two novels to which Fox has secured screen rights are "Frozen Justice," by Ejnar Mikkelson, and "Down to Earth" by Julius Perutz. THE highly enthusiastic manner in which the representative first run theatres have been booking "The Live Wire," Johnny Hines' initial starring feature for First National, affords ample evidence of the popularity of this star and the success of his first picture. Included among the latest bokings on this Johnny Hines production are the following key city theatres: Capitol, St. Paul; State, Minneapolis; Golden Gate, San Francisco; Orpheum, Oakland, Calif.; American, Salt Lake City ; Olympia, Boston; Olympia, New Bedford; Strand, Hartford; Olympia, Lynn; Pick Title for Next Corinne Griffith Film "Flirtation" has been selected as the title for the next First National picture starring Corinne Griffith, originally called "Caesar's Wife," a storj' by W. Somerset Maugham. Miss Griffith has completed work in this production under the direction of Irving Cummings with a supporting cast including Percy Marmont, Malcolm McGregor, and Warner Oland. "Flirtation" is said to offer Miss Griffith a role unlike anything she has had in the past and to present a story particularly strong in its development from a motion picture standpoint. The national release date set for "Flirtation" is December 13. Added to Cast Several additions have been made on the Metropolitan unit now filming "'The Million Dollar Handclap." Lon Poff, well-known character actor, has been added to the cast, Norman McLeod, "comedy constructor" has been loaned by the Christie Comedy Cftmpany to supply the ideas for the comedy touches in the production, and Douglas S. Dawson has been assigned as assistant to Mr. Scott Sidney, director. Dawson acted in the same capacity on "Steel Preferred," which picture is now being edited. McLeod was "comedy constructionist" on such well known successes as "'Charley's .Aunt," "Seven Days" and "Madam Behave." Valentino to Attend Opening of "The Eagle" Word has been received from Los Angeles that Rudolph Valentino will leave there Tuesday for New York to be present when his new picture, "The Eagle," opens Sunday (Nov. 8) at the Strand Theatre. "The Eagle" is Valentino's first production for United Artists Corporation and he says he has put his best work in this film ; and is anxious to be here for the premiere showing at the Strand to study the audience reaction and also see the film as it is unwound with the musical score which has been arranged by Louis Gottschalk. Marcus Touring Exchanges Lee Marcus, sales manager of F. B. O., is off on a ten-day tour of the Central Eastern exchanges of the company. Mr. Marcus will visit Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St Louis, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland. Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.; Olympia, New Haven ; Karlton, Philadelphia; Central Square, Cambridge, Mass.; Olympia, Brockton, Mass.; Strand, Dayton; Rialto, San Antonio; Strand, Grand Rapids and the Dome, Youngstown, Ohio. With "The Live Wire" doing excellent business, and "Rainbow Riley," Hines' next for First National promising to become an even more elaborate and more humorous production , than its successful predecessor, the Johnny Hincs-First National series should prove to be a most remunerative one for the distributors, the producer, the star and exhibitors. "The Live Wire" Booked Heavily in Key Cities