The Moving picture world (January 1926-February 1926)

January 16, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 255 LIST TO THE GLADSOME NEWS! Ben Turpin is coming back in tivo-rccl comedies! Harry Langdon will be seen in some screamingly funny stuff. Beautiful Alice Day, heading her own unit, will "carry on," and Ralph Graves (right) will go right on being funny for Mr. Sennett. ^Taugh Month" Promises to Set High Sales Record on Fox Film Corporation Comedies WITH National Laugh Month well on its way and an unusually good list of comedies to offer exhibitors, Fox Films seems likely to establish a new sales record in January for laughing pictures. Scheduled for release during the last half of the month are "A Flaming Affair," an Imperial, in which Sid Smith has the role of a street car conductor with a great longing to be a hero, and "The Feud," one of the Van Bibber series. In "The Feud," Earle Fox, as Van, buys an old southern mansion at auction without realizing it until informed that he is the successful bidder. He has merely been telling a deaf native the price of his Rolls-Royce and the auctioneer, overhearing the amount mentioned, construes it as a bid on the property. This is only one of many big laughs in the picture and New York reviewers de clare the film a genuine wow at the preview. According to reports received from Fox branches throughout the United States, hundreds of exhibitors have adopted the allcomedy program suggested by the Fox short subjects sales department and the innovation has proved an exceedingly popular one with their patrons. Many showmen who were frankly dubious when an all-comedy program was proposed to them have satisfied themselves that it really "works" and are planning to make it a regular feature in their theatres henceforth. The first of the East Side, West Side series, released November 15, appears to have scored heavily, and George Harris as the enterprising Jewish boy with an Irish sweetheart, Barbara Luddy, is receiving high praise from film reviewers throughout the country. The second of this series is "The Fighting Tailor" which will be released Jan uary 1. This film also was declared a genuine knockout by reviewers and advices from the Fox West Coast Studios assert those to follow will be even funnier. George E. Marshall, comedy supervisor, is assisted by one of the biggest and best laughmaking crews ever assembled, including an even dozen directors and a young army of gag-men. In addition to the two-reelers, three feature-length comedies will be ready for showing the last week in January. "The First Year," one of the John Golden adaptations, with Matt Moore, Kathryn Perry, J. Farrell MacDonald and Margaret Livingston, will be released January 24. "A Trip to Chinatown" and "The Cowboy and the Countess" are scheduled for first showings on January 31. In the latter picture Buck Jones again demonstrates that he can act as well as ride. Pathe and Mack Sennett Sign Contract (Continued from page 254) The first Smith Family comedies listed are titled "Smith's Baby," "Smith's Vacation," and "Smith's Landlord." Ralph Graves with his amusing characterization of a bashful youth has proved a consistent laugh-maker. Graves has "rung the bell" in "Wide Open Faces," "The Window Tell Dad.' The casts of the new Graves' Dummy," "Take Your Time" and "Don't Tell Dad." The casts of the new Graves films will include such favorites as Thelma Parr, Eugenia Gilbert, Marvin Lobach and William McCall. The Mack Sennett brand comedies are welcome on every program. Such postive laugh-riots as "The Gosh Darn Mortgage" and "Whispering Whiskers" have established this brand as a favorite with many fans.. Casts of this series will include Billy Bevan, Andy Clyde, Madeline Hurlock, Eugenia Gilbert, Kewpie Morgan, Ruth Taylor and other members of the stock company. The renowned Alack Sennett Bathing Girls also will adorn the cast of these funfilms. Harry Langdon is to be seen in six special comedy productions. Three of these are yet to be scheduled and three are already dated for release. "Lucky Stars," a tworeeler released a short while ago played two weeks on Broadway at the Rialto and Rivoli Theatres, respectively, and followed with bookings over the entire Greater New York theatres of the Loew Circuit. "There He Goes," a three reeler is the current release. "Saturday Afternoon," also a three-reeler, will be released at the end of January and is sure to add a highlight to the events of "Laugh Month." Forthcoming "Langdons" are notable in their entertainment quality. These are "Junk Man," a two-reel comedy the plot of which may be guessed from the title and which sounds as if it might fit Langdon like the proverbial glove ; "The King" (tentative title) a four-reel picture and "His First Flame," the comedian's initial five-reel comedy production. Concerning "His First Flame," Mr. Sennett says this is probably the best feature comedy ever made on his lot, and that is going some. LOTS OF GOOD THINGS IN STORJ FOR YOU! Here are some of the Mack Sennett fun-makers. Right to left are: Raymond McKee, Madeline Hurlock, Thelma Parr, Ruth Hiatt and Billy Bevan.